Regardless of whether it was the crowd on the ground, the ancestors of the various sects, or the elders of the Sword Holding Court, they were all paying attention to this competition.
Several Sword Holder Elders were sitting there and watching the competition.
They wanted to know who would become first in the ranking competition this time.
Although this wasn't a selection for the assessment and the ranking here didn't equal combat strength, the participants' results in the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar could still allow them to judge who had a stable soul and a firmer mind.
The better one's results were, the more they would be valued after becoming a Sword Holder. In fact, if an extremely outstanding person failed the final trial, there was still a chance to make an exception for them.
The observers knew this, and so did the participants.
To the disciples of the human forces who had arrived, the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar was actually a chance to display their abilities.
Now, on the eve of the Sword Holder's assessment, other than a few people, basically everyone had participated in the climb of the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar.
They had handed in their answer sheets.
However, there weren't many people who could reach a height of 10,000 feet in the end. Most of them were below 10,000 feet.
The difference between the two was obvious.
Those above 5,000 feet and below 10,000 feet were only ordinary. They could be considered to have passed.
The focus of the Sword Holding Court was on those outstanding people who reached and exceeded 10,000 feet.
At the same time, they also wanted to see if there was anyone who could surpass 20,000 feet or break the record of 27,000 feet.
"Interesting. This Xu Qing isn't bad. His current limelight and attention are a benchmark, making people want to suppress him."
"Qing Qiu should be able to reach 20,000 feet. This girl is not bad. If nothing unexpected happens, she should be able to pass the Sword Holder's trial. However, I see that she seems to have hostility toward Xu Qing. It's good if this hostility turns into competitive nature."
"There's also that youth from the small sect. This person's bloodline is a little interesting and he even shows signs of atavism. If he's stimulated by Xu Qing, he should be able to exceed 20,000 feet."
In the Sword Holding Court, a few Sword Holder Elders discussed light heartedly.
"There's even a freak mixed in. He insists on hiding his appearance as a middle-aged man. He has shifty eyes and there are too many messy things in his body. The first time I saw him, I thought he was a nonhuman and almost killed him."
"The Seven Blood Eyes' group is quite interesting this time around. They produced two good seedlings. That Xu Qing should have his own way to destroy resentful souls. In addition, after this kid fought with Li Ziliang, he was in the limelight and was praised by us. The others aren't convinced.
"Therefore, if he makes a move, the others will also make a move. This is why there is such an aggressive competition now. If this kid is used well, the competition this time will be even more intense."
"In addition, that Dao Child of the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect is also worth looking forward to."
The competition on the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar was intense.
More than ten figures sped forward.
Xu Qing wasn't ranked at the front. This was because what he pursued wasn't ranking but benefits. With every step he took, he absorbed all the resentment impact into his sea of consciousness.
As for the others, they quickly leaped up and tried their best to reduce the resentment they absorbed.
As such, Xu Qing's ranking naturally fell behind and he was surpassed by many.
The first to surpass him was the woman in red, Qing Qiu. Her eyes revealed coldness as she sped past. She would often jump over 100 feet in a single leap. To her, the impact of the resentment here didn't seem to matter at all.
Next was the youth from the small sect. This youth wasn't tall and his body was on the skinny side. His hair was disheveled but his eyes were bright and spirited. What was especially eye-catching was the nose ring on his nose.
This nose ring emitted a red light that gave off a peculiar feeling.
The cold woman from the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect, who had also exceeded 10,000 feet before, calmly leaped up. Her white Daoist robe undulated like a crane, carrying a holy beauty.
She also surpassed Xu Qing.
Before this, this woman didn't seem to be renowned even in the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect, so it was no wonder that outsiders didn't know of her. However, now, she was the person who had climbed the highest in the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect other than the Dao Child who had yet to try.
Other than her, there were no other cultivators in the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect who could climb 10,000 feet. Most of them reached around 8,000 to 9,000 feet.
Originally, Li Ziliang could have passed 10,000 feet, but he died prematurely.
However, as the number one faction in the Yinghuang Province other than the Sword Holding Court, the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect naturally had its own foundation. Among all the large factions, it had the most disciples at the height of 8,000 to 9,000 feet.
After that was the Litu Sect. The weakest was the Eight Sects Alliance.
Even after seeing one figure after another surpass him, Xu Qing's expression was calm. He continued moving forward step by step.
With every step he took, he would completely absorb the resentment impact, making it easier for them to form resentful souls in his sea of consciousness.
As the Ghost Emperor Mountain suppressed and destroyed them, these resentful souls collapsed one after another. As for the Ghost Emperor Mountain itself, it became more and more realistic, and so did its appearance.
Xu Qing could sense that after his Ghost Emperor Mountain absorbed the Nether Fairy's Dao blood and experienced this tempering, it was already worlds apart from the beginning.
He was even filled with anticipation when looking at the blurry image of the rod forming on its hands.
Hence, he walked even slower, trying to absorb more resentment. Not long later, Sima Ru's figure appeared behind him. She didn't even look at him and instantly surpassed him.
