Chapter 430: I Didn’t Exert Much Strength And You Already Broke?
The four top Divine Firmament prodigies displayed their power when they conquered the top 10 Spirit Mountains, sending shockwaves all around.
Qi Shaoxuan and Wang Shenxu would not be left behind. They stepped out, all prepared to challenge the top 10 Spirit Mountains!
The appearance of those two ignited a heated debate. After all, their battle accolades were even more exceptional than the top four Divine Firmament prodigies.
They had defeated Shi Ling and Shi Kui. This alone was enough to make them famous in Jixia Academy!
“Is the Purple Mansion Saint going to make his move too?”
“I heard that Qi Shaoxuan has the Thearch potential. I wonder which Spirit Mountain he would choose?”
“Anyway, it cannot be worse off than the ones chosen by the top four Divine Firmament prodigies!”
“And the Great Void Saint. He has always been very good at controlling the void!”
“I think he should also be very formidable!”
“I heard that previously, he even defeated someone very powerful within seconds!”
...
Qi Shaoxuan was the former number one on the Eastern Wilderness Golden Core List. His reputation had already spread all the way to Middle Ground!
Before Shen Tian was born, he had dominated over the younger generation in Eastern Wilderness. Countless people feared and respected him.
And as the current Great Void Saint, Wang Shenxu was just as formidable.
More importantly, he had sparred with Shi Kui previously, sacrificed hundreds of years of his life, and defeated the latter within seconds.
It could be imagined just how powerful that attack was.
It was just a “friendly sparring” session, but he had been hardcore enough to sacrifice hundreds of years of his life...
No one across the five regions would dare to offend such a person.
Impulsive people feared violent people, while violent people feared those who had no care for their own lives!
...
Qi Shaoxuan and Wang Shenxu exuded powerful auras. Many prodigies felt an inward shudder of fear.
This was an aura that belonged to a Soul Formation stage practitioner!
To be able to reach the Soul Formation stage at this age—they were definitely amongst the top of all their peers across the five regions!
The prodigies were very eager to see just how powerful these two were.
...
Wang Shenxu gazed at the top four mountains with blazing eyes.
Given his cultivation level and status, he would naturally choose the 3rd and 4th Spirit Mountains.
A Mid-Stage Heavenly Venerable practitioner could only conquer even the weakest of the top 10 Spirit Mountains.
So for the 3rd and 4th Spirit Mountains, only a Peak-Stage Heavenly Venerable would be able to conquer them!
The 1st and 2nd Spirit Mountains were even more formidable. Only someone at the Tribulation Transcendence stage would be able to conquer them.
As a result, those two did not even consider the 1st and 2nd Spirit Mountains.
They might be able to challenge a higher-level practitioner than them, but they did not feel that they would be able to go so far as to challenge Sage-level prowess.
Gazing at the Spirit Mountain in front of him, Wang Shenxu smiled. “Qi Shaoxuan, want to make this a competition?”
Wang Shenxu raised his eyebrows as he challenged Qi Shaoxuan.
After breaking through to the Soul Formation stage, Wang Shenxu’s lifespan had greatly increased, and his confidence surged.
He had always wanted to compete with Qi Shaoxuan for the position of number two in the world.
However, Qi Shaoxuan was very powerful, and a battle between the two of them would go on for a long time. He had no idea if he had enough vitality to last so long!
As a result, he wanted to compete with Qi Shaoxuan via other methods.
Qi Shaoxuan’s eyes lit up. “Why not?”
Wang Shenxu was no weakling. Qi Shaoxuan acknowledged that he was his top opponent for the position of number two in the world.
Qi Shaoxuan had always been very proud. He would never admit to being weaker than anyone else, except for Shen Tian!
There was no way he would reject Wang Shenxu’s challenge!
Wang Shenxu smiled. “Very well. I shall make a move first then!”
With that, he charged toward the 3rd Spirit Mountain.
