Chapter 110: Renowned Throughout the World
As the battle had just begun, merely exchanging a few provocative gestures between each other, the referee, Xiu Xuantian, found himself utterly bewildered in the wind. Even the deputy master of the Ascent Tribulation Sect, who was in the early stage of his tribulation crossing, was shaken to such a degree; one could only imagine the state of the countless spectators outside the arena.
“Snap.”
“Crack.”
After a brief moment of silence fell over the noisy city, numerous sounds of dislocated jaws and misaligned bones echoed throughout. The only ones who remained calm and composed were those from the Ethereal Sect.
...
After all, for the assembled spectators, participating disciples, and many high-ranking elders alike, this competition was merely a contest among the younger generation—all under the age of twenty. Although they were aware that the cultivations varied somewhat among them, naturally leading to differences in combat strength, none expected such an immense disparity.
Xiu Qingcang was just over nineteen, at the peak of the late Golden Core stage. He, along with the deceased Xiu Zhenghu, had once challenged the Perfected Golden Core realm and, after two hundred rounds, narrowly lost—a remarkable record.
In contrast, Gu Xiaopang was only sixteen and a half years old, barely in the Nascent Soul stage.
How could one possibly explain the scene just witnessed on the arena?
Was Gu Xiaopang simply too powerful, able to challenge and defeat someone at a rank several realms above him?
Or was it that the disciples of the Shura Mansion, their superiors, were simply too weak?
If that were the case, what of the thousands of other disciples ranked below second place? Were they not utterly insignificant?
Countless people pondered these questions. When they once again turned their gaze to Gu Xiaopang, who sat calmly awaiting the referee's announcement, their expressions changed. Where before they had deemed him shameless, now they sighed in admiration of his unfathomable depth—at least among the younger generation.
...
“This boy is extraordinary!”
“Indeed, I doubt many of the elder cultivators from great sects could achieve such a level.”
“I have a close friend within the Ethereal Sect who told me this boy was once critically ill, yet stubbornly clung to life for over three years before finally overcoming it.”
“So that means this boy’s actual years of cultivation should be deducted by three years?”
“Yes.”
...
“Master... no, eldest brother, well done.”
“Previously, I only felt gratitude for being saved, but I never imagined your strength would be such…”
“Don’t laugh foolishly. This is a good thing—the stronger our eldest brother becomes, the better it is for us…”
“Hahaha, well then, all of us must work harder from now on. We absolutely cannot fall too far behind.”
“Otherwise, we will no longer be your support, but rather a burden.”
...
“Brother Nangong, congratulations.”
“To have a disciple like this is a blessing for the entire Ethereal Sect.”
“Yes, if you have time, Brother Nangong, please arrange for Brother Gu Xiaopang to visit our sect more often.”
“By the way, Brother Nangong, when is your sect’s next disciple recruitment? My child…”
“Brother Nangong, Brother Gu, my granddaughter just came of age, quite a beauty…”
“You are too kind, all of you.”
“That brat is quite arrogant—please don’t flatter him so much.”
...
“Notify everyone: a customer has already offered a high price. Gu Changqing is now ranked tenth on the Assassination List.”
“Tenth? That’s too generous for that boy.”
“Yes, the top twenty on our Assassination List have never been below the Nascent Soul realm.”
“This boy deserves it.”
“Very well.”
...
Perhaps feeling ashamed of themselves, the Shura Mansion hastily concluded the much-anticipated competition among the disciples of the White Sect once the referee announced the results. As for the subsequent division of rewards, it was postponed for several days.
Gu Xiaopang harbored no dissatisfaction. The only inconvenience was that wherever he went, a crowd would gather around him, which left him utterly speechless.
Thus, upon returning to the Ethereal Sect’s exclusive villa, Gu Xiaopang led Bai Linger directly into his room.
“Sister Linger, I need to forge several sets of masks now.”
“I’ll make a few sets for you as well.”
“I don’t want any.”
“You can’t refuse unless you can stop following me everywhere. Even if I wear a mask when I go out, if you’re nearby, everyone will know it’s me.”
“Uh, fine then.”
With that, a new round of mask forging began, and Gu Xiaopang took great care in crafting the masks for both of them.
...
The results of the Hundred Sect Disciples Competition spread rapidly throughout the Southern Domain within a day; three days later, the rankings of the Southern Domain’s Earth Rankings were known throughout the entire Fengshen Continent.
The tens of thousands of disciples remaining at the Ethereal Sect’s headquarters rejoiced, for the champion was their senior brother Gu—it was their Ethereal Sect’s honor.
The Emperor of the Purple Gold Royal Court, Purple Qian Kun, wore a face full of satisfaction, still exuding the wisdom of a sovereign, pondering whether to advance the marriage between the prince consort and the little princess.
The noble and graceful purple-robed concubine, Zi Wan’er, sparkled with delight, her delicate jade hand gently supporting her chin as she dreamed of the coming year.
Song Wuji, governor of the Southern Yan Commandery, after reviewing over two hundred thousand troops, laughed heartily and drank with unrestrained joy.
