fynovel Chapter 7 Early Fame
Chapter 7 Early Fame
The results of the preliminary selection for Group C were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar in Qingzhou City.
A cultivator at the peak of Body Tempering from a small border town single-handedly eliminated seven people in the melee, including three opponents who were also at the peak of Body Tempering.
The scariest thing is that he used only one hand from beginning to end.
His other hand was always behind his back, as if he was deliberately suppressing something.
"Have you heard? A monster appeared in Group C! He took on seven people all by himself, without even breaking a sweat!"
"A peak Body Tempering cultivator beating three people of the same realm is like beating his sons, can you believe it?"
"My brother is from Group C, and he saw it with his own eyes. That guy's speed was like a demon from the spirit world; three peak Body Tempering cultivators couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes."
"Keep bragging. How fast can someone at the peak of Body Tempering be? At most, they've just mastered some special movement technique."
Believe it or not. You'll see for yourself when you choose the multiple-choice option.
Similar discussions were taking place in every corner of Qingzhou City.
The person being discussed was sitting in the lobby on the first floor of the Yunlai Inn, holding a newly purchased roster in his hand.
The second round of selection admitted fifty people in total. Among them, twelve were at the Qi Gathering Realm and thirty-eight were at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. Ultimately, only fifteen people could be selected by the three major sects.
The competition is far more brutal than imagined.
"Twelve people at the Qi Gathering Realm."
Ling Chen's gaze swept across the roster, and he memorized the names one by one.
There are seven people in the early stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, four in the middle stage, and one in the peak stage.
The cultivator at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm was named Han Tie, from the Han family of Qingzhou City, and was recognized as the top seed in this selection.
"Han Tie, 23 years old, top-grade metal-type spiritual root, peak Qi Gathering Realm." Ling Chen silently read the information on the roster. "During the preliminary selection, he eliminated 22 people in a free-for-all."
This achievement is far more dazzling than his own.
"What, scared?" Old Mo's teasing voice rang out.
"It's not that I'm afraid." Ling Chen put down the roster, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "I'm just wondering what the rules for the second round of selection will be."
"Regardless of the rules, your goal is to be in the top three. Only those in the top three can enter the inner sect of the Qingyun Sect."
Inner sect of Qingyun Sect.
This is Ling Chen's goal for this trip.
In Elder Mo's memory, deep within the forbidden area of the Qingyun Sect lies a secret realm left behind by a Celestial Venerable ten thousand years ago. Only those who enter the inner sect are qualified to access that place.
"elder brother!"
Ling Xue ran in from outside the door, her little face flushed, clearly having run all the way back.
"What's wrong?"
"I overheard some news on the street just now," Ling Xue said in a low voice after catching her breath, "that Su Qingyuan from the Central Continent Immortal Sect is also going to participate in the semi-finals!"
"What?"
Ling Chen frowned.
"Wasn't she said she was just here to observe? Why is she suddenly going to participate in the selection?"
"I don't know. But everyone's saying that she made the request to the three major sects herself. The elders of the Qingyun Sect agreed on the spot without even asking why." Ling Xue said, a worried look on her face. "Brother, she's at the Nascent Soul stage. If she participates, won't she definitely take first place?"
Ling Chen remained silent.
He wasn't thinking about the rankings.
He was thinking of the Chaos Origin Pearl from last night.
Su Qingyuan's sudden change of mind to participate in the selection is probably not a coincidence.
"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it." He ruffled his sister's hair and forced a smile. "Let's think about what to have for lunch first."
"Brother!" Ling Xue stomped her foot in anger.
-
The second round of elections will be held three days later.
For the past three days, Ling Chen has not left his room. He has locked himself in his room and is focusing all his efforts on breaking through to the Qi Gathering Realm.
The residual power of the Chaos Origin Pearl had not yet been fully digested. Pure primordial power continuously overflowed from the gaps in the second seal of the Myriad Paths Returning to the Void Diagram, cleansing his meridians.
The difference between the Body Tempering Realm and the Qi Gathering Realm lies in the qualitative change of spiritual energy.
The Body Tempering Realm merely uses spiritual energy to temper the physical body, enabling it to withstand higher levels of cultivation. The Qi Gathering Realm, on the other hand, involves truly incorporating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, condensing one's own spiritual energy vortex in the dantian.
For ordinary cultivators, this step requires the guidance of their spiritual roots.
Without spiritual roots, one cannot transform external spiritual energy into one's own spiritual power.
But Ling Chen is different.
He has no spiritual root, but he possesses the Myriad Paths Returning to the Void Diagram.
