Chapter 137: Battle Format
Two months later, hundreds of people gathered in a valley.
This valley was in the central part of the outer region of the thousand herbs garden and was tens of kilometres wide.
In the early days, the valley was occupied by the Death Flower Ascension Front. However, the group left when others discovered their location.
"Looks like everyone is here." Jiang Yue whispered to Yu Nianzhen.
Yu Nianzhen didn’t say anything but instead looked around.
Other than Jiang Yue who was standing beside him, Li Futian and Xuan Ke were also close.
Similar small groups of people were scattered around the valley, and all were discussing amongst themselves.
"Everyone got involved when the rules changed." Li Futian stated.
"It makes sense."
At first, the BlueStar Treasure pavilion, the border guards, and the Death Flower Ascension Front tried to control the situation.
However, the cultivators in the thousand herbs garden were all talents in their respective factions.
They all had strong opinions and ambitions.
Now that a mysterious map had appeared, no one was willing to give it up, and the fifty representatives could not be agreed upon.
In the end, the battle could only be conducted in a different way.
"Brothers, do you plan to participate?" Xuan Ke asked.
His sight was especially on Yu Nianzhen whose temperament had changed in the past two months.
"We plan to." Jiang Yue answered for himself and Yu Nianzhen.
"I also plan to." Li Futian said.
"As expected of my brothers." Xuan Ke said and laughed heartily.
"We all have to be very careful." Said Li Futian and looked to a place fifty metres away.
After tens of negotiations, the battle format was decided.
It was agreed that the BlueStar Treasure pavilion would retain its half of the map, but eighteen cultivators would have the right to view the completed map.
As for the half obtained from the Death Flower Ascension Front, it would be divided equally amongst the eighteen cultivators.
However, excluding the Death Flower Ascension Front, there were more than five hundred cultivators in the secret realm.
Each of the five hundred was eligible for one of the eighteen spots, and no one was willing to yield their right.
In this situation, eighteen battle arenas were erected on the central plain.
When the time came, interested cultivators would fight in the arenas, and the last eighteen would be the winners.
"Brother Li, do you have a plan?" Jiang Yue asked.
"What’s the need for a plan? The best plan is to occupy an arena as soon as the battle starts." Xuan Ke said, and Yu Nianzhen nodded in agreement.
From the perspective of others, the best strategy was to conserve one’s strength and only step up to fight much later in the battle.
However, this was not what he thought.
He planned to use the arena to temper his cultivation and swordsmanship.
Although he had managed to recultivate to the peak of the ninth level of the origin forging realm, his cultivation wasn’t stable.
This wasn’t due to other factors but because he only had two months to cultivate.
If it was before, he would have needed less than one month to raise his level, but his dantian had expanded a lot. The amount of qi needed for each level couldn’t be compared to before.
"I also have this plan." Jiang Yue said.
In the past two months, he had spent a lot of time on lullaby and was eager to see the effect.
"Let’s choose adjacent arenas so that we can keep an eye on each other." Li Futian said, and Jiang Yue chuckled.
’It’s ironic for a person who keeps their eyes closed to say that.’ He thought.
Yu Nianzhen seemed to understand his amusement. and he rubbed his hair. His eyes softened with helpless doting, but he didn’t say anything.
"I heard that formations have been set up, and no one can interfere with ongoing battles." Xuan Ke said.
The others didn’t say anything to that.
They had also received the information and understood what it meant.
If one encountered an ordinary opponent, the battle would end in surrender. However, if the opponent was an enemy, it could only end in the death of one.
"This time, the thousand herbs garden is unusually bloody." Li Futian commented.
Although he didn’t show it, he was still worried.
Secret realms were fundamentally strange, and no one knew whether the garden would react.
’We can only hope that everything will be fine.’ He thought.
However, he was uneasy.
He always felt that something would happen, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.
"People from the BlueStar Treasure pavilion have arrived." Yu Nianzhen mentioned.
The others turned and saw Meng Zihua leading a group of people. She looked more solemn than usual, but her mood was understandable.
Although her half of the map was secure, people couldn’t be trusted in the face of benefits.
She worried that others would be greedy and also worried that the Death Flower Ascension Front would emerge victorious in the battle.
At that time, her half of the map would be grabbed, and she wouldn’t even have a chance to see the completed one.
"Meng Zihua should be able to occupy an arena. Unfortunately, Bei Chengling betrayed the pavilion and Song Qiufeng is still a little weak." Xuan Ke commented.
"The border guards also have one person. It will be difficult for anyone to gain an advantage if Wei Ge occupies an arena."
"Does brother Li know Wei Ge well?" Jiang Yue asked.
"I don’t him well, but I know his spear skills. His position as the young leader of the border guards is not for show."
Yu Nianzhen looked at where the border guards stood and had to agree with Li Futian.
Compared to Ouyang Shu, who also had a spear origin, Wei Ge was several times stronger. His qi presence was even slightly stronger than Meng Zihua.
"Brother Li, can you predict the final eighteen?" Xuan Ke asked.
Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen were also interested in this, and they turned to look at the cultivator from the Celestial Sky sect.
"I can’t predict, but I can guess."
"Say." Jiang Yue was excited.
He had been in the Cangxing world for so long, but he stayed in the Sea Cloud region. With the distance between cities and sects in different regions, it was difficult to gather information about other talents.
The only easy way to do it was in secret realms, but this was his first time in a secret realm.
"My first guess is the young emperor of the Great Zhu empire."
"Young emperor of the Great Zhu empire?"
Jiang Yue knew about the Great Zhu empire since it was one of the sixteen regions of the Cangxing world. It was the only region governed by an emperor and a royal family.
However, he didn’t know much else.
"If he claims to be the second most powerful cultivator in the secret realm, only brother Yu can claim the first place." Li Futian said, and Jiang Yue chuckled.
Until two months ago, Yu Nianzhen was powerful, but his strength was still within reason.
However, after practising for the last two months, his strength had begun to show signs of perversion.
Jiang Yue dared to say that with a little more practice, Yu Nianzhen’s power would become unfathomable.
"The young emperor has an ice origin, but the ice isn’t normal. It is said that the ice of the emperor line of the Great Zhu empire can freeze phoenix fire?"
"Is there such a thing?" Even Yu Nianzhen frowned when he heard that.
The Phoenix was one of the four divine beasts, and its fire wasn’t easy to deal with. He had never heard of ice that had such capabilities.
"It’s what I have heard."
"Before supreme elder Yang of the Sea Cloud sect was injured, the great emperor of the Great Zhu empire ranked second, but he now ranks first in the Cangxing world." Xuan Ke informed.
"It’s said that the nine suns fire of supreme elder Yang can melt the ice of the great Zhu empire’s ancestor."
Yu Nianzhen clenched his hands when he heard that.
Since his master was a supreme elder, he always knew he was powerful, but his understanding was superficial.
However, his knowledge was supplemented since he entered the secret realm, and it made him more urgent.
Every time he heard of his master’s previous strength; he always saw an image of Yang Xu in his mind.
Although the person wasn’t depressed, his eyes were sometimes filled with a desperate melancholy that was hard to ignore.
The more he knew about his master, the more Yu Nianzhen understood that melancholy.
For someone who used to be so powerful, it was understandably difficult to accept his current situation. When he thought about this, Yu Nianzhen felt a little lost.
A moment later, he felt a hand hold his own, and his mood lightened.
’I will find a way to fix him.’ He thought and squeezed the hand once before letting go.
