193: Unexpected champion

Time slipped away like a white colt flashing past a crevice.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight, like golden gauze, fell upon Heaven's Pride Plaza, the plaza was already bustling with people, shadows flickering everywhere.

From the preliminary rounds to the top ten competition, after nearly ten days of fierce battles, Prodigies were eliminated one by one, and Prodigies shone like new stars, earning praise from all sides.

Today was the day to decide the champion.

Chu Jiang, accompanied by Fu Yunxuan and Wang Chao, casually ascended the high platform and, as usual, sat on the golden throne. On his shoulders, the little white ape and the small python either blinked excitedly or slept soundly in contentment.

“Begin!” Chu Jiang waved his hand casually at Guixu Zhenren.

“Yes!”

Guixu Zhenren secretly grumbled to himself, wondering why his Yu Xu Palace felt like Chu Jiang's junior.

“Please welcome the top ten contestants from the Innate Realm division to the stage!”

On the arena, ten Peak Innate Realm powerhouses stood tall like green pines.

There was no such thing as a Half-Step Vajra Realm or Half-Step Grandmaster; those were Realms only achieved by those who failed to Breakthrough.

True Prodigies always Breakthrough directly from the Peak of their current Realm to the next major Realm.

Among them, only three were from Yun Province, while the other seven were from other provinces.

The battle instantly began.

Those who could make it into the top ten possessed combat skills far surpassing ordinary people, even comparable to Demon Suppression Guards who constantly fought on the brink of life and death.

This was quite a spectacle to behold.

“The Innate Realm division is without suspense; Long Fei of Nine Nether Valley is the most likely to win the championship!”

The representative of Yunhe School from Si Province declared.

“Yinhua Laolao, your Valley truly has produced an astonishing Prodigy!” Yang Huo of Golden Eagle Gate also praised.

Since participating, Long Fei had never tasted defeat; no one of the same Realm could last more than three moves against him, not even the top ten.

“You flatter him; this boy still needs more tempering and is not worthy of the word 'astonishing'!”

“The truly astonishing one is Commander Chu!”

Yinhua Laolao said modestly. Long Fei was a Prodigy Nine Nether Valley hadn't seen in a hundred years, breaking many records within the Valley and possessing the demeanor of the Nine Nether Valley Ancestral Master.

But compared to a figure like Commander Chu, he was still a notch inferior.

“Commander Chu’s talent is rare throughout history; naturally, he cannot be compared!”

The powerhouses all spoke up.

Comparing themselves to such a monster, weren't they just asking for abuse?

Entering the Transcendent Realm before the age of thirty would scare a lot of people to death if word got out.

“There’s no need to belittle yourselves; when I was in the Innate Realm, I most likely wouldn’t have been his match either!”

Chu Jiang said with a light chuckle.

He could tell at a glance that Long Fei had cultivated at least three Innate martial arts to the Transcendent Realm, and his main Cultivation Technique was also top-tier.

If he, in his Innate Realm, had encountered this person, he would have essentially been destined to flee in defeat.

Unfortunately, in the early stages of Cultivation, there might still be a possibility of killing enemies across Realms. But the more one Cultivates and the faster one Breakthroughs, the later stages are mostly about Realm suppression.

Prodigies, coupled with the backing of powerful forces, have only one path: to soar to the heavens.

This is something Loose Cultivators or low-level martial artists can never compare to.

The gap will only grow wider and wider.

“Commander Chu flatters him!”

Yinhua Laolao said, but her heart was quite pleased. To be recognized by a Golden Core powerhouse meant Long Fei's talent was indeed excellent.

Chu Jiang nodded slightly, saying no more.

It was normal for these Prodigies, meticulously trained by major forces, to be stronger than ordinary people. His focus was mainly on those Loose Cultivator Prodigies.

After all.

Even if these Prodigies from major forces performed exceptionally well, they belonged to their respective forces. It was highly unlikely they would betray their Sects to join the Demon Suppression Division.

“A thousand li without a single popular person, Li Kui has arrived!”

“Loose Cultivator, Ox-Horse King, I accept the challenge!”

“Huangquan Pavilion, Zhang Buda…”

“…”

The battles continued, and as expected, Long Fei of Nine Nether Valley easily won the championship.

Soon.

“Vajra Realm division, begin!”

As Guixu Zhenren's words fell, ten Prodigies stood on the arena.

Li Tianyang from Si Province, Luo Chuan from Blood River Sect, Shui Zhan from Huangquan Pavilion, Shi Qingxuan from Golden Eagle Gate, and others were all among them.

