Chapter 82: The Qualification to Compete for First Place
The next day.
As the sun began to rise, the entire Zhen Tian City erupted into a frenzy.
Countless cultivators surged toward the eastern side of the city.
There, two towering peaks stood side by side, each thousands of meters tall, piercing into the clouds. The mountain walls were extraordinarily steep, as if sliced cleanly by a sword.
In truth, they were.
These two peaks had been transported from a mountain range by the Northern King of the Great Zhou Empire using great divine powers. Their sole purpose was to serve as a venue for competitions.
At present, a formidable formation had been set up on these peaks. Symbols floated in the void, radiating an aura of terrifying power that sent chills down one's spine.
On the northern peak, a crowd of people had already gathered.
On the outermost perimeter stood rows of soldiers clad in armor, armed with spears and halberds. Their bodies exuded a fierce vitality, and their weapons gleamed with an intimidating brilliance under the sunlight.
Inside the perimeter were over ten thousand young men and women standing before a cliff, their faces brimming with anticipation.
"The first test is to cross from this peak to the other. Only those who can reach the other peak will officially qualify for the competition," said a disciple from the Spirit Sword Valley, glancing at the chasm below.
This rule had been set by the Great Zhou Empire. After all, with over ten thousand young talents present, having them pair off for individual matches would take an eternity.
"A formation has already been placed in the valley below. Flying across won't be easy. Just this round alone will probably eliminate more than half the participants," someone remarked worriedly.
The speaker, only at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm, looked at the seemingly bottomless chasm below and shivered.
It wasn't the fear of falling to his death that unnerved him but the fear that he simply wouldn't be able to make it across.
After all, unlike those in the Spirit Meridian Realm, Qi Condensation Realm cultivators lacked spiritual sense and couldn't rely on sword flight. They could only leap across the gap.
The problem was, the two peaks were separated by several kilometers. Even without the formation, it would be nearly impossible to jump that distance. Moreover, the valley below was shrouded by an unknown formation, further complicating the leap.
For those at the Qi Condensation Realm, even a slight disturbance mid-jump could end their attempt prematurely.
"Master, can you tell what kind of formation is in this valley?" Ye Han asked in his heart as he stood on the edge of the cliff.
"A basic Void Entrapment Formation. Nothing too concerning," replied the aged voice nonchalantly.
"Void Entrapment Formation?" Ye Han pondered for a moment.
He recalled his master explaining this formation to him before. Its power wasn't significant, as it primarily increased the gravity experienced by those within it—by dozens of times at most.
Under normal circumstances, this formation would be considered quite trivial.
But here, today, it was almost fatal for the Qi Condensation Realm disciples. Already limited to jumping across, if their bodies suddenly became dozens of times heavier mid-air, they would undoubtedly plummet.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Ye Han of the Profound Sun Sect," came a mocking voice from nearby, interrupting Ye Han's thoughts.
"Hmm?" Ye Han turned around.
Behind him, a group of young men dressed in the uniforms of the Beast Taming Sect had appeared at some point.
The leader, his gaze filled with disdain, sneered, "Oh, the great genius Ye Han. Are you scared? Don't tell me you can't even leap across this valley?"
Yesterday, Ye Han single-handedly defeated several Spirit Meridian Realm disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, leaving the sect humiliated. Later, their core disciple Ning Cheng tried to salvage their reputation, only to be thwarted by Li Xun.
This series of setbacks ignited a smoldering anger in many of the Beast Taming Sect disciples.
They wouldn't dare provoke Li Xun, as that was tantamount to seeking death, but taking it out on Ye Han? That was something they believed they could manage.
After all, today was no ordinary day—it was the start of the grand competition. On the battlefield, Beast Taming Sect disciples would be allowed to summon and use their beasts.
At that point, Ye Han, in their eyes, would be no more than a toy to play with.
"A mere late-stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivator—what can you possibly do?"
"Trash like you dare bark in front of me?" Ye Han's gaze swept across them coldly.
"You're courting death, aren't you?"
The leader, a late-stage Spirit Meridian Realm cultivator, glared frostily at Ye Han, his face dark and threatening.
"Don't think that your Profound Sun Sect's Li Xun can protect you forever. Without his shield, you're nothing but a speck of dust to us," he sneered. "If you kneel down now and knock your head three times, I might be merciful enough to let you go."
At these words, the disciples who had been defeated by Ye Han yesterday looked at him with gleeful anticipation.
In their minds, Ye Han was digging his own grave. Surely, Li Xun couldn't save him once they were on the competition stage?
"We'll settle this on the battlefield," Ye Han said coldly.
"Heh."
The Beast Taming Sect disciple chuckled maliciously and said, "I'll be waiting for you on the other side. You'd better pray that we don't cross paths on the competition stage. Otherwise…"
A sinister smile appeared on his face, his killing intent so palpable that it sent a shiver through the onlookers.
With a wave of his hand, a beast several meters tall materialized beside him. He leaped onto its back, and together, man and beast transformed into a streak of light, effortlessly soaring toward the opposite peak.
It seemed as though there were no obstacles between the two peaks.
"Was it really that easy?"
Watching the Beast Taming Sect disciple cross so effortlessly, many others began to feel restless and eager to try.
Buzz!
A hum reverberated through the air as an early-stage Spirit Meridian Realm cultivator stepped onto his flying sword and tried to mimic the Beast Taming Sect disciple's actions. He dashed toward the opposite peak.
However, unlike the previous attempt, when he reached the midpoint between the peaks, an invisible force pressed down from above.
The cultivator's body trembled violently, as if struck by lightning, and he plummeted straight into the chasm below.
"This…"
A heavy silence fell over the crowd.
If even a Spirit Meridian Realm cultivator could fall, how could disciples in the Qi Condensation Realm hope to make it across?
On the opposite peak, the mountaintop had been leveled, and the Great Zhou royal family had arranged for 300 competition arenas to be set up.
In mid-air, two floating platforms hovered.
The platform on the left was carved entirely from white jade, and seated upon it were the Northern King of the Great Zhou and elders from various sects.
The other platform was occupied by a group of core disciples, all young talents in their prime.
When the first Beast Taming Sect disciple reached the other side, many of the young geniuses on the viewing platform let out a murmur of admiration.
"This Beast Taming Sect disciple isn't bad. To be the first to cross, and so effortlessly at that—he might even have a shot at claiming first place."
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Tn: I'm changing the Xuan Yin Sect into the Xuanyin Sect
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