Chapter 751: Discussion Pavilion (I)

The opening ceremony of the Ascension Assembly was grand, lively, and spectacular. However, it held little appeal for cultivators who had seen their fair share of the world. They were far more interested in the cultivators from beyond Great Wei who had appeared at the Ascension Assembly. Throughout the venue, cultivators privately exchanged voice transmissions as they discussed the barbarians, ancient yao, the Eastern Sea's sea clans, and the other visiting factions.

"Heh, this assembly is bound to be interesting..." Ji Haozhong chuckled as he looked toward the area occupied by the Eastern Sea's sea clans, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

He had a grudge against one particular sea clan cultivator, and that cultivator happened to be here.

Lin Zheyu glanced curiously at the sea clan cultivator Ji Haozhong was watching and casually offered his assistance. "You have a grudge against him? Need any help?"

The man was a humanoid expert with fleshy tendrils waving from his body like tentacles, retaining many of the traits of a marine exotic beast. His cultivation was only around the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

"No, I'm good. I'll deal with him myself. Although I probably won't even need to make a move. That fellow has quite a few enemies here." Ji Haozhong shrugged.

He leaned back comfortably in his seat with a smile, resting both hands behind his head. "The arena is bound to be several times livelier than ever before."

Ji Haozhong turned toward Lin Zheyu and extended an invitation. "Want to go take a look after the ceremony and see how strong those fellows are?"

The emperor of Great Wei had just announced new rules for the arena challenges, increasing the rewards for the victors to encourage cultivators of the various races and factions to exchange pointers and learn from one another.

Lin Zheyu shook his head. "Not interested. Martial arts are not meant for killing and fighting. Their true purpose is to cultivate the body and temper the heart in pursuit of the supreme Dao."

Among the factions attending the Ascension Assembly, all the major powers had sent Nascent Soul realm experts to lead their delegations. Nascent Soul realm cultivators were more or less the strongest individuals present, and experts of their caliber would not normally enter the arena challenges. Without any Nascent Soul realm experts taking part, the strongest battles would only be between peak Golden Core realm cultivators. Such battles held little appeal for Lin Zheyu.

"Uh... Listen to you..." Ji Haozhong glanced speechlessly at Lin Zheyu. He was about to argue, but after thinking it over, he realized that Xiao Yu had indeed rarely fought since joining the Martial Alliance.

"Forget it... You're no fun. Fellow Qiu Kun is much better company. If I'd known, I would've talked him into coming along." Ji Haozhong curled his lips. He knew that Xiao Yu was probably speaking from the heart. Given his temperament, he might truly have no interest in the arena challenges.

Ji Haozhong pondered for a moment before asking again, "The rewards for this arena tournament are extremely generous. Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?"

"They certainly are. Even I find the top-ten rewards for the Golden Core realm division rather tempting. But with so many geniuses gathered at the Ascension Assembly, reaching the top ten would be no easy feat." Lin Zheyu shook his head.

Reaching the top ten would require him to reveal far too much of his strength. He was currently only at the middle stage of the Shackles realm, equivalent to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm. Yet at this Ascension Assembly, he had seen many gifted cultivators at the peak of the Golden Core realm. Their auras were formidable, and every one of them possessed the strength to fight above their cultivation level. Quite a few could even rival Nascent Soul realm experts. If Lin Zheyu defeated these geniuses and forced his way into the top ten while displaying only the strength of a mid-stage Shackles realm martial artist, he would attract far too much attention.

"That's true. It's a shame your cultivation realm is still a little low, fellow friend. In another ten or twenty years, once you reach the limit of the Shackles realm, you should have a decent chance of competing against those Immortal Dao geniuses," Ji Haozhong said.

Ji Haozhong had personally experienced just how monstrous Xiao Yu's natural talent was. However, when measured against the cultivators of Great Wei and the entire continent beyond, that extraordinary talent seemed somewhat less impressive. After all, martial cultivation was only an incomplete path of cultivation. It could not compare to the other cultivation systems that offered a path to the highest reaches of the Dao.

