The heavy flames converged into a glass-like red cloud, resembling solidified magma, enveloping the entire space arena, layer upon layer, impenetrable.
The temperature at the core of the red cloud was as high as the furnace at the earth's core, and in such an extreme environment, even a True Immortal cultivator would struggle to endure for long without proper protection.
This was the innate divine ability of the ancient Lihuang lineage, a rare mastery of fire manipulation. Ni Qingyue had defeated countless formidable opponents with this ability in the past. Now, facing a genius seed from the Dao Court of the human race, she naturally wouldn't hold back, giving her all from the start.
In the distance, the dragon clan genius Ao Rui's expression relaxed, and the surrounding alien geniuses also smiled. In their memory, Ni Qingyue's method had rarely failed, and defeating the opponent was just a matter of time.
"Qin Junior Brother, do you think your Third Senior Sister will win?" Dragon Ritual Princess asked with a smile.
"Of course, I never doubt it."
"But it's really difficult! With Ni Qingyue's cultivation, this flame can even melt mid-grade magical treasures over time. If your Third Senior Sister doesn't have special means to break the situation, defeat is inevitable."
"Just watch."
Qing Muling's expression was calm, no longer worried as before.
According to the rules of the Sword Competition, all cultivators on stage could only use weapons and armor of mid-grade magical treasure level or below, and the quantity was strictly limited. This was to ensure fairness, preventing the genius seeds from powerful sects from oppressing grassroots talents with their wealth.
Of course, there were still ways to exploit the rules. For example, by investing a vast amount of rare materials, using a Postnatal Spirit Treasure-level pill furnace, and having multiple Supreme Elders skilled in artifact refining work together, one could create a set of "mid-grade" magical treasures with power far beyond the norm.
When Qing Muling traveled, he had a set of twelve such special magical treasures. Though they were only of low-grade, their power rivaled mid-grade treasures, and they consumed very little magical power.
As a genius of the ancient Lihuang clan, Ni Qingyue naturally had no shortage of good items. However, Qi Yalan wasn't far behind in this regard. Before setting out, at Qing Muling's request, the high-ranking members of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had almost emptied the sect's treasury to equip the five senior sisters with luxurious sets of magical treasures.
Having five monstrous genius seeds capable of ranking highly on the list was a rare event for any Supreme Dao Lineage, and they would spare no effort to support them.
On the space arena, the rolling red cloud changed again, starting to compress and collapse inward, raising the core temperature even higher.
At this moment, a blazing, dazzling sword aura suddenly appeared from the center of the red cloud, tearing through its confinement with an unstoppable momentum.
Qi Yalan, pale and slightly disheveled, emerged, ignoring the flames burning around her. She unleashed another stunning, extremely condensed cold sword aura, breaking through Ni Qingyue's defense, tearing a large hole in her dress, and leaving a deep wound on her left shoulder, with golden-tinged blood flowing out.
Ni Qingyue grunted, sealing the wound with her powerful magical energy while retreating quickly. However, Qi Yalan gave her no chance to breathe, exhausting her magical power source to unleash another terrifying sword aura, slashing down from the air.
Is this Qi Yalan crazy?
Ni Qingyue cursed inwardly. Breaking her defense with a single sword strike wasn't something ordinary means could achieve. To turn the tables, this human female sword cultivator resorted to such self-damaging tactics, making Ni Qingyue unsure what to think.
But Qi Yalan didn't care. Enduring the excruciating pain of magical power depletion and her organs almost burning, she slashed out a fourth sword with all her might.
The Dao Rhyme from her Harmony Spirit Seed spread out, gently repairing her internal injuries like spring rain, with new magical power continuously generated from her dantian.
Struggling to the sixth sword, the exhausted Ni Qingyue finally couldn't hold on, retreating uncontrollably to the edge of the arena. Before the seventh sword aura reached her, she had no choice but to admit defeat.
"You're a lunatic!"
After hastily swallowing two pills to stabilize her injuries, Ni Qingyue glared at Qi Yalan and cursed, "For the sake of a ranking, you don't mind damaging your fundamental source. Are you content to remain an Elemental Immortal forever and never advance further?"
"That's none of your concern."
Qi Yalan smiled weakly. After the Emperor announced the result, she was transported out of the space arena, immediately welcomed like a hero by her senior and junior brothers and sisters.
"Are you alright?"
Xuebing Xuan stepped forward to support her, transferring a pure and powerful magical energy. At this moment, Qi Yalan was also on the verge of collapse, but with Qing Muling's Dao Rhyme supporting her, recovery wasn't difficult.
"The upcoming matches will only get tougher."
Luo Wanqing frowned. By now, every opponent they faced had transcendent strength capable of challenging higher levels. It was no longer possible to handle them as easily as before.
"No matter, we just need to do our best!"
Cheng Yulan was more optimistic. Even if the five senior sisters stopped here, their rankings were already unshakable. Compared to the previous dismal results at the grand gathering of immortals, this was already a pleasant surprise.
"Looks like I'm going to win a fortune this time!"
Beside them, Qing Muling leisurely said to Dragon Ritual Princess. Before the competition, few forces favored the senior sisters of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, while many doubted them. Just thinking about the astonishing odds, Qing Muling knew that after the Sword Competition, his wealth would skyrocket to an unimaginable level.
Even after repaying the massive debt to Dragon Ritual Princess, Qing Muling would still have plenty left. With his extravagant spending habits, he could splurge for a long time.
"Alright, I'm starting to believe you now."
Dragon Ritual Princess frowned. Since Ni Qingyue had lost, the dragon clan genius Ao Rui and the Kylin clan genius Chiye Ling, who were on par with her, might not have a guaranteed victory against Xuebing Xuan and the others.
Moreover, their combat style was sharp and decisive, ruthless and cruel. They didn't mind damaging their fundamental source to defeat their opponents and weren't worried about post-battle recovery. How could their opponents fight against that?
The Sword Competition continued. As the victor, each had a certain amount of rest time, so Qi Yalan could fully recover before her next appearance.
The Dao Rhyme from her Harmony Spirit Seed had an extraordinary healing effect.
***
Several hours quickly passed, and the names visible in the moon above dwindled to less than fifty. The rankings of the eliminated cultivators were mostly fixed.
This meant that the remaining genius seeds would compete for the top fifty rankings.
The Emperors adjusted accordingly, holding only one match at a time to give the remaining genius seeds ample time to recover.
Even Dragon Ritual Princess's expression became serious. Qing Muling, though concerned, didn't stop indulging in the delicacies and fine wines on the table, even taking from Dragon Ritual Princess's plate.
If he didn't eat now, there would be nothing left after the competition ended.
Aunt Su's smile grew brighter, instructing the maids to continue serving food and wine.
These delicacies and fine wines were rare treasures, filled with abundant spiritual energy. Even Dragon Ritual Princess couldn't endlessly gorge herself and needed time to refine and absorb them.
Watching the radiant young man, with Dao Rhyme flowing around him and vast energy swirling, being absorbed by his body like a bottomless pit, Aunt Su thought, "The Emperor's judgment is indeed unparalleled. Such a fine talent is truly a perfect match for the princess!"
***
Moments later, with another match concluded, only less than twenty cultivators remained, and all five senior sisters, including Xuebing Xuan, had advanced.
Luo Wanqing took the stage again, facing the dragon clan genius Ao Rui.
The ancient true dragon clan had extraordinarily strong bodies, comparable to the ancient witch gods. For the Fourth Senior Sister, this match was particularly tough. When Ao Rui finally conceded, her injuries were even worse than Qi Yalan's.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan