109: Chapter 109: Geniuses from All Walks of Life

As the words fell.

A commotion immediately broke out among the crowd.

"I'll go first!"

A figure leaped onto the arena stage.

It was a burly man with a bare upper body, knotted muscles, and a giant axe in his hand.

Golden Core Great Perfection.

"I am Tie Niu of the Iron Gate Sect. Which of you would like to come up and enlighten me?"

Just as he finished speaking, another figure landed on the stage.

It was a thin young man holding a long sword, also at the Golden Core Great Perfection.

"Loose Cultivator Zhao Qing, here to learn!"

The two didn't say much and instantly began fighting.

The giant axe cleaved down as sword light crisscrossed.

For a moment, Spiritual Qi surged on the stage, keeping the audience below spellbound.

Xiao Ran glanced at it a few times before looking away.

A battle at the Golden Core Stage no longer held much interest for him.

After all, he was now a Nascent Soul big shot.

In his eyes, a Golden Core battle was like two chickens pecking at each other.

As expected.

After Tie Niu and Zhao Qing exchanged dozens of moves, Zhao Qing's sword struck Tie Niu's right shoulder, and Tie Niu admitted defeat and left the stage.

Before Zhao Qing could even celebrate, another person leaped onto the stage.

The main theme was speed.

Just like that, challengers stepped up one after another, only to be defeated one by one.

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

More than a dozen people had already cycled through the stage.

Standing there now was a young man dressed in black, surrounded by Devilish Qi, at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

"Nether Hall, You Hun."

"Who will come up to guide me?"

He announced his name and scanned the crowd below.

A stir went through the crowd.

The people of Nether Hall were ruthless; he had already severely injured two challengers just now.

For a moment, no one responded.

"What? No one dares to come up?"

"Then this number one beauty shall be mine."

You Hun gave a cold laugh.

Just as his voice fell, a clear voice rang out.

"I'll do it."

A white shadow leaped onto the stage.

White clothes as pure as snow, with an awe-inspiring Sword Intent.

Heavenly Sword Sect, Jian Wushuang.

Nascent Soul middle stage!

The two locked eyes, and invisible sparks flew in the air.

"Someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

You Hun narrowed his eyes.

"Fine, I'd like to see how much weight you guys who claim to be from the Righteous Path actually carry."

"Enough nonsense."

Jian Wushuang raised his hand, and his long sword unsheathed.

A hundred-zhang sword light slashed straight down!

You Hun didn't retreat but advanced, his Devilish Qi transforming into a hundred-zhang giant palm to meet the sword light.

Boom!

The stage shook, and the light barrier rippled intensely.

The two instantly clashed, Sword Qi and Devilish Qi intertwining, keeping the audience below completely focused.

Xiao Ran watched the battle on the stage and nodded slightly.

"These two are actually decent."

Li Changsheng spoke through the Soul link.

"You're actually critiquing others?"

"Why don't you go up and give it a try?"

Xiao Ran smiled.

"Me? If I go up, those two wouldn't last three moves."

Li Changsheng was silent for a moment.

"No, I've noticed you've been getting more and more arrogant lately, Old Xiao. This isn't a good habit."

"I'm just stating facts."

Xiao Ran said with a shrug.

"You know the gap between the Nascent Soul middle stage and the Late Nascent Soul Stage."

While they were talking, the battle on the stage had already reached its conclusion.

Jian Wushuang's sword pierced through You Hun's protective Devilish Qi.

You Hun spat out blood and was sent flying backward.

"I yield."

Jian Wushuang sheathed his sword.

You Hun's face was ashen as he clutched his chest and left the stage.

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

But before the cheers could die down, another figure leaped onto the stage.

"Great Qian Dynasty, Zhou Yuanhao. Please enlighten me."

Dressed in brocade with a jade belt, he possessed an elegant bearing.

His cultivation had even reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage!

Xiao Ran's gaze narrowed.

