King of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Breakthrough to the Sixth Layer

When Luo Tian left the Master’s Mansion.

Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

On a central peak that soared into the clouds, a young woman in a pale yellow dress appeared.

Her features were exquisite, her skin as fair as jade. A cascade of beautiful hair fell to her waist, her figure tall and elegant.

If Luo Tian had been there, he would have recognized her instantly.

"Miss Liu, it’s been two years since we last met."

A smiling youth with a high forehead, dressed in pale gold robes, let his gaze linger for a moment on the impressive curve of the young woman’s snow-white chest.

The youth’s pale gold robes were the symbol of a Golden Student.

"Seeing you today, you’re truly stunning. In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, you passed the Holy Mansion’s incredibly strict special recruitment exam and cleared the first six layers of the Spirit Fighting Tower in one go."

The youth praised her endlessly.

His expression was thirty percent flattery and seventy percent genuine astonishment.

"The speed at which you became a Golden Student, Miss Liu, is likely the fastest the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion has seen in a hundred years."

The youth remarked with a sigh.

He recalled how he had to expend a great deal of effort to clear the Spirit Fighting Tower’s sixth layer and become a Golden Student after he had advanced to the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening.

In contrast, Liu Ziyan had cleared six layers in a row, and her face was merely a little flushed, making her look even more radiant and captivating.

"You flatter me, Senior Brother Yue. It took a great deal of resolve for me to decide to enter the Holy Mansion."

Liu Ziyan’s voice was soft and pleasant, her demeanor elegant and poised.

"I’ve heard about your troubles, Miss Liu. To think some commoner whelp actually disturbed your peace of mind."

The youth’s expression turned stern as he said angrily.

Chatting as they walked, the two entered a tall, imposing palace hall.

"Chasing Sun Hall."

The three large, gilded words on the palace plaque signified its supreme status within the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

The Chasing Sun Hall was generally where the Mansion Master and Vice Manor Masters managed affairs.

At the far end of the great hall.

On a high platform at the top of a flight of stairs, a middle-aged man in dark robes was seated cross-legged in cultivation, emanating an aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.

"Ziyan pays her respects, Elder Yue."

Liu Ziyan said, giving a slight bow.

The man before her was one of the highest authorities in the Holy Mansion—one of the two Vice Manor Masters.

"No need for such ceremony, Niece Liu. I have received your master’s letter. With your exceptional talent, any Holy Mansion would treat you as a treasure."

The man in the dark robes opened his eyes, his expression pleasant.

As it turned out, Vice Manor Master Yue and Liu Ziyan’s master, a Mansion Master himself, were fellow disciples from the same school.

"Uncle Yue, you should have seen it! Miss Liu just cleared the first six layers of the Spirit Fighting Tower in one go, effortlessly becoming a Golden Student."

The youth said with a smile.

He was the Vice Manor Master’s own nephew, so he spoke more casually.

"Haha! With an Earth Tier Martial Vein and her cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, forget the sixth layer, Niece Liu. It’s even possible she could clear the seventh."

Vice Manor Master Yue laughed heartily.

"Yue Jing! You, on the other hand, will soon be surpassed by Ziyan if you continue to slack off."

Vice Manor Master Yue chided.

Liu Ziyan’s true combat strength was likely close to the Spirit Sea Realm. After all, she had fought her way onto the Human List back when she was at the Eighth Layer of Meridian Opening, possessing the combat power of a Golden Student even then.

"Miss Liu, don’t tell me you’re aiming to become a ’Sunshine Student,’ a rank of inhuman difficulty."

Yue Jing said, his eyes widening slightly.

Liu Ziyan smiled but did not deny it.

"You have both come at a good time."

Vice Manor Master Yue’s expression turned serious as he spoke.

"The Beast Tide near the Celestial Extreme Mountain Range is growing stronger by the day. The front lines are strained, and the various Wu Mansions are mobilizing students to go and resist the Demon Beasts."

"A Beast Tide?"

Both Liu Ziyan and Yue Jing showed a hint of surprise.

"We don’t know what happened in the Extreme Heaven Mountain Range, but the Beast Tide in this region started a month earlier than elsewhere."

Vice Manor Master Yue wore a worried expression.

"That’s a good thing! You can earn a lot of Contribution Points for killing Demon Beasts during a Beast Tide."

Yue Jing laughed, looking completely unconcerned.

...

「Sunrise Peak, Silver Pavilion」

The first thing Luo Tian did upon returning was to stabilize his Cultivation Realm.

The second was to practice his Martial Skills.

During the new student exchange, Luo Tian had clashed with several students from the Panshi Martial Mansion. He had gained new insights into his Martial Skills, particularly from his fight with Wu Qiu of the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening.

Furthermore, Master Lin’s guidance had profoundly inspired his comprehension of Martial Arts.

