Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Heroic Spirit Bell (Please subscribe!)
In the endless mountains, outside a small valley, the green wind suddenly stopped blowing.
Shi Xiaole, seated on the ground, opened his eyes.
At the same time, a violent but orderly Internal Power, like countless fine needles, spread outwards, piercing everything in a radius of ten meters. The rocks, soil and vegetation all hissed as if they were being penetrated.
Small pieces of gravel were pushed far away, and when Shi Xiaole switched his breath, the stones were attracted back to their original positions, without the slightest difference.
This was the sign of transcending the minor achievement stage in the realm of Brahma-I Unity.
The more profound the internal strength, the more it needs the accumulation of time. This is both true and false.
It is true because, for ordinary people, indeed it is.
However, it is wrong when someone’s understanding is extraordinary, it will break all conventions.
Shi Xiaole’s perception was originally high, after being exposed to the wind of inspiration all the time, his perception increased linearly, reaching monstrous levels. This allowed him, in a short period, to practice Brahma-I Unity to a very high level.
If minor achievement in Brahma-I Unity is regarded as 30% mastery, then at this moment, he has achieved at least 45%.
But it doesn’t stop there.
The improvement of Brahma-I Unity has also greatly advanced Shi Xiaole’s cultivation, from the mid-stage of Qi Absorption at the fourth level to the early stage of Qi Absorption at the seventh level, skipping two stages in a leap.
At this moment, his internal strength could only be described as a surging river, flowing throughout his body at the slightest command, seemingly endless and inexhaustible.
"How strong am I now?"
Shi Xiaole furrowed his brows.
When he was at the mid-stage of Qi Absorption at the fourth level, he could fight warriors at the late stage of the ninth level. The improvement of his cultivation alone could kill the latter without breaking a sweat.
And if we add his Brahma-I Unity, surpassing the minor achievement, his strength would be elevated at least another level.
But this is still far from all.
What is most fearsome about Shi Xiaole is not his cultivation, but his Martial Arts realm.
To be honest, after his persistent painstaking efforts in the past half a year and the insights he gained during this period, he had no idea what level his Martial Arts realm had reached. The combination of this with his cultivation had led to such a great progression that even Shi Xiaole himself was somewhat afraid.
It felt as if there was a lake hidden in his body, an ordinary opponent wouldn’t even cause a ripple.
"All of this, is thanks to the wind of inspiration."
Shi Xiaole stood up and looked forward.
There was no wind blowing in the valley anymore. As he entered, it was silent all around, and a stone stele caught his attention.
"Wind Valley echos, it roams freely across the world, returns favors, gives and takes."
Sixteen large words came into view.
"Wind Valley?"
Shi Xiaole nodded, "Thanks to the hospitality of Wind Valley, I will definitely return the favor in the future."
The Martial World is vast and filled with wonders.
Shi Xiaole didn’t know where Wind Valley was or where it drifted to, he only knew he had received the grace of Wind Valley, and he needs to repay it.
He looked around, it was a desolate landscape, the previous events seemed like a dream. Afraid of delaying important matters, Shi Xiaole immediately summoned Qingfeng and left.
...
The grand Heroic Spirit Tournament was to start the next day, and the area around the Heroic Spirit Mountain was swarmed with people.
Looking from above, it was like a dark sea surrounding the entire mountain range, and countless streams of people were converging towards the center from the edges of that sea.
"In previous Heroic Spirit Tournaments, the most observers were over twenty million, this year, I am afraid it will not be less than thirty million."
In one of the streams of people, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue scholar hat and a long gown of the same color sighed.
"There are so many masters."
Next to the middle-aged man, a group of young people, including several old men, all had shocked faces.
They knew that the Heroic Spirit Tournament was grand, but they didn’t expect it to be to this extent. It seemed as if master-level warriors from all around Qingxue State had gathered here.
The aura of a martial artist is not easily leaked, but each of these individuals had a sharp eye. Astonishing Dragon Castle, with the reputation as the top martial artists in the Cloud Triangle, was following behind a humble-looking middle-aged man with a respectful demeanor.
The middle-aged man was careful not to speak a word in the crowd, evidently trying not to cause trouble that he wouldn’t be able to handle.
One can imagine how many masters were actually present.
"You never know how vast the world is until you step outside."
The middle-aged man, who was none other than the Sect Master of Huajian Sect, Yu Fangge, sighed.
With him were the Second Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the leading disciples from Huajian Sect, Yuan Qiuwei, Xiao Yuanbo, Mao Wenjing, and several other remarkable students of Huajian Sect.
It is a perilous world in Martial Arts, so for safety, most of the Martial Artists in the Cloud Triangle traveled in groups. For example, this stream of people they are following belongs to the Cloud Sky Alliance, led by Astonishing Dragon Castle.
Given the status of Huajian Sect, they should have been at the back of the group. However, this time they were in the first echelon, only behind Astonishing Dragon Castle, Cloud Sword Pavilion, Dry Land Sect, and Tyrant Saber Sect.
All of this was because of one person.
Shi Xiaole.
Remembering this promising disciple, who was not technically his disciple, but his nephew, Yu Fangge felt both pride and emotion.
The outstanding performances of that young man at Snow Appreciation Pavillion and the Bloody Red Altar came so suddenly that they took everyone, including him, by surprise.
No one knew his secret. It was as if a meteor streaked across the night sky and instantly transformed into a shower of falling stars, illuminating the martial world.
