Chapter 33

(A turning point, a bit difficult to write, updates have been generally delayed recently, please bear with me, and I appreciate your recommendation votes for encouragement.)

The Qingyang Palace was in ruins, overgrown with wild grass. In front of the Qingyang Hall, Su Qignian and his two companions walked on eggshells.

As Qing Yu spoke, he felt the vanished majestic aura suddenly show signs of revival.

"Don't play your laughable tricks, hand over the Qingyang Order."

Jinguang Zhenren's voice was very calm, showing no signs of joy or anger, but Su Qignian still sensed a condescending and disdainful attitude from his words, the kind of gaze a soaring true dragon would have when looking down on ants, so small that they would be ignored without intention.

Qing Yu's face turned pale. No matter how composed he was, he had yet to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone face a top-tier figure like Jinguang Zhenren. The无形的气势 of a martial arts expert was too strong, exerting immense pressure on the mind.

He hadn't expected that Jinguang Zhenren would even know about the Qingyang Order. It seemed that in Jinguang Zhenren's eyes, the schemes of a minor like him were truly laughable.

Fatty Qing Ye gritted his teeth and stepped forward, saying, "Our Wudang has always had strict rules. As fellow Wudang members, we cannot forcibly take the opportunities of our peers. If someone finds the legacy of the seventy-two peaks, they can naturally inherit the will and take charge of a peak. They have ten years to reach the First-Class Huanyuan realm, after which they can ascend to the position of peak master, reopen the mountain gate, and take in disciples!"

"Ridiculous! Do you have any sense of respect for your elders? To dare speak back to your seniors before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, it seems you have a rebellious bone in your head. The inheritance of our Wudang lineage is of great importance. How can it be entrusted to three younglings who haven't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage? Don't be absurd, or I will have to punish you as an example!"

Jinguang Zhenren rebuked. He stood ten feet above the ground, his light golden robe fluttering. He didn't look very old, with jet-black hair and eyes that seemed to contain two blazing suns when he opened and closed them.

Fatty Qing Ye retreated three steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The aura was too strong; even a hint of it from a top-tier figure was unbearable. This was only because Jinguang Zhenren deliberately restrained it; otherwise, they would have been crushed to death instantly, their bodies and spirits annihilated.

Qing Yu's face grew increasingly grim. Only Su Qignian, using his mental power, managed to resist the aura. He was shocked; this was what a top-tier figure in the martial world looked like, a true pillar of the martial arts. Even a mere hint of their aura made the three of them look so pitiful.

Just as Su Qignian was about to act, five more figures appeared in the air around them.

Three men and two women, like Jinguang Zhenren, they walked in the air without any support, clearly top-tier figures who could dominate the martial world.

The peak masters of various lineages!

Su Qignian's heart sank as he identified them based on rumors and characteristics. They seemed to be the masters of Dalian Peak, Dabi Peak, Jiudu Peak, Huixian Peak, and Xima Peak.

"The peak masters have arrived as well," Jinguang Zhenren nodded to the five, who also nodded in return. Then, their gazes all fell on Su Qignian and his companions.

Not good!

At this moment, Su Qignian had no hesitation. He stepped forward, blocking Qing Yu and the others. He activated the first level of the "Mihun Dafa" to the extreme, his mental power surging, forming layers of barriers to resist the combined auras of the six top-tier figures.

Hmm?

Jinguang Zhenren raised an eyebrow, and the other five peak masters also showed signs of surprise. As top-tier figures, they could easily tell that this fifteen-year-old boy seemed to possess a rare mental power martial art and had successfully cultivated a considerable amount of mental power.

This was quite unusual. Mental power involved the soul level, and when martial artists reached the stage of enlightenment, it became one of their sources of power. Even with good fortune, obtaining a mental power martial art and successfully cultivating mental power was no easier than a martial artist reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and opening the dantian.

"Not bad," said the master of Huixian Peak, an ordinary-looking old man in a purple-green robe with not a single gray hair.

