Chapter 463: Supreme

She rubbed her eyes again and looked carefully twice, confirming that she hadn't misread.

"Master, he, he…"

Yuexi turned her head to look at Li Tiemu, pointing at the black Immortal Stele, somewhat incoherent, unable to comprehend.

A difference of more than three thousand places completely overturned her understanding.

Li Tiemu had anticipated their shock at Li Hao's ranking. With a wave of his hand, he moved them from the plaza to appear beside Li Hao.

Seeing Li Hao's figure, Yuexi regained some composure, though disbelief still filled her eyes.

After Murong Qingwu clearly saw her own ranking, she scanned the top of the black Immortal Stele. She quickly spotted Li Hao's number and looked at him with the same incredulous gaze.

"You haven't even set foot in the Tenth Desolate Domain, have you? Once you enter the Tenth Desolate Domain, you'll have a chance to break into the top fifteen hundred! Then, if you persevere, you might even crack the top thousand and stand out among the elites of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty!"

Li Tiemu looked at them with a happy smile, in a very good mood. "Haotian is ranked nineteenth. Don't spread this news, lest it brings him trouble. He has already broken through the Tenth Desolate Domain and secured his spot for the main competition in advance."

"Broken through the Tenth Desolate Domain?"

Hearing Li Tiemu's words, the two women widened their eyes in shock. They looked at each other, stunned into silence.

After a long while, Yuexi finally came back to her senses and murmured, "How is it possible…"

Murong Qingwu stared intently at Li Hao, asking, "Breaking through the Tenth Desolate Domain requires power beyond the tenth level of True Immortal Realm, right?"

"Perhaps," Li Hao replied. He hadn't fought against someone at the tenth level of True Immortal Realm and wasn't sure how it compared.

Yuexi observed Li Hao's calm demeanor and suddenly bit her lip slightly. With Li Hao's strength, if he had left his name on the Emperor Sword Cliff, it definitely wouldn't be below hers. She had asked him before why he didn't, and his reply was that he wasn't interested.

Now it seemed, perhaps he simply didn't care about that kind of display.

Compared to him, she suddenly felt a little ashamed and annoyed at herself.

While they were still trying to calm down, Gu Yan's figure also appeared on the plaza. He looked even more wretched, with a patch of his scalp torn open and slowly healing, and the rest of his hair frozen into ice shards.

Clearly, he had been trying very hard to endure within.

Li Tiemu flickered and teleported Gu Yan to join Li Hao and the others.

Gu Yan ignored his own disheveled state, not even wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Instead, he looked up to find his ranking.

He searched from top to bottom and soon saw a striking number.

"That is…"

Gu Yan's pupils contracted slightly as he turned to look at Li Hao.

Li Hao responded with a smile.

Gu Yan looked up again, staring at the ranking, somewhat stunned.

19th place?

Li Hao's ranking was unexpectedly high, and actually, higher than his!

His eyes flickered for a moment, then he composed himself and slowly scanned downwards.

Quickly, 30th place, 50th place, 100th… 1000th…

His expression gradually turned grim, and his heart sank lower and lower. A feeling of self-doubt crept in - had he missed something?

It wasn't until he reached the two thousandth range and saw Murong Qingwu's number that he froze. The shock and doubt in his heart were completely shattered.

His fist clenched involuntarily. He continued to look down and soon found his own ranking.

When he saw it, he felt a sense of relief, but his mind was also blank.

It was actually this ranking… He felt a bit dazed, followed by discomfort, complexity, disbelief, and a sudden wave of shock.

He didn't continue down. Instead, he immediately looked up again, back to the 19th position.

This time, his feeling was different from before.

At this moment, he truly felt how unattainable that ranking was, how shocking, how worthy of仰视 (yǎngshì - looking up to with respect).

He stared blankly, feeling as if sharp swords were constantly stabbing him, as if he were still trapped in the Ninth Desolate Domain, still under attack from the Dao's origin.

If it weren't for Li Hao of Emperor Sword Mountain finally climbing up and catching his eye, this senior brother would have been no different from air to him.

But now, this senior brother he had previously disregarded had far surpassed him.

"This time in the Ancient Immortal Realm Desolate Domain, Haotian achieved the best result in our Great Dream Nine Abyss," Li Tiemu said to the three of them, his eyes full of joy. Besides Li Hao's performance, Murong Qingwu, Gu Yan, and Yuexi had also done well enough to satisfy him. Especially Gu Yan and Yuexi, their realms were still low, leaving plenty of room for improvement in three years. They still had time to strive for greater heights.

His words landed in their ears, but they left all three feeling somewhat dazed.

No one had expected Li Hao to make such a stunning debut here, demonstrating strength that completely surpassed theirs.

As geniuses, their hearts were filled with complex emotions at this moment.

"Master, you promised me before that you could ask the Abyss Master to teach me swordsmanship! I want to use this opportunity now!" Gu Yan suddenly turned around and said to Li Tiemu with a solemn expression.

