Ch. 132 - Grand Completion Appears Incomplete

Dull Peak, just like its name, had no magnificent scenery, no majestic aura, no spiritual roots or immortal essence. There was nothing extraordinary about it.

It was plain to the point of desolation, like a patch of wilderness. Withered vines, ancient trees, cawing crows, and the blood-red setting sun painted a scene heavy with melancholy. It didn’t resemble the main peak of an immortal sect at all. Ruins and rubble covered Dull Peak. Wild weeds and thorny bushes were everywhere, and there was no visible mountain path.

In the sky, seven or eight figures flew past. All of them paused midair and then descended to the ground.

They were young disciples, all around twenty years old. Seeing that someone had come to this desolate, long-abandoned main peak seeking immortal fate left them surprised, prompting them to take a closer look.

“Greetings, Uncle Li.” The group, consisting of both male and female disciples, greeted the elderly man and then sized up Ye Fan and Ji Ziyue.

“Senior, what kind of test do we need to undergo?” Ye Fan asked what kind of trial awaited them.

The frail and thin elder, named Li Ruoyu, was the sole remaining disciple of Dull Peak. He shook his head and said, “There’s no need for a test. No one has come here in many years. If you insist on staying, you’ve passed.”

The nearby Supreme Mystery disciples all chuckled softly. They couldn’t understand why these two would choose a fallen main peak.

“I bet these two have terrible talent and weren’t accepted by the other main peaks. That’s why they came here for a test.”

“A bit clever, but useless. Once you pick this mountain, you can’t join any of the others.”

“Over the years, there’s always a few who think they’re smart, yet in the end, they all leave with their tails between their legs.”

The young disciples whispered mockingly. They were from the neighboring peak, one that was currently flourishing.

Ji Ziyue, her cheeks smeared like a painted kitten, only had bright, lively eyes that glanced at them, then turned to the elder.

“Elder Li, let’s do things by the book. Please administer the proper test.”

“There’s no need…” Li Ruoyu shook his head again.

“Uncle Li, if they want to prove themselves, let them try. Why not give them a chance?” one of the disciples suggested with a chuckle.

“Yes, maybe they do have immortal bones. Who knows, they might revive Dull Peak. Give them a shot.”

This was another sign of Dull Peak’s decline. At other, more powerful peaks, these disciples wouldn’t even dare to interrupt, let alone land without permission. But it also showed the elder had a good temper.

“Alright,” Li Ruoyu nodded. Shaky and aged, he stepped out of the ruined temple.

Atop Dull Peak, rubble lay everywhere; no building remained intact. In the middle was an open space with a staircase made of nine types of jade. Despite the passage of time, the jade steps still glimmered gently.

“So it’s the Nine-Step Heavenly Stair,” a female disciple said in surprise.

Li Ruoyu, as the sole elder of Dull Peak, spoke with emotion, “Five hundred years ago, every disciple of Supreme Mystery longed to ascend this Nine-Step Stair and become part of Dull Peak. It was once so glorious.”

“So it’s real. I’ve heard of it before but never thought it still existed here.”

“Now, the stair is nearly buried in dust. This place is deserted. That glory is long gone, who would want to climb it now?”

“This place has completely changed. It’s fallen into ruin.” The young disciples whispered, their tone filled with disdain.

“Back in the day, countless dazzling geniuses proudly climbed this stair…” Li Ruoyu sighed.

“Uncle Li, you can’t keep clinging to the past,” the disciples chuckled dismissively.

“So the test is just climbing these nine jade steps?” Ji Ziyue was curious. It didn’t seem like much of a trial.

“Yes. Give it a try,” Li Ruoyu nodded. “Let’s see if the future genius of Dull Peak can pass the test.”

“Make sure you don’t trip on the first step,” the disciples mocked again.

Ji Ziyue paid them no mind. Graceful as a butterfly, she stepped onto the Nine-Step Stair.

Each step was built from a different type of ancient jade, each of a different color, not radiant, but faintly glowing.

As Ji Ziyue stepped onto the first green jade step, it shimmered gently, she passed with ease. When she stepped onto the second, a rosy hue appeared, bringing some pressure, and her brows furrowed. With the third, a blue light sparkled, crystal-clear, but her steps began to feel heavy.

Fourth step… fifth… by the seventh, her steps became extremely difficult, her whole body was drenched in sweat.

Unknown to her, by the time she reached the third step, Li Ruoyu’s expression had already changed. By the seventh, he was utterly stunned.

Boom!

She stepped onto the eighth, the purple jade gleaming beneath her feet. It felt like the weight of the sky pressed down upon her, she could barely breathe.

Boom!

She stepped onto the ninth. At once, celestial music played, five-colored light surged, and seven-colored divine rays danced in the air.

She had ascended all nine steps, and strange phenomena erupted from Dull Peak.

“This…” Li Ruoyu trembled. He could hardly believe his eyes. “I’ve heard that just reaching the seventh step marked a rare genius. I don’t even know if anyone’s ever reached the ninth…”

The disciples nearby were stunned. No one expected a peerless genius to appear on this fallen peak.

Realizing what had happened, Ji Ziyue regretted it instantly. She hadn’t meant to show off. She muttered to herself, “Crap… I wasn’t trying to stand out, now what?”

“She’s more talented than the great geniuses of the past?”

“Maybe the stair is damaged after all these years, that’s why she passed all nine steps.”

