Chapter 150: Who Is Truly the Strongest in the Tribulation Stage

“Shocking! A Man Publicly Asked Someone If He Looked Good!” — Tianji News
The original headline was actually: Shocking! A Man Publicly Asked the Sword Sovereign If He Looked Good.
The Tower Master of Tianji Tower patted his own little arms and legs, figured he wouldn’t survive a single sword strike from the Sword Sovereign, and changed the headline.
After the fact, a certain passerby surnamed Jiang commented that Xuan Beizi didn’t look good at all.
The Sword Sovereign’s resurrection and return to the Sword Pavilion was an earth-shattering event across the Nine Provinces.
“Did you see the paper? The Sword Sovereign is back! Tianji News said he spent four thousand years comprehending the Heart Demon Tribulation, finally attained full enlightenment, united all swords into one, grasped the principle of breaking all laws with a single sword, and ultimately unleashed a blazing strike that cut down his heart demon.”
This was something Jiang Li deliberately instructed Tianji News to write, to make it seem like the Sword Sovereign had defeated his own heart demon, saving him some face.
Saying the Human Sovereign defeated the Sword Sovereign’s heart demon might sound impressive, but to Jiang Li it wasn’t a big deal—he didn’t need something like that to bolster his reputation.
On the other hand, the Sword Sovereign, who had vanished for four thousand years, needed something to highlight his strength.
“So that means we’ve got another Tribulation Stage powerhouse in the Nine Provinces?”
“It’s more than just another Tribulation Stage cultivator—we’re talking about a Sword Dao Tribulation Stage cultivator, unparalleled in killing and creation. Who among his peers could possibly stand against him?”
“Now that I don’t like to hear. Anyone who’s reached the Tribulation Stage can’t be weak. You really think the Sword Sovereign is invincible in his realm? I’d say Dao Sect’s Bai Hongtu is stronger than him!”
“Bai Hongtu? People call him the strongest sword cultivator in the Nine Provinces only because he’s the only Tribulation Stage cultivator who uses a sword. Has anyone actually seen him draw his sword? No, right?”
“That’s just ridiculous. The Tribulation Stage seniors of our era all get along well—who would Bai Hongtu even need to draw his sword against?”
“So who do you think is the strongest among the Tribulation Stage cultivators?”
“The Old Buddha is gone, so it should be Commander Liu of the Human Sovereign Hall. He’s an ancient figure who’s fought Outer World Demons many times and lived, and he’s survived two Immortal Ascension Tribulations. If the Stairway to Immortality hadn’t disappeared, he would’ve ascended long ago.”
“Not so fast—not so fast. Just because Commander Liu has strong vitality doesn’t mean his combat power is the highest. I think Li Er, the Second Sect Master of the Dharma Body Sect, is the strongest. He’s survived one Immortal Ascension Tribulation and controls several legendary Dharma Bodies. Who could beat him?”
Someone scoffed: “Controlling legendary Dharma Bodies makes you the strongest? Might as well say the emperor wields a golden shovel. You think victories at the Tribulation Stage are decided by that?”
“Empress Yu Yin may be a rising star, but she once contended with Human Sovereign Jiang for the throne. Even Bai Hongtu couldn’t match her. Now, with the Nation’s Fortune and the Ruyi Gourd backing her, if it came down to a fight, the others might not be able to beat her.” One female cultivator admired Yu Yin greatly—after all, Yu Yin was the only female Tribulation Stage cultivator.
“Why don’t the Tribulation Stage powerhouses just fight it out? We’re stuck guessing.”
“…That’s a dangerous thought. If Tribulation Stage cultivators fought, would the Nine Provinces even survive?”
“They could go fight in space! A battle at that level would make a big enough scene for everyone in the Nine Provinces to see it clearly anyway.”
“Sounds logical, actually. I’ll write a letter to the Human Sovereign Hall to suggest it.”
People excitedly discussed matters that had nothing to do with them, never considering what the Great Sui Dynasty thought of suddenly gaining another Tribulation Stage cultivator.
