196: Chapter 196 Xuanhuang Fortress, to be opened in three months

When Lu Jinghan sheathed his sword, stepped down from the battle stage, and returned to the Kunlun seats, Zhou Tianchen had already stood up and vacated his seat.

He sat down in his seat, his chest rising and falling slightly. The exhaustion from the previous battle far exceeded his expectations. The depletion from continuously executing the Law of Time and Space left a subtle sense of fatigue in his Meridians, but his face remained calm.

Jiang Changge glanced at him, his gaze filled with approval: "Not bad. Your mastery of the Void Sealing Curse and the Nine Flashes of Instant Radiance has reached the mark."

Lu Jinghan was slightly taken aback. He had indeed repeatedly deduced and polished those two divine abilities in the Trial Tower until they were ready for actual combat, but seeing his Revered Master see through it at a single glance still made him feel somewhat emotional.

He nodded and said, "This Disciple had some insights while clearing the ninety-third floor of the tower. I had been unable to fully Revered Master those two divine abilities from the Time-Space Derivation Sutra, and only recently did I find the key."

Jiang Changge nodded slightly and said no more.

Ao Qin leaned over from the side and patted Lu Jinghan's shoulder, his face filled with genuine admiration: "Eldest Senior Brother, those few sword strikes left me dazzled. I couldn't even clearly see the trajectories of those final nine sword lights."

Baili Qingfeng shook his folding fan: "Nine sword lights slashing in nine directions simultaneously, slicing that space apart directly. Eldest Senior Brother's application of space has reached a whole new level."

Lu Jinghan smiled and said nothing more. He simply took the Medicinal Pill handed to him by Zhou Tianchen, swallowed it, and then closed his eyes to begin regulating his breathing and recovering.

The Void Sealing Curse and the Nine Flashes of Instant Radiance were indeed only recently mastered by him. Based on his Space-Time Dao Body, he had long known the first three forms of the Time Mark Sword Art by heart, but the divine abilities recorded in the Time-Space Derivation Sutra went far beyond those few sword moves.

After losing three consecutive matches on the ninety-third floor of the Trial Tower, he re-read the subsequent chapters of that Cultivation Technique while sitting in self-reflection, finally grasping the key to the Void Sealing Curse.

It was not about using the Law of Time and Space to forcibly suppress his opponent, but rather using the stability of space itself as a lock to seal the power of the Law within a specific range.

The Nine Flashes of Instant Radiance was even more direct, using spatial coordinates as a foundation to slash toward nine different dimensional intersections at the exact same instant, completely slicing a Domain apart.

The subsequent matches continued, and the battle for the top five spots unfolded among the remaining prodigies.

The battle between Duan Xinghe and Chu Xuan was extremely close. Sword light and starlight interweaved, and in the end, Duan Xinghe won by a hair's breadth.

After losing to Lu Jinghan, Xu Mo defeated Chu Xuan and Duan Xinghe in succession, displaying a composure and precision completely different from before, as if that defeat had instead lifted a burden from his shoulders.

Han Jun's Extreme Cold Sword Intent gave him a clear counter advantage when facing the Young Clan Leader of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan, and he won by a single move.

Zhou Tianchen won one and lost one in his final two matches, narrowly securing fifth place.

With two Kunlun Disciples entering the top five, such a result was within everyone's expectations, yet it was by no means uneventful.

Once the outcome of the final match was decided, Ancestor Zhou Huaixu rose from the main seat and announced the end of the third round of matches.

Immediately after, the Heavenly Dao descended five pale-golden rays of light, which transformed into five palm-sized tokens hovering above the battle stage.

Those tokens were pale gold throughout, with the ancient seal character "Xuan" carved on the front and the iconic silhouette of the Xuanhuang Fortress on the back, exuding a warm and ancient aura.

The five xuanhuang keys slowly descended, landing in the hands of the five individuals.

The moment Lu Jinghan gripped the token, he could feel an extremely ancient power contained within it. That power was seamlessly integrated with this world, as if it were inherently a part of the Laws of heaven and earth.

He gripped it lightly, feeling it for a moment, and then tucked it into his robes.

Xu Mo and Han Jun also put away their respective keys, their expressions so calm as if they were merely receiving an ordinary item.

Chu Xuan held his key, but his expression was clearly somewhat complicated.

He looked in Lu Jinghan's direction, his eyes carrying a somewhat indescribable meaning before he averted his gaze.

The xuanhuang keys descended, and Ancestor Zhou Huaixu's voice rang out once more: "The Xuanhuang Fortress will open in three months. At that time, the prodigies of the Five Regions will enter with their keys. As for the specific time and location, an imperial decree from the Heavenly Dao will descend. Everyone, please be prepared."

The grand ceremony drew to a close amid the clamor. The Disciples of the various forces began to disperse one after another, and the banners on the spectator stands were taken down one by one.

Dusk was approaching, and the lights in the Yundian Ancient City lit up one after another, enveloping the entire city in a warm yellow glow.

No one noticed that the Black-robed Man had already quietly stood up from his seat in the corner.

His figure was inconspicuous in the twilight as he led Xu Mo and Han Jun through the dispersing spectator stands. His pace was neither fast nor slow, and he did not disturb anyone.

Before long, they disappeared at the end of the mountain path outside the Yundian Ancient City.

Behind him, after taking a few steps, Xu Mo slightly turned his head to look back. His gaze swept over the black-robed figure in the direction of the Kunlun seats, pausing for a brief moment before he withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace to catch up with the Black-robed Man.

As the twilight deepened, the three figures quickly vanished among the rolling mountains.

The members of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan also stood up to leave shortly after. Their purpose in coming this time did not seem to be for the Xuanhuan keys.

Qing Yue spoke briefly with several Tribulation-stage Old Ancestors in front of the main seats, his attitude polite yet distant, as if he were merely completing a necessary formality.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu politely saw them off, while Danchenzi and Daoist Yunlan also nodded in greeting, asking no further questions.

Qing Yue did not linger. He turned and departed, taking the Young Clan Leader of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan and those nine women of the Fox Clan with him.

The Tribulation Transcenders of the Seven Great Factions were in no hurry to leave.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu stood by the main seat for a moment, his gaze falling upon the Kunlun seats. After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and walked over.

He lightened his steps as he approached, for he saw Jiang Changge sitting cross-legged in the main seat of the Kunlun section, his eyes slightly closed and his expression serene.

A nearly imperceptible pale-golden halo hovered around his body, as if his entire being was slowly merging into the deepening twilight.

That state was extremely subtle. It did not seem like ordinary breath regulation or resting with eyes closed, but rather like some deeper perception or Epiphany, where the clamor of the outside world could not affect him in the slightest.

Danchenzi, Daoist Yunlan, Lord Yangtian, and Elder Jianchi also arrived near the Kunlun seats one after another, halting their steps a few Zhang away.

They had originally intended to step forward and converse with the Lord of Kunlun, but seeing Jiang Changge's current state, they all stopped in unison.

No one dared to make a sound to disturb him, and they even kept their footsteps extremely light. Everyone waited in silence, waiting for the white-robed figure to awaken on his own from that mysterious state of perception.