Forge your destiny into a sword, slash your soul and ascend to immortality

Chapter 321 The Eleventh Pillar: The New Goalkeeper
For the Iron Turtle [Mysterious Armor], every death is the beginning of the next karmic retribution.

When he was killed again, losing a great star, 100,000 stars lit up one after another, creating a huge surge of magical power.

The terrifying fluctuations of [Dao Power], like breathing, were condensed into a single mass and then reflected outwards.

A sword light, even more powerful than before, slashed towards Jing Qian.

Jing Qian faced death with equanimity, feeling as if he had won the lottery this time.

He had already made preparations, waiting only for rebirth after death to usher in a brand new version of the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation].

[Xuanjia] rebounded against Jingqian, and Jingqian rebounded against him again, just like a large sheet of paper being folded repeatedly, becoming thicker and thicker.

Each time it goes back and forth, the [Mysterious Armor] will lose a precious star and consume a large amount of [Dao Power].

Even though the sword light he emitted grew stronger and stronger, he could never kill the swordsman opposite him.

Jing Qian's [Time Sequence Refresh] has an extremely low cost, far surpassing that of [Xuanjia].

He treated the opponent as a powerful NPC who could add skill points, focusing solely on grinding and ignoring everything else.

Every time he clashed with the [Mysterious Armor], even if it only slightly enhanced the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation], he considered it worthwhile.

By accumulating experience gradually, you'll eventually reach the maximum level of your ultimate skill and usher in a new qualitative leap.

Playing ranked matches is indeed addictive, and Jingqian was having a lot of fun!
For him, the cost was borne by the enemy, the process was incredibly engaging and fun, and he simply couldn't stop playing.

Normally, to further enhance the power of the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation], one would either need to forge new [Spiritual Treasure] sword pellets to enrich the formation.

It's possible that forging a single [Slaying Immortal Sword Pill] would have completely depleted the accumulation of the [Sumeru] dimension over many years.

In the short term, it needs to settle down and consolidate further before it can continue to evolve into a [Primordial Spiritual Treasure].

Therefore, the [Heavenly Rank] and the [Mysterious Armor] became his only hope.

Within the [Heavenly Ranks], the [Mysterious Armor] holds a very special position.

He is the tenth among the pillars of the Heavenly Ladder.

The so-called "pillar" is a special "honorary title" earned by members of the "Heavenly Rank" through real combat trials, and it has extremely high value.

It represents the highest combat power rating among the "Three Powers and Four Concealments" in the entire void world.

Each of these pillars, taken individually, is invincible among their peers, a rebellious force against the heavens, and a bloodthirsty individual.

Perhaps in other worlds, there are also geniuses skilled in combat who, by chance, accumulate extremely high combat power.

Without the assistance from the [Celestial Ladder], it's almost impossible to compare with the [Pillar].

Throughout the long history of the [Stairway to Heaven], the number of [Pillars] has always been small, with the current number being the most.

【Dayuan】has the foundation of five saints, but during its existence, only a few people have emerged from it, and only 【Xuanyuan】 has won the title of 【Pillar】.

This clearly demonstrates how rare it is!

In fact, there is no limit to the number of pillars.

As long as the combat strength meets the standard, the more [pillars] the better.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Ladder was already a Totem-level Innate Spiritual Treasure. It searched the myriad realms and plundered skilled warriors everywhere, but it still couldn't gather the eleventh pillar.

The only way to seize the title of "Pillar" is to defeat a "Pillar".

Among the Ten Pillars of the Heavenly Ladder, Xuanjia has always served as the gatekeeper of the pillars.

Since becoming a "Pillar," he has used his powerful star array to block wave after wave of new "Heavenly Rank" members who intended to seize the title of "Pillar."

Regardless of the opponent's cultivation level or lineage, they never posed any challenge to him.

Only the swordsman in front of him remained a formidable opponent.

For [Xuanjia], even if he could be resurrected, being killed face-to-face would be a great humiliation.

After he reached the [Star Picking] rank and his accumulated star array officially broke through one thousand stars, he accomplished the feat of single-handedly killing a first-rank being with a single punch.

He rarely gets caught up in the current situation.

In his calculations, this was the thirty-fifth time he had been killed by Jing Qian.

Even so, with 100,000 lives remaining, the Xuanjia is absolutely invincible.

