Sage of Humanity-Chapter 775 - 773 I’m Back

On the seventh day of the fourth round of the Cloud River Ranking Battles, clashes erupted continuously; nearly everyone on the leaderboard was locked in struggle, with the roles of challenger and challenged revolving ceaselessly!

Even Muk Qingyun found no reprieve, having been challenged by those ranked fourth and fifth one after another, left utterly exhausted.

In such a fervor, many found it hard to comprehend the calmness of the top two ranked individuals.

Lu Yiye hasn't made a move, that's because he's temporarily leading the board, and he can't challenge anyone else.

Why hasn't Lan Ziyi challenged Lu Yiye?

Given the formidable strength and foundation that this female cultivator exhibited before, she certainly is qualified to challenge Lu Yiye; maybe she could even pull him down from the top position!

But gradually, some people began to realize.

Lan Ziyi's inaction undoubtedly suggested that these two had crossed swords before!

Looking back at the rankings after the end of the third round, Lan Ziyi was eleventh, which means she definitely lost a battle before.

And with her power, the only person capable of defeating her would be that Lu Yiye, perhaps even more than once...

It was because she knew she was no match for him that Lan Ziyi made no move.

Upon realizing this, countless cultivators felt both heartbroken and disappointed.

On the list of the top hundred, female cultivators are not abundant. Lan Ziyi, born from nobility and bursting with beauty, naturally gathered quite a following. These supporters all hoped to see her defeat Lu Ye, only to now learn that Lan Ziyi had already suffered at the hands of Lu Ye; she didn't even have the courage to challenge him, which naturally led to heartache!

And they grew even more resentful of that lofty name.

The seventh day of the fourth round passed in this intense and strange atmosphere.

Once midnight had passed, the top hundred rankings were set in stone, which also marked the end of this session of the Cloud River Ranking Battles.

Lu Ye scanned the leaderboard.

He naturally topped the list, having not participated in any battles throughout the fourth round.

It seemed like a case of "Success comes to one while they are sitting at home; the top position falls from the sky," with the first place arriving unexpectedly easily.

Following close behind was Lan Ziyi.

Muk Qingyun ranked third, and as the Sword Heir of the Beixuan Sword Sect, he actually had the qualifications to contend for the first place.

That is, if Lu Yiye and Lan Ziyi hadn't rapidly emerged.

Lui Qing was fourth.

Yang Yuan, who was ranked third at the end of the third round, settled in at fifth place.

Sixth went to Fong Rulie.

Lu Ye continued to scan downwards; Giant Armor was ranked twenty-ninth, not much change from thirty-sixth before, considered a slight improvement.

His fourth junior brother and Feng Yuechan were ranked thirty-third and thirty-fourth, always inseparable and closely matched.

If one also considers Hua Ci in the top three hundred, then all members from the Great Reversal Valley Spirit Ground had made a name for themselves on the list, reaping great rewards.

As for Lu Ye, the top ranker, it goes without saying; a reward of twenty gold-hued spirit fortune sticks, even more lavish than what he had obtained in the Soaring Dragon World's secret realm.

After all, this was an event of the Nine Provinces that occurred only once every five years. The rewards bestowed by Heaven's Augury wouldn't be stingy, which is why cultivators at the pinnacle of the Cloud River Realm, even if it meant delaying their advancement by a year or two, chose not to ascend to the True Lake.

For core disciples like Muk Qingyun from top sects, the supply of cultivation resources is likely not a concern. The rewards from the gold-hued spirit fortune sticks might not be enough to motivate such a decision, but the favor of Heaven's Augury is something that cannot be sought after.

This was what the Nine Provinces cultivators would compete for if they could.

The Cloud River Ranking Battles drew to a close, yet the aftermath would undoubtedly take months to settle, especially since this session had revealed so many unexpected talents and battles, drawing enough attention to concern even the strong cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm.

The moment the top hundred rankings were solidified, Lu Ye, sitting before the Heaven's Augury Pillar, felt the favor from Heaven's Augury descending through the ether.

He had experienced this several times before, so he remained unfazed.

Long before the start of the Cloud River Ranking Battles, Hua Ci had told him that not only would the top ten receive a large number of gold-hued spirit fortune sticks, but also the favor of Heaven's Augury.

And the favor of Heaven's Augury would influence a cultivator's own fortune.

Lu Ye once thought that fortune was elusive and intangible, hard to grasp.

Now he thinks that although he cannot sense fortune, the Hall of Battle Merits must have a significant connection to the favor of Heaven's Augury.

About the Hall of Battle Merits, he didn't have much information, only that it wasn't a place just anyone could enter. The last person who qualified to enter was from decades ago.

As to why he qualified to enter the Hall of Battle Merits, these past few days Lu Ye had his speculations.

Perhaps it was related to the favor of Heaven's Augury.

Once the favor of Heaven's Augury reached a certain level, one would qualify to enter the Hall of Battle Merits.

Gathering his focus, Lu Ye placed his hand on the Heaven's Augury Pillar, linking his consciousness to the Heaven's Augury treasure vault.

The Cloud River Ranking Battles were over, and the favor of Heaven's Augury had been affirmed, so naturally, it was time to collect his spoils of war.

Gifts such as the gold-hued spirit fortune sticks bestowed by Heaven's Augury all needed to be claimed actively from the Heaven's Augury treasure vault.

Soon, Lu Ye exited the Heaven's Augury Hall and returned to Emerald Bamboo Peak; his storage space now impressively contained twenty gold-hued spirit fortune sticks.

