“Group ten, Chen Fan versus Dongfang Yu!”
Chen Fan’s name was called out again, so he walked up to the fighting arena.
Dongfang Yu did not surrender; instead, he chose to fight Chen Fan.
Although he was only in the early stage of the ninth level, he had to face this challenge to break through the demonic barrier in his heart to progress on his path.
“Chen Fan, I will defeat you this time!”
Dongfang Yu looked at Chen Fan, his eyes flickering with sharp light. A powerful blade intent surged from him and rushed into the sky, tearing the white clouds apart.
“Defeat me?” Chen Fan smiled disdainfully and said, “You couldn’t even defeat me when your cultivation was higher than mine, let alone now. You’re simply asking to be humiliated.”
The blade intent emanating from Dongfang Yu grew even fiercer at Chen Fan’s response. He drew his prized blade and slashed out. A resplendent blade light flew toward Chen Fan like a lightning dragon.
“Petty tricks.” Chen Fan shook his head disdainfully and sent out a palm strike.
The terrifying force shook the void, crashing forth like a towering wave. It shattered Dongfang Yu’s blade light, leaving nothing behind.
“Mysterious Ksetra of the nine heavens, transform into divine lightning. The brilliant might of heaven shall be guided by my blade!”
Dongfang Yu directly executed Thunder Wielding Divine Blade. The winds and clouds in the sky above the fighting arena immediately surged like a gathering storm. Crackling noises rang out chaotically as if the lord of heaven was enraged.
A bolt of lightning as thick as a water bucket fell from the sky, which Dongfang Yu’s blade caught as he slashed out violently. The attack stole the color from heaven and earth.
The might of his Thunder-Wielding Divine Blade had grown with improvement in his cultivation and blade intent.
The thick blade light was like a real lightning dragon as it flew over quickly, wanting to destroy the world.
Not even a peak-stage ninth-level Core Formation realm expert would dare to receive this attack head-on. However, Chen Fan only shook his head lightly and reached out toward the oncoming resplendent blade light and grabbed at the void.
Northern Star Reaper Hand!
The Northern Star Reaper Hand gripped the blade light and exerted a bit of force. With a boom, the lightning dragon let out a wail before exploding.
“Pfft!” Dongfang Yu suddenly spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood. His complexion turned ghastly white, and his gaze became dull.
Chen Fan did not feel any pity for him. He disappeared and appeared in front of Dongfang Yu. He struck Dongfang Yu with a light palm strike. The attack destroyed his protective true primeval and sent him flying off stage.
To Chen Fan, defeating Dongfang Yu was only a matter of some moves, so his expression didn’t change.
If they had any deep grudges, Dongfang Yu wouldn’t have survived the fight.
The crowd wasn’t surprised at all by Dongfang Yu’s defeat. Their expressions remained calm
After a few more rounds, Chen Fan’s name was called again. His opponent was the eighth prince, Chu Pengfei.
Chu Pengfei also did not admit defeat and went up on the stage to fight Chen Fan. He also specialized in spear arts. However, it was completely useless in front of Chen Fan.
Despite his exceptional talent, which would make him a holy disciple in any sect, his fate was sealed against Chen Fan. Victory was impossible.
As usual, a single execution of Northern Star Reaper Hand destroyed all of Chu Pengfei’s attacks and sent him flying off stage.
“Chen Fan is truly terrifying. He defeated all his opponents in all the matches with a single move. Not a single one could force him to make a second move.”
“That is true strength. Don’t forget that he killed a peak-stage ninth-level Core Formation realm expert in the blink of an eye. It only makes sense that he defeated them in one move.”
“I’m afraid only Qi Feifan, Lin Wushang, and Zhantai Liuli could make him use a second move.”
“The thirty nominees for this Grand Sect Conference are pretty much finalized. The top ten rankers of the Geniuses of Heaven Leaderboard, ninth-level Core Formation realm experts like eighth prince Chu Pengfei, and the Jade Firmament Palace’s Yun Hailan. These people will likely get the spots.”