“Haha, Qi Shaoxuan, you are a fool! You will lose after I conquer this 3rd Spirit Mountain!”
Wang Shenxu had a very simple line of thinking.
The difficulty level between the 3rd and 4th Spirit Mountains was not that vast. Both required the battle prowess of a peak Heavenly Venerable.
As long as he could conquer the 3rd Spirit Mountain, he would be able to stand ahead of Qi Shaoxuan.
After all, third would always be better than fourth!
If he could conquer the 3rd Spirit Mountain, he would be able to crow about his achievement!
Qi Shaoxuan remained calm. “Conquer that first. We will see after that!”
Wang Shenxu hollered. “Watch carefully. It will be a piece of cake for me!”
With that, a divine light shone out of Wang Shenxu’s body as void energy surged forth to form a massive void blade!
The sharp blade sliced through the fabrics of space, heading straight toward the 3rd Spirit Mountain!
Clang!
The void blade hacked down on the rock walls of the 3rd Spirit Mountain as countless light rays erupted.
Dazzling energy waves swept across the area and covered the sky!
The 3rd Spirit Mountain was covered in a thick fog. It possessed a powerful formation that spanned all the way into the skies!
The void blade was sharp and made a large crack.
“Qi Shaoxuan, did you see that? I will be able to complete this before long!”
Wang Shenxu was full of confidence. He felt that this 3rd Spirit Mountain would never be able to withstand him!
However, what happened next had him jumping in rage.
The crack on the 3rd Spirit Mountain still had a layer of formation covering it. Energy surged over it continuously, mending the crack.
“Damn, what the hell? How is that fair?”
Wang Shenxu’s eyes widened. This Spirit Mountain could regenerate?
The 3rd Spirit Mountain’s formation soon mended the crack!
Void blade!
Void sword!
Void hack!
Wang Shenxu hurriedly exhibited a large number of killing moves, with every intention of completely breaking through the 3rd Spirit Mountain!
But as hard as he tried, he failed to get close to his mark!
Meanwhile, Qi Shaoxuan had already stepped forward in a dashing manner to start attacking the 4th Spirit Mountain!
With his Heaven’s Halberd in hand, his purple aura surged to form a dragon avatar, which roared into the universe!
The Heaven’s Halberd struck out with fearsome energy.
After several strikes, multiple cracks appeared on the 4th Spirit Mountain!
This Spirit Mountain was also surrounded by a formation, and it kept mending itself, trying to defend itself.
Its speed of recovery was not that far off from the 3rd Spirit Mountain’s.
The Heaven’s Halberd was sharp and continuously suppressed the power of the mountain.
Qi Shaoxuan then made a major move. His Purple Aura River Mountain technique filled the space as his Heaven’s Halberd struck down with a force that shook the entire region.
Dazzling divine light morphed into a purple divine dragon that charged straight toward the 4th Spirit Mountain.
Boundless divine energy concentrated on the 4th Spirit Mountain, causing its formation to be blown to bits.
Qi Shaoxuan had always been powerful. After consuming the Chaotic Sky-Mending Pill, his constitution had evolved, and his abilities surpassed all limits!
When going all out, his attack was as powerful as that of a peak Heavenly Venerable!
Even the 4th Spirit Mountain could not hold on for much longer. Its formation was shattered by Qi Shaoxuan’s mighty attack.
Fear and awe appeared on the faces of countless prodigies as they witnessed this scene.
“He is indeed the Purple Mansion Saint. He managed to conquer the 4th Spirit Mountain after 36 moves!”
“This level of battle prowess is far beyond me!”
“No wonder he was the most ex-most-powerful prodigy in Eastern Wilderness. He is indeed extraordinary!”
...
Thereafter, the prodigies all turned their eyes toward Wang Shenxu.
“But why hasn’t the Great Void Saint conquered his mountain yet?”
“I thought I heard the Great Void Saint say earlier that conquering the 3rd Spirit Mountain would be a piece of cake to him? Could I have misheard?”