There were also a few other small sect cultivators who had previously reached 10,000 feet.
Among them was the pockmarked middle-aged man who had shocked everyone.
When he surpassed Xu Qing, he quickly glanced over with a smug expression.
As the number one person to reach the top recently, the attention he received wasn't inferior to Xu Qing's.
Xu Qing's gaze swept over and he transmitted his divine sense to the shadow. After receiving the shadow's affirmative reply, Xu Qing cast a deep glance at the back of the middle-aged man.
At that moment, as Xu Qing was continuously overtaken by many people, the crowd watching below gradually began to discuss. However, Xu Qing continued to advance steadily without any changes in his expression.
After destroying 19 resentful souls in his sea of consciousness, Xu Qing finally reached the height of 10,000 feet again.
Standing here, he sensed the reward intent emitted by the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar and was satisfied.
"I gained more this time than last time."
Xu Qing was very satisfied but the Sword Holding Court elders, who were paying attention to this unofficial competition, were a little dissatisfied.
"This Xu Qing is moving so slow. It seems he doesn't care that others have surpassed him. This won't do!"
"That's right. With his current reputation, if he doesn't participate properly, the others will feel less competitive. Right now, their climbing speed is too slow."
"Only through intense competition can the potential of these people be unleashed. Looks like we need to give them a heavy reward. Wasn't the record of 27,000 feet in the past achieved like this? Unfortunately, they didn't reach 30,000 feet."
"The Immortal Forbidden is about to be opened. It indeed requires more people with a tough mentality. In that case, there's no need to follow the rules. We can give them appropriate rewards!"
"Also, I'm also looking forward to seeing if a cultivator who can reach 30,000 feet will appear this time."
"30,000 feet. According to our research, the runes there are transformed from the only Divine Realm cultivator the Ghost Emperor killed in his life."
Very soon, just as Xu Qing was about to continue moving steadily, a dignified voice rang out from the Sword Holding Court on the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar.
"There'll be a time limit of six hours. Those who meet the requirements for the Sword Holder's assessment and climb the highest will be rewarded with a human race's emperor-level cultivation art inheritance comprehension once!"
As soon as these words were spoken, a monstrous uproar spread among the cultivators in the Absolute Beginning Separation City. Countless cries of surprise spread in all directions.
"Human race's emperor-level cultivation art!!"
"This reward is usually given to Sword Holders who have made contributions. It's an emperor-level cultivation art, especially one that belongs to the human race!"
"The emperor-level cultivation arts of the human race are all in the hands of the orthodox races. Most of the sects in the seven counties and a region have emperor-level cultivation arts that aren't limited to any race or are of other races. To us humans, cultivating the human race's emperor-level cultivation arts is the most beneficial and suitable. Moreover, there's a chance of awakening our bloodline talent!"
"This is a heavy reward that will intensify the competition!"
Amidst the commotion, the minds of everyone climbing on the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar trembled.
A strange glint appeared in Qing Qiu's eyes. The middle-aged man with the pockmarked face raised his brows. The breathing of the youth from the small sect was hurried. Most of the others were the same.
They weren't the only ones who were shocked. In the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect, Dao Child Zhang Siyun, who was meditating, slowly opened his bright eyes and stared at the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar.
Xu Qing also abruptly lifted his head.
He was also tempted by the human race's emperor-level cultivation art!
"If the time limit is six hours, I won't be able to advance slowly like before. I can destroy the resentful souls later. As for now… I want to snatch first place!"
After Xu Qing made his decision, he didn't hesitate at all. His body suddenly erupted with full speed. He stepped on the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar and whistled upward.
It wasn't just him. The others were the same. All of them unleashed their full speed.
In an instant, the competition for the rankings of the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar became extremely intense.
At that moment, there were seven people above Xu Qing.
Qing Qiu was first, the youth from the small sect was second, and the pockmarked middle-aged man who fought his way out like a dark horse was third.
The cold female cultivator from the Grand Affairs Immortal Sect was fourth, fifth was Sima Ru, and sixth was a youth from the Litu Sect. This person's entire body was enveloped by a black robe that emitted waves of coldness.
As for the seventh person, he was also a small sect cultivator. It was very strenuous for him to climb. Right now, he seemed to have reached his limit at a height of more than 13,000 feet.
No matter how unwilling he was, it was useless. In just over ten breaths of time, Xu Qing whistled over from behind. His speed was so fast that he directly caught up to him and surpassed him.
He became the seventh!
This wasn't the end. Xu Qing's target was clear. He ran wildly and the resentment impact transformed into a mournful sound in his soul, forming a soul shadow in his sea of consciousness. However, all of this could do nothing to him.
He ignored the mournful cry and destroyed the soul shadow, moving faster and faster.
Not only did this eruption attract the attention of the cultivators below, but it also shocked everyone before him. All of them gritted their teeth and sped forward.
This scene made the few Sword Holder Elders in the Sword Holding Court feel satisfied.
"That's more like it."
"You have to have such drive when young. Let's see who is first among them this time!"
