Seeing the other party's entitled demeanor, Fang Xuan felt a surge of irritation. "This is the Azure Dragon Academy selection zone. Do you think you can just claim it as you please? This area is quite important to me as well. Why don't you step aside, brother?"

"You!" The young man was taken aback. Many people had approached Water Blue Peak in recent days, but upon hearing they were from the Immortal Sword Gang, all had wisely backed away. This was the first time he had met someone as aggressively stubborn as Fang Xuan.

Under normal circumstances, Fang Xuan might not have acted so tough. But having just broken through his cultivation, it was inevitable that he felt a bit overconfident.

"What, are you trying to make trouble for my Immortal Sword Gang?" A trace of anger flashed through the young man's eyes.

Looking at the youth before him-who was also at the Black Rank Seventh Grade-Fang Xuan was just about to snap back when Tang Yan pulled him away.

"So brother is from the Immortal Sword Gang. We had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, please do not take offense. We merely happened to be passing by and came to admire this mountain's unique shape. Since you have a use for it, we will naturally step aside and leave."

Although they did not know what medicine Tang Yan was selling from his gourd, the group trusted him deeply. With a cold snort, Fang Xuan and the others followed Tang Yan away.

"Consider yourselves smart!" Seeing Tang Yan's group retreat, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tang Yan, are we giving up on the heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure?" Lin Dongxue asked.

"I just sensed at least three experts nearby, far beyond what you and I can contend with. It's better to hide ourselves and figure out a plan once the treasure appears," Tang Yan said, waving his hand.

"Tang Yan is right. Clashing with others now would not be worth the loss," Wan Fei nodded in agreement.

"Then what should we do?" Du Shu scratched his head, completely exasperated.

"This place has been claimed by the Immortal Sword Sect. Why don't they just carve a ladder into the mountain peak? They've had plenty of days to do it, it would have been more than enough time," Du Shu asked curiously.

Tang Yan patiently explained, "There must be other powerful factions involved, making all sides too wary to make the first move. Furthermore, if a shortcut like a ladder existed, it would inevitably attract even more competitors who originally lacked the ability to reach the summit.

"They have likely prepared other methods to ascend."

"Other methods?" Hearing this, Du Shu clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Don't tell me they're going to fly up?"

"If these students come from major powers, they might very well carry Dharma Treasures that allow them to fly several hundred meters into the air without issue," Wan Fei said with concern. "Who knows if those people possess flying artifacts."

The group was greatly astonished. Although they came from distinguished backgrounds in the Eastern Region, they had never laid eyes on such Dharma Treasures.

Tang Yan kept his gaze fixed on Water Blue Peak. The only reliable item on his person was the Unblemished Sword. While its quality was quite good, the rock face of Water Blue Peak was made of Jade Mystic Rock. It was incredibly tough, making it difficult for weapons to leave even a mark.

Just as he was hesitating over how to scale the peak, his eyes suddenly swept over a massive tree not far away.

"I've got it. Wait here for a moment!" A thought stirred in Tang Yan's mind, and he dashed off into the distance. Once he estimated he was out of sight from the others, he found two massive trees and swung his Unblemished Sword, chopping down the towering trunks.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The heavy sword in his hand did not stop moving, swiftly carving out round wooden blocks that dropped into his grasp. After stowing all several hundred of these wooden disks into his Storage Ring, Tang Yan immediately hurried back.

"In a moment, I will go up to seek the heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure. You all retreat first. If I manage to snatch it, I will immediately flee this place, and we will reconvene using the Signal Flare as planned," Tang Yan solemnly instructed. "Under no circumstances should you try to help me. Use the chaos to slip away and avoid trouble."

Knowing they would be of no help to Tang Yan, the group all nodded.

Just as they were about to ask how he planned to ascend, Tang Yan's expression abruptly shifted, his gaze locking onto Water Blue Peak.

An overwhelmingly intense fluctuation of Spiritual Qi surged through heaven and earth, vast and majestic, converging from all directions.

