Coming here, Wu Yu truly felt how infinite the road of cultivation was!
With the Mountain of Swords and Immortals as the center, all of the spectators were thronging around the snowy plains, or on top of the snow-covered trees.
The thousand-odd battlefields were clearly delineated. Each battlefield had someone sitting on guard. The battlefields were in rings around the Mountain of Swords and Immortals, and all of them were in the air. This meant that all the battles had to be fought from one's sword!
When Wu Yu arrived, he saw that more than 8,000 of the Seats of Swords and Immortals were filled. Within these two years, many on the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals had become Huang sword rank disciples and had left the rankings behind. The disciples behind had been shifted up, and therefore, the one currently in first place was not the first previously.
The peak of the Mountain of Swords and Immortals was amazingly high. From his position looking up, Wu Yu could only see hazy mist. He could not even see the top 100 clearly.
There were hundreds of ongoing battles all around. Immortal Dao fights filled his view, and all kinds of sword cultivation techniques were being used. The dao techniques came in all forms, some flashy and strange, and Wu Yu was dazzled.
The battlefield was too huge, and one could not possibly watch every battle.
Right now, Wu Yu's gaze had been captured by that ancient, bronze bell!
As long as he could ring it, he would be eligible to battle. At that time, someone would organize the fight for him, and Zhang Futu would not be able to pull him away!
And this battle would be his chance to make his name known!
"My future and fate at the Shushan Immortal Sect depends on this!" Wu Yu had arrived a step earlier, and Zhang Futu was still behind.
Wu Yu's behavior had slightly thrown him off. He thought Wu Yu was consumed by the impetuous passions of youth, which spurred him on towards the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals. What Zhang Futu would not expect was that Wu Yu sped up towards the ancient bronze bell!
"What is he doing?" Zhang Futu was stunned!
A moment's hesitation, and Wu Yu was already in front of the ancient bronze bell!
"Someone's going to ring the bell and enter the challenge!"
"It's been more than a month. Are newcomers still arriving?"
Many had spotted Wu Yu's movements, although a majority were still watching the battles. On these arenas, battles were continuously starting and ending.
As for the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals, there were very detailed rules, although all Wu Yu needed for now was a chance to fight!
The ancient bronze bell's requirement was pure Jindan essence and physical strength. One could not use spiritual immortal treasures or talismans to ring the ancient bronze bell.
For talismans, it was not only ringing the bell. In an official fight, the use of talismans was prohibited. Anyone who used them would be expelled.
The ancient bronze bell was right before his eyes!
He pictured Zhang Futu's disgusting face on the ancient bronze bell!
"Go to hell!"
In that instant, he mustered up the strength in his body, the Invincible Vajra Body exploding forth. Even without the Immortal Ape Transformation, his physical strength was bursting to the limit! Added to his dense and robust Jindan essence, Wu Yu had confidence that he could ring this ancient bronze bell!
Of course, he did not use the Violent Art. If he did, the peals from the ancient bronze bell would definitely shock the entire field!
Tang!
He raised a sound. The ancient bronze bell was rung. Although not particularly striking, it was not a weak sound either, and had surpassed many who had rung it.
This dull gong turned thousands of eyes towards Wu Yu.
As the bell rung, Wu Yu was wildly triumphant. He knew that he had opened a door for himself.
Beside the ancient bronze bell stood a black-haired elder. He was tall and matchstick-thin. Only the powerful sword will in his eyes was intimidating. His frame was huge, the bones in his body like swords. His black robe could not hide his sharpness.
Wu Yu reckoned that this was not a Huang sword rank disciple. He should be a Xuan sword rank disciple.
"Report your origin, name, age, and level of cultivation!" the black-robed elder said hoarsely, looking at him.
"Wu Yu, what are you doing!?" An angry shout came from behind him. Wu Yu turned back and saw Zhang Futu, face green and grim with anger. He extended one shaking finger towards Wu Yu - he was so enraged by this turn of events!
Perhaps he had an uneasy feeling in his heard.
Meeting his eyes, Wu Yu could finally show his true self. He had finally calmed down, saying, "Apologies. My longing for the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals was too strong. So I could not wait two years. Today, I will challenge the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals!"
Many people were watching Wu Yu. Not just those around him, but those on the mountain as well. Including some experts who were concealed....
Zhang Futu had not spoken, but already the black-robed elder glared at him, saying, "Participation in the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals is entirely an individual decision. As long as the bell is rung, eligibility is granted. He rang the bell. He is eligible. No matter who you are, you are not allowed to interfere with the proceedings. If you do not back out of the arena now, this old man will get his hands dirty."
Zhang Futu was only the boss at Futu Hall. In the entirety of Shushan, he was but a small fry. Reprimanded thus by the old man, he had to back down, but his cold eyes were locked on to Wu Yu. His expression and gaze continued to change as he looked straight through Wu Yu. At this time, he must have realized that he had been played out by Wu Yu, and also what Wu Yu's goal was!
