Chapter 353 - 335: Each Side’s Preparations for the Tournament

The Great Hall Master gave a brief introduction to the Little World, then said, "Zhaang Ye, you haven’t been in the True Hall for very long, so you don’t know the rules of the Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition. I’ll explain them to you now.

"After the Hall Masters of our thirteen True Halls join forces to open the Little World, you will be sent inside. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi in this Little World is extremely rich, and it contains a great deal of Essence Stones and many rare medicinal herbs. Your task is to search for these Essence Stones and rare herbs.

"We will rank the competitors based on the number of Essence Stones they obtain. The person with the most Essence Stones will be first place, and so on down the line. As for the Essence Stones and rare herbs you collect, you must hand over fifty percent to the True Hall. The other fifty percent will be yours to keep..."

As he listened to the Great Hall Master’s explanation, a glint flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He asked slowly, "Inside the Little World, are we allowed to seize other people’s Essence Stones and herbs?"

The Great Hall Master gave Zhaang Ye a meaningful look and said, "You can. This Little World is completely isolated from the outside. It can only be opened by dozens of True Dao Experts working together. Whatever happens inside, no one on the outside will ever know..."

Zhaang Ye sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. ’According to the Great Hall Master, the young experts entering the Little World can unscrupulously seize Essence Stones and even kill people. This Rookie King Competition is going to be exceptionally brutal. Even an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer can’t guarantee they’ll make it out alive.’

Next, the Great Hall Master gave a further description of the Little World, mainly introducing the various dangers and powerful Fierce Beasts within.

The Great Hall Master focused on five specific Fierce Beasts. "The first is a Green-eyed Golden Eagle. This eagle is on the verge of evolving into a Barbaric Beast, and its combat power is comparable to a Half-Step True Dao Expert. Its speed is also extreme; if it locks onto you, escape is impossible.

"The second is a Purple-haired Wild Boar. This boar moves like lightning, is skilled at hiding its tracks, possesses immense strength, and is impervious to blades and spears. In the Little World, its power is second only to the Green-eyed Golden Eagle. Even an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer would be facing certain death if they encountered it.

"Third on the list is a Sharp-headed Mongoose. This mongoose is only the size of two fists, with a head as sharp and hard as a steel needle. It excels at moving underground, its movements unpredictable and ghost-like. If it targets you, you can no longer travel on the ground, or it might emerge from beneath at any moment to kill you.

"The fourth Fierce Beast is a Two-winged Flying Crocodile. This crocodile likes to ambush from underwater, attacking with immense strength and lightning speed. Not only can it attack from the water, but it can also crawl onto land. Even more formidable, it can fly through the sky. Its power is far greater than that of an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer.

"The last of the dangerous Fierce Beasts is the Death Bee. Death Bees are thumb-sized, entirely black, and fly at terrifying speeds. What’s even more frightening is that they often fly in swarms, looking like a cloud on the move, a truly horrifying sight. The Death Bee is incredibly venomous; even a Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert would not survive being stung."

After explaining the various dangers of the Little World, the Great Hall Master flicked his hand and tossed a thick Beast Hide Scroll to Zhaang Ye. "The True Hall is in urgent need of a batch of medicinal herbs that can only be found in the Little World. This Beast Hide Scroll contains detailed information about them..."

Zhaang Ye caught the Beast Hide Scroll, glanced through it, and said in a deep voice, "So, my mission is to find these herbs in the Little World and bring them back?"

The Great Hall Master chuckled. "Precisely. If you can gather all of these herbs, we will do our best to fulfill any request you make. We could even refine an Innate Golden Pill for you, which will increase your chances of entering the True Dao."

’An Innate Golden Pill!’ Zhaang Ye’s heart pounded. The Innate Golden Pill was a legendary elixir. After a Martial Artist consumed it, their True Qi would slowly transform into Innate True Qi. If their aptitude and comprehension were sufficient, they could use the medicinal power to break through to the True Dao Realm and become a dominant powerhouse.

Even Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but be moved by the prospect of an Innate Golden Pill.

Zhaang Ye took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I will do my best to collect all the herbs. There is still some time before the competition. I would like to go to my master’s Pseudo Spirit Tree to continue my cultivation. I also hope to receive a protective Treasure Armor, one bottle of Top-grade Detoxification Pills, two bottles of Top-grade Muscle Regeneration Powder, and three bottles of Top-grade Transformation Pills..."

The Great Hall Master listened quietly, then waved his hand magnanimously. "Fine, I agree to all of it! You may return for now. In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everything will be delivered to you. I hope you won’t disappoint us!"

Zhaang Ye nodded and strode out of the Council Hall.

