The Final Twelve Stand

“Ji Ning wins!”

“Ji Ning of the Black-White College, Anchan Commandery, has won!”

An uproar filled the imperial plaza. The representatives of the three thousand six hundred commanderies and the four great seas were all discussing the previous battle with excited fervor. It had indeed been spectacular! The earlier fights, featuring the likes of Blackstone Recluse, Xiamang Zishan, Ninefate Recluse, and the Slovenly True Immortal, had been fought with staffs, bare hands, or other methods. They had been more subtle or more ferocious.

But in terms of pure killing intent, they were far inferior to the Dao of the Saber and the Dao of the Sword. Sword Immortals and Saber Demons were supremely skilled in attack. They had easily crushed their previous opponents. But when these two finally clashed… only then did they truly reveal the full extent of the Sword Immortal and Saber Demon schools of technique.

It made the heart tremble. It made one’s scalp go numb.

Any single streak of sword-light or saber-light from those exchanges would have been enough to slay a Primal Daoist!

Ji Ning walked back to the main hall of the Heavenly Edict Palace, taking his place behind King Yan, sitting alongside the Slovenly True Immortal, Yuchi Xiyue, and Yu Wei.

Within the grand hall, the gazes of many fell upon Ji Ning.

“I must not, under any circumstances, engage this Ji Ning in a direct offensive exchange,” many of the other top twenty-four Wanxiang Adepts mused to themselves. “I should use my own strengths to overcome his weaknesses.”

“A Sword Immortal’s killing power is truly terrifying.”

“I cannot meet him head-on with force.”

They understood their own advantages and weaknesses. One had to know oneself and know one’s enemy to be invincible. They knew that Sword Immortals were supreme in offense, but they had their own unique methods and strengths. Ninefate Recluse, Xiamang Zishan, Cangwu Jiu, Shaoyan Xuan, Blackstone Recluse, and the others were all silently contemplating counter-strategies.

The nine Pure Yang True Immortals high above were also puzzled.

“I couldn’t tell before,” the Northern Earth Elder Immortal said with puzzlement. “But during that one-on-one battle between Ji Ning and that Saber Slave, it was clear that the two were on roughly the same level in sword and saber arts. And yet, when they clashed head-on, Ji Ning held the upper hand. That Saber Slave is also a disciple of a good friend of Donghua’s, so his divine abilities shouldn’t be weak. That means Ji Ning must possess an even stronger divine ability! Or perhaps, his swords simply have greater power!”

Chiji True Lord nodded as well. “This Ji Ning has reached such a level in a mere thirty-plus years. He must have experienced a great fortune and learned a formidable divine ability. It’s just that this ability seems to be a very restrained, supportive one, making it impossible to discern from the outside.”

“He should have a powerful divine ability,” Lu Dongbin said with a laugh. “But in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, the ones who remain at the end are the favored children of this major world of Grand Xia. Every single one of them has had great encounters and fortunes. Since Pangu created the world, there have been countless divine abilities. Some specialize in poison, some in suppression, some in attack, some in strength… the list goes on. It seems Ji Ning has mastered a divine ability focused on physical strength.”

“Indeed.”

“His speed isn’t anything remarkable.”

They all nodded.

After all, there were too many factors that could influence a cultivator’s overall strength. Some people were naturally gifted. Even if they both trained in the same Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, the twelfth level, a naturally gifted person would simply be stronger. It didn’t mean that everyone at the same level had absolutely identical strength. Even people who trained in the same Ki Refining technique, like the [Water Source Note], had different requirements for Primordial Liquid. After all, everyone was an independent being born from nature. The only thing was that the differences wouldn’t be too absurd.

Weapons, insights into the Dao, certain unique divine abilities, secret arts for unleashing Yuan power…

Any of these could cause a difference in strength.

