617: Chapter 617 Xuanyuan Ziyan

"That's right. With Brother Yan here, we are bound to have victory in our grasp," Liu Xuanyin said with a smile.

"Seniors, I heard the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan seems to be targeting us…" Lu Zhenghong's voice trailed off.

"Heh," Lu Bihe smiled indifferently. "Targeting us? Can he really recruit tens of thousands of people?"

"Not that many. I heard it's a few hundred," Lu Zhenghong replied.

"A mere few hundred?" Liu Tianci's tone was indifferent. "Why make such a fuss?"

Yan Wendao's gaze was calm. "Indeed, no matter how many people there are, they are nothing more than motley crews. Besides…"

He paused, his tone lightening. "I have already prepared a method. Even if the other side has more people, they are merely throwing their lives away."

Upon hearing this, the attached Loose Cultivators immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They never expected to take first place; they only came here to cling to top-tier powers. The prizes and rankings were not actually important to them.

Of course, Loose Cultivators and Cultivators from noble families each had their own strengths and weaknesses.

The advantage of noble family Cultivators lay not in themselves, but in the methods and Legacies bestowed by their elders.

Unfortunately, Legacies also required talent—many people could not endure the hardship, nor did they have the aptitude, so they only learned the superficialities.

Loose Cultivators, however, excelled in Heart-Nature and actual combat.

Especially those Loose Cultivators who could reach the Void Refining stage; every one of them was a genius of heaven-defying talent.

Just like Lin Feng, who, having just achieved a Breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage, already possessed the strength to trade blows with a Late Stage Body Integration Cultivator—although he would ultimately be defeated, it was already terrifying enough.

Regardless of background, under the Great Competition, everyone was measured by the same yardstick.

For a time, people were everywhere looking for teammates, attempting to get a share of the spoils in the Great Competition.

In the forty-sixth year,

the Heavenly Palace Great Competition officially began.

The venue was set on the Big Dipper Star, one of the nine great stars.

A flattened immortal mountain had been transformed into a temporary plaza, ten thousand miles in diameter, suspended above the firmament. The entire plaza was supported by spiritual light and surrounded by clouds and mist, so magnificent that it did not seem like an object of the mortal world.

In the center of the plaza stood three ancient bronze mirrors, each ten thousand zhang tall.

The first ancient mirror was named "Chuchen," which was a grotto-heaven magical treasure. Inside the Secret Realm was a continent, spanning one million miles from east to west; this was the Nascent Soul arena. The cultivation limit for this Secret Realm was the Nascent Soul stage; once a Soul Transformation Cultivator stepped inside, they would be forcibly ejected by the artifact spirit.

The second ancient mirror was named "Poxu," also a grotto-heaven magical treasure. The Secret Realm continent spanned ten million miles; this was the Soul Transformation arena, with a cultivation limit of the Soul Transformation stage.

The third ancient mirror was named "Wen Dao," which was a grotto-heaven Spirit Treasure. The Secret Realm continent spanned one hundred million miles; this was the Void Refining arena, with a cultivation limit of the Void Refining stage.

Above the plaza, a circle of pavilions floated in mid-air, totaling thirty-six pavilions, each supported by spiritual light.

As one of the Body Integration Stage inspectors, you sat upright in one of the pavilions, spiritual tea steaming on the table before you, overlooking the entire scene. Behind you stood Steward Zhou and five maidservants.

The plaza was also packed with people, a vast sea of heads that stretched beyond sight.

The surrounding sky was even livelier—flying boats, sedan carriages, cloud-sea flying cars, and various types of flying Magic Treasures hovered in mid-air; some people stepped on Flying Swords, some rode Spirit Beasts, and some stood directly in the air. Dense figures were layered upon one another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

When the three bronze mirrors lit up simultaneously, spiritual light shot into the sky, and the tokens on the bodies of countless participating Cultivators from all directions resonated in response.

In an instant, flowing light fell like rain, and a million Cultivators transformed into countless streaks of light, diving into the three mirror surfaces respectively and disappearing from sight.

