Celestial Refining Divine Scripture

"T-this... a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation?"

Liou Sanqian barely maintained his composure, but the cultivator beside him was already stammering, pointing at the immortal lotus in absolute shock.

The cultivators rubbed their eyes furiously. But when they looked again, there was no mistaking it. It was a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation. For a moment, it was as if they had suddenly spotted a phoenix among a flock of chickens.

"It really is a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation!"

"My god, I actually get to see a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation?"

"What the hell? A monster like this is actually coming to Heaven’s Edge Tower to participate in the Dragon and Tiger Battle?"

"He’d be treated as an absolute treasure in any faction!"

"The second Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation in the Eastern Continent..." someone gasped.

The dozen or so people erupted into an uproar. Even that Golden Immortal found it hard to stay calm.

"Silence!" Liou Sanqian shouted coldly.

He released the oppressive aura of a Golden Immortal, finally quelling the commotion. However, the sheer shock and disbelief on everyone’s faces could not be hidden in the slightest.

Just moments ago, no one had paid Xu Yang any mind; after all, the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal was simply too weak. In the Eastern Continent, cultivators at that level could be found everywhere—even some waiters in inns and taverns were Celestial Immortals. But now, he had caused an absolute sensation. Some even felt that participating in the Dragon and Tiger Battle alongside a monstrous genius like Xu Yang was an honor in itself.

"The Dragon and Tiger Battle will now begin. Who would like to go first?" Liou Sanqian forcefully suppressed his inner turmoil and called out in a deep voice.

"I’ll go first."

It was the same Golden Immortal from before. But even as he spoke, his eyes remained glued to Xu Yang. The young man was simply too dazzling to ignore.

"Everyone, come in!" Liou Sanqian shouted toward the outside.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

A massive crowd of cultivators flooded in. There were well over a hundred of them, with cultivation bases ranging everywhere from the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal to the Golden Immortal Realm. The vast majority of them possessed a Heaven’s Edge Order and had been officially invited by Heaven’s Edge Tower.

"You host it," Liou Sanqian said, glancing at the cultivator beside him.

The latter nodded hastily, stepped forward, and called out a name. A Golden Immortal cultivator walked out from the crowd. He was evidently the first opponent for the Golden Immortal who had just volunteered to start. At the same time, the restrictive immortal light of a formation rose, enveloping the entire plaza.

Liou Sanqian stepped aside and summoned an attendant. After making some brief inquiries about Xu Yang’s background, a look of bewilderment flickered in his eyes. There was very little information available. All he could find out was that Xu Yang seemed to know remarkably little about the affairs of the Eastern Continent, and that this was his first time entering Heaven’s Edge Tower.

Though the details were scarce, Liou Sanqian had already deduced a few things. If someone with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation belonged to a powerful faction in the Eastern Continent, it would be impossible for him to be a nobody. Thus, he either came from another continent entirely, or he was from a small local faction that had kept him hidden all this time. Whether it was the former or the latter, this was a good thing for Heaven’s Edge Tower—as long as he wasn’t from one of the top-tier immortal sects.

Liou Sanqian thought, "Although his cultivation base is weak, his foundation is unimaginably profound. Even if he can’t become a Dragon and Tiger Venerable, he will still be a massive stroke of fortune for Celestial Sword City’s Heaven’s Edge Tower."

He was incomparably excited. However, he was an expert in the Golden Immortal Realm, after all, and he soon forcibly reigned in his emotions to calm himself down. The main priority right now was the Dragon and Tiger Battle; he needed to observe Xu Yang’s true strength first. After that, he could ask if the young man had any intentions of joining them. If his guesses were entirely wrong and the other party was merely here to play around, all of this would be for nothing.

The Dragon and Tiger Battle progressed rapidly. All seventeen participants started their respective matches at the same time. By the time Xu Yang was ready on his end, the Golden Immortal challenger had already finished his first match with a flawless victory.

Xu Yang withdrew his gaze and looked at his own first opponent: someone at the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal. His expression turned a bit strange. Although his own cultivation was also at the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal, his actual combat strength vastly exceeded it. After a brief thought, he decided to keep a low profile. Taking them on one by one wouldn’t consume too much time, anyway.

BOOM!

With just a single move, his opponent plummeted straight to the ground. This instantly drew sidelong glances from everyone around him.

The opponents handpicked by Heaven’s Edge Tower were no weaklings. To instantly defeat one in a single, effortless move was a testament to the immense power of a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation.

Next came the second, the third, the fourth...

