Chapter 462: The Highest
Yue Xi rubbed her eyes and looked again—
Twice.
She had to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"Master, he—he…!"
She turned toward Li Tie Mu, pointing at the black celestial monument, struggling to form words.
The gap of over 3,000 rankings had shattered her understanding of reality.
Li Tie Mu had expected this reaction from them.
With a wave of his hand, he relocated them from the plaza, placing them right next to Li Hao.
Upon seeing Li Hao's figure, Yue Xi finally regained some semblance of clarity.
But her eyes still brimmed with disbelief.
Murong Qingwu, after confirming her own ranking, naturally looked up at the top of the black celestial monument.
And there—
She saw Li Hao's ranking number.
Just like Yue Xi, her expression froze—
She turned to stare at Li Hao, the disbelief undeniable in her eyes.
"You two haven't even entered the Tenth Wilderness Area, right?"
Li Tie Mu smiled, looking at them with undisguised joy.
"Once you make it there, you'll have a real shot at breaking into the top 1,500.
"If you can hold out a little longer, you might even make it into the top 1,000 and stand out among the elite of Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty!"
Then, he casually added—
"Hao Tian is ranked 19th.
"But don't go spreading this around—it'll only bring him trouble.
"He already broke through the Tenth Wilderness Area and secured his qualification ahead of time."
"…He broke through the Tenth Wilderness Area?"
Both women froze.
Their eyes widened in shock.
They exchanged glances, but neither could find the words to respond.
A long silence followed.
Finally, Yue Xi murmured,
"…Impossible…"
Murong Qingwu locked her eyes onto Li Hao, her voice firm,
"Breaking through the Tenth Wilderness Area requires power surpassing True Immortal Realm, Tenth Layer, Peak Perfection."
"Maybe."
Li Hao replied nonchalantly.
He had never fought against a True Immortal, Tenth Layer, Peak Perfection cultivator, so he had no reference.
Yue Xi stared at Li Hao's calm expression and suddenly bit her lip.
With his strength, if he had left his name on the Sword Cliff, there was no way it would have been lower than hers.
She had asked him before why he hadn't done it.
His answer had been—
"Not interested."
Now—
She finally understood.
Maybe—
It wasn't that he wasn't interested.
He simply hadn't even considered such a trivial display worth his time.
Compared to that—
Her own sense of accomplishment suddenly felt embarrassingly insignificant.
While the two were still processing their emotions, another figure emerged from the Wilderness Area and stumbled onto the plaza.
It was Gu Yan.
And he looked even worse.
A patch of his scalp had been torn open, now slowly regenerating.
The rest of his hair was frozen into ice shards.
Clearly—
He had endured extreme hardship inside.
Li Tie Mu waved his hand—
Bringing Gu Yan over to them as well.
But Gu Yan barely paid attention to his own injuries.
The blood at the corner of his lips remained untouched—
Instead, the first thing he did was look up—
And search for his ranking.
He started from the top.
His eyes scanned downward.
Then—
He stopped.
One number stood out.
"That…"
His pupils contracted slightly.
He turned to Li Hao.
Li Hao met his gaze—
And smiled.
Gu Yan hesitated for a moment.
Then, he looked back up.
19th place.
Li Hao's ranking was higher than his.
Far higher.
His expression flickered.
He calmed himself—
And continued scanning downward.
30th place.
50th place.
100th place.
1,000th place…
His face darkened.
His heart sank further and further.
And then—
Doubt began to creep in.
Had he missed it?
Finally—
At over 2,000th place, he saw Murong Qingwu's ranking.
At that moment—
All his uncertainty shattered.
His fists clenched tightly.
He continued looking down.
Not long after—
He found his own name.
The moment he saw it, his heart felt—
A mix of relief, emptiness, and disbelief.
He didn't look any further down.
Instead—
He looked up again.
Back at Rank 19.
This time—
His perspective was completely different.
Only now did he truly understand—
How high up that ranking was.
How untouchable it seemed.
How it made everyone look up in awe.
He stared blankly, feeling as if sharp blades were cutting into him.
It was almost like he was back inside the Ninth Wilderness Area—
Still being struck down by the attacks of the Dao Origin Forces.
If it hadn't been for Sword Cliff, where Li Hao had climbed past him, he would have never noticed him at all.
To him—
This senior brother had been as unremarkable as air.
But now—
The one he had overlooked was far beyond his reach.
"The Ancient Immortal Realm trial—
Hao Tian performed the best out of all Da Meng Jiu Yuan disciples."
Li Tie Mu announced to the three of them.
His eyes gleamed with joy and satisfaction.
Aside from Li Hao's astounding performance,
Murong Qingwu, Gu Yan, and Yue Xi had all performed well.
Especially Gu Yan and Yue Xi—
Their cultivation realms were still relatively low,
Which meant they had room for significant growth in the next three years.
To him—
There was still enough time for them to break into the top ranks.
But to the three standing before him—
Those words made them feel…
Utterly dazed.
No one had expected that Li Hao—
The one who had seemed so quiet, so ordinary—
Would suddenly rise to the top, displaying strength far beyond their imagination.
