Breaking into the Earth Ranking

Upon hearing this voice, Yi Yun turned his head and saw Cang Yan waving at him from the seat of honor. At this moment, the old man was smiling happily, revealing a row of bright teeth.

That old man.

Yi Yun muttered to himself that he was still very grateful to Cang Yan Yi Yun. Although the other party may have just been acting unintentionally and by accident, it was still of great significance to him.

It can be said that Cang Yan pointed out a new path for Yi Yun's martial arts cultivation!

The path of martial arts is vast, profound, mysterious, and complex. Those who practice martial arts have too many choices; if you have the skill, you can excel in everything!

If you lack the ability, it's already quite good if you can excel in one particular area.

Yi Yun has only been involved in martial arts for a short time, and there are many things he doesn't understand at all. The Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters, the Dharma Aspect Totem, and the True Meaning of Laws are all areas that Yi Yun has never been exposed to.

He was like a dried-up sea that had been thrown into the ocean of martial arts, and now he was greedily absorbing the moisture.

Yi Yun walked towards Cang Yan and Jian Ge.

At this moment, most of the audience, out of respect for the elder, had not yet stood up from their seats when they saw Yi Yun walk towards the elder.

"The elder summoned Yi Yun!"

Everyone saw Cang Yan beckoning, an elder calling over a junior who had just entered Tai'a Divine City, and his attitude was so kind that everyone was envious!

"Yi Yun greets Elder Jian Ge and senior."

Yi Yun did not yet know Cang Yan's name.

"Was the sword technique you just used the one you comprehended from the Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters?" Elder Jian Ge asked, his eyes fixed on Yi Yun.

"Yes!"

Yi Yun nodded, and as he was speaking, a chill suddenly ran through him. Once again, Yi Yun felt as if he had been completely seen through!

Yi Yun felt as if Elder Jian Ge's eyes could see through every inch of his flesh and blood, reaching deep into his bones! Even the Heavenly Eye Bead he had condensed had been carefully examined by Elder Jian Ge.

Of course... Jian Ge noticed nothing. The Purple Crystal on Yi Yun's chest beat in unison with Yi Yun's heartbeat, without even trying to conceal its aura, completely ignoring Jian Ge. It was as if a god was disregarding all living beings.

"Old man Jian, what are you investigating? Do you perhaps believe this junior has some great opportunity, and are interested in it?"

Cang Yan noticed Jian Ge's movements and used his spiritual energy to tease him.

Jian Ge frowned slightly and transmitted his voice through his inner energy. "Don't joke around. How could I possibly covet something belonging to a junior? I was just curious. But now it seems he doesn't have any extraordinary opportunities. His aptitude is average. Perhaps he ate some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that opened his meridians, completing the initial steps of martial arts. As for his comprehension, it should be innate..."

Yi Yun's innate talent was average, and as a sage, he could see this at a glance. However, Yi Yun's current cultivation level was not exaggerated; he was not yet at the Purple Blood Late-stage. Compared to his other aspects, this cultivation level of not being at the Purple Blood Late-stage was nothing at all.

"Before entering the Blade Tomb, did you read any top-tier sword manuals?"

Jian Ge then asked, "If Yi Yun had some fortuitous encounter and had seen some secret techniques of the sword, then Jian Ge felt it would be easier to understand, although the possibility of that was extremely low."

As expected, Yi Yun shook his head.

Elder Jian Ge nodded slightly. "I understand. In the future, if you want to enter the Blade Tomb, just let me or Cang Yan know. There will be no need to charge you any fees. However, if you want to use other resources, you will still have to pay as usual. This is the rule of Tai'a Divine City."

Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. The Tai'a Divine City has established a set of rules for the trial participants, which must be followed.

Few people can use the Blade Tomb, and this place is just sitting idle anyway, so giving it to Yi Yun for free is no big deal.

However, other resources are different. Many things are fought for fiercely by the trial participants, and if the elders were to use their connections to give them directly to Yi Yun, it would be difficult to convince the public.

Upon hearing this, Yi Yun was overjoyed. He did want to enter the Blade Tomb, but if it cost one Glory Points per day, it would be too expensive. Even if he were wealthy, he simply couldn't afford it.

"You got off easy, kid." Cang Yan chuckled. "Practice hard. The Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters —I wonder which extraordinary person passed them down. Even many sages who have entered into them haven't been able to comprehend much of what they've learned..."

"What? Even sages couldn't figure it out!?"

Upon hearing Cang Yan's words, Yi Yun was shocked. In Yi Yun's eyes, sages were all Divine Ability figures, yet Cang Yan said that they were powerless before the Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters.

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. The Blade Tomb and the Sword Tomb have slumbered beneath the Tai'a Divine City for millions of years. Sages can freely enter them, but not every sage comprehends the Way of the Blade and the Way of the Sword. Even those who have achieved success in the Way of the Blade and the Way of the Sword may not be able to adapt to and comprehend the laws within the Blade Tomb and the Sword Tomb." Cang Yan said, glancing at Jian Ge, "Old Man Jian uses a sword; he is the most qualified to speak on this matter."

