Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 450: Twin Stars Of Redmoon (1)

Wu Yuan was well aware of the news surrounding Zhuo Haiyue, universally acknowledged as the foremost prodigy of the Moonsilver World and touted by many as the top genius of the entire immortal continent, dazzling others with her brilliance.

Princessling of the Zhuo Family, and the first in line of succession to the title of Princess. With only a little over a century of cultivation, she challenged level sixty-five of the two-star tower of the Seven Star Luminaries Tower, comparable to level seventy-five of the one-star tower in difficulty. To be precise, she was over 160 years old.

That was what Wu Yuan knew about her. As for the mysterious genius Kuang Long spoke of, Wu Yuan had heard about them numerous times, as they had caused quite a stir on multiple occasions across the Redmoon Immortal Continent.

Over a decade ago, this genius had raised the two-star tower’s current record from level sixty-seven to sixty-nine in one go. One had to understand that throughout the billion-year history of the Redmoon Immortal Continent, the highest record of the two-star tower was only level seventy-four.

Yet, this mysterious prodigy never revealed their identity, leading to countless speculations.

Previously, both Wu Yuan and Zhuo Haiyue had shown stellar performances that shook the lands, but neither was recognized as the foremost genius of the immortal continent.

Why? Simply because the talent of this mysterious genius surpassed them all by an overwhelming margin.

And just a few hours ago, this mysterious figure made a move once more, effortlessly conquering the arduous level seventy and continued all the way to level seventy-three. Subsequently, they revealed their identity—Zhuo Haiyue!

Naturally, this caused a storm, sending tremors across the immortal continent. Countless immortal cultivators heard the news, setting the entire Redmoon Immortal Voidrealm abuzz with discussion.

Regardless of what the higher-ups thought, Zhuo Haiyue rapidly became recognized as the greatest prodigy in the history of the immortal continent. Some even considered her the number one genius of the entire Silvermist Immortal Nation!

This was because, despite the over six thousand immortal continents within the current Silvermist Immortal Nation, the only individual in this era to have cleared level seventy of the two-star tower was Zhuo Haiyue.

Zhuo Haiyue? Wu Yuan drew a deep breath.

He felt a mix of shock and disbelief.

Calculating the timeline, sixteen years ago, around the time I first arrived at the immortal continent, Zhuo Haiyue cleared level sixty-nine of the two-star tower. In just sixteen years, she cleared levels seventy to seventy-three? Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Such a rate of progress was mortifying.

If one were to calculate Zhuo Haiyue’s rate of progression, it was not one bit slower than Wu Yuan’s, perhaps even faster. This was because the leap from level sixty-nine to seventy was a qualitative one. Conquering this single level was more difficult than progressing from level one to sixty-nine. Yet, Zhuo Haiyue achieved this in just sixteen years.

“Great Senior Brother, what do you think?” Kuang Long, seeing Wu Yuan’s slightly dazed expression, couldn’t help himself from asking. “This Zhuo Haiyue has stolen the title of number one genius of the immortal continent from you.”

“What are you thinking?” Wu Yuan chuckled and patted Kuang Long’s head: “What stolen title? With her rate of progress, she’s rightly the top genius of the immortal nation, not someone I can compare with.”

“No! It’s not the same,” Kuang Long shook his head. “I’ve discussed this with Shi Yun and Qing Guang; Zhuo Haiyue had better cultivation conditions from childhood, whereas you, Great Senior Brother, started in a worldlet. In terms of progress, you’re not any less remarkable. If given the same resources, you’d surely outshine Zhuo Haiyue,” Kuang Long asserted confidently.

“Kuang Long, do you believe your own words?” Wu Yuan asked with a half-smile, “A genius like that cannot simply be nurtured into existence.”

Kuang Long was momentarily stunned, then gave an embarrassed smile.

“Alright, it’s time for you to head back. Zhuo Haiyue is my friend, there’s no need to console me.” Wu Yuan smiled and sent Kuang Long out of his residence in the Redmoon Immortal Voidrealm.

I don’t understand. She clearly possesses such strong abilities yet refuses to reveal it. Now alone, Wu Yuan thought to himself. Could it be due to her enemy?

Wu Yuan remembered that Zhuo Haiyue once mentioned she had a mortal enemy and hoped that he could assist her when she sought revenge in the future. However, Zhuo Haiyue never disclosed who this enemy was.

If she fears the enemy, why reveal her abilities today? Could it be that she no longer needs to take precautions against them? Wu Yuan pondered, somewhat confused.

After thinking it over, Wu Yuan decided to send Zhuo Haiyue a congratulatory message, without prying further.

She’s caused such a commotion this time. The Bloodforge Battle and the Moonsilver Tournament are all imminent, I'm afraid she’s now the center of attention in the immortal nation, it might take a while before she sees my message. Wu Yuan shook his head.

But merely two breaths later, Wu Yuan's eyes sharpened. Hm?

