Chapter 59: One Man Ascends to the Summit—Just How Profound Is His Insight?

Dean Zheng could no longer maintain his composure.
Shock was written plain across his face.
Not only was the newcomer powerful, but his insight surpassed even those of the Northern Emperor and the Ice Fairy?
“Dean Zheng, is this the Mr. Lu you invited? His reputation is truly well deserved.”
“Indeed. He walked straight past the thirtieth level—his comprehension is extraordinary.”
“It seems this time, Dean Zheng is about to achieve something remarkable.”
The other deans, witnessing the scene, were equally astonished.
They had assumed Lu Yuan’s strength stemmed from some formidable bloodline or perhaps the consumption of a rare spiritual fruit.
His insight might be decent, but surely not much greater than that of the Northern Emperor or the Ice Fairy. Now, it was clear that assumption was wrong.
Thirty levels—until now, all the branches of the Sundan Academy combined had only reached that height, and that was thanks to veteran Daoists invited out of courtesy for the authorities.
Now, someone had achieved this directly, and naturally, it surprised everyone.
Moreover, Lu Yuan had been personally invited by Dean Zheng and seemed poised to comprehend the inheritance above the thirtieth sword monument.
If he were to reveal his insights, those in power would surely be pleased; for the official hierarchy behind them, this was no less than a major contribution.
Dean Zheng gave an awkward laugh at the comments.
He dared not reveal his earlier promise, fearing the others would lose their minds if they knew.
He prayed silently, begging Lu Yuan not to go any higher, hoping he would fall short of Chunyang and Huikong.
Such an outcome would be easier to accept and simpler to explain later.
But of course, his hopes were doomed.
At this moment, all eyes rested on Lu Yuan.
There was no helping it, for his performance was simply astonishing.
He had taken barely any time to surpass the thirtieth level, and his pace remained swift.
Save for those already deep in their own comprehension, everyone watched him.
The Northern Emperor, the Ice Fairy, and the Asura were no exception.
They temporarily set aside their study of the sword monument’s inheritance, eager to see how far Lu Yuan might go.
After all, they were all among the Five Supremes; a sense of rivalry was only natural.
Meanwhile, the Young Celestial Master of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Chunyang, and the monk Huikong from Jiuhua Mountain stood together on the thirty-eighth level, their faces pale.
Despite their talent and insight, the mountain’s mysterious power was beginning to overwhelm them.
Nevertheless, neither chose to stop.
One was Daoist, the other Buddhist; now, each represented their tradition.
“Buddha be praised, you should be able to ascend a bit further?” Huikong finally asked, hands pressed together.
In truth, he was at his limit. Even if he could go on, he would have little strength left to comprehend the inheritance.
“Yes, perhaps two more levels,” Chunyang replied honestly. “Forty is my limit.”
He was frank, admitting his boundary.
“So it seems,” Huikong said, gazing upward at the many sword monuments above. He felt a tinge of regret.
He had hoped they would climb higher, scaling new heights, but now it was clear they had been too confident.
“Yes, after all, Ancient Shu Mountain is famed for sword immortals,” Chunyang nodded. “For us to reach this far is already remarkable.”
Compared to the others, their insight was indeed exceptional.
Insight, though less important than bloodline in the early stages of mutation, could help them chart the path ahead; breathing techniques, meditation methods, even divine powers were at the heart of the awakened.
They exchanged glances, each admiring the other and offering modest praise.
“I doubt anyone will reach above the fortieth level anytime soon,” Chunyang declared, confident in their comprehension.
Huikong smiled, “Buddha be praised, it is truly difficult to travel so far. Look behind us—”
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a figure rapidly approaching.
In an instant, the newcomer overtook them, stepping onto the fortieth level.
Huikong was stunned.
It was the Human Emperor, one of the Five Supremes.
Chunyang was equally dumbfounded.
Moments ago, they had exchanged modest words, confident in their insight.
Yet in the blink of an eye, they had been surpassed?
“Master Huikong, what were you about to say?” Chunyang asked, regaining his composure.
