Chapter Thirty-Two: The Final Curtain

A violent tremor shook the Skyreaching Cliff, followed by clouds of dust swirling up, obscuring everyone’s view of what was happening on the field.

“What just happened? That overwhelming aura—was that the power of a Grandmaster at the Spirit Wandering Realm?”

“Did I see it wrong? Fang Hen and Chen Jianzhi both rushed out to save someone, and then Shen Yu faced two powerful opponents alone, yet he didn’t flinch at all.”

“Who won? Who lost?”

All the disciples stared wide-eyed, desperate to see what was happening at the center of the arena. Some even voiced their confusion aloud.

The elders of the Four Halls watched with tense and uneasy expressions.

They had seen the Hall Master of the Pure Law Hall, usually seated serenely atop the clouds, also finally rush into the fray.

Zhou Yi of the Law Derivation Hall appeared instantly in the sky, then with a sweep of his sleeve, sent a clear wind that scattered the dust across the field.

At last, the scene in the arena became visible.

Lan Yingxing was the first to come into view, lying at the edge of the stone platform. The violent clash of spiritual energy had blown him away instantly, but he had not suffered fatal injuries.

Chen Jianzhi, clutching his chest, leaned weakly against the platform’s wall, blood seeping from his mouth, his face listless—he looked moments away from passing out.

Fang Hen’s condition was far worse than the other two. He lay on the ground, covered in blood, having long lost consciousness; only a bloodstained broken blade hovered beside him, fiercely guarding his heart.

“Where’s Shen Yu? Where did he go?”

One person was still missing. A disciple voiced the question.

Countless eyes turned once more to the very center of the field.

As the last wisp of dust faded away, two figures slowly emerged before the crowd.

Xun Ju stood in the middle of the arena, hands clasped behind his back, his expression as calm and unfathomable as a still lake, betraying no emotion.

Shen Yu looked disheveled—his face was deathly pale, arms twisted at odd angles, blood streaming from his elbows.

Even so, the young man’s back remained as straight as ever, his expression as composed as always.

Meanwhile, the three most outstanding disciples of the Pure Law Hall all lay defeated upon the ground.

Witnessing this, the looks in everyone’s eyes grew complex: fear, shock, anger, awe, admiration, and even envy all flickered across their faces.

A young disciple, still at the Initiate Realm, had defeated not only the Pure Law Hall’s, but even the entire Sect’s, three most exceptional disciples.

Such a feat was utterly inconceivable.

Even more astonishing was the aura unleashed by Shen Yu’s final strike.

It was the sort of presence only seen at the very peak of the Spirit Wandering Realm.

Yet Shen Yu had simply gathered his spiritual energy into one point and effortlessly performed an attack that surpassed his own cultivation.

Many had imagined such a method, but none had ever dared attempt it.

Because, for most, trying would mean death.

Yet Shen Yu had tried—and succeeded. What kind of person was he?

...

“Do you mean to kill your fellow disciples?”

Master Daochen of the Pure Law Hall was furious. He strode into the field, pointing at Shen Yu. “Do you realize you’ve violated the sect’s rules? Disciples of the Hall of Enforcement, seize him at once.”

Shen Yu asked coldly, “Whom have I killed?”

Daochen snorted. “Your methods were so vicious—if not for Fang Hen and Chen Jianzhi, you would have already killed Lan Yingxing.”

Shen Yu replied evenly, “And what of the two who trespassed into the dueling ground?”

---

Dao Fan snapped, “They only acted out of desperation to save a life.”

Shen Yu was silent for a moment, then asked, “Is anyone dead?”

“You... how dare you!”

Daochen was so enraged he could barely speak, his whole body trembling.

Xun Ju, meanwhile, had said nothing from start to finish.

Though he’d managed to save Fang Hen and Chen Jianzhi in time, both were still gravely injured. A mere Initiate Realm disciple had dared to challenge them again and again.

It had been many years since he’d encountered such a person.

Xun Ju frowned slightly, then looked upon Shen Yu.

Sensing the gaze, Shen Yu turned and met it calmly.

Once more, the atmosphere in the arena grew heavy.

Disciples in the stands all fell silent, not daring to utter a word.

A gentle breeze passed by, and a slender figure appeared before Shen Yu.

Xun Ju asked, “What do you think?”

Master Dao Fan replied coolly, “Let everyone return to their own halls.”

The crowd fell silent. The meaning was clear: no one would be held accountable—Dao Fan was clearly leaning toward Shen Yu.

