Chương 204: Competition begins; Invisible change of fate

Right when they reached the exit of the palace, a middle aged man suddenly appeared before them seemingly out if thin air. It was the same man who took their items to be auctioned. All of them were actually auctioned off even better than Long Feng had expected, especially the core martial skills of the Zhuge clan and the Fiery Flame Manor. He paused and stared at the middle aged man warily.

"Esteemed guests, you were planning to leave without taking your spirit crystals?" The middle aged man asked with ab amiable smile.

"We had something to attend to urgently and had to leave. But I suppose we don't need to return later since you are here?" Long Feng replied.

"Mm. Esteemed guest, don't worry about the profound mist dew. I assure you that no one from the Yihua clan will seek you out for it. True, those old guys are angry but it isn't worth it to throw our dignity away" the man seemed to notice Long Feng's caution and said this to soothe him.

"Then I'll take you for your words senior" Long Feng nodded.

"Alright, here's your spirit crystals. You are welcome to return next time. Anything you dare to sell, out Yi and Hua Auction House dares to take!" The man laughed as he threw a void ring over and walked away. Long Feng caught the void ring and went through it's content.

"How much is it?" Yan jian asked impatiently. This auction had completely ripped them off and he was suddenly back to being an ordinary poor kid. He couldn't accept that.

"It's exactly as he said. There's approximate a million Spirit crystals here" Long Feng replied.

"That's great news. Phew! The Yihua clan isn't nearly as bad as I expected" Yan jian sighed.

"Mm. They're not too bad. Let's go" A few minutes later, they returned to Long Feng's room.

"Come on, bring them out let's see. I haven't ever seen a Cultivation pill before!" Yan jian asked"Alright. None of us have seen one before" Long Feng sighed and took out two Jade bottles; one containing the spirit cloud pill and the other containing the profound mist dew drop. Long Feng slowly opened the pill bottle first. A pleasant scent wafted out of the pill bottle. It was so pleasant and relaxing that Long Feng closed his eyes for a moment.

When he regained his senses, he was shocked to find that his Cultivation had advanced a tiny bit. Just the scent of the spirit cloud pill was actually beneficial to his Cultivation! This was truly a Cultivation treasure.

"It's so miraculous. My foundation has actually strengthened a little just by inhaling the scent!" Yan jian sighed.

"None of us can handle it's energy right now. Whoever reaches the spirit realm first might get it" Long Feng smiled and sealed the pill bottle back.

"No fair! You're so close to the spirit realm, even Li Yue'er is nearing the spirit realm at a ridiculous pace. At this rate, you'll all surpass me by far!" Yan jian snorted, though no rejection showed on his face.

"Mm. We'll wait for you to reach the spirit realm then you can have it" Long Feng agreed. Then he slowly opened the second bottle. A powerful aura released from the bottle; from a single drop of liquid in the bottle to be specific. The aura was suffocating to the trio gathered around.

"Wow! Just it's aura is so powerful! Even a normal spirit realm cultivator wouldn't dare to take it. Only a peak spirit Cultivator can handle this energy!" Yan jian exclaimed.

"Well, we did buy two treasures, but none of them are of any use to us currently. I feel like we wasted our wealth" Long Feng observed after the excitement had vanished.

"You're only just realizing it? Why the hell did I look so crestfallen along the way?" Yan jian added with a sigh.

"Ah, forget it. We still have the imperial crystal. We can absorb it's energy!" Long Feng was immediate reinvigorated when he thought of the imperial crystal. But Yan jian immediately drenched him in cold waters,"Unfortunately for you, only a spirit realm cultivator can absorb the energy of an Imperial crystal. What did you expect! That is an imperial crystal, filled with imperial energy. You'll probably explode to death if you forcefully try to absorb it" Long Feng's face immediately blackened.

He looked so frustrated that Yan jian laughed and even Li Yue'er chuckled softly.

"Damn it! We completely wasted our wealth! I could have bought those two talismans instead. At least I'd be absolutely safe in this continent then" Long Feng lamented. This all seemed like a huge joke to him; his excitement was long gone.

"Don't worry, they'll prove useful in the future. Right now, you should instead focus on reaching the spirit realm before the hundred continent meeting" Yan jian comforted with a laugh. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"You're right. I'm still some distance from rank eight Yang realm. But luckily, there's still over a month before the hundred continent meeting. I can definitely do it before the event" Long Feng nodded and clenched his fists tightly.

