Chapter Fifty-Five: The Elite of the Martial World

A group of people stood there, their hearts burning with anxiety, yet not one dared to take another step forward. It was as if roots had sprouted beneath their feet, anchoring them firmly to the ground.

Qiu Yi, the foremost direct disciple of the Sword Manor, possessed strength at the middle stage of the Celestial Being realm. He had learned to read at three, studied swordsmanship at six, broken through to the Innate level at nine, and reached the Celestial Being realm at fifteen. Now, he was already at the middle stage of Celestial Being, not far from the later stage. At this rate, he would likely reach the pinnacle of Celestial Being by the age of thirty, and with a stroke of fortune, perhaps even ascend to the legendary Pseudo-Core stage.

His personal cultivation far outstripped that of ordinary men, and his combat prowess was equally formidable. Upon breaking through to the Innate realm, he attained a superior sword intent. At the Celestial Being stage, he used one of the Sword Manor’s ten famed blades, the Autumn Chill Sword, as his foundation, and forged the Autumn Chill Sword Domain, spanning three fathoms wide and three fathoms long.

In other words, within a ten-meter radius, all fell under the influence of his sword domain. A sword domain, built upon innate sword intent and personal insight, was condensed into reality. Within its bounds, he was the law of heaven and earth; with a mere gesture, sword energy suffused the air, sword light flickered in and out of view, and, should the intent to kill arise, sword qi surged and sword light soared to the heavens, reducing mountains, rivers, and forests to dust in an instant.

Sword intent was divided into three grades—upper, middle, and lower—and so too were sword domains, classified by their size: one fathom for inferior, two for intermediate, and three for superior. The power of a sword domain increased exponentially with its size. Each additional fathom doubled its strength; thus, a superior domain was four times more powerful than an inferior one.

Therefore, though Qiu Yi was at the middle stage of Celestial Being, even the grandmasters at the pinnacle of this realm within the martial world dared not claim they could best him.

In simple terms, Qiu Yi’s cultivation was only at the middle Celestial Being stage, but his true strength was already near the summit of the martial world, second only to those with a superior sword domain or the fabled Pseudo-Core legends.

Among those present, apart from the three standing at the very front, almost none dared believe themselves a match for Qiu Yi; only a rare few thought they might fight him to a draw.

Yet even with Qiu Yi’s might, he had been obliterated in an instant.

This realization stilled their fevered hearts and halted their steps; the more they dwelled on it, the greater their fear grew, cold sweat breaking out down their spines.

The three at the front wore grave expressions. They had paused, pondering the cause of Qiu Yi’s death, growing ever more solemn and chilled with each thought, feeling the situation slip beyond their control.

Qiu Yi’s strength was indeed impressive and renowned throughout the martial world, but that depended on whom he faced.

In their eyes, Qiu Yi’s abilities were barely passable.

All three had mastered a superior domain and reached the pinnacle of the Celestial Being realm, and, crucially, their domains were achieved through personal insight alone, without reliance on external artifacts.

Even among equal domains, there were distinctions. Some, lacking in comprehension and cultivation, could take a shortcut, using an ancient weapon as a vessel for their spirit and thus form a domain—such domains were called Weapon Domains. While stronger than lesser domains, among peers they were markedly inferior.

Conversely, domains forged through one’s own power and insight, naturally attuned to heaven and earth and dividing space, were known as superior or Innate Domains.

Qiu Yi’s was a Weapon Domain at the middle Celestial Being stage; the three before him each wielded an Innate Domain at the pinnacle.

With such disparity, Qiu Yi would last no more than three moves before them.

Yet, even so, their expressions remained grave. To defeat Qiu Yi was easy, to kill him not difficult, but what troubled them was the flash of blade light before his demise.

Others, lacking the strength, saw only Qiu Yi’s death, not the strike that felled him. But the three had witnessed it.

That was why they had stopped in their tracks, faces dark, their backs chilled: because of that blade.

From it, they had sensed something that filled them with dread—a realization that sparked a terrifying suspicion in their hearts.

If their guess was correct, today’s affair had just become far more complicated.

Pseudo-Core.

From that fleeting blade, they had sensed the aura of the Pseudo-Core realm. Though it vanished in a blink, in that instant the three had immediately halted.

Their own strength had reached a bottleneck; in the martial world, save for the Pseudo-Core legends, they stood at the true summit, with no path ahead.

The only way forward was to find the Isle of Peerless Masters—only then might they break through to Pseudo-Core.

This was the true reason for their fervor; beyond quelling the demonic calamity, they sought their chance at transcendence.

But now, they hesitated. They had felt the presence of a Pseudo-Core in that blade, which meant their quarry might already include one who had attained that legendary state.

Pseudo-Core—the power of another world entirely. Their own strength was great, unmatched in the martial world, but all depended on the opponent.

They might be peerless here, but there were beings beyond the martial world: legends, Pseudo-Cores. Even seeking out a few Pseudo-Core practitioners was not difficult for them—they had experienced it firsthand.

And the experience was nothing short of humiliating. In the face of Pseudo-Core power, their own hard-won, invincible strength seemed as ridiculous as that of children.

If, if, either Zhou Yi or Song Hai had truly achieved the Pseudo-Core realm, then it was time for them to withdraw.

Those who have not experienced it personally can never understand the terror of the Pseudo-Core realm, a power utterly beyond imagination.

If that was truly the case, unless a Pseudo-Core legend emerged, even if the entire martial world gathered, no one would dare claim they could subdue the two.

No wonder, no wonder the Isle of Peerless Masters had offered such lavish rewards. They should have known—if it were so simple, why would the reward be so extraordinary?

It was greed that had clouded their hearts.