Chapter 184

Chapter 184: Entering the Sea of Stillness

Su Mu smiled and said: “It’s simple. Anyone with a silver glow has at least 1,000 Merit Points. Anyone with a golden glow has at least 10,000 Merit Points. You can choose to turn the glow on or off. People with no glow like you either have fewer than 1,000 points, or they turned their aura off to stay low key.”

Li Shuang’s pupils narrowed. [So Merit Points work like that?]

She asked: “What about the people on the Genius Ranking and the Masters Ranking? What glow do they have?”

Before Su Mu could answer, excited voices burst out around them: “Number 53 on the Genius Ranking, Su Yun!”

“He’s here to take on the Sea of Stillness.”

“Come watch!”

“Su Yun, cultivation: Divine Transformation Stage. His best record before was ten li into the Sea of Stillness. Can he break it this time?”

Li Shuang looked up and saw a proud looking young man swaggering by with huge glowing words over his head that read: Genius Ranking 53. The words even had special effects. It might as well have shouted: flashy and showy.

The corner of Li Shuang’s mouth twitched. [Secondhand embarrassment.]

But in Myriad Arts City, that title was clearly a badge of honor. Eyes all around burned with envy as people stared at Su Yun.

Divine Transformation Stage was not the highest realm, but he was ranked 53 on the Genius Ranking. Among all cultivators under one hundred years old, he was one of the top fifty three. Geniuses at that level could usually fight above their realm.

Used to the attention, Su Yun walked to the edge of the Sea of Stillness with a cool face. The Warden of the Sea of Stillness smiled at him and asked: “Start now?”

Ambition flashing in his eyes as he looked over the endless black sea, Su Yun said calmly: “Start.”

“Hope you make a breakthrough this time,” said the Warden with a small smile. He waved his hand, and a white skiff appeared on the dark water.

The white skiff bobbed on the black sea, bright and sharp against the waves.

Su Yun jumped in without hesitation. He wrapped himself in spiritual power, and the skiff shot forward.

Like everyone else, Li Shuang watched with curiosity. Su Mu explained in a low voice: “In Myriad Arts City, your Spirit Soul Body copies your real body perfectly. The Sea of Stillness tests how you use spiritual power. The sea surges with sudden wind and waves, and only spiritual power can drive the boat through wind, frost, rain, and snow. Usually, reaching five li matches the spiritual power level of the Golden Core Stage. Six li matches the Nascent Soul Stage. Eight li matches the Divine Transformation Stage. Ten li matches an average Integration Stage.”

He added with real respect: “Su Yun used only Divine Transformation Stage cultivation to reach Integration Stage control of spiritual power. No wonder he’s on the Genius Ranking.”

Su Mu pointed toward the dark water and said: “The stretch from ten to twenty li is where Integration Stage cultivators usually roam. If you pass twenty li, you match a normal Void Refinement expert.”

“Also, everyone’s Sea of Stillness record gets exchanged for Merit Points. Su Yun’s last record was ten li, equal to 1,000 Merit Points. After that, every li farther earns another 1,000 Merit Points. If he hits twenty li, he’ll get 20,000 points in one go.”

A stone stele by the Warden gave a simpler breakdown too. When Li Shuang glanced over it, she saw the points were not fixed. For the first five li, each li only gave 10 Merit Points. From five to eight li, each li gave 50 points. From eight to ten li, each li gave 100 points. Only past ten li did the reward jump a lot.

Li Shuang watched Su Yun’s attempt with interest. At first the water was calm, but once the trial began, waves rose layer after layer. A huge Water Screen floated above the shore and showed Su Yun’s entire run.

Up to nine li, Su Yun moved with ease. At the edge between nine and ten, fierce winds joined the waves. He poured spiritual power into the skiff and fought for a quarter of an hour before he finally pushed past ten li.

That matched his old score. Now he aimed for eleven.

But the difficulty spiked after ten li. Su Yun gave everything he had, and in the end he fell short by only a few dozen meters.

In the next instant, his Spirit Soul Body reappeared on shore. His face looked tight and unhappy.

“Just a little short,” the Warden nodded: “Try again next time.”

Su Yun drew a deep breath and said through clenched teeth: “I’ll be back next month.” Then he slipped into the crowd.

The chatter didn’t stop: “Divine Transformation Stage with Integration Stage level control is already crazy strong.”

“And he’s only fifty third.”

“The one ranked first, You Lan, has reached nineteen li now.”

“Hiss. Could she really reach Void Refinement before turning one hundred?”

“No way. The Void Refinement Realm is not that easy.”

“The top three on the Genius Ranking are all Integration Stage already. But even peerless geniuses don’t dare say they will surely step into Void Refinement. Plenty reached Integration early and still spent their whole lives stuck there.”

Li Shuang listened as the crowd argued. Su Mu asked with a hint of tease: “Do you still think you can beat these monsters?”

Li Shuang curved her lips and said: “Why not?”

She stepped forward and said to the Warden: “I challenge the Sea of Stillness.”

“Show your Wanfa Eye,” said the Warden.

A Bronze Eye appeared in Li Shuang’s palm.

The Warden’s manner turned casual at once: “Lowest grade, Bronze Eye,” he said after a quick sense. “And it’s your first time here.”

“Yes. I just got it,” said Li Shuang, calm as ever.

“Go ahead,” the Warden waved, and a skiff surfaced on the sea.

Li Shuang jumped aboard and vanished from sight.

When Su Yun ran, the Warden gave him the Water Screen so everyone could watch. But an unknown newcomer like Li Shuang did not need screen time.

The Warden yawned and shut his eyes to rest.

Out on the Sea of Stillness, Li Shuang began her first attempt.

At the start, only small waves rolled. Her spiritual training was solid. She held the skiff firm and sped ahead. She passed the five li mark quickly.