Elder Jian Ge is famous for his swordsmanship. He always carries his sword on his back instead of storing it in his Space Ring.

This was done to subtly and gradually make him become one with the sword.

None of the trial participants in Tai'a Divine City had ever seen Elder Jian Ge make a move, but the title of "a sage who made his name with the sword" alone was enough to demonstrate Jian Ge's mastery of the sword.

Hearing Cang Yan recount his experience in the Sword Tomb, Jian Ge also felt a pang of emotion. He said, "When I was young, I did indeed enter the Sword Tomb. After months of arduous study, I did gain some insights. However, after comprehending a few sword techniques, I gradually encountered a bottleneck. I was stumped by certain profound principles of swordsmanship within it, unable to see them clearly... unable to understand them. Later, I kept trying and struggling to comprehend them. This process took a thousand years. During this time, I tried many paths that I thought might be the right ones, but I couldn't follow any of them..."

"Millennium!?"

Yi Yun was startled. In this other world, a thousand years seemed to be nothing at all. But as someone who had lived for more than ten or twenty years in his previous life, he knew very well what the concept of a thousand years meant. A dynasty in the mortal world was only three or four hundred years long.

Jian Ge said, "Perhaps I strayed from the path of swordsmanship in the Sword Tomb a long time ago, but I didn't know it. And although I strayed from the path, what I comprehended was indeed useful."

"The sword path within the Sword Tomb is a grand path, its realm too high for me to comprehend. It's like a vast maze; I'm trapped within it, unsure which path is correct, forced to wander aimlessly. Perhaps only when I reach the exit will I truly understand the sword path, and then I'll realize—oh, I was on the right track after all. But... that's far too distant for me..."

"The Great Way?"

Yi Yun was slightly taken aback. The Great Dao, which could make even sages sigh in despair, and even whether his comprehension was correct or not, whether he had taken the wrong path, could not be verified...

"Yes, it is the Great Dao. In the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, people have always valued cultivation techniques over specific moves. This is the common understanding, since cultivation techniques are what allow a person to break through realms, while moves cannot. But in reality, moves and the Dao are two different things. Sword moves are sword moves, and the Dao of the Sword is the Dao of the Sword; they are fundamentally different. If you comprehend the essence of the Dao of the Sword, it's like comprehending the True Meaning of Laws, which can help you reach the peak of sainthood, or even a higher realm, but that's extremely difficult..."

Elder Jian Ge remarked with emotion. He was just saying it casually. Although he admired Yi Yun, he never imagined that Yi Yun would reach such a level.

The peak of sainthood was the realm of the Founding Emperor of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom and the first city lord of Tai'a Divine City. As for surpassing sainthood, that's even more out of the question. In all the years since the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, there hasn't been a single person who has surpassed sainthood.

Elder Jian Ge's words today may have been just a casual remark because the path of martial arts is too difficult, but Yi Yun benefited greatly from listening to them.

Sword techniques... the way of the sword...

Since the things in the Tomb of Blade Tomb and Sword Tomb can be called the Path of the Great Dao by Jian Ge, then it must be able to take one very far.

Yi Yun possesses the Origin Purple Crystal Origin Purple Crystal, which grants Yi Yun the vision to see the source of energy. With such a condition, he can freely enter and exit the Blade Tomb. Given these favorable circumstances, if he doesn't achieve some success, Yi Yun himself would feel it wouldn't be right.

Try to understand it, and see how far you can go on this path!

Jian Ge and Cang Yan left just like that, leaving Yi Yun still pondering the words the two elders had just spoken. As for the others, they all looked at Yi Yun with some envy.

Because the two elders' invisible energy blocked out the sound, the trial participants didn't know what the two elders said to Yi Yun, but judging from the elders' amiable appearance, they clearly valued Yi Yun very much.

If they could also be summoned by the elders for some guidance, they would be willing to shorten their lifespan by ten years.

Just as people were admiring Yi Yun, they suddenly saw Yi Yun step down from the seat of honor and walk towards the referee.

"Hmm? What is it?"

When the referee saw Yi Yun approaching, he took the initiative to ask what was going on. He had also witnessed Yi Yun's conversation with the two elders earlier.

For a junior like Yi Yun to gain the attention of the elders, it's not enough to just be the title of the top newcomer. Being appreciated by the elders and receiving special regard from the judges also means that Yi Yun is highly regarded.

"Um... it's like this, I'd like to announce who I'll be challenging tomorrow."

Yi Yun defeated Chu Xiaoran and took first place as a newcomer, which can be considered a premature end to the newcomer ranking competition. However, he can still fight tomorrow and continue to challenge the top of the rankings.

"Oh? Who will you challenge next? You can tell me tomorrow, no rush." The referee looked at Yi Yun with a kind smile. Yi Yun was indeed determined to keep pushing forward, which was good.

"Let's talk about it now, it's good to give others some time to prepare." Yi Yun grinned, his smile was very bright.

For some reason, seeing Yi Yun's smile, the referee suddenly felt a chill, sensing that the smile had a sinister undertone.

"What are you preparing for?" the referee asked, puzzled. It's just a match, not a long-term training trip. What's there to prepare?

...(To be continued~^~)