The entrances to the three Secret Realms closed, and the bronze mirror surfaces shifted, projecting the scenes inside the continents—mountains, rivers, plains, wastelands, and abysses appeared one by one, clear as a painting.

The spectators outside looked up, as if they were overlooking the entire continent from the nine heavens.

You were watching the images in the mirrors when you suddenly felt a cold, sharp gaze pierce toward you.

In a pavilion to your front right, a female Cultivator was staring fixedly at you. Her gaze was cold and sharp, like two unsheathed blades.

You looked over, met her gaze, and were slightly taken aback—she looked seventy or eighty percent similar to Chu Chu.

"You are Star Lord of Nanyang?" she spoke, her voice bone-chillingly cold.

Patriarch Sima Gongzhi, who was next to you, immediately sent a voice transmission: "She is Xuanyuan Ziyan, the number one Body Integration expert of the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan, and the representative inspector for the Xuanyuan Immortal Clan this time."

Xuanyuan Ziyan made no attempt to conceal her aura—Body Integration Perfection. That killing intent was also not hidden, pressing straight toward you.

You smiled. "Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan, you haven't taken a fancy to me, have you?"

"Shameless scoundrel!" Her voice grew even colder. "You are the one who bullied the small with the big and hit Yaoer?"

Dozens of inspectors' gazes turned toward you simultaneously.

Instructor Yun Yao from the academy was expressionless, but her voice was blunt: "Birds of a feather flock together. People from the Heavenly Palace are indeed all the same kind of trash."

Instructor Huodu smiled. "I heard this Fellow Daoist Qin is known as the number one person below the Mahayana stage. I wonder how much of that rumor is true and how much is false."

The Ancestor of the Mo Family from the Immortal Sect smiled and chimed in: "This old man also heard that Fellow Daoist Qin once proposed a competition for Body Integration Cultivators, but unfortunately, it was rejected by some cowards who feared death. I wonder if this is true?"

Young Master Lan from the Holy Land was expressionless. "Oh? I think that proposal was excellent. Why did the Heavenly Palace not agree?"

You smiled, your tone composed. "That is indeed the case."

Xuanyuan Ziyan stood up abruptly. "Since that's the case, then you and I shall have a match first!"

Elder Qi hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Fellow Daoist Ziyan, today is the day of the Great Competition; let's not damage the harmony."

"When he publicly humiliated my Xuanyuan Immortal Clan Disciples, did he ever think about harmony?" Xuanyuan Ziyan's voice was cold, every word like a blade.

You looked at her, your tone remaining calm. "When your Xuanyuan Immortal Clan killed my Heavenly Palace Disciples, did you ever think about harmony?"

Xuanyuan Ziyan exhaled a puff of air heavily through her nostrils and spread her palms. "In that case, do you have the guts to fight in the sky?"

"No problem," you said indifferently. "After the Great Competition ends, you and I will have a battle."

"Good! Good!" Xuanyuan Ziyan laughed loudly. "I will let you live for one more year."

"You are quite confident, but overconfidence is not a good thing." You leaned back, sinking into the back of your chair.

Yan Ji frowned and looked at you. "Fellow Daoist Qin, were you too impulsive? Her strength is not weak."

Elder Qi's expression was grim. "Indeed, her strength is not inferior to an Early Stage Mahayana Cultivator. How could you agree so easily?"

You looked at them and waved your hand. "Rest assured, it is time to suppress the arrogant aura of their Xuanyuan Immortal Clan."

Liu Tianxing sighed and shook his head. "Brother Qin, you were a bit impulsive."

Dozens of gazes, with varying expressions, fell upon you.

There were those full of anticipation, mockery, contemplation, and curiosity—they were all speculating whether you, the number one person below the Mahayana stage in the Heavenly Palace, or Xuanyuan Ziyan, were truly stronger.

You naturally did not care in the slightest, your gaze calmly fixed on the three ancient bronze mirrors.