Realm-Hopping Martial Master-Chapter 711 - 397: Jiang Shu, I’ve Been Waiting for You for So Long!
"Heh, let's talk after the competition. Real combat tests more than just realms, there's much more to it. It's just over five years of waiting, and then everything will be settled. However, I firmly believe that if these two individuals can maintain their current talent and cultivation progress, they might reach the Seventh Floor. It's a pity that Yu Heng is ultimately not a genius of our Jiuyu Commerce Alliance."
"So what if he isn't? With enough resources, we can still draw him over from the Black Abyss Alliance. As long as Yu Heng is willing, what can the Black Abyss Alliance say? Besides, just being able to send geniuses to the Inner Circle Eternal Tower is something the Black Abyss Alliance can't achieve. Without entering the Eternal Tower, no matter how strong a cultivation talent is, it takes a long time to elevate the realm."
"Alas, it's a pity for us Tenth Ranks, we're already set, our foundation is exhausted, no hope for the Eleventh Rank. Entering the Eternal Tower, we can at best reach the Second or Third Floor, but it's just a waste of time. They may be weak Ninth Ranks now, but in the future, who knows, a few Eleventh Ranks might emerge. Sometimes, being weak is an unknown form of strength."
...
Outside the Genius Trial Tower, several Tenth Rank experts sighed with emotion. Many of them were once geniuses in the Business Association, but geniuses have layers. Some geniuses, in their grasp of Cultivation Techniques and secret techniques, can surpass ordinary people at the Ninth Rank, but by the Tenth Rank, they're indistinguishable from the masses.
They were like this; at the Ninth Rank, they could fight in the same realm and take on multiple opponents. But by the Tenth Rank, just not losing in the same realm was considered quite remarkable.
The Tenth Rank, in the Star Ruins Realm, is neither high nor low.
They lack the strength to venture into the Inner Circle.
Nor the ability to establish a major power in the Outer Circle.
They can only join Outer Circle forces, becoming part of the backbone.
They were discussing the geniuses in the Genius Trial Tower, essentially selecting talents, betting on them. If a favored individual reaches the Eleventh Rank, all effort is worthwhile.
Inside the Genius Trial Tower, the fighting continued!
Every moment, battles erupted.
Every so often, a strong contender or genius ascended from the Second Floor to the Third. Some could establish on the Third Floor, while others quickly fell and perished on the spot, with all treasures and opportunities going to others.
Time passed; Jiang Shu unknowingly spent another two years in seclusion on the Third Floor.
In those two years, he hardly practiced anything else but focused solely on a newly acquired Ninth Rank Space Secret Technique, successfully pushing it from entry-level to Great Success using the panel's perpetual proof.
"Cosmic Light Crossing" allows for folding the space ahead, traversing through the folds and leaping rapidly within a short time. Once cultivated to Perfection, it's comparable to the speed of light. Though he is only at Great Success, he can still teleport 200,000 miles in just a second, twice as fast as the speed of the Nirvana Realm.
Jiang Shu opened his eyes, revealing a brilliant light.
Though "Cosmic Light Crossing" is an explosive secret technique, usable only for an instant, that instant is sufficient. In a moment, teleporting 200,000 miles makes it superior for escaping or pursuing compared to his other Heaven Rank Divine Powers, compensating for his weaknesses.
Moreover, with the insight from "Cosmic Light Crossing," his understanding of space reached a higher level. Once he exits the Genius Trial Tower, he can return to the Black Iron Desert and use the Star Gate to return to Xuanxing.
In Xuanxing, obtaining the inheritance from the Void Venerable, he will then possess the greatest foundation in the Spiritual Path.
All that's missing is time!
He only needs to join the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance, ascend the Eternal Tower with the alliance, and leverage the flow of time for cultivation to continually enhance his realm.
Reaching the Forget Realm through cultivation shouldn't be a problem.
"Calculating the time, it should have been six and a half years since the Genius Trial Tower opened; just over three years remain. It's time to embark on the challenge."
Stretching his long-unused body, Jiang Shu had made a name for himself in the battles on the Third Floor. Many Ninth Rank geniuses and cultivators knew of him.
Thus, in his place of seclusion, few dared to disturb him.
He retracted the Formation completely, restoring the entire mountain range to its original state. The fog dissipated, and the various Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha Qi vanished. Jiang Shu took a step out.
"Huh, why is there a light in that direction? The mountains are starting to show. Wasn't Jiang Shu in seclusion here? I heard he and Tuoba Yu both came from the Black Iron Desert direction. Tuoba Yu started ascending the Fourth Floor two years ago; I wonder how far he's gotten now."
"Tuoba Yu has plenty of physical strength, but lacks spiritual power, which is actually a disadvantage in the Genius Trial Tower. On the Third Floor, he has exceptional combat power because his physical strength surpasses many, but beyond the Third Floor, he faces Star Beasts; can his physical strength outmatch some Star Beasts? His strength will become his weakest point; reaching the Sixth Floor is quite impressive. Slaying four Star Beasts shouldn't be a problem, but that's likely his limit."
"It's easy for us to say, but we envy them nonetheless. At least they can reach the Sixth Floor. I feel like my foundation is still lacking; even the Fifth Floor might be beyond me. If I could get to the Sixth Floor, I'd surely join the Jiuyu Commerce Alliance. Later on, there might be some chance of entering the Inner Circle Eternal Tower. Missing this opportunity, with our realm, we won't reach the Star Ruins Realm's Inner Circle even with a thousand years of cultivation."
"I wonder how far Jiang Shu will ascend. I heard people discussing him before, saying he seemed to be less impressive than Tuoba Yu in Tuoba City. He's from an Extraordinary Planet in the vast cosmos and has been cultivating for quite some time. However, I did witness one of his battles. He fought a Jiuyu Commerce Alliance genius to a standstill, and that was two years ago. Geniuses like him might make major progress in two years."
"The external Tenth Rank experts are the only ones who know. The first three floors of the Genius Trial Tower form a united world where all the geniuses and Ninth Rank cultivators are present. But from the Fourth Floor, different paths appear. Each genius challenging the tower enters a separate space, battling two Ninth Rank Peak Star Beasts. No retreat, only advance."
Several geniuses from other forces or those who ascended from Extraordinary Planets, having cultivated alone, began to discuss. Aside from cultivating and battling, they sometimes paid attention to any geniuses who showed prominence before. These geniuses might become future allies or rivals.
Coming to the Genius Trial Tower, apart from those who were attracted by Jiuyu Commerce Alliance's resources to serve as stepping stones for grooming geniuses.
Which one of them doesn't aim to make a name, gain the recognition of Tenth Rank experts, or even Eleventh Rank Venerables here?
Who among them doesn't hope to earn the qualification here to step from the Outer Circle into the Inner Circle!
In the high sky, Jiang Shu strode forward, his speed not exceedingly fast, as his spiritual power skimmed across the ground. In two years, many geniuses he had fought began their formal challenges.
A genius like Zhuang Cheng from Jiuyu Commerce Alliance, whom he met earliest, was now nowhere to be found.
As for Yu Heng, who once led the Black Iron Desert Void Realm, he should also be challenging, but it's unclear how far he's advanced.
Qian Yuxue and Lu Ziyi were still around, likely saving their strength for a final push to challenge.
Thoughts swirling, Jiang Shu could already see the boundary between the Third and Fourth Floors. Suddenly, he halted, his long hair fluttering as he turned his head slightly, seeing in another direction.
Someone on the mountaintop bent a bow like shooting the sun.
An arrow streaked across the sky, a familiar voice reverberating ten thousand miles:
"Jiang Shu, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