Cang Aotian, lord of Cangcui City, his guard captain Zhang Sun Chenghu, and the three outstanding talents of Cangcui were all left speechless in astonishment.
Cang Ruoping and Cang Ruoyi, pleased for him, involuntarily lowered their heads to gently stroke the pig with bristly hair in the backyard, sighing at how distant their relationship with Brother Changqing had grown.
Over three hundred elites from various commanderies, defeated and humiliated during the Chaoqing Ceremony, were dumbfounded, ashamed, and then resigned.
...
Across the domains of Fengshen Continent, six prodigies, accompanied by a white-robed figure from the Tianji Pavilion, all fixed their gaze upon the Southern Domain, their eyes gleaming with indomitable spirit.
At the Assassination Tower, a middle-aged man in black, at the early Nascent Soul stage, received orders and swiftly sped toward the Southern Domain.
Several elders and stewards of the Puppet Sect scattered throughout the Southern Domain wore sly smiles as they dispersed to ambush the Shura Mansion, the Purple Gold Royal Court, and the Ethereal Sect.
...
Meanwhile, in the grand hall atop the Shura Mansion, Master Xiu Xiubinggan, Deputy Master Xiu Xuantian, and numerous high-ranking elders—all at least at the Deity Transformation stage—gathered.
“Master, of the thousand Earth Tablets, our Southern Domain obtained the fewest—only one hundred and thirty.”
“Do you really intend to release them all?”
“Hmph, short-sighted thinking. If we don’t release them, wouldn’t we be slapping our own faces before the entire continent?!”
“Besides, keeping them is useless. Only a tiny number of youths can comprehend the techniques inscribed upon them, and these cannot be passed on.”
“Rather than hoard them, we might as well be generous and release them outright.”
...
At present, the thousand Earth Tablets were held by the leading sects of each domain.
Among them: the Supreme Hall of the Central Domain held two hundred and twenty; the Mysterious Beast Forest, two hundred; the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion of the Northern Domain, one hundred and sixty; the Ghost King Sect of the Western Domain, one hundred and fifty; the Soul Devouring Sect of the Eastern Domain, one hundred and forty; and the Shura Mansion of the Southern Domain, one hundred and thirty.
Over the past year, countless high elders had studied these tablets deeply, yet none could penetrate their mysteries.
Yet, coincidentally, several younger disciples from each sect had managed to unravel the secrets—a special ancient technique cleverly concealed within.
The verification was simple: when a disciple stood before the tablets, those that emitted a faint glow recognized the disciple’s ability to comprehend their secrets.
Though the elders were ecstatic, their joy soon turned to sorrow: no matter what, the disciples could neither transcribe nor verbally convey the concealed techniques, nor could they extract them through soul searching.
Some tablets contained entire martial arts techniques themselves, while others required multiple tablets to piece together a single technique.
When this became apparent, all the younger disciples of each sect were gathered, but only a few out of thousands truly comprehended the martial arts inscribed upon the tablets.
Whether other concealed rules existed was beyond the current understanding of all present.
...
Five days later, the strongest sects, clans, and royal court officials from the Southern Domain gathered at the Shura Mansion, leading their highest-ranking Earth Ranking disciples.
The visiting disciples, many entering the Shura Mansion for the first time, were filled with awe.
The spiritual energy here was the densest in the entire Southern Domain, far surpassing that of their respective sects.
Several jade slips were passed around, received by the high elders of each sect.
“Resources such as spirit stones and spirit ores for the next hundred years will be distributed according to the records in these jade slips.”
“Does anyone have any objections?”
“We have none.”
“Good.”
Among them, Nangong Kang was the most delighted. This time, as the champion of the competition was from their sect, and with two of the top ten spots plus an eleventh, aside from the Shura Mansion itself, the Ethereal Sect stood to gain the most.
Though the resources were only rights to extract over the next hundred years, the quantity could equal materials that would have taken them eighteen hundred years to accumulate in the past, providing a foundation for the Ethereal Sect’s prosperous development for centuries to come.
With joy came sorrow, for such abundant resources were not conjured from thin air, nor were they benevolently donated by the Shura Mansion—they were forcibly extracted from the lower-ranked sects, who suffered heavy losses.
...
“Next, the ancient technique Earth Tablets.”
“As you all know, our Southern Domain obtained one hundred and thirty.”
“And the tablets choose their masters; the masters do not choose the tablets.”
“So, there is no need to quarrel or compete—just depend on the luck and fortune of each sect’s disciples.”
Though the Shura Mansion appeared magnanimous, the other high elders present secretly grumbled.
“You call for a grand competition, yet your mansion contributes no resources. All the prizes and punishments are just shuffled between our lesser sects!”
“The Earth Tablets are so precious. If your disciples couldn’t comprehend them and gain recognition, would you be so generous in sharing them with the Southern Domain?”
Of course, these were silent grievances; no one dared voice such accusations openly.
...
“All disciples ranked high on the Earth Rankings, step forward.”
“I, the Master of this mansion, shall release all one hundred and thirty Earth Tablets. How many you can take depends on your own ability.”
“We will begin with the first-place disciple.”
...