Some disciples of the Pure Law Hall looked indignant, but none dared speak. After all, Dao Fan represented the Abyssal Sage Hall, the direct line of the Sect Master.

“You think highly of him,” Xun Ju said after a pause. “But he does have the potential to deserve such regard.”

Dao Fan’s face was expressionless. “Take them away for treatment.”

“Useless fools,” Xun Ju said, then turned and left.

Soon after, Fang Hen, still unconscious, was lifted and carried away by a breeze.

Chen Jianzhi and Lan Yingxing were borne out of the arena by disciples of the Pure Law Hall.

Shen Yu watched the unconscious figure drift away, a hint of regret in his eyes.

“Let’s go back,” Dao Fan said, resting his right hand on Shen Yu’s shoulder. The two of them turned into streaks of light, flying toward a distant peak.

With the departure of the sect’s most powerful figures, the once lively Skyreaching Cliff fell suddenly silent.

The crowd looked lost—Chen Jianzhi and Fang Hen, the Pure Law Hall’s brightest disciples, had both been gravely injured. What would become of the other two halls?

The younger disciples’ gazes unconsciously shifted to Yu Wenwen and Fan Weimin, but neither of them moved, showing no intent to enter the field.

Master Daochen’s face turned ashen at this. In the end, he simply called up a few lower-ranked disciples for perfunctory matches, then hastily declared the Four Hall Demonstration over.

From start to finish, the two prodigies of the sect, Yu Wenwen and Fan Weimin, never appeared.

Perhaps this was the most perfunctory Four Hall contest in the sect’s history. But it might also be the most stunning.

All because of that youth named Shen Yu.

With just Initiate Realm cultivation, he had defeated the three strongest second-generation disciples of the Pure Law Hall.

---

His name would soon spread to other sacred lands, perhaps across the entire Spirit Wilderness Continent.

...

As the crowd dispersed, an ethereal, immortal-looking elder suddenly appeared alone above the empty Skyreaching Cliff.

Gazing at the scarred ground, he couldn’t help but praise what he saw.

Moments later, a regal and elegant woman appeared in the air beside him, speaking in a lazy tone, “Dao Xuan, it’s only been a few years, and you’ve gotten even more sly.”

As the Hall Master of the Law Derivation Hall, Dao Xuan was unfazed. He laughed and said, “Only you would say that. If this were a girl your age from another sect, she’d already be the mother of several children by now.”

“Do you want to fight?”

An astonishing aura suddenly erupted from the woman, freezing nearly all the spiritual energy across Skyreaching Cliff.

Killing intent soared.

“No, no, my mouth got ahead of me, that’s all. Don’t take it to heart,” Dao Xuan replied with a wry smile. “I admit I was wrong, all right? Put away your pressure—always so quick to draw swords.”

No one would have imagined that those seen as godlike figures by the others would show such deference.

Apart from the Sect Master, only this dignified woman could make him lower himself so.

She was Lou Lianzhao, Hall Master of the True Crossing Hall.

The peerlessly beautiful woman snorted, then turned her gaze to the ground.

“Truly, the legacy endures,” she murmured after a long silence.

“Yes,” Dao Xuan replied. “Never bending, never breaking, strong-willed—just like Junior Brother in the old days.”

Lou Lianzhao pondered silently for a while before saying, “Senior Brother, this time, the Sect Master is prepared.”

“He is indeed,” Dao Xuan said. “People say that Junior Brother is the strongest cultivator in the Spirit Wilderness, but no one knows the Lord of Qingdi City has lingered at that threshold for a hundred years, waiting for Junior Brother, to fulfill the great struggle agreed upon a century ago. No matter who wins, the Sect Master must choose a successor for the Abyssal Sage Hall’s line.”

“Do you think Senior Brother will win?” Lou Lianzhao whispered.

Dao Xuan sighed and shook his head. “No one knows.”

Lou Lianzhao drew the hairpin from her hair and made a gentle stroke in the air. A clear veil of spiritual energy enclosed them, isolating them from the world.

She said earnestly, “I never thought Shen Yu would advance so quickly. It seems we won’t have to wait a few more years. His name can be added to the list for the Central Continent Academy.”

Dao Xuan only smiled.

Lou Lianzhao was at first surprised, then realized, “So Senior Brother had already written him in.”

Dao Xuan said, “For someone the Sect Master values so highly, what does a gap in cultivation matter?”

Lou Lianzhao laughed. “Indeed.”

“As for the remaining spots, let them be chosen from among the other four.”

“Let their own abilities decide,” Dao Xuan said.

“Agreed.”