Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Opening True Martial Peak

He then flung the token. The moment it buried itself in the earth, the entire land fell silent, and even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze for an instant.

Immediately after, the pool’s water surged upward like a reverse waterfall, and a muffled, thunderous roar echoed from deep within the earth.

The rock beneath Xu Yunfan’s feet fractured, inch by inch. Blazing white Spirit Flames erupted from the fissures, yet they turned as gentle as silk upon touching the hem of his robes.

BOOM!

A pillar of Pure Qi a hundred zhang in diameter burst from the ground and shot into the sky.

Within the pillar of qi, the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect—a vision of a coiled turtle and snake—was faintly visible. Each of its scales reflected the True Intent of a different Cultivation Technique: the ferocity of the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace, the sharpness of the Sky-Sundering Cloud-Piercing Bow, the sheer weight of the Eight Desolates Dragon Fall Hammer Technique...

A glint flashed through Xu Yunfan’s eyes as he watched.

’So that’s how it is.’

’No wonder Daoist Master Hundred Peaks insisted I impress my personal mark upon the Peak Opening Order. Guided by my own aura and the convergence of the Earth Veins, the surroundings would naturally be reshaped into a sanctuary perfectly suited for my Cultivation Technique.’

The essence of the Martial Arts Xu Yunfan had painstakingly cultivated for so many years now materialized as tangible Dao Patterns, climbing up the pillar of qi.

The sea of clouds was torn open into a massive vortex, and the layer of Gang Wind high above the Nine Heavens was forcefully dented.

The mountain’s growth was a miraculous sight.

First, seventy-two colossal Bronze pillars erupted from the earth, their surfaces entwined with the spectral, lifelike forms of coiling flood dragons.

Then, the rock strata roiled like a stormy sea. Giant boulders surged upward like cresting waves, each one higher than the last, until they completely submerged the colossal Bronze pillars.

When the mountain reached a height of a thousand zhang, its form abruptly shifted, rising from the earth and soaring toward the heavens like a Black Tortoise craning its neck.

The eastern cliff face bore the pattern of a turtle shell, its every natural ravine aligning perfectly with the Big Dipper. The western precipice resembled a coiled giant serpent, its winding curves forming a series of nine bends and eighteen turns, like natural sword scars upon the rock.

The entire mountain felt perfectly formed by nature, possessing both the immense gravity of a peak-suppressing Black Tortoise and the sharp, unpredictable edge of a maverick sword.

Clouds and mist swirled around the mountainside, where seventy-two natural stone stairways spiraled upward like a dragon’s spine. Each step shimmered with the luster of Cyan Jade.

Even more wondrously, as the mountain grew, these stairs adjusted their angles on their own, ultimately forming a perfect Yin-Yang symbol at the thousand-zhang mark.

The mountain’s surface continuously shed its outer rock layers, revealing a crystalline, jade-like Basalt core.

The patterns naturally formed on this core perfectly matched the circulation pathways of Xu Yunfan’s Magical Power.

Whenever the mountain wind swept past, the entire peak would ring with the clang of metal on metal, as if tens of thousands of Divine Weapons were resonating deep within its stone.

Xu Yunfan’s eyebrows shot up at the sight, but then quickly relaxed.

’Since the Divine Martial Daoist Master was once a Daoist Master of the Primordial Sect, his Cultivation Technique must have been recorded by the sect. There’s no need to worry about it being exposed.’

’Besides, if someone could decipher the True Scripture just by observing the flow of Magical Power, they wouldn’t be human; they’d be an Immortal.’

The most astonishing changes were taking place within the mountain itself.

As the Earth Veins connected, the once-scattered Spiritual Qi was forcibly gathered and compressed into nine dragon-shaped Spirit Veins.

As these Spirit Veins coursed through the rock, they echoed with the sound of clashing metal. In their wake, thirty-six natural Grotto Heavens were born, such as the Soldier’s Tomb, the Melting Furnace, and the Sword Trial Grounds.

The True Martial Cave at the absolute peak was situated at the confluence of all nine Spirit Veins, endlessly erupting with an astonishingly pure Spiritual Qi.

When the final boulder settled into place, the entire mountain let out a sharp cry, a sound like a turtle and a snake singing in harmony.

Xu Yunfan ascended to the summit by walking on a rainbow, each step he took causing the entire mountain to resonate with him.

"True Martial Peak..."

He gently stroked the shell of the Black Tortoise statue at the summit as his three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect rose up behind him.