This painting itself is a transformer that transcends the existence of spiritual roots.
"Are you ready?" Elder Mo asked.
"Um."
Ling Chen closed his eyes and began to circulate the Myriad Dao Heavenly Venerable Technique.
Within his dantian, the ancient scroll slowly unfurled. The first seal had been completely broken, revealing a deep starry sky.
In the night sky, nine dim stars are arranged in a ring.
Those were the nine Great Dao Origins that the Celestial Venerable sealed in the scroll back then.
At this moment, the first star is shining faintly.
"The Great Dao of Devouring Heaven - All things can be devoured and made into one's own."
Mo Lao's voice was solemn and dignified.
"This is one of the nine Great Daos you left behind in your past life. Although you can only activate the most basic trace of its power now, it is enough for you to step into the Qi Gathering Realm."
With a thought from Ling Chen, the star suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.
A terrifying suction force surged from the painting, passing through his meridians and spreading out of his body.
The spiritual energy in the inn room began to converge frantically towards Ling Chen.
It's not ordinary absorption.
Instead, it devours.
Spiritual energy, dust particles, and even the faint life force floating in the air—everything was captured by that suction force, drawn into Ling Chen's dantian, and transformed into the purest primordial power by the Myriad Paths Returning to the Void Diagram.
The primordial power rotates, compresses, and condenses in the dantian.
Gradually, a tiny vortex of spiritual energy began to form.
At the center of the vortex was a ball of chaotic light.
That light did not belong to any of the five elements, nor to any known spiritual attribute.
That is the true origin of chaos.
It is the first wisp of power at the beginning of the world, before all things were born.
The vortex of spiritual energy spun faster and faster, growing larger and larger. Ling Chen's dantian was stretched until it ached slightly, and the flow of spiritual energy in his meridians reached an unprecedented level.
"Stabilize!" Elder Mo hissed. "The first time you condense a vortex of spiritual energy, it's most prone to going out of control. Don't let the vortex's rotation speed exceed the limits your meridians can withstand!"
Ling Chen gritted his teeth and persevered.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, soaking his clothes.
I don't know how much time passed.
A soft sound suddenly came from his dantian, as if something had been broken through.
The vortex of spiritual energy stopped expanding and stabilized at the size of a fist. Chaotic light flowed within the vortex, emanating an ancient and vast aura.
Qi Gathering Realm!
Ling Chen opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.
He looked down at his hands and felt an unprecedented power.
Compared to the peak of Body Tempering, the spiritual energy reserves of a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator have increased at least threefold. Most importantly, the chaotic spiritual energy vortex in his dantian is several times more solid than that of an ordinary Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.
"The spiritual energy reserves of an ordinary early-stage Qi Gathering cultivator are about three times that of a peak-stage Body Tempering cultivator." Elder Mo's voice carried a hint of satisfaction. "Your current spiritual energy reserves are at least five times that of an ordinary early-stage Qi Gathering cultivator."
"Five times." Ling Chen clenched his fist. "In other words, in a pure contest of spiritual power, I am no longer inferior to a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm."
"That's true in theory. But in real battles, spiritual energy reserves are just the foundation. Martial skills, experience, and adaptability all affect the outcome. Don't underestimate any opponent."
"I see."
Ling Chen got up and walked to the window.
Three days have passed.
On the street outside the window, people are converging towards the Forum Square.
Multiple selections will begin soon.
-
The forum was even more lively than it had been three days ago.
Not only did cultivators from Qingzhou City turn out in droves, but people from several surrounding cities also came to watch the battle. After all, this year was different from previous years—the Holy Maiden of the Central Continent Immortal Sect was present, and elders from the three major sects were personally overseeing the selection process, making this year's selection far more prestigious than in previous years.
When Ling Chen entered the square, he was stunned by the sea of people in front of him.
"So many people?"
"Nonsense." A young cultivator next to him, who was also a contestant, curled his lip. "Don't you even think about who Su Qingyuan is? She's the Holy Maiden of the Central Continent Immortal Sect, with an Ice-type Heavenly Spiritual Root, and a seventeen-year-old Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! It's usually hard to even see her once. Today, we get to witness her in action. Only a fool would miss out."
Ling Chen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the high platform.
The elders of the three major sects had already taken their seats. The elder from the Azure Cloud Sect was white-faced and beardless, carrying a long sword on his back; his sharp sword intent was almost tangible. The elder from the Sunset Valley was a kind-faced old woman, smiling as she looked at the young people below the stage. The representative from the Iron Sword Sect was a robust middle-aged man with bulging muscles in his arms, clearly a master of body refinement.
