Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready-Chapter 77. The Northern Emperors Apprehension, the Ninety-Nine Sword Steles (2)
Heavily armed troops had established a perimeter at the foot of Mount Shu; tanks and other military vehicles had lined up, creating an oppressive atmosphere. It was clear that anyone daring enough to cross the perimeter would be bombarded.
In addition, one could be certain that snipers and artillery were ready to provide backup somewhere hidden at a moment's notice.
Within the perimeter stood a crowd of Awakened, and there were at least twenty thousand of them at a mere glance. At first, this was a terrifying sight, but as time went on, the sight of Awakened was starting to become commonplace.
The Awakened in the clearing looked excited, and their gazes were transfixed on the mountain ahead. Who among them wouldn't want to obtain an inheritance on Mount Shu?
The Mausoleum at Mount Li featured three dangerous trials that resulted in the demise of many people, but this golden opportunity before them was much easier to handle.
Here, one only needed to sit and try to comprehend the inheritance within their chosen sword stele. It was much easier and safer. The keyword here was "safer." If it hadn't been for that fact, Mount Shu wouldn't have attracted so many people.
Everyone's attention was focused ahead. There stood a massive, towering mountain; its summit was shaped like the tip of a sword, and it stood so tall that it pierced the firmament. Its sheer presence was overwhelming. From the peak, a long flight of steps extended all the way down to the base of the mountain.
Three-zhang-tall stone steles stood at regular intervals along the steps. Entirely pitch-black, they looked nothing special at a glance. Upon closer inspection, however, one could see sword engravings carved upon their surfaces, and those patterns looked so realistic that it appeared as if they were actual swords.
Upon a careful count, ninety-nine sword steles were discovered, and they were arranged in an ascending sequence. The highest among them was situated at the very summit of the mountain.
There was no doubting it; the final stone stele certainly contained the strongest and most profound inheritance. Of course, many of them felt no need to even attempt to go there. For them, comprehending one of the steles at the base of the mountain would be more than enough.
"Old Zheng, how many inheritances do you think we would obtain from opening up Mount Shu to the public?" an elder asked, staring at Dean Zheng standing next to him.
The elder's surname was Chen, and he was the Dean of Shuntian City's Aurora Academy. Shuntian City's Aurora Academy stood at the highest among all the branch academies. There were three others present—two men and a woman. They were the deans of branch academies located in the other three supercities.
"I don't know. Maybe a dozen or so?" Dean Zheng replied, shaking his head. "And I don't think those inheritances will be great; the majority of them will probably hover at around level 30."
The Aurora Academy had meticulously planned this move, and it was all for the sake of obtaining more inheritances. There were ninety-nine levels in total, and an inheritance's level represented its corresponding stele's position on the mountain.
A higher level meant a higher ranking, and the higher the ranking, the more difficult it would be to comprehend.
Level 30 was only a third of the way up.
"I think so, too, but I can't even imagine the level of comprehension necessary to comprehend a level 30 stele..." the woman replied. She was the dean of Hu City's Aurora Academy, and she appeared to be in her thirties or forties.
She sighed, as she had already tried it herself and had managed to comprehend one of the sword steles. Unfortunately, it was a level 15 sword stele.
The truth was that all of Aurora Academy's elites had emerged to give it a try, and they had even invited some old Daoists to participate. However, the highest level they reached was only level 21, and even then, no one actually comprehended that sword stele's inheritance. They were stopped dead in their tracks at a paltry level 21.
The difficulty was simply too great, and the required level of comprehension was too high. In the end, they could only use a quantity–over-quality approach. As for the final result, none of them could say for sure.
"Look, it's Asura! Asura from Skygod Technologies is here!" someone exclaimed while staring at a group of people walking toward the mountain.
"Isn't Asura's main weapon a saber? Why is he here? Aren't these sword steles?"
"Wait, isn't that Ice Fairy?! Ice Fairy's here, too!"
"Two of the Five Supremes are here. This is getting almost as exciting as the expedition to the Mausoleum at Mount Li."
