King of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 327: Chapter 325: Standing Out

The Celestial Ring Arena was oval, with the best viewing platforms situated in the center of its two sides.

The left platform was entirely occupied by the upper echelons of major powers, such as the Four Major Sects and the Ten Hidden Families.

The right side also had some members from major powers, as well as the top twenty geniuses on the Spirit List.

Of course, there were also a few exceptional geniuses who weren’t on the Spirit List but had special backgrounds, exempting them from the elimination round.

"The Yunxiao Sect only has three people in the top twenty of the Spirit List. What’s the deal with that veiled woman in white?"

A black-robed woman from the Purple Luo Hall had a sharp glint in her eyes.

She could tell that the white-robed woman’s cultivation was impressive.

’With such a powerful reinforcement, the Yunxiao Sect’s overall performance this time probably won’t be too bad.’

The Purple Luo Hall felt a faint sense of pressure.

Suddenly, a burly man strode over.

His long hair was slightly disheveled, his black pupils held a terrifying crimson glow, and his body was covered in hideous scars.

An invisible, oppressive aura stunned all the high-ranking members present. Many of them immediately stood up as a sign of respect.

"Vice President Long, you’ve come as well!"

The Third Elder of the Yunxiao Sect bowed with a smile.

The Celestial Ring Alliance had three major commerce associations, each with different jurisdictions.

Among them, the Doulong Commerce Association controlled over eighty percent of the Martial Arts Arena industry on the Dongchen Continent. The Doulong Commerce Association alone held a sixty-percent share of the Celestial Ring Arena!

This burly man was none other than the vice president of the Doulong Commerce Association.

"Hahaha, it’s finally starting! This year’s conference should be quite exciting!"

Vice President Long boomed with laughter.

He had a great personal interest in duels between Martial Artists, and the scars covering his body were all from his younger days in the Martial Arts Arenas.

"Hehe, Vice President Long, the quality of the geniuses on the Dongchen Continent this year surpasses that of the last several hundred years. However, the identity of the King of the Celestial Pride is unlikely to change..."

An Elder from Bishui Palace glanced toward Qi Yuntian on the opposite platform.

Qi Yuntian was the disciple of the Doulong Commerce Association’s president, making him Vice President Long’s martial nephew, so to speak.

Although these words were clearly meant to curry favor, no one present questioned them.

Qi Yuntian was so powerful he barely seemed human!

In the last Celestial Pride Conference, Qi Yuntian had won the title of King of the Celestial Pride, but it was later confirmed that he hadn’t used his full strength at all.

「On the opposite platform.」

The twenty-some top geniuses were sizing each other up.

Qi Yuntian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his hair fluttering in the wind, exuding an aura of disdain for all creation.

There was an empty space around him, as if everyone else existed on a different plane entirely.

"Hehe, let’s just have this trash collect the Celestial Fate Qi for us. When the second round starts, they’ll all obediently hand it over!"

A dark-skinned man from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect revealed a wry smile, looking down at the elimination round with a hint of disdain.

’Luo Tian, I hope you can make it through the elimination round. If you do, maybe we’ll have a chance to spar.’

A cold sneer played on Qiao Hai’s lips.

He didn’t think it was very likely, however.

Lu Lin had always been burning for revenge, and Luo Tian had also offended Jiang Daoyun, ranked thirty-second on the Spirit List.

"Xiaotian..."

The white-robed woman, her face hidden by a light veil, fixed her beautiful eyes on a figure in the arena.

...

As the elimination round began, the entire arena was dotted with faint golden specks of light that were easy to collect.

In no time, Luo Tian had already collected more than a dozen golden specks of light, and a faint golden glow flowed across the surface of his Genius Order.

He occasionally encountered other geniuses, but fights rarely broke out.

Everyone knew that it was easy to collect the faint golden specks at the start. It would be utterly foolish to get into a major fight over a tiny bit of Celestial Fate Qi and risk a greater loss for a small gain.

Thus, this early stage was free of intense battles and felt somewhat dull.

「One hour later.」

A Genius Order would emit a golden light once it held a dense concentration of Celestial Fate Qi.