He had received a response from Zhuo Haiyue, simple and straightforward: "Thanks, let's strive hard together."

Wu Yuan grinned, but he didn’t disturb Zhuo Haiyue any further.

Her performance has shocked the world. However, it has indeed taken some pressure off me. Wu Yuan smiled slightly.

No matter how brightly I shine, I'm afraid it'll be hard to surpass her.

The taller a tree grew, the more likely it was to be blown down by the wind. But if there were two tall trees, they were not as conspicuous.

At least, Wu Yuan was amazed at the pace of Zhuo Haiyue’s progress, effortlessly outpacing the peerless geniuses of her generation on the immortal continent and leaving them in the dust.

The speed of my progress is also the result of many great opportunities, like the heavenly endowed eldritch tattoos, the Great Eldritch inheritance, and the guidance of many distinguished teachers. Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

To achieve such a rate of progress, Zhuo Haiyue must’ve also had some great fortuitous encounters.

Without great opportunities, how could one surpass countless fellow immortal cultivators?

As my master said, if my qi refiner self has the strength to take on a challenge, then I should go forth and showcase my strength. There’s no rush.

The fusion of the two Intermediate Laws is still incomplete. When I can truly execute it perfectly, it won’t be too late to challenge the tower then. A hint of yearning also flickered in Wu Yuan’s eyes.

Wu Yuan had always kept the Dao Temple in mind. The next time he could earn points was clearing level sixty of the one-star tower.

Aside from that, everyone yearned for fame. Although Wu Yuan was not hung up on fame and fortune, there were no downsides to leaving his mark on the history of the immortal continent, especially if he was given the chance to do so. At times, fame could also be converted into benefits.

Continue cultivating.

Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self left the Redmoon Immortal Voidrealm, going into secluded cultivation.

It wasn’t just Kuang Long who came looking for him. Many friends and seniors from the Dragon Star Immortal Sect asked how he felt about Zhuo Haiyue’s situation.

Wu Yuan replied to each one.

Many seem to think I would be depressed by this? Wu Yuan chuckled as he cultivated.

He understood his friends’ thoughts. Originally, Wu Yuan’s brilliance was not dimmer than Zhuo Haiyue’s. In fact, he shone somewhat brighter, and was hailed as the 'number one genius of the immortal continent.'

But now? That title was no longer his.

And for the foreseeable future, Wu Yuan, Hao Shanjing, and a host of peerless geniuses from the immortal continent, would all live in Zhuo Haiyue’s shadow.

For hundreds of thousands of years, Sword Immortal Dong Yang, a single man with a sword, overpowered countless High Immortals across the immortal continent. All of them cowered before him.

And now, this era belonged to Zhuo Haiyue. Already an Amethyst Cradle cultivator, she was truly starting to shine on her own.

The number one genius of the immortal nation? Shadow? Wu Yuan muttered to himself. A truly strong person doesn’t care how strong others are. All that matters is that one continues to surpass oneself.

...

While Wu Yuan remained unaffected by this storm, focusing on cultivating in seclusion, the very person who had triggered this storm, Zhuo Haiyue, was right at the center of it.

Within the Moonsilver World in Redmoon City was a huge mansion spanning over thousands of li, filled with countless natural wonders.

"Haiyue, why expose yourself like this?" A black-robed man walked alongside a silver-armored woman through a corridor, a helpless expression on his face.

"Thirteenth Ancestor," Zhuo Haiyue smiled. "You must have heard of my decision to participate in the Amethyst Cradle Bloodforge Battle."

"You are too reckless," the black-robed man shook his head. "It was the family’s mistake that led to you participating in the Golden Core Bloodforge Battle, but at least you survived."

"The Golden Core Bloodforge Battle isn’t too brutal. Anyone with some strength has hope of survival. But as far as I know, there are no weaklings in the Amethyst Cradle Bloodforge Battle."

"The number of participants from the Redmoon Division of the Bloodforge Devil Hall rarely exceeds ten thousand, but each one has at least reached the True Intent stage and the seventh-stage Amethyst Cradle phase." The man in black robes said.

"If you cultivated for another hundred years, I wouldn’t question your decision. But you want to go now?"

"That's a trial that countless geniuses from the entire Bloodforge Devil Hall join, with over four million participants from the second-tier divisions alone. Each one is more terrifying than the last, many of whom have cultivated for four to five hundred years.”

“Many of them are clearly ready to advance to the Void Refiner phase, but they hold themselves back, just so they can rise meteorically in the Bloodforge Battle."

"It's said that in terms of Dao comprehension, there are at least hundreds within the devil hall who have the strength to clear level seventy of the two-star tower," the man in black robes said in a low voice.

"I already know all this! Indeed, it’s dangerous, but there are reasons why I must go," Zhuo Haiyue spoke softly. "I may not be the strongest, but I still have a chance to claim the title of Bloodforge Marquis at least."

"Moreover, this is an order from my master."