As proud geniuses,
All three of them felt—
A sense of indescribable emotions.
They didn't resent him.
They weren't jealous.
But deep down—
Each of them felt something intensely complicated.
"Master, you promised me before that I could ask the Yuan Lord to personally teach me swordsmanship. I'd like to use that opportunity now!"
Gu Yan suddenly turned toward Li Tie Mu, his expression unusually serious.
His usual calm and indifferent demeanor was now stirred with emotions.
Li Tie Mu noticed something interesting.
He no longer called him "you", but instead "Master".
A small change in wording—
But it signified a shift in his heart.
"This kid… finally got pushed hard enough."
A knowing smile appeared on Li Tie Mu's lips.
"Even if you didn't ask," he said warmly, "with your performance, the Yuan Lord would still train you personally.
"After all, you are all the future of the Sword Abyss!"
Hearing Li Tie Mu's words, the three of them let out a breath of relief.
Murong Qingwu turned to Li Hao.
She neither liked nor disliked him.
Previously, she had never considered him a rival.
Now, his ranking was so high that she couldn't even muster the motivation to compete.
Her emotions quickly settled, and she smiled.
"Hao Tian, congratulations!"
"You secured your qualification on the very first day.
"Once we train under the Yuan Lord, I hope you'll share some pointers with us."
"Let's spar when we get the chance."
But to their surprise, Li Hao shook his head.
"I won't be training under the Yuan Lord."
"…Huh?"
All three of them turned to him in shock.
Yue Xi and Gu Yan's eyes narrowed.
They were now paying closer attention than ever.
"Then where are you going?"
Yue Xi couldn't help but ask.
Li Hao didn't hide anything.
Smiling, he replied,
"I'm planning to head to the borderlands."
"The borderlands?"
The three of them froze.
Murong Qingwu was puzzled.
"Isn't that where Senior Brother Qing Xuan and the others went?"
"You're going there to earn war merits?"
"I just want to train my combat experience."
Li Hao knew that without a good reason, he wouldn't be able to convince Li Tie Mu.
So, he casually added,
"I feel like my battle skills still need some work."
The three of them were speechless.
"If your combat experience is lacking…"
"Then what about us?"
Li Tie Mu sighed helplessly.
"You really won't reconsider?"
"Training under the Yuan Lord is a rare opportunity.
"If you hit a swordsmanship bottleneck, the Yuan Lord's guidance might help you break through with ease."
Li Hao smiled bitterly.
He wasn't stuck on swordsmanship.
His bottleneck was in painting, cooking, and fishing.
It had nothing to do with the sword.
Right at that moment—
A low dragon's roar echoed from above.
Chu Xiang Tian arrived, his dragon carriage breaking through the clouds, descending toward the black celestial monument.
Standing tall, with his hands behind his back, he announced the rankings.
Then, he addressed the crowd:
"For those who did not make it into the top 1,000, do not lose heart!"
"There are still three years ahead of you—
"Three years is more than enough to change your fate!"
"You may stay here and continue training."
"You may keep challenging the trials of the Ancient Immortal Realm at any time."
"You may return to your sects to train, and whenever you wish to challenge again, simply activate your wilderness talisman, and you will be transported here."
"But remember—"
"Once you leave, you must find your own way back."
Although his words were meant to inspire,
Many of the lower-ranked disciples could only sigh in frustration.
Before entering, they had thought of themselves as geniuses.
Now—
After the harsh reality of the trials, they had realized something—
Within the 3,000-year soul lifespan limit,
There were far more monstrous prodigies than they had ever imagined.
Their talents were nowhere near as special as they once believed.
Several Earth-ranked sects had already started gathering their disciples, preparing to return home.
Meanwhile, Li Tie Mu had also called over Zhou Qing Yun and the old woman.
Among the ten disciples of the Sword Abyss,
Li Tie Mu had secured four spots.
Zhou Qing Yun had secured two spots.
The old woman had taken three spots.
The final one was a dark horse from the Earth Courtyard.
"So, how did we do?"
Zhou Qing Yun approached with his disciples.
His tone was laced with emotion.
"I caught a glimpse of Qingwu's ranking earlier—she's in the two-thousands."
"That should be our highest-ranked Sword Abyss disciple, right?"
He sighed.
He hadn't expected Li Tie Mu's batch of disciples not only to be numerous—
But exceptionally strong as well.
"You old fox,"
Li Tie Mu rolled his eyes.
"Why don't you check the outer sect rankings instead of just focusing on our own?"
The old woman, however, had a serious expression.
She frowned.
"This competition is even fiercer than I expected…"
"Which means—"
"Aside from Ming Rong, the rest of our Sword Abyss disciples are at risk of elimination."
"…Hm?"
Both Li Tie Mu and Zhou Qing Yun were startled.
They had heard of her disciple, Lin Ming Rong.
At that moment, they suddenly remembered her presence.
They turned their heads—
And saw a young girl standing quietly behind the old woman.
She was graceful and elegant.
Dressed in pure white, resembling an ethereal sword fairy,
She stood there serenely, untouched by the noise of the world.
"How did she rank?"
Zhou Qing Yun asked curiously.
"921st."
