"Li Xuan... this name feels so familiar?"
After Li Xuan and Jian Chi departed, the crowd furrowed their brows. Soon, someone in the crowd recalled.
"Heavens, the one who just left was Li Xuan, the one who annihilated the Li Huo Sect!"
As this person spoke, everyone present gasped in unison. A little over a month had passed, and the matter of Li Xuan destroying the Li Huo Sect had gradually settled. Yet, Li Xuan's sudden appearance once again drew everyone's attention.
Of course, this time the topic of discussion had an addition: he had cleaved the testing platform with a single sword!
Furthermore, Li Xuan's origins also puzzled many. Li Xuan claimed to be from the Southern Domain and was participating in the Five Domain Grand Competition as a representative from the Southern Domain. This piece of news was of great importance to the prodigies of the Central Domain.
Soon, the news of Li Xuan's appearance, his origin from the Southern Domain, and his intention to compete in the Five Domain Grand Competition under the banner of the Southern Domain spread like wildfire.
Meanwhile, the protagonist, Li Xuan, was already on a cloud ship with Jian Chi, heading towards the venue of the Five Domain Grand Competition, Wuyue City.
"Brother Jian Chi, when you introduced your sect earlier, you seemed hesitant," Li Xuan asked Jian Chi.
Jian Chi fell silent for a moment before sighing, "Strictly speaking, I am no longer a disciple of the Myriad Sword Sect. Although I can participate as a rogue cultivator, it would be a disgrace to the Myriad Sword Sect. The Myriad Sword Sect has shown me great kindness as my sect, and this is my way of repaying that debt."
"If you make it onto the rankings, wouldn't it also bring significant benefits to your Myriad Sword Sect's standing?" Li Xuan nodded slightly.
Li Xuan understood Jian Chi's feelings. Ultimately, Jian Chi's decision to leave the Myriad Sword Sect to follow him stemmed from a sense of obligation towards his former sect. Even with their permission, their karmic bond was not entirely severed.
One must have a grateful heart.
This was also one of the reasons Li Xuan valued Jian Chi.
"If I can enter the top fifty, the sect will receive certain resource allocations. This is crucial for the sect's future development," Jian Chi nodded. "Brother Li, since you are representing the Southern Domain, these resources will likely fall into the hands of the Southern Domain."
"It's fine. After all, as a native of the Southern Domain, it's only right to contribute to my homeland. As for the distribution of resources, they will ultimately go to the spiritual masters of the Southern Domain anyway," Li Xuan chuckled, not overly concerned about cultivation resources. His own cultivation did not rely on such things.
"Brother Li is truly magnanimous," Jian Chi said with emotion. Given Li Xuan's strength, entering the Prodigy Rankings would be simple. Moreover, Jian Chi believed Li Xuan had a high chance of entering the top ten, and the rewards for those ranks were substantial.
"However, I hope I don't encounter you, Brother Li, when the time comes," Jian Chi added after some thought.
Li Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly and shook his head. If he were to encounter Jian Chi, should he hold back or go all out?
"Of course, if we do meet, I will still fight," Jian Chi said with a smile.
Li Xuan also smiled. To face an opponent known to be stronger and still fight – that was the true essence of a sword cultivator.
"Don't worry, if we really meet, I'll go easy on you," Li Xuan said, patting Jian Chi's shoulder with a smile. Jian Chi could only offer a wry smile; this fellow really didn't hold back.
Southern Domain, Nantian Sect.
"Sect Master, a total of over 125,000 spiritual masters have registered from our Southern Domain. According to statistics, two-thirds are at the Martial King realm. There are 18,050 spiritual masters at the Martial Emperor realm. Less than 5,000 are at the Martial God realm, and 1,008 are at the mid-stage Martial God realm." On the mountaintop, an elder bowed and reported.
"As far as I know, the other three domains seem to have over two thousand mid-stage Martial God realm spiritual masters each. Our Southern Domain, overall, still lags behind the other three," Nan Haotian sighed.
The elder remained silent. Although Nan Haotian was the sect master of their Nantian Sect, he was also the domain lord of the Southern Domain. The Southern Domain's repeated poor performance had caused Nan Haotian considerable embarrassment. But there was little that could be done. The Southern Domain was vast and sparsely populated, with relatively thin spiritual energy. Their martial foundation was ultimately weaker.
"By the way, Sect Master, I've also heard some news. Rumor has it that a grandmaster of the Way of the Sword has appeared in the Central Domain. His name is Li Xuan, and he hails from a small country in our Southern Domain. It's also rumored that this person annihilated the Li Huo Sect, one of the Twelve Great Sects. We don't know if this is true. But if it is, our Southern Domain might have a chance to turn things around this time," the elder suddenly remembered and said urgently.
"Annihilated the Li Huo Sect? The Li Huo Sect is one of the Twelve Great Sects, with countless experts within their ranks. Even I wouldn't dare claim I could annihilate the Li Huo Sect single-handedly. This news is likely false, nine times out of ten. However, since this young man is a grandmaster of the Way of the Sword, his strength should be considerable," Nan Haotian said, shaking his head slightly.
"Indeed, has this person registered?" Nan Haotian suddenly asked.
The elder immediately nodded and replied, "He has registered. According to the reports, when Li Xuan tested his strength on the testing platform, he destroyed the platform with a single sword strike. Furthermore, this Li Xuan is only seventeen years old."
"Destroyed the testing platform with a single sword strike? If that's the case, Li Xuan's strength is indeed not low. To achieve such a feat, one must possess at least the cultivation of the Martial God realm. Coupled with his identity as a sword cultivator, this young man can indeed increase our Southern Domain's chances." Nan Haotian nodded.
"Send someone to that small country to investigate and ascertain this person's character," Nan Haotian said after a moment of contemplation.
"Yes!" The elder nodded immediately and turned to leave. He knew that the Sect Master was beginning to show an appreciation for talent.
After all, a seventeen-year-old grandmaster of the Way of the Sword was enough reason to recruit him.
Central Domain, Wuyue City.
"So many people," Li Xuan and Jian Chi exclaimed as they looked at the densely packed crowd on the street below. They had arrived in Wuyue City two days prior and had found an inn to stay in.
"There are still five days until the Five Domain Grand Competition begins. These people are not even one-tenth of the total. When the competition officially starts, there will be at least half a million people," Jian Chi said with a smile.
"By the way, Brother Jian Chi, how many positions are there on the Prodigy Rankings?" Li Xuan asked curiously.
Jian Chi's expression turned serious as he replied, "The Prodigy Rankings only have one hundred spots. Those who make it onto the list are all incredibly powerful individuals. This is the cruelty of the Five Domain Grand Competition."
Li Xuan's expression also became solemn. Out of hundreds of thousands of participants, only one hundred would make the list. The odds were a mere one in tens of thousands.
"Never mind, there are still five days. I should seize this time for some last-minute preparation," Li Xuan said, shaking his head. He returned to his room, set up a barrier, and entered the Town Domain.
The Nine Revolutions of the Demonic God reappeared.