“This is the Non-Causal Gate, quite impressive methods indeed…”
Looking at Jian Chou, who still seemed somewhat entranced on the stage, Master Hengxu opened his mouth and sighed. Yet one couldn’t tell from his tone whether it was admiration or wariness.
Fudao Shanren also stared at Jian Chou for a long time, still unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.
That battle just now had been utterly without suspense.
Jian Chou’s “Phantom Body Jian Chou” possessed completely crushing strength.
A single glance, a single movement—everything made people feel intoxicated by such overwhelming power.
Especially…
In that moment when she tore apart the Jian Chou who bore the Dijiang Wind-Thunder Wings.
Violence and bloodshed reached their peak simultaneously. Ruthless and decisive, accomplishing such feats with bare hands alone—how incredibly powerful must her physical body be?
One thought after another flashed through his mind. Fudao Shanren belatedly turned to look at Master Hengxu and asked just three words: “Are you jealous?”
“…”
Jealous?
In that instant, Master Hengxu’s mind went completely blank. He could only manage a bitter smile, shaking his head before changing the subject: “Just what exactly is the origin of your head disciple’s phantom body?”
Fudao Shanren bit into a chicken leg, his brow twitching slightly. The corner of his eye glanced at Hengxu before he lowered his head.
“Heart demon.”
Those two words came out with no change in expression or heartbeat. Instead, his face showed complete worry and concern, his brow slightly furrowed, as if genuinely anxious about his disciple’s future.
Xia Houshe’s phantom body being Jian Chou could still be explained as him having once been defeated by Jian Chou, thus developing an obsession.
But Jian Chou’s phantom body carried a fierce aura of slaughter that truly unsettled people’s hearts.
When Fudao Shanren said “heart demon,” it actually aligned with everyone else’s speculation…
However, for some reason, after Fudao Shanren gave this answer, Master Hengxu began to feel somewhat doubtful instead.
But he didn’t reveal his suspicions.
“I have already sensed that my disciple Xie Buchen has appeared on the Zhanye Island in the Western Sea. Having returned from the hidden realm of Qingfeng Monastery, he must have brought back some information. The hidden realm is fragile and has suffered damage—it can now only withstand the pressure of Golden Core stage cultivators. According to our original plan, we would dispatch several Golden Core stage cultivators to explore the hidden realm again. Your disciple…”
Fudao raised an eyebrow: “What about it?”
“Your disciple would inevitably be among those chosen.” Master Hengxu followed along with his earlier mention of “heart demon,” saying, “If there truly is a heart demon, it would be best to resolve it after the small assembly. The hidden realm of Qingfeng Monastery is mysterious and unpredictable—you must understand this better than I do. If concerns arise at a critical moment, it might be too late to address them.”
“Is that really something you need to worry about?”
Hearing this, Fudao Shanren immediately rolled his eyes.
Hengxu remained silent.
Fudao Shanren suddenly seemed to remember something: “Your thirteenth disciple actually didn’t die?”
On the Second Heaven Tablet, Jian Chou’s name had appeared above Xie Buchen’s name. Xie Buchen’s name hadn’t disappeared—it had just moved to second place. This proved that either he had died while no one had surpassed him to become first, or he had broken through while no one had surpassed him.
Now hearing Master Hengxu’s calm statement, Fudao Shanren suddenly understood.
Since he hadn’t died, it must mean he had broken through.
Master Hengxu smiled slightly: “Having survived great calamity, he barely achieved Golden Core.”
“…”
How seemingly modest.
From his smile, Fudao Shanren detected nothing but pure revulsion. He simply laughed once: “It seems when your disciple returns to guide the way and lead several others to explore the hidden realm, it couldn’t be better.”
“Exactly so.”
As if he hadn’t heard the cold undertone hidden in Fudao Shanren’s words, Master Hengxu calmly nodded, giving an affirmative answer.
Fudao Shanren shook his head, clapped his hands, and his face revealed several degrees of mockery.
He didn’t continue this topic, instead snorting coldly: “Your disciple’s core formation wasn’t much earlier than my disciple’s. Besides, it’s my disciple who has ascended to this One-Person Platform!”
This was the true cause for great celebration!
As for Xie Buchen?
