Many venerables appeared in the vicinity of the storm clouds. Even a few transcending mortality and mortality shedding saints, who had not appeared for ages, also appeared. Many of them could trigger the Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation, but because they were not sure, none of them dared to. Now, they wanted to see if this junior who had appeared in the last millennium could succeed.
Most were skeptical.
All things equal, alchemists cultivated faster than any other types of cultivators. That was not to say alchemists could cultivate faster, but that they could concoct pills that sped up their cultivation speed. Not only that, if they were talented enough, they could concoct pills that helped them reach the next realm, such as the Foundation Establishment Pill, Core Formation Pill, Nascent Soul Pill, Unity Pill, and their martial counterparts.
According to legend, there should be a True Immortal Pill, Immortal Monarch Pill, Immortal Emperor Pill, and Immortal Sovereign Pill, but the recipes were lost at the end of the primordial era. Although anyone who took those pills to become immortal would forever be unable to make progress unless they took another pill that raised their strength and they would be the weakest of their types, many people still sought them. After all, individuals that had the luck, and the chance to enter the Immortal Realm appeared only once in a blue moon.
The onlookers watched with bated breath. After hundreds of lightning bolts, one final bolt descended. That last bolt was like the source of all light in heaven and earth. When it struck Ding Mian, it was as if the sun had appeared on the ground, and the sky turned into night because the sun had left.
When the radiance died down, the onlookers saw an upside-down cauldron where Ding Mian sat. It was caked in black soot, and the surrounding ground had turned into a crater of glass from the sheer heat of the lightning bolt. Just as they were wondering if they should go forward and check if Ding Mian had died, the cauldron shook.
In front of everyone’s eyes, the cauldron flew up and reversed itself, revealing Ding Mian. He didn’t look good, with singed hair, dried blood covering his body, and torn robes. At first glance, it would have been the best chance for any greedy cultivators to kill and rob his possessions, but none dared no matter how great their courage was.
Although he looked injured and weak, his aura had dramatically increased. Just his aura alone was enough to freeze most saints. If any of them had secret thoughts of killing Ding Mian, they all extinguished them at this moment.
Ding Mian rose into the air. At a visible rate, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth gathered around him, flowing into his body. His hair returned to its jet black sheen, and his burnt skin fell off, revealing tender skin. Except for his torn robe, Ding Mian appeared even better than before he resisted the lightning bolts.
“Congratulations to Immortal Ding!” At this time, a nascent soul grandmaster cupped his hand and congratulated. He was the descendant that Councilman Swordfive had asked Ding Mian to refine the Root Refinement Pill.
Although Councilman Swordfive had died over a century ago and his clan had declined in influence, there was still at least a nascent soul grandmaster who had a high chance to become a venerable. Not to mention that Ding Mian’s relationship with this clan had always been close. When he sells his pills or takes orders, the clan serves as an intermediary. Just this relationship alone boosted the clan’s influence.
Soon, the other cultivators also sent their good wishes to Ding Mian. Ding Mian also thanked them. Soon, they all left, leaving him alone with the nascent soul grandmaster.
Unlike the middle or low-rank realm, this high-rank realm was connected to the immortal-rank realm, so a sermon from him wouldn’t amount to much. Since that was the case, Ding Mian didn’t send out word that he would preach, much to the disappointment of all the alchemists in the high-rank realm.
“I’ll leave in a month at the latest. During this time, I’ll refine pills for you. This is the last time I’ll concoct pills for you, so you must use them sparingly. There are also some rare pills, so you should give some to the Sword Embassy for protection, lest you attract greedy gazes,” Ding Mian said.
Of course, the materials would be given by the clan, but the nascent soul grandmaster still thanked Ding Mian a lot. Now that he had become an immortal, his pills would be of an even higher rank, something that was almost impossible to appear outside an immortal-rank realm. So what if the clan’s treasury became depleted? It was all worth it.
A month later, a tear appeared in the sky above Sword Embassy City. Specifically, it was directly above former Councilman Swordfive’s residence. The dense spiritual qi benefited the entire high-rank realm, but those closest to it naturally got the best gains.
The nascent soul grandmaster led his clan and bowed to Ding Mian, who was ascending to the immortal-rank realm.
Ding Mian averted his eyes and flew into the portal. After traveling through the portal, he arrived in the Numinous Realm. Unlike before, Ding Mian didn’t immediately hide. It wouldn’t make sense. The power disparity between an ascender in the immortal-rank realm was far greater than in the lower realms. He could hide there, but it wouldn’t be easy in the Numinous Realm.
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So, rather than embarrassing himself, he should just wait and see if he could join any force. It didn’t take long before several true immortals appeared and solicited him to join them. Unlike the lower realms, only a few of them asked him to become a core force. Most asked him to be a guest elder.
The Numinous Realm wasn’t like the lower realms. Although true immortals were still rare and powerful, it didn’t mean they weren’t unattainable. The chances of an ascender reaching the Seamless Immortal Realm were only a little higher than native cultivators.
