74: First win

But who could have imagined that in just one month, Ji Mo not only broke through to the Late Stage Zhen Gang Realm, but his Sword Intent also terrifyingly reached ninety percent.

Such a level of Prodigy is probably comparable to those legendary Emperor's Sons and Daughters.

"When this kid first joined the Sect, he was only at the Acquired Sixth Layer Realm, and hadn't even comprehended Sword Intent. It's only been less than a year!

What Heaven-Defying Opportunity did he obtain?

He's an even more terrifying Prodigy than Song Jianyi!"

Thinking of this, cold sweat involuntarily broke out on Chu Feng's forehead.

Looking at Ji Mo on the Platform, composed and serene, with the demeanor of a Sword Dao Grandmaster, a sense of regret spontaneously arose in his heart.

"If I had upheld fairness and impartiality then, and given him substantial rewards and support from the Sect when he broke through,

and brought Ji Mo and Song Jianyi's grievances into the open, no matter who won or lost between them, the ultimate beneficiary would have been my Peerless Sect!

Alas, everything is now irreversible.

Now, that kid Ji Mo probably has no sense of belonging to the Sect, and he has likely discovered that I arranged for Zhou Hao to deal with him."

The more Chu Feng thought about it, the more he regretted it, and the colder his gaze became as he looked at Ji Mo.

Seeing that Chu Feng did not immediately respond, the Emperor felt a slight displeasure and couldn't help but raise his voice, calling out again: "Your Majesty Chu!"

Chu Feng then awoke as if from a dream and quickly responded:

"Your Majesty, this Disciple is indeed from our Sect, from the Ji Family in Wind City, which is under the jurisdiction of the Peerless Sect."

"This Ji Mo is truly outstanding. Among this group of competing Disciples, he is young but his strength is top-notch. He is truly a talent that can be cultivated! Your Majesty Chu, I must congratulate you first."

The more the Emperor looked at Ji Mo, the more pleased he became, nodding and praising him continuously.

The other Sect Masters, hearing this conversation between the Emperor and Chu Feng, all showed expressions of envy and jealousy.

On the Platform, Ji Mo was not in a hurry to instantly kill his opponent with a single sword strike; he intended to test out the Great River Sword Technique, as he had never used it before.

Jiang Ye, seeing this, no longer hesitated, and with a "swish," he drew the Longsword from his waist, unleashing the Heavenly Sword Sect's foundational Sword Technique—the Taixu Sword Technique.

In an instant, the space originally dominated by Ji Mo's Sword Intent was shattered. Centered around Jiang Ye, countless Longswords appeared out of thin air in the Void Realm.

On the Platform, it was as if night had fallen, with twinkling stars, and a brilliant full moon slowly rose, casting down beams of cold moonlight.

And these seemingly soft moonlight beams were in fact incredibly sharp Sword Qi, assaulting Ji Mo like arrows.

Ji Mo immediately unleashed the Great River Sword Technique, brandishing his Longsword, Sword Qi crisscrossing like a mad Dragon emerging from the sea,

or like the waters of the Yellow River pouring down from the sky, with magnificent Aura, overwhelming everything, accompanied by roars like surging waves.

These two Sword Techniques, one dynamic and one static, with completely different styles, fiercely collided in mid-air.

Sword Qi intertwined and crisscrossed, the Void Realm continuously annihilated under this powerful force. The scene before them was like a strange and magical star map, dazzling and mesmerizing.

"Sword of the Great River!"

Ji Mo softly chanted, circulating his True Gang Qi and channeling it into his sword.

A colossal golden river appeared out of thin air in the Void Realm above Ji Mo's head. The countless Sword Qi in the surrounding space, as if drawn by some mysterious force, all converged into this long river of Sword Qi.

The river surged forward, and wherever it passed, the Void Realm shattered like paper, carrying a violent Sword Qi storm, rushing towards Jiang Ye.

"Taixu Wuxiang!"