He had heard of this person—the Third Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, said to be the most outstanding among this generation of princes.

He was already at the Late Nascent Soul Stage before the age of fifty and was deeply favored by the Emperor.

Jian Wushuang's expression changed slightly.

Nascent Soul middle stage against Late Stage—the gap was too large.

But he did not back down; he simply tightened his grip on his sword.

"Please."

Zhou Yuanhao smiled, and without any visible movement, he simply raised a hand and pointed.

A golden finger force shot through the air!

Jian Wushuang swung his sword to block, but felt a massive force strike him.

He and his sword were knocked back a dozen steps, nearly falling off the stage.

"Surrender."

"You are not my match."

Zhou Yuanhao stood with his hands behind his back.

Jian Wushuang's face flushed red, but he eventually gritted his teeth and said,

"I surrender."

He leaped off the stage and left without looking back.

The crowd was abuzz with discussion.

"The Third Prince of Great Qian has made his move!"

"Late Nascent Soul Stage! Who can beat that?"

"I heard he's not even fifty yet. His future is limitless!"

Zhou Yuanhao stood on the stage with a smile, scanning the entire field.

"Is there anyone else who would like to enlighten me?"

For a moment, there was dead silence.

The Late Nascent Soul Stage had indeed intimidated most people.

But just then, a voice rang out from the crowd:

"I'll do it."

Xiao Ran looked toward the source of the voice, his pupils shrinking slightly.

It was a young man wearing a blood-red robe, surrounded by a blood-colored baleful aura. His face was handsome yet carried an eerie quality.

Also at the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

"Blood Shadow Sect, Leng Xue!"

"Why is he here too?"

"Hasn't the Blood Shadow Sect been in seclusion for a long time?"

"..."

Leng Xue leaped onto the stage, looked at Zhou Yuanhao, and a wicked smile curled on his lips.

"Third Prince, I trust you've been well."

Zhou Yuanhao's expression changed slightly.

Obviously, he knew this person.

"Leng Xue, you're not dead?"

"Thanks to you, I'm living quite well."

"I still remember that finger strike from back then."

Leng Xue licked his lips.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense.

Xiao Ran watched this scene, clicking his tongue inwardly.

This martial arts tournament for marriage in White Emperor City had actually attracted so many monsters and freaks.

A Late Nascent Soul Third Prince was already impressive enough, and now a Late Nascent Soul Leng Xue had popped up.

Not only that, there were surely hidden experts in the crowd.

"For example... me!"

A confident smile touched the corners of Xiao Ran's mouth.

As long as a half-step Soul Transformation expert didn't appear, he was confident he was not inferior to anyone.

This was the confidence of a top-tier Sect Genius.

Within the Soul link, Li Changsheng's voice came through once again.

"No way, I hate watching other people show off the most."

"Xiao Ran, aren't you going up to try?"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment.

"No rush, let's watch first."

"Watch what?"

"To see who's stronger between Leng Xue and Zhou Yuanhao."

"Besides... I always feel like there are even more powerful people who haven't moved yet. This tournament might just be a trap designed for someone."

Li Changsheng was silent for a moment.

"You mean..."

Xiao Ran didn't answer, but simply looked toward the faint figure on the viewing platform.

The White Emperor.

After watching the battles for a while, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Did this Void Refinement Peak powerhouse really organize this tournament just to choose a son-in-law for his daughter?

Or rather...

Was there another plot?

Xiao Ran fell into a brainstorm.

The waters of White Emperor City were deeper than he had imagined.

On the stage.

Li Xue and Zhou Yuanhao had already begun their battle.

The blood-colored baleful aura collided with the golden imperial Qi, causing the stage's Restriction to tremble faintly.

Both were prodigies among prodigies, and with their cultivation Realms being the same, it was difficult to determine a winner for a time.

Xiao Ran watched quietly, but his mind was calculating another matter.

Would tomorrow night's auction be just as lively?

How many people would the seeds of the nine nether magic lotus attract?