They hadn’t even realized Ji Ning possessed a powerful divine ability before. But his battle with the Saber Slave was too similar. One was the Dao of the Sword, the other the Dao of the Saber. The contrast made it obvious, leading the Pure Yang True Immortals to conclude that Ji Ning must have a powerful divine ability.

And that was all.

Powerful divine abilities were legion. Even the Emperor of Grand Xia’s treasury contained the [Candle Dragon Eye], a supreme divine ability ranked in the top hundred of the Three Realms. However, the Grand Xia treasury only contained the first half of the [Candle Dragon Eye], which could only be cultivated by Fiendgods at the Void level. The later parts were lost. Technically, a supreme divine ability ranked in the top hundred shouldn’t have been casually passed on, even just the first half.

The reason the Grand Xia treasury had it was because the creator, the Three Realms’ mighty figure ‘Candle Dragon,’ had died long ago in the upper realms!

“This Ji Ning has probably learned a unique divine ability created by some Empyrean God or mighty figure,” the Pure Yang True Immortals thought to themselves.

Not every divine ability created by a mighty figure was top-tier.

For example, Black Tortoise was only famous for his [Black Tortoise Divine Ability]. He occasionally created other strange abilities, some focused on escape, some on defense, some on attack… the value of these casually created abilities was much lower. Only the ultimate techniques created with endless effort and as a hidden trump card were truly precious.

Like the [Black Tortoise Divine Ability] to Black Tortoise.

Like the [Starseizing Hand] to Daoist Threelives.

“Second match: the rogue cultivator Ninefate Recluse versus the Immortal Flying Rainflower True Immortal.”

This was a battle between two women.

With Ninefate Recluse’s metallic, treasure-like body, Rainflower True Immortal simply couldn’t harm her. After all, her attack power wasn’t as strong as the Sword Immortal Ji Ning!

Ninefate Recluse won this battle.

“Third match…”

“Fourth match…”

The bouts continued one after another, leaving the entire imperial plaza breathless. Even the Celestial Immortals and Pure Yang True Immortals on the main hall of the Heavenly Edict Palace watched with intense focus. The Pure Yang True Immortals were being so diligent precisely because Daofather Crimsonbright was going to take disciples.

“Eighth match: Shaoyan Xuan versus Xiang Tianxiao.”

Many people placed great importance on this battle.

Among the top twenty-four, only four came from the great tribes of the Grand Xia Dynasty: Xiamang Zishan of the royal clan, Cangwu Jiu of the Cangwu clan, Shaoyan Xuan of the Shaoyan clan, and Xiang Tianxiao of the Xiangtian clan. That was it. This showed that searching for talent only within tribes couldn’t compare to searching across the endless lands.

In this battle, Xiang Tianxiao fought with great ferocity, displaying the clan’s signature madness of challenging the heavens. But he still lost. His strength was indeed far inferior to Shaoyan Xuan’s.

Furthermore, Shaoyan Xuan bore the heavy burden of his clan’s hopes and naturally fought with all his might.

Shaoyan Xuan won the eighth match!

“Excellent!” Ancestor Xuanji watched, unable to stop himself from breaking into a wide grin. Everyone knew he was a mad, cold, and vicious man. It was rare to see him smile even once in ten thousand years. Yet now, he was smiling. The other Celestial Immortals all understood Ancestor Xuanji’s feelings.

“Xuan’er, good, keep it up. You’ve already broken into the top twelve,” Ancestor Xuanji said, looking at Shaoyan Xuan as he walked back to stand behind him. He immediately offered words of encouragement. “You are very, very close to the top three now.”

Finally, the third round of twelve matches concluded.

The top twelve were decided!

The twelve, including Ji Ning, stood in the grand hall, waiting for the Emperor of Grand Xia to bestow the ten million jin of Primordial Liquid.

