Stepping onto the platform, Qin Ming grew incomparably solemn and vigilant. After all, he was about to face the mysterious master ranked third—someone whose era of origin was unknown and who might very well be an ancient Earth Immortal. No amount of caution would be excessive.
*Weighed down by a thirst for reputation, I acted rather impulsively,* he reflected, wondering if he had gotten ahead of himself. When fighting ancient powerhouses undergoing Celestial Demon Reincarnation, one ought to proceed step-by-step rather than trying to swallow the third-ranked figure whole.
On the fifth elevated platform, the Bodhi Saint stared at Qin Ming, his expression somewhat unnatural. He had previously "overestimated" this opponent, thinking his limit would be challenging the master ranked thirtieth. Yet this Taiyi had brazenly bypassed him to confront the third-ranked cultivator directly.
Remembering his earlier words and behavior, the Bodhi Saint felt his old face flush slightly. Then his gaze deepened. He had misjudged; he had failed to see that this was one of "their kind."
He was not the only one. Everyone shared this assumption. No one believed an actual youth could be in the top five—that was simply unrealistic. They were bound to be old monsters of immense backgrounds.
"Today is truly magnificent! The top ten ranks are being challenged one after another! Don't let the fact that this is a first-realm contest fool you; I dare say this already touches on a clash between beings of the seventh realm!"
The onlookers wore eager expressions, buzzing with discussion.
"A pity they've all concealed their origins. Otherwise, it would blow everyone away, for this could very well be a showdown between Earth Immortals."
"Don't rush. As time goes on, they'll expose their identities sooner or later."
"Indeed. Some seniors possess sharp eyes and can likely recognize old acquaintances from minute traces. Secrets may well be revealed later."
"In the end, will the top ranks of the New Board be entirely dominated by old fellows over five hundred years old contesting one another? If that truth comes to light, things will be truly fascinating!"
On the third sword-dueling platform, Qin Ming's opponent had already appeared.
For ranks this high, the New Board unfurled across the high heavens accorded high-tier treatment to the contenders. The manifested figure was remarkably vivid, appearing as if the true body had descended in person.
A youth stood with his left hand clasped behind his back, his eyes shining like bright stars, his waist-length black hair fluttering, and his features sharply chiseled and exceptionally handsome.
The name he had left on the New Board was Tianzun.
When Qin Ming chose his own pseudonym, he hadn't thought that much about it, casually picking a name from the *Nine Songs* of the *Elegies of Chu* unearthed from the old era.
He noticed that these old fellows all possessed immense pride. The names chosen by the top rankers were either grand or bizarre, clearly showing they refused to accept their old age.
The youthful Tianzun was overbearing. From the moment he appeared, he kept his left hand behind his back, striking directly with his right fist. In an instant, the void was packed tight by that crystalline fist, and fist intent permeated everything.
He was confident, composed, and extraordinarily forceful, as though intending to seal off his opponent with a single punch and end the battle swiftly.
"My sect's founding ancestor was knocked flying off the sword-dueling platform by this very fist! It was truly terrifying!" A youth in the audience, lacking discretion, openly exposed his own ancestor's shortcomings.
In truth, far more than just his ancestor, other even more formidable figures had been struck by Tianzun's fist until they spat large mouthfuls of blood and withdrew from the dueling grounds of their own accord.
*Boom!*
Before the youth could finish speaking, the entire sword-dueling platform trembled faintly. Dao rhymes surged, and a bold, domineering fist intent radiated outward.
"Taiyi... wasn't knocked flying!" many exclaimed in shock.
The scarecrow youth had blocked it, standing firmly upon the high platform. Furthermore, he had caught his opponent's fist—his five fingers tearing open Tianzun's fist intent like a heavenly dragon reaching out its claw.
Qin Ming took on a grave look. The true body of this Tianzun was bound to be unfathomable, for even this single punch manifested by the New Board was already quite astonishing.
Finally, the time was up. With a soft burst, the figure of the youthful Tianzun dissolved into flowing light. The punch he had left behind served merely to test prospective challengers.
Having endured this punch, Qin Ming had earned the right to challenge his true body.
Far away, in a colossal immortal city, the youthful Tianzun sensed it. He whipped around and muttered, "Which old fellow couldn't bear the loneliness, stepped out just like me, and actually locked my flawless fist intent from the first realm with his bare fingers?"
Seeing the scarecrow through the New Board, a brilliant light erupted in his clear eyes. "Could an old rival have targeted me intentionally? In that case, let me head back and meet him!"
Qin Ming did not wait long before a streak of light cut across the night sky. The youthful Tianzun arrived in person, descending onto the sword-dueling platform.
The immortal town was packed with figures. Many people in the neighboring Divine Cities had heard the news and rushed over to watch this clash of Celestial Demon Reincarnators.
