221: Chapter 220 The Grand Competition Begins

The preliminary round of the Tianxu Realm officially began the next morning. All participants were cast into an independent space called the "Secret Realm of Ten Thousand Beasts," with simple and brutal rules:

Within ten days, defeat opponents or hunt Vicious Beasts in the Secret Realm to earn points; the top one hundred on the leaderboard will advance to the semi-finals.

The moment Xiao Ye stepped into the Secret Realm, he felt a wave of dense Immortal Qi rushing towards him.

This world was even more ancient than the outside world, with an aura of wild primality permeating the air. From the distant mountains came the faint sound of beast roars; where the sound waves passed, even the air trembled.

He stood still for a moment, not rushing to act, but instead closed his eyes to sense the flow of Laws in the surroundings before slowly opening them. "This place is quite suitable for Cultivating."

He walked along a stream towards the depths of the Secret Realm, his pace neither fast nor slow, like he was taking a stroll. On the way, he encountered a few blind Vicious Beasts of the Secret Realm; he casually knocked them over with a punch. His points rose silently, but he couldn't be bothered to count them; in any case, he was still far from the passing line.

What truly made him perk up was the first group of Cultivators he encountered on the evening of the second day.

It was a ten-man squad, most with cultivation levels between the Early Stage and Middle Stage of Golden Immortal. They were well-equipped and clearly prepared. Leading them was a bald, burly man with a giant axe taller than himself resting on his shoulder. Seeing Xiao Ye from afar, he grinned, "A lone fat sheep."

Before the words had even faded, ten figures pounced simultaneously, Immortal power surging, Spells covering the sky.

Xiao Ye stood in place without dodging. He raised his hand and punched out; the Great Dao of Strength rolled like a giant wave. Wherever the fist wind passed, those flashy Spells shattered like paper. The three people charging at the front were directly sent flying, crashing into the stream and splashing water meters high.

The remaining seven paused, and the bald man's hand holding the giant axe trembled slightly—he hadn't even seen Xiao Ye's movements clearly, and half his men were already down.

"He is only one person, what is there to fear!" The bald man gritted his teeth and charged again, his giant axe wrapped in blazing Immortal flames as he slashed towards Xiao Ye's face. Xiao Ye sidestepped to avoid the axe blade and backhanded a slap onto his shoulder. The burly man, along with his axe, sank into the ground, leaving only his head exposed, his face full of astonishment.

The remaining people looked at each other. Don't know who shouted "Run" first, and the six figures scattered instantly, sprinting away in different directions.

Xiao Ye did not pursue. He squatted down and patted the bald head exposed outside, "Ask you something. Do you know where there are more Vicious Beasts in the Secret Realm?"

The bald man's expression was complex. He pointed in a direction and then asked cautiously, "Which Immortal Realm are Your Excellency from?"

"White-Clad Immortal Realm, Xiao Ye." Xiao Ye stood up, "Remember this: next time, find out who the other party is before robbing them."

The bald man watched his back disappear at the end of the stream, whispered the name once, and silently committed it to memory.

On the third day, Xiao Ye encountered a group of female Cultivators surrounded by a Vicious Beast in a valley. There were about seven or eight of them, most with cultivation at the Early Stage of Golden Immortal. Leading them was a woman in green robes holding a long sword, struggling to fend off a Vicious Beast resembling a giant lizard.

The Vicious Beast was covered in scales from head to tail, and a single sweep of its tail caused rocks to shatter. Although the green-robed woman's swordsmanship was exquisite, her consumption of Immortal power was immense, and her forehead was covered in fine sweat.

Xiao Ye landed not far away, scanned the battle, and casually picked up a pebble from the ground, flicking it with his finger. The pebble carried a faint trajectory of Immortal power, accurately striking the giant lizard's forehead with a muffled thud.

The giant lizard's massive body swayed, then crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The group of female Cultivators turned their heads in unison, looking at Xiao Ye with shock and suspicion.

The green-robed woman sheathed her sword and stepped forward, cupping her hands, "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for the help. I am... Liu Qingyuan from the Tianyu Immortal Realm."

"Xiao Ye." He waved his hand, "Just a small effort."

Several female Cultivators behind Liu Qingyuan whispered, their gazes frequently sweeping over Xiao Ye. One of them whispered, "That flick of the pebble just now, it must have been at least the strength of a Late Stage Golden Immortal..." Xiao Ye pretended not to hear and just asked Liu Qingyuan, "Where are you all going?"

Liu Qingyuan pointed towards the depths of the valley, "I heard there are ancient ruins over there, and we want to go try our luck."

