King of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 326: Chapter 324: The Prodigies Gather, the Tournament Begins

Upon entering the Celestial Ring Arena, the crowd felt as if they had been instantly transported from a bustling, extravagant city to the ancient and desolate Primitive Era.

The arena’s environment was a landscape of mountains and rivers, teeming with lush, dense forests and a primitive atmosphere.

’The grounds of the Celestial Ring Arena are completely isolated from the spectator stands, almost like a separate world.’

Luo Tian gazed into the distance but could see no end.

The entire Celestial Ring Arena was simply enormous!

’An undertaking of this scale... within the Yunxiao Sect, perhaps only Xuankong Mountain could compare.’

’But in terms of sheer aura and scale, the Celestial Ring Arena was the clear winner.’

"The Celestial Ring Arena is the number one arena on the entire Dongchen Continent. It can hold a hundred thousand spectators at once."

Cheng Wanli, standing to the side, said with a smile, "It’s said that the Celestial Ring Arena has existed since the Ancient Era. It has been continuously improved and expanded to its current size, and the wealth spent on it amounts to several billion Spiritual Essence Coins!"

Several billion Spiritual Essence Coins!

This was a fortune vast enough to drive any expert on the Dongchen Continent mad.

’The Celestial Ring Alliance was actually willing to spend so much.’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’the entry fee for the Celestial Pride Conference is one thousand Spiritual Essence Coins. With other commercial factors added in, the Celestial Ring Alliance must make a fortune from a single conference.’

’As expected of the most influential organization. It truly lives by its creed: profit above all.’

At the entrance, a constant stream of geniuses was pouring into the arena.

The Yunxiao Sect had only sent twenty-one geniuses, and the other Four Major Sects had sent roughly the same number.

But with a quick scan, Luo Tian estimated there were at least four or five hundred geniuses present.

The Celestial Pride Conference only had an age limit of thirty and a minimum Cultivation requirement of the High Tier Spirit Sea Realm. Anyone who met these requirements could sign up.

Among them were many Wanderers, as well as many who simply wanted to realize their dream of stepping onto the stage of the Celestial Ring Arena.

At a certain moment, Luo Tian felt an intense killing intent. He followed the feeling with his gaze and saw Jiang Daoyun.

Beside Jiang Daoyun was the long-legged woman, Ji Qingrong, her expression cold and detached.

’Luo Tian, now that we’re in the Celestial Ring Arena, there’s no escape for you!’

Jiang Daoyun sneered inwardly.

He was going to utterly humiliate Luo Tian in front of the one hundred thousand spectators.

’Hm? Nangong Yu?’

Luo Tian suddenly spotted a handsome young man. It was Nangong Yu from the former Sun Chasing Holy Mansion.

He hadn’t expected to run into a friend from the Azure Cloud Kingdom at the Celestial Pride Conference.

"Luo Tian, so you came after all."

Nangong Yu walked over with a faint smile.

After Luo Tian had left the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion, Nangong Yu had returned to his family with his grandfather to focus on his Cultivation.

"This year’s Celestial Pride Conference isn’t our stage. We’ll have our showdown at the next one!"

A trace of fighting spirit glinted in Nangong Yu’s eyes.

He had been surpassed by Luo Tian before, but the Celestial Spirit Extreme Origin Skill he practiced grew more powerful in its later stages. Nangong Yu believed he would soon surpass Luo Tian again.

Luo Tian also noticed that although Nangong Yu’s Cultivation was at the Eighth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, his aura was incredibly powerful.

Considering Nangong Yu’s family background and the wondrous Cultivation Techniques he had displayed in the past, Luo Tian wasn’t surprised.

"I’ll be ready whenever you are," Luo Tian replied.

However, he was going to give his all in this Celestial Pride Conference. His ultimate goal was to place in the top twenty.

Just then, the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect walked in together.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was the strongest of the Four Major Sects, a paradise for Sword Cultivators. Every one of them seemed like a drawn sword, their sharp auras intimidating.

