79: Chapter 79 The Competition Begins

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, the entire Royal Capital of Da Qi was immersed in a feverish atmosphere. In every street, alley, teahouse, and tavern, the topic of conversation was the upcoming Heavenly Pride Competition. Countless Cultivators had rushed from all over the Dynasty just to witness this Peak confrontation of the younger generation with their own eyes.

In these three days, Lin Qing had cultivated the Heaven Rank Movement Technique, "Void Moon-Chasing Shadow," to Perfection. He now mastered two Heaven-Grade Martial Arts.

At the same time, his Realm also "happened to Breakthrough" to the Late Stage of the fourth rank.

The long-awaited Heavenly Pride Competition would finally officially kick off today.

Just as the sky was turning gray and the morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, everyone had already risen early and gathered in the small courtyard. Yun Nian and the others had excitement in their eyes that was hard to conceal.

Before long, Sect Master Shen Yurong walked out from the main room. Her gaze swept across the courtyard, and she nodded with satisfaction as she looked at her five high-spirited Disciples.

Afterward, without any unnecessary words, she said:

"Let's go!"

As her voice fell, she turned and walked out of the courtyard. Lin Qing and the other four followed closely behind. The group walked along the quiet morning streets toward the competition venue.

Along the way, the surrounding crowds became increasingly dense. Sect Disciples in uniform robes and scions of noble families in silk and finery were all heading in the same direction.

There were also many competing teams led by Sect Masters or Elders, followed by a few spirited young Disciples whose expressions carried tension and expectation as they reminded each other of the competition's rules.

As for those ordinary Cultivators who came purely to watch, they had already rushed to the arena to grab the best viewing positions.

As the most high-profile top-tier event in the Great Qi Dynasty, and having been held for more than one session, the Heavenly Pride Competition had its own exclusive giant arena.

The entire arena was built in the style of an ancient coliseum, constructed entirely from stacked hard black stone. It occupied a vast area, enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of spectators simultaneously.

In the center of the arena was a wide, flat circular plaza. On the plaza, twenty giant arenas had already been set up, arranged neatly and with a majestic Aura.

Surrounding the plaza were rings of tiered spectator seats. At this time, hundreds of thousands of spectators had already filled them to capacity, and the sound of voices was boiling, creating a deafening clamor.

Many spectators waved flags of various colors in their hands, with the names of the Prodigies they favored written in bold characters.

Above the ordinary spectator seats, several independent viewing platforms with excellent views had also been built. They were luxuriously decorated and were clearly prepared for the true nobility.

Because the arena was large enough, Luoxia Valley, as a medium-sized power in Great Qi, was also allocated an independent viewing platform. Although it wasn't large, it was considered excellent treatment among the many small and medium-sized powers.

Among all the viewing platforms, there were six large ones specifically built for the six top powers of the Great Qi Dynasty.

On one of the large viewing platforms, the King of Qi sat in the primary seat, wearing a bright yellow nine-dragon silk robe, talking in low tones with the royal consorts and high-ranking officials beside him.

The Sect Heads of the other top powers were also all present, sitting on their respective viewing platforms to cheer for their participating Disciples.

Time passed slowly, and when the hour of Si arrived, dozens of giant bronze bells hanging around the arena were rung simultaneously.

"Dong— Dong— Dong—"

The thick, majestic, and deafening sound of bells and drums echoed continuously throughout the Royal Capital, ringing for a full fifteen minutes before slowly coming to a halt.

As the sound faded, an old man in a purple silk robe flew down to the center of the plaza. His spiritual power surged slightly, and his deep voice, wrapped in spiritual power, reached every corner of the arena.

"Competing Prodigies, Fellow Daoists who have come to watch, good morning!"

"Welcome everyone to the scene of the Great Qi Dynasty's decennial Heavenly Pride Competition!"

Thunderous cheers and applause instantly erupted throughout the venue, lasting for a long time.

When the applause subsided slightly, the purple-robed old man continued to speak, announcing the rules of this competition:

"For this Heavenly Pride Competition, the first round will use a king-of-the-hill format with one-on-one duels!"

"There are twenty arenas within the field. By sunset tomorrow, the twenty Disciples still standing on the arenas will be the top twenty of this competition."

As the rules were announced, everyone listened intently. The old man's tone deepened slightly as he continued:

"In this round of competition, blades and swords have no eyes; in a duel, life and death are not considered. However, if one party in a duel takes the initiative to admit defeat, the other party must stop immediately."

"In addition, during the competition, the use of insidious hidden weapons, forbidden techniques, or evil arts is strictly prohibited. Once discovered, the qualification for the competition will be canceled on the spot, and the offender will be handed over to the Royal Capital Martial Guards."

After announcing the rules, the purple-robed old man looked around the field, finally landing on the participating Disciples waiting at the edge of the plaza. His voice was passionate as he announced loudly:

"Now, I announce that the Heavenly Pride Competition has officially begun!"

"Boom!!!"

Thunderous cheers and applause, like a tsunami, shot straight into the sky. Hundreds of thousands of spectators boiled with excitement, waving the flags in their hands.

At the edge of the plaza, hundreds of spirited young figures rushed into the plaza together.

Among them were Sect Geniuses who had been lying low for years, scions of prominent families, and dark horses who were unknown but had deep foundations. Everyone wanted to become famous in one battle on this high-profile stage.

Several figures with thick Auras jumped directly onto the arenas, and the majestic pressure of the fourth rank Late Stage burst out, shocking the entire field.

However, because they jumped too fast, some Prodigies collided.

At this moment, across from Third Prince Third Prince Duan Chengyu, a woman in a green dress was standing with a face full of black lines.

Jiang Yuewu was extremely frustrated at this moment. She had wanted to rely on her fourth rank Late Stage strength to seize an arena first. She didn't expect to choose the same one as Third Prince Third Prince Duan Chengyu.

After thinking for a moment, a slightly awkward expression appeared on Jiang Yuewu's face, and she spoke resentfully:

"Uh... sorry, I went to the wrong one."

As her voice fell, before Third Prince Duan Chengyu could react, she turned and jumped off the arena with extremely smooth movements.

A burst of laughter instantly erupted from the spectator seats. When the Sect Head of the Yunxi Sect saw this scene, his face turned blue and white. He helplessly raised his hand to support his forehead, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

And it wasn't just this pair who collided at the start. There was another arena in the distance where two people were also standing.

The woman on the left, dressed in red martial attire and holding a long sword, was stunningly beautiful with a cold temperament. She was the Li family Prodigy—Li Muyao.

The man on the right, dressed in black with a cold face and sharp eyes, was a Disciple of the Qiushan Sect—Yan Jinghong.

Both were at the Late Stage of the fourth rank, and neither wanted to back down. The air above the arena seemed to freeze, and a thick smell of gunpowder spread out.

A fierce struggle between top Prodigies was about to break out!

With a battle between two fourth rank Late Stage Cultivators right at the start, the atmosphere of the entire field was completely ignited.