Sword Gate Demon Ruins

When the old Qi Refiner spoke, the hundred or so disciples of the Upper Court in the quiet room exchanged glances. "Only one person has received the true teachings. Who is it that has received the old gentleman's true teachings?"

Although they were all fellow disciples, they all possessed a competitive spirit. The old Qi Refiner said only one person had received his true teachings but didn't specify who, naturally sparking much speculation. Everyone assumed they were the one who had received the true teachings.

"Isn't it simple to find out who received the true teachings?"

A heroic and graceful female disciple suddenly proposed, "Let's have a competition using the Thunderclap Sword Art. Whoever's Thunderclap Sword Art can suppress all others will naturally be the one who received the true teachings!"

"That's a great idea!"

In the quiet room, many Upper Court disciples were eager to try. Disciples paired off and began to duel. They didn't use any other techniques, nor did they use Totem Pillars or Soul Weapons, but instead dueled using the Thunderclap Sword Art.

Instantly, lightning flashed and thunder roared within the quiet room. Streaks of Thunderclap Sword Qi erupted with the might of thunder. Some of these Upper Court disciples indeed had extraordinary talent. They performed the Thunderclap Sword Art with their bare hands, visualizing thunder in their minds. The rumbling thunder soon knocked their opponents down, but the power wasn't great and didn't cause much damage!

When fellow disciples sparred, they naturally held back and didn't go all out.

While everyone was engaged in heated combat, Zhong Yue in the corner was still practicing his Thunderclap Sword Art, not participating.

His Thunderclap Sword Art appeared increasingly clumsy. The thunder visualized by his Spiritual Power was winding and twisted. Yet, within its clumsiness, an ancient aura gradually emerged, simple and grand, like thunder striking a pine tree, or a clap of thunder in an empty valley!

His Thunderclap Sword Qi sometimes resembled a thunderous tree, emitting rays of lightning, and sometimes was just a single streak of sword light!

With highly condensed Spiritual Power, it could take form during visualization. Visualizing a Flood Dragon could transform it into a Flood Dragon, and visualizing thunder could unleash the might of thunder.

However, the thunder visualized by Zhong Yue was far less brilliant and eye-catching than that of the other Upper Court disciples. It lacked the dazzling splendor of the Thunderclap Sword Art and naturally didn't attract attention.

After a long while, the matches between the Upper Court disciples concluded, leaving only the heroic female disciple and a male disciple to compete. Both of their Spiritual Powers had reached the form-shaping realm. With a mere thought, lightning erupted, and their Spiritual Power could generate electricity from thin air!

Their figures moved rapidly within the quiet room, as swift as thunder. Various moves of the Thunderclap Sword Art were unleashed, accompanied by crackling sounds, lightning, and thunder. Thunder like swords struck at each other, a truly astonishing sight!

Before long, the female disciple's feet suddenly emitted a glow of lightning, lifting her body more than four feet off the ground. She moved through the air, and with a raise of her hand, a bolt of lightning sword light struck the male disciple's chest.

The male disciple had no idea she could be lifted by lightning, as if she were about to fly. Caught off guard, he was struck in the chest, turning it black. His hair stood on end, and he fell to the ground.

"Senior Sister Ting, I concede!"

The male disciple was forthright. Coughing black smoke, he clutched his chest and showed admiration. "Senior Sister is indeed more skilled. You can actually control lightning to fly in the air. No wonder Elder Pu said only one person received his true teachings!"

"Junior Brother, are you injured?"

The female disciple landed and laughed. "I only controlled the lightning for a short time. I can only fly about ten feet before landing, and I can't fly too high. It's still a long, long way from what Elder Pu described as 'controlling thunder to fly a thousand miles'!"

The other Upper Court disciples stepped forward and chuckled. "Senior Sister Ting receiving Elder Pu's true teachings is beyond doubt. When Senior Sister Ting becomes a Qi Refiner in the future, controlling thunder to fly a thousand miles will naturally be effortless!"

Senior Sister Ting also showed joy. She suddenly looked towards Zhong Yue in the corner. He was still practicing his Thunderclap Sword Art, but his version had become increasingly peculiar. Compared to the Thunderclap Sword Art taught by Elder Pu, it was unrecognizable. She couldn't help but frown, thinking, Such a strange Thunderclap Sword Art couldn't possibly be the true teaching. It seems the person Elder Pu spoke of is indeed me.

