689: Chapter 689 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (68)

The roar of the Breakthrough echoed only within his body, while the outside world remained silent, save for the flickering shimmer of Star Power circulating on Su Han's skin. The Star Palace was newly formed, resembling a miniature, brilliantly radiant palace, steadily floating in the Dantian Qi Sea where the Star Sea had once been. It was not only more robust, but the total amount and purity of Star Power it could contain were more than ten times that of the Star Sea Realm! More importantly, the efficiency with which the Star Palace communicated with the heaven and earth's Star Power had greatly increased; from now on, his cultivation would enter a new fast lane.

However, when Su Han inspected his inner self, he discovered some differences. The Star Palaces of ordinary Star Palace Realm Cultivators were mostly monochromatic, with attributes determined by their Cultivation Techniques. But the foundation of his Star Palace was that mysterious, gray 'Taichu' Star Power. Upon the palace walls, starlight points flickered faintly. Looking closely, the arrangement of those points actually corresponded subtly with the Star Acupoints awakened within his body. Furthermore, an extremely faint but real lunar glow and a sharp, peerless Sword Intent phantom lingered between the beams and pillars of the Star Palace.

"Is it because of the 'Ancient Scripture of Taichu,' or because of the moon god pendant and my comprehension of the Sword Dao?" Su Han understood in his heart. His Dao had been different from others from the very beginning. Whether this strange Star Palace was a blessing or a curse was yet unknown, but the power contained within it made his heart surge with excitement.

He did not stop, continuing to circulate his Cultivation Technique to consolidate his Realm. When the horizon outside the window turned the color of a fish's belly, Su Han suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp light like electricity flashed in his pupils before turning inward, returning to a state of peace. In one night, he had not only stabilized his Early Stage Star Palace Realm cultivation, but his cultivation had also taken a solid step forward.

"It's time." Su Han stood up and stretched his muscles and bones, a surging force like a flowing galaxy coming from within his body. He pushed open the door. The morning light was dim, and the small courtyard appeared even more dilapidated after the devastation of the Star Realm expert's pressure last night, but the pervasive oppressive aura had already dissipated.

Today was the first day of the official competition of the Hundred Sects Grand Assembly.

In the center of Qingyun City, a massive bluestone square had been enveloped by Formations and divided into over a hundred arenas of various sizes. Around the square, circular stands were built high, enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. At this moment, the place was bustling with noise. Cultivators and representatives of various forces from all over the Eastern Region, and even other major regions, had already taken their seats. Many floor boats and flying pavilions were also suspended in the sky; those were the vehicles of the top Sects.

The Ziyang Sect Disciples, led by Venerable Ziyang and several Elders, arrived at the designated area. Following the team, Su Han could feel countless gazes, some open and some hidden, scanning him. Among them were curiosity, scrutiny, and no lack of cold malice coming from the direction of the Heart-Corroding Sword Sect. Netherworld Master sat high upon the flying pavilion of the Heart-Corroding Sword Sect, resting with his eyes closed as if the events of last night had never happened.

Venerable Ziyang's expression was grave as he said in a deep voice to the Disciples, "The Hundred Sects Grand Assembly is intended for sparring and exchange, but swords have no eyes. On the arena, life and death are up to fate. You must go all out to uphold the reputation of our Ziyang Sect, but if something is impossible, prioritize your own safety. Remember this!"

"Yes, Revered Master (Sect Master)!" the Disciples responded in unison.

Soon, the host of the assembly, a highly respected Loose Cultivator Senior from Qingyun City, announced the competition rules. The Hundred Sects Grand Assembly was divided into three rounds. The first round was a melee elimination. All participating Disciples would be randomly sent into a Secret Realm fragment called "Hundred Battles Mountain." The terrain inside was complex, with mountains, forests, deserts, and swamps. Disciples needed to seize "battle talismans" from other participants within three days (everyone starts with one) and search for extra "battle talismans" scattered throughout the Secret Realm. After three days, the top one thousand holders of battle talismans would advance. Killing was not forbidden in this round, but if one crushed their portable teleportation jade talisman, they could exit immediately, though it also meant elimination.

The second round was the arena ranking battle. The one thousand who advanced would face off in pairs through a draw, with the winner moving on until the top one hundred were decided. This round was supervised by referees, and intentionally killing or maiming was prohibited in principle, but combat was dangerous, and accidents were inevitable.

The third round was the Prodigy ranking battle. The top hundred Prodigies would participate in a round-robin or challenge tournament to determine the final rankings. The top ten would receive generous rewards, especially the top three, whose rewards were precious enough to make even Star Realm experts envious.

After the rules were announced, a massive teleportation Formation lit up in the center of the square. Participating Disciples from each Sect turned into streaks of light and entered the Formation.

Su Han only felt a blur before his eyes and a slight tugging sensation on his body. The next moment, his feet were on solid ground. The air was filled with a faint fragrance of vegetation and a trace of an ancient aura. The concentration of Star Power was actually twenty to thirty percent higher than in the outside world.

He quickly scanned his surroundings. He was at the edge of a forest with towering ancient trees. In the distance, mountains rose and fell, and the faint roar of beasts could be heard. His hand felt heavy as a warm green jade talisman appeared in it—the "battle talisman." At the same time, a slightly larger white jade talisman was hung at his waist; it was the Life-Saving Teleportation Talisman.

"Familiarize myself with the environment first, then wait for an opportunity." Su Han did not act rashly. He restrained his aura, leaped onto a giant tree, and hid within the dense canopy, his Divine Sense carefully probing outward like ripples.

Within the Secret Realm, battles broke out almost the moment the teleportation was complete. Not far away, the light of Star Power collisions flickered, and sounds of shouting and clashing weapons could be heard, which soon fell silent. It was unknown who had seized a battle talisman or if both parties had withdrawn.

Su Han waited patiently. His goal was not to snatch aimlessly; that would be too inefficient and easily make him a target for everyone. He was looking for a suitable target, or... waiting for someone to come to him.

About half an hour later, a three-person team entered Su Han's Divine Sense range. The three wore uniform clothing and came from a medium-sized Sect called the "Blazing Sun Sect." Their cultivation was all at the Late Stage Star Sea Realm, and they cooperated tacitly. They were clearly acting as an alliance, cautiously searching as they advanced.

"Senior Brother, there seem to be signs of battle here, but the person is gone," one person whispered.

"Be careful; someone might be hiding in this forest. As long as the three of us stay together and don't encounter those few freaks or a large group, we're strong enough to protect ourselves or even seize battle talismans," the leading youth said with a sharp gaze.

Su Han's heart stirred. The three of them working together was indeed a bit of trouble, but it was perfect for testing his skills after the Breakthrough and checking the results of his "hibernation."

Just as the three passed under the large tree where Su Han was hiding, Su Han moved. There was no earth-shattering sword light or howling Star Power; his figure seemed to merge into the wind. The leaves moved slightly, and he appeared behind them like a ghost. His speed was more than just a level faster than when he was in the Star Sea Realm!

"Who is it?!" The leading youth sensed something was wrong with the breeze and shouted as he turned around, only to see an extremely faint phantom.

Thud! Thud!

Two muffled sounds echoed. The two Blazing Sun Sect Disciples standing at the back didn't even see who it was; they only felt a pain in the back of their necks before their vision went dark and they slumped to the ground. Su Han pointed his fingers like a sword, precisely using Star Power to temporarily seal their ability to move. At the same time, he reached out and took the battle talismans from their robes.

The leading youth was horrified. Flames surged all over his body as he threw a punch toward Su Han's face. "Hiding your head and showing your tail, how despicable!" (End of Chapter)