174: Chapter 174 The People of Kunlun Have Arrived

"The Heavenly Sword Sect also has some ruthless people this time." The white-robed Cultivator took over the conversation.

"Duan Xinghe, the closed-door Disciple of Elder Jianchi, is said to have held a sword at three and comprehended Sword Intent at ten. Now, barely in his early twenties, he has already Cultivated the Heavenly Sword Sect's 'Star River Sword Canon' to the fifth level. With his 'Star River Descending from the Nine Heavens' technique, he has few rivals among his peers."

"That Duan Xinghe is indeed formidable," someone nearby chimed in. "I saw him make a move at the border last year. With a single sword strike, he split a small mountain in two. The Sword Intent was so sharp that one could feel it from hundreds of zhang away."

As they were speaking, the area towards the northern entrance of the plaza suddenly went quiet for a moment.

Those Cultivators who had been chatting or watching stopped what they were doing almost simultaneously, their gazes turning in unison toward that direction.

There, a group of people was walking slowly toward them.

Walking at the very front was a figure in black, standing tall like a pine, with steady steps. No aura leaked from his body, yet it caused the Cultivators along the way to instinctively clear a path.

Half a step to his left walked a figure in cyan, carrying a palm-sized bronze Pill Furnace hanging from his waist. The furnace was ancient in appearance, with spiritual light faintly circulating around it.

Behind the two of them followed over a dozen figures, all young faces, dressed in uniform and neat robes.

Under the tea shed, the gaze of the Cultivator in grey-green martial attire fell upon the figure in black, and he whispered, "The people from Kunlun have arrived."

The white-robed Cultivator also lowered his voice: "The one walking in front is Lu Jinghan, right? The one who reached the seventh level of the Nine Heavens Tower in the Purple Bamboo Forest."

"The one next to him is Zhou Tianchen," another Cultivator added. "The one who refined an Earth Rank Medicinal Pill at the Medicine King Valley Alchemy competition. But I heard he's not weak in a fight either; his Alchemical Fire can burn through the protective spiritual light of a Soul Transformation Perfection Cultivator."

"And those ones behind," the Cultivator in grey-green martial attire swept his gaze over the young faces in the Kunlun group.

"The East Sea Dragon Clan's Third Prince Ao Qin, the Ice Palace Saintess Mu Qingxue, the Tianji Pavilion successor Baili Qingfeng... The backgrounds of this batch of Kunlun Disciples are getting more impressive one after another."

While they were speaking, Lu Jinghan had already walked to the center of the plaza, stopped, and swept his gaze calmly around.

As for the gazes cast from various directions—some curious, some scrutinizing, some carrying unconcealed Battle Intent—he seemed entirely unaware of them.

On a stone step across the plaza, Chu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze fell on Lu Jinghan, and he narrowed his eyes slightly: "So that is Lu Jinghan?"

A companion beside him nodded: "It is him. He is at the Soul Transformation Peak cultivation level, but it is said his combat power far exceeds that of his peers."

Chu Xuan did not reply, only watching the figure in black quietly.

On the other side of the plaza, Mu Qing stood among the Piaomiao Sect's group, her gaze also falling upon the Kunlun group.

Before, at the Medicine King Valley Alchemy competition, she had lost to Zhou Tianchen. This time, she wanted to win.

In the direction of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Duan Xinghe stood holding his sword, his gaze sweeping over the Prodigies of the various Southern Wasteland forces in the plaza, finally pausing on Lu Jinghan for a moment.

His expression was cold and detached, revealing no emotion, but the long sword he held in his arms hummed slightly within its scabbard, as if responding to something.

On the plaza, as the gazes of the Prodigies from the various Southern Wasteland forces met, silent probing had already quietly begun.

The Cloud Sea Grand Ceremony would not officially begin for another three days, but at this moment, the invisible tension in the air made everyone realize that this Grand Ceremony was destined to be anything but calm.

Lu Jinghan did not linger in the plaza. He withdrew his gaze and led the Kunlun group across the plaza toward the tallest pavilion in the city.