In the Vajra Realm division, only one person from Yun Province made it onto the list.

“For this Vajra Realm division, who do you all think will win first place?”

“That might be hard to guess!”

“In the Vajra Realm division, there are basically three or four people who are evenly matched!”

Everyone whispered among themselves, discussions rising and falling like a surging tide.

In the Vajra Realm division, no one could truly outshine the rest; everyone's performance was excellent, and three individuals, in particular, had advanced all the way without a single defeat.

They were Li Tianyang, Shi Qingxuan, and Shui Zhan.

It was truly difficult to judge who was superior.

“In my opinion, Li Tianyang’s strength is decent; he might have a chance to win the championship.”

“Shi Qingxuan should not be underestimated either, Brother Yang, this is your Golden Eagle Gate's proud Disciple, what do you think?”

“It's hard to say!”

Yinhua Laolao turned her gaze to Chu Jiang, asking, “I wonder, Commander Chu, who do you think will win the top prize?”

Everyone also stopped their discussions.

Chu Jiang casually glanced over and then said, “That young man in red.”

Although he hid it extremely well, he could not escape the prying of the Heavenly Eye.

A mysterious and peculiar power resided within him; once unleashed, it would possess the formidable combat strength of a Grandmaster-level.

“Luo Chuan of Blood River Sect?”

Everyone was filled with disbelief.

“Commander Chu, please don’t joke with us. Luo Chuan barely squeezed into the top ten; while he has some strength, he is still very far from winning the championship.”

As a native of Yun Province, it was understandable for Chu Jiang to favor local Sects.

However, this completely deviated from the actual situation.

“Commander Chu, perhaps your strength far surpasses ours, but your judgment of people might be slightly lacking. The Prodigy you favor will likely disappoint greatly.”

Zhang Qingshan of Huangquan Pavilion's mouth curved into a barely noticeable sneer. For Yun Province to have even one person enter the top ten of the Vajra Realm division was already quite rare.

To want to win the championship was simply a pipe dream.

With so many Prodigies from other provinces, how could they possibly be outdone by a small local School?

In the past, the Heavens Pride Gathering in Yun Province had always seen the top ten claimed by other provinces, and as for the top spot, it hadn't been held by a local for centuries.

Chu Jiang disdained to explain, remaining seated on the golden throne.

However.

After a fierce competition, the results left everyone dumbfounded.

With a loud shout from Luo Chuan.

“Blood God Descends!”

Boom!

Bang!

Shi Qingxuan was defeated, lightly falling off the arena.

Then it was Li Tianyang, descending the arena with blood-stained clothes.

Finally, Shui Zhan, heavily injured and bleeding, collapsed off the arena.

Although all three were prepared, they still succumbed to defeat.

“Luo Chuan of Blood River Sect won?”

This news exploded like a thunderclap among the crowd.

He consecutively defeated Prodigies from other provinces, becoming the champion of the Vajra Realm division.

Everyone in the VIP seats was dumbfounded, unable to believe it.

Chu Jiang's words had indeed come true; Luo Chuan of Blood River Sect had taken first place.

Below.

The enthusiasm of the audience erupted like a volcano, the entire scene boiling with excitement.

“Oh my god, the top of the Vajra Realm, Yun Province has a champion!”

“Luo Chuan, Luo Chuan!”

“Luo Chuan, I want to have baby monkeys with you!”

“…”

The screams of some fanatical fans rose and fell; they had already favored Luo Chuan, and now they were completely insane.

This was a historic moment for the Heavens Pride Gathering in Yun Province, the first time in centuries that a local had ascended to the champion's throne, standing out from the Prodigies of numerous major forces.

The crowd was in an uproar.

“Referee, I want to report that Luo Chuan cheated and launched a sneak attack! His results in this Heaven's Pride Grand Competition should be declared invalid!”

Shui Zhan could no longer suppress his inner anger. He had thought he had a chance to contend for the top spot, but not only could he not even keep a place in the top three, he was also seriously injured by a Prodigy from a small School in Yun Province.

If he hadn't launched that sneak attack just now.

How could he have lost?

He refused to accept it.

He refused to accept losing to a small School.

“This Shui Zhan, at least he comes from a Beyond Mortal force, why is he acting like a shrew yelling in the streets, can't he take a loss?”

On the battlefield, the situation changes in an instant.

A sneak attack is also a skill; as long as one can win, who cares if your methods are honorable or not?

Many forces scoffed.

Slap!

A loud slap came fiercely from the VIP platform.