"Coincidentally, I also want to go take a look." Xiao Ye smiled, "It's livelier with more people, shall we go together?"

Liu Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Then we shall impose on you."

The group traveled through the valley for half a day and indeed discovered a dilapidated stone gate behind a cliff covered in vines. Faint golden light spilled from the cracks in the gate, and one could vaguely sense dense energy fluctuations within.

Xiao Ye stepped forward to push the gate. The stone gate was heavy but had no restrictions set upon it. After it slowly opened, it revealed a spacious cave containing many scattered fragments of broken Immortal Artifacts and a few ancient Immortal herbs.

Xiao Ye's gaze, however, was drawn to a broken stone tablet at the deepest part of the cave.

The surface of the tablet was engraved with rows of ancient runes, the strokes vigorous and powerful, vaguely connecting to the Great Dao of Strength. He walked closer to examine it; the inscription recorded a kind of "Advanced Method for the Great Dao of Strength." Although incomplete, the core essence within was still clearly discernible.

Xiao Ye silently memorized the inscription. He did not rush to comprehend it on the spot, but instead turned to Liu Qingyuan and the others, "You all can divide the Immortal herbs here; I only want this tablet."

Liu Qingyuan originally wanted to decline, but seeing his firm attitude, she no longer stood on ceremony and led her sisters to carefully harvest those few Immortal herbs.

Xiao Ye stored the stone tablet in his storage ring, intending to contemplate it slowly when he returned. This temporarily assembled team searched the ruins for another hour or so, and everyone had their own gains; the atmosphere was much more relaxed than when they first met.

Xiao Ye did not linger in the ruins. He vaguely felt that this heat was attracting more Cultivators, and he did not want to reveal too many trump cards before the semi-finals.

After bidding farewell to Liu Qingyuan and her group, he turned back alone, returning to a cliff near the entrance of the Secret Realm. He sat cross-legged, regulating his Qi while waiting for the bell for point settlement.

Ten days passed faster than imagined. When a long bell chime rang out over the Secret Realm, all participants were teleported back to the Tianxu Realm venue, and the leaderboard appeared. Xiao Ye's name hung high at the top, his points nearly double that of second place. A low buzz of discussion immediately broke out in the venue.

Xiao Ye stood in the crowd, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping over those looks cast towards him—there was surprise, scrutiny, vigilance, and a few female Cultivators were quietly moving their steps towards him, one of whom was clutching a Jade Slip with words written on it, seemingly wanting to hand it to him.

Xiao Ye saw it, chuckled, and didn't point it out, thinking: This Grand Competition has just begun; there is still more excitement to come.

The semi-finals were set for the next day. Unlike the chaotic melee of the preliminary round, the semi-finals were changed to a tournament format—the top one hundred on the leaderboard would draw lots to fight in pairs, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated. The rules were simple and clear, with no room for opportunism; one could only fight their way up based on ability.

The Tianxu Realm's plaza had been rebuilt overnight into ten arenas, each with a barrier personally set up by an Elder at the Immortal King level, sufficient to withstand the full-force collision of a Peak Golden Immortal. Around the arenas were spectator seats, filled with team-leading Elders from various Immortal Realms, accompanying Disciples, and Loose Immortal Cultivators who had heard the news and come to watch the excitement. Xiao Ye's first-round opponent was a Golden Immortal from the Chiyan Immortal Realm, who cultivated the Dao of Fire, his hands burning year-round with scarlet-gold Immortal flames, and even his breath carried scorching heat waves.

Xiao Ye stepped onto the arena, and the Chiyan Cultivator opposite did not waste words, striking first. Flames surged like a tide, covering the sky. Xiao Ye did not draw his sword, just stomped his foot; the Great Dao of Strength pressed down like a mountain range, directly crushing the surging flames. The remaining force did not dissipate, knocking the Chiyan Cultivator back seven or eight steps, nearly falling out of the arena.

The Chiyan Cultivator steadied his figure, raised his hand to condense a flame long spear, and thrust it towards him, the spear tip wrapped in scorching heat capable of melting Immortal iron.

Xiao Ye raised his hand, splayed his five fingers, and firmly grasped the spear tip. The Great Dao of Strength condensed in his palm, and the flame long spear shattered inch by inch in his grip. The Chiyan Cultivator's face turned from bright red to pale white. Just as he wanted to say something, Xiao Ye had already released his hand and stepped back half a step, "Fellow Daoist, do you wish to continue?"

The Chiyan Cultivator looked at his empty hands, then at Xiao Ye's calm and indifferent face, fell silent for a moment, and cupped his hands, "My skills are inferior, I concede."