76: Chapter 77 Jinglan Sets Up a Challenge

Mist like gauze covered Jinglan Lake.

By the time the Jiang Family arrived, the center of the lake no longer had its usual vast openness.

A pavilion as ethereal as moonlit water rose without roots, suspended several dozen zhang above the lake.

The pavilion was not built of wood or stone, but condensed from layers of water light. The eaves were like ice, the railings like jade; from a distance, it looked like a water palace of immortals rising from the moon's reflection at the bottom of the lake.

Clouds and mist swirled around the pavilion, and the lake water was held up by invisible magical power, forming layers of circular spectator stands.

Beneath each layer of water seats, light blue spirit patterns flowed; when one sat down, it felt as if one were stepping on a layer of solidified lake light.

In the very center hung a dueling platform.

It was supported by the lake water, with a ring of silvery-white water railings inlaid along the edge.

The surface looked like rippling water, but was actually as solid as jade, with array patterns flickering upon it to isolate the aftermath of techniques.

Jiang Yuhe stood on the spectator stand on the south side and looked up.

At the very top of the pavilion, twelve Foundation Establishment Cultivators had already arrived.

These people were all wearing the robes of the Chengtian Sect, in shades of green or white, with cloud patterns and mountain seals embroidered on their cuffs.

The twelve stood on the four sides of the pavilion, their energy connecting; the three arenas on the lake just now had been condensed out of thin air by them using water techniques and array Dao.

This feat alone was enough to suppress the restless hearts of the various clans present.

Qi Cultivation families and Foundation Establishment clans were, in the end, merely pieces placed on a chessboard before the Chengtian Sect.

This arena battle was not limited to just the Gu, Shen, Jiang, and Han families.

It was only after the Jiang Family arrived at the lake that they learned the Chengtian Sect had already included all the families on the southwest sides of Guli Circuit.

The families on the south side were led by the Jinglan Lake Shen Clan and the Qingwu Terrace Gu Clan, with Qi Cultivation families like the Jiang Family of Baili Mountain beneath them.

The families on the west side were headed by the Xiping Pass Xie Clan.

The Xiping Pass Xie Clan was the alliance leader of the west side of Guli Circuit, and their Clan Chief, Xie Guanheng, was at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

In addition, the Xie Clan still had two Foundation Establishment Early Stage Elders sitting in command, their foundation far exceeding that of ordinary Foundation Establishment clans.

The Xie Clan mainly cultivated Autumn Techniques, and they were also a rare Family in this part of Guli Circuit that cultivated Autumn Techniques.

Autumn Techniques were stern and restrained, emphasizing sect laws and prohibitions.

The Xie Clan controlled Xiping Pass and had mediated among the western clans for many years, relying on rules, status, and the momentum of the mountain pass.

Besides the Xie Clan, there were two other major Foundation Establishment clans on the west side.

One was the Chiliang Mountain Shao Clan.

The Shao Clan controlled red copper mines and summer furnace workshops, had many Artifact Refiners in the clan, and mainly cultivated Summer Techniques.

The clan had one Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator supporting it. Although their number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators did not match the Xie Clan, they controlled red copper mines, fire workshops, and the trade of Magical Artifacts; the Magical Artifacts of many Qi Cultivation families on the west side could not bypass Chiliang Mountain.

The second was the Qiuze Ruan Clan.

The Ruan Clan controlled the water marsh medicine fields and managed water-based businesses such as spirit fish and spirit clams, mainly cultivating Spring Techniques. Their clan also had one Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator in command.

The Ruan Clan's combat power might not be sharp, but they were best at farming and nurturing people, and they were the wealthiest among the western families.

These were the three surnames of the west side of Guli Circuit.

This time, the seven western families, in addition to the three major Foundation Establishment clans of Xie, Shao, and Ruan, also included the Xie Clan's vassal families, the Songyuan Qiao Clan and the Hanquan Fang Clan, the Shao Clan's vassal Family, the Luqiu Ge Clan, and the Ruan Clan's vassal Family, the Xingze Ye Clan.