“I—I was about to stop and comprehend the sword monument,” Huikong replied, changing his tune and sitting before the thirty-eighth monument. As a monk, he felt his face flush with embarrassment.
Too awkward.
Too humiliating.
Fortunately, the audience was not large.
Huikong felt so stunned he could barely look upward.
“Yes, I’ll wait two more levels myself,” Chunyang muttered, forgetting their earlier conversation entirely.
Despite being outsiders, soon enough—
He raised his head to glance upward, only to—

Suddenly discover that Lu Yuan had already passed several levels, reaching the fiftieth.
He could only stare.
Chunyang had nothing left to say.
He lowered his head and moved on at a slow pace.
As for Lu Yuan, he heard their exchange but said nothing.
Had he not come, the two would indeed have been the most outstanding in this round of sword monument inheritance—none could climb farther than they.
A pity, indeed.
He didn’t dwell on it, but continued upward.
The closer he came to the summit, the more sword monuments he passed, and the stronger the mysterious force became.
Even Lu Yuan began to feel its pressure, but as the tiny figure representing the God of Wisdom sat cross-legged in his mind, all discomfort vanished, leaving him as relaxed as when he first stepped onto the stairs.
He paid no mind to how many monuments he had passed, for in his eyes—
There was but one goal:
The summit, the ninety-ninth sword monument.
The greatest sword technique in all Ancient Shu Sword Mountain.
“He—he’s passed the sixtieth level,” someone exclaimed.
“My God, the Human Emperor shows no sign of stopping.”
“How high will he go? Is he aiming straight for the summit?”
Below, everyone watching was shocked, their scalps tingling.
They had felt immense pressure at the tenth level, their heads splitting; Lu Yuan had reached the sixtieth—how vast was the gap?
The pressure increased exponentially with each step.
Did Lu Yuan not feel it?
The Ice Fairy was stunned.
The Northern Emperor’s expression changed dramatically.
Asura felt as though he were witnessing a monster.
How could anyone climb so high? Was this a joke?
“Dean Zheng, you—”
On the open ground, Dean Chen of Shuntian City Academy was speechless, his hands trembling.
The others, too, stood dumbfounded.
They were all deans of various branches, strong and experienced, never before revealing such shock.
They’d assumed the best anyone could do was reach the thirtieth level, and that comprehending the monuments there would already be impressive. Now, reality had far exceeded their expectations.
“I—I—”
Most shocked of all was Dean Zheng.
He wished he could slap himself.
How could he have made such a guarantee? Promising that nothing comprehended would need to be handed over?
Had he not noticed Lu Yuan had reached above the sixtieth level? How powerful must the inheritance there be?
And he had let it slip by?
Dean Zheng’s mouth was dry, regret gnawing at him, and he realized this was only the beginning.
On the steps of Sword Mountain,
Lu Yuan maintained his pace.
Sixty-fifth!
Seventy-first!
Eighty-third!
Ninety-first!
Yes—
He walked straight up to the ninety-first level.
Beside him stood another sword monument.
If the inheritance of Ancient Shu Mountain were ranked, this would certainly be among the top ten.
Yet, Lu Yuan was not satisfied.
He smiled lightly and pressed on.
“Ninety-fifth level!”
Someone cried out in shock. Despite the distance, all present were awakened, their eyesight exceptional enough to discern it.
“He’s still moving forward—is he about to reach the summit?”
“This—this is terrifying!”
“The Human Emperor is surely the strongest of the Five Supremes, mark my words!”
Lu Yuan had already crushed the Southern Emperor before, proving his strength and combat prowess.
Now, his incomparable insight was once again revealed.
Some concluded that among the Five Supremes, the Human Emperor was first.
Not to mention bloodline; insight alone was terrifying enough.
Of course,
Lu Yuan above knew nothing of this.
He took another step, standing before the ninety-ninth sword monument.
At the summit of Sword Mountain, the clouds billowed and peaks rose all around.
A sense of heroic grandeur welled up: to stand atop the heights, surveying all beneath.
But at the same time,
A mysterious force surged ceaselessly into his mind, as though the mountain itself pressed down upon him.