By the time he reached the final match of the round, his opponent’s cultivation had reached the Middle Stage of Celestial Immortal. Yet, the opponent was still instantly defeated by Xu Yang in a single strike. The crowd was left clicking their tongues in sheer amazement.

However, because they already knew he possessed a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation—making him only the second such existence in the entire Eastern Continent, with the first being the unparalleled rank one expert on the Dragon and Tiger List—they already had a general impression of what to expect. His foundation was incredibly robust, and his combat strength was astounding. Although these ten consecutive victories were shocking, they still fell within the realm of what the crowd could accept.

Winning ten battles in a row earned one a Silver-level Heaven’s Edge Order. Naturally, Xu Yang was not going to stop there; his target was the title of Dragon and Tiger Venerable.

In the following twenty matches, the strongest opponent he faced had reached the Late Stage of Celestial Immortal. Yet, from beginning to end, Xu Yang never once needed a second strike. He didn’t even bother to summon the Daluo Saber. Opponents of this caliber posed absolutely no threat to him.

This time, the rest of the participants were shocked to the absolute extreme.

"He defeated someone at the Late Stage of Celestial Immortal so effortlessly. Just how strong is he?"

"Even with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation, this foundation is far too astonishing! He’s crossed two minor realms and still hasn’t reached his limit."

"Could it be that he has the strength of the Peak of Celestial Immortal?"

"Is a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation truly this terrifying?"

By this time, the rest of the participants had already finished their battles. That Golden Immortal only made it to the fifth match before being eliminated. Among the others, only two managed to pass ten matches and obtain the Silver-level Heaven’s Edge Order; they couldn’t push any further.

Xu Yang was the only one left continuing his challenge. No one left the plaza. Getting to witness a monstrous genius with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation challenge the Dragon and Tiger Battle was nothing short of an honor.

Liou Sanqian suddenly lowered his voice and instructed his subordinate, "Later, remind all the other participants that what happened today absolutely must not be leaked. Have them sign a Primordial Spirit Contract and offer them some compensation in return."

"Yes, Supervisor."

Taking a deep breath, Liou Sanqian fixed his gaze on Xu Yang and stepped forward. "Mr. Xu."

Xu Yang turned around and offered a slight bow. "Mr. Liou."

Liou Sanqian spoke in a deep tone. "Mr. Xu, honored with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation, possesses a majestic foundation and astonishing combat strength. The Heaven’s Edge Tower’s Dragon and Tiger Battle still requires a sixty-match win streak, followed by the final trial of fighting ten opponents alone.

"However, going through all of that would be far too tedious. If Mr. Xu is willing, I can directly arrange for you to enter the final trial and face the ten opponents.

"This will not violate the rules or the flow of the tournament."

Xu Yang’s eyes lit up.

"I couldn’t ask for anything better.

"Mr. Liou, might I ask about the strength of the ten opponents in this final trial?"

Everyone pricked up their ears. A Dragon and Tiger Venerable hadn’t appeared in a very, very long time. They, too, were eager to know just how difficult the final trial to earn that title would be.

Liou Sanqian smiled faintly. "Since Mr. Xu’s cultivation is at the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal, in this final trial, you will directly face ten Peak of Celestial Immortal cultivators."

GASP!

The crowd collectively drew in a sharp breath in horror, their scalps tingling with numbness. Crossing three minor realms to fight against peak-stage experts using only an early-stage cultivation base—and against ten of them at once, no less. It was simply impossible to win.

Liou Sanqian continued, "If the challenger were at the Middle Stage of Celestial Immortal, five of those ten would be Half-step Golden Immortals. If they were at the Late Stage of Celestial Immortal, it would be ten Early Stage of Golden Immortal cultivators. And if they were at the Early Stage of Golden Immortal, it would be ten at the Late Stage of Golden Immortal."

"That’s simply absurd!"

"No wonder so few people come to challenge the Dragon and Tiger Battle. How did Heaven’s Edge Pavilion ever come up with such terrifying rules?"

"I remember it was originally meant to attract those monstrous geniuses from the top-tier immortal sects, which is also how Heaven’s Edge Pavilion made a name for itself."

"Who knows what kind of entities those past Dragon and Tiger Venerables were?"

"Even if Di Qinghe were here, I’m afraid he’d struggle to pass this."

"Even with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation, it’s still as difficult as scaling the heavens."

"I don’t think it’s possible for him to win at all. It’s way too hard."

Liou Sanqian waved his hand slightly to gesture for quiet. Instantly, the whispered discussions vanished, and the crowd stared intently at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang offered a faint smile and said, "Let them out."

Ten cultivators at the Peak of Celestial Immortal? It did sound frightening. But that was all it was—just talk.