"Junior Brother Zhong Yue of the Zhongshan Clan!"

Senior Sister Ting stepped forward, open and generous, and smiled. "I am Ting Lanyue of the Dating Clan. I entered the Upper Court a year before you. Junior Brother Zhong Yue, would you like to spar with me? Perhaps it's you, Junior Brother, who received Elder Pu's true teachings!"

Zhong Yue shook his head and smiled. "Senior Sister Ting, I've only been in the Upper Court for four or five days. How could I be your opponent?"

"That's true."

Ting Lanyue didn't insist and smiled. "Our fellow disciples are planning to enter the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins to train and fight against the Demonic race to improve the power of the Thunderclap Sword Art. I wonder if Junior Brother is interested in joining us?"

"Sword Gate Demonic Ruins?"

"Junior Brother doesn't know about the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins?"

Ting Lanyue realized. "Ah, you've only just entered the Upper Court and don't know some of the secrets of our Sword Gate. Long ago, our Sword Gate ancestors protected the migrating human tribes of the wilderness as they came to the Great Wilderness. At that time, the Great Wilderness was a demonic realm, filled with demons and monsters. Our Sword Gate ancestors toiled tirelessly, opening up the Great Wilderness for our human tribes to live and multiply. The Demonic race in the Great Wilderness was suppressed by our ancestors in the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins. The Abyssal Demons you encountered during your assessment in the Azure Sky Hall are the weakest demons in the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins."

Another Upper Court disciple chuckled. "There are many demons in the Demonic Ruins, mostly weak ones like Aberrant Demons and Spider Demons. We Upper Court disciples can go in to train. Aberrant Demons and Spider Demons are perfect for practice. We've just been taught the Thunderclap Sword Art, and we need practical combat experience to improve its power. We can also comprehend the true essence of the Thunderclap Sword Art through combat."

"Senior Brother He is right!"

The many Upper Court disciples were full of vigor and chuckled. "However, Senior Brother He missed one point: killing demons in the Demonic Ruins can earn rewards from the sect, which can be exchanged for treasures like Feather Spirit Pills, Totem Pillars, and Soul Weapons!"

"Feather Spirit Pills? Totem Pillars? Soul Weapons?"

Zhong Yue was greatly tempted. Totem Pillars had significant uses in both cultivation and combat. Soul Weapons were combat weapons that greatly enhanced combat power. And Feather Spirit Pills were crucial for him!

He was practicing the Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization, which consumed a lot of energy. He needed more Feather Spirit Pills to continue his cultivation!

His Feather Spirit Pills had run out. He had to obtain more, otherwise, forcing his cultivation would drain his body, which would be counterproductive!

Zhong Yue hesitated. "I am not Elder Pu's disciple. Can I still enter the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins?"

A female disciple replied, "Any Upper Court disciple can enter the Sword Gate Demonic Ruins, but you can only enter once a month. Also, there are many demons in the Demonic Ruins, with demon tribes everywhere. It's safer to go in larger groups. This time, with Senior Sister Ting and Senior Brother He present, Senior Sister Ting has received Elder Pu's true teachings, and Senior Brother He is only a step away. It's absolutely foolproof!"

Ting Lanyue smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Fighting against the Demonic race will also be very beneficial for you to comprehend the true teachings of the Thunderclap Sword Art."

Zhong Yue nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Senior Sister Ting, Senior Brother He."

The Senior Brother He who had dueled with Ting Lanyue and lost by one move was from the Bihe Tribe, taking He as his surname. His name was He Chengchuan. He also possessed extremely high talent, ranking among the top few of Elder Pu's hundred or so Upper Court disciples. He was also cheerful and talkative.

Zhong Yue climbed Sword Gate Mountain with these hundred or so disciples. The mountain became increasingly steep, and the clouds floated around them, making them feel as if they were walking on clouds.

Zhong Yue looked down and felt dizzy. The mountains below appeared much smaller, and the Upper Court looked no bigger than his palm.

