74: Chapter 74 The Grand Competition Begins

This information caused a ripple in Chu Xiao's heart.

It wasn't fear, but excitement!

He finally understood why everyone in the Jiuyou Sect, including Holy Sect Envoy Gui Cang,

appeared so confident and certain of victory.

It turned out they had already laid a certain-kill trap.

Using the absolute strength of a Half-step Nascent Soul to crush his Golden Core Stage eighth level.

To anyone else, this would be a massacre without any suspense.

"Interesting."

The corners of Chu Xiao's mouth curled up slightly.

He raised his head, casting his gaze once more toward Holy Sect Envoy Gui Cang on the high platform.

"Insight into Heavenly Secrets!"

[Name: Gui Cang]

[Realm: Soul Transformation Realm Level One]

[Identity: Outer Sect Deacon of the Heavenly Dao Holy Sect, Envoy for this Grand Competition]

[Fate: Lone Star of Heavenly Slaughter (Dark Gold)]

[Recent Opportunity: Ordered by a Holy Sect Elder to come to the Great Qian Dynasty to search for traces of special Physiques. If the mission is completed, he will receive a huge reward and may even have the chance to join that Elder's lineage as a Personal Disciple.]

When he saw Gui Cang's information, Chu Xiao's heart jolted!

Heavenly Slaughter Dao Body! Searching for special Physiques!

Everything became clear in an instant!

He finally understood where that so-called Aura of a kindred spirit came from!

It turned out this Holy Sect Envoy...

Was also a possessor of a special Physique!

And the true purpose of his trip wasn't to select Disciples at all, but to find candidates with special Physiques.

Having figured everything out, the pressure in Chu Xiao's heart vanished.

He slowly withdrew his gaze!

"The Grand Competition begins!"

Following Feng Jingcheng's command, the four massive arenas simultaneously burst with brilliant light.

Battle erupted instantly!

The first to begin were the elimination rounds for the four seeded players before the final group matches.

On Arena One, Jian Wuchen of the Divine Sword Sect only struck once.

A flash of white sword light, fast to the extreme, passed by.

His opponent, a Golden Core seventh level Disciple from another Sect, had blood trickling from between his brows as he was sent flying straight off the arena!

On Arena Two, Li Xuantong of the Wanfa Sect stood in place with a smiling face, not moving at all.

His opponent, however, seemed trapped in an endless illusion.

He frantically attacked the air on the stage until he finally collapsed from exhaustion.

On Arena Three, Man Zhan of the Hundred Beasts Valley was even more simple and brutal. He didn't even summon his contracted Yao Beast; instead, his body blurred as he charged out like a cannonball. With one punch—just one punch—he blasted his opponent along with their Magic Treasure off the arena!

The most eye-catching was undoubtedly Arena Four.

Xing Lie of the Jiuyou Sect's first opponent was a Golden Core ninth level Prodigy from the Wanfa Sect.

However, facing Xing Lie, all of his struggles seemed pale and powerless.

"Jie jie... before this seat, you don't even have the qualification to be an ant!"

Xing Lie let out a piercing, cruel laugh; he didn't even use his full strength.

He merely extended a hand, and the terrifying pressure of a Half-step Nascent Soul bore down like a mountain, pinning the opponent in place, unable to move.

Then, amidst the gasps of the crowd,

He walked step by step toward the man and, in front of everyone, crushed the man's limbs inch by inch into pulp!

The shrill screams echoed throughout the plaza, causing countless hearts to tremble and skin to crawl.

Not until the opponent was tortured beyond recognition,

Did Xing Lie, still unsatisfied, stomp and explode the man's head.

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes cutting through the crowd to lock onto Chu Xiao!

This was a blatant demonstration of power!

The entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.

The Disciples of the Tianyan Sect were especially pale, as quiet as cicadas in winter.

"Next match, Group Four: Chu Xiao of the Tianyan Sect versus Zhao Mang of the Black Fiend Sect!"

Just then, the referee's voice rang out.

In the Tianyan Sect's rest area, a Jiuyou Sect Disciple had just finished his match.

Though he had won, he had also sustained significant injuries.

Currently, he was swallowing a Medicinal Pill while scanning the Tianyan Sect group.

"Hmph, Tianyan Sect? A bunch of trash! In a moment, our Senior Brother Xing Lie will tear that bullshit Chu Xiao of yours into pieces!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of provocation.

"You!" several Tianyan Sect Disciples shouted in rage, about to step forward to argue.

"Enough," Chu Xiao spoke calmly, stopping them.

He slowly stood up, preparing to take the stage.

"Junior Brother Chu..."

Xu Linger quickly walked to his side: "You... you must be careful. If things aren't going well, then... then just concede. It's better to live to fight another day."

Her words represented the sentiments of everyone in the Tianyan Sect.

Hearing this, Chu Xiao only nodded and said nothing more.

He set off, walking toward Arena Four.

And the Black Fiend Sect Disciple, Zhao Mang, who had just won and was preparing to leave the stage,

Just happened to meet him face-to-face.

Zhao Mang looked at Chu Xiao with a sneer of disdain: "Kid, you're the one who killed the Jiuyou Sect people? You've got guts. I advise you to kneel right now, give me three kowtows, and then crawl out of Tianyuan City. Otherwise, once you're on the arena, it won't be as simple as broken arms and legs."