In Ji Haozhong's view, a monstrous genius like Xiao Yu would, at best, be considered an ordinary genius if he cultivated the Immortal Dao. There should still be an enormous gap between him and its true prodigies. Lin Zheyu merely smiled at his words and let the matter pass.

The assembly's opening ceremony proceeded smoothly. Hierarchy was rigidly observed in the cultivation world, and with the strength of the Martial Alliance and Lin Zheyu, they were completely unqualified to involve themselves in many matters. If they had any tasks, they merely had to wait for instructions. They had no right to participate in the decision-making. Ultimately, as the saying went, they had only come to show their support and make up the numbers.

The assembly's opening ceremony soon came to an end. After giving a few instructions, Lin Zheyu threaded his way through the cultivators and headed toward the Discussion Pavilion. The Ascension Assembly's various venues did not all open at the same time.

The Forbidden Mountain and War God Hall, the two venues that interested Lin Zheyu, would not open for another few days, so he planned to visit the Discussion Pavilion first. The Discussion Pavilion was where cultivators attending the Ascension Assembly gathered to sit and discuss the Dao. Unlike the arena challenges, where participants competed through strength, the Discussion Pavilion was a place for exchanging insights on cultivation, comprehension, and the Dao. With so many factions gathered here, it was likely no less lively than the arena.

A rude voice came from behind him. "You, boy up ahead, stop right there. Hey, I'm talking to you, you uncouth martial brute."

Lin Zheyu paused and cast a sidelong glance at them. After looking them over, he turned away, uninterested, and continued walking. They were merely three barbarian cultivators at the Golden Core realm. They were hardly worth his attention.

"Hmph. Are all cultivators from Great Wei this ill-mannered?" a cold voice called out.

A fierce gust immediately whistled toward Lin Zheyu from behind. The burly barbarian warrior had actually attacked without another word. The surrounding cultivators stopped in their tracks and watched the commotion with interest.

However, the force of the punch tore through the air, only to strike empty space. The barbarian man frowned slightly and surveyed his surroundings with a grave expression. "He... He disappeared! I can't sense his aura. How could..."

And without a word from Lin Zheyu, a burst of excruciating pain suddenly erupted in the barbarian man's chest. An immense force struck him, sending him hurtling backward. Dark purple energy surged from his body and enveloped him, allowing him to arrest his flight with great difficulty. This was Black Tortoise City, and the barbarian man knew not to go too far. When he attacked just now, he had used only his physical strength without drawing upon his totemic power. Otherwise, Lin Zheyu would not have needed to do anything. The city's patrol guards would have taken him into custody immediately.

The sound of applause rang out. A man stepped forward from beside the barbarian warrior. He wore an exquisite robe fashioned from animal hide, and mysterious, peculiar markings were inscribed across his face.

The man narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Lin Zheyu. "Not bad. Not bad at all. You do have some skill. My good-for-nothing junior brother died at your hands, didn't he?"

Lin Zheyu looked at the barbarian man and said indifferently, "Oh? Which one was your junior brother? What did he look like? I've killed quite a few barbarians, so I don't remember."

The aura of the man before him was rather unusual, and Lin Zheyu immediately recognized him as a practitioner of the barbarian shaman cultivation system. He had once slain a barbarian shaman, and their attack methods were quite bizarre.

"If you don't remember, then forget it. It makes no difference. He was merely a good-for-nothing who brought shame upon all shamans by dying at the hands of an uncouth martial brute. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Inotelmond Collis. You may call me Collis, fellow friend. My junior brother may have been useless, but that does not mean just anyone could bully him. Since he died at your hands, I must still seek justice for him as his senior brother. Would you be interested in facing me in the arena?" Collis asked Lin Zheyu with a smile.