After just three days, more than one hundred thousand participants have entered. These were the top members of the young generation; all had amazing cultivation.
Jin had never experienced such an event. Ultimately, each prefecture and county were gigantic with numerous talents, too hard to gather all of them to the capital.
However, after the astronomical phenomenon, masters from reclusive clans have decided to come out with their young disciples.
Because the enrollment far exceeded expectation, the elimination stage was no longer suitable.
Just imagine, waiting for a one-on-one match for this sheer number? Just how many years would it take to decide?
Thus, someone else came up with the elite system. It consisted of ten stages in the capital, each with a stage master.
After each day, the last man standing would pass the first round. Thus, they could find ten true elites each day; ten days, one hundred elites.
These one hundred elites would qualified for the next round.
Of course, this type of test was unfair for many people but it would definitely find the strongest of the one hundred. No one weak would be able to pass the test.
The losers would still be able to participate at another stage on the same day, or join again tomorrow.
The competition was fierce due to the limited space of the stage and time limit. Many people needed to seize this opportunity.
Just getting on the stage was hard so many were already camping at the capital.
Not everyone wanted to marry Princess Luofu and become the next Divine King. They were aware of their own limit compared to the top prodigies. They simply wanted to achieve something on stage in order to raise their value and be recruited by the great powers. From then on, there would be more resources for cultivation.
If recruited by the four great clans, that’s akin to a carp becoming a dragon.
Feiyun didn’t participate just yet and continued to refine the third essence pill back at his secret store.
This was a fourth-ranked pill so the process wasn’t easy. He needed one day before absorbing all of the medicinal effects.
He was very safe here since there were more than ten guards from the Divine River Guard - each was an incredible expert.
Meanwhile, their leader, Qu Changyin, was secretly meeting with the hidden powers of the Divine King faction. They were ready to attack when the opportunity was right. This was why being in the dark was good.
It didn't matter if Feiyun were to show himself then. All the preparations would have been done to catch the enemy off guard.
He would certainly face some powerful foes during the competition so there was no way of staying hidden forever. But it wouldn’t matter if he had everything under control by that point.
What he needed to do now was to increase his own cultivation. He took a deep breath as rays condensed towards his center. His body became dazzling with a fiery glow.
The violet energy in his dantian became thicker, almost like a purple liquid.
“Boom!” His bones became tougher from the refinement of the flame, just like a piece of jade rushing out of the lava.
The third essence pill had been refined fully.
He opened his eyes; the pupils flashing like two burning meteors.
His cultivation rose again to peak third-level Heaven’s Mandate.
“Figured, the power of the pill becomes weaker after each successive use. I would need two more in order to reach the fourth level.”
Others would only need two pills to go from third to fourth level. However, he needed five.
The stronger the physique, the more energy required.
Using pills to increase one’s cultivation would result in stability. One would need time and meditation for consolidation before taking in more pills.
Feiyun needed to do so for several days before taking the fourth pill.
He came out of the store, wearing all black. His next destination was the dragon vein underground to meet Long Cangyue in order to tell her the current situation.
“My mother is ill after hearing about my death?” A ripple appeared in her cold eyes.
Feiyun said: “The Divine Consort’s cultivation is amazing, she can’t get sick that easily. I’m sure she is fine, don’t worry.”
Cangyue shook her head: “Feng Feiyun, I can listen to you about pretending to be dead, but you must go tell my mother that I am alive so that she can be at peace.”
Even the strongest cultivator still had a heart.
An illness of the heart was much more serious than any other affliction.
She stared at him, seemingly begging with her eyes.
The truth was that he would rather die than see Ji Lingxuan.
He pondered for a moment and said: “I’ll go see her after all the preparation are done.”
Ji Lingxuan was far more intelligent than Long Cangyue. If she were to find out that they were still alive, she would make her own plans and this might ruin his own. He naturally wouldn’t let this calculating and deceptive woman know too much.
As for the Evil Woman, she was still refining her evil blood. It seemed to be at a crucial stage.
Feiyun didn’t bother her and left the dragon vein. He headed back to the palace at nightfall.
The competition today was over and the majority of cultivators were leaving. Many beasts were walking through the streets with their masters sitting on top.
Feiyun looked around and saw several familiar faces but didn’t talk to them.
“You’re here too?” Ningshuai had a Buddhist hat with a face like a fat child and appeared behind Feiyun out of nowhere.
This guy was already short so his big hat looked very out of place on his small stature.
“You got on stage?” Feiyun wasn’t surprised since the two of them signed up together.
“It was fierce today with many experts, I never even got the chance to fight.” Ningshuai was annoyed because he almost climbed up the stage but due to his big hat, someone stepped on it and pushed him down so he lost the eligibility in the very beginning.
Feiyun laughed in response: “Your luck is terrible.”
Ningshuai shook his head: “Nah, it’s the opposite. If it wasn’t for that guy stomping me down, I would have died on stage, probably.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating?” Feiyun became interested.
“Not at all, that guy was too powerful and merciless. All were killed within one move; forty-three fights, forty-three geniuses fallen. In the end, no one else dared to get on stage.” Ningshuai said with a tinge of dread.
“C’mon now! There are so many prodigies in Jin, some were probably annoyed by that guy. No one came up to take him on?” Feiyun didn’t believe it.
“Feiyun, you’re a frog under the well, don’t think that you can look down on everyone after becoming a historical genius. The ten qualified combatants today are not bad at all, not weaker than the historical level. Come, let me show you something.” Ningshuai said.
Feiyun was looking forward to this competition even more. Perhaps he could use these geniuses to hone his own cultivation.
Ningshuai used a secret passage and took Feiyun to a mansion underground.
There were plenty of cultivators here, none weak.
Both the young and old were here. Monks, clan descendants, nobles - all were at Heaven’s Mandate and up.
“This is the largest underground gambling ring at the capital. Any news about the groom competition will get here first.” Ningshuai was familiar with the area and took Feiyun to one building.
Despite being underground, the place was very lively with eighteen large jewels floating above to illuminate the place.
“I bet 60 spirit stones for Dongfang Jingshui to make it to round two.” A slightly chubby middle-aged man betted. A red-eyed snake coiled around his shoulders.
“Hey Brother, he’s thirty-to-one, you won’t win much.”
“What do you know, this is the safe place. Another 60 stones for Beiming Potian too, it’s the same odds.”
***
Ningshuai wanted to join the fun: “The groom selection is a great event so there are gambling rings everywhere, but this is the biggest. I heard even characters at the same level as the four great clan’s masters are here to bet too.”