"Have you heard? The Northern Emperor and the new Supreme, Human Sovereign Lu Yuan are coming, too!"
"Does that mean everyone is coming except for the Winged Celestial God?"
Everyone watched as Asura and Ice Fairy approached Mount Shu. Although it was believed that obtaining an inheritance depended entirely on one's level of comprehension, they also believed that the Five Supremes' level of comprehension couldn't possibly be low.
The crowd began discussing who would end up comprehending a stele on a higher level than the others.
Unfortunately for them, it was impossible to say for sure, as one's bloodline power and comprehension level were two different things. It was impossible to judge things from appearances alone.
As time went on, more and more people arrived, including many famous figures from the so-called Top 100 Awakened.
Despite that, the five deans remained indifferent. They already knew that their level of comprehension was quite similar to each other. If any of them somehow comprehended a stele above level 20, it would already be considered an excellent result.
Soon, a young man in traditional Daoist robes appeared, and the faces of the five deans finally changed into one of delight at the sight of him.
"Mount Hulong's Young Celestial Master, Chunyang, is an exceptional talent. Apparently, the Old Celestial Master himself called him a 'rare genius that appears only once in a hundred years.'"
"Obtaining those truly powerful inheritances depends on the Young Celestial Master's performance."
"I believe he'll reach level 30, or perhaps even higher."
The deans spoke one after another, and all of them had high expectations for the Young Celestial Master. In fact, some of them even went over to greet him personally.
Soon afterward, the eyes of the five deans brightened once again. A young monk from Mount Jiuhua had arrived, and he was the Abbot's closed-door disciple, with the Dharma name Huikong. His talent was in no way inferior to that of the Young Celestial Master Chunyang, and he was ranked among the top ten of the Top 100 Awakened.
This wasn't a strange sight at all, as monks and Daoists had always prioritized enlightenment. People like them could easily comprehend obscure and difficult Buddhist and Daoist scriptures.
Young Celestial Master Chunyang and Monk Huikong definitely had a higher level of comprehension than the so-called Five Supremes.
Their bloodlines were the reason they were lagging behind the others. Given enough time, they were destined to become extremely powerful Awakened.
After all, one's bloodline determined one's lower limit, while talent and comprehension would determine one's upper limit.
Monk Huikong and Young Celestial Master Chunyang's arrival triggered a heated discussion. Even Ice Fairy and Asura couldn't help but look over, realizing that the true competitors for the best stele could very well be those two.
"Where's Mr. Lu? Has he not arrived yet?" Ice Fairy looked around. She had received news that Lu Yuan would also attempt to comprehend the inheritances within the sword steles at Mount Shu. By all logic, he ought to be here by now.
Speaking of the devil, a group of people appeared in the distance. The Northern Emperor was leading the way, with Zhu Qingyu and Qin Lan standing beside him. As for the devil—Lu Yuan, he followed behind the group, looking all low-key.
However, times had changed, and Lu Yuan could no longer remain low-key. After all, he had just become a Supreme and was even crowned with the title "Human Sovereign."
His notoriety was at an all-time high as well, as he had made a move against someone from the Wuzhou Group and Longevity Genetics, even killing the Southern Sovereign.
Everyone was curious about him. Upon seeing him in person, they all cast their eyes on him, but none dared to approach him to chat. Everyone knew that Lu Yuan was a fierce demon king beneath his seemingly low-key exterior.
He was someone who dared to kill someone within Chang'an, and none of them could afford to offend him.
"Mr. Lu, you've become quite famous," Zhu Qingyu said, a blooming smile reminiscent of a flower suffused her lips.
Lu Yuan simply returned her smile without saying anything else. He truly couldn't care less about his infamy.
He raised his head, and his gaze swept past the crowd, locking directly onto the peak of Mount Shu. More precisely, he was staring at the ninety-ninth sword stele, situated at the peak of the mountain.
Since he had already obtained the Great Luo Sword Embryo, how could he not complement it with the best sword art of the Sword Dao? Today, he would take that inheritance for himself!
