The Dragon Ritual Princess's unusual behavior instantly drew the attention of countless gazes in the grand hall.
After all, her status was incredibly special. Outside, she often represented the will of the Qinghuan Emperor. Every move she made would be scrutinized by those with keen eyes, interpreting various messages and intentions.
The Dragon Ritual Princess didn't care what others thought. With a graceful sway of her waist and light steps, she moved fluidly to the area where the disciples of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace were seated. Ignoring the looks from her senior sisters, she walked straight to Qing Muling's table.
"May I sit here?"
Her elegant and soft voice, clear and pleasant, gently flowed from her pink cherry lips as her deep, beautiful eyes calmly gazed at the handsome young man before her.
Qing Muling sighed, "Can I say no?"
He owed this person a significant favor, and under her unparalleled aura, it was difficult for him to straighten his back and speak confidently.
"Then I'll take that as a yes." A slight smile appeared in the Dragon Ritual Princess's eyes as she gracefully sat down opposite him. Her maids immediately presented various delicacies and celestial brews.
Not far away, Qi Yalan was about to stand up but was stopped by Yu Lingzhou. The senior sisters exchanged thoughts through divine senses for a moment, and their expressions gradually calmed down.
"In just a moment, the Sword Duel Tournament will begin," the Dragon Ritual Princess said gently, raising her cup slightly. "Do you have confidence in reaching a high rank on the Heavenly Talents List, Brother Qing?"
Qing Muling shook his head, "I've decided to forfeit. With the senior sisters participating, the top positions are unlikely to fall to others. No matter how rich the rewards, it doesn't make much difference whether they get them or I do."
This answer slightly surprised the Dragon Ritual Princess. She had thought Qing Muling would perform well in the tournament, allowing her to observe his potential and development. She hadn't expected him to outright declare his withdrawal.
After a moment of thought, the Dragon Ritual Princess's expression relaxed. "I understand. You've only recently started on the path of cultivation. This is indeed the wisest choice for you."
She believed she had guessed Qing Muling's intention. In this grand hall, a True One Realm cultivation was decent but not enough to rank among the most outstanding Heavenly Talents.
Under normal circumstances, Qing Muling could at most secure a position at the bottom of the Heavenly Talents List. The top spots were out of reach, and such a result would not please him or the higher-ups of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. It was better not to participate at all.
"There will always be another Grand Gathering of Immortals. Perhaps in the next one, the top spot on the Heavenly Talents List will be yours?" the Dragon Ritual Princess asked with a smile.
Qing Muling shook his head again, "In five hundred years, the Dao Court might not allow me to participate. You know why."
The Grand Gathering of Immortals occurred once every five hundred years. Given Qing Muling's astonishing growth rate, by then, achieving True Immortal or even Xuan Immortal would be easy for him.
With such cultivation, winning all categories of the tournament would be a given. The Dao Court's higher-ups would never tolerate that and would likely persuade him to withdraw privately. After all, with such cultivation, who would still covet the rewards on the Heavenly Talents List?
The Dragon Ritual Princess smiled, "It took me a thousand years to break through to the True Immortal realm, even with my mother personally infusing me with Dao Rhyme. So, if you can surpass my record in just five hundred years, I might have to raise my evaluation of you!"
Qing Muling downed the nectar in his cup, "You don't doubt my words at all? Maybe I'm just boasting."
The Dragon Ritual Princess's expression remained calm, "If someone else said that, I wouldn't believe it. But you're different; you have the confidence to back up your words."
Qing Muling chuckled and continued to enjoy the delicacies on the table, ignoring the Dragon Ritual Princess's subtle probing.
She, or rather the Qinghuan Emperor behind her, had undoubtedly noticed something. But how much they knew about his secrets, Qing Muling was still unsure.
If they knew everything, the Qinghuan Emperor would have already captured him and forced him to marry the Dragon Ritual Princess. Not even the Xinyu Emperor could save him then.
"The list is out. Your senior sisters are all on it. Do you want to take a look?" the Dragon Ritual Princess said after a moment.
Aunt Su, standing nearby, presented a jade tablet. With a slight infusion of magical power, a long list of names appeared in a hazy glow.
This wasn't the final result of the Sword Duel Tournament but a ranking compiled by Dao Lineage forces that specialized in intelligence gathering. They meticulously collected information on the new generation of disciples from various Dao Lineages and clan powers, then compiled this ranking for all participants of the Grand Gathering of Immortals to reference, providing a clear understanding of their own strength.
The list contained six thousand names, with the lowest-ranked cultivator possessing peak Heart Demon realm strength, though their age was nearly six hundred years. To others, they were considered highly talented, but to Qing Muling, they were insignificant.
Again, Qing Muling's age was too young. Given another hundred years, no, just fifty years, he would surpass ninety-nine percent of the talents on this list.
Qing Muling studied the list for a moment. Each name had a corresponding description that would appear if he focused his divine sense on it.
The rankings were not fixed; the organizations behind the list revised it annually. Events like injuries, breakthroughs, fortuitous encounters, or being accepted by a prominent figure could all affect the rankings.
Of course, if a talent died or their cultivation was destroyed, they would be removed from the list.
Unsurprisingly, Qing Muling's five senior sisters were all on the list, all within the top thirty. The Senior Sister held the highest position at sixth place.
The top spot was occupied by a rising star from the ancient Kylin clan named Chiye Ling, currently a high-level Elemental Immortal with many awakened divine abilities and the purest bloodline among the new generation of his clan.
