The corresponding technique explanations of the Dark Earth Sword Array and the Star Ruins Sword Array within the Dragon Star Immortal Voidrealm allowed Xing Luo, Chen Jing, Hao Shanjing, and the others to quickly identify Wu Yuan’s techniques despite their own inability to recognize them.
The number of sword array steps one could execute was dictated by the depth of one’s Dao comprehension.
Apart from that, the forms and number of arrays one could deploy were also determined by one’s mana, soul, and the quality of the flying swords. Someone who could assemble a Hundred Swords Array might not necessarily be able to form a Thousand Swords Array.
Dong Shan is not weak at all. If I confront him in a head-on battle, I’m afraid he surpasses me in terms of attack power. Chen Jing’s mind raced.
Right, there is no need for me to fight him head-on. I must use the array to trap Li Xia tightly and then slowly exhaust him.
Once I drain his mana completely, the battle will be over, just like how I defeated Hao Shanjing last time. Chen Jing made a quick decision.
In the previous tournament, she was able to deplete Hao Shanjing’s ether with her array until he lost.
But Li Xia’s first hurdle is still Xing Luo. Chen Jing thought to herself. What exactly is Xing Luo’s seventh lifebound artifact? It remains a mystery.
…
How powerful. Hao Shanjing’s eyes widened, burning with fighting spirit. Two Thousand Swords Arrays, how fierce!
Looks like I’ll have to use my strongest move to defeat this Li Xia. Hao Shanjing licked his lips in anticipation.
He couldn’t wait to fight Wu Yuan!
…
Dong Shan might not be my match, but he is still a very powerful body refiner! Xing Luo frowned. This Dark Earth Sword Array of Li Xia’s, even if it is a Thousand Swords Array, it should not be so powerful in theory. How did he unleash such power from it?
He has a third-degree immortal root, but is only at the seventh-stage Golden Core phase. In terms of mana, he is two stages weaker than me; his lifebound flying swords should also be weaker than mine. Why is he so powerful?
He didn’t understand.
In a head-on clash, I’m no match for this Li Xia. Xing Luo’s eyes turned cold. I must find another way.
I guess I’ll have to do that. Xing Luo made his decision.
Mm, I’m up next. Xing Luo’s eyes flashed. An instant later, he flew out of the meditation chamber.
The thirty-two participants of the Golden Core hereditary disciple ranking battle gathered in the arena’s meditation chamber, where they could watch the battle through the Dragon Star Immortal Voidrealm.
Once their turn arrived, they would receive a notification.
…
“It’s his soul!” Above the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, an independent space had been created.
In this space, powerful beings were currently holding a feast, each of them exuding immense power. The one sitting in the host seat was the red-robed abbot.
“This Li Xia, his soul is very strong. He likely ranks quite highly even among Amethyst Cradle cultivators.” A long-haired, middle-aged man in black robes who sat on his right remarked. “He is indeed worthy of his status as an Archimmortal’s disciple! Abbot Wu, I must congratulate your Dragon Star Immortal Sect.”
“Haha.” The red-robed abbot laughed. “Mountain Master Xu, you flatter us. Li Xia is still very young. Compared to the peerless geniuses of the Moonsilver World, he’s still quite immature.”
The long-haired middle-aged man in black robes was a High Immortal from the Moonsilver World. He had an extremely high status, thus the abbot of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect personally attended to him.
Besides the abbot, several High Immortals and numerous Earth Immortals were also present.
“A powerful soul allows him to control more artifacts, and also boosts the power of the artifacts he controls.” Mountain Master Xu laughed, “Li Xia has a great chance of taking first place in the Dragon Star Tournament.”
“With his rate of progress, he’ll surely shine in the Moonsilver Tournament.”
Suddenly, his gaze focused, and his lips curled into a smile. “Abbot Wu, that youngster must be Xing Luo, he’s quite extraordinary indeed.”
“Ha, they’re all good-for-nothing kids,” the red-robed abbot chuckled.
He understood why Mountain Master Xu was here. Because of the missed opportunity with Li Xia, he decided to watch the Dragon Star Tournament to screen for any other peerless geniuses in the sect worthy of special recruitment.
Xing Luo was the second most talented prodigy in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect after Wu Yuan.
“He won, Xing Luo won.”
“Not bad! Not bad at all!” Mountain Master Xu chuckled. Glancing at the red-robed abbot, he lifted his cup, “Come, Abbot Wu, let’s drink.”
“Let’s drink.” Abbot Wu smiled and raised his cup.
…
He won. Just like before, Xing Luo defeated his opponent with a single move. Qing Guang is far too weak compared to him. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.
As soon as he stepped off the platform, he chose to return to the meditation chamber to watch the battle. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to uncover most of his upcoming opponents’ secrets.
I’ll continue to rest for now. Wu Yuan closed his eyes and meditated, quietly cultivating to recover his mana and soul power.
Controlling such a large number of flying swords consumed the invisible power of the soul. The so-called mental fatigue was the exhaustion of mental energy.
Under normal circumstances, immortal cultivators had no need for sleep because their souls were strong enough to continuously replenish their mental energy.
Of course, if the mind was exhausted to the brink of collapse or the soul was severely damaged, one would fall into a deep sleep.
…
“The third battle of the first round, Chen Jing versus Shi Yun.”
The outcome of the battle was no surprise. Though Shi Yun possessed immense talent, she had only trained in the sect for a little over twenty years, appearing somewhat weak in front of Chen Jing. Eventually, Chen Jing won with ease.
Time flew by.
Apart from a few matches where the disparity in strength was too large, most contenders were closely matched.
Moreover, it was widely known that the audience turnout for this year’s Dragon Star Tournament was not like the previous years. Not only were numerous disciples watching the tournament, but also many of the sect’s Void Refiner protectorates, and immortals.
Therefore, the Golden Core hereditary disciples who participated were all desperate to win, making each battle an exhilarating spectacle.
As each round concluded, the winners were determined.
Next up was the sixteenth battle of the first round—Kuang Long versus Hao Shanjing!
“Kuang Long? He’s just a new hereditary disciple.”
“It’s a guaranteed defeat for him.”
“Hao Shanjing is recognized as one of the strongest hereditary disciples, and the order of the matches is greatly in his favor. He has a high chance of making it to the finals.” This was the general sentiment among disciples, including Wu Yuan, Chen Jing, and others.
This battle ended as everyone anticipated, with Hao Shanjing’s victory. However, their battle itself left everyone astounded.
The underdog, Kuang Long, demonstrated unprecedented strength, activating two advanced ether arts in succession. Then, he unleashed his ultimate move – Yang Thunder True Intent!
From the get-go, Kuang Long managed to land a surprise attack on Hao Shanjing, sending him flying. Only then did Hao Shanjing react, employing his ether art attack and defeating Kuang Long!
“Amazing!”
“Comprehending True Intent and practicing multiple ether arts? Kuang Long’s rate of progress is terrifying. He’s already able to stand firm among the Golden Core hereditary disciples.”
“Truly worthy of granted his direct hereditary disciple status.” Numerous disciples remembered Kuang Long’s name.
They were certain that Kuang Long would shine brightly in the next Dragon Star Tournament. Of course, that would be thirty years from now.
At this point, the first round of sixteen matches was over. The top sixteen Golden Core cultivators in this Dragon Star Tournament were decided.