230: Holy Land Grand Tournament

Shen Mengqi stared coldly at Liu Ruyan, questioning, “You know my father?”

Liu Ruyan smiled faintly: “We’ve met a few times.”

“From what I know, your relationship is not as simple as just meeting a few times, is it?” Sacred Land Saint Son suddenly chuckled.

“Oh? What else does Brother Yuwen know?” Yan Feng asked curiously.

“As far as I know, Uncle Qin... comes from the Tianhuang Secret Realm of the Liu Clan Immortal Family, which is a place the Liu Clan uses to cultivate resources.” Sacred Land Saint Son said indifferently.

“Heroes are not judged by their origins. Were your Yuwen ancestors born nobles? Perhaps your ancestors were transformed beasts.” You smiled calmly.

“Uncle Qin is right, heroes truly should not be judged by their origins.” Sima Yu nodded in agreement, looking serious.

“Sima Yu, what do you mean?” Sacred Land Saint Son questioned coldly.

“Ah? What did I say?” Sima Yu looked innocent.

“Alright, let's talk about the rankings.” Nangong Xue interrupted their argument.

“Didn’t Uncle Qin say it? Compete with strength!” Sacred Land Saint Son said indifferently.

“Shouldn’t it be based on strength?” You retorted.

“You’re right. But you’re just here to go through the motions, so the ranking naturally has nothing to do with you.” Sacred Land Saint Son chuckled.

“Nothing to do with me? What if I pass?” You asked calmly in return.

“Hahahaha,” Sacred Land Saint Son burst into laughter, “What do you take the Prodigies for? If you can pass the third round, I’ll write my name backward.”

“The third round?” You looked at Holy Maiden Shen Mengqi with confusion.

Holy Maiden Shen Mengqi explained to you in a low voice:

“Father, you may not know, but this Grand Competition has changed quite a bit. The assessment is divided into three rounds and a final showdown.”

“The first round assesses Aptitude and talent.”

“The second round assesses character in an illusionary realm.”

“The third round assesses combat ability. First, there’s a free-for-all in the Secret Realm, and the top hundred who pass that will proceed to the final showdown.”

“Only the top ten will be selected as winners.”

“Normally, the top five spots are monopolized by the five major forces, and the other five spots are contended for by other forces.”

“Because everyone’s strength is comparable, it’s hard to determine a winner without a life-and-death struggle.”

“Therefore, the participating Disciples from the five major forces gather before the competition to discuss the allocation of the top five spots, which rotates every hundred years.”

“This unwritten rule has been tacitly approved by the Holy Land and the major forces. After all, without a deadly fight, it’s indeed hard to determine victory.”

“If it truly came to a deadly fight, both sides would surely suffer heavy losses, which no one wants to see.”

After hearing the explanation, you suddenly understood—

These Prodigies didn't need to fight to the death at all.

Was your participation in a death match just to add some fun for them?

You smiled.

They were treating me as a mere foil.

Soon, this small gathering ended unhappily.

After returning to your residence, you did not go out again.

In a blink of an eye, it was time for the Holy Land Grand Competition.

The first round of assessment took place on a massive plaza.

In the center of the plaza were a hundred three-meter-tall blue jade stones, inscribed with complex and obscure inscriptions.

Thousands of pavilions floated above the plaza, with elegant seats inside, occupied by Seniors and eminent figures from various major forces.

The plaza was filled with over twenty thousand Prodigies at the Peak Nascent Soul Stage; you were the only one at the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

These twenty thousand-plus Prodigies mostly came from the five major forces and over nine thousand first-rate forces.

The first round assessed Aptitude and talent.

Everyone was divided into one hundred teams, queuing up to be tested.

You watched as Cultivators injected their Nascent Soul Power into the blue jade stones, which then emitted ten-colored lights, forming light pillars of varying brightness, and immediately understood the testing principle—

The ten-colored lights represented different Spiritual Roots, the towering light pillars represented special Physiques, and the brightness indicated the level of Aptitude.

When Yan Feng began his test, many eyes focused on him.

You also looked over curiously.

Yan Feng raised his hand and lightly flicked, injecting Nascent Soul Power imbued with Dao Patterns into the blue jade stone—

“Boom!”

Accompanied by a roar, a pillar of lightning-filled light shot into the sky, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

The Sixth Elder of the Holy Land, in charge of the assessment, announced loudly:

“Yan Feng, supreme-grade thunder-element abnormal Spiritual Root, Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning Physique.”

Everyone cast envious glances.

Although most people present had good Aptitude and even abnormal Spiritual Roots, not many possessed powerful Physiques.

Especially Physiques that perfectly matched their Spiritual Roots, which were one in ten thousand.

“I didn’t expect Yan Feng to have both a supreme-grade thunder-element abnormal Spiritual Root and the perfectly matched Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning Physique; it’s truly enviable.”

“Indeed, some people have abnormal Spiritual Roots, but if their Physique doesn’t match, the power of their main Cultivation Technique will be greatly reduced.”

Even if some people’s Spiritual Roots and Physiques weren’t the best combination, they were still considered top-tier Aptitude compared to ordinary Cultivators.

Soon, it was Sacred Land Saint Son’s turn to be tested.

He stepped forward, raised his hand and pointed, injecting Nascent Soul Power imbued with Dao Patterns into the jade stone.

“Boom!”

A crimson pillar of light shot into the sky, the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed to solidify, and even the sky darkened.

The Sixth Elder of the Holy Land immediately announced:

“Sacred Land Saint Son, supreme-grade dark-element abnormal Spiritual Root, Annihilation Saint Physique.”

As soon as the words fell, the entire audience erupted in an uproar.

“Annihilation Saint Physique!”

“I didn’t expect it to be the legendary Annihilation Saint Physique, perfectly matched with a dark Spiritual Root. This child is destined to become an invincible Immortal Venerable in the future!”

“I’ve never seen the Saint fight before; I’m really looking forward to his performance this time.”

“Legend has it that the Spells of the Annihilation Saint Physique can devour all Spells of the same rank. Ordinary methods probably won’t be able to harm him.”

You looked at Sacred Land Saint Son’s test results and secretly made a mental note—you’d have to find a way to counter him later.

After all, all things have their complements and weaknesses; finding the right method would make it much easier.

Subsequently, Nangong Xue, Sima Yu, and Xuanyuan Yao were tested in sequence.

The Sixth Elder of the Holy Land announced each one:

“Nangong Xue, supreme-grade ice-element abnormal Spiritual Root, Profound Ice Saint Physique.”

“Sima Yu, supreme-grade wind-element abnormal Spiritual Root, Formless Gale Physique.”

“Xuanyuan Yao, supreme-grade light-element abnormal Spiritual Root, Great Sun Glazed Physique.”

Amidst exclamations and dazzling phenomena, these top Geniuses undoubtedly became the focus of everyone’s envy.

Looking at the pillars of light shooting into the sky, your heart was filled with envy.

With so many Prodigies gathered, the vastness of the Immortal Realm truly exceeded imagination.

However, thinking about it carefully, it was quite normal—all the Nascent Soul Geniuses of the entire Immortal Realm were here, almost representing the most outstanding figures of an era.

As long as these people didn't perish midway, they would all be able to influence the entire Immortal Realm's landscape in the future.

However, you also understood that some people, for self-preservation or to maintain a low profile, would not participate in such a high-profile Grand Competition.

For example, your younger sister, Qin Yu, had already achieved a Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Realm.

Soon, it was Holy Maiden Shen Mengqi’s turn for the assessment.

Your heart couldn't help but race. You wondered what your daughter's Aptitude would be like?

Would it be affected by your Aptitude?