Jiang Ye roared, his Longsword swinging rapidly like a windmill.

In the starry sky, moon after moon appeared consecutively, their light dazzling and brilliant, shining like scorching suns, roaring towards Ji Mo's long river of Sword Qi.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Explosions continuously echoed above the Platform, and this starry sky constructed from Sword Qi seemed as if it would be torn apart.

Ultimately, the long river of Sword Qi, bolstered by Ji Mo's ninety percent Sword Intent, still broke through Jiang Ye's starry sky defense, devoured those successive moons, and submerged the unwilling Jiang Ye within it.

After all the dust settled, only Jiang Ye's Storage Ring and that Longsword remained on the Platform.

Ji Mo stepped forward and calmly collected his spoils of war.

He knew that this would be crucial assistance for him to contend for the championship.

After all, possessing the Heaven and Earth Smeltery, he could rapidly absorb and refine various items without any qualms, thereby steadily increasing his strength.

Therefore, he had to ensure that he obtained what was needed for advancement in every match.

Ji Mo was quite satisfied with the power of the Great River Sword Technique. This Sword Technique was fierce and grand, highly compatible with his fighting style, and possessed the characteristic of growing stronger the longer the fight. Prolonged battles were precisely what Ji Mo excelled at.

As long as he didn't encounter an overwhelming situation with a vast disparity in strength, he was confident in turning defeat into victory.

As the matches on the other Platforms successively concluded, the first round of competition came to an end.

The eunuch stepped forward and announced loudly:

"Disciples who have advanced to the next round, please rest and recuperate for half an hour, then proceed with the next round of drawing lots."

This half an hour was given to the victors to recuperate and summarize their experiences, so they could perform even better in the upcoming matches.

Ji Mo no longer delayed, immediately sat cross-legged, took out the Storage Ring, and began to examine its contents.

These "sea turtles" who had returned from training in the Endless Sea Region indeed had rich family backgrounds and did not disappoint Ji Mo.

The ring contained thousands of Spirit Stones, with dozens of them being Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

In addition, there was an Earth Rank Sword Technique Secret Manual and some other Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals. The rest was a pile of Medicinal Pills, Spirit Medicines, and Spiritual Plants.

What Ji Mo most anticipated at the moment was whether these medicinal herbs contained varieties that could enhance the power of his Physical Body.

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and threw all the items from the Storage Ring into his inner space, activating the refinement.

As the refinement began, the majestic Spiritual Qi contained within the Spirit Stones continuously released, flowing into Ji Mo's body like trickling streams, and his cultivation base slowly climbed.

Before long, Ji Mo successfully broke through, smoothly reaching the Peak Zhen Gang Realm.

Immediately after, he also threw those Heaven and Earth Spiritual Plants and Medicinal Pills into the refinement.

As the medicinal power released and fused, Ji Mo felt a powerful force surging within his body.

To his pleasant surprise, he didn't know which Medicinal Pill or Spiritual Plant had worked wonders, but it actually increased his strength by 50,000 catties. His strength now reached an astonishing 380,000 catties.

At the same time, his Physical Body also received a minor reinforcement.

This sudden improvement filled Ji Mo with joy.

After all, for Jiang Ye, a Sword Cultivator, to have such gains was truly rare.

But after a brief thought, Ji Mo understood the reason.

One possibility was that the Spirit Medicines he had previously obtained in certain Opportunity locations, which he hadn't had time to process, were now all taking effect;

Another possibility was that even if Jiang Ye wasn't a Body-Refining Cultivator specializing in the Physical Body, he wouldn't neglect its reinforcement. These medicinal ingredients were likely prepared for himself, but now they benefited Ji Mo.

"All Prodigies, please move here to draw lots again for the next round of competition.

Currently, only 40 people remain on the field.

From now on, there will no longer be a Sect protection mechanism, which means your next opponents will be entirely decided by luck. So, I wish you all good luck."