At the beginning of the chapter, it was revealed that only three days remained before the Imperial Ranking Ceremony officially began.
Starting from today, the entire Empire had become increasingly lively. Disciples from major sects, powerful families, and influential organizations were continuously arriving from all directions. The whole Empire had already been busy preparing for this grand competition.
However, this year's Imperial Ranking Ceremony was no ordinary event.
Not only would disciples from the Righteous Sects participate, but cultivators from the Demonic Sects had also been granted permission to join.
Because of this, the eyes of the entire continent were focused on the upcoming competition.
But the most special part of this competition was its First Trial.
The First Trial was connected to a Secret Realm that appeared only once every hundred years.
Inside this Secret Realm existed a unique Suppressing Formation.
Due to this formation, no cultivator could conceal their cultivation or intentionally suppress it. No matter how extraordinary a person's disguise technique or secret art was, the moment they entered the Secret Realm, their true cultivation would be revealed.
Not only that, but the Suppressing Formation was so powerful that any cultivator above the Core Foundation Peak Realm was completely unable to enter.
Anyone whose cultivation exceeded the Core Foundation Peak Realm would be automatically rejected by the Secret Realm itself.
For this reason, the First Trial was widely regarded as the fairest trial of the entire competition.
No one could gain an advantage by hiding their identity or disguising their cultivation.
Every participant was forced to enter the trial with their true cultivation exposed.
And because of this, the excitement and anticipation surrounding this year's Imperial Ranking Ceremony had already reached their peak among disciples across the continent.
Today, exactly three days remained before the Imperial Ranking Ceremony would officially begin.
By this time, cultivators from numerous sects, families, and organizations had already arrived within the Empire. Disciples from both the Righteous Sects and the Demonic Sects were preparing to participate in this grand competition.
Among them, Kim had also completed his preparations for the upcoming event.
Soon after, the scene shifted to a large hotel.
The ground floor of the hotel was packed with cultivators. Discussions about the upcoming Imperial Ranking Ceremony could be heard everywhere.
The topic attracting the most attention was the First Trial.
After all, this year's First Trial would take place inside a Secret Realm.
One cultivator said to another,
"This year's First Trial is going to be extremely dangerous."
The second cultivator nodded.
"Absolutely. There will be fierce competition for resources inside the Secret Realm."
"You already know that cultivators can kill one another for resources inside the Secret Realm."
"The more resources someone obtains, the greater their advantage will be."
Similar discussions could be heard throughout the entire ground floor.
Among all these cultivators, Kim sat quietly while listening to their conversations.
However, nobody knew that he was sitting among them.
After some time, the topic of discussion suddenly changed.
Several Righteous Sect cultivators began talking about the mysterious Demonic Cultivator Kim.
One cultivator lowered his voice and said,
"Have you heard about that Demonic Cultivator Kim?"
Immediately, the attention of several people shifted toward him.
"Of course we have."
"Isn't he the one who absorbed the Death Energy of the fallen warriors during that battle?"
Another cultivator spoke up.
"I heard that he even managed to survive Elder Zhen Luo's attacks."
"To this day, I still can't understand how he did it."
"Elder Zhen Luo's Nine Heavenly Authority Sword Art is considered one of the strongest sword arts of the Association Sect."
"Yet that Demonic Cultivator repeatedly escaped his attacks."
At that moment, another cultivator spoke in a mysterious tone.
"I heard that he possesses some kind of teleportation technique."
"Every time Elder Zhen Luo attacked him, he would suddenly disappear and reappear somewhere else."
Hearing this, the expressions of many cultivators nearby became serious.
After all, such techniques were considered extremely rare.
Meanwhile, Kim quietly listened to everything.
There was no noticeable change in his expression.
Everyone was talking about him, yet none of them realized that the very person they were discussing was sitting among them at this moment.
Until now, nobody had ever seen Kim's true face.
At the same time, the scene shifted away from the ground floor and moved to the hotel's first floor.
Seated there were the two greatest geniuses of the current generation of the Guo Family.
Guo Family (Kim's Family / Origin Side)
Specialty: Earth Element Arts
Mount: Earth Bear King
Main Genius:
Guo Zhen (Mountain Crusher)
Core Foundation 4th Layer
Second Genius:
Guo Lian
Core Foundation 3rd Layer
The two of them had come to represent the Guo Family in this year's Imperial Ranking Ceremony.
The moment Guo Zhen's gaze landed on Kim sitting on the ground floor, he recognized him instantly.
A look of contempt immediately appeared on his face.
"Hmph... so the biggest trash of our Guo Family has actually made it here."
As soon as Guo Zhen loudly called out Kim's name, the entire ground floor fell silent.
The cultivators who had been gossiping about Demonic Master Kim all turned toward him at the same time.
"What?"
"That's Kim?"
"Is he the Demonic Master?"
"The one who absorbed Death Energy during the war?"
"The same person who escaped from the attacks of the Association Sect's Hall Master?"
Shock and doubt could be seen on the faces of countless cultivators.
Everyone immediately began whispering among themselves.
However, Guo Zhen interrupted all of them.
Walking toward the railing of the first floor, he looked down at Kim and burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Who would have thought that the greatest trash of the Guo Family would gain such cultivation by selling his soul to demons?"
"You have not only disgraced yourself, but also tarnished the name of the entire Guo Family."
His voice was filled with undisguised mockery and contempt.
As the top genius of the Guo Family, Guo Zhen showed no restraint while ridiculing Kim in front of everyone.
A moment later, he stared at Kim with a cold gaze and said,
"If it weren't for the rules of the Imperial Ranking Ceremony, I would have killed trash like you long ago for the sake of the Guo Family's reputation."
"But you're fortunate."
"You chose to participate in this ceremony."
"That is the only reason you're still standing alive today."
Silence once again descended upon the hall.
Many cultivators nodded in agreement after hearing Guo Zhen's words, while others quietly waited to see Kim's reaction.
Meanwhile, the scene shifted to the hotel's second floor.
There, disciples from the Lee Family were gathered.
They were affiliated with the Ditorio Sect.
Among them sat Kimnan.
With a calm expression, Kimnan quietly listened to everything happening below.
The moment Kim's eyes landed on Kimnan, his expression changed slightly.
For a brief moment, the calmness in his eyes disappeared.
In its place appeared a chilling coldness mixed with deep pain.
The instant he saw Kimnan, memories of his past suffering began resurfacing.
The humiliation.
Along with this, a small hint was revealed.
Before participating in the Imperial Ranking Ceremony, Kim had purchased a special item from the System.
Thank You For Your Support!
A heartfelt thank you to all my readers.
I know this chapter took quite a long time to be released, and I sincerely apologize for the delay.
However, I will do my best to bring the next chapter to you as soon as possible.
I hope all of you are doing well, staying healthy, and enjoying your days.
Please continue supporting the story and showing your love as always.
See you in the next chapter.
Thank you!
Chapter 32 End.
But...
Chapter 33 Coming Soon!