"You're so serious. I was just joking you know. Oh well, I guess I'll have to Cultivating harder as well otherwise I won't have the face to hide behind you much more in the future" Yan jian nodded and stretched his limbs.

"The competition will begin in a few days. You two had better not make me lose face out there""Don't worry. This competition is just an appetizer. Our main stage has always been the hundred continent meeting" Long Feng replied. Yan jian flopped right on the bed and began to snore lightly within minutes.

"That's also cultivating?" Long Feng's lips twitched. Then Li Yue'er also stood up to return to her room. Long Feng slowly settled down on the futon in the center of the room and began to cultivate with a spirit crystal in each of his two hands.

The days passed in the blink of an eye and soon, it was already the day of the Yihua clan's selection process. It needn't be mention as to how important the hundred continent meeting was to the Yihua clan, to all the forces on the continent and to every continent out there. It could be a life changing opportunity to soar into the ranks of the true elites of the continent zones and probably in the mainland. The central square of the city was opened to the public today.

The various forces; clans and sects immediately flooded into the central square. Each force was represented by their Clan chief, sect master or great elders. Within moments, the seats reserved for these renowned forces were filled up. It was rare for these hegemons of the continent to gather together; this was infact the only reason they did gather every ten years. It was therefore bustling and apt to call it noisy.

"Hahahaha! Spring Saber sect master! I didn't expect you to come personally. It's been ten years since we met last yet it feels like yesterday!" A hearty laughter filled the air as a burly middle aged man flew over. His aura was at the limit of the spirit realm and he exuded a pressure that frightened even some spirit realm cultivators present. This was a famous person in the Yihua continent; the sect master of the roaring tiger sect. It was a powerful sect that was second only to the Yihua clan.

It was slightly stronger even when compared to others like the Zhuge clan and the Fiery Flame Manor. The spring saber sect master; a thin man with sharp eyebrows and murky eyes that concealed a frightening saber intent, looked up at the roaring tiger sect master and snorted.

"The Yihua clan explicitly ordered us to be present. This old me isn't bold enough to defy the Yihua clan yet. As for you, I'm actually surprised that you came considering how rebellious you are. It seems you're just all talk after all" The spring saber sect was one of the scant few forces that could compare to the roaring tiger sect. It was a sect full of saber devoted maniacs.

Every disciple and elder in the sect was renowned for their ferociousness in a battle and their saber techniques which were acknowledged even by the Yihua clan as the best in the continent.

"Spring saber sect master, you are really good at making jokes. In this continent, who has the gall to go against the Yihua clan? I am just an insignificant sect master who knows when to back down. And you are not worthy of such respect" the roaring tiger sect master's voice was exceptionally loud and everyone in the arena could hear him clearly as he led his sect elders to take their seats. Some people were speechless.

Who else would dare to speak to the spring saber sect master with such tone other than his peers? It was common knowledge that the leaders of these top forces were all at the limit of the spirit realm and could reach the imperial realm at any moment. Their powers were enough for them to travel the continent without fear. Many people secretly clicked their tongues. It was no secret that the top forces under the Yihua clan were all not on good terms with each other. This confrontation was not something new at all.

"Do you want to go a few bouts? Let's see if I'm as unworthy as you say!" The spring saber sect master replied lightly. His left index finger was silently tracing along the sheathed blade of his saber by his side.

"Hmph! Come! You think this one is afraid of you? I wonder if you've made any progress in these ten years" the roaring tiger sect master obviously wouldn't back down. He rose from his seat, his aura roiling around and suffocating those around him.

"Spring saber, roaring tiger, don't forget where you are!" A light voice suddenly interrupted and shattered the tension in the air. The two sect masters visible froze for a second before they both clasped their fists in the same direction"Brother Hua Yao is too serious. We are just joking with brother spring saber just now" the roaring tiger sect master spoke with a force smile.

"That's right. It's just a joke. I suppose since brother Hua Yao has arrived, then the competition should be starting anytime now right?" Spring saber sect master nodded and asked. Everyone followed the two sect master's line of sight and spotted a beautiful man walking over. That's right; beautiful in a feminine way. He was dressed in snow white robes and gave off no aura whatsoever. This man was Hua Yao, one of the four peak spirit realm cultivator of the Hua clan.

