In the Great Desolate, many young masters from privileged families share a fatal flaw: they are all flash without substance.
Relying on their family's wealth and their own innate talent, they need not venture into danger nor struggle for survival. Consequently, few young masters can settle their minds to cultivate Supernatural Abilities diligently. They can't even be bothered to temper their Immortal weapons and treasures. Most merely practice some flashy but impractical Immortal arts to attract the attention of Immortal maidens.
Thus, while the Cultivation Level of most young masters might be high, their actual combat strength is often hollow and unsubstantial, lacking both tempered Immortal weapons and cultivated Supernatural Abilities.
Li Tianhua was no different.
He possessed both an innate-grade flying sword and Immortal armor, but he rarely tempered them. The flying sword and armor on his person were little more than ornaments. After over twenty years of cultivation, he had only practiced one Supernatural Ability Sword Art, and even that was done sporadically, barely grasping the surface.
However.
What set him apart from other young masters was this: although he hadn't tempered his Immortal armor or flying sword, nor cultivated any profound Sword Arts, the Golden Crow Li Family, seeing his decent aptitude, had specially forged a Fortune for him.
Can Fortune be forged?
Yes.
It can.
However, a forged Fortune cannot even be called an acquired Fortune. To be precise, it doesn't belong to the category of true Fortune at all; it can only be considered a False Creation.
Of course.
Even a False Creation possesses extraordinary power. Intimidating ordinary Immortals is absolutely no problem.
A true Fortune, whether innate or acquired, requires constant tempering. A False Creation, however, needs no tempering. You just need to throw money at it. The more money you pour in, the more powerful the False Creation becomes.
The False Creation forged by the Golden Crow Li Family for Li Tianhua was called the Golden Crow Firebird.
It was crafted from the Golden Crow essence of the Golden Crow Secret Realm, reportedly costing several hundred million Immortal Stones.
Once invoked, it could transform into a Golden Crow Firebird, its power extraordinary.
The crowd had thought that once Li Tianhua invoked this False Creation, the Golden Crow Firebird, he could defeat Qiānlíng, or at the very least suppress her.
Yet, to everyone's shock and horror, when Li Tianhua invoked the False Creation forged at a cost of several hundred million, transforming into the Golden Crow Firebird...
He was actually... shattered by three of Qiānlíng's Sword Art strikes.
Watching Li Tianhua plummet from mid-air, everyone present was dumbfounded.
Even if Li Tianhua's Fortune was a False Creation, it was still a False Creation forged with several hundred million Immortal Stones!
Even if he hadn't fully fused with the False Creation, surely it shouldn't have been shattered by just three of Qiānlíng's Sword Art strikes?
Before the crowd could recover from their profound shock, they witnessed another sight: the three Sixth Heaven Great Law Immortals joining forces to surround and attack Qiānlíng. Not only did they fail to gain the upper hand, they were instead beaten back step by step.
How was this possible?
These three Great Law Immortals were at the Sixth Heaven Cultivation Level, and they had cultivated for thousands of years. Their Immortal Energy was undoubtedly powerful, their Immortal power immensely profound. With millennia of cultivation, they could hold their own even against a Seventh Heaven Great Law Immortal.
Yet now, these three experts with thousands of years of cultivation were being pummeled by Qiānlíng to the point where they couldn't even fight back; even defending seemed difficult.
This was undeniably shocking, undeniably terrifying.
Just what Cultivation Level did Qiānlíng possess?
How was her strength so formidable?
Who knew?
No one knew.
To see through a person's cultivation realm,
one could either release their divine sense, probe into the other's body, and investigate their Immortal Energy.
However, no one dared to do this. No one dared to casually release their divine sense to probe another.
There was another method.
Judging based on the Supernatural Abilities the opponent employed.
Because unleashing any Supernatural Ability required the support of one's own Immortal Energy.
But the problem now was that the Sword Art Supernatural Abilities Qiānlíng used were simply too fast. Not only could the naked eye not catch them, even divine sense had difficulty tracking them, making detection impossible.
Besides that,
there was the most common, most direct method: wait for the opponent's Immortal power to erupt, or for the Immortal Energy within their body to operate at full capacity. Once the Immortal Energy operated at full force and the Immortal power burst forth completely, one glance would reveal their cultivation realm.
Yet after fighting for so long, Qiānlíng's Immortal Energy had never operated at full capacity. Others found it difficult to discern her cultivation level for the moment.
However.
What was most astonishing was that
Qiānlíng seemed to have cultivated many Supernatural Abilities, most of which were unheard of.
Like the Sword Art Supernatural Ability she was currently employing. Each move and stance was ever-changing, profoundly mysterious, like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—illusory and real, true and false interwoven. It was also like a blizzard of flying snow, impossible to withstand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Finally, the three Sixth Heaven experts who had cultivated for millennia each spat blood from their mouths and noses, defeated. "No wonder you are so arrogant. You truly have some skill. Let this Ding test just how capable you really are!"
Ding Da leaped into the air. The Immortal Energy within his body operated at full capacity. Radiant light enveloped his body, burning wildly like flames. Surging Immortal power erupted violently—powerful and fierce, condensed yet destructive. This was the power of the Ninth Heaven of the Great White, terrifying to the extreme.
Knowing Qiānlíng was no ordinary opponent, Ding Da immediately unleashed a killing move. He fiercely struck out with a palm, like a heavenly thunderbolt, its power shockingly formidable.
Opposite him,
Qiānlíng showed no fear. Her beautiful, clear face remained cold and icy. Not only did she not dodge or retreat, she swung both palms. Light swirled violently in her palms, transforming into a water mirror that met the attack head-on.
Boom!
The two exchanged a palm strike in mid-air!
Boom!
A second palm!
Boom!
A third palm!
A scene that shocked and horrified everyone unfolded: the two exchanged three consecutive palm strikes in mid-air.
The first palm caused Ding Da to grunt, his face turning deathly pale!
The second palm caused Ding Da to vomit blood, forcing him back uncontrollably.
The third palm caused Ding Da to bleed from all seven orifices, his entire body crashing violently to the ground.
Ding Da struggled to his feet, clutching his chest. With a retching sound, he vomited another mouthful of blood. At this moment, he was the picture of wretchedness. Even the Immortal armor on his body was cracked from the impact. He stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at Qiānlíng in mid-air, his gaze filled with terror. The hands behind his back trembled uncontrollably. Even the Ninth Heaven Great White Immortal power that had been burning like flames around his body now flickered faintly, becoming indistinct and wavering.
In mid-air,
Qiānlíng stood quietly.
Her right hand still held the Water-Cloud Sword shimmering with faint blue light.
And her body was now shimmering with golden light. This golden light was even more ferocious, more powerful, more condensed, and more destructive than the light that had surrounded Ding Da moments before.
Everyone could see.
This was the Immortal power of the Ninth Heaven of the Great White!
But unlike Ding Da's Ninth Heaven Great White, the golden light shimmering around Qiānlíng burned wildly like a layer of protective flame.
Those with broad knowledge recognized that this protective flame was none other than the Ninefold Great White Golden Aura!
In other words,
Qiānlíng's cultivation was not merely the Ninth Heaven of the Great White. She had also cultivated the Ninefold Great White Golden Aura!