Among them, the Spirit Flower Dual Swords gave Luo Tian a passing glance, their look full of provocation.

However, Luo Tian didn’t notice them at all. His gaze was captivated by a woman who looked like an Ice Immortal.

"Xia Bingyue!"

Luo Tian and Nangong Yu said in unison.

Xia Bingyue’s appearance seemed to instantly draw every eye in the vicinity.

Her breathtaking beauty made her the center of attention, yet she exuded an aloof and glacial coldness that kept everyone at a distance.

A few male disciples from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect accompanied Xia Bingyue, all of them smiling with an extraordinary bearing.

Xia Bingyue didn’t notice Luo Tian and Nangong Yu. There were simply too many people staring at her, and she couldn’t be bothered to look at each one.

"That woman is the number one beauty of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. I heard her talent in the Sword Dao is extremely high, and the Sect Leader took her as a personal disciple! All those old fogeys at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect believe she’ll become the next King of the Celestial Pride!"

Cheng Wanli chimed in.

Although Xia Bingyue came from a small nation like the Azure Cloud Kingdom, both Luo Tian and Nangong Yu acknowledged her talent.

Xia Bingyue had comprehended True Sword Dao Intent right after breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm.

Luo Tian’s own successful comprehension of True Intent Fur had come from studying and experiencing her Sword Intent.

But at this moment, what also came to Luo Tian’s mind was the passionate frenzy with Xia Bingyue back in the Red Lotus Martial Venerable’s Cave Mansion.

The number of participants continued to grow.

The geniuses of the entire Dongchen Continent were gathered here at this moment, about to stage a passionate and fierce legend.

"The first elimination round will begin in one day."

A deep, vast voice echoed throughout the entire arena.

During this one-day period, all geniuses participating in the Celestial Ring Arena were required to sign a special contract, pledging to strictly abide by the rules of the Celestial Pride Conference.

In addition, there was an identity verification.

After passing the inspection, each genius would receive a pale golden Token, engraved with a golden sun surrounded by countless stars.

"This is the Genius Order! Every genius participating in the Celestial Pride Conference gets one!"

Ning Xin clutched the Golden Token excitedly.

"What’s so special about this Token?" Luo Tian asked.

"It records our information and also serves as a symbol of our status."

"There are a lot of people in the Celestial Pride Conference this time, so there might be nearly a thousand Genius Orders. But out of all of them, only one has the chance to become the ’Celestial Pride Order,’ which symbolizes the status of the ’King of the Celestial Pride’!"

Ning Xin explained slowly, her heart pounding with excitement.

From all the Genius Orders, a single Celestial Pride Order would be born!

’With everyone starting at the same point, who would stand out from the rest, reach the peak, and become the King of the Celestial Pride?’

「One day passed quickly.」

The surrounding spectator stands were filled with Martial Artists from all over the continent.

Among them, the major powers like the Four Major Sects and the Ten Hidden Families occupied special viewing areas.

These major powers all had conflicts with one another to varying degrees; some were even mortal enemies. The tension in the air was palpable.

Inside the arena, all the geniuses participating in the conference had received a Genius Order.

’Hm, Ye Feng isn’t here, and neither is that woman in white...’

Luo Tian scanned his surroundings.

Not only that, but Yi Jingwen, Qiao Hai, and the other top twenty on the Spirit List, as well as Dongchen’s Five Great Celestial Prides, were also absent.

"The first round is an elimination round. The top twenty on the Spirit List don’t have to participate," Cheng Wanli said.

The top twenty on the Spirit List were simply too powerful. If they were to participate, the other geniuses would be crushed with no hope of resisting. The death rate would also spike, as the gap in strength was just too large.

This was especially true for Ye Feng, Shangguan Su, Qi Yuntian, and the other members of Dongchen’s Five Great Celestial Prides. More than ninety percent of the geniuses present weren’t even qualified to withstand a single blow from them.

