32: Advancement!

The day the Nine Provinces Inquiry Convention officially began.

In the center of the Central Province Imperial City, the "Inquiry Heavenly Altar," large enough to hold millions of people, was already surrounded by a sea of people, with noise soaring into the sky.

Prodigies, powerful experts, and spectators from all Nine Provinces and Four Seas, of various races, gathered here, their Auras mixed, like a boiling ocean.

The Heavenly Altar soared into the clouds, divided into nine layers, symbolizing the nine provinces.

Each layer was inscribed with countless ancient Runes, emitting an Aura of vast majesty.

At the highest point, shrouded in clouds and mist, the figures of the Central Province Imperial Dynasty's Sovereign and the Magnates of the major top forces were faintly visible, like deities overlooking the mortal world.

Nine salutes were fired, and bells and drums chimed simultaneously.

An Imperial Dynasty Prince, dressed in a Qilin Purple Robe and possessing an Aura as deep as an abyss, flew above the Heavenly Altar and, with a voice like a great bell, announced the rules of the convention.

The Nine Provinces Inquiry was divided into two major segments: the "Prodigy Battle" and the "Expert Dao Discussion."

The Prodigy Battle was for Cultivators under the age of one hundred, determining the strongest among the young generation of the nine provinces.

The Expert Dao Discussion was a stage for the top Mighty Figures of each province to spar, exchange ideas, and even settle grudges.

The first round of the Prodigy Battle was still a brutal elimination melee. All participants would be randomly teleported into nine "Lesser Grotto-Heaven" battlefields left over from ancient times, and only one hundred people could ultimately emerge from each Grotto-Heaven.

The rules were simple: unrestricted combat. Those who fell into the abyss at the edge of the battlefield lost; those who voluntarily admitted defeat lost; and those who lost combat capability lost. Intentional killing was forbidden, but swords and blades had no eyes.

"Prodigy Battle, Round One, begin!" the Prince commanded.

Buzz—!

Above the base of the Heavenly Altar, nine massive Light Gates, flowing with spatial fluctuations, suddenly opened!

Thousands of young Prodigies from all over the nine provinces transformed into streaks of light, pouring into the nine Light Gates like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea!

Lin Hao, Ye Chen, and Lin Yun exchanged glances, each seeing determination and Battle Intent in the others' eyes.

"Be careful," Lin Hao said deeply. "Don't mess up!" Ye Chen grinned. Lin Yun nodded softly.

The three figures flashed and entered different Light Gates.

After a brief spatial transition, Lin Hao found himself in a desolate Gobi Battlefield.

Yellow sand filled the sky, strange rocks jutted out, and the air was filled with dryness and severity.

Nearly a thousand Cultivators appeared in this area simultaneously with him!

The lowest cultivation base was Tongtian Realm Middle Stage, with Late Stage and Peak everywhere, and a few Auras were obscure and unclear, clearly Life Soul Realm Prodigies who had suppressed their cultivation base!

Almost the instant they landed, the melee erupted with a roar!

Sword Qi, saber light, Spell Techniques, Bloodline Divine Abilities... various attacks exploded like fireworks, and instantly people were injured, screamed, or even blasted into the abyss!

Lin Hao's longsword instantly left its sheath. With Sword Heart Clarity, his body moved with the wind, weaving through the chaotic battlefield.

He did not attack proactively, but relied on his superb Movement Technique and Sword Intent to parry and dodge attacks coming from all directions, calmly observing the battlefield.

A Barbarian strongman, nearly ten feet tall and wielding a Giant Axe, roared and charged toward him, the axe blade carrying the power to tear mountains apart.

Lin Hao's eyes narrowed. He did not meet the attack head-on. He utilized Flowing Cloud Steps to the extreme, sidestepping the axe edge, and his longsword, like a viper leaving its hole, accurately stabbed the opponent's wrist!

Hiss!

Blood sprayed! The Barbarian strongman screamed, his Giant Axe flew out of his hand, and Lin Hao took the opportunity to kick him into the abyss.

Having succeeded in one strike, he did not linger in battle, and his figure once again merged into the wind.

On the other side, the Grotto-Heaven battlefield where Ye Chen was located was a world of ground fire with flowing magma. The high temperature was searing, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur.

"Hahaha! What a thrill!"

Ye Chen was like he had returned to his home ground. The Ancient Desolate Sacred Body circulated, his entire body's Qi and Blood roared, and he was completely unafraid of the ground fire's high temperature.

He charged directly into the densest part of the crowd, his fists like two heavy hammers. Wherever he passed, people were sent tumbling!

A Cultivator practicing a Fire-element Cultivation Technique roared and spewed out monstrous flames, engulfing him.

When the flames dissipated, Ye Chen was completely unharmed. Instead, he grinned and punched the opponent, sending both him and his Shield flying!

Another Cultivator, holding an Ice Crystal Long Spear, tried to freeze him, the tip of the spear flickering with cold light.

Ye Chen neither dodged nor avoided, allowing the long spear to stab his body, producing the sound of metal clashing. He grabbed the spear shaft and swung the opponent, spear and all, toward another foe!

He was like a Human Tyrannosaurus, crushing everything with pure strength. No one could withstand a single punch from him! Invincible!

The Grotto-Heaven where Lin Yun was located was a dark forest with ancient trees reaching the sky, dimly lit, making it better suited for stealth and sneak attacks.

