After Xiao Hongyu finished speaking, he returned to his seat up high.
The people standing in the square seemed to explode like a pot that had boiled over, bursting into exclamation after exclamation.
“Holy crap! Deity Transformation? Isn’t it a rule for this competition that participants can’t be over five hundred years old? How could there be a Deity Transformation cultivator?”
“No wonder the four great sects haven’t held open selections before! Turns out it was to protect our self-esteem!”
“I heard that when a Nascent Soul faces a Deity Transformation cultivator, the Nascent Soul doesn’t even have the right to resist. Isn’t that just an absolute blow to one’s morale?”
Some people sighed, but naturally, there were also those who had doubts.
When Xiao Qingfeng stepped forward to announce the rules of the first match,
someone in the crowd below shouted loudly, “What Deity Transformation? Why don’t you invite them out so we can see them? We’d also like to get to know the people who cultivated to the Deity Transformation stage within five hundred years…”
“Yes! We all want to take a look!”
Led by one person, the shouts grew louder and louder, all demanding that the five Deity Transformation cultivators be brought out.
Xiao Qingfeng shot them a cold glare, and in an instant, his pressure enveloped the entire square.
Immediately, everyone fell silent as if struck dumb, their faces turning pale.
Xiao Qingfeng didn’t have a very good temper, and he said sarcastically, “If I call them out for you to see, will that allow you to surpass them?”
The other three sect leaders looked at Xiao Qingfeng with strange expressions.
Ever since Xiao Qingfeng returned from Bear Tiger Ridge, he had picked up the skill of being cold and sarcastic, and he simply couldn’t speak properly anymore.
Xiao Qingfeng didn’t care what others thought. Most of the people causing trouble down there were either lacking in strength or felt there was some behind-the-scenes trickery, afraid that those five would snatch away their spots.
“Everyone, quiet down, do you hear me? This is the preliminary round venue, not a vegetable market. If you want to see the five Deity Transformation cultivators, then work hard and make it to the finals.”
“Right now, you’re not even worthy of meeting them! Do you understand or not?”
As soon as Xiao Qingfeng finished speaking,
a contestant said defiantly, “Isn’t this a bit too overbearing of you? We just want the truth!”
Xiao Qingfeng looked at the indignant young man in gray, “Overbearing? I’m trying to leave you some dignity, but if you don’t want it, don’t blame me then.”
Xiao Qingfeng swept his gaze around and made eye contact with Feng Qingran in the crowd.
Mo Jinghong wasn’t there today, but beside Feng Qingran, two unfamiliar faces had appeared.
One of them was a man in blue robes, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his posture upright and tall. His black eyes were like an eagle’s in the dark night. He was handsome and elegant, with an extraordinary demeanor, holding a lone sword in his arms.
This should be Ye Wentian’s second disciple, Dugu Jianyi.
Xiao Qingfeng then looked at Dugu Jianyi’s cultivation level and was immediately astonished: peak Nascent Soul stage, just one step away from Void Spirit!
Xiao Qingfeng concealed the amazement in his eyes and looked at the other woman beside Feng Qingran.
The woman wore a deep purple brocade dress. Her features were absolutely beautiful, her skin like jade, and her temperament resembled a peerless snow lotus atop a cold mountain—distant, indifferent, and ethereal, untouched by worldly affairs, much like a goddess of ice and snow.
This must be Ye Wentian’s third disciple, Qin Hanyan. She was also at the peak Nascent Soul stage!
Xiao Qingfeng cursed inwardly, Ye Wentian was really lucky.
Every single disciple he took on was an exceptional talent among people, elegant and outstanding.
Words like envy and jealousy were no longer enough to describe Xiao Qingfeng’s feelings at this moment.
Xiao Qingfeng thought about all this in just a split second. Soon, he had an idea.
If he couldn’t deal with Ye Wentian, he would go after his disciples instead.
Xiao Qingfeng said to the young man in gray, “You’re already four hundred years old, aren’t you?”
The young man in gray nodded, a proud look on his face, “This junior is exactly four hundred years old, with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.”
“Mm, not bad,” Xiao Qingfeng said with feigned approval, then continued, “Look to your right. Over there is a young man in blue. He’s less than a hundred years old, and at the peak Nascent Soul stage…”
One by one, the crowd turned to look in the direction Xiao Qingfeng had indicated, their eyes landing on Dugu Jianyi.
Dugu Jianyi pressed his thin lips together tightly and slightly furrowed his sharp brows.
After sizing up Dugu Jianyi for a moment, everyone was dumbfounded. They hadn’t expected such a genius to actually exist!
The young man in gray was utterly crushed, looking completely dejected.
Xiao Qingfeng’s icy voice rang out again, “Are you convinced now?”
The crowd nodded, but at the same time, they became more wary of Dugu Jianyi.
Feng Qingran’s almond-shaped eyes met Xiao Qingfeng’s again. Feng Qingran was sure that Xiao Qingfeng had done this on purpose.
By pointing out her second senior brother’s cultivation level at this moment, Xiao Qingfeng was making the few of them from Lingyun Sect targets for everyone.
Xiao Qingfeng narrowed his cold eyes, a sly smile flashing across them, then he casually looked away as if nothing had happened.
“I’m afraid many of you don’t know that there are several prodigies hidden among you, do you? Right now, you should be praying that in the upcoming matches, you don’t run into them too early.”
“Next, I announce the rules for the first round. The first round is called ‘Ascending the Ladder to Heaven.'”
As Xiao Qingfeng spoke, he waved his hand grandly, and suddenly, a towering ladder that reached into the clouds appeared on the right side of the square.
Layers of faint mist enveloped the ladder, making it impossible for anyone to see its true condition.
Before the crowd could even marvel at the ladder, Xiao Qingfeng’s voice sounded again.
“The ladder has a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. How many steps you can ascend depends entirely on your strength and perseverance.”
“First, anyone who can reach the top of the ladder will advance directly to the fourth round.”
