Chapter 505 - 488: Decisive
The Taiyin Sect was somewhat lacking in this respect. Zou Chuang remained their strongest, but his performance was only mediocre. After all, it was impossible to discern their true strength in battles at this level.
The Taiyin Sect had not produced any new Holy Statues, and some issues had arisen with their subsequent disciple training. Their second-strongest expert, Xie Tianhua, only possessed a Life Artifact.
They were somewhat overshadowed by the No Illusion Demon Sect and the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect.
The fifth-ranked Holy Light Sect had also produced a new Holy Statue. In addition to Longyue’s Lofty and Refined Holy Statue, the Rainbow Light Holy Statue had also emerged, belonging to a previously unknown young female disciple named Jil Zhen.
The Flying Rainbow Holy Statue.
The No Illusion Demon Sect, Ten Thousand Spirits Sect, and Holy Light Sect all saw their fame skyrocket. After all, they already possessed deep foundations; with such an explosive showing, their brilliance was all the more dazzling.
In truth, the sect in the most precarious position was not the Taiyin Sect, but Ling Fei’s Flower Fairy Sect. There was a reason the Flower Fairy Sect was ranked sixth in the Star Alliance. The general strength within the Sect was formidable because the Small Thousand Realm they inhabited was extremely yin-aspected, making it exceptionally suitable for Female Cultivators. The Flower Fairy Sect also possessed a Treasure of the Sect, the "Flower Immortal." Besides the Sect Leader and a few chosen disciples, very few knew the Flower Immortal’s true nature. However, the disciples of the Flower Fairy Sect improved at a remarkably steady and balanced rate. While other sects had members of varying skill levels, the disciples of the Flower Fairy Sect would all eventually reach Minor Perfection, with their average strength being at the Second Layer. This comprehensive power was the envy of every other sect.
But that was in the past. Now, relying on a high average was clearly not enough to maintain their sixth-place ranking. The Wind God Sect, Cyan Cloud Sect, Evil Intent Sect, and Ghost Sect were all charging forward aggressively, and each now possessed a Holy Statue.
Under these circumstances, the Flower Fairy Sect was certainly at a disadvantage.
The Star Alliance had put every Major Sect on display, forcing them to face the challenges of countless Cultivators.
「In Starlight City.」 After Wang Meng’s victory, the Holy Hall’s momentum was fully unleashed. Hu Jing, Li Tianyi, and Zhang Xiaojiang, who fought after him, all performed consistently, demonstrating their solid strength.
No other sect had a cultivation atmosphere quite like the Holy Hall’s.
Finally, the list of participants for the third round of the main tournament in Starlight City was released. This was the qualifying round to determine who would enter the Pure Land.
Holy Hall: Wang Meng, Hu Jing, Yang Ying, Li Tianyi, Zhang Xiaojiang, Suo Ming, Zhou Qian.
Celestial Rainbow Sect: Ji Rushan, Rongxuan, Luu Hongyu.
Flower Fairy Sect: Ling Fei, Duan Ruxue, Xuee Xingyu.
Dragon Race: Purple Dragon.
Demon Race: Lishan.
Wind God Sect: Shen Zhenhai.
Cloud Dragon Sect: Fei Yun’an
Treasure Artifact Sect: An Zhenghao
Evil Intent Sect: Yinn Qiang
Ghost Sect: Hou Kai
Everyone was stunned when they saw the list. ’Is the Holy Hall one of the Ten Great Sects?’
It hadn’t been particularly shocking when the Holy Hall advanced round after round. But now, with the top twenty contenders in Starlight City vying for a spot in the Pure Land, the Holy Hall actually had seven members among them.
Although Starlight City’s competition was considered weaker than the other four major cities, it was still unheard of for a single sect to have seven members advance this far.
The third round of the main tournament marked the beginning of the fiercest competition between the various sects.
The leaders of every sect suddenly realized that the number of disciples who advanced would reveal a sect’s depth. Countless Cultivators across the Star Alliance’s many Small Thousand Realms were watching. Many of them couldn’t even travel to the Great Yuan Realm; for them, the results were the only way to judge a sect’s strength.
The performance of the younger generation—to be precise, the sect heirs and Core Disciples who would soon become the backbone of their respective powers—represented a sect’s future prospects.