By this time, the Bodhi Saint had also successfully cleared his trial and was now able to duel the true body of the fifth-ranked defender.
He dearly wanted to watch the battle between Taiyi and Tianzun, yet his own opponent had already taken the field.
"What a grand occasion! Two pairs of old monsters competing at the same time—most of them are probably Earth Immortals!"
Those watching the spectacle loved nothing more than escalating chaos. The area erupted in clamor. Some were awestruck, while others brimmed with anticipation. As the news spread, more and more people arrived from other cities.
On the third high platform, Qin Ming stared at the youthful Tianzun, feeling as though he had met one of his own kind—the other party clearly emanated the signature aura of heavenly light!
"Which old friend are you?" Tianzun spoke, his long black hair draped loose, his gaze sweeping like a rainbow. He carried an imposing aura and a daunting heroic spirit.
"I am merely a newcomer, newly ascending to the Ninth Heaven," Qin Ming replied, cupping his hands in the scarecrow's form.
Tianzun naturally did not believe him. How could a true newcomer reach this stage? What a joke. With his stature, he had rectified the flaws of the first realm and stood almost entirely within the domain of perfection, which was why he held the third rank.
"An old fellow playing young," the youthful Tianzun murmured.
Qin Ming was left speechless. He truly wasn't a complete newcomer.
And yet... he wasn't old either. He had only been breaking conventions for a year or two. But even if he spoke the truth, no one would believe him.
Qin Ming had no intention of prying into the other's identity. Even if Tianzun gave his real name, Qin Ming might never have heard of him, since they did not belong to the same era.
Upon meeting, the two had nothing left to say. After a brief silence, they clashed directly without the slightest hesitation.
*Boom!*
Qin Ming's translucent right palm collided with the other's fist radiating golden glow, causing the entire sword-dueling platform to shake violently.
Their duel pushed against the absolute limit of power permitted by the first-realm platform.
"An immortal body refiner!" Tianzun exclaimed. Having probed his opponent's foundation, he realized they were travelers of the same path. Runes flashed within his eyes.
Yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not recall having ever encountered such a formidable rival.
Qin Ming understood why the youth felt like one of his own kind: ancient body refiners also harvested heavenly light, treating it as a specialized, potent medicine to temper their flesh and blood.
"Now this is interesting! Come, let us fight our fill!" Tianzun's eyes grew profound. Regardless of who his opponent was, he possessed absolute confidence in crushing anyone who fought him in this domain.
He was retracing his path. While he dared not make claims about what lay beyond the sixth realm, his first realm was undeniably perfected—his body refinement flawless. He simply did not believe anyone on the same path could rival him.
*Swish!*
Around his body, a thousand hands burst forth in dense profusion, all tempered through the potent medicine of harvested heavenly light, unleashing dazzling radiance.
He truly resembled a youthful celestial lord walking the mortal world—sacred, transcendent, and peerless.
Within Qin Ming's body, dense heavenly light billowed forth and enveloped him. A golden wheel seemed to revolve outside him, clanging as it kept the thousand hands at bay.
Normally, a first-realm body refiner could not manifest heavenly light externally at will, yet neither of these two was bound by such limits.
Among Tianzun's thousands of arms, some wielded golden war hammers, some held divine spears, some gripped sabers, and others beat upon war drums, erupting with arcs of lightning.
Under normal circumstances, when the youthful Tianzun went all out, few opponents could withstand even this first wave of attacks. Their defenses would be torn apart, their secret treasures shattered, and their conscious spiritual light dispersed.
Yet he had encountered Qin Ming. The Blazing Sun-like golden wheel revolving around Qin Ming was terrifying beyond measure, severing many of those thousand hands.
Qin Ming naturally held nothing back. Facing an old monster of unknown vintage, he had to give his all, fearing his heavenly light force might fall short.
Passive defense was not his style. From within that radiant golden wheel of light, he extended his arm, condensing a spear of heavenly light that shimmered with nine colors. Incomparably sharp, it seemed capable of piercing through anything.
While shielding himself with the golden wheel, he concentrated all his heavenly light into the spearhead and thrust it toward the youthful Tianzun.
"Hm?"
Tianzun showed astonishment. His protective veil of light was pried open; had he not moved thousands of hands together to seize the spearhead, his flesh would have been cut.
"Another body refiner who can contend with me? It seems you cannot be from my region. I've run into an old monster of the seventh realm from beyond!"
In an instant, golden clouds surged around his form as he withdrew the thousand hands. His aura changed completely, as if his entire being had ignited.
The youthful Tianzun displayed supreme body refinement techniques, confirming that he stood within the realm of perfection for this stage.
He had mastered a renowned immortal body refinement scripture, purported to lead straight into the realm of Heavenly Immortals. Having spent the better part of his life studying it, his attainments were frighteningly high.
