Chapter 43: Coming to Lingxu Grotto-Heaven

Just as the group at Lingxu Grotto-Heaven was still questioning Fang Yu and the others, over a dozen people walked into the great hall—men and women among them, each with a different bearing: some sharp as swords, some steady as stone.

One middle-aged man among them laughed heartily: "Yan Kingdom Realm may claim to have six Grotto-Heavens, but your Lingxu Grotto-Heaven doesn't quite live up to its name—at most it can be called a Blessed Land."

"Liu Wanshan, what do you mean by that?"

The several elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven showed displeasure on their faces and all stepped forward.

The middle-aged man called Liu Wanshan stood there like a mountain, speaking very directly: "Since there are over thirty fine seedlings of cultivation, we naturally want to take a few and guide them onto the path of cultivation."

"Indeed, within Yan Kingdom's borders, the six Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands have always shared the same cause, advancing and retreating together. Now that your Lingxu Grotto-Heaven has obtained so many outstanding disciples, you can't possibly keep them all—we naturally must take a few."

"That's the way of it. Over thirty people—your Lingxu Grotto-Heaven can't take them all either. Let's discuss how to distribute them."

Another old woman spoke up.

At these words, the elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven frowned, and one of them said: "Senior Sister Li Ying, you can't put it that way. Three years ago your Golden Glow Grotto-Heaven obtained several disciples of exceptional bone-root, and you didn't send a single one over."

"Those people had mediocre aptitude; they couldn't be considered immortal seedlings, so naturally we didn't trouble you."

The white-haired old woman answered with a smile.

"If these people really stay at your Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, can your resources truly train them? It would only be a waste. But you may choose a few first; the rest will have to be decided by a contest."

Another elder spoke—this was an Elder from Jade Tripod Grotto-Heaven.

"Since Senior Brother Ma puts it that way, then fine."

The elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven frowned, but they also knew they could not truly keep all these thirty-plus disciples; they had to give some up. Moreover, thirty-plus immortal seedlings were indeed more than Lingxu Grotto-Heaven could afford to raise.

"We shall stop at the point of contact and not harm our harmony."

Over a dozen rainbows of light shot into the sky, and the contest between the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands began.

Fang Yu came outside the great hall, his gaze fixed on the distant fighting.

Different world systems have different outward manifestations. However, in the Eternal Life Realm, to be able to fly like this one must reach the Divine Ability Secret Realm. Only when a cultivator's cultivation base reaches the Divine Ability Secret Realm can their strength advance by leaps and bounds.

For instance, one who has just broken through the 1st Stage of the Divine Ability Secret Realm may only have the strength of thirty Mysterious-Yellow Fierce Horses—that is, one hundred and fifty thousand jin. But after cultivating for a year, still at the 1st Stage of the Divine Ability Secret Realm, their magic power may have reached the strength of one hundred Mysterious-Yellow Fierce Horses, which is five hundred thousand jin of force.

By the time they break through to the next realm and reach the True Qi Realm, their magic power surges directly from the original one hundred Mysterious-Yellow Fierce Horses to five hundred Mysterious-Yellow Fierce Horses—two million five hundred thousand jin of divine force.

Each layer of realm is a different heaven.

Break through one stage, and combat power rises several-fold, even dozens of times.

Yet Fang Yu is now only a cultivator at the 7th Stage of Physical Body, the Internal Strengthening Realm, so if he were to face the elders of the various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, it seems he still could not win.

Fang Yu simply watched like this.

In the distant sky, light shot upward, divine rainbows crisscrossed, thunder occasionally rumbled, and at times fierce winds rose, sending sand and stones flying.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo watched in astonishment. Those old men had seemed utterly placid moments ago, yet now they flew through the sky and burrowed through the earth—truly formidable.

It was only half an hour later that a divine rainbow finally appeared on the horizon, tearing across the long sky and arriving in an instant.

The first to descend was that girl named Weiwei, followed by several other elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven. These elders, however, were somewhat disheveled—even stained with blood—yet all wore victorious smiles.

The men and women who came in afterward, by contrast, did not look pleased, and bore wounds on their bodies.

"I never expected Weiwei's cultivation to progress so quickly—truly admirable."

"Truly a heaven-gifted talent. With such aptitude, she would likely have a place even in one of those Holy Lands."

"Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, you've gained Weiwei—what a fine seedling you've picked up!"

The elders of the various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands sighed in succession; they had actually failed to defeat this girl named Weiwei.

At such a young age she had already surpassed them, which put them to shame. Of course, having lost the contest, they could no longer choose first, and had lost their initiative.

Weiwei's gaze swept over, and she first chose Fang Yu, then chose Ye Fan and Pang Bo.

Next, an Elder surnamed Ma from Jade Tripod Grotto-Heaven chose Liu Yiyi, and people from Golden Glow Grotto-Heaven selected Zhang Ziling.

But at this moment, after the elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven re-examined Ye Fan's body, their expressions changed. "How can this be?"

"The Life God Wheel is silent, the Sea of Bitterness hard as divine iron—it simply cannot be opened…"

"What is going on?"

Everyone showed looks of bewilderment; this simply defied common sense.

"Could it be the legendary Desolate Ancient Sacred Body? That physique that was once unrivaled through the ages, invincible against all?"

In the end, it was Elder Ma of Jade Tripod Grotto-Heaven who knew more, a peculiar look appearing on his face.

At these words, shock appeared on the faces of all the elders. The elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven in particular wished they could immediately shield Ye Fan, lest he be snatched away by the other elders.

Even some of Ye Fan's classmates showed looks of surprise, seemingly wanting to get on good terms with Ye Fan.

"Unfortunately, this world-shaking Sacred Body only belonged to the pre-Desolate Ancient era. Since the Desolate Ancient era, across endless ages, this physique no longer carries any might—in fact, it can be said to have blended into the crowd."

The Elder surnamed Ma spoke again.

The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body was invincible in the Desolate Ancient era; a fully realized Desolate Ancient Sacred Body could be called unmatched under heaven. But later on, the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body gradually became unsuitable for cultivation, and no one could ever cultivate it to success.

"So this Desolate Ancient Sacred Body has now become a waste body?"

The elders of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven were deeply disappointed.