He looked at Su Qignian and smiled faintly, saying, "Junior Brother Jinguang, these three younglings found the legacy of Qingyang Peak and the primordial ancestor's spirit world. It is their good fortune. Our Wudang is harmonious and inclusive, why not let them in? We can see how they fare in ten years. If they fail, we can reclaim it then."

"Senior Brother, that's not the right approach," Jinguang Zhenren shook his head. "How many decades do people have? In those ten years, how many demons will be born and grow? Over the past few decades, the demon nations have been very active, posing a great threat. Now that the Qingyang Peak legacy has emerged, it should naturally be inherited by us and given to talented and insightful disciples to help them grow faster. How can we let these three younglings play around? If they fail in ten years, time itself will be a form of punishment."

"Junior Brother Jinguang makes a good point," the master of Dabi Peak interjected. "We must use resources wisely. The inheritance of a lineage is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly. If one of these three successfully reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be different, but currently, none of them have even reached that stage. It's uncertain if they can even cultivate inner true qi. How can we entrust them with the responsibility of revitalizing a peak?"

One by one, the peak masters spoke, but except for the master of Huixian Peak, none of them supported Su Qignian and his companions.

This was clearly not a good sign. Su Qignian felt deeply powerless. Facing top-tier figures, younglings like them who hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage had no say at all. It seemed that the idea of inheriting a peak and taking charge of Qingyang Palace was too naive, without considering the various complications.

Thinking of this, Su Qignian suddenly felt a cold sweat on his back. He realized that in the past month, with his physical strength and bloodline rapidly improving, he had become overly confident, making hasty decisions and abandoning the cautious nature of a scholar.

"Human emotions and worldly changes are hard to predict. I should have anticipated this," Su Qignian thought to himself. But at this moment, he had no solution. He even sensed that the gazes of the peak masters had almost seen through him, exposing all his secrets. Now, he feared that his secret of possessing a mental power martial art was already known to these top-tier figures.

"Alright, hand over the Qingyang Order now. This is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly."

Suddenly, Jinguang Zhenren spoke, extending a hand and reaching out to Qing Yu from a distance.

A slender, crystal-clear hand, almost without a single pore, but as it moved, Qing Yu felt an immense pulling force. Just as he was about to be lifted off the ground, a point of green-golden light appeared between his eyebrows and then burst forth.

Clang!

A sword cry, as if crossing a long span of time to return to the world, shattered the restraining force from Jinguang Zhenren. The other five peak masters suddenly changed their expressions.

"Qingyang Sword Seal!"

"Qingyang Palace inheritance mark!"

The five looked at Su Qignian and his companions. A green-golden sword shadow appeared between the eyebrows of each of the three, clearly the inheritance mark of the Qingyang Palace lineage, a symbol of the legitimate successor.

"How could this happen so quickly? In the past, when someone found the spirit world or relics of a broken lineage and entered to receive the inheritance, it took at least ten years to be recognized, step by step, ultimately leaving the lineage mark and becoming a legitimate successor," the master of Dabi Peak muttered, finding it hard to believe. The spirit world of a top-tier figure would not be so hasty in choosing a successor.

Before the peak masters could react, the sword cry reached its peak.

"Bad!" the old Daoist of Huixian Peak exclaimed.

At the same time, Jinguang Zhenren's face changed. As a top-tier figure who had been enlightened for many years and had even endured a thunder tribulation a year ago, he felt a chill run down his spine. A terrifying sword intent locked onto him through the air.

A three-inch-long green-golden sword tip, like a piece of jade, suddenly tore through the air, piercing out from the dark void.

The "Jinguang Liuli Dao Body" he had cultivated for many years automatically revived, and Jinguang Zhenren's body was enveloped in a brilliant golden light, transforming into a radiant sun, emitting dazzling light and heat.

The air distorted, and the scorching heat burned and swept across the sky. Su Qignian and his companions were stunned, seeing the clouds within a dozen miles above them shattered and melted into mist, which then evaporated completely in an instant.

All they could see was the distorted air, and even the Qingyang Peak before their eyes was twisted beyond recognition. (A turning point, a bit difficult to write, updates have been generally delayed recently, please bear with me, and I appreciate your recommendation votes for encouragement.)