However, all of them became silent when a new immortal appeared in the sky. As if purposely revealing his superiority, the immortal appeared above everyone else.
When Ding Mian saw the new immortal, his eyes widened.
The new immortal wore plain robes and had an even plainer face. The most eye-catching feature he had was the seemingly ordinary sword hilt peaking over his shoulder. Ding Mian’s eyes widened slightly behind his mask when he saw him.
“Seven Star Sword Monarch!” a true immortal uttered.
Among the most promising immortal monarchs of the Numinous Sword Sect, it was the Seven Star Sword Monarch and the Kunlun Sword Monarch.
“Can I ask you why you appeared here?” a true immortal of a third-rate force asked, rather cautiously.
The Numinous Sword Sect didn’t usually solicit ascenders like them. First was the matter of trust. Second, they were powerful enough to not need to solicit true immortals. However, the Seven Star Sword Monarch’s appearance seemed to have broken that pattern.
The Seven Star Sword Monarch smiled. “It’s as you think. Originally, it was supposed to be someone else, but I was nearby, so I came here.”
The true immortals hissed. Why would the Numinous Sword Sect accept that new ascender? Perhaps the ascender already had a relationship with the Numinous Sword Sect? Although not many people knew, it was not a big secret that the Numinous Sword Sect had many outposts in the lower realms. Perhaps the new ascender was a disciple from the lower realms?
“Then I’ll trouble Senior,” Ding Mian said.
That’s right, he had already decided which force to join before ascending. The Sword Embassy had already asked him to join the Numinous Sword Sect during the month before he left. His luck was actually pretty good to ascend to a high-rank realm associated with the Numinous Sword Sect.
Then, under the other true immortals’ eyes, the two left.
Ding Mian stood on the Seven Star Sword Monarch’s gourd-shaped immortal artifact. Although he was a true immortal, his flying speed was far inferior to the Seven Star Sword Monarch.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask,” the Seven Star Sword Monarch, who sensed Ding Mian’s gaze, said.
“Thank you, Senior Seven Star Sword Monarch.”
The Seven Star Sword Monarch waved his hand. “No need to be so distant. Although you will be an outer guest elder, you are still part of the Numinous Sword Sect. It’s not impossible for you to become an inner guest elder, it’ll depend on your attainments in alchemy. My name is Meng Tingfeng, you can address me as Senior Meng.”
“Then, Senior Meng, can you tell me about the Numinous Realm?” Ding Mian asked.
“That’s no problem at all,” Meng Tingfeng said. “I’m sure you already know a few things about the Numinous Sword Sect. When you were in the high-rank realm, you might think that if you didn’t join, we would kill you. But that’s not true. Although a true immortal is powerful, they aren’t necessary for us. What we value is your attainments in alchemy.”
Although the Numinous Sword Sect was powerful, it was relatively lacking in other parts. Unlike the Immortal Court, which dabbled in everything, the Numinous Sword Sect specialized in combat, specifically the sword. Of course, their weak points equaled the strengths of many other forces.
“The Numinous Realm is predominantly a world of seas. There is only one continent and seven large islands. The forces in the world have five levels; they are unranked forces, third-rate forces, second-rate forces, first-rate forces, and hegemonic forces. There is only one hegemonic force in the Numinous Realm, and that is the Numinous Sword Sect. It is us who named this immortal-rank realm.”
“We control the Sword Continent and there are many second and third-rate forces. Each first-rate force controls a large island. In total, there are seven first-rate forces: Myriad Saber Alliance, Shifting Star Sect, Wavefold Sect, Hanging Spear Sect, Twin Moon Sect, Void Ripple Sect, and the Divine Pill Sect.”
Ding Mian sighed as he listened, playing the role of a listener. After Meng Tingfeng finished, he couldn’t help but say, “How many of the first-rate forces have immortal emperors? How many emperors does the Numinous Sword Sect have?”
“I’m not sure,” Meng Tingfeng said. “I know that there are two emperors from the first-rate forces. As for our sect, it could be as low as five emperors, or as high as ten emperors.”
“I see,” Ding Mian said. He didn’t know if Meng Tingfeng really didn’t know, or if he was guarding against him, but it didn’t matter.
The two continued to talk, and the more they talked, the more harmonious the relationship between them became. Several days later, they arrived at the Numinous Sword Sect.
Ding Mian saw nothing but a colossal mountain surrounded by pillar-shaped mountains that pierced the clouds. Their destination wasn’t even on the ground, but above the clouds. Once they flew above the clouds, he could see magnificent palaces and sword-shaped monuments built atop the mountain peaks. Countless bridges linked mountain peaks with each other.
Furthermore, he could sense that the sea of clouds hid a powerful formation. Mortals couldn’t even reach the Numinous Sword Sect, even if there wasn’t a formation warding them away. The sea of clouds was akin to the Mortal Severance Gate of the Immortal Court. The world above the clouds was like a different world, extremely similar to the world of immortals imagined by mortals.
Meng Tingfeng welcomed Ding Mian once again. “Welcome to the Numinous Sword Sect.”