After Zhaang Ye had left the Council Hall, the Third Hall Master sighed softly. "I hope Zhaang Ye can successfully retrieve those herbs. For over thirty years, my cultivation has been stuck at the True Dao Second Layer, unable to make even the slightest progress."

The Second Hall Master nodded slightly. "Only with that batch of herbs can we refine the Innate True Pill and advance our cultivation. Otherwise, I will never be able to break through to the True Dao Third Layer in this lifetime."

The Great Hall Master then spoke slowly, "Zhaang Ye’s cultivation has reached the Martial Arts Ninth Level Middle Stage. He possesses both Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power, and he has comprehended Ancient Sword Intent. His combat strength is even greater than an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. Barring any accidents, he should be able to bring those herbs back..."

The Fourth Hall Master gave a wry smile. "With Zhaang Ye’s strength, he probably wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even in a direct confrontation with Yangx Guyuan, the leader of the four great young experts. What I’m worried about now are the old foxes from the other halls playing dirty tricks..."

The Great Hall Master sighed softly. "There will certainly be dirty tricks. Over the years, the old foxes from the Great Marsh True Hall, the Great Rong Country True Hall, the Moon Country True Hall, and the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall have all been searching for ancient traces. I’ve heard they’ve acquired several Meteor True Artifacts. If they have Meteor True Artifacts in their possession, they’ll surely give them to their disciples to use. Let’s hope Zhaang Ye can handle it..."

...

「Great Marsh True Hall.」

A young man in purple robes stood in the center of the grand hall. Seated on the main throne was an old man with a beard that reached the floor. At that moment, the long-bearded elder was slowly taking out two one-inch-long short swords and handing them to the purple-robed youth.

The purple-robed youth took the short swords and asked, "What kind of swords are these?"

A smug smile appeared on the long-bearded elder’s face. "These two swords are something I, your master, painstakingly found at an Ancient Space Array. They are a pair of Meteor True Artifacts. You only need to infuse them with True Qi to unleash their power and deliver a world-shaking strike."

The purple-robed youth’s eyes lit up, and he said with excitement, "Excellent! With these two Meteor True Artifacts, first place in this Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition is guaranteed to be mine—Helian Bi Bi’s! With these, I have nothing to fear, not even when facing the most powerful opponent, Yangx Guyuan!"

The long-bearded elder nodded slightly. "Right now, two people pose the greatest threat to you. One is Yangx Guyuan, and the other is Zhaang Ye, the rapidly rising young expert from the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Your own strength is comparable to an expert at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer. With these two Meteor True Artifacts, you should have no problem defeating them."

A look of arrogance crossed Helian Bi Bi’s face. "Rest assured, Master! I, Helian Bi Bi, will definitely use these swords to defeat the experts of the Younger Generation and walk out of this Land of Divine Abandonment."

...

「Great Rong Country True Hall.」

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Chu Yuxiang stood in a spacious training ground, loosing arrow after arrow. In just a few short months, his archery had clearly improved. He drew his longbow again and again, releasing ten arrows with every pull. The arrows streaked swiftly across the empty training ground.

Above the training ground was a flock of Flowing Cloud Hummingbirds, each the size of a little finger. The Flowing Cloud Hummingbirds flew with lightning speed; they could fly forward or backward, making them extremely difficult to track. But under Chu Yuxiang’s longbow, these elusive birds couldn’t even escape. No matter how fast or erratically they flew, Chu Yuxiang’s arrows always found their mark.

"Very good, very good. Your archery has already reached the Great Success Realm." A voice suddenly spoke. As the voice sounded, a lean middle-aged man appeared at Chu Yuxiang’s side.

Seeing the lean middle-aged man, Chu Yuxiang quickly stopped shooting and said respectfully, "Master."

The lean middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Do you have confidence for the upcoming Thirteen Countries Rookie King Competition?"

Chu Yuxiang thought for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "I do not. The opponents I face this time include Yangx Guyuan, Helian Bi Bi, and Ling Kongyun, not to mention Zhaang Ye. None of them are weaker than me. I truly have no confidence in defeating them."

A glint flashed in the lean middle-aged man’s eyes. He handed over two long arrows and said, "Take these. I hope you can make good use of them to defeat your opponents in one fell swoop."

Chu Yuxiang took them, puzzled. Suddenly, his body trembled slightly as he said in disbelief, "These two arrows... are they Meteor True Artifacts?"

The lean middle-aged man nodded slightly. "They are indeed Meteor True Artifacts. I, your master, found these two arrows in some ancient ruins. I hope you will use them well."

Chu Yuxiang suppressed his ecstasy and said, "Thank you, Master! With these two arrows, no matter how powerful Yangx Guyuan and Zhaang Ye are, they will die by my arrows!"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)