Chapter 170: The Void Ascension Battlefield

"The words have been spoken. The pride has been laid bare," Emperor Tianxu's voice rolled over the amphitheater, vibrating with the supreme power of the Qilin. "Now, we let the Dao decide the truth of your convictions. Adjudicator Xuanji, open the first round!"

Before the Grand Court's outer terrace, a space so unfathomably vast it could comfortably swallow a small city block, hundreds of cultivators had assembled. This was the staging ground for the preliminary round. Beneath their boots, carved directly into the floor, lay a massive, sprawling formation array.

The sheer scale of the gathering was breathtaking, yet it perfectly illustrated the brutal hierarchy of the cultivation world. Hundreds of nominees had been brought from the fifteen provinces—both Upper and Lower Division alike. The contrast among them was stark.