162: Path to Immortality

Liuyun Immortal Kingdom, Wind-Chasing City.

An unremarkable courtyard in the city held a hidden world beneath it.

Inside a secret room isolated by a Formation, the atmosphere was solemn.

Outside the secret room, dozens of elite Xuanji Hall members with restrained auras stood silently, guarding this hidden tower like an iron fortress.

Elder Night Owl of Xuanji Hall was dressed in black, his face hidden in the shadows, with only a pair of eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

He looked at the old man opposite him, who wore a Bagua Daoist robe and held a cloth banner, and spoke with respect: "Elder Liu, this matter was personally ordered by the Hall Master, and it's said to be at the Sect Master's command as well. We are to meet Elder Li Meng here! We must ensure we find the young man named Zhao Tiezhu; there must be no mistakes!"

"Are your preparations for deduction and tracking complete?"

This Elder Liu was none other than Liu the Half-Immortal.

He excelled in the Dao of Heavenly Deduction and used to be extremely confident, but after interacting with Yu Xuanji, he felt like he was nothing.

However, at Yu Xuanji's warm invitation, he shamelessly became an Elder of Xuanji Hall.

Liu the Half-Immortal was highly renowned in the original Cangxuan Realm, so even the seasoned Night Owl maintained the respect due to a Senior.

Liu the Half-Immortal stroked his goatee and chuckled with the cunning of a Jianghu charlatan, yet also with the confidence of a master.

"Elder Night Owl, please rest assured."

"This old man has no other skills in life but relies on this art of calculation to make a living."

"That boy is only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. As long as he appears within a million-mile radius, the threads of Karma on him cannot escape my calculations."

"The moment he shows his face, I guarantee I'll be the first to know his whereabouts!"

My goodness, found the instant he appears!

"Good!"

Night Owl nodded, feeling much more at ease. "Then everything is in your hands, Elder Liu! My people will handle the outer perimeter control and emergency response."

"We will wait for the target to appear and ensure Elder Li Meng brings him back to the Sect smoothly."

...Seven Star City.

On the towering Ascension Road, stone steps meandered straight into the clouds.

Zhang Iron Pillar, wearing a coarse cloth vest, was gritting his teeth and climbing upward, sweating profusely.

His muscles bulged, and every step left a faint sweat stain on the stone stairs.

"I, Zhang Iron Pillar, am about to reach the top!"

His chest heaved violently, but his eyes burned with fire. "Once I become the Disciple of the Immortal Kingdom's lord, I can truly change my fate! I'll let Mother live a good life!"

The summit was right before his eyes.

Suddenly, several figures flashed by, blocking his path.

The leader sneered, "Oh, isn't this the woodcutter from Kaoshan Village? Thinking you can ascend to the heavens in one step via the Ascension Road? Keep dreaming!"

"Stop him! The Young Master must be the first to reach the top!"

Zhang Iron Pillar's gaze darkened. Before the others could act, he let out a low growl, his muscles tensing as he charged forward like a leopard.

He had no flashy Spells, only the simplest and most direct punches and kicks.

His fists carried the sound of the wind, and with a few thuds, the blockers screamed as they tumbled down the steps.

Panting, he wiped his sweat and pulled a polished wood-chopping knife from his back, pointing the blade downward. "My talent may not be as good as yours, but in terms of Physical Body and willpower, you aren't even fit to carry my shoes!"

"I swing my knife tens of thousands of times every day. This strike carries twenty years of effort—can you block it?"

No one dared to step forward again.

Zhang Iron Pillar turned around, stepped onto the final stair, and stood at the peak of the Ascension Road.

Among the crowd at the foot of the mountain, a dark, sturdy young man jumped up in excitement and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Tie Zhu! Tie Zhu reached the top! That's my brother! We grew up together!"

People nearby cast envious or disdainful glances, but he didn't care at all, consumed by joy.

In a private room of a teahouse in the distance.

Liu the Half-Immortal set down his teacup, made a calculation with his fingers, and whispered to Night Owl beside him, "The aura matches, and the Karma lines align. It's likely this boy. Elder Li Meng hasn't arrived yet; shall we go closer and take a look?"

Night Owl nodded slightly, and their figures quietly blurred, vanishing from the spot.

On the Ascension Road, almost the moment after Zhang Iron Pillar reached the top, a Young Master in fine clothing rushed up, panting.

His originally smug smile froze instantly when he saw someone already at the summit.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

"This Young Master gave you so many Immortal Crystals, yet you couldn't even handle such a small matter!"

He cursed under his breath, clearly referring to those who had failed to stop Zhang Iron Pillar earlier.

Then, he stared viciously at Zhang Iron Pillar. "What country bumpkin is this, thinking he's worthy of competing with This Young Master?"

Zhang Iron Pillar immediately understood that the people from before were sent by this man. He gripped his wood-chopping knife and said coldly, "You're the one behind this."

"So what if I am?"

The Young Master sneered and attacked, Spells shining with brilliance.

Zhang Iron Pillar resisted with pure physical strength and his fierce knife techniques.

After an exchange of blows, they were surprisingly evenly matched.

The Young Master was both shocked and enraged. "You... you can actually fight me to a draw?"

"Are you supposed to be strong?"

Zhang Iron Pillar was somewhat dismissive.

He had seen a few Young Masters like this; they were all show and no substance.

"Humph! So what if you reached the top first?"

"Your Majesty's Personal Disciple is destined to be This Young Master!"

"Just you wait!"

The Young Master stopped attacking and looked at Iron Pillar as if he were a fool.

Zhang Iron Pillar frowned, a faint sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

On the viewing platform at the foot of the mountain, a prominent figure of the Liuyun Immortal Kingdom—the Elder in Black Robes—frowned deeply.

Someone beside him whispered, "Sir, the situation has changed. An unknown boy took the lead. This..."

The Elder in Black Robes' gaze turned cold, and he suddenly spoke up, his voice echoing in all directions: "Young man down there, what is your name?"

Zhang Iron Pillar cupped his fists and said loudly, "Reporting to the Immortal, this Junior is Zhang Iron Pillar."

The Elder in Black Robes remained expressionless, his voice suddenly turning harsh. "How bold of you, Zhang Iron Pillar! This Immortal has already discovered that you had the audacity to secretly consume the forbidden medicine 'Blood-Burst Pill' to forcibly increase your strength. Using such despicable means to set foot on the Ascension Road is a defilement of this sacred place!"

"This Immortal declares that all of your qualifications and rewards, Zhang Iron Pillar, are hereby revoked!"

"The first person to reach the top this time is the son of the Li Family head in Seven Star City, Li Chengfeng!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience erupted in an uproar.

The dark, sturdy young man was the first to jump up, his face turning red. "Impossible! Bullshit! Tie Zhu isn't that kind of person! He relied on his true ability!"

But his voice was insignificant.

His small voice was quickly drowned out by the countless clamors.

"What does it matter how strong someone without a background is? Do you think the Ascension Road is a competition of strength? It's about background, kid!"

"Indeed, those prominent figures of the Immortal Kingdom at the Earth Immortal Stage were bribed by Li Chengfeng long ago! No matter who reaches the top first, the one who eventually becomes the Kingdom Lord's Disciple can only be Li Chengfeng!"

"This is too much! Is there... no one to stop them?!"

"Stop them? How? Most of Seven Star City belongs to the Li Family. For them to secretly manipulate the results is easy!"

"..."

The crowd discussed fervently.

Standing at the summit, Zhang Iron Pillar clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, facing countless gazes of disdain, sympathy, or schadenfreude.

The mountain wind was strong, making his coarse cloth clothes flap loudly.