86: Chapter 86, Round Two

Returning to the Luoxia Valley courtyard, Lin Qing immediately entered a state of secluded cultivation.

For him now, bringing a low-grade Spell to Perfection was as easy as turning over his hand.

The five low-grade Spells required a total of 300 proficiency points; if he cultivated with all his might, it would only take a bit more than two days.

In fact, no accidents occurred.

Two days later, his Spell control rating successfully reached the low-grade level. By this point, he had thoroughly mastered all the Spiritual Qi circulation logic, control techniques, and transformation methods of low-grade Spells.

Now, his battles against Spirit Realm Cultivators would no longer be the same as before. Previously, he could only rely on his physical strength to fight against the Spirit Realm, but now he also possessed Spirit Realm means.

As those two days flashed by, today was the day the second round of the Heavenly Pride Competition would begin.

As dawn just began to break, the arena was already a sea of people.

On the square, the stages had been rearranged. The original twenty stages had all been dismantled. Now, in the center of the arena, there was only one stone stage that was sturdier and wider.

Led by Sect Master Shen Yurong, the group from Luoxia Valley arrived early at their exclusive viewing platform and took their seats to wait. Yun Nian and the other two stood to the side, cheering for Lin Qing and Xing Mian, each of them looking excited.

“Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!”

The familiar sound of bells and drums echoed from around the arena once more, the sound waves rolling and spreading throughout the capital. The originally bustling arena instantly fell silent.

A familiar purple-robed figure soared into the air and arrived at the center of the square. The old man's gaze slowly swept over the hundreds of thousands of spectators, his deep voice reaching everyone's ears.

“Spectators, Fellow Daoists from all over Great Qi, good morning to you all.”

“After the fierce competition of the first round, the top twenty of this Heavenly Pride Competition have all been born.”

“Starting today, they will ascend this stage one by one to fight in pairs, competing for the final five spots.”

“These five spots represent not only the highest glory of our Great Qi's younger generation but also a precious opportunity to enter the Chuyun Immortal Sect.”

“Now, let us use our most enthusiastic cheers to root for these twenty Prodigies!”

As his voice fell, the purple-robed old man paused deliberately. Deafening cheers and shouts erupted, soaring into the clouds. It lasted for a full half-stick of incense's time before gradually subsiding.

Once the arena regained its silence, the purple-robed old man spoke again to introduce the rules for the second round.

“As you can see, only this one stage remains in the center of the arena.”

“In the upcoming second-round elimination matches, all duels will take place on this stage. There will be no interference from chaotic battles, allowing everyone to clearly see the performance of every Prodigy.”

“The entire second round will last for three days.”

“For the first two days, five duels will be held each day. After ten matches, the ten winners will be the top ten of this Heavenly Pride Competition.”

“On the third day, the final five Peak duels will take place, determining the final top five in one go, who will earn the qualification to participate in the Chuyun Immortal Sect's entrance examination!”

After speaking, the purple-robed old man gestured with his hand. Two Rank Five experts, carrying an ancient and heavy box, flew onto the stage and placed the box right in the center.

The old man's voice rang out again.

“The box contains small balls numbered from one to ten, with two balls for each number. The twenty Prodigies will ascend the stage in turn to draw lots. The two people who draw the same number will be opponents in this round.”

“Now, we invite the twenty Prodigies to draw their lot numbers in turn!”

As the words fell, Lin Qing, like the others, went onto the central stage.

The Third Prince didn't stand on ceremony at all, stepping forward first. He reached into the box and, with a casual grab, pulled out a smooth round ball.

He turned and handed it to the purple-robed old man who had already arrived on the stage. The old man took the ball and announced loudly:

“Third Prince Third Prince Duan Chengyu, Number Three.”

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the Third Prince, all secretly guessing which unlucky soul would draw Number Three and run into the strongest person in the arena.

One must know that Third Prince Duan Chengyu was someone who had advanced without fighting a single match. His Rank Four Peak cultivation looked down upon the entire field; whoever met him was almost equivalent to being eliminated early.

After drawing his lot, Third Prince Duan Chengyu slowly retreated to the edge of the stage without glancing at anyone else, as if he didn't care who his opponent was.

The rest stepped forward in turn, drawing lots, showing their numbers, and being announced in an orderly fashion.

Finally, it was Lin Qing's turn. Under the focus of tens of thousands of gazes, Lin Qing reached his right hand into the lot container.

Suddenly, an extremely subtle voice transmission entered his mind.

“Bottom left corner, the second one.”

Lin Qing understood; this voice transmission should be from someone arranged by the Sixth Princess. The person who acted must have a cultivation that had definitely reached Rank Six.

