「Meanwhile.」

Xiao Ling'er responded with exceptional deftness! She produced a cage of light gauze, just enough to block Lu Ming's purple thunderbolt wave, then quickly activated a Grade III talisman. The light gauze was shredded into rags by the thunder and electrical light. She narrowly dodged Shen Mo's Shangqing Sword Qi, appearing on a stone step three levels lower than his.

"Brother Shen, hold on!" Xiao Ling'er glanced at Gao Xiaofeng's tragic state, her heart utterly shocked. Such tactics—even Meng Sanchi would likely have to steer clear of him! After rapidly weighing her options, she immediately adjusted her strategy. "If Brother Shen can show mercy, I am willing to join forces with you two and help your Riverside Sect take the top position."

Lu Ming was still marveling at Shen Mo's sword Qi. Hearing Xiao Ling'er's words, he felt somewhat tempted. He was different from Shen Mo. Having had a massive amount of Stars Peak's resources invested in him, the pressure was naturally immense. If he could secure the top position for his sect more easily, he would naturally be pleased.

"No need. Safe travels, Miss Xiao." As soon as Shen Mo finished speaking, a streak of sword Qi shot out. Before Xiao Ling'er's resentful and unwilling eyes, she was struck down, falling more than ten steps below.

"Ah! Junior Brother Shen..." Lu Ming wanted to persuade him, but it was too late to speak. He could only close his mouth in frustration.

"Senior Brother Lu, do you genuinely trust Xiao Ling'er's promise?" Shen Mo walked over to Gao Xiaofeng, who was struggling to his feet, grabbed him by the neck, and hurled him straight down the mountain. The Heaven Sword Sect disciple's face flushed red as he prepared to fight desperately. However, Shen Mo restrained his body. Then, using Purple Knack Spiritual Qi, Shen Mo dispersed the Mana Gao Xiaofeng was gathering to cast his magic. Thus, he struggled in vain before being thrown down the Tianshan Mountain stone stairs. Only a scream was left hanging in mid-air, echoing endlessly through the mountains. Seeing this, Lu Ming's mouth twitched slightly.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally sighed. "I also know that Miss Xiao, to fight for her sect's interests, probably wouldn't care too much about personal honor or disgrace."

Shen Mo nodded with a faint smile. It wasn't that he deliberately made things difficult for Xiao Ling'er; such was the nature of the Tianshan Mountain contest. If he had been soft-hearted and let Xiao Ling'er go, taking her up the mountain to compete with Meng Sanchi and the others, what then? If they gained the upper hand, all would be well. But if they fell into a disadvantageous position, she would surely betray her promise—just as Gao Xiaofeng had betrayed his—reneging on her current pledge. Even worse, she might assist others in dealing with him and Lu Ming. They could win on their own; taking Xiao Ling'er along would only make the victory slightly easier. However, if the final situation was evenly matched, or if they were at a slight disadvantage, bringing Xiao Ling'er would only add uncertainty! Given this, why risk bringing along such an unstable factor?

Lu Ming put away the Heavenly Thunder Flag and swallowed an Elixir, his expression somewhat gloomy. Miss Xiao, Gao Xiaofeng, and I have been fighting here for quite a while. I'm afraid Meng Sanchi and the other two have already surpassed us by more than a hundred steps! He considered himself no weaker than Meng Sanchi, Li Chen, and Yang Chi, yet now he had been left so far behind. Moreover, his Mana had been depleted by his fight with Xiao Ling'er and Gao Xiaofeng. The time to climb Tianshan Mountain was not unlimited. Typically, the limit was twelve Shichen—one full day and night. This delay meant that if he tried to catch up to the other three, his internal Mana would be drastically depleted. Even if he did overtake them, he would likely have trouble competing!

"If you have the energy to spare, you can go on ahead," Lu Ming said. "Wait for me to recover a bit, then I'll catch up. If you can't beat Meng Sanchi and the others, you can wait for me to join you, and then we'll face them together."