His expression was no longer numb and unchangingly calm, but now contained ripples.

Li Tiemu noticed that he addressed him not as informal "you" (你 - nǐ), but as polite "you" (您 - nín). Though it was just a small change, the difference between the two words ultimately represented a deeper respect! This kid, is he finally spurred on? Li Tiemu smiled knowingly. "Even if you didn't say it, with your performance, you would have received personal instruction from the Abyss Master upon returning anyway. After all, you are all the hope of the Sword Abyss!"

Hearing Old Man Li's words, the three of them felt a sense of relief.

Murong Qingwu looked at Li Hao. She had no particular fondness or dislike for this junior brother. Similarly, she hadn't previously considered competing with this person she had overlooked. Now, Li Hao's high ranking made her unable to summon the competitive spirit for a while. Therefore, her mood quickly settled down, and she smiled. "Junior Brother Haotian, congratulations. You obtained the qualification on the first day. In the future, when we cultivate under the Abyss Master's guidance, please give us pointers. Let's spar sometime when we have the chance."

Li Hao shook his head. "I won't be going to the Abyss Master for cultivation."

"Hmm?"

The three of them looked at Li Hao in surprise. Yuexi and Gu Yan's eyes sharpened, paying even closer attention to Li Hao's actions than before.

"Then where are you going?" Yuexi couldn't help but ask.

Li Hao didn't hide anything, chuckling lightly. "I plan to go to the border regions for some experience."

"Border regions?"

The three of them were stunned. Murong Qingwu asked in surprise, "Isn't that where Senior Brother and the others go? Are you going to accumulate Immortal Merit too?"

"I'm just going to practice actual combat." Li Hao knew he needed a reason to explain to Old Man Li, so he smiled and said, "I feel my practical combat experience is still a bit lacking."

The three were speechless. If your combat experience is lacking, then what about ours?

Li Tiemu felt helpless about Li Hao's decision and said, "Are you really not going to reconsider? Guidance from the Abyss Master is a rare opportunity. If you have a bottleneck in your sword path, under the Abyss Master's guidance, you might overcome it easily."

Li Hao smiled wryly. He wished he could, but his bottlenecks were in painting, cooking, and fishing, which had nothing to do with swordsmanship.

Just then, a low dragon roar echoed in the sky. Chu Xiangtian, driving a dragon carriage, broke through the clouds and landed in front of the black Immortal Stele.

He stood with his hands behind his back, announced the rankings on the black Immortal Stele, and then said, "Disciples who haven't reached the top thousand, don't be discouraged. There are still three years left. Three years is enough time to change your destiny!"

"You can choose to stay here to cultivate, or you can continue to challenge. The Ancient Immortal Realm is always open. You can also return to your own sects to cultivate. If you wish to challenge here again, just trigger the Secret Realm Desolate Rune and you will be directly teleported here. But you will have to return on your own."

Though these were encouraging words, many disciples ranked lower were already sighing with disappointment.

They had previously considered themselves geniuses, but now, in the desolate domain competition, they finally felt the gap. They realized that there were so many monstrous talents within the three-thousand-year soul age, and they didn't possess the strength to stand head and shoulders above their peers.

Many lesser sects had already called their disciples, preparing to return.

Li Tiemu also greeted Zhou Qingyun and the old woman. Sword Abyss had ten slots. Li Tiemu got four, Zhou Qingyun only two, the old woman three, and there was one genius who emerged from the Earth Courtyard.

"How is it? I glimpsed that child Qingwu's number earlier. She's ranked in the two-thousands. That ranking should be the highest among our Sword Abyss disciples, right?" Zhou Qingyun led his disciples over, sighing. He hadn't expected Old Man Li's disciples this time to not only be numerous but also have such high combat power.

"Good heavens, why are your eyes only looking at our own sect? You're completely ignoring everyone else!" Li Tiemu immediately rolled his eyes.

The old woman, however, had a serious expression. "I didn't expect the competition to be so fierce this time. It seems that, besides Mingrong having qualification for the main competition in our Sword Abyss, everyone else is at risk of being eliminated?"

"Hmm?" Li Tiemu and Zhou Qingyun looked at her in surprise. They had also heard of her disciple Lin Mingrong and immediately recalled the young girl. They looked behind the old woman and saw Lin Mingrong, young and beautiful, standing gracefully, clad in pure white snow-like clothing. She resembled a female sword immortal detached from the world, with an extremely serene expression.

"What's Mingrong's rank?" Zhou Qingyun couldn't help but ask.

"921st place." The old woman pointed towards the black Immortal Stele.

Zhou Qingyun took a deep breath, then smiled wryly. "Impressive. Well, it's good in a way. At least our Sword Abyss has a seedling, so we won't be completely wiped out."

Saying this, he glanced at Li Tiemu and said, "That little disciple of yours with the innate sword immortal body, his cultivation realm is too low. He's probably still a bit lacking, right? Can he catch up in three years?"