As soon as he entered, he immediately restrained his Aura. The Starry Sky Annihilation Pupil slightly opened, observing the surrounding energy fluctuations and hidden Killing Intent.

Several poisoned Concealed Weapons shot silently from the shadows.

Lin Yun's figure swayed like a ghost, easily avoiding them. At the same time, the starlight in his eyes flashed as he looked toward the source of the Concealed Weapons.

"Ah!"

With a short scream, an Assassin hidden in the tree canopy fell down clutching his head, trapped in a terrifying Illusion.

He did not stop, continuing to move through the forest, occasionally using Illusion Techniques to confuse opponents, making them fight among themselves;

At times, he used Stellar Protection to defend against fatal attacks; at other times, he saw through Formation Traps and used them against his foes.

His fighting style was strange yet highly efficient, eliminating opponents without drawing blood.

Three battlefields, three styles, but all were rapidly eliminating opponents.

Lin Hao's sword became faster and sharper, often defeating an enemy in a single move, never wasting time.

His utilization of Sword Intent grew more proficient. He even began to attempt to draw upon a trace of the Law of Wind between heaven and earth, increasing his sword speed by thirty percent!

Ye Chen grew braver the more he fought. The Sacred Blood in his body boiled, and his strength seemed endless.

He even began to imitate the Combat Skills of the Body Cultivators he had previously fought, incorporating them into his own Boxing Technique. Although crude, their power was astonishing.

Under the pressure of actual combat, Lin Yun's Pupil Technique was utilized with increasing subtlety and precision.

He even began to attempt constructing more complex Composite Illusions, trapping several opponents simultaneously and making them kill each other.

However, as time went on, the number of people on the battlefield sharply decreased. Those remaining were all experts, and the fighting became fiercer and more dangerous.

Lin Hao encountered a Sword Cultivator from Haizhou whose sword technique was like crashing waves, continuous and endless, and contained a strange Water-element Corrosive Force, causing him to fall into a bitter battle temporarily, gaining several wounds on his body.

Ye Chen was surrounded by three Body Cultivators from the same Sect who were skilled in Combined Attack Formations. Their combined strength temporarily blocked his fierce assault, and they continuously attacked his internal organs with Shock Strike Techniques.

Lin Yun, however, faced the greatest danger!

He was targeted by a Cursist from Lingzhou!

That Cursist didn't meet him face-to-face at all, hiding far away and remotely attacking his Divine Soul through strange Curse Techniques!

If the Starry Sky Annihilation Pupil hadn't been extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, giving him several early warnings and allowing him to resist head-on with Stellar Protection, he might have been hit long ago!

Even so, his face grew paler, and his Mental Energy consumption was massive.

But all three had firm resolve; the greater the adversity, the more potential they could unleash!

During the fight, Lin Hao's Sword Intent transformed again. He initially integrated the trace of the Law of Wind into his Sword Move, breaking through the crashing waves with one strike and severely wounding his opponent!

Ye Chen roared. It was as if a certain Shackle within his body had been broken. His strength surged again, and with one punch, he shattered the Combined Attack Formation, sending all three opponents flying simultaneously!

Lin Yun bit his tongue, forcibly activating his Pupil Power. Trading injury for injury, he followed the curse fluctuations, located the Cursist's true body, and used his strongest move, the "Illusion Star Kill," to directly severely wound the Cursist's Divine Soul!

Finally, when only one hundred people remained in each battlefield, an invisible force enveloped them, teleporting all survivors out of the Lesser Grotto-Heaven.

Round One, concluded!

All three members of the Lin Family advanced!

When their figures appeared on the Heavenly Altar Plaza, they immediately attracted countless gazes.

All three had wounds, and their Auras were somewhat chaotic, but their eyes were sharper, and their momentum was soaring!

"Look quickly! All three from the Lin Family of Qingzhou advanced!"

"Such strong power! Especially that big guy, he's practically a Human Vicious Beast!"

"The one using the sword is also formidable; his Sword Intent is too sharp!"

"The skinny, small one seems to be using Illusion Techniques? They're impossible to guard against!"

On the high platform, some Important Figures from other provinces also cast gazes of interest.

"Qingzhou has produced a few Good Prospects this time."

"Indeed, their Sword Intent, Physical Body, and Pupil Technique all show considerable potential and are worth watching."

However, no one noticed that the moment Lin Yun was teleported out, the starlight between his brows flickered extremely faintly. A trace of Gray-Black Qi, finer than a strand of hair, like a living thing, tried to drill into the depths of his Divine Soul, but it was firmly blocked by the vast Lin Family Luck inside him and the power of the Chaos Amulet, failing to succeed.

Lin Yun only felt a slight pain in his Divine Soul, and a wave of inexplicable irritability and palpitations surged up, but it quickly vanished.

He frowned, not paying much attention, assuming it was just due to excessive exhaustion.

Far away in Qingzhou, Lin Dao clearly captured this fleeting anomaly through the System and his Luck Sensing.

"As expected, they couldn't resist making a move... Disaster Mark..."

A cold light flashed in his eyes. "It seems the waters behind this convention are deeper than imagined."

With a shift of his thoughts, he once again mobilized even greater Family Luck and poured it over the distance, reinforcing the protection for the three of them.

On the Heavenly Altar Plaza, the thousand advanced Prodigies took a short rest, awaiting the Lottery Draw for the next round.