Chapter 555 - 528: 5 Grandmasters

Grandmaster!

One who reaches the True Dao Ninth Layer is a Grandmaster. One who reaches the peak of the True Dao Ninth Layer is a Great Grandmaster. Though the Purple Spirit Domain is vast, there are only twenty-some people who have managed to cultivate to the True Dao Ninth Layer.

Every expert who has cultivated to the True Dao Ninth Layer is an important and influential figure. These five profound and mysterious figures were precisely five True Dao Ninth Layer Masters, the top experts in the Purple Spirit Domain!

The leader of the five Grandmasters was a middle-aged man with a black beard. He seemed to blend into the void, making his presence completely unnoticeable. The simple way he stood held a profound and mysterious quality.

The black-bearded man’s gaze swept slowly over the young experts. His expression flickered when he saw Shui Daimai. Then, when his eyes landed on Qi Qingle, Pingcang Mountain, and Taishu Gang, a trace of satisfaction appeared in his gaze. Clearly, he was quite pleased with the cultivation of Qi Qingle, Pingcang Mountain, and Taishu Gang.

The black-bearded man spoke slowly, "I am Master Qianjian, a Supreme Elder of the Green Cloud Sect. The four Grandmasters behind me are Daoist Master Shuiyue of the Spirit Water Sect, Daoist Master Peng of the Mad Beast Sect, Master Miaohua of the Talisman Sect, and Fengqing Zhenren of the Array Sect. The five of us will be presiding over this Young Master Evaluation Conference. We hope you will all perform well."

After speaking, Master Qianjian turned to the four Grandmasters behind him. "Fellow Daoist Masters, the time has come. Let us join forces to summon the Sunset Secret Realm from the void!"

The four Grandmasters nodded slightly and each took a step forward into the void. In the next instant, five vast and boundless powers erupted from their bodies, surging forth with an indescribable might!

BOOM! BOOM!

The five immense forces swept over the surface of the sea, carving five unfathomably deep trenches into it. The entire sea churned violently. Hundreds of millions of catties of seawater were instantly vaporized by the five great powers, filling the air for ten thousand square miles with Water Qi. Lightning flickered wildly, as if it could start raining at any moment.

BOOM!

The five indescribable powers slammed into a point a thousand miles away.

As the five powers struck, a ceaselessly spinning black hole abruptly appeared in the void. The black hole slowly shrank, and a colossal gate shimmering with brilliant red light suddenly materialized before everyone’s eyes. Through the giant gate, the young experts could see the mountain peaks, the setting sun, and all sorts of strange flowers and trees within.

HUMMM!

The giant gate opened wider and wider, revealing a magnificent world unfolding a thousand miles away. Zhaang Ye gazed into the distance and saw a steep mountain peak inside the gate. Atop the peak were three rows of seats. The first row was golden and had nine seats. The second row was silver and had eighteen seats. The third row was iron-black and had twenty-seven seats.

Looking at the seats in the Sunset Secret Realm, the young experts all showed their excitement. Some of the more impatient ones began pointing at the seats and discussing them in low voices.

"Alright."

A burly figure suddenly stepped forward in the void and said in a deep voice, "I am Daoist Master Peng, a Supreme Elder of the Mad Beast Sect. Now, I will explain the rules of the competition.

Within the Sunset Secret Realm, there is a mountain peak named Sunset Peak. At eight hundred zhang up Sunset Peak, there are twenty-seven seats for Third-Grade Young Masters. At nine hundred zhang, there are eighteen seats for Second-Grade Young Masters. And at nine hundred ninety-nine zhang, there are nine seats for First-Grade Young Masters.

"After the competition begins, you may each use your Body Techniques to rush into the Sunset Secret Realm and seize a seat. If you capture a Third-Grade seat, you have a chance to become a Third-Grade Young Master. If you capture a Second-Grade seat, you have a chance to become a Second-Grade Young Master. And if you capture a First-Grade seat, you have a chance to become a First-Grade Young Master."

Listening to Daoist Master Peng’s explanation, the faces of the young experts present lit up with excitement. The Purple Spirit Domain was full of budding geniuses, and those who could make it onto the Young Master List were the geniuses among geniuses, the experts among experts. If they could make it onto the list, their names would shake the Purple Spirit Domain, and they would be able to look down on the rest of the Younger Generation.

Seeing their excitement, Daoist Master Peng chuckled and continued, "The Young Master List has a total of fifty-four seats. First come, first served. Those who arrive late can challenge those who have already taken a seat. If you are not satisfied with your seat’s ranking, you can also challenge others. Each person has three chances to challenge and must also accept three challenges from others. Do you understand?"

The young experts all nodded and replied in unison, "Understood!"