Under the current Star Alliance system, where inter-sect conflicts were no longer as unrestrained as in the past, the performance of the younger disciples would directly determine a sect’s future.
This was the new system of succession.
The Holy Hall was undoubtedly the star of Starlight Academy, much to the delight of the Old Demon Dean.
Even Lv Yuantian hadn’t expected this outcome. He valued Wang Meng’s talent, partly because the Saintess did as well, but he had never imagined Wang Meng would be able to make it this far.
If it were only Wang Meng, it would at most be the cultivation of a single powerful Human Cultivator. But the current trend of events was clearly something else entirely.
Initially, Lv Yuantian had thought that Wang Meng, with his Five Elements Body, had a promising future. His intention had been simply to retain a talented individual. But now, it seemed the Saintess’s hints had a much deeper meaning.
’Could it be?’
Lv Yuantian stared at the list, his surprise giving way to deeper consideration.
’But... is that even possible?’
Lv Yuantian knew Wang Meng was extraordinary, to the point of earning the Dragon Emperor’s favor and being granted a Dragon Race Holy Statue. ’But based on that alone, isn’t he still too far from *that* position?’
In the eyes of the upper echelons, Wang Meng’s Dragon Emperor Holy Statue was simply him basking in the Dragon Race’s glory. Both the Dragon Pearl and the public support from the Dragon Race stemmed from the Dragon Emperor’s high esteem for him.
Just as the Demon Race valued Mingren, the Dragon Race had clearly chosen Wang Meng.
’Perhaps this is the destiny the Saintess prophesied: Wang Meng’s karmic connection with the Dragon Race!’
Lv Yuantian felt a sense of relief, coupled with admiration for the power of the Ninefold Heaven Holy Statue. He also felt a bit wistful. After all, his relationship with Wang Meng was a bit closer, and he was a supporter. However, if Wang Meng wanted to vie for *that* position, he still wouldn’t advise it. It was simply too difficult. The cooperative relationship between the Demon Race and the Star Alliance was already deeply rooted. And while the Dragon Race was powerful, it was plagued by internal problems. Even with the Dragon Emperor’s full backing, Wang Meng’s chances of success were slim. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body... is already defying the heavens.’
Regardless, from his perspective, Lv Yuantian still hoped Wang Meng would continue to press forward. He would just have to see how far he could go. For now, every step forward was a victory in itself.
Following the principle of separating members of the same sect as much as possible, the final matchup list for Starlight City’s decisive battles was announced.
Holy Hall’s Hu Jing versus Flower Fairy Sect’s Duan Ruxue
Celestial Rainbow Sect’s Rongxuan versus Holy Hall’s Zhou Qian
Flower Fairy Sect’s Ling Fei versus Holy Hall’s Yang Ying
Holy Hall’s Li Tianyi versus Dragon Race’s Purple Dragon
Holy Hall’s Wang Meng versus Demon Race’s Lishan.
Holy Hall’s Suo Ming versus Ghost Sect’s Hou Kai.
Holy Hall’s Zhang Xiaojiang versus Wind God Sect’s Shen Zhenhai.
Celestial Rainbow Sect’s Ji Rushan versus Flower Fairy Sect’s Xuee Xingyu
Treasure Artifact Sect’s An Zhenghao versus Cloud Dragon Sect’s Fei Yun’an
Evil Intent Sect’s Yinn Qiang versus Celestial Rainbow Sect’s Luu Hongyu
Looking at the matchup chart, many of the Cultivators had a strange feeling; it was almost a challenge tournament with the Holy Hall pitted against all the other sects.
In truth, these matchups were not favorable for the Holy Hall. If they were allowed to fight amongst themselves, they could have guaranteed at least one person a spot in the Pure Land.
No one who reached the third round was a pushover. The matchups made it clear that even though they had all advanced from the previous round, it was entirely possible for them all to be eliminated in this one.
This was especially true for Wang Meng. He had been matched against the Demon Race’s Tiger King Lishan, a being whose power was rumored to be enough to defeat even a member of the Dragon Race.
This time... Master Wang’s "Demon Techniques" might fall flat.
Human Enchantment Class magic targeted the Heart Spirit, which was ineffective against the Demon Race.
