Chapter 321 - The Trial Begins

This Jiao Zhe possessed a cultivation of the half-Martial Ancestor Realm and a seventh-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit.

In terms of the ranks of Martial Spirits alone, besides Qin Nan, Jiang Bilan, and Sima Kong, his Martial Spirit was considered quite outstanding among the partic.i.p.ants.

“Brother!”

Jiao s.h.i.+yi’s expression changed slightly, and it was as if a mouse had stumbled into a cat, who swiftly withdrew his murderous intent, not daring to move.

“I’ll deal with you later!”

Jiao Zhe gave him a glare before he glanced at Pang Qiu and Qin Nan with a stern look and brought his fists together, while saying in a sincere tone, “My friends, my brother has always been impulsive since he was born, please don’t blame him. If he somehow offended you, I’ll apologize on his behalf, and I hope you will forgive him!”

Sima Kong’s face turned calmer as he let out a harrumph and fell silent.

Qin Nan nodded his head without wearing any expression.

Even though he was not fond of this Jiao s.h.i.+yi, and would not mind teaching him a lesson, he would not be fussy if Jiao Zhe were willing to apologize with such sincerity.

The storm was calmed just like that.

Meanwhile, on the dojo stood Jiang Bilan, Jiao s.h.i.+yi, Sima Kong, and Jiao Zhe—four geniuses who were appointed by Peak Leaders. Jiao Zhe’s arrival especially, caused the geniuses from Jianghuang City to feel pressured and wear stern looks on their faces, as if he was a great foe.

At that instant, a few other cultivators appeared from afar, who turned out to be Martial Ancestor Realm experts who were planning to take part in the selection.

There were now over six hundred disciples taking part in the selection, resulting in a spectacular sight.

When it was almost time for the selection, Fang Jian’s figure rose into the air and scanned the crowd, before uttering a shout, “The trial will be split into two rounds. The first round will be one-on-one duels; each partic.i.p.ant will only take part in a single duel. Although the losers will not be disqualified from the selection, only the winners will advance to the second round! Besides, as the selection takes place, six Peak Leaders and a hundred envoys will be spectating the entire process. Therefore, please do your best!”

After saying this, Fang Jian suddenly turned around and glanced at the towering Duanmu Peak. He then brought his fists together and yelled, “Let’s welcome the arrival of Peak Leader Duanmu!”

Upon hearing the words, the crowd of geniuses turned incredibly excited.

It’s Peak Leader Duanmu!

In the Qinglong Sacred Area, among the sixteen Peak Leaders, Peak Leader Duanmu was ranked first, whose authority and strength was second only to the Sacred Leader of the Qinglong Sacred Area; he could be considered a top authority figure in the entire lower district!

They did not expect to meet the legendary Peak Leander Duanmu at this selection.

BANG!

The s.p.a.ce above the dojo suddenly crumbled downward, resulting in a piece of darkness. A white-haired old man could be seen walking out from the piece of darkness, who turned out to be Peak Leader Duanmu.

Peak Leader Duanmu scanned the disciples below him, his eyes secretly glancing at Qin Nan before he said with a smile, “Young geniuses, welcome to the selection taking place at Duanmu Peak. Before the trial starts, according to the rules, I’ll set up a barrier to prevent you from seeing the exterior, but the people outside the barrier can still see what’s happening inside.”

With a flick of his finger, a light dot was fired, which transformed into a huge glowing screen encapsulating the entire dojo within it.

The crowd was startled; That’s Peak Leader Duanmu for you, able to change the appearance of the Heavens and Earth with just a flick of his finger!

“The barrier has been established, the first ritual had been completed. I now welcome the Peak Leaders and the envoys to enter Duanmu Peak and spectate the trial!” Peak Leader Duanmu said in a blasting tone.

Shoosh shoosh shoosh shoosh… Although the disciples were not situated inside the barrier, they could still sense powerful auras arriving in the surroundings of the dojo from a distance away, and there were at least more than a hundred of them.

Even though they could not see it with their eyes, the thought of six Peak Leaders and a hundred envoys spectating them outside the barrier caused their blood to boil.

Those people are all famous great authorities within the lower district!

“A thousand clashes of fireworks!” Peak Leader Duanmu waved his sleeves.

From the towering Duanmu Peak, over thousands of light beams were fired upward, resulting in countless explosions that lit up the entire sky, s.h.i.+ning upon the Qinglong Sacred Area. The sight of it was magnificent and shocking.

“Qinglong welcomes the talents!” Peak Leader Duanmu let out a grunt.

Buzz!

At that instant, if one were to look down from high above, the sixteen mountains that resembled the silhouette of a giant blue dragon began to move as it emitted the shocking cry of a dragon, as if a huge atavistic dragon was being awakened.

Countless people of the Qinglong Sacred Area were utterly astonished. The cry of the dragon was so clear that it felt like an explosion in their souls.

“The rituals are done. Let the trial begin!”

Peak Leader Duanmu flicked his finger, firing countless light dots that landed before each disciple, and transformed into a blue number. Following this, Peak Leader Duanmu wore a smile on his face as he re-entered the piece of darkness. The gap in the sky was slowly mended, as if nothing had happened.

Despite that, the disciples wore shocked expressions on their faces, and were yet to collect their thoughts.

A thousand clashes of fireworks!

The cry of the blue dragon!

Either one was enough to greatly impact their souls.

Despite the fact that it was only a mere selection, the rituals were surprisingly grand!

Fang Jian stared at the astonished crowd and let out a smile. He remembered that he had also worn the same expression when he took part in the selection back in the day. He hesitated for a moment, before uttering a shout, “Everyone, I believe each of you has received a number! Now, based on your cultivation realms, find your respective rings and battle against your a.s.signed opponent! We’ll start from the Martial Ancestor Realm!”

Thirty disciples appeared behind Fang Jian’s figure, who were the a.s.sessing officers of the trial.

Fang Jian grabbed the s.p.a.ce before him with his left hand, causing a scroll to appear. He then read the contents of the scroll in a loud tone, “Number one versus number two; number three versus number nine; number four versus number eighteen…”

“Hehe, it’s my turn. Wish me luck!”

The Longhu Ancestor Beast let out a proud smile. With a leap, his figure landed on the ring, while placing his hands on his back while wearing a disdainful face.

“Hmm? It’s been a long time since I had a satisfying fight!”

Princess Miao Miao was a.s.signed number seventy nine. After her name was called, a smile appeared on her face as her watery eyes displayed a hint of excitement.

Qin Nan s.h.i.+vered upon seeing this; Who’s that unfortunate to b.u.mp into Princess Miao Miao?

Judging from her reaction, she would surely take a hold of the chance to warm up her joints and limbs.

“What a violent girl…” Qin Nan mumbled to himself, as he shook his head and sat down with his legs crossed.

He was not interested in the battles. There was no doubt that Princess Miao Miao and the Longhu Ancestor Beast would crush their opponents with ease. Therefore, it was better for him to spend the time observing his Inner Core.

“Hmm?”

When Qin Nan glanced at his Inner Core, he could not help but frown.

The previously dead silent Inner Core suddenly emitted a buzz, as if something were about to crack out from it.

“Could this be…”