But he had already realized that the other party was clearly using him to refine their sword.

The enhancement brought by his [Star Destroyer] technique was entirely condensed into the sword light by the opponent.

After being enhanced thirty-five times, the power of the opponent's sword light more than doubled!
His renowned, almost unsolvable causal iron turtle counterattack system was used as a whetstone for the first time, and the other party was actually enjoying it.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt cheated. He was filled with resentment and had nowhere to vent it, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

By this time, [Xuanjia] had come to realize that it was almost impossible for the two of them to determine a winner in their battle.

However, if the battle continues, it will be meaningless for him to improve his strength.

On the contrary, the opposing team became stronger and more proactive as the game progressed.

"There's no need to continue like this!"

[Xuanjia] The massive star array roared with power, and the tide of magic brought about by the thirty-sixth death and rebirth surged once again.

But this time, unlike before, he did not turn the terrifying power he had gathered into sword light and reflect it back.

Instead, it absorbed it into its own star array and nurtured it.

Jing Qian was preparing to "happily face death" again, to experience the thrill of the strengthened sword formation, when he saw this and couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh," his expectant smile fading slightly, and his eyes revealing a look of inquiry.

"No more rebounding? The iron turtle has finally decided to retract its head back into its shell?"

Suddenly, the [Black Armor] spoke:
"Young man, you must be from the Great Abyss, right?"

"Could Xuanyuan, one of the Three Pillars, be your elder?"

Don't think you can really beat me.

“You cultivators of the Great Abyss, having received the great favor of the Time Order, can easily manipulate time.”

"This gives you a unique fighting style and inflated combat power."

"Once you leave the Great Abyss and come to my territory, away from the protection of Time, let's see if you can withstand one of my punches."

Jing Qian did not refute, but only analyzed what the other party said.

Is Xuanyuan Daozu the third pillar of the Heavenly Rank?
Reaching third place on the ladder is truly impressive.

It's just unknown what the backgrounds of the two people who are even stronger than him are.

As for the great favor of "Time Sequence" mentioned by "Xuanjia", Jingqian did not refute it.

He has already made contact with the two major forces, the powerful and the hidden, namely the "Imagination Society" and "Yejia".

I have gained a deep understanding of the cultivation traditions of other worlds.

He had to admit that the cultivators in the Great Abyss had an exceptionally favorable opportunity to cultivate the power of the Great Dao of Time.

Within the Great Abyss, even cultivators of the lowest rank can attain immortality.

This alone is enough to make countless people envious!
Once outside the Great Abyss, cultivators who wish to achieve immortality must at least reach the Star-Picking Realm, connecting their existence with the celestial stars and sharing their lifespan with them.

Even if each promotion is calculated at a ratio of ten to one, there is a full four-level difference between [Longevity] and [Star-Picking]! In other words, there are tens of thousands of times more immortal beings in the [Great Abyss] than in other realms.

This gap did not narrow even at the upper three ranks.

As a result, the first-rank realms within the Great Abyss are named according to their temporal sequence.

Both are cases of death and resurrection, but Jing Qian only needs to consume [Dao Power] to complete the refresh by utilizing the pre-anchored time node.

However, for Xuanjia, a transcendent being, each resurrection requires the consumption of a priceless star.

The difference is huge!

This convenience of the Great Dao of Time, derived from the [Sage of Time], will greatly diminish after the cultivator leaves the [Great Abyss].

As a result, it is impossible to utilize the power of time at a low cost.

However, given the actual situation in [The Abyss], only the big boss of [The Other Shore] will be able to leave [The Abyss]. At that time, there will be no need to worry about these details.

For Jing Qian, his arrival at the [Heavenly Staircase] and his simulated battle against the [Mysterious Armor] already demonstrated his extremely strong cultivation of the Great Dao of Time.

In Xuanjia's eyes, Jing Qian was still fighting with the blessing of Shixu Zunsheng.

It seems that [Xuanjia] is not very satisfied with the outcome of this battle.

In reality, Jing Qian is different from all other cultivators of the Great Abyss!
All of his [Time Sequence] power was refined using the [Divine Register Conversion Card], transforming into the purest true meaning of the Great Dao of Time before it was fully absorbed.

[Xuanjia] Chun Chun misunderstood him!

Even if Jing Qian personally went to [Night Jade], descended upon [Gray Mist City], and stood in front of [Black Armor], he would still shatter the opponent's iron turtle shell in the same way!