The Cloud Peak Restaurant, located in the very center of the ancient city, was the tallest building in the entire Cloud Peak Ancient City.

The building was seven stories high, with upturned eaves and glazed tiles that shimmered with a gentle luster under the sunlight.

The private booths from the third floor and above were situated by the windows, offering a panoramic view of the entire plaza and even most of the ancient city.

Lu Jinghan led everyone up to the third floor and took seats at several large tables by the windows.

A waiter quickly brought up spiritual tea and fruit, and the Kunlun Disciples sat down separately.

Lu Jinghan sat by the window, his gaze passing through the window lattice, perfectly overlooking the scene in the plaza.

Zhou Tianchen sat opposite him and poured himself a cup of tea, but did not drink it immediately, instead holding it in his hand while also looking out the window.

"Senior Brother, among those people, who do you think is most worth noting?"

Ao Qin leaned over from the side, also peering out the window, his tone casual yet carrying a hint of seriousness.

Lu Jinghan did not answer immediately. His gaze slowly swept across the moving figures in the plaza, and after a moment, he spoke:

"Chu Xuan's Sword Intent is very pure; he must have received the true teachings of the Qingyang Sect. The aura on Duan Xinghe is not just Sword Intent; it also carries a trace of starlight power, which should be the unique aspect of the 'Star River Sword Canon'. As for the others, none for now."

Ao Qin followed his gaze and happened to see Chu Xuan standing on the stone steps across the plaza, hands behind his back, his expression calm, seemingly saying something to his companion.

"Void Refining Middle Stage," Ao Qin commented. "Just like Duan Xinghe, both are tough opponents."

Zhou Tianchen set down his teacup and said calmly: "The rules for the Cloud Sea Grand Ceremony haven't been announced yet, but according to the customs of previous years, it should be an elimination round first, then a ranking round. Only the top five can obtain the Xuanhuang Key; the competition will inevitably be very fierce."

As they were speaking, the atmosphere in the plaza suddenly changed.

Those Cultivators who had been chatting began to gather toward the center of the plaza in unison, as if someone had passed on some news.

Several figures walked out from the crowd and stood facing each other in the open space at the center of the plaza.

"They are about to make a move." Baili Qingfeng waved his folding fan, looking out the window with great interest. "It seems some people can't hold back anymore."

In the center of the plaza, two young Cultivators were confronting each other.

One wore the cyan Daoist robe of the Medicine King Valley, while the other wore the black court attire of the Zhouwu Dynasty, holding a long blade that was entirely crimson.

Both of them looked eager to try, and as their gazes met, Battle Intent was already slightly erupting in the air.

"Zhao Zhiheng of the Medicine King Valley, versus Zhou Yuanshan of the Zhouwu Dynasty."

Mu Qingxue had walked over at some point and stood by the window, casting a glance.

"Both are at the Soul Transformation Late Stage, with comparable cultivation levels. This counts as a tentative spar."

Before her words had faded, the two in the plaza had already moved.

Zhao Zhiheng made the first move. With a flick of his wrist, a cyan spiritual light flew out from his sleeve, transforming into several needle-shaped Magical Artifacts as fine as cow hair, shooting toward Zhou Yuanshan as fast as a meteor.

The tips of the needles emitted a faint medicinal scent, clearly quenched with some kind of paralyzing medicinal liquid.

Zhou Yuanshan's expression did not change, and he did not move his body. He spun the long blade in his hand, and the crimson light on the blade suddenly surged, carving a semi-circular arc in front of him.

Wherever the blade light passed, those cyan fine needles seemed to strike an invisible wall, falling to the ground one after another with crisp clinking sounds.

"Not bad reflexes."

Zhao Zhiheng praised him, but his offensive did not cease. His figure flashed in the Void Realm, turning into several afterimages as he approached Zhou Yuanshan from different directions.

In his hand, there was already a cyan-black Medicinal Pill. After crushing it, it turned into a dense cyan mist, which engulfed Zhou Yuanshan.