Chapter 554: The True Meaning of the Sword Immortal
"To actually damage true realm space… These two already have power on par with the Immortal Lord stage!"
Outside the imperial platform, several dozen Immortal Lord-tier prodigies watched the scene intently, many of them looking grim. Even as Immortal Lords, they hadn't expected the monstrous talents of the True Immortal division to already reach the point of challenging them.
"That fist…"
In Da Meng Jiuyuan Sect, everyone stared blankly. Though they had seen Li Hao's strength in the Ancient Immortal Realm before, his terrifying fist technique still left them speechless. As a disciple from Jianyuan, to be this powerful in fist techniques?
"Senior Brother Haotian…" Gu Yan seemed dazed. He had seen Li Hao's punches during the imperial platform contest, but now they felt even stronger. Just one blow, and he knew he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Another peerless contender. And this is only the top hundred battle—how is it already this intense?"
"Both of them had a shot at making top ten. It's no wonder their clash was so earth-shaking!"
Throughout the Southern Region, people were abuzz with discussion. Even some powerful figures at the Immortal Lord level wore solemn expressions. These young geniuses already had the power to stand on the same battlefield as them.
As the annihilating shockwaves rippled outward, a figure darted through the void crack—Li Hao's second punch exploded out, piercing layers of space-time and striking directly into the dazed Zhan Yuchen.
Zhan Yuchen's pupils shook. He never expected Li Hao, after such a devastating exchange, to still launch a second punch immediately.
Too late to dodge—he could only watch helplessly as the punch slammed into him. His body burst into blood mist!
It all happened in an instant. The audience, previously buzzing with commentary, went completely silent—shocked speechless.
Li Hao stood before the blood mist, not making a follow-up attack. Within the blood mist, a few fragments of flesh remained—enough for Zhan Yuchen to regenerate.
Even with extreme regeneration from the Undying Immortal Realm, blood rebirth needed time. And in that time, Li Hao could easily kill him a hundred, a thousand times.
But he didn't.
He simply waited in silence, watching.
Not long after, the blood mist coalesced into a figure again. Zhan Yuchen's body reformed, but the pain of that soul-tearing punch lingered, trembling in his spirit. He looked at Li Hao with a complicated gaze.
His strongest punch had been crushed—and the opponent didn't press the advantage to kill him.
He clenched his fists, loosened them, then clenched again. Finally, he held the posture, bowed deeply toward Li Hao, and said in a low voice:
"I lost. I owe you for this."
Then, after a long look, his expression grew confident again. He smiled boldly. "I hope you not only enter the top ten—but reach the top five. That way, it'll show that the one who beat me is no nobody!"
Li Hao was speechless. This guy was confident to the bone—he was clearly putting himself in the top ten regardless.
"Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, Da Meng Jiuyuan Sect, human race, Haotian—victory!"
The voice of the immortal guard commander echoed high above the imperial platform.
It had been announced before the battle. But now, hearing it again, countless people seemed to wake from a dream, staring at the platform in stunned awe.
That boy actually won—he defeated a prodigy from the Zhan Tian Clan!
And his race… was just human, not one of the true realm's top hundred clans!
In the true realm, over half of the hundred top clans had human roots, but their bloodlines had evolved—Zhan Tian Clan included. Once human, now their blood fused with the Dao of War Heaven, they were no longer purely human.
In the true realm, humans were also called "primitives"—lacking any enhanced bloodline.
"Human? The guard commander said he's just human?"
"Impossible! No bloodline? Or maybe he didn't activate it—so it's just listed that way?"
"Has to be! No way a mere human without any bloodline could be that strong!"
"But he didn't show any bloodline power just now… Gods, was he still holding back? Then the Zhan Tian Clan truly lost without injustice!"
People all around whispered in astonishment.
"As expected, I didn't misjudge him."
Among the crowd, Chu Yueli's eyes sparkled with a smile. His performance had exceeded her expectations—stronger than in the Ancient Immortal Realm.
Beside her, Chu Tianhuang and Boya Xuejian also smiled. That guy was truly powerful. Unless something went wrong, he was likely to take a spot in the True Immortal top ten.