The intensity of the golden light directly reflected the amount of Celestial Fate Qi.

Among them, the Genius Orders of the top fifty geniuses on the Human List were noticeably brighter, placing them in the first tier.

After all, even simple collection was dependent on one’s observation, reflexes, speed, luck, and so on.

Of course, there were some exceptions.

Luo Tian, ranked 164th on the Spirit List, was also in the first tier. The brightness of his Genius Order was comparable to that of geniuses ranked between forty and fifty on the Spirit List.

This scene caught the attention of many spectators.

Every Celestial Pride Conference had its dark horses, which were always a pleasant surprise. Could Luo Tian be one of them?

「Two hours later.」

The elimination round heated up, and major battles erupted everywhere!

By now, almost everyone held a considerable amount of Celestial Fate Qi, making it more efficient to plunder from others.

And Luo Tian encountered his first opponent of the Celestial Pride Conference.

"You’re the Luo Tian who’s ranked 164th on the Spirit List?"

A handsome youth in white robes questioned him, a look of doubt in his eyes.

’Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm... How could his ranking possibly be that high?’

"I remember you reached 164th by defeating your fellow disciple Lu Lin. Don’t tell me the Yunxiao Sect arranged for her to lose to you on purpose?"

’That must be it,’ the handsome youth thought. ’I’m at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, yet I only just barely made it onto the Spirit List at rank 199.’

"Hand over one-fifth of your Celestial Fate Qi, and I’ll let you go," the handsome youth said with a smile.

"Is that all you want?"

Luo Tian retorted.

The handsome youth was puzzled. ’Is that all I want? What does he mean by that?’

’Does he want to give me even more of his Celestial Fate Qi?’

"My demand is a bit higher. Hand over half of your Celestial Fate Qi, and I’ll let you go."

Luo Tian glanced at the handsome youth’s Genius Order.

"How arrogant! You really think you’re hot stuff!"

Fury flared within the handsome youth.

Without another word, his cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm erupted. He attacked with his full power, determined to teach Luo Tian a lesson!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

In an instant, dozens of crisscrossing streams of Sword Qi shot toward Luo Tian, exuding a murderous aura.

"Fall!"

Luo Tian’s expression remained unchanged. He pointed a finger, and a frosty, yellow stream of Sword Qi shot through the air.

His single stream of Sword Qi clashed against dozens, shattering them in an instant!

PFFT!

The cold gleam of Sword Qi struck the handsome youth’s chest, piercing a bloody hole through it.

He staggered back several steps, his face pale.

A domineering Yin Cold Power seeped from the wound, spreading a piercing pain through him.

"How is this possible?"

The handsome youth was horrified.

He was at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, yet Luo Tian had injured him with a casual strike.

’He’s too strong!’

"I’m willing to give you one-fifth of my Celestial Fate Qi! Just spare me."

The handsome youth immediately gave in.

"I want half!" Luo Tian repeated.

The handsome youth looked conflicted.

He was extremely reluctant to lose half of his Celestial Fate Qi in one go.

WHOOSH!

The handsome youth spun around and fled, leaving only an afterimage behind.

’I admit it, Luo Tian’s 164th rank on the Spirit List is the real deal.’

’But my cultivation is higher. When it comes to speed, I won’t necessarily lose to him.’

’As long as he can’t catch me quickly, he’s sure to give up.’

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Luo Tian’s voice suddenly sounded from behind, making the hair on the handsome youth’s body stand on end.

He saw Luo Tian with his hands clasped behind his back, maintaining a leisurely posture while keeping right on his heels.

PFFT!

Luo Tian attacked again. A frosty, yellow stream of Sword Qi shot out like lightning, carrying a sharp momentum that seemed to pierce the heavens.

The handsome youth immediately tried to block it but was instantly defeated and thrown to the ground.

His abdomen was wounded again, and blood stained his white robes red.

"I surrender! I’ll give you half of my Celestial Fate Qi!" the handsome youth said, resigned.

"You wasted my time. Now I want all of it!"

