Chương 338: Qiu Yushi

Long Feng returned to his pavilion and activated all formations before he sat on his bed and began to regulate his breathing. Although he appeared calm and unfazed by Bai Zijun's aura, it wasn't as easy as it looked. He was only able to forcefully withstand the pressure, not negate it completely. That threw his energy into slight disarray. He focused on fixing that before he exhaled lightly.

"Bai Zijun is really strong. At least three to five times stronger than crimson Chen after he became a deity without true essence." His expression became solemn as he said this. Bai Zijun's strength had exceeded his expectations, and he could tell that just from his aura. If he had to compare, then the training puppet was barely even as strong as deity Crimson Chen, not to mention Bai Zijun.

"My chances really aren't looking good if I enter the serene heaven mystic realm. But then again, only by entering can I raise my strength enough to face Bai Zijun and partake in the inner disciple test." Unless one's luck was exceedingly bad, it wasn't possible to enter a mystic realm and attain nothing at all. Of course, many people might end up dying, and at the same time no one could lose their lives. Everything depended on luck and destiny.

"I'll focus on perfecting the second step of the Nine Firmament Steps within the next four days. My speed will compare to a deity's like crimson Chen." Long Feng decided. Ever since he witnessed crimson Chen's strength, he began to use that as a temporary means to gauge his own strength. Once he reached crimson Chen's level and fully surpassed him, he would then need to search for another such means. Not entering the mystic realm wasn't a possibility at all.

The only thing he could think of was to quickly comprehend the third step of the Nine Firmament Steps, where his speed and agility would surpass the majority of early stage deities. Even if only his speed reached the deity level, he would become truly unrivaled in the Imperial realm. Imagine a peak Imperial realm master facing a fellow peak Imperial with the speed of a deity.

Even if their offensive skills were on par, the opponent wouldn't be able to even react in time to dodge more than a few strikes before losing.

"Since I became an Imperial, I've gained perfect control over my sword Intent… I don't know what'll happen if I use that entirely to unleash a heaven firmament strike. I suppose it'll compare to a weak deity's attack like crimson Chen." He touched his chin and thought.

"Now that I think of it, my demon and light Daos are still stuck at level eight concepts. I should push them both to the peak as well." This caused his thoughts to spin again. If he merged his peak demon Dao concept energy and his minor sword intent together with his Imperial energy… he just might break the gulf between the Imperial and the deity realm.

"There's also the little something I've been preparing…" He shook his head and cleared all these useless thoughts. Taking a few breaths, he delved into a state of deep comprehension. The Nine Firmament Steps weren't nearly as complicated as the Firmament Sword Art at the early stages. It would only get tough from the fourth stage, where one would require a certain level of comprehension regarding the legendary space laws to cultivate it.

At that point, perhaps even the Firmament Sword Art would seem like child's play, after all, the space Dao was irrefutably among the most supreme and undoubtedly the hardest Daos to comprehend in the world. That was something for the future though. Right now, he was slowly inching closer to perfecting the second step. His speed would surpass all Imperials and compare to weaker deities. And if he was to understand even a tiny bit of the third step, he would have the overwhelming speed of early stage deities.

The outer peak returned to it's stillness during the next four days, and the top fifty disciples who were outside the sect quickly rushed back. By the third day, nine of the top ten outer peak disciples were back in the sect waiting for the serene heaven mystic realm to open. The only person still outside the sect was the top ranked outer peak disciple, Qiu Yushi. He was extremely famous in the outer peak and even in the inner peak.

He had once fought against a rather strong Inner peak disciple and the battle resulted in a draw. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. That event had cemented his position as the strongest outer peak disciple. Not even the other nine dared to overestimate themselves before him. Even extremely powerful deities like Bai Zijun were rumored to have lost to Qiu Yushi within ten moves, and they were all early stage deities.

Qiu Yushi didn't return to the sect until the final day. The head warden gathered the disciples who would enter the serene heaven mystic realm inside the Dao Heaven Hall. Long Feng was naturally present. He had ended his cultivation just a while ago after receiving the message to gather through his identity token. He succeeded in comprehending the full second step and perfecting it, but he was unable to decipher even a hint of the third step. He had already expected that though.

The third step signified the level of deities, a stage that surpassed the limits of most people's understanding. It would be weird if he was able to succeed in a single try. He stood among the dozens of other geniuses and watched as more disciples rushed in, each of them possessing an extremely powerful aura of their own. Both Zhou Kui and Yun Fei were powerful in their own rights, but not even they were among the top fifty.

Everyone among the top fifty could definitely escape from a deity like crimson Chen alive using different secret means, and this was the same as Long Feng. Only a few minutes had passed and over thirty of the top fifty disciples had already arrived. As time passed, the top ten also began to walk in. The first who came in was Zhou Zheng. His bulky frame cast an enormous shadow in the Dao Heaven Hall as he stood by the door and coldly scanned everyone present.

After deeming none of them were worth his time, he walked in and stood by a corner with his arms folded across his chest. He was merely standing there without emitting any aura, but each and every disciple present felt a sizable pressure surrounding them. Long Feng's pupils shrank slightly as he stared at Zhou Zheng before they returned to normal.

