2280 Nine Great Elders Unlike Sword Immortal Yue Hua, Su Zimo did not fall the moment he reached the 9th stone step. Instead, he stood firmly on it, his body upright and unyielding! The ninth stone step! Ever since the Dao Heart Stairs existed, apart from the Sect Master, no one in Heaven and Earth Academy had been able to ascend to the ninth stone step! The ninth stone step was known as the Wisdom Step. The Sect Master of Heaven and Earth Academy studied celestial beings and could see through all living beings. He understood heavenly secrets and comprehended endless wisdom—this ninth stone step was condensed by the Sect Master! It was said that back then, after Sword Immortal Yue Hua failed to reach the ninth step, he merely said, “The Sect Master’s Dao Heart is unreachable. He possesses supreme wisdom and is unfathomable!” Ever since then, Sword Immortal Yue Hua did not attempt to ascend to the ninth step. As for the other disciples of Heaven and Earth Academy, they did not even have the ability to touch the ninth step, let alone stand on it like Su Zimo! “Impossible!” Instinctively, Fang Qingyun clenched his fists and growled deeply. However, he quickly realized that he had lost his composure and steadied himself. He hid the killing intent and hostility in his eyes and looked around. Thankfully, no one in the vicinity noticed him and even Old Xuan did not look at him again. Everyone’s gazes were fixed on the figure on the ninth stone step! That was the true focus of everyone! Nobody spoke. In the huge venue, tens of thousands of inner sect disciples were gathered. Although it was a large crowd, it was silent. Everyone was waiting for an outcome. Could this Grade 1 Heaven Immortal who had ascended from the lower worlds and just joined the inner sect finally pass the Dao Heart Trial of the ninth stone step? It hadn’t been long since Tang Peng fainted and Perfected Immortal Jade Toad was crippled. Any one of those matters was enough to cause quite a stir in the academy. But now, many cultivators had already forgotten about it and no one cared. More and more cultivators gathered around the Dao Heart Stairs. It was not only inner sect disciples. Some legacy disciples rushed over from the legacy ground as well—the entire Heaven and Earth Academy was alarmed! Swoosh! Right then, a strange fluctuation came from midair. Immediately after, an old man in white robes appeared in midair with a walking stick. Although his beard was white, he was hale and hearty and looked at the green-robed cultivator on the Dao Heart Stairs with a bright gaze. “Look, it’s the Grand Elder!” “Even the Grand Elder was alarmed!” A commotion broke out in the crowd. Old Xuan raised his head slightly and glanced at the Grand Elder indifferently before retracting his gaze without saying anything. Suddenly! In another void, a figure appeared as well. The moment that figure appeared, a thick bloodthirsty aura spread out and it was as though a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood had appeared behind him! Although the old man looked much younger, his face was pale and his gaze was sinister, exuding a cold aura that no one could approach. After the old man appeared, many academy disciples present could not help but shudder. “It’s Elder Two!” “I heard that Elder Two is in charge of discipline and is the most cold-blooded and impartial. There was once a legacy disciple who broke the sect rules and was crippled by him!” “Silence! Don’t let Elder Two notice you!” The commotion in the crowd calmed down rapidly. Phew! In the void on the other side, a pitch-black hole was suddenly burned out by a fireball and an old man walked out, as though he was bathed in flames. Within the flames, countless divine weapons hovered. “It’s Elder Eight of the academy!” Elder Zhong said softly, “Elder Eight is in charge of all the divine weapons and forging Dharmic treasures in the academy. Anyone who wishes to obtain the top Dharmic treasures and divine weapons of the sect will have to obtain his permission.” “Senior Brother Su is ascending the Dao Heart Stairs for the first time and caused such a huge commotion. Three elders have already appeared!” Liu Ping was secretly speechless. “It’s an unprecedented achievement to reach the peak of the Dao Heart Stairs.” Elder Zhong lamented, “It’s only logical that these elders would appear to witness this.” As the three of them spoke, another old man appeared in midair. This elder wore a green robe. After he appeared, the entire venue was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance that refreshed one’s mind. “This is Elder Seven of the academy.” When Elder Zhong saw the confusion on the faces of Princess Scarlet Rainbow and Liu Ping, he said, “Elder Seven is in charge of all the elixirs in the academy. All the Elixir Refinement Immortal Masters in the academy are managed by Elder Seven.” Before his sentence was finished, another old man appeared! This old man had a benevolent expression and looked extremely friendly. He had a smiling face and no beard, giving off a favorable impression right away. “This is Elder Four.” ... Elder Zhong bowed slightly in the direction of Elder Four. “Elder Four is mainly in charge of external affairs in the academy as well as some Dharmic arts trials.” “For example, Elder Four was in charge of making arrangements to escort you guys to the 10,000 Year Meet. I’m under Elder Four’s command.” “Just how many elders are there in the academy?” Princess Scarlet Rainbow could not help but ask. “There are many elders in the academy and their cultivation realms are different. However, there are only nine with the highest status!” Elder Zhong said, “The Nine Great Elders each have their own duties and control everything in the academy. The nine of them are ranked right beneath the Sect Master.” As Elder Zhong spoke, two more elders appeared. Elder Nine was in charge of talismans in the academy. Elder Six was a middle-aged beauty with an outstanding aura and a cold expression. She was in charge of all the structures in the academy, including array formations! In the blink of an eye, seven of the Nine Great Elders had already appeared! “By the looks of it, there’s a chance all of the Nine Great Elders might be gathered!” ... 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 Liu Ping whispered. Indeed, not long after, two more elders arrived together! Elder Three was in charge of all the immortal mountains, spirit peaks, paradise and cultivation resources such as Essence Spirit Stones, Essence Spirit Liquid and so on in the academy. He was also in charge of assigning sect missions. The appearance of Elder Five caused quite a stir. It was as though a massive army was gathered behind him and he exuded a steely killing intent with a suffocating might! Elder Two was in charge of discipline and the killing intent he exuded was sinister and cold. However, the killing intent of Elder Five was brutally savage! The Nine Great Elders of Heaven and Earth Academy appeared and stood in midair, surrounding the Dao Heart Stairs as they looked at Su Zimo! Many cultivators were nervous and excited—it was a rare occasion for the Nine Great Elders to be gathered! Most of the inner sect disciples present might not even have the chance to meet the Nine Great Elders of the academy after cultivating for hundreds of thousands of years. But now, everyone had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Nine Great Elders thanks to a Grade 1 Heaven Immortal who had just joined the inner sect. “The Nine Great Elders appearing at the same time is extraordinary. Could there be a deeper meaning?” Elder Zhong pondered for a moment. As though he recalled something, his heart skipped a beat as he whispered, “Could it be…” “What?” Liu Ping could not help but ask curiously. “The Nine Great Elders might be thinking of taking in Su Zimo under their wings!” Elder Zhong said sternly. “Ah!” Princess Scarlet Rainbow and Liu Ping exclaimed softly. Elder Zhong had a stern expression. “If he joins one of those elders, he’ll become a legacy disciple of the academy!” “Su Zimo is about to experience a meteoric rise to the top!”