The next few spots were taken by pure-blood descendants of the Dragon, Phoenix, Glutton, and other renowned ancient clans.
This slightly surprised Qing Muling. Xuebing Xuan, now a mid-level Elemental Immortal, possessed the Harmony Spirit Seed's Dao Rhyme, making her actual combat power far exceed her apparent level. Yet she wasn't ranked first?
After some thought, Qing Muling relaxed. The organizations behind the list couldn't possibly know everything, so underestimating his senior sisters' strength was expected.
Moreover, Qing Muling wasn't on the list. He checked several times to be sure.
"Your Highness, as you can see, I'm not even on the list. Why do you see me differently?" Qing Muling asked with a smile.
The Dragon Ritual Princess's expression remained calm, "I had them remove you. There was too little information about you, and those old fellows who make a living from this couldn't decide on a suitable rank for you."
"I see."
Qing Muling understood. The Dao Court had been paying attention to him for a long time, perhaps since Mu Yinghua brought him into the sect and entrusted him to Senior Sister Xuebing Xuan. Some keen individuals had noticed him then.
Not ranking him wasn't due to a lack of strength but a lack of information to assess his true power.
However, the information about his senior sisters was detailed. It included when they joined the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, when Mu Yinghua accepted them as personal disciples, the rough timeline of their breakthroughs, possible fortuitous encounters, their preferred techniques and divine abilities, and the types of magical treasures they used.
In recent years, Xuebing Xuan and the others had rapidly advanced in cultivation, and their rankings had steadily risen. The information even hinted that Xuebing Xuan might have a Dao Companion with monstrous talent, suggesting their dual cultivation and shared fortune contributed to their rapid progress.
"Indeed, quite impressive." After reading the list, Qing Muling sighed. The organizations specializing in intelligence gathering and analysis had far more influence and power than he had anticipated. They managed to compile information on nearly all the new generation elites in the Great Void.
Of course, the Dao Court's power played a crucial role in this. Otherwise, such a detailed list wouldn't be possible.
"Some of the betting houses are now accepting wagers on the ultimate winner of the Sword Duel Tournament. Interested in placing a bet?" the Dragon Ritual Princess asked with a smile. "If you win, the returns could be substantial, possibly enough to cover all your cultivation resources until you reach the True Immortal realm."
"Though I'd love to try, unfortunately, I have no money," Qing Muling said frankly. "So I can't participate in such bets. Unless Your Highness is willing to lend me some? But be prepared to lose it all."
"Alright, as you wish!"
The Dragon Ritual Princess agreed readily, signaling Aunt Su to present a large-capacity Space Bracelet.
She had been waiting for Qing Muling to say this and didn't believe he had much chance of winning. Losing everything was highly likely.
When that happened, she would have ample reason to take further action against him. Even the Xinyu Emperor of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace wouldn't be able to say much.
Qing Muling checked the Space Bracelet and found it filled with top-grade spirit crystals and rare treasures, each capable of fetching a high price at auctions.
"Alright, I'll bet everything on Senior Sister. She will definitely take first place this time," Qing Muling said confidently.
"Very well, let's wait and see!" The Dragon Ritual Princess remained calm, already planning how to deal with Qing Muling after he lost everything.
Brother Qing, you wouldn't want to sell yourself to pay off your debt, would you?
Imagining the handsome young man's embarrassed and ashamed expression while making various humiliating demands, like massaging her shoulders, serving tea, or bathing her, made the Dragon Ritual Princess excited and eager.
***
Soon, with the Xuan Yin Emperor's announcement, the Sword Duel Tournament finally began.
The rules were simple. The Emperor would use divine abilities to create multiple temporary spaces as arenas. Participants would be randomly paired using the Heavenly Secret Art.
Those drawn would be transported to the arena space at the designated time, where they would duel until a winner was determined.
The losers would be eliminated, while the winners would have time to rest and recover before the next match.
With an Emperor-level overseer, the participants didn't have to worry about fatal injuries or damage to their Dao foundation, though ordinary injuries were inevitable.
A large moon appeared in the sky, with millions of names scrolling across it, stabilizing after a few dozen breaths.
By focusing their divine senses on it, participants could receive information about their opponents, including their affiliations.
Following the Dragon Ritual Princess's guidance, Qing Muling focused his divine sense on the moon and quickly received the information he was interested in.
Luo Wanqing's opponent was Yanling Ji, which surprised Qing Muling. He couldn't help but think that guy's luck was terrible, facing such a formidable opponent in the first round.
Apart from her, the other senior sisters' opponents were ordinary, with the highest cultivation being the Feather Transformation Realm, making it easy for them to advance.
"This is… unbelievable. Facing a female cultivator from the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace in the first round? And it's Luo Wanqing, no less?"
In the distance, Yanling Ji's face was ashen. He was only at the Ascending to Immortality realm, while his opponent was a genuine Elemental Immortal and an invincible body cultivator. How could he possibly win?
"Maybe you should forfeit and wait for the next round?" suggested the elders beside him.
Cultivators were allowed to forfeit, but only twice. Using up both forfeits meant they were out of the tournament.
"Seems like that's the only option!"
After some thought, Yanling Ji decided. It might be embarrassing, but it was better than being beaten to a pulp by Luo Wanqing in the arena.
"He actually forfeited? Coward!"
Luo Wanqing looked at the jade token's prompt and pursed her lips in disdain.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan