Chapter 83: Heavenly Geniuses of All Peaks (Part One)
Over the next month, Li Yan reduced his work in the Spiritual Plant Garden, spending most of his time practicing his cultivation technique and spells.
He knew he had only recently broken through to the late stage of the seventh level of Qi Condensation, and hoping to reach the eighth level in a short time was nothing more than a dream, unless he was given some rare heavenly medicine to take.
But he wasn't like those characters the old scholar from his village used to speak of, those who failed the imperial exams, wandered into a ruined temple, and encountered a fox spirit who gifted them a miraculous opportunity; or youths who fell off cliffs, survived against all odds, and found an immortal peach that could boost decades of cultivation.
Such tales were fiction, pure fantasy.
Sure, in a world with immortals, fox spirits and rare treasures did exist, but someone like him stuck within the sect, not even leaving the Little Bamboo Peak couldn't hope to stumble across them.
Even if there were such opportunities within the sect, they were likely buried thousands or tens of thousands of zhang underground. With so many Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, not to mention a few Nascent Soul ancestors around, their divine senses would have swept every inch of the sect countless times. Any rare treasure would've been taken long ago.
One day, while Li Yan was sitting cross-legged in his room cultivating, the token at his waist suddenly lit up with a burst of white light. He immediately focused his divine sense into it. Moments later, he raised his head and looked out the window.
"It's starting already?"
Old Lord Peak, its summit pierced high into the clouds, its height unknown.
Midway up the mountain lay a massive platform spanning over a hundred thousand zhang. At its center, ten tall stages had risen, spaced twenty li apart.
Each platform stood three zhang high and about fifty li long. The ten platforms were arranged in a diamond shape, with a vast open space of over a hundred li in the middle.
Floating behind the platform, high in the air, was a grand pavilion adorned with railings. Several rows of seats awaited on the balcony, while numerous neatly dressed boys and girls busied themselves among the chairs, arranging plates of exotic fruits or setting down delicate refreshments.
Below, within the diamond-shaped formation of platforms, crowds of people bustled to and fro. Despite the masses, everything was in perfect order. The central hundred-li area had been divided into five regions, each twenty li wide.
Li Yan glanced at the lively scene dozens of li away, then looked at the few people beside him, just eleven in total. Even if they spaced themselves two li apart, they'd barely fill the edge of the zone.
"Eldest Senior Brother, how about we move a little closer to one side? We from Little Bamboo Peak are too few. Standing right here in the middle makes us stick out like a sore thumb."
A crisp voice spoke beside him. Lin Daqiao was glancing around anxiously, as if wind were blowing from all four directions.
"No. This is the dignity of our peak. Moving toward someone else's area? What are you trying to do, leave Little Bamboo Peak?"
"D-don't say that, Senior Brother! I was just making a suggestion! I'll stand right here, no problem!"
Startled by the reprimand, Lin Daqiao waved his hands quickly.
Li Wuyi's lips curled slightly as he looked at those around him, sighing inwardly.
"Master, can't you show some mercy? Every time there's a major sect event, you make us stand out like this…"
Around Li Wuyi, apart from Li Yan and three younger junior nephews with curious eyes, the rest of the group wore solemn expressions, some meditating with closed eyes, others whispering quietly in pairs.
This was Li Yan's first time attending such a major sect event. When he arrived, he had been stunned. Never in his life had he witnessed such a grand spectacle, ten enormous stages rising across hundreds of li. Their group, standing in the center of the diamond, felt as small as ants.
Each of the five zones corresponded to one of the five main peaks. Disciples stood neatly within their own regions, Foundation Establishment cultivators at the front, Qi Condensation disciples at the back.
Most peaks had several thousand disciples. Even with twenty li of space, the crowds were dense, forming black masses of people that radiated sheer momentum.
In contrast, their group, eight senior brothers and sisters plus three junior disciples stood alone in the center. The contrast was glaring.
Fortunately, cultivators had keen senses. With no obstructions, even across dozens of li, one could see clearly.
In the sky above, beams of multicolored light streaked past as groups of disciples descended continuously. It was clear that the rest of the peaks were still arriving.
As Li Yan observed the surroundings, a warm voice rang out beside him.
"Junior brothers and sisters, please listen."
Everyone turned toward Li Wuyi.
"For the Foundation Establishment competition, you all know there are only forty-nine slots. Just give it your all and strive for a great opportunity.
But there are some individuals you must be wary of. I know some of you have prepared in advance or are familiar with disciples from other peaks. However, I've participated in past events and can share some experience."
Hearing this, everyone's attention sharpened. They knew their senior brother was about to offer valuable insight from past competitions, especially useful for the newcomers.
Wen Xinliang and Lin Daqiao immediately looked at him with gratitude. Neither had participated in the Secret Realm Harvest before. Apart from Wen Xinliang, who had some experience from previous small-scale matches, Lin Daqiao had none.
Even Miao Wangqing, who had been in Foundation Establishment for a while, wanted to listen. She was the sort of cultivator not skilled in combat.
At the same time, Li Wuyi was clearly addressing the newcomers too, like Li Yan and the three junior nephews.
"Look over there, Four Symbols Peak. See those three men and one woman at the front?"
Li Wuyi cast a glance toward the left. He didn't raise a hand to point, cultivators had sharp senses, and even a glance might be detected by those being observed.
From their position within the diamond formation, they could only see three zones. Little Bamboo Peak was positioned along one edge of the diamond, and the five zones formed the four edges plus the center.
The center belonged to Old Lord Peak disciples. As a result, Li Yan and the others could only see the two adjacent sides and the center. The diagonally opposite groups were blocked by Old Lord Peak's crowd.
Li Yan, like the others, followed Li Wuyi's gaze toward the direction of the Four Symbols Peak. The front three rows there were made up of Foundation Establishment disciples, numbering more than fifty, arranged in a triangular formation.
At the very front stood three men and one woman. Among the three men, one was tall while the other two were shorter. The tall one was especially burly, with a broad face and thick ears. His height surpassed a zhang, muscles bulging, and sported a close-cropped head of short, golden hair that stood straight like steel spikes, he looked like a golden idol or deity carved from stone.
The two shorter men were clearly twin brothers, their appearances nearly identical. Even from their builds, one could sense a strong and solid presence. The two of them were looking around, pointing and whispering to each other.
The female cultivator appeared to be around twenty, with skin like congealed cream, a narrow waist, and full hips. Her elegance was exceptional, and her long black hair was tied up in a high bun. She seemed to sense someone watching her, and turned slightly to glance in their direction. A smile played at the corners of her cherry-like lips as she glanced toward Li Wuyi's group, then turned back.
Her motion drew the attention of the twin brothers beside her. They both turned and grinned toward Li Wuyi's group as well. Li Wuyi nodded back with a smile. The towering man, however, stood still like a statue, not even glancing their way.
At this moment, Li Yan heard a cold snort from beside him. He looked up, it was Third Senior Brother, but he couldn't tell if the snort was directed at the towering man or the others.
Li Wuyi withdrew his gaze and continued speaking.
"That golden-haired giant is named Gan Shi. He is in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, great perfection, and possesses a Profound Spiritual Root. He wields the rare dual-element earth and metal roots, and is the eldest senior brother of the Four Symbols Peak. He excels in both offense and defense.
Normally, earth spiritual roots don't pair with the aggressive metal root, but more often with wind, fire, or wood. He is the rare exception, balanced in offense and defense, adept in coordinated attacks. If he manages to condense a Core, he'll be a strong contender for the next Four Symbols Peak master.
Gan Shi specializes in offensive-defensive formations, having refined formation techniques into his very body. His whole form can become a formation; formations manifest with spells, spells trigger formations. He can kill instantly. He's an extremely difficult opponent, you all must be extra cautious if you meet him."
In truth, Li Wuyi withheld a thought: perhaps only Second Senior Brother could match Gan Shi. The others likely stood no chance. But he didn't voice this, not wanting to dampen morale. He had fought Gan Shi before and only narrowly won by leveraging a higher cultivation level.
Still, with Core Formation elders presiding over the competition, no lives would be lost. This was, after all, a rare chance for valuable experience.
"Those two are Chu Weixiong and Chu Weili, twin brothers, also late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators with Profound Spiritual Roots. They cultivate earth and fire elements, and are adept at forming the Four Symbols Peak's famed formation, the Four Symbols Formation.
Normally, this formation requires 18, 36, 72, 108, 360, or 720 people to set up the Sky-Sealing Chain Four Symbols Formation.
But these two are prodigies of formation arts. Back when they were at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, the grand elder of Four Symbols Peak gave them special permission to study the formation. After three years and seven months of effort, they managed to distill a miniature two-man version of the formation. Though it had many flaws, their talent was astonishing.
Over the decades, they've continued honing their craft. They only advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage after merging with the formation path. Truly, they are blessed by the heavens.
It's said that when working together, they can take on seven or eight cultivators of the same level. Even though this tournament will be conducted individually, they remain extremely dangerous opponents."
Everyone fell silent after hearing this. Even Yun Chunque didn't say a word. Although the Chu brothers weren't as highly ranked in terms of cultivation as Gan Shi, their mastery of formations far exceeded his. And a cultivator who stepped onto the path of Dao via formations was no ordinary formation master.
They weren't the typical kind of formation user who were fragile, weak in defense, needing protection while setting up arrays. These brothers had fused their bodies and Dao with their formations. Their technique was their formation, and their formation was their technique. Such cultivators couldn't be easily killed or worn down, they would grind their enemies to exhaustion.
To make matters worse, the Wraith Sect was also infamous for its use of poison. They had long since merged poison and formation into one.
"As for that female cultivator, her name is Wei Feng. She is at the peak of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm. She's highly perceptive, with a Profound Spiritual Root and dual cultivation of earth and water. She excels in illusory poison formations and can conjure worlds with a wave of her hand.
Inside her illusions, poison mists run rampant. Some are colorless and odorless, others sweet-scented and intoxicating. Some disorient the mind, some bring death in a dream. It's said her illusions contain eleven types of deadly poisons.
She once sparred with the Chu brothers, while she was trapped within their combined formation, they still couldn't subdue her. That alone speaks to the depth of her skill.
Aside from these four, there are at least five more disciples on the Four Symbols Peak who are only slightly less formidable."
When Li Wuyi finished, aside from Wei Chituo, Yun Chunque, Miao Wangqing, and Gong Chenying who seemed to already know, everyone else was left stunned. Even Wen Xinliang had dropped his usual lazy demeanor.
Although he had participated in a previous Foundation Establishment match and had gathered some information on disciples from the other peaks, it wasn't nearly as detailed or comprehensive as what the senior brother just shared.
Li Yan looked curious, while Lin Daqiao had lost his usual playfulness. He lowered his head, clearly calculating how far he could make it. But the more he thought, the more disheartened he became. Unless he avoided these opponents entirely, he would have to concede immediately. In the end, it all came down to luck.
Li Wuyi paused, letting the others digest the information, then turned his gaze to the right. That was where the Spirit Insect Peak was stationed, also the most overwhelming in terms of presence.
Various spirit beasts crowded the corners, each person spaced apart, yet the beasts still snarled and roared at each other continuously.
Their owners, however, appeared completely at ease, not bothering to stop their beasts from acting aggressively. It wasn't that they couldn't, it was that this was their moment to shine, and they welcomed the intimidation.
Li Wuyi glanced a few times but couldn't find the person he was looking for. Just as he was about to look away, several streaks of light descended from the horizon.
(Chapter End)