170: The Battle of the Prodigies has officially begun.

At noon, the scorching sun burned the earth.

In the spectator stands of the Gu Clan plaza, powerhouses from various factions took their seats with solemn expressions.

Among them, World Venerables and Quasi-Emperor level powerhouses were in the majority.

A faint pressure lingered around them, making the surrounding air feel stagnant.

Occasionally, one could also see a few Great Emperor level existences. They sat upright in the highest seats, their auras restrained, with every movement drawing the gaze of the entire venue.

In the open space in the center of the plaza, nearly five hundred thousand participating Cultivators stood crowded together, a dense mass of figures almost covering the entire area.

On the high platform, Cao Bu was dressed in a red robe, his hem fluttering gently with the breeze.

His posture was as upright as a pine, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below. His voice was loud and infectious, as he spoke passionately, delivering inspiring words.

After his speech, the listeners felt their blood boiling, wishing for the Heavenly Pride Battle to begin immediately.

"Everyone, before the competition officially begins, This Clan Head will reiterate the rules for this Heavenly Pride Battle."

Cao Bu's voice suddenly deepened as his gaze slowly swept around the circle.

The previously boisterous plaza instantly fell silent; even the sound of the wind blowing became clear. Everyone's gaze converged on him, filled with awe and focus.

By now, the entire Spirit Realm knew that Cao Bu not only possessed the cultivation of a Realm Sovereign, but had also defeated Mo Lei, who was in the top ten of the previous Heavenly Pride Battle, with a single move.

Such combat power was an existence that the vast majority of those present could only look up to.

Furthermore, Cao Bu was not yet a thousand years old; such talent and strength were simply crushing to his peers.

In a corner near the front of the plaza, Lin Rou was looking up at Cao Bu on the high platform, her eyes filled with undisguised infatuation.

Standing beside her, Lin Dong's gaze was extremely complex.

He stared fixedly at Cao Bu's figure, his heart churning like a stormy sea.

The waste from back then had now grown to a height that he needed to look up to.

Looking at his sister's infatuated expression beside him, his heart felt a sharp pang of pain.

On the high platform seats, Zhao Wei turned her head to look at Lin Xiaotian beside her, suddenly finding him exceptionally mediocre.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Cao Bu on the high platform.

The current Cao Bu was the center of attention, like a sun surrounded by stars, having become the focus of the entire venue. That composure and majesty were things Lin Xiaotian could not compare to by a long shot.

"My lady, what is wrong? Your complexion is not very good." Lin Xiaotian noticed her abnormality and proactively spoke up with concern.

Zhao Wei withdrew her gaze and shook her head gently, her voice indifferent: "It is nothing, perhaps it is just too sunny."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaotian did not ask any further.

His thoughts were already completely immersed in this Heavenly Pride Battle, with a glimmer of anticipation shining in his eyes.

This time, he would let the entire Spirit Realm see that his Lin Clan had produced two Prodigies at once!

In a seat not far away, Tang Shuying watched Cao Bu on the high platform, her gaze incredibly complex.

"I married before you were born, and by the time you were born, I already had a child; I regret that you were born too late, while you regret that I married too early."

Why could two people who love each other not stay together?

This regret lingered in her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

On the high platform, Qin Bingyao's gaze also landed on Cao Bu in front, then subconsciously turned to Lu Chen beside her.

Although Lu Chen was a Heavenly Emperor, he possessed not a single attractive quality.

Looking at Cao Bu again, even if his cultivation was temporarily lower than Lu Chen's, he had relied on his own efforts to become a household name in the Spirit Realm step by step, and was even a role model in the hearts of countless weak beings.

Even the history books of the Spirit Realm had specially dedicated three pages to him alone.

This kind of glory was something even Gu Qingtian had never possessed.

Qin Bingyao shook her head helplessly, her heart full of bitterness.

"Father Emperor, you have ruined my life!"

Cao Bu, in front, saw that all gazes were converged on him, and only then did he slowly speak.

"This Heavenly Pride Battle is divided into three stages."

"The first stage is called the Sea of Stars."

"You five hundred thousand plus people have been divided into one thousand groups, each group consisting of five hundred to six hundred people."

"In the next month, you will enter an illusory battlefield and obtain points by killing monsters, challenging tower climbs, accepting missions, and other methods."

"The top ten contestants in points from each group will directly advance to the second stage."

"In addition, to make up for the regrets caused by luck factors, contestants ranked eleventh to fiftieth in each group will participate in an additional resurrection melee after the first stage ends, from which one thousand more contestants will be selected to advance."

"Thus, a total of eleven thousand people will be able to enter the second stage of the competition."

As soon as his voice fell, discussions rose one after another throughout the venue:

"The rules for this competition are much more complete than before!"

"Yes, previously there was no resurrection match at all. Some unlucky contestants clearly had the strength, but were directly eliminated due to some minor accident; it was too regrettable."

"Clan Chief Cao has truly put in the effort! I was just too unlucky in the last session; I was knocked unconscious by a Yao Beast that suddenly jumped out, and when I woke up, my rear was aching faintly. The first stage of the competition was almost over, and I directly lost the qualification to enter the top hundred of the Heavenly Pride Ranking. Thinking about it now, I still feel it is a pity!"

Cao Bu raised his hand to press down, and the plaza instantly returned to silence.

He swept his gaze around and announced loudly: "This Clan Head declares, the Spirit Realm Heavenly Pride Battle, officially begins!"

After speaking, he waved his hand, and a stream of light flew out from his sleeve.

It was a palm-sized nine-story small pagoda; the body of the pagoda was inlaid with fine crystals, shimmering with flowing light under the sun.

As soon as the small pagoda left his palm, it expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it became a giant tower a hundred zhang high, steadily floating above the plaza. The body of the tower emitted majestic Spiritual Qi and an aura of majesty.

The moment this pagoda appeared, everyone's gaze in the venue was attracted to it. Even the few Great Emperors sat up straight, flashes of shock in their eyes.

A Quasi-Emperor suddenly widened his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "This, is this an emperor weapon? But why do I feel its aura is different from other emperor weapons?"

Another Great Emperor was so shocked that he stood up directly, staring fixedly at the pagoda, his tone filled with disbelief: "This is a supreme dao emperor weapon! I didn't expect the Gu Clan to actually hide a supreme dao emperor weapon!"

"Goodness, this Gu Clan really treats Clan Chief Cao as one of their own! To dare to let him use even a supreme dao emperor weapon; this kind of trust is not something ordinary people can compare to!"

The people around started discussing one after another, and the looks they directed at Cao Bu contained a few more parts of envy and awe.

Cao Bu had anticipated this long ago. He swept his gaze around and announced loudly: "All participating personnel, enter the pagoda immediately!"

This pagoda was none other than Ye Linglong's thousand illusions exquisite pagoda.

The one actually operating it was also her.

As soon as his voice fell, the participating Cultivators in the center of the plaza couldn't wait and flew towards the entrance at the bottom of the pagoda.

For a time, hundreds and thousands of figures surged toward the giant tower; the sound of fluttering robes and the sound of Spiritual Artifacts piercing the air intertwined, forming a vast stream of people that surged into the thousand illusions exquisite pagoda in an orderly manner.

Just at this moment, Yan Ruyu's voice suddenly sounded in Cao Bu's mind, with a hint of urgency: "Master, I want to participate in this Heavenly Pride Battle."