Chapter 46 - 21: Central Arena

「The next day.」

The selection tournament entered its third round.

The nine Mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciples who had won the first two rounds, plus one... Qi Cultivation Stage Li Shuang, advanced to the third round.

It was only in this round that the real battles would begin.

The Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples.

And even the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stage disciples were in the upcoming rounds.

When disciples at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stages competed, they had to wear a special kind of talisman.

This talisman would suppress their Divine Soul and Cultivation down to the level of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, an effect similar to the restrictions in the Langya Secret Realm.

Generally, High-level Disciples preparing to enter the Langya Secret Realm would start wearing these talismans some time in advance to get used to the power of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

A hundred people remained for the third round of the tournament.

These hundred would now face three rounds of round-robin matches.

A perfect record meant direct entry onto the list.

A complete loss meant direct elimination.

Those with one or two wins would be subject to a comprehensive discussion among the sect’s upper echelons.

Starting from the third round, the sect’s upper echelons would come to observe the battles. After the three round-robin matches were over, they would release a power ranking.

The top fifty disciples would be able to enter the Langya Secret Realm.

In the tournament ten years ago, the disciple universally acknowledged as number one was Li Shuang.

Back then, Li Shuang was so young that everyone thought she could dominate at least three more selection tournaments before she turned fifty.

Who could have imagined that such a fine genius would fall so suddenly?

This time, Li Shuang had also entered the third round.

But she was, after all, only at the Qi Cultivation Stage.

Was it possible for a Qi Cultivation disciple to defeat a host of disciples at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment level?

The chances were close to zero!

The Martial Arts Arena was bustling with activity early in the morning.

"Let’s see which match is on the Central Arena this time."

"Out of all the matches, only the one on the Central Arena will be personally watched and judged by the Sect Leader and the Peak Masters! Generally, the match scheduled for the Central Arena is the one they consider most important."

"Let me think. This is Senior Sister Jiang Yunge’s last chance to enter the Langya Secret Realm. I bet her match will be on the Central Arena."

"What about Brother Wen Lin? Brother Wen has a Thunder Attribute Abnormal Spirit Root and has shot up out of nowhere in the last ten years. His strength is extraordinary. As the newest rising star, the Sect Leader and the others should be paying more attention to him."

"Speaking of Abnormal Spirit Roots, have you forgotten Senior Sister Mu Jin and her Wind Spirit Root?"

The crowd was in a heated discussion.

When a disciple from the Disciple Hall posted the announcement, everyone looked over curiously.

Then, their expressions shifted slightly.

Central Arena: Li Shuang versus Duan Ziyu.

The match the Sect Leader had scheduled for the Central Arena was actually Li Shuang’s!

Some faint rumors had spread yesterday, saying that this Li Shuang claimed to have mastered a Sword Domain.

But what was a Sword Domain?

Most ordinary disciples still knew nothing about it.

Could this so-called Sword Domain really allow a Qi Cultivation disciple to defeat a Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple?

At the very least, in the Sect Leader’s eyes, the outcome of this battle was uncertain, which was why it was being held on the Central Arena.

Li Shuang’s opponent, Duan Ziyu, was by no means a genius.

His aptitude could even be described as mediocre. He had been stuck in the Foundation Establishment Stage for decades, and this time, he had barely managed to enter the selection tournament before hitting the fifty-year-old age limit.

In terms of Talent alone, he naturally couldn’t compare to those genius disciples who could achieve Core Formation and Nascent Soul Formation with ease.

However, this didn’t mean Duan Ziyu was weak.

On the contrary.

Because he had remained in the Foundation Establishment Stage for so long, his Power had been polished to a state of incredible purity.

At the Foundation Establishment Stage, even few High-level Disciples were his match.

Duan Ziyu represented an incredibly solid foundation and a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation that had been refined to its absolute limit.

If Li Shuang could truly defeat Duan Ziyu, she would rank in the top ten among all cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

And yet her Cultivation...

...was only at the Qi Cultivation Stage!

This battle was truly going to be interesting!

Ye Zhaozhao’s face fell slightly as she looked at the list. She also had a match today, but... hers was only on a peripheral arena.

"The Sect Leader really is biased toward that Li Shuang!" Chang Le’an gritted his teeth. "There are three rounds in this round-robin. Maybe I’ll draw Li Shuang in one of the next two! When I do, I’ll be sure to teach her a lesson for you."

Ye Zhaozhao said in a soft, quiet voice, "Third Senior Brother, don’t worry about it. We just need to focus on ourselves."

Regardless of her inner thoughts, Ye Zhaozhao maintained her gentle and considerate facade, which made Chang Le’an feel all the more protective of her.

’My junior sister is so gentle and kind,’ he thought. ’I will do everything in my power to protect her!’

"It’s a shame we have matches today too. We won’t get to see how she loses," Chang Le’an seethed.

A flicker of light crossed Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes. "If we finish our battles quickly, we can still watch."

Ye Zhaozhao waved her hand, summoning Long Yan.

"Zhaozhao," Long Yan said, looking at Ye Zhaozhao with deep affection.

Chang Le’an frowned, unable to stop himself from saying, "You’re just a Sword Spirit. You should be addressing her as ’Master’."

Long Yan acted as if he hadn’t heard. ’How could an outsider possibly understand the bond between me and Zhaozhao?’

’In front of others, Zhaozhao is always gentle and kind. Only in front of me has she revealed her darkest side.’

’But that Zhaozhao is the one who feels more alive.’

’Whatever Zhaozhao wants, I am willing to seize for her. Whoever Zhaozhao wants to eliminate, I am willing to raise my sword for her.’

"Long Yan," Ye Zhaozhao said with a blink. "I’m not very skilled at Swordsmanship. This time, I’ll be counting on you."

Long Yan lifted his chin, nodding with a touch of pride. "Leave it to me."

He had already formed a Spiritual Body. Under Li Shuang’s influence, he had learned by observing her, and his own accomplishments in the Sword Dao were quite impressive.

Even without his master’s coordination, his own Sword Dao Cultivation was enough to deal with most opponents.

But...

Long Yan’s brow furrowed slightly.

’The only problem is... since leaving Li Shuang, I’ve suddenly lost my direction for improvement. My Sword Dao Cultivation hasn’t progressed in a long time.’

Long Yan felt a bit agitated.

He had always believed that Dragon Roar was born a Peerless Treasure Sword, and as its Sword Spirit, he was born a peerless Sword Spirit.

Even without Li Shuang, Dragon Roar would still be sharp, and he would still be invincible.

But recently, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

After following Ye Zhaozhao, not only had his Spiritual Body failed to solidify further, but it actually showed faint signs of being tainted. Even the Dragon Roar Sword had inexplicably dimmed quite a bit.

’The reason Sword Spirits are so rare is that they are born from a sword and are naturally attuned to it.’

’Why do I now feel... like my attunement with Dragon Roar has decreased?’

’No, no, no.’

’That’s impossible.’

’I am the Sword Spirit born from the Dragon Roar Sword. We were made for each other.’

’I must have too much on my mind lately. It’s probably just a misconception.’

"Hush! The people from Heartless Peak are here!" someone suddenly said.

Long Yan’s gaze followed the sound.