The Heavenly Alliance's Sect Leader Grand Tournament this year was a grand event unseen in ten thousand years on the Xuan Ying Continent, with an unprecedented number of participants and a vast spectrum of cultivation levels.
To conduct a competition of such scale efficiently and orderly, the Heavenly Alliance had devised an exceptionally ingenious and flexible system of rules and venue design.
The heart of the entire competition was the massive plaza at the center of the venue, large enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of spectators. This plaza was not static; its ground was paved with countless special spirit bricks, each inscribed with complex spatial formation runes.
Depending on the needs of the match, they could be combined and transformed at will.
All participating cultivators were clearly divided into three categories:
Class A: This included leaders of various sects, Sect Masters, and powerful cultivators who had reached the Heavenly Realm or higher. They were the true protagonists of this tournament, the most formidable contenders for the position of Alliance Leader, and were seeded as the highest-level participants.
Class B: These were cultivators whose cultivation surpassed the Longevity Realm but had not yet reached the Heavenly Realm. This group was vast, forming the backbone of various factions.
Among them were many with extraordinary talents and formidable combat prowess, eager to make a name for themselves here.
Class C: These were cultivators below the Longevity Realm. This was the largest group, consisting mostly of the outstanding younger generation or independent cultivators with remarkable fortunes.
They viewed this tournament as a perfect stage to hone their skills and make a breakthrough.
Corresponding to the cultivator classifications were three sizes of combat arenas:
Large Combat Arena: The highest specification, with the strongest defensive barriers, capable of withstanding the full force of even Heavenly Realm or higher-level cultivators. Exclusively for Class A cultivators.
Medium Combat Arena: The second tier, with barriers strong enough to handle the intense battles of Longevity Realm cultivators. Used for Class B cultivators or battles involving them.
Small Combat Arena: The basic specification, the most numerous, used for matches between Class C cultivators.
But the most spectacular feature was the transformation mechanism of the arenas.
After the opening ceremony concluded and Xiao Chen announced the official start of the tournament, a low hum emanated from the massive plaza at the center. The formation runes on the ground lit up one by one, emitting a soft yet powerful spatial fluctuation.
As if it were an impossibly precise Rubik's Cube, the vast plaza ground began to move, shift, sink, and rise along invisible boundaries.
Under the astonished gazes of millions of spectators, the enormous plaza rapidly and precisely divided and reshaped. In a mere dozen breaths, what was once a single, unified plaza had transformed into sixty-four neatly arranged small combat arenas of identical size!
Each small arena was enveloped in a pale-white transparent barrier, like sixty-four crystalline jade disks inlaid at the heart of the grand venue.
This meant that for the first day's schedule, the initial mass screening matches for Class C cultivators would be held first. With sixty-four arenas opening simultaneously, it allowed for several hundred or even a thousand Class C cultivators to compete at once, greatly increasing efficiency and allowing the audience to watch multiple exciting (or dull) battles at the same time.
Moreover, if needed, these sixty-four small arenas could instantly merge in pairs through the activation of the formations, transforming into thirty-two medium arenas. Similarly, the medium arenas could continue to merge, ultimately combining eight into one to form a large combat arena capable of hosting the fierce battles of Heavenly Realm cultivators!
This flexible and imaginative design not only showcased the Heavenly Alliance's unfathomable mastery of formations and organizational skills but also ensured the tournament could adapt to any schedule changes, from the lowest-level preliminaries to the most high-stakes peak showdowns, all perfectly presented on this wondrous plaza.
With a command from the referee, the first batch of one hundred and twenty-eight Class C cultivators, according to their lottery results, flew up to their designated small combat arenas.
The first round of the Heavenly Alliance's Sect Leader Grand Tournament officially began! Above the plaza, spiritual light flashed, sword energy surged, and cheers and exclamations instantly merged into a boiling ocean.
A sea of heads, a tide of sound.
The matches for Class C cultivators were now in full swing. Spiritual light flickered across the sixty-four small arenas, and shouts rang out incessantly.
In the stands, spectators from all over were filled with passion, cheering for the contestants they supported or their fellow townsfolk.
Near a relatively remote small combat arena, however, the atmosphere was exceptionally fervent. A group of commoners and low-level cultivators in simple clothing had gathered, shouting with all their might for the same name:
"Chen-shi! Go for it!"
"Bring some honor to Ping'an Ward!"
"Chen-laodi, we're counting on you!"
The one they were cheering for was none other than Chen Chang'an's external incarnation, who had registered under the alias "Chen Er" with the cultivation level of the Origin Realm.
He had just walked at a leisurely pace onto his designated arena. Dressed in an utterly ordinary gray cloth robe and with a plain appearance, he was the kind of person who would blend into a crowd in an instant.
Hearing the familiar and fervent shouts from behind, Chen Chang'an (Chen Er) subconsciously turned to look.
He saw that almost all the familiar neighbors from Ping'an Ward had come… Their faces were filled with pure and simple enthusiasm and anticipation, as if he represented the honor of the entire ward.
At the edge of this boisterous crowd, his wife, the veiled woman who was Ji Hongli in disguise, was also standing quietly there. Unlike the others' excitement, her eyes curved with a gentle and teasing smile as she watched him.
When Chen Chang'an's gaze met hers, she playfully raised a hand and gave him a thumbs-up gesture of encouragement. Although the veil concealed her peerless beauty, it could not hide the playful support in her autumn-water eyes.
In that moment, a bizarre and unfamiliar sensation, like a warm tide, surged into Chen Chang'an's heart.
The boisterous venue, the fervent cheers, his wife's encouraging smile, his opponent on the other side of the arena, eager and ready to fight…
It was as if all of this instantly pierced through the indifference and detachment brought by his endless years of cultivation and supreme power, violently pulling forth a long-forgotten emotion buried deep in his memory!
It was as if he had been thrown back countless years to the time he had first transmigrated to the Xuan Ying Continent.
Back then, he had naively believed he was the protagonist of this world, clutching some inexplicable ambition. He felt the entire world awaited his conquest and was certain he could achieve earth-shattering greatness!
He recalled the novels he had read, where protagonists would be thrilled by a small victory, go through fire and water for their friends, and be willing to take on seemingly impossible tasks for their beloved.
That kind of passion and hot-bloodedness, burning simply for "winning," for proving oneself, for protecting those dear to him, had long been smoothed over by the endless years since he reached the pinnacle and grasped the fundamental origin. It had faded into the background noise of his daily existence.
But now…
Listening to the neighbors' unrestrained shouts, seeing his wife's loving and teasing smile, feeling the fighting spirit emanating from the young opponent across the arena who was just as nervous…
Chen Chang'an (Chen Er) felt his long-calm heart beat with a force it hadn't in ages. A scorching flame named "fighting spirit" erupted uncontrollably from the depths of his soul!
The arena! The duel!
The hot-blooded passion! Friendship (the bond of his ward)!
Love (his wife's gaze)!
To fight hard! To win applause!
This was the exciting life a transmigrator should have! Who wants a protagonist who just lazes in a valley, drinking and sunbathing all day!
(Although that was pretty nice too, too)
In this moment, the grandeur and aloofness of an Immortal Venerable were temporarily cast aside. A long-dormant, almost chuuni-like passion was completely stirred up by the fiery atmosphere, causing even this Origin Realm incarnation to tremble slightly—a tremor of excitement!
He turned to face his opponent, struck what he thought was a very handsome but actually unremarkable starting stance, and a long-lost, serious flame ignited in his eyes.
For the glory of Ping'an Ward! So he wouldn't lose face in front of his wife!
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Hey everyone,
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