Just then, a green beam of light flew in from the neighboring peak. A middle-aged man, around forty or fifty, descended and saluted Li Ruoyu. “Greetings, Senior Brother Li.”

“Greetings, Uncle Master,” the younger disciples greeted.

“I saw a strange flash from Dull Peak and came to investigate. What happened?” he asked.

The disciples quickly explained what had just occurred.

“What?!” The man was stunned.

Then, seven or eight more figures descended, white-haired elders from Star Peak.

Upon learning the situation, they were equally shocked. They pulled Li Ruoyu aside, clearly hesitant to speak.

Even the younger disciples could guess their intentions, they wanted to poach Ji Ziyue for Star Peak.

“I understand,” Li Ruoyu sighed. “Dull Peak has fallen. Keeping such a prodigy here would only delay her growth. If she’s willing, you may take her.”

The elders bowed to him with gratitude, a bit ashamed at how they were snatching disciples.

In a flash, Ji Ziyue was surrounded by Star Peak elders, smiling at her like she was a rare treasure, nodding approvingly.

“Hey hey, white-bearded grandpas, could you not smile like that? You look like big bad wolves,” Ji Ziyue muttered.

The elders chuckled and praised her endlessly, telling her of Star Peak’s glory and directly inviting her to become their disciple.

“I only want to join Dull Peak. I’m not interested in the other peaks.”

“Dull Peak has no legacy left, while Star Peak is one of the top three among all 108.”

“I really don’t care about Star Peak.”

The young disciples were dumbfounded. Who dared reject the elders of Star Peak? It was almost unbelievable.

“You must be after that secret technique, but its inheritance has long since vanished, you won’t find it here,” the elders reasoned gently.

“If you join Dull Peak, you can’t switch. But if you join another peak, you can always come back later.”

“Exactly. Join us first. If Dull Peak's legacy returns, you can come back.”

The younger disciples were uncomfortable. They never imagined Star Peak’s elders would lower themselves this much to recruit someone. It made their own efforts seem insignificant.

“Let me think…” Ji Ziyue didn’t mean to draw attention. Her bright eyes sparkled as she said, “Fine, I’ll join Star Peak, but don’t let them talk nonsense.” She pointed at the mocking disciples.

“Don’t worry,” the elders assured her with smiles.

Ji Ziyue knew the Supreme Mystery Sect, as a superpower, would investigate all new disciples. She wasn’t worried. Even if they found out who she was, they’d likely overlook it, or even try to build ties with her clan.

In the end, Ji Ziyue discreetly joined Star Peak and officially became one of their disciples.

“There’s still one more, let’s see his aptitude,” someone said, turning attention to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan had completely sealed his Bitter Sea, firm as divine iron, with no trace of fluctuation. He didn’t want to expose his true nature.

“He walks like a dragon, steps like a tiger, his roots must be good…”

But before the words finished, Ye Fan stepped onto the first jade stair, flash!, green light erupted and he was thrown backward several meters.

“He didn’t even pass the first step?!”

“This aptitude…”

Everyone fell silent, unsure how to respond.

“Fellow disciples, let’s show mercy and accept him into Star Peak too,” Li Ruoyu pleaded.

The elders of Star Peak hesitated but finally nodded. They had already taken one genius, they owed Li Ruoyu this.

“Thank you for the offer, elders, but I don’t wish to join Star Peak. I want to stay here,” Ye Fan replied with a bow.

The elders were stunned. What was happening today? Since when did Dull Peak become so attractive?

Rejection from a genius they could understand, but this boy with mediocre aptitude too?

The younger disciples were nearly livid. They had struggled through countless tests to join Star Peak, and now people were casually brushing it off?

Ji Ziyue blinked her mischievous eyes and smiled. “Good. This is the place we really want anyway.” It was the secret art that truly interested them.

Eventually, the Star Peak elders left on divine rainbows. Peace returned to Dull Peak, leaving only Ye Fan and Li Ruoyu.

Night fell. In the distance, starlight poured like water. Star Peak looked ethereal, bathed in endless light.

Ye Fan was amazed. Star Peak seemed to stir the stars themselves, gathering their brilliance like a celestial realm.

Li Ruoyu stood at the peak and said, “That is Star Peak’s legacy. Drawing on starlight as source energy, the most advanced cultivators can even absorb starlight into their bodies, creating supreme immortal physiques, invincible in battle.”

“I believe Dull Peak is no less than Star Peak. It will rise again,” Ye Fan said confidently. He was interested in starlight, but the secret art of Dull Peak mattered more.

“Five hundred years ago, Dull Peak was veiled in immortal mist, radiant and divine, with celestial towers in the clouds. It was a realm of heroes. Sadly, it declined…”

“What does it take to revive the legacy? That stair, ” Ye Fan suspected the Nine-Step Stair held the key.

Li Ruoyu shook his head. “The entire main peak is the scripture. The inheritance isn’t in the stair. Only when Dull Peak erupts in light and immortal energy returns will the legacy reappear.”

“Does it really have to be that way?” Ye Fan wasn’t convinced.

“In ten thousand years, only one exception occurred. A predecessor once obtained the secret technique even before the legacy reappeared. He became as powerful as the ancient overlords,” Li Ruoyu sighed.

“How did he get it?” Ye Fan’s eyes lit up.

“No one knows. On his deathbed, he only spoke twelve words.”

“What twelve words?”

“Grand completion appears incomplete. Grand fullness seems empty. Grand skill looks clumsy…”

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