If it were only a Rank Five Cultivator who dared to use a voice transmission technique at this time, they would be detected instantly by the experts in the arena.

Even though Lin Qing was confident in the strength of his Divine Thought, he had never released it within the arena's range, only using the Breath Concealment Technique to hide his cultivation.

Although his Pulse Opening Method had only been running automatically for a short while, his two Visualization Methods had long since been completed. At this moment, his Divine Thought strength was definitely higher than that of an ordinary Rank Five Cultivator.

In terms of Qi, even if the Five Elements Pulse Opening Method were running at full power, he would still need several months to reach the strength of those veteran Rank Fives.

Lin Qing followed the instructions calmly, reaching into the bottom left corner of the box, grabbing the second ball, and turning to hand it to the purple-robed old man.

The entire process was natural and smooth; no one saw anything amiss.

The old man took the ball from Lin Qing's hand, and as he saw the number on it clearly, a hint of surprise couldn't help but flash across his aged face.

He looked up slightly, glanced at Lin Qing, then subconsciously looked at the indifferent Third Prince in the crowd before circulating his spiritual power and announcing in a resonant voice.

“Lin Qing of Luoxia Valley, Number Three!”

Boom!!!

As the words fell, the entire audience erupted.

“Number Three?! It's actually Number Three?!”

“Lin Qing's opponent is the Third Prince, Third Prince Duan Chengyu?!”

“My god! The two strongest people have clashed in the battle for the top ten!”

In the first round's stage defense matches, Lin Qing had easily defeated two Rank Four Late Stages. In the hearts of the spectators, Lin Qing was the strongest person below the Third Prince.

Who could have imagined that Lin Qing would run into the Third Prince right from the start? Everyone felt pity for Lin Qing.

Standing at the edge of the stage, Sixth Princess Princess Duan Qingwan remained expressionless upon hearing the purple-robed old man's announcement, but her fingertips tightened slightly, and a flash of tension and anticipation appeared in the depths of her eyes.

Success or failure depended on this one move.

Also on the field, Sun Shaoping showed a look of anticipation, but unlike the others. Others were looking forward to this Peak duel between a dragon and a tiger, while he wanted to see just how strong Lin Qing really was.

Soon, the drawing of lots for the twenty people was all finished, and the matchup list was clear.

The various Prodigies walked off the stage, leaving the wide stage for the first group of contestants who were about to duel.

The purple-robed old man soared into the air again, hovering high above.

“The drawing of lots is complete, and the matchup list is set! Now, I announce that the second-round elimination matches of this Heavenly Pride Competition officially begin!”

As the words fell, thunderous applause broke out.

Two figures flew onto the stage simultaneously, standing opposite each other.

The first duel was Sixth Princess Princess Duan Qingwan against the only remaining Rank Four Middle Stage from the Qiushan Sect.

As an Imperial Princess, Princess Duan Qingwan's cultivation was at the Rank Four Late Stage. She possessed several Heaven-Grade Martial Arts and had a deep Foundation and formidable strength. Dealing with a Qiushan Sect Disciple who was only at the Rank Four Middle Stage was as easy as pie.

After only a few exchanges, that Qiushan Sect Disciple was knocked off the stage. With this, the top-tier power Qiushan Sect was completely wiped out.

After the purple-robed old man announced the winner, he didn't dawdle and directly announced the start of the second match.

One of the parties in the second duel was Xing Mian, and her opponent was the Li family's Prodigy, Li Muyao.

This duel likewise held no surprises.

Although Li Muyao had previously lost to Yan Jinghong, she was, after all, a long-famous Rank Four Late Stage Prodigy with a solid Foundation. She also possessed Heaven-Grade Martial Arts and had already cultivated them to the true Minor Achievement Realm.

Xing Mian, in the end, had only just broken through to the Rank Four Middle Stage. The gap in cultivation was not small, and the Heaven-Grade Martial Arts she mastered were only close to Minor Achievement.

The two sides exchanged dozens of rounds. Xing Mian used all her skills, but the gap in Realm was simply too large. In the end, she took the initiative to admit defeat and slowly walked off the stage.

Despite the loss, there was no expression of dejection on Xing Mian's face. To have charged into the top twenty of the Heavenly Pride Competition as a Disciple of a middle-tier power had already exceeded her expectations. Her heart was filled only with satisfaction and pride, without a hint of regret.

With two matches over, the audience's emotions had been thoroughly stirred up.

The much-anticipated Peak duel was finally coming.

The purple-robed old man hovered in mid-air, a hint of anticipation also appearing on his aged face as he announced loudly:

“Next, we proceed with the third duel!”

“Lin Qing of Luoxia Valley versus Third Prince Third Prince Duan Chengyu.”

“Will the two Prodigies please ascend the stage!”