Luo Tian was unyielding. He snatched the handsome youth’s Genius Order and plundered all the Celestial Fate Qi from within.

BZZZT!

Luo Tian’s own Genius Order immediately flared with a brilliant, dazzling golden light.

The handsome youth stood frozen in a daze, despair washing over him.

Only two hundred people would advance from the elimination round. Ranked 199th on the Spirit List, he had originally stood a chance.

But the elimination round had only just begun, and he was already heavily injured with all his Celestial Fate Qi stolen. He feared he would no longer be able to pass.

After leaving, Luo Tian suddenly murmured to himself, "I didn’t channel my True Intent Fur, but that last stream of Sword Qi actually carried a hint of its essence..."

He immediately thought of the Celestial Sword Technique.

The first level of the Celestial Sword Technique was called the True Realm, and it described this exact phenomenon occurring as one neared Perfection in the first level.

This also meant that his True Intent Fur was not far from evolving into a True Intent Prototype!

’A True Intent Prototype!’

Luo Tian was thrilled.

Once it successfully evolved, the power of his Swordsmanship would increase dramatically.

Luo Tian continued to collect the faint golden specks of light.

He then began to proactively target other contestants.

’After all, if I don’t plunder from others, someone else will come to plunder from me.’

’Besides, my goal is high. I intend to break into the top twenty of the Celestial Pride Conference!’

"Hand over half of your Celestial Fate Qi, and I’ll let you go!"

Luo Tian said calmly.

"In your dreams!"

The horse-faced woman opposite him, at the Peak of the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, turned and fled.

’Running again? Is my Spirit List rank that un-intimidating?’

Luo Tian was puzzled.

In reality, that was indeed the case. Many geniuses believed Luo Tian’s Spirit List ranking was inflated.

Furthermore, Luo Tian’s cultivation was only at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, placing him among the lowest tier of participants in the Celestial Pride Conference. As a result, many geniuses were not particularly afraid of him.

WHOOSH! BOOM!

Luo Tian gave chase, unleashing a heavy, surging Palm Force that slammed the horse-faced woman into the ground. He then plundered all of her Celestial Fate Qi.

"He’s at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm, so how is he so fast?"

The horse-faced woman was utterly dejected.

Initially, she had been hoping for a lucky break, but she never expected that Luo Tian’s rank on the Spirit List was completely legitimate.

The horse-faced woman got to her feet, ready to try again.

"Hand over your Celestial Fate Qi!"

Suddenly, a woman’s sharp cry came from behind her as a powerful and piercing Sword Dao aura closed in.

The horse-faced woman’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground once more.

From the sheer pressure of the Sword Dao aura alone, she knew she was no match for this new enemy.

"I don’t have any Celestial Fate Qi left!"

The horse-faced woman pleaded, holding up her dull, lightless Genius Order.

"Damn it!"

Hua Xiang’Er spat lightly.

"Looks like her Celestial Fate Qi was just plundered. We’re a step too late."

A moment later, a man with sharp, sword-like eyebrows walked over.

The Spirit Flower Dual Swords were working as a team.

"The one who just stole my Celestial Fate Qi was Luo Tian! He went in that direction."

Recognizing the Spirit Flower Dual Swords, the horse-faced woman immediately revealed Luo Tian’s whereabouts.

The Spirit Flower Dual Swords had clashed with Luo Tian in the Free Trade Zone, a conflict that had ultimately drawn in other geniuses like Jiang Daoyun and Qiao Hai, so many people knew about the incident.

"Luo Tian? Brother Ling, I want revenge!"

An intense killing intent filled Hua Xiang’Er’s face.

She stared at her right hand, which now only had three fingers. Luo Tian had cut off her middle and index fingers.

"If we team up, defeating him will be a piece of cake. The Celestial Pride Conference forbids malicious killing, but there’s no problem with crippling one of his arms!"

The two then departed swiftly.

If Luo Tian had been there, he would have certainly praised the horse-faced woman. After he robbed her of her Celestial Fate Qi, she had turned around and sent two more people his way. It was a "rob one, get two free" deal.