The thirteenth true disciple under Kunwu’s sect master?
What a joke!
He clapped his hands, and the gloom on his face instantly disappeared completely, replaced by a beaming smile.
Standing on the steps of the Heavenly Halls, overlooking the entire Cloud Sea Plaza and all of Kunwu, Fudao Shanren seriously cleared his throat, coughed twice, and spoke in a resounding voice: “The third trial is complete. One hundred and nineteen people, one hundred and nineteen Heaven-Connecting Platforms, all belong to one person.”
“The victor: Yashan, Jian Chou!”
“Boom…”
With those words, it was as if all of Kunwu had been ignited. Voices of discussion rose and fell in waves, making it impossible to distinguish what anyone was actually saying.
Jian Chou had already withdrawn all her external emotions. Upon hearing this voice, she instinctively looked toward her opponent.
Xia Houshe was gone.
Only a dark red figure remained, moving against the crowd, departing through the masses.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
The remaining platforms originally distributed throughout Kunwu’s four directions all converged toward that highest Heaven-Connecting Platform.
Xia Houshe’s twenty-fourth, Young Master Ruhua’s sixteenth, Xiao Jin’s thirteenth, Jiang Wenchao’s eleventh, Zuoliu’s tenth—
One hundred and nineteen Heaven-Connecting Platforms!
The hard stone collided together with the mighty force of collapsing mountains and splitting earth.
Dust flew as stone blocks continuously rose and fell, quickly forming into a massive elevated platform like a vast continent suspended in mid-air.
Above Cloud Sea Plaza, everyone looked up in amazement.
Jian Chou also turned back to look at that enormous shadow suspended at the horizon, feeling somewhat dazed.
Master Hengxu smiled slightly, gazing deeply at Jian Chou, who showed no unusual expression. He simply sighed “Truly heroes emerge from the young” before stepping forward to stand at the very front of the Heavenly Halls.
The wind was cold, making his dao robes flutter violently.
His hair and beard were nearly white, and carried by the wind, he naturally gave off an impression of having already achieved dao and become immortal.
He turned his palm forward from within his sleeve, back of hand down, palm facing up.
“Request the One-Person Platform!”
His moderate and peaceful voice wasn’t very loud, but when it reached everyone’s ears, it carried a sense of vast antiquity that immediately resonated throughout.
Everyone looked and saw Master Hengxu spread his palm flat, revealing a palm full of lines. A complex black seal was branded in the center of his palm, looking quite unremarkable.
But the moment it appeared, the spiritual energy flowing between heaven and earth seemed to stagnate for just that instant.
Once anyone’s gaze fell upon it, they found it nearly impossible to look away.
A golden light, slow at first then swift, quickly condensed from within the black seal and shot toward the void directly in front of the Heavenly Halls like an arrow from a bow!
“Bang!”
The golden light seemed to strike something in the void, rippling outward in waves.
Thus, the shape of an octagonal elevated platform finally appeared within those ripples.
Almost the entire Central Domain sensed its existence and turned to look!
It bore ancient patterns carved into its base; eight corners stood eight towering pillars engraved with ancient eight-beast totems, carrying an air of vast antiquity; it hung high in the void directly before the Heavenly Halls, as if suspended beyond the nine heavens, at the very end of the sky’s end.
Too high, far too high—it gave one a suffocating sensation.
“Rumble!”
The Heaven-Connecting Platform, which had already gathered into one continent-like mass, actually split apart again the moment this elevated platform appeared, transforming into floating stone steps of various sizes, beginning from the lowest point and extending toward that high platform!
One hundred and nineteen Heaven-Connecting Platforms formed a heavenly path leading to the One-Person Platform!
Jian Chou looked up at the One-Person Platform above the clouds, seeing only a blur.
She could only make out its vague shape but couldn’t discern every inch of its outline or every edge, as if some mysterious force was blocking her examination.
Looking at that One-Person Platform from afar, Fudao Shanren’s face also showed emotion: “How many names have been carved on those eight heaven-reaching pillars?”
“Not many, yet not few either.”