Besides, it would be a huge waste if any of the Spirit List’s top twenty were eliminated by clashing with each other in the elimination round.

To Luo Tian’s surprise, the external reinforcement from the Yunxiao Sect, that mysterious beauty in white, also didn’t have to participate in the elimination round. It seemed her background was quite extraordinary.

"Celestial Pride Conference, elimination round, begin! You have three days!"

"After three days, the top two hundred will advance!"

The deep, boundless voice rang out once more.

The goal of the elimination round was simple and brutal: to eliminate more than seventy percent of the contestants.

The next moment, the staff in charge retreated to the edges of the arena.

VWOOM!

The entire Celestial Ring Arena trembled slightly.

Directly above the arena, a brilliant, blazing sun materialized, so dazzling and blinding that it was hard to look at.

POP!

Suddenly, the golden sun burst apart, transforming into countless starlike motes of light that scattered across the entire elimination round area.

The first stage was to use the Genius Order to collect these motes of light. The final rankings would be based on the brightness of each Genius Order.

The first round had begun!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The crowd of nearly a thousand geniuses instantly scattered, surging into the primitive ancient forest to collect the motes of starlight.

The top twenty geniuses on the Spirit List did not have to participate in the elimination round, nor could they collect the motes of starlight. In that respect, the Celestial Pride Conference was relatively fair.

’Hm?’

Luo Tian was just about to move when he suddenly felt a strange connection.

’Ugly Bird!’

Luo Tian was taken aback.

He had given the Crow a vacation, but the little guy had run off somewhere and never returned.

Luo Tian wasn’t surprised. The Crow loved to play too much and had probably completely forgotten his instructions.

But he never expected that, just as the first round began, he would sense the Crow nearby.

’Did that guy come to watch the Celestial Pride Conference too?’

「Meanwhile, in a certain patch of forest within the elimination round area.」

"Dammit, why did those people drag me here? What’s their goal?" the Crow said angrily.

To make the elimination round more interesting, the staff of the Celestial Ring Alliance had captured many Demon Beasts and thrown them into the arena.

Most were at the High Tier Spirit Sea Realm, but there were also some Earth Level Demon Beasts.

The Crow had been out living it up when it was suddenly captured by several Earth Level Martial Artists.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The Crow flapped its wings, flew out of the forest, and looked around.

It froze instantly, a sharp glint exploding in its eyes.

So many people! There were people everywhere!

"This is... this is... a concert!"

The Crow was excited beyond measure.

It had never imagined that those people had captured it just to hold a concert for it.

"A venue this huge is rare, even in the Cosmos!"

...

The nearly one thousand geniuses scattered, rushing into the Primitive Ancient Forest.

The number of geniuses around Luo Tian rapidly decreased until he was soon left all alone.

Suddenly, Luo Tian saw a pale golden mote of light, slightly larger than a firefly.

’What exactly are these motes of light?’

Luo Tian observed it for a moment, not rushing to collect it.

He had the Celestial Book perform an Inference and quickly got an answer.

"This is ’Celestial Fate Qi,’ refined by a Celestial Level Martial Artist using special methods to extract intangible forces like wishes and tributes. To be blessed by Celestial Fate Qi is to become a favored child of the heavens..."

On the Dongchen Continent, there were many temples, ancestral halls, and the like. Some were used for making offerings, others for making wishes. All of these could produce an intangible Energy.

To be blessed by Celestial Fate Qi, in simple terms, meant having good luck, encountering more fortuitous opportunities, and being harder to kill.

However, a small amount of Celestial Fate Qi wouldn’t have much of an effect.

And when the Celestial Pride Conference concluded, all the Celestial Fate Qi would gather in the Celestial Pride Order to protect the King of the Celestial Pride!

The Celestial Pride Order was, in itself, the prize for first place!

’This reward alone is incredible!’

Luo Tian felt a pang of envy.

He took out his Token and brought it close to the pale golden mote of light.

The mote automatically shot into the Genius Order. The surface of the originally plain Token flashed with a faint golden luster.