“The Great Void Saint doesn’t look that great. Why are there barely any results after so long?”
“He is also an early-stage Soul Formation practitioner. Why is there such a big difference?”
...
Wang Shenxu looked very anxious. He muttered to himself, “This array formation is so difficult to break! If I don’t break it now, it will be a major loss of face for me!”
The difficulty level between the 3rd and 4th Spirit Mountains was not that different. Both required the battle prowess of a peak Heavenly Venerable.
But the 3rd Spirit Mountain’s array formation was still somewhat stronger than the 4th. Its ability to regenerate was also stronger.
He should be able to conquer it with his usual attacks, but it would just take a longer time.
“Damn, I don’t care. At the very most, I will just have to go back and continue cultivating in my tortoise pose!”
“Damn Spirit Mountain, take that!”
If I delay any longer, my reputation will go down the drain! And Qi Shaoxuan has already completed and is standing there with his arms crossed and watching me!
Wang Shenxu didn’t wish to waste any more time. He must conquer that 3rd Spirit Mountain even if he had to expend his life energy!
He reached out and expended 600 years of his life to form a Great Void Palm and smacked it right down on the 3rd Spirit Mountain!
This life-expending attack was indeed different.
The massive palm print smashed the 3rd Spirit Mountain’s formation within seconds.
Boundless spirit qi surged in waves around the huge mountain.
The 3rd Spirit Mountain.. had been broken!
Wang Shenxu was delighted that he finally conquered the 3rd Spirit Mountain.
He gazed at Qi Shaoxuan arrogantly. “Qi Shaoxuan, see that? I smashed it with just one palm strike. Am I good, or am I good?”
Qi Shaoxuan glanced at him before saying simply, “600 years!”
The corners of Wang Shenxu’s lips twitched as bitter bile rose up in his throat.
He had lost out big time! He had wasted a whole 600 years!
But since he had already expended it, he had no choice but to put up a brave front.
He puffed out his chest and gave a stiff, cold smile. “My Spirit Mountain is ranked higher than yours!”
“You expended 600 years of your life!”
“My Spirit Mountain has thicker Spirit Qi than yours!”
“You expended 600 years of your life!”
Wang Shenxu was exasperated. “Can you stop mentioning the words ‘600 years’?”
Qi Shaoxuan remained expressionless. “You expended 500 plus 100 years of your life!”
Wang Shenxu: “Damn you!!!”
...
The prodigies stared at Wang Shenxu, who was standing proudly at the top of the 3rd Spirit Mountain. The corners of their mouths twitched.
This guy was a really hardcore character. He used up his life energy as if it were nothing!
‘He is definitely not one to offend. In future, we must keep away from him.’
Who could stand against someone who was willing to cut his own life over a small matter?
Shen Tian looked at Wang Shenxu, also feeling rather pained.
This kid is so wasteful. He only recently restored his lifespan to the maximum level?
Just two days after arriving at Jixia Academy, and he has already expended over 1,000 years?
Even a tortoise with a lifespan of tens of thousands of years cannot afford to waste his years like that!
Don’t tell me that expending your life energy is pleasurable like sex? It can be very addictive?
A sudden realization dawned upon Shen Tian as he observed Wang Shenxu’s pale face and dark eye bags.
No wonder this fellow is touted as the Great Void Saint!
After doing it so many times, of course, he will be as empty as the void!
...
“Of the top Eastern Wilderness prodigies, only the Divine Firmament Saint has yet to make his move!”
“I wonder which Spirit Mountain will he challenge?”
“No matter what, he would at least be on par with the Purple Mansion Saint and the Great Void Saint!”
“Do you think the Divine Firmament Saint can conquer the 1st Spirit Mountain?”
“Isn’t that a bit too much? That is a True Sage level!”
Every single one of the prodigies who managed to enroll in Jixia Academy was a formidable practitioner.