Master Hengxu smiled slightly, as if he himself wasn’t clear on exactly how many names were inscribed there. He simply looked toward Jian Chou: “The One-Person Platform has appeared and will disappear after one moment. What fortune can be obtained depends entirely on the climbing cultivator’s affinity. I ask that friend Jian Chou from Yashan immediately take the heavenly path and ascend the One-Person Platform!”
Jian Chou had long heard of this One-Person Platform’s origins.
Legend said this platform was left by ancient cultivators—a dharma platform that had always floated beyond the heavens, drifting through the sky like something floating on the ocean’s surface.
Master Hengxu’s “requesting” the One-Person Platform wasn’t truly a “request” but rather a “fixing.”
The “Prohibition Seal” in his hand could temporarily borrow the power of heaven and earth’s rules to temporarily sever the One-Person Platform’s connection with the sky, making it remain above Kunwu.
Thus, cultivators qualified to ascend the One-Person Platform at the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly could climb it during this period of “prohibition” to obtain their own fortune.
The One-Person Platform symbolized the highest honor among all young cultivators in the Central Domain.
Not every person who ascended the One-Person Platform would necessarily become a legendary cultivator, but every legendary cultivator had inevitably climbed to the One-Person summit and left their name on the platform’s eight heaven-reaching pillars.
Stars shine brilliantly, and though heroes number in the hundreds, in the end there remains only one.
Everyone’s gaze fell upon Jian Chou.
Some showed admiration, some respect, some emotion, and others carried a hint of doubt or even disbelief…
Jian Chou ignored all of this.
She bowed toward Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren: “This disciple obeys.”
Her moon-white robes were clean and neat, as if dyed with the sky’s color.
Her movements were humble and respectful, her demeanor calm and gentle, her gaze holding three parts sharp spirit. Apart from her features, there was no visible connection to the phantom body that had appeared earlier.
After both Fudao Shanren and Master Hengxu nodded slightly in approval, she turned to look up at the octagonal One-Person Platform beyond the heavens.
One hundred and nineteen steps stretched before her, each step enormously large.
Standing before these heaven-reaching steps, Jian Chou’s figure appeared tiny.
Countless gazes fell upon her—Zhou Chengjiang, Jiang Wenchao, the excited Zuoliu and Xiao Jin, and Nie Xiaowan and others whose eyes held excitement.
Nearly a hundred people from Yashan had also gathered together, watching Jian Chou with a sense of shared glory. Shen Jiu and other disciples from under Fudao Shanren’s tutelage even lifted their chins a bit higher, displaying an attitude of “this is our Yashan’s style.”
Jian Chou stood at the front, motionless.
Mysterious and profound.
The octagonal platform remained still yet seemed to send ripples emanating from its surroundings.
The golden light Master Hengxu had cast earlier alternated between bright and dim, apparently engaged in intense conflict with this platform.
It constantly emanated a dangerous aura that, due to its ancient nature, stirred people’s hearts.
What scenery lay at such heights would require her to see for herself.
The Heavenly Halls already sat at the place closest to the sky’s vault. That One-Person Platform, higher than the Heavenly Halls and exceeding the sky’s height—where could it be?
A heroic spirit suddenly arose in her chest.
Three thousand in the Central Domain, stars shining brilliantly. Though heroes number in the hundreds, in the end there remains only one.
And this one person would be her—
Yashan, Jian Chou.
Thus, she stepped forward, landing on the first step of this heavenly path.
“Hum!”
The entire gray stone surface suddenly cracked open with endless golden light. The entire heavenly path, step by step leading upward, blazed with brilliant light.
Jian Chou immediately felt that aura—all the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was locked away in this moment.
She couldn’t control artifacts, couldn’t fly through the air, couldn’t even ride the wind.
This One-Person Platform required her to walk forward step by step just like this!
Walking with her back to the crowd, her figure appeared to everyone below as if edged with gold.
Jian Chou’s heart suddenly became tranquil.
Not a trace of anxiety remained.
With one step down, she took a second step, heading toward the One-Person Platform at the highest point!
“Hold on!”
Just as her second step fell, from the edge of Cloud Sea Plaza came a nearly shrill voice!
This voice was completely unfamiliar.
Jian Chou paused, instinctively frowning.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw a graceful figure leap up, landing on Cloud Sea Plaza in one bound.