As expected, Wu Yu said in a ringing voice, "Elder, my name is Wu Yu. I come from Green Glass Sword Palace, Futu Hall! I cultivate with no care to the rising of the sun and moon. I already forgot my own age, but I know that I am not yet 20. As for level, I have just reached the second tier of the Jindan Dao Realm!"
A short declaration that raised an uproar. Wu Yu was immediately subject to countless gazes. He did not look around, but he knew that the number of people watching him had increased tenfold now.
A guy out of nowhere!
Wu Yu vaguely heard their discussion.
"Not yet 20, and already at the second tier of the Jindan Realm. That cultivation speed is not bad. But how could a Jindan second tier ring the old bell?"
"He's not lying. Look closely. He does not have much Jindan essence, although its quality is stupendously high! And look at his physical might! At such a young age, to train his body to this level, no wonder he could ring even the ancient bronze bell!"
Many experts were present, and they could mostly see through Wu Yu at a glance. There was no doubt as to his level.
"Very good. A second tier Jindan dares to challenge the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals. This old man has never heard of such a thing before!" Even the black-robed elder laughed.
A flurry of murmurs broke out. At this time, Wu Yu was the center of attention. Thousands were discussing him, and his name was on their lips!
Looking back at Zhang Futu, his face was already black with rage. He stood in a corner, his fists tightly clenched. His gaze was as cold as winter. By now, he already knew that Wu Yu had seen through him from the start. From the moment they had returned to Shushan, Wu Yu had been challenging his will. And now, Wu Yu stood at a place where he could not touch him.
The thing he feared the most was that Wu Yu's name would ring loud, and that many would pay attention to him. And Wu Yu had done it before his very eyes now.
He had hesitated for just a moment....
Wu Yu was not even looking at him now.
He had already immersed himself in the rhythms of the Battle of Swords and Immortals. Since the ancient bronze bell had been rung, then a challenge would be arranged immediately.
The rules of the challenge were as followed: Wu Yu could choose a challenger from within the last 1,000. If he succeeded, then he would take that person's place on the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals. However, he could also continue to challenge. After resting for about 10 days, he could opt to fight an opponent from the next 1,000 ranks. If he won, he would take their place, and so on and so forth. If Wu Yu was the elite of the ordinary dan disciples, then by this principle, he could challenge multiple times, until he was finally at the pinnacle of the Mountain of Swords and Immortals!
Of course, Wu Yu did not have such ability for now. He simply wanted to be on the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals.
Every new challenger had the right to challenge upwards, until the five months of challenge ended. Only then would the internal challenge of the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals begin. And at that time, Wu Yu would still have the chance to challenge upwards. The internal challenge was ordered by even more complicated rules, and Wu Yu had not familiarized himself with them.
All he knew was that for now, he could choose someone from the last 1,000 ranks as his opponent.
Because many had entered the Huang sword rank, there were actually only slightly more than 9,000 people on the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals. If Wu Yu defeated his opponent, they would be automatically pushed back to the end of the ranking. Because the external challenges had already persisted for a month, the 10,000 names on the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals was mostly filled now. In a few more days, those that lost challenges would actually be eliminated from the leaderboard.
"Look up the Mountain of Swords and Immortals. Who do you want to challenge? A warning: the difference between the strongest and weakest that you can challenge is astronomical." The black-robed elder had taken an interest in Wu Yu.
Looking up to where glory awaited him, Wu Yu did not even hesitate. "The strongest person that I can challenge is the person I choose!"
This declaration again raised an uproar. Before them, the crowd saw a young disciple with a solid foundation, incredible talent, and also the guts and strength of will to match! Many were already very much looking forward to his challenge.
Looking at the name list, the black-robed elder suddenly laughed. "The person you speak of has been challenged 33 times this month, and has lost none of them. Because of his unique position, he has been the most-challenged person. This shows how terrifying he is. I'm afraid there's no hope for you. Don't you want to change your mind?"
33 consecutive wins was truly amazing.
But today, he only wanted to challenge the strongest!
So he decisively affirmed, "I'm not changing."
"Not bad. A gutsy one. Also, a warning that this person is known as Li Canghai, the disciple of Shen Xingyu, who is sister by blood to the Galaxy Sword Sage."
"Galaxy Sword Sage?" This was the first time that Wu Yu had heard the name. And what was this Shen Xingyu? He had no idea.
"You don't know the organizer of this Battle of Swords and Immortals?" the black-robed elder asked.
Wu Yu shook his head, saying, "Could it be that this Galaxy Sword Sage is of the Shushan Sword Sage level...."
"He isn't, but he is already invincible in the Heaven sword rank disciples at 40 years of age. For him to become one of Shushan's Sword Sages is a matter of time. That is why he has been prematurely hailed with the Sword Sage tag. And he is the host this time around. His sister, Shen Xingyu, is a disciple of the Earth sword rank. So are you sure you will not change your opponent?"
The black-robed elder was looking out for Wu Yu. For his entry into the Leaderboard of Swords and Immortals, there was no need to take on a challenge of such extreme difficulty.
But Wu Yu still shook his head, adamant on his decision.