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Xu Qingshan approached, each step spanning the heavens and the earth.
As he took a step, the ceaseless flowing river that belonged to the Holy Spring Sect suddenly halted, as if time and space themselves were forbidden.
With his step, the Golden Crows and Cang Luan on both sides let out low cries, seemingly in fear of something, their proud heads slightly bowing, trembling.
With his step, the longsword that pierced the silence began to shiver, and even the Demonic Qi that lingered around it seemed to recede.
With his step, the Yin and Yang that divided heaven and earth appeared as mere ants that could be extinguished in the blink of an eye; he didn’t need to deliberately search for the centre of this world.
He merely stood there, and no matter what he was doing or where he stood, he was the center of this universe.
As Xu Qingshan walked step by step towards them, in that moment, whether it was the Golden Crow, Cang Luan, the Demonic Sword, the river or even the Yin and Yang that divided the heavens and the earth, they all seemed to become just a backdrop for him.
In everyone’s eyes, there was only the man in green clothes, who seemed to carry the sky on his shoulders and trod upon the earth, propping up the firmament.
"Brother Qingshan, it’s been a long time since that day, I’ve missed you," Luo Changhe, the Sect Master of Holy Spring Sect, laughed heartily.
"Brother Changhe, long time no see," Xu Qingshan also smiled, greeting the several other Sect Masters present.
Afterward, he led the five great sects towards the True Martial Holy Sect.
At this time, the True Martial Holy Sect was bustling with excitement. In addition to the five strongest sects from the Extreme West Region attending the grand competition, many second and third-tier sects, including the imperial households of the Purple Sun Empire and Green Wood Empire, had also received invitations to come and watch.
Xu Qingshan was in charge of receiving the five great sects, while the elders of the True Martial Holy Sect were responsible for receiving the other second-tier sects and the like.
The grand competition was scheduled for the next morning, and everyone was arranged to stay on the Qunying Peak of the True Martial Holy Sect.
However, no matter how lively the outside world was, Goose Southern Peak, where Xu Zimei resided, always remained peaceful.
He leaned back in a deck chair in the courtyard, with the gentle autumn wind carrying withered leaves blowing down from the top of Goose Southern Peak, brushing across Xu Zimei’s face.
At this moment, Xiao Guizi came in from outside and said to Xu Zimei, "Brother, I’ve gathered clear information about the other five great sects."
"Are you sure the Myriad Beasts Sect won’t be participating?" Xu Zimei slightly opened his eyes and asked.
"The Myriad Beasts Sect is not on the list for this competition, so they shouldn’t be coming," Xiao Guizi slowly said, "This time, the ones with the biggest reputation and highest expectations are actually the Saint Heirs and Saintesses of each sect."
"Who are they? Tell me," Xu Zimei shifted to a more comfortable position, sitting up and asking.
"From the Divine Sun Holy Sect, there is their Saint Heir Xuanyuan Xuantian, from Purgatory Holy Sect it’s Tian Mozi, and though the position of Saint Son for Holy Spring Sect hasn’t been determined yet, there is a monstrous prodigy in body cultivation in their sect, who is said to have a high calling.
As for the Immortal Spirit Sect, after Nie Xingqing’s death, they have chosen a woman named Xian Linger as their Saintess.
The most interesting is the Yin-Yang Sect, who apparently just recently established their Saint Heir, a man named Chu Yang.
His strength is unknown, but as you know, Brother, the Immortal Spirit Sect has been hunting a young man named Chu Yang lately.
I heard because of this matter, the relationship between the Yin-Yang Sect and the Immortal Spirit Sect has become very tense."
"So, who is the one with the highest calling in our True Martial Holy Sect right now?" Xu Zimei asked.
"It’s Bai Li Xiao, the niece of the Sixth Elder," Xiao Guizi replied, "After all, the title of the Empress’s successor is quite impressive.
These disciples are too much like frogs in a well. Once you make your move, Brother, they’ll understand that the so-called Talented Disciples are just a bunch of country chickens and street dogs"
"Alright, stop with the flattery," Xu Zimei waved his hand and laughed.
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After Xiao Guizi left, he took out several letters from his sleeve. These were pieces of intelligence collected by Situ Yunqing from various channels.
Xu Zimei slowly opened the envelope.
"A month ago, an Immortal Mountain next to the Immortal Spirit Sect suddenly burst into ten thousand feet of white light. This Immortal Mountain was left behind by a very famous ancestor of the Immortal Spirit Sect, the ’Peacock Ancestral Master’.
Some said that a mystical treasure had appeared, but the incident was quickly suppressed by the Immortal Spirit Sect.
Not long after, the Immortal Spirit Sect appointed a woman named Xian Linger as the current Saintess. Before this, no one had ever heard of her."
"Half a month ago, the Yin-Yang Sect activated their Sect’s treasured ’Yin-Yang Diagram,’ with an unknown purpose.
A few days later, they named a youngster called Chu Yang as the Saint Heir."
"Deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, someone saw a giant measuring the earth and heaven with his feet, his purpose and strength unknown."
After reading through the intelligence, a ball of blazing fire appeared in Xu Zimei’s right hand. He watched the envelope burn to ashes in the flames, then closed his eyes slightly and leaned back in his recliner.
Muttering to himself, he said, "Chu Yang, Yin-Yang Sect, long time no see."
..........
Within the True Martial Holy Sect, there is a separate space carved out, known as the "Heavenly Domain."
The Heavenly Domain was established during the era of Empress Hongtian and has a history of tens of thousands of years.
This Heavenly Domain is a place specially prepared by the True Martial Holy Sect for hosting some grand competitions.
It has its own space and spans tens of thousands of square feet, with no end visible at a glance.
In the center of the Heavenly Domain, there are nearly a hundred arenas made of Black Tortoise True Iron. These arenas are nearly a hundred meters in length and width and are encircled by chains of iron.
The durability of the arenas is such that they can withstand several attacks from martial artists in the Emperor Pulse Realm.
As the early sun began to rise, the autumn wind stirred up a few yellow leaves, and the morning light gradually poured down from the sky, heralding the start of a new day.
Once all the Sect Gates had gathered, led by the True Martial Holy Sect, followed closely by the five major sects, with the second and third-tier sects trailing at the end.
Everyone walked into the Heavenly Domain in great numbers; it took half an hour for the dragon-like procession to enter the Heavenly Domain completely.
Bear in mind that just the second-tier sects who came to watch the grand competition numbered over a hundred.
Now, the areas around these nearly hundred arenas were filled with densely packed chairs.
Of course, these chairs were prepared for some notable figures from the sects and talented disciples; ordinary disciples could only stand at the back to watch.
..........
The Sixth Elder, as the person in charge of this grand competition, once everyone was settled, walked up to the central arena in a red robe, his presence bursting forth.
"First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to watch the grand competition held by our True Martial Holy Sect. Myriad Beasts Sect, due to some special reasons, has withdrawn from the competition," the Sixth Elder stood on the central arena and announced loudly, "Beginning from the era of the Divine Travel Great Emperor, the grand tournament of the seven sects held every three years has continued thus.
It has been held for thousands of years now, and the purpose of the grand tournament is to foster relations between the sects, to allow the young disciples to witness more youthful geniuses, to broaden their horizons, and to realize their own shortcomings.
I will not say much more, let me briefly introduce the rules of this competition."