Even Fang Xuan and the others, whose Mental Power was relatively weak, could feel the surrounding Spiritual Qi instantly grow rich and heavy.

And in that exact instant, Tang Yan's figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, tearing straight toward the mountain peak.

Fighting completely alone and free of burdens, Tang Yan held nothing back. Compared to the several hidden experts who were constantly second-guessing each other, Tang Yan actually made his move one step ahead of them all.

"Move!" Seeing a black silhouette streak forward before they did, three powerful auras suddenly erupted from three different directions, converging on Water Blue Peak in a triangular formation.

Many cultivators hiding in the shadows stared at Water Blue Peak with widened eyes. They had all gathered some intelligence regarding the heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure, and while they coveted it deeply, they possessed enough self-awareness to stay back.

The Immortal Sword Gang-the number one faction of the Eastern District!

Young Master Bai of Hetian City!

The cold beauty, Leng Ning!

These three forces-none of them were figures the onlookers could afford to provoke.

But there could only be a single heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure. Such a priceless item-into whose hands would it fall?

"Eh? Who is that person?" someone in the crowd exclaimed, pointing at the leading black figure.

"I don't know. Could it be some formidable hidden expert?"

"Isn't that the guy who defeated the leader of the Raging Wave Gang? He barely managed to beat Li Kuanglan at the Black Rank Eighth Grade, and now he wants to snatch a prize from a tiger's jaws right under the noses of three major powers?"

At this moment, the vast majority of gazes fell squarely upon Tang Yan. They all wanted to see what qualifications this young man possessed to contest for the heaven-and-earth spiritual treasure.

"Up!" Roaring in his heart, Tang Yan instantly hurled out dozens of wooden disks. They flew at varying heights, arranging themselves against the sheer cliff face like an ascending stairway.

"Rise!" With a low shout, Tang Yan kicked off the ground with explosive force. Pushing his Phantom Step to the absolute limit, he launched himself upward!

Just as his upward momentum began to wane, his foot found its mark-the lowest wooden disk. Tang Yan stomped down fiercely, and his body, which had already reached its vertical limit, sprang upward once more, landing with pinpoint precision on the second wooden block.

The third block, the fourth block...

As Tang Yan continued his rapid ascent, the entire crowd stared at the black silhouette, a collective cold sweat breaking out on their behalf.

For that figure rising ever higher into the sky, the slightest misjudgment in force would leave him with zero support, sending him plummeting back to the earth. If that happened, no one could say if his corpse would even remain intact.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, Tang Yan was risking his very life, putting on a breathtaking display of desperate treasure-seizing!

Soon, the crowd snapped out of their shock. The black-clad youth was moving with incredible speed-would the other three be able to catch up?

They watched as Yun Zhonghe, the leader of the Immortal Sword Gang, raised a Jade Umbrella in his hand. The canopy of the umbrella spun rapidly, miraculously carrying his body steadily upward into the air.

Young Master Bai wielded twin daggers. These daggers were clearly no Mortal Grade weapons; they were unparalleled in sharpness, effortlessly sinking right into the rock face. Relying on the twin blades, Young Master Bai scaled the cliff with the swift agility of an ape.

Compared to those two, the cold beauty Leng Ning's movements were far more elegant. Two White Silk Ribbons shot straight up the high rock wall like striking serpents, their ends adhering firmly to the stone as if pulled by a powerful magnetism. Leveraging the pull of the ribbons, Leng Ning swept gracefully toward the peak like a fairy taking flight.

All three were moving at terrifying speeds, but compared to Tang Yan-this madman gambling with his life-their pace was undoubtedly half a beat too slow.

In that instant, the hearts of every spectator hung high in their chests.

Could this guy really pull it off?

"He reached the top first!" someone screamed in shock.

The crowd locked their eyes on the peak. By now, Tang Yan's figure had already vaulted over the mountain's edge. With one final leap, he vanished completely from their sight.