The Great Sui Dynasty didn’t have any strong opinions—after all, they hadn’t been the ones suppressing the Sword Pavilion. They rushed to send a congratulatory gift, and the Sui Emperor even stated that the court and the Sword Pavilion were as close as family. A young princess was currently confined to her chambers, and coincidentally, the Sword Sovereign had just taken in a disciple—maybe the two families could strengthen ties through marriage.
The Sword Sovereign flatly refused.
The Sui Emperor wasn’t offended when his subordinates relayed the message; instead, he chuckled. The marriage proposal was just talk—accepting or rejecting didn’t matter. What did matter was making it clear that the court supported the Sword Pavilion.
The Sword Sovereign had no interest in politics, so the Sui Emperor wasn’t worried about his own position.
With the Sui Emperor unbothered, naturally someone else was.
The cultivators of the Fearless Alliance were all terrified, afraid the Sword Sovereign would settle old scores. Don’t be fooled by how many Fusion Stage cultivators they had—together, they still weren’t enough to take on the Sword Sovereign alone.
What, you think every Fusion Stage cultivator is like Human Sovereign Jiang? Like they can defend themselves under a Tribulation Stage attack?
The one who was suffering most was Yu Xingchen of the Vast Starry Sky Sect. He had no idea why he had such bad luck—first the Human Sovereign Hall came after him, then his own disciple tried to blackmail the Sword Sovereign’s disciple.
The Sword Sovereign merely gave Xuan Beizi, his disciple, and their lackeys a light punishment, and kindly suggested that Yu Xingchen send them off to the Baize Dynasty.
Yu Xingchen didn’t dare say no and sent them overnight to some remote valley in Baize. Whether they became bandits or got taken by bandits—that was no longer his concern.
The Sword Sovereign’s view aligned with that of the Sword Pavilion: getting suppressed just meant you were weak. If you were as strong as Jiang Li, who would dare bully you?
He didn’t exactly like the Fearless Alliance—how could he? But he also didn’t wipe them out of the Great Sui or let the Sword Pavilion dominate the court. Instead, he kindly visited each sect one by one and warmly pointed out that they were all cultivators who couldn’t beat Jiang Li, so they were more or less equals—why not spar a little?
After sparring, the Fearless Alliance declared they would henceforth be honest cultivators, living and acting with integrity.
The Sword Sovereign made his rounds, but the one who gained the most was the Sui Emperor.
From the Sui Emperor’s perspective, the Fearless Alliance was a cancer in the Great Sui. With their deep-rooted influence, they often ignored the court. But now, with the Sword Sovereign keeping them in check, they finally calmed down.
…
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission. Would you like to settle your rewards?]
The moment the Sword Sovereign left the Sword Tomb, the system gave that prompt. Jiang Li waited until they had parted ways before allowing the system to settle the rewards.
A Soul-Nurturing Ring appeared in Jiang Li’s hand—completely useless to him.
He figured it was originally intended for the Sword Sovereign. From the task description, it seemed the ring could suppress but not eliminate heart demons. Since the Sword Sovereign couldn’t separate his heart demon from his physical body, he had fought a hard battle, destroying both the demon and his own body, leaving the tomb in soul form.
Jiang Li happened to have a Soul-Nurturing Ring, so the Sword Sovereign stayed by his side, helping him and waiting for a chance to rebuild his body. With a senior like that guiding him on his path of cultivation, a lot of detours could be avoided.
That’s likely how the system intended the plot to go. But Jiang Li just directly restored the Sword Sovereign’s body, skipping the soul-nurturing step, making the ring pointless.
After the ring, the next reward was a broken Dao Artifact-level spiritual sword.
Though damaged, its power was terrifying. A Golden Core Stage cultivator wielding it could easily challenge Nascent Soul Stage opponents.
With it, Jiang Li himself could challenge someone at the Tribulation Stage while only at the Mahayana Stage!
So, Jiang Li tossed it into his storage ring to collect dust.
The final reward was the martial art “Stone-Splitting Mighty Palm”—day and night pounding stone with bare hands to harden the skin, eventually forging iron hands capable of splitting mountains.
It was too good to keep to himself. Jiang Li planned to donate it to the hardworking miners of the Nine Provinces, so they could train while working—two birds with one stone.