That gave him a higher chance of entering the Original True Realm, whereas for those in the Immortal Lord division, they had to fight for the top twenty.
On the imperial platform, Zhan Yuchen didn't linger. He turned and flew back to his clan.
Li Hao, too, flew down amid countless gazes and landed back in Da Meng Jiuyuan Sect.
"You brat, aren't you a sword cultivator? When did your fist Dao get this ridiculous?" Elder Li ran up first, both shocked and thrilled.
Da Meng Master smiled warmly, her gaze soft. "Good work."
Li Hao heard the gratitude in her voice and smiled. "As a disciple of the sect, it's only right."
Yuexi's eyes gleamed with envy. If she had such strength without relying on her bloodline, she could've redeemed the Huo Luan Clan's name herself.
"Your fist Dao… how does it compare to your sword Dao?" Gu Yan walked over, voice low and expression complex.
The surrounding disciples—including Lin Mingrong, the cold-eyed Yin Jingcheng, and Meng Huaiyue—all looked curiously at Li Hao.
As a Jianyuan disciple, his fist technique was this absurd—shouldn't he have joined Quan Yuan instead?
This year, not a single Quan Yuan disciple made it through the early trials.
"My sword Dao's slightly stronger," Li Hao said casually, offering no detail.
Everyone's eyes lit up even more. That meant he still had strength left untapped—he hadn't even fully used his immortal Seal powers yet.
"Didn't expect Zhan Tian Clan to lose. I thought he'd be my strongest opponent. I was looking forward to a duel," said one of the top hundred contestants elsewhere. Several others nodded.
Zhan Yuchen's defeat was a surprise, but their eyes burned with fighting spirit as they looked at Li Hao.
Anyone who could defeat Zhan Yuchen like that was worth challenging.
"Hmph. Zhan Tian Clan really is in decline. That so-called prodigy has nothing worth showing."
In the camp of the Ancient God Clan, Shen Wuji sat among his kin, eyes cold, casting a disdainful glance toward the Zhan Tian Clan.
Once, during the peak of the Zhan Tian Clan's glory, their prodigies rose one after another, suppressing half an era. At that time, the clan's name was known everywhere, and their geniuses left behind countless legendary tales. But now, Zhan Yuchen's performance was, in his eyes, merely average.
Although he surpassed most other prodigies, he was still far from truly top-tier.
"Since the fall of Zhan Tian Immortal Emperor, the clan's rank among the top ten of the true realm has steadily declined. As expected, they're not what they once were."
Another green-eyed, black-robed youth lightly fanned himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"That kid's soul age is less than a hundred… a true freak of nature."
A girl in a purple dress stared at Li Hao. Though his performance hadn't yet posed a threat to her, it was still shockingly beyond expectations for someone with such a short soul age. If he reached a thousand years of soul age, what realm would he ascend to? Likely an Immortal Lord with unmatched strength.
By that measure, this Haotian was probably the most monstrous of all the Southern Region's prodigies.
Li Hao sensed many gazes falling upon him, but he didn't care. He just quietly watched the battles that followed.
Not long after he stepped down, the next round began. He saw Di Linchen take the stage. His opponent only managed a single full-power strike before Di Linchen casually neutralized it, prompting a quick surrender.
Like Li Hao, Di Linchen had no killing intent—calm and carefree. Once his opponent surrendered, he descended gracefully from the platform.
Then, Shen Wuji of the Ancient God Clan took the stage. He quickly reduced his opponent to blood mist, but didn't deliver a killing blow.
One by one, the prodigies entered the fray. Some fought evenly, others dominated outright.
Li Hao observed many who were not weaker than Zhan Yuchen—at least seven or eight.
By that measure, Zhan Yuchen's odds of breaking into the top ten looked slim. At best, he could aim for the top fifteen.
Meanwhile, the two Supreme disciples—Jianxin and Mingyue—also entered the battle. Both ended things quickly, forcing their opponents to surrender in a single move.
Soon after, Gu Yan stepped onto the platform. His opponent was a disciple of Tiangong, though not a direct disciple of the Supreme—likely an ordinary one.
Still, the match became intense. Gu Yan's sword body exploded with force like a furious lion, radiating an overwhelming sword intent.