He clearly wanted to suppress Chu Xiao to curry favor with Xing Lie.

However, Chu Xiao only paused slightly, as if he hadn't heard a word.

Just as the two were about to pass each other, Chu Xiao's indifferent voice softly rang out.

"A jumping clown dares to be so noisy before me?"

The moment the words fell, his Aura suddenly flared and retracted.

Thud!

Zhao Mang felt a terrifying pressure instantly crush his spirit.

His legs went weak, and in front of the entire audience, he fell to his knees!

Chu Xiao, without looking back, calmly stepped onto Arena Four, which was stained with blood and slaughter.

The entire venue was silent!

The furious Xing Lie, the triumphant Elder Xing Tu, the helpless Immortal Master Ling Yun, and the worried Xu Linger...

And on the high platform, the Holy Sect Envoy whose eyes suddenly lit up...

Countless gazes at this moment

All converged upon that single figure.

In everyone's eyes, this person only had a Golden Core Stage cultivation and didn't emit any world-shaking Aura.

But as he stood there, he seemed to become a world of his own.

That composure formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding atmosphere!

Thud!

The Black Fiend Sect Disciple Zhao Mang, who had been forced to his knees by Chu Xiao's Aura, only now woke up as if from a dream.

He felt the countless gazes behind him mixed with contempt.

His face instantly turned the color of pig liver.

Overwhelmed by shame and anger, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

He scrambled to his feet.

With a venomous look at Chu Xiao's back, he fled from the arena on all fours.

And this scene finally broke the brief, deathly silence of the plaza.

Boom!

The next moment, a mountain-shaking wave of discussion erupted!

"My god! What just happened? Zhao Mang is at least a Golden Core sixth level expert, yet he was scared into kneeling by a single look from Chu Xiao?"

"This Chu Xiao... what a terrifying presence!"

"What's the use of a presence? He's only at Golden Core eighth level! He has to face Xing Lie of the Jiuyou Sect! That monster who has already stepped into the Half-step Nascent Soul Realm!"

Among the crowd, someone quickly pulled the topic back to reality.

Indeed, no matter how stunning or mysterious Chu Xiao appeared, in the eyes of others, there was still a significant gap between him and Xing Lie.

"Do you remember? Three months ago at the exit of the Feixiao Secret Realm, didn't this Chu Xiao rely on an indomitable Aura to kill Shen Fei of the Jiuyou Sect despite the level difference?"

"That Shen Fei was also a powerhouse with half a foot in the Nascent Soul Realm!"

"That was then, this is now! Shen Fei's cultivation was merely forced through external means, his Foundation was hollow. How could he be compared to Senior Brother Xing Lie? Senior Brother Xing Lie has been immersed in the Golden Core ninth level Peak for thirty years; his depth is far beyond what Shen Fei could match!"

"Furthermore, he is now a genuine Half-step Nascent Soul! He's more than one level stronger than Shen Fei!"

A Jiuyou Sect Disciple retorted with a face full of pride.

"True! I admit Chu Xiao is a Prodigy; I heard he even comprehended two types of Immortal Dao Intent, and his combat power is extraordinary. But the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realms—that's a difference in quality!"

"It's the gap between immortal and mortal! No matter how much of a Prodigy he is, it's impossible to cross this chasm!"

Discussions rose and fell, and the vast majority of people, after their brief shock, still did not favor Chu Xiao.

In their view, the calmer Chu Xiao appeared,

The more it showed the fear in his heart.

...

On the high platform, the Elders of the major Sects also had varied expressions.

Feng Long from the Tianyuan City Lord's Mansion, as well as the leading Elders from the Divine Sword Sect, Wanfa Sect, and Hundred Beasts Valley, all turned their gazes toward the field.

"Fellow Daoist Ling Yun, congratulations! Your Tianyan Sect has truly produced an extraordinary peerless Prodigy!"

The leading Elder of the Divine Sword Sect laughed while stroking his beard.

However, that smile carried a hint of politeness and distance.

Beside him, the Wanfa Sect Elder also nodded in agreement: "Indeed, calm in the face of danger, steady Heart-Nature—this courage alone surpasses ninety-nine percent of his peers. It's just a pity... sigh, poor luck to run into those lunatics from the Jiuyou Sect."

The Hundred Beasts Valley Elder was hot-tempered and snorted, speaking bluntly: "What's there to pity? I think this kid is just overly arrogant and doesn't know death! Does he really think killing a few pieces of trash gives him the right to challenge the dignity of a Half-step Nascent Soul? When he gets on that stage, he'll have his time to cry!"

In the Tianyan Sect area, Immortal Master Ling Yun listened to the surrounding discussions, some sympathetic and some mocking.

His old face had long since turned so dark it could drip water.

He clenched his fists, his heart filled with powerlessness.

He regretted why he had agreed to let Chu Xiao participate in the Grand Competition in the first place!

If he could have protected him within the Sect,

Then in another eight or ten years, once he had truly grown up, how could he possibly fear a mere Xing Lie?

But now, it was too late for any of that.

And on the Jiuyou Sect's side, Elder Xing Tu could no longer contain his wild joy and triumph.

His sinister laughter spread across the entire plaza without concealment.

"Jie jie jie... Ling Yun, old man, is this the hope of your Tianyan Sect? A brat who only knows how to put on an act! Don't worry, I've already instructed Lie'er; he won't let the boy die so easily!"