But after meeting Shen Tian and his group, they realized just how inferior they were compared to him.
As a result, everyone felt very curious.
What kind of astonishing performance would Shen Tian display before these 36 Spirit Mountains!
Even Elder Su also felt rather curious.
This kid was someone whom even the Great Thearch looked favorably upon!
...
Of the top 10 Spirit Mountains, only the first two and last two were left!
With the Divine Firmament Saint’s reputation, he would never choose the last two!
This only left the 1st and 2nd Spirit Mountains to choose from!
But the 1st and 2nd Spirit Mountains were not that easy to break.
To conquer the 2nd Spirit Mountain, one must possess the battle prowess of an Early-Stage Sage!
Over the past 5,000 years, only three newly-enrolled students had managed to do that.
Those three were all extraordinary practitioners and went on to become outstanding leaders in their own right!
And the difficulty of the 1st Spirit Mountain was even greater. Only a True Sage who had undergone four tribulations would be able to conquer it.
Since Jixia Academy was established, no one had been able to do it!
Everyone wondered if this highly-acclaimed Divine Firmament Saint would challenge the 1st Spirit Mountain.
Or would he fail to live up to his reputation and not be able to break even the 2nd Spirit Mountain!
At that moment, all eyes were on Shen Tian!
...
The corners of Shen Tian’s mouth twitched when he felt everyone’s searing eyes on him.
He just wanted to concentrate on his cultivation and development and quietly leverage off the providence of others. He didn’t expect this to happen at Jixia Academy.
And those buddies of his were all boasting about him.
Sigh... I really want to keep a low profile but can’t.
Luckily, these Spirit Mountains are a good training ground.
I can receive school credits and treasures as a reward if I can break these formations. That’s some form of comfort.
Wait a minute!
Shen Tian had an idea. His eyes lit up.
Isn’t this a good chance to hide my true strength?
If I can put up an Oscar-worthy performance, there’s no way I can’t fool those kids.
Yeap, I will do that!
...
Shen Tian made a decision and strode toward the 2nd Spirit Mountain.
As expected, everyone immediately focused on Shen Tian the moment he moved.
“The Divine Firmament Saint is making his move!”
“He has chosen the 2nd Spirit Mountain. Isn’t he going to choose the 1st?”
“But the 1st Spirit Mountain is really too difficult. It is already outstanding that he has chosen the 2nd.”
“Everyone, let’s guess how many moves it will take the Divine Firmament Saint to break the 2nd Spirit Mountain?”
Shen Tian’s name had already spread across the five regions. There were even rumors of him defeating Extreme Dao Heavenly Venerables and Sages!
It should be no problem for Shen Tian to conquer the 2nd Spirit Mountain in everyone’s opinion!
But even amongst Sages, there were those who were weaker, and those were more powerful.
How would the Divine Firmament Saint compare to other Sages?
The prodigies waited eagerly for the Divine Firmament Saint to make his move.
They were really very curious!
Shen Tian smiled and stood before the 2nd Spirit Mountain.
Purple light dazzled as a huge purple hammer appeared in his hand!
Shen Tian muttered quietly. “I will strike 800-1,000 times to just barely break open the 2nd Spirit Mountain. That should be low-profile enough!”
Everyone knows my battle prowess is already Sage-level. If I make it look too fake, no one will believe my performance. Let me pretend to be an Early-Stage Sage. That should be enough to convince them all!
Shen Tian was serious about hiding his true strength. He didn’t even take out his Ocean Divine Hammer.
He was worried that if his attack was too powerful, it would terrify the others.
He charged forward with his Purple Firmament Heaven Hammer and struck down on the 2nd Spirit Mountain.
The Purple Firmament Heaven Hammer radiated with divine light, mighty and firm. Its aura was awe-inspiring.
But in actual fact, Shen Tian had only activated a small portion of his power!
Or should I say... just a teeny, tiny~
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Every single strike made the 2nd Spirit Mountain’s formation shake violently.