Her usually beautiful face was now completely cold, hiding infinite anger. The cold smile and mockery at the corner of her lips made hearts tremble.
Jianzhu Sect, Sect Master Zhuxin!
She came first, followed by nearly a hundred Jianzhu Sect disciples who also landed on Cloud Sea Plaza, proceeding toward the Heavenly Halls.
People had originally crowded together on Cloud Sea Plaza to watch, packed tightly together.
Now with Jianzhu Sect’s menacing arrival and Fairy Zhuxin’s hostile expression, the others naturally retreated hastily, all making way for them.
In that moment, the suddenly arriving Jianzhu Sect was like a sharp arrow, breaking through the crowd in great force, heading straight for Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren.
While others weren’t clear on the situation, the many sect elders on Cloud Sea Plaza had basically all received the news.
The news of Jianzhu Sect being nearly destroyed overnight had long spread among them.
But with the small assembly proceeding and involving Yashan, no one dared speak out about it. They could only wait until the assembly ended to discuss it, which would likely result in bloody storms.
Unexpectedly, rather than them speaking up, Jianzhu Sect’s Master Zhuxin had come directly.
Now there would be quite a show to watch.
Everyone remained silent, turning their gazes toward Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren.
The moment they saw Zhuxin appear, both Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren frowned simultaneously.
The One-Person Platform appeared for limited time—if delayed, it would cause another round of trouble.
Seeing that Jian Chou had already stopped, Fudao Shanren spoke flatly: “Jian Chou girl, keep walking forward.”
Jian Chou withdrew her gaze, knowing something had probably happened but unable to determine what.
Right now wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
She understood priorities, so she nodded to show she understood, no longer paying attention to any “hold on” or not, and strode forward with large steps!
Step by step, she walked steadily and quickly.
Higher and higher, higher and higher.
At the end of her sight, that platform gradually became clearer…
Having reached the front of the Heavenly Halls, Zhuxin naturally heard Fudao Shanren’s words.
She laughed coldly, her expression completely sinister: “Shanren, the first place in the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly should at least go to someone of noble character. Yashan’s Jian Chou is sinister and despicable, winning without honor—what right does she have to ascend the One-Person Platform!”
With these words, the entire Cloud Sea Plaza exploded.
Why did Fairy Zhuxin say such things?
Who didn’t know about the recent grudge between Jianzhu Sect and Yashan?
But how many truly took it to heart?
Unexpectedly, now Fairy Zhuxin had jumped out to directly claim Jian Chou was unqualified to ascend the One-Person Platform?
This was getting exciting!
The Yashan crowd below had already furrowed their brows.
But Fudao Shanren’s expression didn’t change at all. He glanced at Zhuxin casually with a thoughtful look: “You look rather unfamiliar. Who are you?”
“…”
Instant eerie silence.
The elders on Cloud Sea Plaza all paused in unison.
Jianzhu Sect’s Fairy Zhuxin was quite famous throughout the Central Domain’s cultivation world. The Jianzhu Sect under her management had also been thriving for nearly a century, ranking second only to Baiyue Valley among female-cultivator-dominated sects. Though only mid-tier in strength, it had considerable reputation.
How could…
Fudao Shanren act as if he’d never heard of her?
Master Hengxu glanced at Jian Chou, who was still proceeding, his eyes flickering slightly. He turned back and calmly explained to Fudao Shanren: “Brother Fudao has cultivated for long years and traveled abroad for three hundred years. Master Zhuxin has cultivated for less than three hundred years, and her leadership of Jianzhu Sect is only a matter of the past century, so her name naturally hasn’t reached Brother Fudao’s ears.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Fudao Shanren give Zhuxin a proper look.
“I wondered why—turns out you’re a talent who emerged in the Central Domain in recent years. No wonder I, Shanren, had never heard of you.”
“…”
In that instant, Zhuxin’s face turned dark and ugly to the extreme, as if she’d been slapped hard across the face.
The others on Cloud Sea Plaza looked at each other in confusion: Fudao Shanren not giving Jianzhu Sect face was one thing—after all, they were at odds, and that was his usual bad temper that couldn’t be changed. But Master Hengxu’s words, though they sounded peaceful, carried rather intriguing implications!