Chapter 189

Chapter 189: The Same Starting Line

The Goldenwing Eagle beat its wings and raised a wild gale. Its power far surpassed the one from the Langya Secret Realm.

But compared to that day, Li Shuang was calmer now.

Only a few months had passed, yet she was no longer the same.

The Goldenwing Eagle charged at her with the force of the wind.

At the same instant, the Black Abyss Sword moved.

She fully unfolded the Frost Sword Domain. Frost Intent came with a slowing effect, perfectly countering the eagle’s greatest edge, speed.

The eagle let out a sharp cry and shook free of the frost for a heartbeat. The next moment, its soul quivered for an instant.

In that instant of distraction, a beautiful Ice Lotus slowly bloomed.

Bang. The Goldenwing Eagle shattered into glittering ice and vanished without a trace of life.

Outside the tower, people were still talking.

“Let’s bet on whether she can clear the fourth floor. I do not think she can.”

“I think with her Great Dao insight, she might. But it should be a bitter fight and take some time.”

“A real genius has no weak points. Her weak points are too clear.”

“Her real combat ability cannot match those top geniuses, it is—”

“Wait, look. The number after ‘Li’ just changed!”

They all looked up.

Sure enough, the number after her name had become 5.

That meant she had beaten the last Golden Core Stage threat and stepped into the realm of the Nascent Soul Stage.

This result was not unheard of, but her speed was too fast. Not even a Super Demon Beast could stall her for long.

“Where did this ‘Li’ come from?” someone asked after a pause.

Because of Myriad Arts City, the Central Continent almost never misses a true talent. No one stays low key here either, since Merit Points bring real benefits.

Every top genius, including You Lan, has a clear growth path.

Only this “Li” seemed to come out of thin air.

At thirty three years old and in the early Golden Core stage, her Great Dao insight was close to invincible among her peers. Her control of power and her combat sense also looked gifted.

Who was she, really?

No one had an answer. No one guessed that someone whose Great Dao insight was nearly on par with You Lan was actually a cultivator from a remote continent.

After a moment, someone said: “Golden Core fighting Nascent Soul is not too over the top. Most of the talents on the Genius Ranking can do that.”

Silence followed.

The Genius Ranking has only one hundred spots. It stands for the most gifted young people in the Central Continent.

And this sudden “Li” could be compared with them?

That alone was frightening.

Floors five to eight of Skyreach Tower are Nascent Soul level battles.

At that level, Li Shuang’s speed slowed a lot.

She finally lost on the eighth floor, sent out by a Nascent Soul Stage Super Demon Beast.

Looking up again at the tower that stabbed into the clouds, a trace of regret flashed in her eyes.

Out of ninety nine floors, she had not even cleared a tenth.

Breaking through Skyreach Tower would be a long road.

“You cleared seven floors and earned 1,500 Merit Points. Your total is now 9,600,” the warden said.

Li Shuang nodded.

She knew most of her Merit Points came from Great Dao Mountain. That secret ground felt like a point giveaway. The other two gave far fewer points.

“Do you have a sect?” the warden asked suddenly.

“I do,” Li Shuang said.

He smiled and said: “You cleared the three secret grounds on your first try and got close to ten thousand Merit Points. Many large sects will be interested. They will contact you soon. Good birds choose good trees. If your current sect is not very strong, you could switch to one that suits you better.”

Switch sects? She had no such plan.

“No need. I like my current sect,” Li Shuang said.

“You do not need to tell me,” the warden replied. “People will come to you, and you will have time to choose. One more thing. In Myriad Arts City, you can use Merit Points to redeem many items. Spent points do not affect your cumulative total for the rankings. For example, the person at number one hundred on the Genius Ranking has 39,083 Merit Points, and that is his cumulative total. No matter how many he spends, that number only goes up, not down. So using Merit Points will not hurt your rank. Use them early to grow stronger.”

“Thank you for the reminder,” Li Shuang said carefully.

The guard blinked. This “Li” was surprisingly polite. He added another reminder: “Also, the Soul Prison outside the city can earn you Merit Points, but I do not suggest you go yet. Your Soul Golden Core was formed only recently. If you rush out, the raging baleful qi might shatter it. First, use your Merit Points to redeem items that temper the Soul Golden Core. When at least three lines appear on it, you can try going out.”

“Understood,” Li Shuang said, making a note of it.

She was not a hasty person. [With the Heaven and Earth Furnace in hand, as long as I survive, I will one day reach a peak others cannot. There is no need to risk my life now.]

With all three secret grounds cleared, her Merit Points would not rise much again in the short term.

“Your Merit Points harvest surprised me,” Su Mu said with a sigh, then pointed the way. “Go to the Hall of Myriad Arts and turn those points into real gains.”

He went on, his voice excited: “There is a City Lord here, a master of many arts. No one knows where she came from. She set every rule in Myriad Arts City. Once, a Tribulation Crossing Stage Strongest challenged the city’s rules, and she pressed him down with a single finger. Once, dozens of Tribulation Crossing Stage experts from the Five Super Sects joined forces to seize control of Myriad Arts City. They marched into the City Lord’s Manor full of swagger and left with their heads down.”

“The City Lord regularly issues Merit Points tasks. Some ask for materials, some ask for Secret Arts, and some ask you to clear special regions. The tasks are many and varied. By doing this, she gathers huge resources in her hands, and you can redeem those resources with Merit Points.”

“Li Shuang, you come from the Nanlan Continent, so you were born with fewer resources and chances than people from the Central Continent,” Su Mu said. “But now, with the Bronze Eye, that gap is covered. As long as you have enough Merit Points, you can redeem Secret Arts and wondrous items from all over the world. In Myriad Arts City, you finally stand on the same starting line as the ordinary geniuses of the Central Continent.”