He was quite renowned and was rumored to be stronger than even the leaders of the top forces. He was practically half a step away from the imperial realm.

"Of course. The participants are on their way and the common people are also rushing to the arena right now. It should begin in a while" the man named Hua Yao slowly replied in a gentle voice. One could definitely mistake him for a lady from afar without prior knowledge.

"It looks like this old one is not late after all! Brother Hua Yao, you still look as graceful as you did a decade ago!" A loud voice sounded followed by the descent of a powerful aura at the limit of the spirit realm. A white haired old man flew over with a wide smile on his face. This was another top force leader; the clan master of the Wild wind clan. Two more auras at the limit of the spirit realm approached, signalling the arrival of all five top forces below the Yihua clan.

At the same time, hundreds of people suddenly rushed into the central square and stared at the battle arena with passionate gazes. More people were arriving by the minute. These were all the normal people who were able to enter the city. They were also allowed to watch the competition. Their sudden and chaotic arrival was viewed with disdainful indifference by the members of the strongest forces, especially the top five. Of course, this was also normal.

"The participants have arrived!" Many eyes turned to the direction of the participants building where dozens of youths slowly walked over. There were over a hundred from the bronze palace, over fifty from the silver palace and less than forty from the gold palace. Among the participants, Long Feng and Yan jian looked around with shocked expressions. The central square was very different from just a few days ago.

The seats reserved for the powerhouses of the continent had been completed filled up, and everyone sitting there possessed power to upturn any low and high rank Province. There was also the literal river of people who stood some distance away from the arena and the seats. Several golden armored men were controlling the people gathered.

"Finally, it's all about to begin!" Long Feng clenched his fists, his blood boiling and his eyes filled with battle intent. Right from this moment, unknown to anyone, the hands of faith began to turn. Several people's destinies suddenly changed quietly and an invisible light fog seemed to surround Long Feng. Of course, no one here could sense anything at all... The participants took their seats in a corner of the arena under the burning gazes of the people gathered.

"This time, the talents of the continent are more than before and are stronger too compared to before. We could be lucky this time" Hua Yao muttered softly. After a few minutes of silence, a shockingly powerful aura suddenly surrounded the entire central square. Although this aura gave off no pressure, everyone, even the peak spirit realm cultivators felt like they were sitting under a mountain. Long Feng's eyes flashed with surprise.

This was definitely the aura of an imperial realm master, he couldn't get it wrong, not after his near death experience with one in the dark Yin forest, not to mention meeting thousands of them from the four regions and the Yin ghosts.

"We respectfully welcome senior!" Hua Yao was the first to clasp his fists respectfully and everyone in the Central square followed.

"Hua Yao, you'll host the competition this time. The top ten should be gotten before dusk" an old voice sounded, although the person speaking was nowhere to be found.

"Yes, senior!" Hua Yao replied respectfully. The aura immediately vanished like it never appeared. Everyone returned to normal instantly with all eyes focused on Hua Yao's beautiful face.

"I am Hua Yao and I will host the competition this year to decide the cremè of the crop among the young talents in our continent. I will state the rules just once! Anyone who goes against any of the rule will immediately be disqualified and punishment will vary depending on your crime!" Hua Yao looked up and spoke, his soft voice reaching every corner of the arena.

"Rule one, killing is not allowed! Even a severe injury that could cripple your opponent or leave them bedridden for long is absolutely unacceptable. Punishment for intentional murder is death and accidentally is disqualification!"

"Rule number two, you must stop the fight when your opponent surrenders or falls unconscious. It is your win of your opponent falls off the stage!"

"No one below the age of twenty five is allowed to participate. If you are caught faking your age or defying this rule, your Punishment is death!"

"Usage of pills during the fight is not allowed! Weapons on the other hand constitutes a part of your strength and so, you are allowed to use any weapons of your choice""There will be two rounds in this competition! In the first round, you'll all be divided into twenty groups of roughly twenty participants each. Each participant must fight all other group members in his group and the top contestant will be decided from each group.

The remaining twenty participants will then move to the second round where you'll again be divided into ten groups of ten people each. You must defeat everyone in your group to come out on top. The top ten will be decided this way. After that, the order of the top ten participate will be decided based on their strength!"