Now at the Cloud River Level 8 in cultivation, Lu Ye thought that not to mention twenty gold-hued spirit fortune sticks, even ten could be enough for him to ascend to Cloud River Level 9. Twenty... could almost bring his Cloud River Realm cultivation to its limit.

However, he was not in a rush to use these gold-hued spirit fortune sticks to enhance his cultivation.

It hadn't been long since his advancement from Cloud River Level 6 to Level 8, and although his foundation was solid, without any hidden dangers, he still needed time to consolidate his gains.

Slowly consuming elixir pills for cultivation was one thing, but continuing to use these fortune sticks for rapid advancement was not appropriate.

Moreover, he currently had no rivals within the Cloud River Realm, so his desire for higher cultivation was no longer as urgent.

Lu Ye had peacefully stayed on Emerald Bamboo Peak for two days.

Then he bid farewell to Shui Yuan.

The sect master wasn't at Righteous Peak, and since the day he was captured by Yun Xuechu, he hadn't appeared again.

According to Shui Yuan, the sect master was now helping out at Bright Heart Peak, but as for what exactly he was helping with, even Shui Yuan wasn't clear.

Lu Ye had his suspicions, as he had previously handed over the damaged Dragon Throne to his master for repair, and she must be busy with that.

But relying solely on her own power was probably insufficient, which is why the sect master had been taken to assist.

In the Heaven's Augury Hall, Lu Ye stood with his sword, Amber crouched on his shoulder, and Yiyi had already hidden inside Amber's body.

"Are you ready?" Lu Ye asked softly.

Amber responded with a howl.

Lu Ye placed his hand on the Heaven's Augury Pillar, and in his mind, points of light immediately reflected, each representing a Heaven's Augury Pillar. Among the myriad points of light, two were differently colored and stood out.

They were the pillars he had obtained on the Cloud River battlefield by spending his merits.

One was within the original hunting grounds.

The other, within the spirit ground of Great Reversal Valley.

He chose the one in Great Reversal Valley's spirit ground. As his vision shifted, he was in the Cloud River battlefield!

"I'm back!" Lu Ye shouted as he walked out of the wooden hut.

No one greeted him, only the demon wolves wandering around glanced at him.

Lu Ye didn't mind. During the Cloud River contest, the people from Great Reversal Valley had obtained varying numbers of gold-hued spirit fortune sticks, so they were likely cultivating and enhancing their cultivation.

Amber leaped down from his shoulder, and Yiyi flashed out of her body.

For Lu Ye at this moment, whether cultivating in the Nine Provinces or on the Cloud River battlefield didn't make much of a difference. However, here in Great Reversal Valley, the nature's spiritual energy was richer, which naturally made cultivation more efficient.

Moreover, his fourth senior brother and the rest were here, which made it a livelier atmosphere.

If he stayed in the Nine Provinces, among his peers, he would be alone. Even if he could talk to the Second Senior Sister, it would still feel lonely and quiet.

So when the one-month deadline arrived, he chose to return to Great Reversal Valley.

...

In Bingzhou, Beixuan Sword Sect.

As the current Sword Heir, Muk Qingyun naturally drew thousands of glories onto himself, taken in as a disciple by the sword master from a young age, and attentively instructed.

His nature was firm, his personality amiable, and he was open-minded—a fitting demeanor for a disciple from a big sect.

Originally, he aimed to be the first in the Cloud River contest, yet he ended up third. To say he wasn't disappointed would be impossible.

But having crossed swords with Lan Ziyi and personally experienced the female cultivator's strength, Muk Qingyun had no complaints about his defeat at her hands.

Better skilled but deficient in cultivation, the day of another battle would eventually come. A person like him wouldn't be brought down by a single failure.

He simply felt some regret.

He hadn't had the chance to fight with Lu Yiye!

Lan Ziyi was already so strong; to what extent was Lu Yiye powerful, such that Lan Ziyi didn't even contemplate challenging him?

If possible, he definitely wanted to witness the other's strength for himself.

However, he had stayed in the Cloud River Realm for over a year now, and it wouldn't be good to delay further.

With a slight sigh, he retrieved a gold-hued spirit fortune stick from his storage space.

His injuries had healed over these days, and it was time to advance to True Lake and share the burden for his sect.

Just as he was about to crush the gold-hued spirit fortune stick in his hand, an unexpected premonition struck him, as if by advancing to True Lake at this moment, he would miss something.

This made Muk Qingyun feel astonished.

He was just a Cloud River Realm cultivator, and though his mind was stronger than that of an average cultivator due to being a sword cultivator, he was far from having premonitions about the unknown.

After pondering for a while, he got up and left the secret chamber, his sword light soaring to the sky, and soon arrived at a cliff at his sect headquarters.

On a rock jutting into the Void, a figure sat upright, straight as a sword.

He had no imposing aura, and his attire was very plain, appearing as an ordinary person.

But this person was a renowned figure throughout the Nine Provinces.

Beixuan Sword Sect's current sword master, Muk Suifeng!

Perhaps not the oldest or most senior among those at the Divine Sea Realm level, but he was one of the most fearsome in terms of killing.

No one dared to underestimate his ability to kill.

Muk Qingyun stepped up behind him and paid his respects with a bow.

"What's the matter?"

Without turning around, Muk Suifeng simply asked softly.

"Master, your disciple has encountered a strange affair," Muk Qingyun replied.

"Let's hear it," said Muk Suifeng, knowing his disciple's character. Anything he deemed a strange affair was bound to be extraordinary.