Shen Mo nodded lightly and stepped past Lu Ming. He didn't think Lu Ming harbored ill intentions, like wanting him to go ahead and wear down the other three. After the fierce battle with Xiao Ling'er and Gao Xiaofeng, Lu Ming's condition truly wasn't optimal.

"I'll wait for you at the top!" Shen Mo said encouragingly, then continued his ascent.

At this point, he had reached the fourth position. Ahead of him were only Meng Sanchi of the Heaven Sword Sect, Li Chen of the Ghost Corpse School, and Yang Chi of the Seven Stars Altar. If he only reached this point, the Riverside Sect would merely rank fourth in this grand ceremony. While not a failure, it couldn't be considered a meritorious achievement either. Shen Mo was naturally not satisfied with this! Moreover, he still needed to use the Tianshan Sword Qi to temper his cultivation, vitality, and Proficiency in Swordsmanship.

「Several Shichen later.」

CREAK! CREAK!

Shen Mo's body, like an overburdened old building, emitted a series of groans. However, he seemed oblivious, relying solely on his robust vitality to advance step by step, tier by tier, climbing ever higher.

Strange! I've passed the four hundredth step. Why haven't I seen Li Chen and the others yet? Unless, after pulling far ahead of everyone else, they haven't fought at all. Otherwise, reaching over four hundred steps in just five Shichen is already quite an accomplishment. It seems they've reached a tacit understanding to postpone their battles until the very end, giving no one else an opportunity to take advantage.

If that's true, then Gao Xiaofeng most likely deceived Xiao Ling'er! If Meng Sanchi and the others haven't fought along the way, they could maintain their peak condition and climb to the highest step they can endure. Even if Xiao Ling'er hadn't depleted her strength, catching up to them wouldn't be easy. Not to mention, after exhausting herself against Lu Ming, she's no longer at her peak. She can no longer climb high enough to even glimpse their backs! Thus, with almost no effort, they had effectively sidelined the participating disciples from the Profound Moon School and the Riverside Sect.

Shen Mo couldn't help but sigh internally. These new geniuses from the immortal sects are truly no pushovers! I'll just keep climbing. They can't possibly reach the summit at the Qi Gathering Realm, can they!

Shen Mo began to circulate the Purple Mansion Heart Scripture. He continuously absorbed Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth, transforming it into Purple Knack Mana that flowed into his Ocean of Qi Dantian. And his climbing speed suddenly increased dramatically!

Generally, when other immortal sect disciples climbed Tianshan Mountain, they were fastest in the early stages. As the pressure from the sword Qi intensified, their speed would gradually decrease. However, the history of this grand ceremony wasn't without cases like Shen Mo's—initially slow, then suddenly bursting with energy later. Unfortunately, their outcomes were usually not good. Either they would be overwhelmed by the sword Qi's pressure, suffering a massive loss of strength, or they would exhaust too much Mana and mental energy, be defeated by other participating disciples, and become unable to advance even half a step!

Therefore, when the Spirit Sea Realm experts from the Riverside Sect, watching from the floating stone platform, saw Shen Mo's speed increase, their expressions turned grim.

"It seems Peak Master Zhou hasn't thoroughly instructed his disciple!" an Elder from the Seven Stars Altar couldn't help but remark with a chuckle. Representatives from the Heaven Sword Sect and Ghost Corpse School chimed in. After all, in their opinion, the top rank on Tianshan Mountain could only go to Meng Sanchi, Li Chen, or Yang Chi. As for Shen Mo, with such a reckless display of effort, even if he caught up to Meng Sanchi and the others, he surely wouldn't be a match for any of them.

Although Peak Master Zhou Shili remained silent, a pang of regret struck him. Who could have guessed this kid, so quietly, would actually make it this far? If I had given him a bit more guidance earlier, he might genuinely have had a shot at winning the Tianshan Mountain Grand Ceremony. What a pity, such recklessness... I'm afraid he won't stand a chance against Meng Sanchi and the others now!

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