Yang Ying was up against Ling Fei, the top favorite among the Human Cultivators in Starlight City. Li Tianyi was facing the Dragon Race’s Purple Dragon. It seemed the Holy Hall’s good luck had finally run out.
But as for the Holy Hall disciples, they were already incredibly satisfied with these results. This was especially true for those who had rushed here from the Four Directions Small Thousand World; they were completely stunned by the grand occasion.
Zhao Xinglun and the others had also arrived. They couldn’t possibly miss this, now that the most critical moment was here.
In fact, the Sect Leaders and grand elders from the other sects had also arrived in the Great Yuan Realm one by one. They could not afford to be absent from these battles that would decide their fates.
The final round in each of the five major cities was to be personally presided over by the dean of its respective great academy.
In the other cities, Fan Hong had also successfully advanced to the third round. Zou Chuang and Xie Tianhua of the Taiyin Sect, along with one other disciple, had also made it through.
This was the final hurdle. Entering the Pure Land meant becoming one of the top fifty cultivators, whose names would be known throughout the Star Alliance!
This was undoubtedly the highest honor, the dream of every Cultivator. Furthermore, this batch of fifty individuals would be forever recorded in the annals of the Star Alliance.
The first Battle of the Other Shore, the pinnacle of glory, the mysterious Pure Land—all of it filled the Cultivators with longing.
Who would make it to the final battle in the Pure Land and stand at the very peak of the Star Alliance?
The decisive third round of the main tournament had arrived.
Starlight City was bustling with excitement. The contestants who had made it to the final round were all quietly conserving their energy and preparing for the decisive battles. Of course, there were exceptions, such as Lishan of the Demon Race, who had taken quite a liking to the lifestyle of Human Cultivators.
And one truly couldn’t ignore a key figure in the Holy Hall: Ma Tian’Er!
The fact that everyone could fight consecutive battles while maintaining optimal Elemental Power levels and remaining virtually unharmed was not an effect that could be achieved by Pills. It was all thanks to Ma Tian’Er’s Tree of Life.
It was single-handedly keeping the members of the Holy Hall at their peak.
Hex Zui stood in the doorway, quietly watching the others meditate. His heart swelled with pride. He had never expected a day like this, but it had truly come. Regardless of the outcome, the Holy Hall had already fought and established its own unique style.
He was proud to be a member of the Holy Hall!
’Look at their eyes,’ he thought, ’so calm, yet so determined.’ He was filled with anticipation—an immense anticipation.
Outside the Little Holy Hall, the rest of the Holy Hall disciples waited in silence...
As the first ray of light lifted the curtain of darkness, the time to decide victory and defeat was at hand.
All the Dueling Platforms in Starlight City had now combined to form one giant stage. This was the moment for the competitors to present themselves to the entire Star Alliance.
The entire Dueling Platform was arrayed with large-scale magical projections capable of broadcasting the event to the major Small Thousand Realms under the Star Alliance’s jurisdiction. This also served as a promotion for Star Alliance magic. Before the Star Alliance, it was likely that no sect would have ever thought to use magic in such a fashion.
In reality, this was another great innovation for Human Cultivators, on par with the Ancient Cultivators’ invention of the Qiankun Bag. It also represented a new understanding of Spirit Stones.
The lives of Cultivators were about to change forever.
「Morning.」 The first match began: Hu Jing of the Holy Hall versus Duan Ruxue of the Flower Fairy Sect.
It was a duel between two great beauties.
The Holy Hall’s first battle of the day began with the dawn. They were now undoubtedly trying to snatch the remaining advancement spots from the other sects.
Hu Jing took the stage. Having her fight first was the best possible start for the Holy Hall.
Among all their members, besides Wang Meng, Hu Jing had the highest chance of securing a victory.
Her opponent was Duan Ruxue, an outstanding disciple from the Flower Fairy Sect, which ranked sixth in the Star Alliance.
Hu Jing still held a certain advantage in this match. As long as she made no mistakes, this fight represented the Holy Hall’s best chance.
Lv Yuantian also gazed at Hu Jing, the woman Wang Meng called the Holy Hall’s First Senior Sister. She had changed a lot in just three short years, but her personality remained much the same. The woman’s composure and Insight were instinctual.
’Duan Ruxue is a worthy opponent.’