The old woman pointed at the black celestial monument.
Zhou Qing Yun took a deep breath—
Then, he chuckled bitterly.
"Impressive.
"At least our Sword Abyss has a prodigy who made it through.
"We won't suffer total humiliation."
He glanced at Li Tie Mu and added—
"That little disciple of yours—Gu Yan—"
"His cultivation is still too low.
"Do you think he can catch up in three years?"
Li Tie Mu smiled.
"Who said the Sword Abyss only has one prodigy?"
"You're talking about Gu Yan?"
"In three years—"
"He will catch up."
"I have complete faith in him."
"…Oh?"
As Zhou Qingyun and the old woman heard this, they both looked at Li Tie Mu in surprise. Zhou Qingyun swept his gaze toward Li Hao and the others, then said, "Qingwu is already ranked in the two-thousands. Besides her, who else could it be? That little girl from the Yin Calamity Clan—has she already mastered the Calamity True Force?"
Li Tie Mu merely smiled and said nothing, keeping Li Hao's ranking a secret. If he revealed it now, it would surely shock them, creating too much commotion and possibly leaking the information.
Seeing Li Tie Mu's mysterious expression, the two elders muttered under their breaths but didn't take his words too seriously.
"Let's head back," Zhou Qingyun said. "There's no way to continue training here. The first trial was just to see how dangerous the Wilderness Domain is. Next time, we'll only come when we're confident."
In the distance, the elders from other divisions were also calling their disciples back.
Leaving the Ancient Immortal Realm, they returned to the vast plaza in front of Yan Chu Imperial City, where space channels were opening as various sects began their journey home.
As a Heaven-rank Fourth Sect, Da Meng Jiu Yuan would never fall behind in prestige. Once an elder sent word back, a spatial tunnel immediately stretched across the void, personally opened by Da Meng Lord himself.
Only Immortal Kings could cut across such vast distances, setting an anchor point to create a fixed teleportation channel.
Upon returning to Da Meng Jiu Yuan, at the summit of Da Meng Mountain, the elders of each division gathered to report their disciples' rankings.
Apart from Lin Mingrong from the Sword Abyss, every division had at least one or two disciples who made it into the top 1,000.
One division, however, had none. The entire group was crestfallen, feeling utterly humiliated.
Those ranked outside the top 1,000 weren't even worth mentioning, so only the old woman from the Sword Abyss spoke up, reporting her disciple Lin Mingrong's ranking. Da Meng Lord praised and rewarded her accordingly.
"Mingrong, you are currently the only one in the Sword Abyss who has qualified for the battle. Train hard and be an example for your fellow disciples," the old woman instructed.
Dressed in white, Lin Mingrong nodded slightly. She glanced at the other Sword Abyss disciples, her gaze lingering on Gu Yan for a moment. She had heard of this innate sword body disciple before.
Sensing her gaze, Gu Yan met her eyes with equal determination, feeling an intense fire igniting within him.
Heading to Yan Chu Imperial City, he had suffered one setback after another. His once numb expression had sharpened into something far more resolute.
"Go on, Da Meng Lord is waiting for you," the old woman said.
The disciples who ranked within the top 1,000 all received Da Meng Lord's recognition and rewards. Additionally, he had summoned them for a personal audience.
Lin Mingrong nodded slightly, offering a small bow before turning to leave.
Li Tie Mu then turned to Li Hao. "You too. I just informed Da Meng Lord about your situation. Only he knows about it."
Li Hao was momentarily taken aback, feeling a bit helpless. But considering the Immortal Pills as a reward—while not personally needed, they could be saved for Feng Lao, Qing Ying, or even serve as snacks for Xi Yan.
"Mm?"
As Li Hao stepped forward, following Lin Mingrong, Zhou Qingyun and the old woman were both stunned, instinctively turning to Li Tie Mu for an explanation.
Li Tie Mu smirked mysteriously and said, "Didn't I say before? Sword Abyss has more than one prodigy."
"You mean… that boy also made it into the top 1,000?" Zhou Qingyun was astonished. "Then why didn't you report it to Da Meng Lord just now?"
The old woman frowned in suspicion. "Li Tie Mu, this is not something to joke about. If Da Meng Lord gets upset, we won't be able to help you."
Li Tie Mu chuckled. "His ranking is a bit special. It's better to keep it confidential for now."
Hearing this, the two elders were even more shocked. They exchanged glances, realizing that Li Tie Mu—though usually playful—was serious when it truly mattered.
What kind of ranking… needed to be kept secret?
Curiosity surged within them.
They turned toward Murong Qingwu, Gu Yan, and Yue Xi, only to find all three of them wearing complicated expressions. This only deepened their surprise.
At the same time, Li Hao followed Lin Mingrong's figure up the mountain, arriving at a grand hall at the summit.
Walking along the covered corridor, they passed by a courtyard.
Ahead, Lin Mingrong suddenly stopped at the corridor's end.
Sensing Li Hao following her, she furrowed her brows slightly and turned around.
"Junior Brother, only those who qualify for the battle are allowed here. You are…?"
"Same as you," Li Hao coughed lightly. "But I'm not familiar with the path."