Yin!
A sword's hum, Shi Jian instantly slashed towards the man. Where the sword energy passed, space caved in and annihilated.
With this sword, Li Xuan, by burning his soul and bloodline, had already broken through the realm of the Great Emperor of Time. The sword intent carried the aura of time, making it Li Xuan's strongest sword.
"To reach this point, it's not unjust for Zhan Xingchi and Zhan Xingfei to die by your hand. However, you are still a bit too weak."
The man actually caught Li Xuan's Shi Jian between two fingers. Even with its terrifying sword intent, the sword was utterly immobile at this moment.
"Damn, it's the Void God Realm... Little master is in trouble now," the voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush sounded.
Li Xuan was already exhausted, his eyes blurred and unfocused. In the next moment, Li Xuan's body collapsed straight down.
"Son of Destiny, this is where it ends." The man glanced at the fallen Li Xuan and then pointed a finger. A wisp of wind shot rapidly towards Li Xuan's forehead.
"Alas."
Just then, a sigh suddenly rang out. In the next instant, the wisp of wind rushing towards Li Xuan vanished into thin air.
"Who!" The man's expression changed greatly upon seeing this. When Zhan Xingchi and Zhan Xingfei made their move, Bian Mu had already masked all his aura. It was only when Li Xuan was at his weakest that Bian Mu chose to act. Now that Li Xuan was like a fish on a chopping block, he didn't expect someone else to be here!
Someone that even Bian Mu couldn't detect must be stronger than him. However, his inaction from the start left Bian Mu puzzled.
As Bian Mu's voice fell, a faint glow flashed from the Prison Suppressing Seal on Li Xuan's thumb. In the next instant, a figure slowly appeared.
Crack!
The moment the man appeared, the space within the River of Time began to shatter and collapse.
"Hmm, I wasn't quite able to hold back." The man looked and then pointed a finger. The shattered space instantly stopped and then returned to its original state.
Bian Mu's pupils contracted slightly. This single move was enough to show that the man before him was not someone he could contend with.
"Damn, is this... a big shot from the seventh level?" The voice of the Heavenly Dao Brush sounded.
As if hearing the Heavenly Dao Brush, the man turned his head and smiled slightly, "I am on the eighth level."
Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Dao Brush fell silent, seemingly intimidated by the big shot from the eighth level.
"Who are you?" Bian Mu asked the man with a solemn expression.
The man seemed to ponder for a moment and then smiled at Bian Mu, "It has been a long time since I've mentioned my name, but those who know me call me Shang Zun."
"Shang Zun..." Bian Mu pondered for a moment, but eventually shook his head slightly, "I have not heard of your name. May I ask if you know him?"
Shang Zun shook his head and said, "I don't know him. However, if he dies, I will likely not be able to live. So, I have to come out and resolve some troubles for him. Therefore, you must die."
As Shang Zun finished speaking, Bian Mu was about to reply when his face suddenly turned ashen with fear. In the next instant, his entire body dissipated into the heavens and earth.
"Damn, 'words manifest as law'..." the Heavenly Dao Brush exclaimed.
As Bian Mu disappeared, Shang Zun's gaze shifted to the unconscious Li Xuan.
"Alas, this is truly troublesome." Shang Zun seemed to make a difficult decision, then sighed helplessly and pointed a finger at Li Xuan.
"Consider it settling the past grievances. As for what fortune you may find, it depends on yourself."
Shang Zun finished speaking, his body flashed with spiritual light, and then his figure instantly vanished from the spot. Not only that, but Li Xuan's figure also vanished, hidden in the void.
At the same time, Li Xuan's consciousness suddenly cleared. However, as Li Xuan looked around, he realized that he was observing everything from a God's-eye view.
And in Li Xuan's eyes at this moment, it was the scene he had seen before in the academy, of Lin Chu in the Young Sect.
"How about it? Senior Brother Lin Chu, are you interested in participating?" Chen Lin Gang asked excitedly, looking at Lin Chu.
Lin Chu pondered for a moment and then said, "Is the news reliable?"
"Of course it's reliable. I heard this news from the steward elder, so it should be correct. It might be announced soon," Chen Lin Gang replied with a nod.
"If that's the case, then I'll decide when the confirmed news comes. By the way, when does this competition start?" Lin Chu asked after some thought.
Chen Lin Gang shook his head and said, "I only heard about this news. I didn't hear about the specific time."
Lin Chu gave a wry smile and said, "If it's going to be held soon, our strength might not even be enough to get into the top ten thousand. Forget it, I'll make a decision when the news comes."
"Alright. It's my fault too. If I had eavesdropped a little longer, I might have known when it would be held," Chen Lin Gang replied with a slight nod.
"Eavesdropping? Junior Brother Chen, you should stop eavesdropping on the elders' conversations in the future. If you're discovered, you'll be punished," Lin Chu immediately admonished upon hearing this.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, I know. I just happened to pass by and overheard it today," Chen Lin Gang replied with a nod.
While Lin Chu and Chen Lin Gang were talking, in the Young Sect's Assembly Hall, the Ten Hall Masters of the Young Sect and the Grand Elder and others were seated, discussing the five major forces competition that Chen Lin Gang had told Lin Chu about.