At this moment, he seemed to transform into a golden immortal. Even the blood qi spouting from his pores was as brilliant as the morning dawn, while his eyes and hair turned a shimmering gold.
Now, his every gesture possessed terrifying destructive power, carrying an essence of immortality. From head to toe, he was a living weapon, capable of putting ten thousand troops to flight simply by charging forward.
Qin Ming's expression turned solemn. With left fist and right palm, he clashed head-on against Tianzun's flawless golden body. In that instant of collision, deafening clangs erupted across the sword-dueling platform.
It was as though immortal swords were colliding and celestial blades were striking one another, ringing with sharp clangs and metallic reverberations. The onlookers found the spectacle utterly absurd: one combatant was a scarecrow, while the other was a golden body. Both were bizarre, yet both unleashed power that exceeded the limits of this realm.
Many in the crowd were certain that had they taken the stage, a single punch would have blown them apart. They wouldn't have lasted a single exchange. That was the wondrous realm of body refinement taken to flawless perfection.
Tianzun's expression shifted. In the midst of the intense clash, he was actually forced backward! How could this be? The other's heavenly light was frighteningly powerful.
Most critically, wounds began to appear upon his golden body—bloodied marks battered in by the opponent's fists, his flesh cleaved open by the opponent's palms.
He was an immortal body refiner who possessed a supreme scripture and had cultivated diligently for a lifetime. After retracing his steps, could his golden body still contain flaws?
Once he bled and his flesh was breached, it spelled grave trouble, opening the possibility of a total collapse of his cultivation.
"You are truly strong!" Qin Ming said with utter seriousness. With a sharp ring, a saber of heavenly light condensed in his hand—he had already deployed the Four Imperials force!
"This is..." The youthful Tianzun was shaken. The snow-bright saber light sliced through his golden body, no longer confined to the surface, but cutting deep into his flesh and blood.
At the same time, his palms turned bloodied, unable to withstand that dazzling saber radiance.
"A remarkable body refiner!" Qin Ming said in a deep voice. Advancing with his heavenly light saber and driving the Four Imperials force, he launched a fierce assault on this opponent of immense origin.
Covered in blood, the youthful Tianzun retreated rapidly. Every stroke of the other's blade breached his defenses. He could scarcely believe his eyes—what kind of monster had he run into today?
He had walked the path of body refinement to its utmost pinnacle. How could he possibly face such a predicament? His immortal golden body could not withstand this shocking heavenly light.
"Old monsters truly are terrifying!" Qin Ming said with a grave expression.
Both Tianzun himself and every spectator watching were left tongue-tied. Was this scarecrow serious? He called the other terrifying, yet his saber light was the one cutting Tianzun to ribbons!
Qin Ming was being entirely sincere. The other party's golden body was astonishingly tough, requiring the Four Imperials force just to breach it. Anyone else, even with heavenly methods, would at best have been locked in a battle of attrition against Tianzun.
At this moment, the youthful Tianzun felt helpless. His arts were on the verge of collapsing. Some rays of saber light pierced straight toward his internal organs; had he not forged a flawless golden body, his form would have shattered long ago.
Yet now, he began to doubt whether he had truly reached the pinnacle of body refinement. Even after remedying the regrets of his youth, flaws seemingly remained.
And yet, when he examined his interior, he was certain he was without defect.
*Pfft!*
Qin Ming nearly severed him diagonally from the shoulder. That Four Imperials force was terrifying beyond compare; once unleashed, it was practically unsolvable in the first realm.
The youthful Tianzun was sent flying, nearly collapsing into a pool of blood. He called out in disbelief, "Wait! Did you cheat? This cannot be the power of the first realm!"
He had lost, and he lodged a protest with the New Board.
However, the New Board responded: there were no issues whatsoever. The venue suppressed all underhanded methods, and Taiyi had withstood scrutiny.
"I... truly lost..." Tianzun's brow furrowed deeply. Having his golden body torn open broke him out in a cold sweat. What sort of opponent was this?
He pondered: if they met in the outside world and fought without restraint, he would most likely meet a tragic end.
Tianzun spoke up, "How should I address you, Daoist friend? Can this be considered blazing a new path, attaining a novel domain within the first realm? Such offensive might truly leaves those of our generation in awe."
At this point, he no longer kept a hand behind his back, but inquired with earnest sincerity, wishing to exchange insights with his opponent.
Qin Ming replied, "I am Taiyi, merely a traveler trudging along the long road of cultivation."
Tianzun frowned. This old fellow was rather stiff and pedantic, lacking the vibrant vitality of the younger generation, and seemed disinclined to converse or exchange ideas.
Qin Ming suspected the other might be an Earth Immortal. They had nothing in common, and the more he spoke, the more likely he was to slip up; thus, he remained reserved.
