Chapter 633 - 58: Storming the 19 Peaks
Amid the peaks and valleys, brilliance from the light scattered chaotically, flickering unpredictably. A streak of red tunneling light and a streak of green tunneling light wrestled intensely in mid-air, periodically colliding to produce dazzling bursts of colors, resembling a shimmer of green neon light.
Yet at this very moment, the green light was already teetering on the edge of defeat, though it stubbornly refused to yield, continuing to bitterly endure.
Mere moments later, the green light ultimately succumbed, retreating in defeat. The red radiance surged and withdrew, revealing a towering Daoist figure. He stood in the air, breathing heavily, his body trembling slightly, yet his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Once his breathing steadied, he turned his tunneling light and moved to a mountaintop. On the summit stood an elder from Shangming Hall, who gave him a nod and spoke solemnly: "Wu Yinming, this round is yours. You may now go and claim your passing jade talisman, but remember—by the hour of the dragon tomorrow, you must head to Rongyou Peak."
Wu Yinming descended from the clouds and respectfully bowed to the elder, saying, "Disciple will remember this."
After stepping aside, he walked toward a flat green stone, upon which numerous peculiar jade talismans were placed. He glanced at them briefly, not daring to stare too long. With a gesture, he summoned one talisman onto his palm, bowed again to the elder, and then hastily shot off with his tunneling light.
This martial contest among Xuan Guang disciples differed from the direct duels fought by the Ming Qi disciples. Instead, nineteen perilous peaks across the Honglie Continent were laid with barriers, and sect disciples had to fight their way through to seize jade talismans atop these peaks. Only by claiming a talisman would they qualify to advance to the next peak summit. Accumulating three defeats led to dismissal, permanently losing the chance to compete further.
On each mountain peak, elders from Shangming Hall sat overseeing the battles and arranging the matches for disciples.
However, each elder’s personality and preferences varied greatly, resulting in a vast array of strategies. Encountering elders with eccentric temperaments might lead to four or five individuals fighting together at the same time—some even gathered dozens of disciples into chaotic skirmishes, leaving their success to fate alone.
At the Nineteenth Peak, only three jade talismans were present on the mountaintop. This meant that among the hefty distributions from the sect, only three individuals could ultimately claim them.
Wu Yinming’s fortune had been fairly decent. Over the course of four consecutive days, he passed through four barriers, each time facing only a single opponent.
Descending from the arduous peaks, he spotted a Dao Palace built into the mountain’s wall from afar. This was a resting location for the disciples attempting to break through the barriers, so he maneuvered his tunneling light toward it.
Upon reaching the grand hall, a steward Daoist stepped forward to examine his jade talismans. After confirming their legitimacy, the Daoist gave a cold wave of his hand, granting Wu Yinming access inside.
Wu Yinming exhaled in relief. Quickening his pace as he stepped into the building, his eyes swept the hall. The spacious chamber was already filled with seated disciples scattered throughout, each minding their own space. He took a breath and moved to an isolated corner, settling atop a cushion, first swallowing a few elixir pills, then sitting upright and focusing his breathing techniques.
He dared not relax for an instant. Today’s battles had already pushed him remarkably close to his limits. The opponents awaiting in the subsequent peaks would only grow progressively stronger. If he couldn’t recover to peak condition by tomorrow morning, his chances of success would significantly dwindle.
In his surroundings, the other disciples mirrored his demeanor. None were distracted or paid attention to one another; all focused on restoring their primordial energy without wasting even a second.
At dawn, the disciples had gradually regained their essence and vitality. One after another, they awakened from meditation, and a few familiar faces exchanged greetings with one another.
Wu Yinming, now fully revitalized, opened his eyes just as someone spoke: "Brother Zhong, have you heard? Yesterday someone broke into the first five peaks. With a full night gone, they might have already reached the top three peaks by now."
The mentioned Brother Zhong evidently hadn’t heard such news and exclaimed in astonishment: "What? Junior Brother Qi, where did you hear this? Only four days have passed—who could possibly be this formidable?"
Someone nearby couldn’t resist interjecting: "Who else could it be? It must be one of those True Disciples."
"No, no," the first speaker shook his head vehemently, like a rattling drum. "Apart from those True Disciples, there are a few outstanding individuals from my mentor’s branch who are just as remarkable."
A disciple asked curiously: "Who might these senior brothers be?"
Before the question could linger, a nearby female disciple spoke up with indignation: "Judging by this senior brother’s remark, it seems only male disciples are capable of breaking through the barriers? Allow me to enlighten you—Senior Sister Yuan Yanhui broke through eight barriers on the first day, five on the second day, three more on the third day, and now, on the fourth day, she’s probably only a step away from the First Peak. And as for Zhang Yan’s disciple Liu Yan Yi, I hear she only passes four setups each day, but each time she’s utterly unrivaled. After tonight, it’s likely she too will step into the top three peaks tomorrow."