The south side consisted of five families: the Gu Clan, the Shen Clan, the Jiang Clan, the Han Clan, and the Lu Clan.

A total of twelve clans.

Jinglan Lake was chosen as the venue for the start of the competition for the clans on the southwest sides, while the venue for the start of the competition for the northeast sides was set at Qingsang Ridge, where the Zhou Family was located.

When Jiang Yuhe heard about this, she felt a bit more understanding.

The Chengtian Sect was not just here to watch the dispute between the Gu and Shen Clans; they wanted to use this arena to find out the foundation of all the families around Guli Circuit.

Who could fight and who could be supported, all had to be examined in this Shuiyue Pavilion on the lake.

Jiang Chengning sat behind the Jiang Family's seats, his brows slightly furrowed after hearing the Chengtian Sect Cultivator announce the rules.

This arena battle was not a normal single-elimination tournament.

The twelve clans were divided into left and right brackets, with six families in each bracket.

In the first battle, the six families would draw lots and fight in pairs. After the first round, there would be three winning families remaining in each bracket.

Among the three winning families, one Family would be drawn to receive a bye.

The remaining two families would fight first; the winner would temporarily occupy the upper position, and the loser would have to duel with the Family that received the bye. If the Family with the bye won, they would continue to challenge the previous winner; if the Family with the bye lost, the previous winner would directly advance to the final of that bracket.

This rule seemed slightly convoluted, but it allowed the Chengtian Sect to watch more duels.

What they wanted was to expose the foundation of each Family as much as possible.

As for the rewards, they were also stated very clearly.

In the two brackets, those who did not win a single match would receive no rewards at all, nor would they have any quotas for the Chengtian Sect to recruit people.

As long as one could win the first round, one could get a quota for recruiting a Disciple and be rewarded with a batch of low-grade resources.

If one could advance to the final of a bracket, then there would be a quota for a True Disciple.

In addition, one could choose one type of reward from High Grade Magical Artifacts for Qi Cultivation, Cultivation Techniques, or spiritual resources.

And if one could become the final winner of the southwest sides, one could receive personal guidance from a direct Disciple of a Chengtian Sect peak master.

Once this was said, all the clans on the lake were moved.

Ordinary resources were one thing, but treasures like High Grade items for Qi Cultivation were enough to make Qi Cultivation families fight to the death.

Not to mention personal guidance from a peak master's direct Disciple.

This kind of status was something even Foundation Establishment clans like the Gu and Shen could not take lightly.

Jiang Yuhe lowered her eyes to look at the center of the lake, her expression unchanged.

The Jiang Family's first round draw was against one of the Xie Clan's vassal families.

The Hanquan Fang Clan.

This Family had been attached to the Xie Clan for many years. Their clan territory was located next to a cold spring outside Xiping Pass, and they cultivated Winter Techniques. Now, with the protection of the Xie Clan, they had always been good at defense, consumption, and the techniques of water and cold.

The three people from the Jiang Family for the battle had already been decided.

Early Stage Qi Cultivation, Sun Jingxiu.

Late Stage Qi Cultivation, Jiang Yuhe.

The Middle Stage Qi Cultivation was the new Guest Elder of the Jiang Family, Wen Zhibai.

Wen Zhibai had changed into a clean white robe today and was standing behind the Jiang Family's seats, his injuries largely recovered.

After he became a Guest Elder, Jiang Yuhe had explained the Chengtian Sect's dueling matter to him, and also frankly stated that the Jiang Family currently had almost no reliable Middle Stage Qi Cultivators to use.

Although Old Crow Chen was at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, he had hidden injuries.

Luo Qitang was also only at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation. Since the destruction of the Luo Family, his mindset had changed; he cultivated diligently and studied Cultivation Techniques every day, and his strength had improved rapidly.

But the Jiang Family was afraid that if they faced the Han Family, he would risk his life against the Han Family members, which would not be worth the loss.