Ever since Shi Xiaole left the Cloud Triangle, there had been few news about him. The only substantial update was about his duel with a leading talent from the Floating River Area, mentioned by Liu Mengse, Zuo Feiyang, and Ba Renxiong.
It was then that people realized the astonishing progress this dazzling youth had made.
Xiaole, what extent have you reached now?
Yu Fangge wondered to himself.
"We should be able to see our junior brother this time."
Xiao Yuanbo suddenly burst out laughing behind him, full of nostalgia.
"It’s not as easy as you think."
Yuan Qiuwei shook his head and said, "I believe our junior brother will come, but there are far too many young talents here. Only those who pass a few preliminary levels will have the chance to ascend Mount Heroville and participate in a ring fight. If our junior brother cannot pass, it might be hard for us to find each other in such a large crowd."
Mao Wenjing, who had been silent all along, said, "Given our junior brother’s skill, he should be able to pass."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qiuwei could only muster a wry smile. "During the last competition, many talents from authentic schools in the Cloud Triangle, whose natural abilities are comparable if not superior to the Four Outstanding Youths, only three were able to clear the preliminary levels."
Xiao Yuanbo, Mao Wenjing, and other enthusiastic disciples of the Huajian Sect were all taken aback.
They only knew that it had been decades since anyone from the Cloud Triangle had made it onto the heroic youth list. They didn’t know that there were times when almost all the participants from the Cloud Triangle failed to clear even the preliminary levels.
Shi Xiaole’s natural talent was widely acknowledged to be a notch above the Four Outstanding Youths. But taking into consideration this probability, passing the preliminary levels seemed difficult.
After all, Shi Xiaole was only seventeen years old. Despite his talent, his age put him at a disadvantage, as his potential may not have had time to fully manifest.
"Our top young talent in the Cloud Triangle, ’Floating Fragrance in Snow’ Xue Yuxiang, was twenty-three years old during the last competition but didn’t even make it past the first round of the ring fight."
Yuan Qiuwei continued, seemingly determined to undermine their spirits.
This time, not only the disciples of the Huajian Sect, but even those from other sects who were unaware of the situation felt a sense of shock.
Was the competition this dreadful?
A twenty-three-year-old Xue Yuxiang, who was significantly ahead of others in the Cloud Triangle, couldn’t even pass the first round.
"This doesn’t seem like a competition for humans at all."
Xiao Yuanbo shook his head and laughed bitterly.
Even if Xiaole’s talent surpassed that of Xue Yuxiang, at only seventeen, his abilities certainly wouldn’t match those of a twenty-three-year-old Xue Yuxiang. Furthermore, the standard of this year’s competition was widely acknowledged to be the highest in a century.
Based on this, it seemed unlikely that Xiaole would even make it onto the ring fight stage at Mount Heroville.
"Well, external talents are overwhelmingly impressive. Our focus should be on attendance. It’s an honor just to witness such an event."
One of the disciples sighed, drawing nods of agreement from the others.
Indeed, knowing oneself is the most important thing. Being able to participate in such grand events is already remarkable. Some stages are destined not to belong to them.
In another tributary of the Cloud Triangle sat the legitimate sects, among them the Golden Phoenix Tower.
The news of the Whale Lake Gang attacking Golden Phoenix Tower had spread to many. The strength demonstrated by Su Yanru earned the respect of many Sect Masters.
Most importantly, a few months ago, for some unknown reason, Golden Phoenix Tower received the sect-establishment token from the Qingxue Alliance, formally making it a legitimate sect.
Originally, Su Yanru wanted to travel with the Huajian Sect, but the age-old tradition required the legitimate sects and miscellaneous sects to travel separately. Unable to break this rule, she reluctantly gave up the idea.
"Tower Master, in half an hour, we will arrive at the Mount Heroville range."
Outside the carriage, Meng Qi could not hide his excitement.
Su Yanru acknowledged his statement.
The gathering of so many heroes and the surge of excitement were indeed heart-stirring. However, the only person who could truly make her feel nervous and excited was the young man who had left resolutely two years earlier.
She wondered what changes he had undergone and whether he was still safe and sound.
"It would be incredible if Young Tower Master can make it onto Mount Heroville."
Looking at the outstanding talents around and far off, Meng Qi couldn’t help but murmur.
Unlike other powers in the Cloud Triangle, the Golden Phoenix Tower paid special attention to Shi Xiaole’s situation. Hence, Meng Qi was fully aware of his exploits in the Floating River Area.
Initially, he had full confidence in Shi Xiaole. But the talents and deeds he had witnessed and heard of en route, were more exaggerated than the last.
He even learned that the status of the Copper Banner Master in some areas was just standard among the outstanding talents, hardly worth mentioning.
So now, Meng Qi’s confidence had dwindled to near nothing.
The crowd surged forward and finally, just before sunset, poured into the outer reaches of Mount Heroville. The endlessly stretching mountain range was matched by the endlessly stretching sea of people. Standing on a hillock, Su Yanru and others could not see an end to it all.
At midnight, the bonfires lit up the mountain range, brighter than the stars in the sky, with sounds of activity echoing until the early hours of the morning.
The next day, before the break of dawn, three loud bell tolls rang out, seemingly from the ends of the earth.
Boom!
Just like a pot of water suddenly boiling over, a multitude of shouts sounded from the mountain range’s outer periphery. Countless eyes looked forward, their gaze intense.
This was the Heroic Spirit Bell. When it rang three times, it signified that the grand martial arts contest had officially begun.