Still, if there were a chance to exchange insights on the first realm for a fee, he wouldn't mind interacting later. Right now, however, was certainly not the right time.
The scarecrow Taiyi's ranking on the New Board shifted, replacing Tianzun to take third place.
Tianzun's rank automatically dropped to fourth.
The immortal town was filled with endless discussion. Amidst the clamor, the Bodhi Saint concluded his own battle. After a bitter struggle, he defeated his opponent, maintaining his winning streak.
"Both Taiyi and the Bodhi Saint have swept through without resistance, advancing side by side to the very forefront of the New Board!"
"Could the Bodhi Saint be planning to challenge Taiyi next?"
While marveling at their achievements, people noticed a pattern: the Bodhi Saint had challenged the masters ranked ninth, seventh, and fifth. If he continued, wouldn't Taiyi's turn be next?
Someone reminded the crowd, "Well... the situation has changed."
Having successfully challenged the fifth-ranked powerhouse, the Bodhi Saint now sat at... sixth place. Instead of advancing, he had dropped back.
The Bodhi Saint was filled with mixed feelings. He and Taiyi had entered the immortal town together and mounted the platforms side by side, yet Taiyi had suddenly surged ahead of him. Was Taiyi about to become his fiercest opponent?
He drew a deep breath, preparing to challenge Taiyi!
However, Qin Ming had already leaped down from the sword-dueling platform, intending to push his challenges even higher.
"Wait, who is that woman on the second sword-dueling platform?"
Many noticed a figure emerging amidst swirling white mist—a slender, graceful woman wearing a silver mask.
"She goes by Guanghan, the mysterious master ranked second on the New Board. She hasn't even been challenged yet—why has her true body returned?"
Guanghan nodded to Qin Ming and extended a slender hand, making a gesture of invitation.
Evidently, upon her return, she had witnessed Tianzun's defeat with her own eyes and assumed Qin Ming would challenge her next, prompting her to take the stage in her true body.
Qin Ming cupped his hands with an apologetic expression and sent her a brief voice transmission in explanation.
Then, before everyone's eyes, he stepped directly onto the first-ranked sword-dueling platform, intending to challenge the person at the very top.
Instantly, an uproar erupted across the grounds.
"Is the summit of the board about to change hands today?"
"That's... far from certain. The figure ranked first is an absolute freak. It's said he wore down both Tianzun and Guanghan until they lost all their temper and ultimately threw in the towel!"
Once Qin Ming took the stage, the gazes of both the Bodhi Saint and Guanghan fell upon him, both eager to see him in action.
A moment later, Qin Ming saw the mysterious powerhouse ranked first.
This individual was indeed extraordinary: he was a Giant Spirit God!
Among those who walked this path, masters naturally existed, yet peerless figures were exceedingly rare. Yet here was someone who had broken all conventions and topped the New Board.
He was remarkably unadorned, simply leaving the three characters "Giant Spirit God" upon the New Board.
The phantom materialized and gradually solidified. He was not as towering as imagined, standing scarcely twelve feet tall, his entire form shimmering with precious radiance.
Qin Ming knew that Giant Spirit Gods were unique. Some were as massive as mountains, while others, upon returning to simplicity, could ultimately resemble ordinary men.
Tianzun muttered to himself, "That is a monster forged by the convergence of heaven, earth, and mankind. In the first realm, he is virtually unassailable. Let us see if you can breach his defenses."
Qin Ming needed to defeat this phantom before he could face the defender's true body.
Therefore, taking a deep breath, he unleashed his full might, erupting with power that surpassed even the Four Imperials force.
The Giant Spirit God swung his arms with a force of tens of thousands of jin, and a terrifying divine light radiated from his flesh and blood, appearing even more formidable than Tianzun's golden body.
Qin Ming was startled; the other's physical power was greater than his own had been in the first realm.
Yet this was understandable. Certain beings possessed natural racial advantages—giant beasts and the like truly far exceeded humans in raw physical strength during the first realm.
In the end, Qin Ming channeled heavenly light that surpassed the Four Imperials force into a saber of peerless brilliance, forcibly cleaving the Giant Spirit God's physical body in two!
"This..."
Both Tianzun and Guanghan's pupils contracted. They had battled this exceptional Giant Spirit God in person and suffered greatly, fought to exhaustion before conceding defeat.
Far away, in a Divine City, the true body of the Giant Spirit God frowned. "Who is this? To actually cut open my flesh-and-blood divine light... If that's the case, even if my true body returns, I won't be able to withstand that heavenly light. Forget it, I concede."
In the night sky, azure clouds billowed, and the New Board shone with radiant splendor as the name at the very summit abruptly changed.
Across the various cities, people noticed the shift on the New Board and raised their heads one after another, gazing upon that newly rewritten name.
Chapter 435