The Tiangong disciple, however, used mysterious and elite immortal techniques one after another, forcing Gu Yan to defend again and again, barely keeping up.
"That prodigy with the Ancient Sword Immortal Body… His sword Dao is strong, but his comprehension of the Dao is too shallow. Not sharp enough."
"Too young. Too raw. But that only proves his future potential!"
"Young? That Haotian is even younger, and he's already grasped space-time Dao to such a high level!"
The fight drew a lot of attention—unlike some earlier matches, which ended too quickly to be exciting.
In a distant void, deep within a certain hidden immortal dynasty, inside the territory of a large clan…
There were sword tombs and sword peaks everywhere, even the elders' chairs had sword-shaped backs. Shadows of swords filled the place.
"It's that boy. His face, name, even aura were disguised… but he still gave himself away."
"That disgrace actually ran off there. Hmph. Trying to use the Southern Region's fame to challenge the family?"
"Pathetic. With a performance like that, he's not making the top ten."
"Our Gu Clan is home to the world's strongest sword constitution—Ancient Sword Immortal bloodline. And yet he can't even match the true realm's elite clans. What a disgrace."
"Young Master is still very young," someone cautiously offered.
"Young? Is he younger than Haotian, who's from the same Sword Abyss? If that kid were my son, I'd have raised him properly!"
On the sword peak, many Gu clan members were watching the battle. They didn't care to participate in the Southern Region war themselves, but it was an excellent chance to observe the top prodigies from the true realm's elite clans.
The Gu Sword Immortal Clan hovered around mid-tier among the top hundred clans, but not due to lack of power. If they went all out, they believed they could rise to the top twenty—perhaps even touch the top ten.
However, the depth of those top ten clans was hard to gauge.
"He's going to lose. Got into the top hundred thanks to someone's protection, and now he's being exposed. Embarrassing."
In the crowd, a tall, stern middle-aged man scowled, his eyes full of displeasure.
Nearby clan members showed regret, anger, and worry.
"If I had gone, I'd have made the top ten, no question."
One young man said coldly.
But a noblewoman beside him shook her head and said, "Now's not the time for us to expose ourselves. Too many eyes are on our bloodline. When the day comes, you'll be the one to rise and shake the world."
"It's fine if he went to compete. Those sharp-eyed emperors from the seven dynasties and hundred clans will likely assume all our descendants are like him. That works in our favor."
An elder added.
"Wait—look! He's… he's awakened the Sword Immortal's True Intent!"
Suddenly, someone cried out in shock.
On the imperial platform, the tide of battle had turned. Gu Yan, previously on the back foot, suddenly radiated silver, glass-like sword intent, breaking through all of the Tiangong disciple's immortal techniques like a beast breaking from its cage.
Behind him, his Dao Avatar now wore flowing white robes, ethereal and mysterious.
The sight left everyone stunned. He had grasped the Sword Immortal's True Intent!
Even in their clan, only the most elite geniuses ever grasped it—and those who did had a shot at becoming the next clan head.
"He actually awakened it… Sword Immortal True Intent?" the middle-aged man muttered, his expression shifting.
The others stood in awe, eyes filled with envy.
They had always held themselves above other great clans' geniuses. But the Sword Immortal's True Intent… That was something they truly envied.
On the platform, Gu Yan—once cornered—now counterattacked with full force. Merging with his sword, he pierced the Tiangong disciple's chest, ending the match.
"A breakthrough in battle? Incredible!"
"He turned it around?"
Gasps spread as the tables turned.
In the distance, Jianxin, dressed in white, narrowed his eyes. A hint of seriousness flickered there. He hadn't expected the boy sharing his bloodline to grasp the Sword Immortal's True Intent.
With that, Gu Yan had truly stepped into the realm of top-tier geniuses. Though still early in his path, he was destined to catch up in the future.
"Looks like your clan's birthed another prodigy," said Mingyue, the woman in green robes nearby.
Jianxin nodded slightly. It was true.
But he didn't care much.
To him, other prodigies were just those worthy of witnessing his sword.
His goal was supremacy—to surpass all, and become unmatched in his generation.