“They might be Divine Nascent realm powerhouses by the time they leave the ancient ruin.”
“Do you think it’s that easy? Let alone the fact that one needs to face a tribulation when breaking through to the Divine Nascent realm, the ancient ruin is a place that eats people alive. They are the top geniuses of our Great Chu Empire, but compared to the Great Li Imperial Court or the six great nations, they are first-rate at best, not top-tier."
“You’re right. I heard that the Great Li Imperial Court’s Prince Li Yao was born with exceptional talents. He’s only twenty-three years old, but he’s already an invincible expert in the five or six-revolution Golden Core realm. He’s known as the number one genius of the younger generation in the Hong Domain, and a seed with the potential to advance into the Heavenly Star realm in the future.”
“The Great Li Sword Mountain’s Gongsun Zhong is also a monster. It’s said that his cultivation level is at the five-revolution Golden Core realm, and his mastery of the sword path has reached perfection, achieving man and sword unity."
“There are six extremely powerful contenders to watch out for,” said the spectator. "First, we have Ye Cangxuan from the Black Dragon Empire. Then there's Yin Jiu of the Blue Mist Sect, which is the number one sect in the Blue Mist Empire."
They continued, "From the Twilight Mountain Empire, there's Si Kong of the Swift Lightning Saber Sect. The Canaan Empire has sent Xuanyuan Po from the Phantom Night Palace."
"Oh, and don’t forget about Wuyazi from the Falling Heaven Pavilion in the Heaven Bestowal Empire," they added. "And lastly, there's Qiu Yuexin of the Vast Cold Palace, representing the Ancient Nacre Empire."
The spectator lowered his voice, as if about to reveal a conspiracy, and said, “They have all reached a terrifying cultivation level, somewhere between the four and five-revolution Golden Core realm.”
“Haaa, our Great Chu Empire can only be considered as a lower-middle level force among the thirty-six nations of the Hong Domain. Those are the six strongest nations in the Hong Domain aside from the Great Li Imperial Court. Their overall strength far surpasses ours."
The crowd murmured among themselves.
Although Chen Fan and the other young geniuses were unparalleled in the Great Chu Empire, they would only be considered first-rate, perhaps even quasi-first-rate, in the Hong Domain.
Even so, this couldn’t be helped.
The Great Chu Empire’s overall strength was only among the lower-middle levels among the thirty-six nations of the Hong Domain. They were far from comparable to the Great Li Imperial Court and the six top nations.
Time passed quickly. At noon the next day, the Grand Sect Conference was nearing its end.
Finally, with the conclusion of the final battle, the Grand Sect Conference’s competition ended, finalizing the thirty nominees.
Many contenders in the eighth-level Core Formation realm felt anxious inside, their feelings apparent on their faces.
There were seven hundred and twenty of them. Just those in the ninth-level Core Formation realm alone would occupy half the spots.
The remaining half would be divided among those in the seventh and eighth levels. There were simply too many wolves and too little meat. The result of each battle would affect whether they could obtain a spot for themselves.
After a short while, Reverend Myriad Virtue leaped forward and stood in mid-air. He announced, “The Grand Sect Conference’s competition has ended. The contenders’ scores have also been tallied. I shall announce the list of the top thirty contenders in this assembly.
“Chen Fan, Qi Feifan, Lin Wushang, Zhantai Liuli, Xie Tianjue...”
Reverend Myriad Virtue read out the thirty people’s names in one go. Those whose names were called immediately wept from happiness, while those who weren’t called became dispirited.
“Alright, the thirty of you whose names I’ve called out, come up and receive your token for this Grand Sect Conference. With this token, you will make your way to the Hidden Dragon Island in a month and enter it.
“Inside the Hidden Dragon Island, you will have a hundred days to search for opportunities and raise your cultivation. You must exit after a hundred days.”
Reverend Myriad Virtue gave some instructions and distributed the Grand Sect Conference tokens.
The Grand Sect Conference had concluded.