If he died, the Jiang Family would lose half the reason to attack the Han Family; if he killed a Han Family Cultivator, it would instead prematurely intensify the conflict, so they did not ask him to fight.

And Jiang Shoushan could not be exposed. Although Sound Concealment was strong, when encountering Foundation Establishment Cultivators, many immortal foundations had strange and unpredictable effects, so there was still no certainty of hiding it.

Wen Zhibai was the most suitable candidate for the Jiang Family at the moment.

Jiang Yuhe promised that if Wen Zhibai was willing to fight this match for the Jiang Family, the Jiang Family would repair the Sanyuan Wind-Listening Plaque for him.

Wen Zhibai had already owed the Jiang Family a debt of gratitude for saving his life, and was staying at Baili Mountain as a Guest Elder. After hearing this, he did not refuse; he just fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"I will do my best."

This was his answer at the time.

Now sitting on the spectator stand on the lake, Wen Zhibai looked at the three dueling platforms, his heart inevitably feeling complicated.

Not long ago, he was still a direct descendant of the Dongling Wen Clan.

Now the Wen Clan's territory had turned to ash, the Clan Chief was dead, but he was sitting on Jinglan Lake as a Guest Elder of the Jiang Family, fighting for a newly established Family.

Sun Jingxiu seemed much more nervous.

Today he wore a green Magical Artifact robe passed down from the Sun Family's ancestors, with a water thorn hanging at his waist, his fingers pressing on the hilt from time to time.

Since Jiang Yuhe had personally sparred with him during this period, his dueling level had improved very quickly, but when it came to such a big scene, facing the various clans of the southwest of Guli Circuit, his mind was still inevitably shaken.

Jiang Yuhe glanced at him and just said, "Do your best; prioritize your safety above all else."

Sun Jingxiu looked up.

Jiang Yuhe said, "Just think about how you should fight this match."

Sun Jingxiu took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "I understand."

Not far away, in the Gu Clan's seats, Young Master Gu Xingzhi spotted Jiang Yuhe at a glance, ignored Sun Jingxiu, and smiled, raising his hand to signal to her.

Jiang Yuhe nodded slightly without saying a word.

The Shen Clan's seats were much quieter.

Shen Zhaowei did not appear immediately; only a few Shen Clan Cultivators sat in the water seats with indifferent expressions.

On the Han Family side, Han Zhaoye was wearing a light red Daoist robe, with a lake-colored long sword hanging at his waist, and was bowing his head to wipe the scabbard.

Seeming to sense Jiang Yuhe's gaze, he looked up, a very faint smile appearing on his lips.

Jiang Yuhe did not avoid it.

She only glanced at him once, then withdrew her gaze.

She sheathed Listening to Rain, deliberately avoiding observing the direction of Han Zhaoye.

Jiang Yuhe repeatedly warned herself that for such a person of fate, murderous intent must not be revealed, and the intent to kill must not be moved lightly.

One must wait.

Wait for the blessed land, wait for the chaotic situation, wait for that one moment when one could truly take a life.

Above the pavilion in the center of the lake, a Chengtian Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator slowly stood up.

This person looked about thirty years old, with a gentle face, wearing a green and white robe.

His name was Liu Xuanhe, who cultivated the Spring Equinox Qingxuan path, and his immortal foundation was called Qingheng Zhao; he was one of the external affairs deacons of the Chengtian Sect.

Liu Xuanhe raised his hand and pressed down.

The mist on the lake immediately quieted down, and the low discussions between the twelve clan spectator stands also stopped.

His voice spread with magical power, falling into everyone's ears peacefully and clearly.

"Since the clans have all arrived, let the arena open according to the order of the lots."

"The first round of the southwest, the Jiang Family of Baili Mountain, against the Hanquan Fang Clan."

He flicked his sleeves, and the edges of the three arenas lit up at the same time.

Water light like a door opened slowly in front of the three platforms.

Liu Xuanhe's voice fell again.

"Please, participating Cultivators from the two clans, take the stage."