72: Luxury Rewards

The mighty Holy Light rapidly spread like a tide, completely enveloping the entire Imperial City.

Bathing in this Holy Light, everyone involuntarily felt a sense of rising and falling in their hearts, wanting only to prostrate themselves in worship.

Suddenly, an Emperor wearing a Dragon Robe and a Ceremonial Crown, surrounded by hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs, walked calmly toward the Dragon Throne, like the stars surrounding the moon.

As the Emperor settled firmly, the overwhelming majesty, seemingly substantial, surged toward everyone in the great hall, fully displaying the aura of an Emperor and inspiring awe.

"May Our Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

In an instant, the hall roared with thunderous acclamations, and everyone devoutly bowed and saluted, offering their deepest respect to this Empire Dominator.

"All my Ministers, there is no need for such ceremony!"

The Emperor radiated the supreme aura unique to a sovereign; his eyes seemed to contain the entire cosmos of stars, deep and mysterious.

His face was shrouded by a layer of misty light, making it difficult to distinguish, adding to his majesty and mystery.

Eight people stood in front of the Dragon Throne; Sect Master of Peerless Sect Chu Feng was among them.

Only then did Ji Mo understand why the Sect Master had not been seen earlier; he had already come to meet the Emperor.

He figured the other seven were the Sect Masters of the remaining Sects.

What surprised Ji Mo was that there were actually two women among them.

One was likely the Sect Master of Jade Maiden Sect, but he didn't know which Sect the other came from.

But their commonality was that they all possessed peerless, country-toppling beauty.

It was worth noting that all eight of them possessed the cultivation base of a Half-step Martial Saint.

At this moment, the Emperor was seen nodding slightly, smiling, and looking gently at the eight people as he slowly spoke:

"Eight Ministers, you are stationed in the four corners of the Heavenly Dragon Empire. On one hand, you stabilize the internal situation of the Empire, and on the other, you cultivate countless young talents for the Empire."

"Many Seniors within the Sects also work tirelessly, entering the Imperial City to continue serving Us."

"The fact that the Empire can enjoy such prosperity today is truly the result of the combined efforts of the Eight Great Sects and the Imperial Family. You have all worked hard."

"Your Majesty is too kind; we truly do not deserve such praise."

The eight people uniformly bowed in salute.

Immediately, His Majesty the Emperor turned his gaze to the Sect Disciples and spoke gently:

"All you Prodigy Disciples, your gathering at the Imperial Palace today to participate in this Martial Arts Gathering is truly a grand event for the Empire."

"We heard that among the participating Disciples this time, some even rushed back specifically from the Endless Sea Region."

"We feel deeply honored that you, at such a young age, have been able to make a formidable name for yourselves in the Endless Sea Region."

"Having you guard the future of the Empire is truly a great fortune for the Empire."

These words struck heavily in everyone's hearts, like the morning bell and evening drum. They were highly inspiring and persuasive, making people involuntarily filled with passion and heroic spirit.

"In recent years, Our Heavenly Dragon Empire has grown increasingly powerful, and thus the rewards for this Martial Arts Gathering are even more generous."

"As for the specific contents of the rewards, We will not elaborate here."

"The sovereign speaks no falsehoods. We guarantee here that these rewards will only be more generous than in the past."

"All you Prodigies and talents, feel free to display your abilities."

When the crowd below heard the Emperor's personal promise, and understood the implication that there might be even more surprise rewards, they immediately grew more excited.

Looking at them, their eyes were blazing like fire, and they were all itching for a fight, wishing they could start the competition immediately.

Seeing such an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd, the Emperor showed a satisfied expression and continued:

"For this Martial Arts Gathering, We will reward a quota for an Ancient Secret Realm."

"This Secret Realm has been passed down since antiquity. It has gone through countless Imperial Dynasty changes, yet no one has been able to control its opening time; it is completely random,"

"Perhaps it opens once every few years, decades, centuries, or even millennia."

"Just one month ago, we received definite news that this Secret Realm is about to open."

"This is a fortune for Our Heavenly Dragon Empire, and even more so for all of you."

Speaking to this point, the Emperor paused slightly, his emotions fluctuating for the first time, and he said excitedly:

"This Secret Realm has circulated since antiquity. Legend has it that it was originally a complete Plane, but shattered after a Shocking Great Battle, leaving behind these Planar Fragments."

"The resources contained within are countless: Cultivation Techniques, Secret Manuals, weapons, Spirit Medicines, Heaven And Earth Treasures, and Rare Beasts—everything is available. Even We long for it."

"Therefore, this time, we are adding extra rewards on top of the original planned rewards."

"The first place winner will receive three Secret Realm quotas, the second place will get two, and the third place will also receive one."

"And the first place winner of the Sect Team Competition will seize ten Secret Realm quotas, and these quotas will not overlap."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only the young Disciples but also the eight Sect Masters and the Elders of the various Sects had blazing light ignite in their eyes, clenching their hands tightly in excitement.

Ji Mo noticed that a flash of unconcealable fervor also crossed the eyes of Elder Mu beside him.

One must know that since Ji Mo met Elder Mu, he had rarely seen such a great fluctuation in his emotions.

"Alright, now we invite the Empire God of War to activate the Divine Platform."

The Empire God of War accepted the command, fiercely waved a large hand, and the space within the great hall cracked and shattered like a mirror.

Everyone felt a dizzying spin, and when they stabilized themselves, they were already in another space.

This was a Minor Plane comparable in size to a small city, where the main facilities were Platforms and Viewing Stands, clearly custom-built for martial competitions.

"All Sect Contestants, please proceed to the Contestant Area to gather. All other personnel, please enter your respective Stations to sit and watch the competition. Do not make noise."

A eunuch announced loudly in a high-pitched voice.

What surprised Ji Mo was that they were not the only group present.

Many spectators had already gathered on the massive Platform; they must have been arranged to enter beforehand.

Once the Emperor was firmly seated, the entire venue instantly fell silent.

The eunuch immediately began to read the rules of the competition.

There were a total of eighty participating Disciples this time, with ten people from each Sect.

The Preliminary Rounds would commence simultaneously on ten Platforms. After each match concluded, the next group of Contestants would immediately take the stage, and Disciples from the same Sect would not face each other in the Preliminary Rounds.

"All participating Disciples, please come here to draw your Number Plates. Those with the same Number Plate will go up to the stage to compete."

A massive box of Number Plates was placed in front of the head eunuch, and a special Restriction had been placed on each Number Plate to prevent anyone from using Mental Energy to probe them.

Ji Mo stepped forward and drew number 31.

Seeing this number, he knew he would have to wait a while before it was his turn to compete, so he was not anxious.

Looking again, Bai Ling drew number 37, while Wang Caiwei drew number 8.

Once everyone had finished drawing their Number Plates, the Contestants holding the first ten Number Plates were immediately teleported onto the Platform.

Among the three, Wang Caiwei was the first to be teleported onto the stage. Coincidentally, her opponent was the man from Divine Blade Gate.

"You beast! Back then, you used despicable and shameless methods to rape and murder my Senior Sister's younger sister, and you even attempted to harbor ill intentions toward my Senior Sister."

"My encounter with you today is Heaven's punishment for you. You are definitely going to die today!"

Wang Caiwei's gaze was sharp as a blade, and the hatred in her eyes seemed capable of tearing the opponent into ten thousand pieces.

"Hahaha, little girl, you are truly laughably naive."

"Seeing how confident you are, once I capture you later, I will definitely enjoy the pleasures of love with you."

"Don't worry, neither you nor your Senior Sister will escape."

The man's face was filled with a vile, lecherous, and greedy smile.