“Xiamang Zishan, Cangwu Jiu, Ji Ning, the Slovenly True Immortal, Shaoyan Xuan, Mu Chuan, Blackstone Recluse, Ninefate Recluse, White Dragon, Qian Yi, Guiyuan, and Jinwu.” The Xia Emperor, seated at the head of the hall, read out the names of all twelve before continuing. “You twelve are the top twelve of this Immortal Fortunes Assembly. As I said before, each of you who has made it to the top twelve will receive ten million jin of Primordial Liquid.”

The Xia Emperor waved his hand.

Instantly, twelve purple jade bottles appeared in the air, flying towards Ji Ning and the other eleven.

Even the Celestial Immortals in the hall couldn’t help but look at those purple jade bottles with envy. Ten million jin of Primordial Liquid… even they would be pained to part with such a treasure. And now, it was being given to twelve youngsters.

Ji Ning and the others all reached out and caught the bottles.

A sweep of divine sense!

“Wow,” Ji Ning marveled silently. “This purple jade bottle itself is a treasure for storing liquid. It can hold a full ten million jin of Primordial Liquid. It must be worth as much as a Heaven-ranked flying sword.”

“With this ten million jin of Primordial Liquid, my Primaltwin can be charged all the way to Void Perfection,” Ji Ning thought to himself. “But there’s no rush. My Primaltwin has only been at the Primal Daoist stage for a short time. It’s better to stay here a while longer and gain a deeper understanding.” Every realm offered a different insight into the heavens and earth. Reincarnated Immortals had already experienced this, so it didn’t matter to them. But Ji Ning was not a reincarnated Immortal, so it was best to spend more time at each level. Still, once his true body broke through to the Primal stage, his Primaltwin could then advance to the Void level.

“All of you will now enter the Brightmoon Waterfall Diagram,” the Xia Emperor suddenly announced. “I will alter the flow of time within your location. We will wait one hour outside, which should give you about three days to quietly cultivate inside.”

Ji Ning and the other eleven were taken aback.

Three days of quiet cultivation in the Brightmoon Waterfall Diagram?

“Odd. When we were in the Brightmoon Waterfall Diagram world before with over a hundred thousand people, the flow of time was the same as outside. Why is it that now, one hour outside equals three days inside?” Ji Ning wondered.

“Ji Ning!” The yellow-furred bear’s voice rang out in Ji Ning’s mind. “It seems your Grand Xia Emperor has some insights into the Dao of Time as well. However, altering the flow of time consumes a tremendous amount of power. Although the Xia Emperor is a Pure Yang True Immortal, he wouldn’t dare to affect the time flow for over a hundred thousand people simultaneously.

The twelve of you… the burden on him is much smaller.”

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!!

Ji Ning and the other eleven were directly sucked into a floating scroll painting. The painting then flew into the hands of the Grand Xia Emperor.

“Xiamang, you’re letting them cultivate for three days?” Chiji True Lord laughed. “It seems you truly value this Immortal Fortunes Assembly.”

“It’s not about valuing it. It’s about serving the teacher with not just effort, but also care,” the Xia Emperor said. “There are only twelve people left in the Immortal Fortunes Assembly. Their previous battles and the pressure they’ve endured have tempered their hearts and minds… they are undergoing a transformation. By giving them three days, they might make a breakthrough. Naturally, I must present the best three geniuses for the teacher to choose from.”

“Right. When working for the teacher, doing your best is only one part; you must also be conscientious,” Lu Dongbin nodded with a smile. “No wonder you, Xiamang, are the one Daofather Crimsonbright favors the most.”

The twelve of them, Ji Ning included, appeared on a mountain peak. The peak had a hundred-zhang wide area, enough for all twelve to cultivate. A faint barrier surrounded the area, preventing them from leaving the peak’s summit.

Immediately, they all sat down cross-legged without exchanging a single word.

Each of them felt a flicker of inspiration within their hearts. If they could grasp it, they might improve. And that small improvement could mean the difference between entering the top three or being eliminated! This was a chance to become a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright! Who wouldn’t give it their all?

Ji Ning was also burning with desire to become Daofather Crimsonbright’s disciple!