"That's right, I can't compare a rogue cultivator like crimson Chen to the top outer peak disciples of a quasi one star force. Even if they're both early stage deities and they both don't use true essence, I'd say this Zhou Zheng could kill Crimson Chen within a few moves." He deduced. The feeling he had from Zhou Zheng was easily twice and even thrice that of crimson Chen. The difference was clear as day, and it wasn't without reason.

Zhou Zheng would have access to peak mortal grade Dao skills and probably cultivated an earth grade cultivation manual. That placed him on a higher level compared to crimson Chen who obviously wouldn't gain those advantages. Just the same, Zhou Zheng would lose horribly to someone of the same level who cultivated a higher earth grade manual or the legendary Heaven grade manual. That was almost a foregone conclusion.

The difference in the grade of cultivation manuals and skills could often be as wide as the difference between levels.

"Bai Zijun must be even stronger than this. I'll have to stay away from him in this mystic realm no matter the cost." Long Feng decided. Bai Zijun had already decided to kill him; there was no way things could be resolved simply. One of them had to die, and Long Feng wasn't going to let that person be him. A while later, Yang Qian walked in. He sensed Zhou Zheng's sharp glance and he responded with a calm smile before sitting in another side and closing his eyes.

Within the next ten minutes, seven other geniuses walked in, each of them with an aura that could shake mountains and flatten forests. When Bai Zijun strolled in, he didn't even glance at Long Feng. He simply chose a spot and stood calmly, his sheer pressure preventing anyone from standing within ten feet from him. The second ranked disciple also approached. He was a lean young man with a sprouting beard and a stubble on his cheeks. Situ Hong was his name, and he was on par with Bai Zijun.

Both of them were extremely strong even to the other top ten disciples. Of course, that meant the competition between them was similarly fierce. Situ Hong and Bai Zijun exchanged glances. Their auras seemed to accidentally spill out briefly as they stared at each other. The hall instantly fell silent and a terrifying aura swept through and engulfed everyone. The disciples around had to utilize their full strength to just remain standing in one place without staggering backwards, and that included Long Feng.

His expression was solemn as he once again realized that he still underestimated Bai Zijun. The tension in the hall was palpable as the third and second ranked outer peak disciples stared at each other. It would appear that there was some sort of grudge between them from the iciness in their gazes.

"Eh, luckily, I'm not late. Otherwise those grumpy wardens would bother my ears with their talks and ruin my day." A casual voice drifted into the hall amidst the rising tension. At that moment, both Bai Zijun and Situ Hong's auras collapsed like smoke and the pressure weighing on all the peak Imperial realm disciples vanished silently. The tense atmosphere was abruptly broken and curiosity replaced it. As for the top nine other peak disciples present, they all revealed dread in their eyes.

A tall youth juggled into the hall. His looks was extremely ordinary, so much that he would be confused with a mortal farmer who hadn't cultivated. And he also dressed like one. He looked like he had just rushed over after a wrestle with a wolf. His robes were ripped in some places, stained with blood in some places and covered in dust everywhere. His hair was scattered, giving him a slightly comical look. As he strolled in, he paused and took a few deep breaths while leaning on the door.

"Heh. Quite a few have gathered. How lively. Looks like the serene heaven realm is going to be swept clean." He leisurely examined everyone with his gaze, focusing more on the nine deities present.

"Yang Qian, you haven't yet attained major sword intent? What have you been doing with your life? Sleeping?" He glanced at Yang Qian and chided softly. Yang Qian's face turned green and he silently lowered his head, not refuting a word.

"Hah! Zhou Zheng!" The youth turned to Zhou Zheng and exclaimed.

"You've gotten fatter! What? You've been eating rice dumplings for the past five months?" Zhou Zheng's breathing hiked slightly before he calmed down and acted like he didn't hear anything. The youth moved his gaze and continued criticizing the top the disciples each, leaving the peak Imperials completely speechless. None of them spoke back at all, untill it reached Bai Zijun's turn. The youth stared at Bai Zijun and raised his lips slightly in a faint smile.

"Ah, my dear Zijun. How have you been doing?" Bai Zijun's facial muscles twitched fiercely as he stared at the youth.

"Qiu Yushi, don't you dare!" He barked coldly.

'so he's Qiu Yushi…' Long Feng noted. Even he had heard a lot about this strongest outer peak disciple. It would appear that the rumors were all real.

"Eh, you still have such a bad temper." Qiu Yushi squinted his eyes and walked towards Bai Zijun with an examining gaze.

"You also haven't made a single progress. Hell, you are weaker than I recall." He paused thoughtfully then inched closer to Bai Zijun with a meaning gaze.

"Say, have you been visiting the brothels frequently as of late?" Bai Zijun's eyes were degrees away from spewing flame.

"Qiu Yushi!" He spat through gritted teeth. Qiu Yushi grinned and winked.

"Don't worry, no need to get all worked up. I understand. Hehehehe." He laughed and leaned closer.

"Just ensure you don't overdo it. After all, it's not… err, good to do it too much. You'll lose your vital Yang which could slightly weaken your cultivation…" Long Feng's eyelids twitched slightly. Was that supposed to be a whisper? At their levels, only a voice transmission could escape their ears. A whisper at such close distance might as well be shouting right beside their ears. Bai Zijun's brain cells nearly burst right then.

"Qiu Yushi!" He interrupted with a roar as his aura exploded out of him, sending all disciples skidding backwards far away from him. The entire hall was enveloped in the dense and suffocating aura of a powerful early stage deity.