「Three days later.」

Longsword in hand, Luo Tian practiced the Celestial Star Sword Technique.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The longsword in his hand became a blur, creating several starlike glints of chilling sword light. They crisscrossed, a mix of real and illusory attacks that were impossible to distinguish.

Some of the chilling stars of light burst forth, carrying enough power to shatter gold and sunder iron.

Others shattered into nothing, revealing themselves as mere illusions.

This was the Second Technique of the Celestial Star Sword Technique: Star Shifting Shadow.

’The Second Technique, Star Shifting Shadow, requires not only incredible speed but also immense Spiritual Power control. This, combined with the secrets of the swordsmanship, allows me to create illusions that are indistinguishable from real attacks.’

Luo Tian nodded to himself in thought.

’Though it wasn’t much more powerful than the First Technique, it was far more unpredictable and introduced a new level of flexibility to his combat style.’

The Celestial Star Sword Technique was divided into four levels—Starlight, Star Trace, Starlight, and Star River—and also contained nine Sword Techniques.

First Technique: Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon.

Second Technique: Star Shifting Shadow.

Third Technique: Seven-stars in a Row.

Fourth Technique: Star Fall and Cloud Disperse.

...

Each subsequent technique was progressively more difficult and more powerful.

Currently, Luo Tian had only managed to practice up to the Third Technique. While he had mastered the first two, the third was still lacking.

The Third Technique, Seven-stars in a Row, required one to deliver seven consecutive strikes in a single instant. The power of each strike had to increase progressively, culminating in one final, explosive burst.

The power of this technique was terrifying.

Luo Tian hadn’t mastered it, mainly because his Cultivation was lacking. His five Qi Veins couldn’t supply enough True Qi to execute seven stacked strikes in an instant.

’My cultivation at the Peak of the Fifth Layer is about as polished as it can get.’

Luo Tian made his decision.

His next step was to break through to the Sixth Layer of Meridian Opening.

Luo Tian had previously earned one thousand Contribution Points, which was enough for ten days of Cultivation in the Spirit Pool.

After leaving Sunrise Peak, Luo Tian went to the Spirit Pool and began to cultivate single-mindedly.

WHOOSH!

His five Qi Veins flared as he repeatedly circulated his True Qi, refining it while attempting to break through to the sixth Qi Vein.

However, the sixth Qi Vein was located deeper within his body, and its barrier was extremely difficult to breach.

Luo Tian possessed a Divine Vein. From the very beginning of his Meridian Opening, the Qi Veins he formed were as thick as draconic pythons, several times wider than those of an ordinary person.

This also meant that opening new Qi Veins was far more difficult for him.

In the blink of an eye, Luo Tian had been cultivating in the Spirit Pool for four or five days.

The True Qi within his five Qi Veins grew increasingly pure and powerful, emitting a piercingly cold aura.

The location of the sixth Qi Vein was now perfectly clear to him.

PSSSSSH!

Streams of sharp, sword-like True Qi hammered against the barrier of the sixth Qi Vein, causing it to tremble and fine cracks to appear on its surface.

BOOM!

The barrier of the sixth Qi Vein shattered, and True Qi poured in.

WHOOSH!

The water of the pool swirled violently around Luo Tian as he frantically absorbed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within.

"Sixth Layer of Meridian Opening!"

Luo Tian felt waves of latent power surging forth, released from the depths of his body and his Divine Vein.

In turn, his physical strength and the quality of his True Qi were both enhanced.

’Now that I have another Qi Vein, I should be able to execute the Third Technique of the Celestial Star Sword Technique.’

Luo Tian felt a surge of inexplicable confidence.

The more Qi Veins a Martial Artist possessed, the greater their explosive power.

His own Qi Veins were wider and thicker, meaning the explosive power from his six Qi Veins surpassed that of an ordinary martial artist at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening.

It was well known that there was a massive divide in power between the Sixth and Seventh Layers.

Combined with his Divine Vein and two top-tier, Spirit Level Middle Grade Martial Skills, his overall strength had improved by leaps and bounds.

In the Spirit Pool.

Luo Tian cultivated for another day, stabilizing his Cultivation. He had also opened one-sixth of his sixth Qi Vein.

At this point, his Cultivation speed slowed down.

Luo Tian understood that the momentum from his breakthrough was spent. It would be unwise to continue cultivating by force.

Upon leaving the Spirit Pool and returning to Sunrise Peak, Luo Tian overheard some discussions.

In recent days, two sensational pieces of news had spread through the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

First.

A Beast Tide had erupted, and the Holy Mansion’s Mentors were issuing missions for students to go to the front lines to kill Demon Beasts and hone their Martial Skills.

Second.

A beautiful genius had entered the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion as a specially recruited student and had immediately become a Golden Student. She was highly regarded by the Holy Mansion High Level and adored by many other students.

’A beautiful genius? A Golden Student?’

A sharp glint flashed through Luo Tian’s eyes; he had already reached a conclusion.