Yet within his mind,
The golden figure sat beneath the ancient bodhi tree, its radiance intensifying.
Under that glow, the mysterious force quietly dissipated, as if it had never existed.

In other words,
He was nowhere near the limit of his insight—far from it.
“The ancient bodhi tree, with talent magnified a billionfold, is indeed unimaginably powerful,” Lu Yuan marvelled. The tree had not only paved his path to transcendence and awakening, but continued to exert its influence at every moment.
Whether comprehending the complete ‘Dao De Jing’ or the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique,
He could master them in a short time.
The tree’s abilities were not to be ignored.
His years of scheming had not been wasted.
Lu Yuan knew that the bodhi tree fused in his mind was one of his foundations.
He cleared his thoughts,
Turning his gaze to the ninety-ninth sword monument.
It differed little in appearance from the others,
Yet possessed a strange power, especially in the sword-shaped carving upon it.
At this moment, strands of powerful sword intent emanated forth, even threatening his formidable physique.
“No wonder it is the strongest sword technique of Ancient Shu Mountain—it truly is formidable.”
Lu Yuan sensed this, his eyes bright with delight.
Even those awakened to the Golden Body Realm would fear his physique, yet now he felt a genuine threat from the monument’s aura, proof of its power.
It was only natural; Ancient Shu Mountain was legendary for its sword immortals.
Curious,
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged.
In his previous life, no one had ever succeeded in comprehending this sword technique.
He’d heard it was particularly suited to the Da Luo Sword Embryo.
Thus,
He was eager to know how it compared to the Jade Emperor’s Thunder Law or the Buddha’s Palm Kingdom.
“Ninety-nine levels—he’s reached the summit.”
“Is this really possible for a human?”
Everyone shared the same thought.
The closest to Lu Yuan was Chunyang, the Young Celestial Master of Dragon and Tiger Mountain.
Yet, he stood only before the fortieth monument.
Compared to the ninety-ninth,
The gap was unimaginable,
Impossible to measure.
“That Mr. Lu is about to begin his comprehension,” Dean Chen murmured, swallowing hard.
Even now, he could hardly believe it was real—it was too incredible.
An elder at the academy had once said,
Reaching the ninety-ninth monument was beyond difficult.
Yet here it was.
“But reaching it is one thing; comprehending it is another, and far more challenging,” said the female dean from Hu City Academy, though she was shocked by Lu Yuan’s insight.
To truly comprehend the greatest inheritance of Ancient Shu Mountain was not easy.
“Yes, who knows if he will succeed?”
Dean Zheng chimed in, his feelings complex.
If he hadn’t made that promise, and Lu Yuan succeeded, the strongest inheritance would have belonged to Sundan Academy.
Yet, if not for that, would Lu Yuan have agreed to come to Ancient Shu Mountain?
“I think it’s unlikely,”
Another dean mused, “The pressure at that height is immense. To comprehend it—”
But before he could finish,
The entire Ancient Shu Sword Mountain trembled.
A torrent of sword intent swept down from the summit.
For a moment, everyone, whether in comprehension or not, felt a chill seize their bodies.
All looked up,
Their faces filled with shock.
At the mountain’s peak,
The ninety-ninth monument blazed with a thousand rays, illuminating the sky, piercing the clouds, brighter than the sun itself.
At the same time, the clouds parted abruptly, and the radiance gathered into a colossal golden sword.
Suspended above every head, it released unimaginable, terrifying sword intent.
Thunder rumbled.
The heavens shook.
The Ancient Shu mountains seemed affected,
The phenomenon was earth-shattering.
And amid it all,
Only one figure sat cross-legged, his back to the crowd: Lu Yuan.
This meant
The supreme inheritance of the ninety-ninth monument had been comprehended.
And all this,
Had only taken Lu Yuan a few minutes since he sat down.
At that moment,
Everyone shared the same thought:
Just how high was Lu Yuan’s insight?
Mounts and pets would soon be next on the agenda.
As always, votes are requested!
(End of chapter)