Before long, the mountain path was no longer steep, and the road widened. As they reached the halfway point of Sword Gate Mountain, they saw that the magnificent palaces within this strange mountain were like Lingzhi Mushrooms growing on tree stumps!

Zhong Yue had collected Lingzhi Mushrooms from the mountainside. Lingzhi Mushrooms grew on tree stumps, extending outwards into circular platforms like mushroom caps. These palaces of Sword Gate Mountain were built on these cliffside, circular platforms resembling mushroom caps, with a bottomless abyss and swirling clouds below!

"The bumpkins of Sword Gate have really made this place spectacular."

The Kindling Child, observing through Zhong Yue's eyes, couldn't help but exclaim, "The Qi Refiners who built this place back then must have been close to the power of gods and demons!"

The disciples ascended a circular platform like a mushroom cap. In front of a grand hall, an old man with white clothes and white hair sat in a circle, with an iron chain as thick as a thigh tied to a pillar beside him. On the other side, another white-haired, white-clothed old man also had an iron chain tied to a pillar beside him.

The other end of the two iron chains connected to the air. Zhong Yue gazed intently, seeing nothing in the air. Yet, the two iron chains hung high, as if tethering something.

He Chengchuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Two Elders, we intend to enter the Demon Ruins to slay demons and gain experience. We request your permission."

One of the white-robed, white-haired elders nodded and said, "Go and look into the mirror in front of the hall."

Everyone flocked to the bronze mirror before the hall. The mirror was enormous, four to five zhang tall. Zhong Yue was filled with curiosity. He Chengchuan whispered beside him, "Junior Brother Zhong, this bronze mirror is a rare treasure, a masterpiece among Soul Weapons! As long as you look into it, your image will be recorded. If you kill demons in the Demon Ruins, the mirror will record the number of kills and your merits. The more merits you have, the greater the sect rewards you can exchange for!"

Zhong Yue stepped forward and looked into the mirror. His own image appeared within it. Others' images showed text recording when they entered the Demon Ruins, the number of demons they killed, and their merits. His own, however, remained blank.

"The treatment between the Upper Court and Lower Court of the Sword Gate is truly different. Cultivation in the Lower Court is tedious, but in the Upper Court, it's vibrant and varied."

Zhong Yue couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had lived in the Lower Court for five or six years, his days filled with hardship and his cultivation incredibly dull. Only upon reaching the Upper Court did things gradually become exciting.

The two white-robed elders raised their hands, each grabbing an iron chain tethered to a stone pillar in front of the great hall. They pulled with force, and the sound of creaking hinges echoed as the door opened. With the pull of the chains, a Sword Gate slowly materialized in the air!

The gateway seemed to be formed by a sword split in half down the middle. The iron chains were connected to these two halves. Since the sword was colorless, the gateway was difficult to see.

At this moment, the Sword Gate was pulled open by the two elders. Light spilled from the portal. The area in front of the gateway appeared empty, but illuminated by the light, a staircase was revealed, extending from the Sword Gate all the way to the circular platform.

Faint black demonic energy seeped from the Sword Gate, accompanied by eerie wails that sent shivers down one's spine.

Ting Lanyue and He Chengchuan stepped into the Sword Gate first. Zhong Yue and the others followed in an orderly fashion, entering the Demon Ruins.

Zhong Yue looked up and surveyed his surroundings. The sky in the Demon Ruins was gloomy, covered in dense, leaden clouds that seemed incredibly heavy. Everything appeared dim.

The distant mountain ranges looked treacherous, jagged and dense like a forest.

Faint black demonic energy formed a strong wind, kicking up stones the size of millstones, making the area extremely dangerous.

"Human race's little heifers!"

Suddenly, strange laughter echoed from afar. A dark mass of Demonic race members was seen charging towards them from a distance. It was a tribe of the Abyssal Demon race that had discovered the Upper Court disciples entering the Demon Ruins!

The demon race swarmed forward, howling bizarrely, "Kill the males, pickle them, and dry them for later consumption! Capture the females, use them for breeding to impregnate them and continue our race's next generation!"

The demon race howled bizarrely: Hurry up and vote for us with recommendation tickets, or we'll capture you for breeding or to be dried into jerky~~