"Alright, now that everyone knows about this matter, let's each express our opinions. How will our Young Sect disciples participate? And regarding the allocation of quotas, what are everyone's opinions?"
Liu Feichen, who was seated at the head of the hall, looked at Bai Yuwei and the others and said slowly.
As Liu Feichen's voice fell, everyone in the hall began to ponder in secret.
"Sect Master, in my opinion, according to what the envoy from the Anwu Hall said, this competition is mainly to select ten outstanding prodigies. Since they are prodigies, their age naturally cannot be too high. How about we set the age limit at under thirty years old?"
After a moment, the Grand Elder spoke first.
Liu Feichen glanced at the elders and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, the Grand Elder spoke again, "As for the disciple quotas, in my opinion, core disciples and elite disciples can all participate."
"As for ordinary disciples and outer disciples, we can hold a qualifying match, and the top one hundred disciples can compete?"
"One hundred people, isn't that a bit too few?" The steward elder of the ordinary disciples frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Although there were over ten thousand disciples in the Young Sect, ordinary and outer disciples accounted for nearly half. To select only one hundred people from over five thousand to compete, this quota was indeed too small.
"That's right. One hundred people is indeed a bit few. Since the duel between Lin Chu and Qiu Shaoming ended, our outer disciples have been cultivating diligently. There are many disciples with remarkable achievements."
"Moreover, there are still two full years before the competition begins. Within two years, I believe there will be a large number of disciples among the outer disciples whose strength will soar," the steward elder of the outer disciples echoed.
"Although the recent cultivation of ordinary and outer disciples has been gratifying, the strength of core disciples and elite disciples is indeed undeniable. And since they will be representing the outer Young Sect in the competition, their strength must be strong."
"Therefore, in my opinion, one hundred quotas for ordinary and outer disciples are already quite a lot," the Grand Elder shook his head slightly.
"Ten Hall Elders, what are your views?" Seeing this, Liu Feichen shifted his gaze to the ten Hall Masters who had been silent.
Yuwen Yue spoke slowly, "For the competition, it is indeed necessary to have disciples with strong strength participate. This will not only showcase the prestige of our Young Sect but also increase the chances of obtaining the Crimson Blood Divine Fruit and competing for those ten spots in the Anwu Hall."
"However, as Elder Qiu said, there are still two years before the competition begins. In two years, many things can change. Therefore, it is not impossible for ordinary and outer disciples to grow."
"Elder Yuwen, are you saying that everything is undecided?" Elder Mingyue snorted coldly upon hearing this.
"Elder Mingyue, my meaning is that everything is temporarily undecided. We will discuss it again in two years. Whether they are dragons or snakes, it will depend on their own fortune," Yuwen Yue said with a slight smile.
"What is the Saintess's opinion?" Liu Feichen nodded slightly and then looked at Bai Yuwei.
Bai Yuwei nodded slightly and said, "I think Elder Yuwen's words are appropriate."
Liu Feichen nodded and said, "In that case, core disciples and elite disciples can all participate. As for ordinary disciples and outer disciples, a decision will be made later."
"However, during these two years, if any ordinary or outer disciples, through their own efforts, feel they can challenge elite or core disciples, they can also participate if they win. This matter will trouble Elder Wude."
"For the sake of our Young Sect, it is only right," Elder Wude immediately stood up and responded.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Dong!
In the main hall of the Young Sect, the sound of a bell resounded. Lin Chu and Chen Lin Gang, who had just walked out of their rooms, looked at each other and then rushed towards the main hall of the Young Sect.
"What happened? Why have all the disciples gathered?" A moment after arriving at the square outside the main hall, Lin Chu and Chen Lin Gang were surprised to see more and more Young Sect disciples rushing from all directions.
"Something must be announced," Lin Chu said after pondering for a moment.
"Could it be that the five major forces competition is about to be announced?" Chen Lin Gang became excited upon hearing this.
"Senior Brother Lin," as Chen Lin Gang's voice fell, Su Jinlong and others stepped forward and bowed towards Lin Chu.
"Brother Su," Lin Chu smiled and cupped his fists in return.
"Does Senior Brother Lin know what happened?" Su Jinlong asked.
Lin Chu shook his head.
"Huh? The Sect Master is actually here!" Just then, Chen Lin Gang suddenly exclaimed.
Lin Chu, Su Jinlong, and the others turned their heads to look at the high platform outside the main hall, where several figures were standing, with Liu Feichen at the head.
"I have gathered you here today because in two years, the Anwu Hall will be recruiting ten prodigious sons. These ten spots will be generated from our four major regions. After deliberation, our Northern Region will hold a ranking battle in two years."
"The top ten ranked individuals will represent our Northern Region in the competition for the ten prodigious sons. Of course, those who enter the top one thousand will also receive a Crimson Blood Divine Fruit to enhance their strength."
Liu Feichen paused for a few breaths and then continued, "This matter concerns the prestige of our Young Sect. I hope that you will cultivate diligently in the next two years, participate in the ranking battle, and win the top prize to enhance the glory of our Young Sect!"