Li Tiemu smiled. "Who said our Sword Abyss only has one seedling? That Gu Yan you mentioned, he will definitely catch up within three years. I have confidence in him."

"Oh." Hearing his words, the two of them looked at him in surprise. Zhou Qingyun glanced at Li Hao and the others and said, "That child Qingwu is ranked in the two-thousands. Besides her, who else? That little girl from the Calamity Clan, could it be that she has already mastered the Calamity True Power?"

Li Tiemu smiled without saying a word. He didn't reveal Li Hao's ranking, otherwise, it would shock them too much. It would cause too much commotion, and if the news leaked, it would be a disaster.

Seeing Li Tiemu's mysterious demeanor, the two mumbled something and didn't take his words seriously.

"Let's go, we should return too. There's no way to cultivate here. This first challenge has allowed us to see the dangers of the desolate domain. We now have a better idea, and we'll come back better prepared next time," Zhou Qingyun announced.

At this moment, the elders from other Abysses in the distance also called their own disciples to return.

After leaving the Ancient Immortal Realm, they arrived at the vast, boundless plaza in front of Yan Chu Imperial City. Other sects were also returning, and spatial channels were opening one after another.

As one of the Heavenly Four Sects, Great Dream Nine Abyss naturally wouldn't be outdone in terms of status. As elders sent messages back, a spatial channel immediately extended, with the Great Dream Master personally coming to receive them.

Only those at the Immortal King Realm could bridge such a vast distance, requiring just an anchor point to establish fixed-point spatial teleportation.

After returning to Great Dream Nine Abyss, on Great Dream Mountain, elders from each Abyss reported their disciples' rankings.

Apart from Lin Mingrong of Sword Abyss, each Abyss had one or two disciples who had reached the top thousand. There was also one Abyss where not a single disciple had broken through the qualification line. The entire Abyss was dejected and dispirited.

For disciples ranked outside the top thousand, there was no point in reporting their results. Therefore, only the old woman from Sword Abyss spoke, reporting her disciple Lin Mingrong's ranking, receiving encouragement and rewards from the Great Dream Master.

"Mingrong, as the only one from our Sword Abyss currently qualified for the main competition, you must work hard and set an example for your junior brothers and sisters!" the old woman said to her disciple.

Lin Mingrong in her snow-white clothes nodded slightly, glancing at the others from Sword Abyss. Her gaze paused on Gu Yan for a moment. She had also heard of this disciple with the innate sword immortal body.

Gu Yan sensed her gaze and also stared back intently, feeling a fire burning in his heart.

This trip to Yan Chu Imperial City had brought him successive setbacks and blows, but his eyes were no longer numb. Instead, they had become sharp.

"Go now, the Great Dream Master is waiting for you," the old woman said to Lin Mingrong.

Just now, all disciples from each Abyss who had reached the top thousand had received encouragement and rewards from the Great Dream Master. Furthermore, the Great Dream Master had also summoned them for a meeting.

Lin Mingrong nodded slightly, then nodded goodbye to everyone and turned to leave.

Li Tiemu also said to Li Hao, "You go too. I just sent a voice transmission to the Great Dream Master and told him about your situation. Only the Great Dream Master knows."

Li Hao was taken aback, feeling a bit helpless, but when he thought of the Immortal Pill rewards, though he didn't need them himself, he could save them for Elder Feng and Qingying in the future, and maybe even give some to Xiyan as snacks.

"Hmm?" Seeing Li Hao detach himself from the group and follow after Lin Mingrong, Zhou Qingyun and the old woman were both stunned and couldn't help but look at Li Tiemu.

Li Tiemu smiled mysteriously and said, "Didn't I just say? The seedlings our Sword Abyss has produced are not just Mingrong alone."

"Are you saying that kid also broke into the top thousand? Then why didn't you report it to the Dream Master just now?" Zhou Qingyun asked in surprise, unable to contain his curiosity.

The old woman looked at him doubtfully. "Old Li, this is not a matter to joke about. If the Dream Master gets angry, we won't help you."

"That kid's ranking is a bit special, it's better not to make it public," Li Tiemu chuckled.

Hearing this, the two were even more surprised. They exchanged glances, knowing Li Tiemu's personality. Though he was usually informal, he was extremely serious at critical moments. What kind of ranking is it that actually needs to be kept secret? Curiosity filled their hearts. They looked at Murong Qingwu and the others, seeing their complex expressions, and were even more astonished.

At the same time, Li Hao, following Lin Mingrong's figure, arrived at a palace on the mountaintop.

Walking along the palace corridor, there was a courtyard.

Lin Mingrong walked ahead. When she reached the end of the corridor and saw Li Hao still following, she paused slightly, turned her head, and frowned. "This junior brother, only those who have obtained qualification for the main competition can come here. You are…?"

"Same as you." Li Hao coughed lightly and said, "But I'm not familiar with the way."

(End of Chapter)