Above the three elders was a separate seat.
Su Qingyuan, dressed in white, sat upright on the throne, her face covered by a light veil, cold as ice.
Her posture was clearly close at hand, yet it gave people a sense of estrangement, as if she were far away.
"What a grand display." Old Mo sneered in his mind. "Back when the Celestial Venerable was alive, these so-called elders of the immortal sects weren't even worthy of carrying his shoes. Now, a mere Nascent Soul stage girl is putting on airs."
Ling Chen didn't reply.
He knew that Old Master Mo was just saying that out of anger.
No matter how powerful the Celestial Venerable was in his previous life, that was in the past. Now, he was just a minor cultivator in the early stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, and he was nothing in front of these great figures.
"All participants, assemble in front of the training ground!"
The referee's voice rang out, interrupting the crowd's discussion.
Fifty finalists walked up to the training platform one by one.
Ling Chen stood in the crowd, trying his best to conceal his aura. The Breath Concealment Technique firmly suppressed his cultivation level to the peak of Body Tempering, so to outsiders, he appeared no different from three days ago.
But the moment he stepped into the training ground, Su Qingyuan's gaze suddenly swept over him from the high platform.
The gaze lingered on him for a moment before moving away.
But in that instant, Ling Chen felt a slight chill run down his back.
"She noticed me."
"Nonsense." Elder Mo snorted. "Although I have concealed the aura of the Chaos Origin Pearl within your body, the unique spiritual energy fluctuations generated when you cultivate the Myriad Dao Heavenly Venerable Technique cannot escape the perception of a Nascent Soul Realm expert. She has probably already linked you to that aura from last night."
"What should we do then?"
"There's not much to do. She wouldn't dare do anything to you in broad daylight. Although the Central Continent Immortal Sect is powerful, it can't attack contestants selected by its sects without cause. Just perform normally, and leave the rest to me."
Ling Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart.
On stage, the referee began announcing the rules for the second round of selection.
"The second round will use a challenge system. The elders of the three major sects will designate seeded players to defend their positions based on their performance in the preliminary round. Other participants can freely challenge the seeded players, and the winner will take their place as the seeded player."
Each seeded player can be challenged a maximum of two times. The ten players who successfully defend their title will advance to the final round.
"On the arena, the use of talismans, spirit pets, or other external aids is prohibited, as is the intentional killing of others."
"Now, please have the three elders designate the seeded players."
The elder of the Qingyun Sect spoke first, his voice clear and sharp like the ringing of a sword: "Number one seed, Han Tie."
Han Tie stepped out from the crowd and onto the martial arts stage. Although he was lean, he stood there like a long sword drawn from its sheath, its sharpness fully revealed.
The old woman from Sunset Valley smiled and continued calling out names: "Second seed, Wen Ruyu. Third seed, Zhong Lingxiu."
Two women stepped out from the crowd and bowed towards the high platform. Wen Ruyu was the direct disciple of Luoxia Valley, and Zhong Lingxiu was the eldest daughter of the Zhong family in Qingzhou. Both of them were at the mid-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
The man from the Iron Sword Sect spoke in a deep, booming voice: "Fourth seed, Luo Lie. Fifth seed, Meng Hu."
Two burly men stepped onto the martial arts stage. Luo Lie was a direct disciple of the Iron Sword Sect, at the mid-stage of Qi Gathering; Meng Hu, on the other hand, was a rogue cultivator, but possessed superhuman strength and was also at the mid-stage of Qi Gathering.
The three elders quickly identified nine promising players, one after the other. The lowest cultivation level among them was the early stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, while Han Tie had the highest cultivation level, reaching the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm.
Only one spot remains.
The three elders exchanged glances, unsure how to speak. Traditionally, the ten seeded players should be three from each of the three major sects, but this year Su Qingyuan was an additional candidate, raising the question of how to allocate the last spot.
Just then, Su Qingyuan, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
"Let me choose the last seed."
She stood up, her gaze passing through the crowd and landing on a certain corner.
"The tenth seed."
"Ling Chen".
The entire room fell silent.
Then, an uproar ensued.
Peak Body Tempering as a seed? What makes you think you can?!
Ling Chen stood in the crowd, facing countless astonished, jealous, and scrutinizing gazes, and slowly clenched his fists.
What exactly does Su Qingyuan want to do?
On the high platform, a pair of icy blue eyes were quietly watching him.
There was neither hostility nor goodwill in that gaze.
Only through exploration.
And a very faint trace, one that even she herself couldn't be sure of...
Familiar with.