At the foot of the mountain, the Primordial Sect disciples who had rushed over at the news watched, their hearts and spirits trembling.

How could they not understand? The Primordial Sect had produced another Daoist Master.

"Foundation Establishment..."

Among the Primordial Sect disciples gathered at the foot of the mountain, an Inner Sect Disciple from Hundred Peaks Mount clenched the Jade Scroll in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Foundation Establishment... This is Foundation Establishment..."

His voice trembled, his eyes reflecting the silhouette atop True Martial Peak. "I’ve cultivated painstakingly for nearly two hundred years, yet I can’t even touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment..."

A female disciple from the Medicine Peak beside him stared blankly at the figure ascending on the rainbow. "I heard that Junior Martial Uncle Xu has been in the sect for less than sixty years," she murmured.

Her words were laced with bitterness. "My master attempted to break through to Foundation Establishment three times in seclusion. On his last attempt... not even his bones were left behind."

At the edge of the crowd, several servant disciples in gray robes looked even more deathly pale.

Inner and Outer Sect disciples still had a future to strive for. But for them, the servant disciples, their fate was even more wretched than that of indentured laborers.

With the successful establishment of True Martial Peak, the other Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters within the Primordial Sect all understood: True Monarch Qing Yuan now had another Foundation Establishment cultivator under his banner.

-----------------

’He’s a lucky one. He rose so suddenly I didn’t even have time to divine his threads of cause and effect.’

’Now that the Celestial Secret is growing increasingly murky, he was probably targeted the moment he emerged.’

’It makes no sense. Is Foundation Establishment really that easy?’

Within a certain grand hall in the Primordial Sect, several figures were gathered. One of them was lost in deep, frustrated thought.

He had, of course, noticed right away that Xu Yunfan was cultivating the True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture. The moment he’d emerged from the Divine Martial Realm, he had spotted it and begun secretly laying down his pieces, tugging at the threads of cause and effect. He never imagined that after just a short period of seclusion, he would find that Xu Yunfan had already successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

It had caught him completely off guard.

After a moment of silence, someone in the hall sighed.

"That True Monarch won’t let that vacant position go, I’m afraid."

"What’s done is done. We’ll have to find another way. I recall there are still a few Dharma Lineages in the sect that have yet to produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

As soon as this was said, the various malicious thoughts brewing in the hearts of those present faded considerably.

The True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture was a method for attaining the Dao through martial prowess, granting immense combat strength. It was a pity someone had beaten them to it.

-----------------

"Huh?"

Standing atop True Martial Peak, Xu Yunfan suddenly felt a sharp, needle-like sense of warning prickle between his brows.

He subconsciously activated the *True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture*. His three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect instantly solidified, and the trigrams on the Black Tortoise Shell Armor began to shift on their own.

His Divine Sense washed over the surrounding ten li like a tide, but as it touched a certain point in the void, it slammed into a spiderweb of Cause and Effect Lines.

These threads should have connected him to some unknown plotter, but now, like cobwebs scorched by flames, they were dissolving at a rate visible to the naked eye.

He instantly realized what was happening. ’Someone is cleaning up their tracks, erasing all evidence of their scheming.’

Xu Yunfan flexed his fingers, the Black Tortoise Dharma Aspect flickering faintly behind him.

The severing Cause and Effect Lines were perfectly clear within his Divine Sense. Like a spiderweb scorched by fire, they were dissolving into nothingness before his very eyes.

He could, of course, trace the lines back to their source. As he activated his Innate Divine Power, the Dou Character Technique, his three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect had already formed a soul-tracing hand seal. But after the Magical Power had circulated through his fingertips for three breaths, he ultimately allowed it to slowly dissipate.

’They know how to sever their own tail to survive...’

The cold glint in Xu Yunfan’s eyes gradually faded.

’It wouldn’t be wise to recklessly start a war with other factions in the Primordial Sect right after reaching Foundation Establishment.’

’Moreover, True Monarch Qing Yuan’s attitude remained unclear. It wouldn’t be worth jeopardizing my relationship with this powerful backer over a minor grievance; the loss would far outweigh the gain.’

’I’ll make a note of this for today. Once the foundation of True Martial Peak is secure, there will be a time of reckoning for these ghouls and goblins hiding in the shadows.’

’There’s plenty of time. I’ll get them back for this one day. For now, I’ll just remember it.’

He now had more important things to do.

Building his own retinue.

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