He didn't explain much, but this didn't affect Jing Qian's understanding of his own true combat strength.

[Xuanjia] also said:
"If we take into account the power of the [Time-Sequence Saint], you can be considered to have the strength of a [Pillar].

"In that case, I'll let you pass!"

"Once I report to the Heavenly Ladder, if it approves, you will become the eleventh pillar of my Ascension Stairway."

"At that time, the three powers and the four recluses will all sing your praises!"

Having said that, [Xuanjia] silently disappeared.

Immediately, the surrounding starry sky completely collapsed, and Jing Qian returned to the celestial ladder.

At this moment, he has already stood on the first step, completing the most crucial breakthrough for every member of the [Ascending Heaven Rank].

For cultivators who can complete five placement matches, utilizing the divine power of the [Heavenly Rank] to continuously improve their cultivation and combat strength is an inevitable task.

However, the threshold for advancement in the ladder is too high. That guy [Xuanjia] has shattered the dreams of countless young people who aspire to become professional players.

Now that Jing Qian has completed his promotion, his role has been reversed with that of [Xuanjia].

From now on, this newly promoted "Eleven Pillars" will be the new gatekeeper of the "Heavenly Path"!

He stood on the steps, silently receiving the various messages from the [Heavenly Ladder], and for a moment he was deeply immersed in them.

This time it's really going to be a big hit!

……

[Xuanjia] left the battlefield and silently returned to his cave in [Gray Mist City].

He sat silently for a while, digesting the lessons learned from the great battle.

But he couldn't help himself and burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha!"

"I'm finally free!"

"I'm going to sleep for a thousand years!"

[Pillar] is definitely a great job!

It's no exaggeration to say that it has both substance and prestige.

However, the last-ranked "pillar" is a completely different story!

[Xuanjia] also serves as the goalkeeper for [Zhuzhu].

All cultivators who join the [Ascending Heaven Rank] must undergo his practical test in order to pursue the [Pillar] position.

For him, this is a marathon with no peace, a never-ending battle!

Even though the [Xuanjia] is extremely powerful, it has never been defeated in tens of thousands of years.

The long, seemingly endless solo queue sessions had truly exhausted him.

That's why, when Jing Qian appeared and they were evenly matched, he quit without hesitation.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Ladder Spirit Treasure was magnanimous and let him off the hook, allowing Jing Qian to pass with a draw.

Otherwise, he would be trapped in an endless series of challenges that he could not refuse.

Now, he is finally free!

[Xuanjia] pulled out several jars of immortal wine from somewhere and started drinking them while laughing.

His joy was palpable!

……

A new pillar has appeared on the Heavenly Staircase!
This was a major event that was extremely secretive, yet extremely important, and spread very quickly.

Those who need to know will soon find out.

Those who don't know will never know.

The first to react to this news were the people within [Ascending Heaven's Ladder].

Aside from the top-ranking "pillars," they probably won't have much of an emotional response to Jing Qian's appearance.

But it's completely different for everyone else!

These members of the [Ascending Heaven Rank] are not numerous; their numbers do not exceed one hundred.

Besides their formidable combat prowess, they also share the common trait of being defeated by the [Xuanjia] forces.

Each member has challenged the [Mysterious Armor] dozens or even hundreds of times.

And for those with a large number, it's quite exaggerated!
A few stubborn lunatics have challenged the [Mysterious Armor] over a million times!
For some cultivators, eating, sleeping, and fighting with the [Mysterious Armor] are the most important daily routines.

Once you get into the habit, playing a few games before bed, even a five-game losing streak on the ladder, will make you feel great and improve your sleep quality.

Occasionally, when I'm busy with other things and miss a few days of solo queue, I immediately feel itchy all over, like ants crawling all over me, and I have to find a chance to make up for it.

However, over time, many people temporarily give up the pursuit of a "pillar" and instead begin to hone their own abilities.

However, when the new DLC is released and the final boss is changed, all the players who have been AFK will undoubtedly rush back to log in and start playing immediately.

After all, being unable to defeat [Xuanjia] might be due to a style clash; what if a new character could help them clear the game?

Everyone's expectations for promotion to [Pillar] have been rekindled!

And Jing Qian had to bear all of this overwhelming enthusiasm!
(End of this chapter)