But the 2nd Spirit Mountain’s formation remained strong and didn’t crack!
Divine energy bounced off and spread across the area, causing countless prodigies to shudder in fear.
“He is indeed the Divine Firmament Saint. He is able to attack the Second Spirit Mountain with such force!”
“I think he will be able to break it very soon!”
“In my opinion, the Divine Firmament Saint’s battle prowess is definitely on par with an Early-Stage Sage!”
“Yes, yes. Even if he can’t win one, he probably won’t lose either!”
Although Shen Tian only used a teeny, tiny bit of his power, it was enough to make countless prodigies convinced of his prowess.
After all, he was the only one at present who could make the Second Spirit Mountain shake so violently!
To those youngsters, it was already a very mighty feat to shake a sage-level array formation.
As for a Heavenly Venerable defeating a True Sage... or even a Nascent Soul practitioner killing a True Sage...
No, no, they didn’t even dare to imagine that!
...
My acting skills are too good. It is a pity that I am not in the movies!
The corners of Shen Tian’s curled upwards when he overheard the opinions of those prodigies.
Haha, on par with an Early-Stage Sage?
Very good. This is the exact type of rumor I need.
My battle prowess is only on par with that of an Early-Stage Sage.
Who said I could defeat a Six Tribulation True Sage with just one strike?
That’s just baseless rumors. Baseless rumors!
Shen Tian felt very excited at the thought that he was finally able to change the rumors circulating about him.
And in his excitement...
He exerted just a little more strength.
Yeap, just a little.
The 2nd Spirit Mountain’s formation shattered!
Divine light shone through the array formation, and the 2nd Spirit Mountain was opened!
Silence descended over the entire area!
...
The prodigies couldn’t resist swallowing hard.
“Br-broken?”
“He broke it with just seven strikes? And only using a supreme-grade Spirit artifact?”
“Why do I feel that the first six strikes were rather useless? It was the final hammer that made the difference?”
“I also feel that the final hammer was much more forceful than the first six!”
“Do you think that the final strike was the Divine Firmament Saint’s true power?”
“Pffft... In that case, the Divine Firmament Saint’s powers...”
Everyone was thunderstruck.
They knew Shen Tian had astonishing battle prowess. But they didn’t expect it to be so mind-blowing.
It should be pointed out that Qi Shaoxuan had only managed to conquer the 4th Spirit Mountain after a total of 36 strikes.
Shen Tian managed to break the Second Spirit Mountain in just seven! He was in no way inferior to an early-stage sage!
And that final strike was clearly many times more powerful!
Pfffttt!
Incredible!
The crowd gasped.
And most importantly, Shen Tian’s weapon was just the Purple Firmament Heaven Hammer!
It was a supreme-grade Spirit artifact. Not even a low-grade Sage artifact.
Conquering a Second Spirit Mountain using just a supreme-grade spirit artifact?
If he used a supreme-grade Sage artifact, wouldn’t he be able to conquer the 1st Spirit Mountain then?
In that case, it was entirely possible he could kill a True Sage with just one hammer strike!
The Divine Firmament Saint was indeed an Extreme Dao Heavenly Venerable!
Everyone was utterly convinced of Shen Tian’s powers by his earlier performance.
Shen Tian started to have doubts about his whole existence again.
He gazed at the broken 2nd Spirit Mountain in a daze.
What happened? Weren’t things going great earlier?
I only accidentally exerted a little more strength. Why did it break?
Oh my goodness!
Could this be a low-quality, fake Spirit Mountain?
I swear that I really didn’t use much strength!
Shen Tian felt his scalp go numb when he realized that everyone was staring at him with adoring eyes.
Not only did he not manage to suppress those earlier rumors, but he also seemed to have boosted his own reputation further.
...
Damn!
So frustrating~
I really wanted to keep a low profile, but my abilities won’t let me.
What should I do now?
Please help me!