After Daoist Master Peng finished, a woman in a long black dress flew out and said, "I am Daoist Master Shuiyue, a Supreme Elder of the Spirit Water Sect. I will now remind you of three things. First, the Black Death Sea is home to many powerful Barbaric Beasts. You must be careful when flying, or you will be eaten by the fish and Sea Beasts.

"Second, this Black Death Sea was formed during the battle between the ancient experts, the Sword Monarch and the Fist Dominator. It contains terrifying Sword Intent and Fist Intent. If you cannot withstand it, you may turn back.

"Finally, while flying over the sea, you may not use a True Vessel to fly, nor may you attack others directly. Of course, you may manipulate the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to limit your opponents’ speed.

"You must abide by these rules. Otherwise, you will face punishment from us."

After speaking, Daoist Master Shuiyue nodded to Master Qianjian. Master Qianjian chuckled and said, "Finally, I will speak about the rewards. In this Young Master Evaluation Conference, anyone who makes it onto the Young Master List will be allowed to enter the Sword Monarch Ruins. Inside, you can cultivate and search for treasures left behind by the Sword Monarch.

"Of course, the length of your stay will not be the same. Third-Grade Young Masters may stay in the Sword Monarch Ruins for one month. Second-Grade Young Masters may stay for two months. And First-Grade Young Masters may stay for three months!"

WHOA!

Upon hearing Master Qianjian’s announcement, every one of the young experts clenched their fists, their eyes revealing a look of fierce determination. Even powerful masters like Shui Daimai, Qi Qingle, and Ba Xiongfei could not remain calm.

"Haha, a chance to enter the Sword Monarch Ruins! This is incredible!"

"Heh, if I could obtain the Sword Monarch’s inheritance, that would be perfect. I’d definitely sweep through the Younger Generation, dominate the Purple Spirit Domain, and even advancing to the legendary Spirit Dao wouldn’t be just a dream."

"This is great, just great. The Sword Monarch Ruins were formed from the Sword Monarch’s body after he fell. All kinds of Realms and powers remain within the ruins. If I can just comprehend a single Realm, my strength will skyrocket."

"Heh, legend says the Sword Monarch’s cultivation had already reached the Spirit Dao, and he even created his own Little World. If I could get my hands on something from that Little World, I could rule the world."

The young experts discussed this in low voices, each one trembling with excitement. Their eyes shone, like hungry wolves that had caught the scent of meat, every fiber of their being alight with anticipation.

Zhaang Ye was also secretly excited. He cultivated the Sword Dao. If he could enter the Sword Monarch Ruins and experience the presence of an expert of the Ancient Saber Dao, his Saber Technique and his overall strength would improve dramatically.

Zhaang Ye thought to himself, ’I absolutely cannot miss out on the Sword Monarch Ruins! No matter what, I have to become a First-Grade Young Master in this evaluation conference!’

"Alright."

Master Qianjian pressed his hands down in the void and announced in a deep voice, "The time has come. I now declare the Young Master Evaluation Conference officially open!"

BUZZ!

The moment Master Qianjian’s voice fell, the young experts by the sea immediately executed their Body Techniques and flew toward the Sunset Secret Realm. Three hundred young experts transformed into three hundred streaks of light, a truly spectacular sight.

Zhaang Ye, who had comprehended the Wind Realm and was already prepared, transformed into a tornado the instant Master Qianjian’s voice faded, shooting a hundred zhang away. With this move, Zhaang Ye left the vast majority of the young experts behind. Only a dozen or so could keep pace with him.

WHOOSH!

As he flew over the Black Death Sea, an incredibly heavy suppression, like a great mountain, pressed down on Zhaang Ye, making it difficult for him to breathe. ’This must be the remnant suppression from the battle between the ancient experts,’ Zhaang Ye knew. ’I have to fight against this suppression to keep flying.’

Zhaang Ye had already tasted an ancient suppression back at the Ten Thousand Volcanoes. Although this suppression was powerful, it was still within his limits. He took a sharp breath, and the Celestial River Righteous Qi in his body circulated madly to counteract the immense pressure.

Just as he was about to fly at full speed, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt the heavy suppression vanish. In its place came a suppression that was sharp to the extreme. This new suppression felt like a barrage of physical blades, slicing at him head-on, causing sharp pains all over his body and disrupting the flow of his Celestial River Righteous Qi!

HISS!

Zhaang Ye once again circulated his Celestial River Righteous Qi, forming layers of tornadoes around himself to dissipate the sharp suppression.

Although he managed to dissipate the suppression, Zhaang Ye’s flight speed dropped drastically. He was now flying at less than one percent of his usual speed.

Zhaang Ye’s speed had slowed greatly, and the other young masters were also affected by the suppression, their flight speeds dropping as well. The three hundred-plus young experts each brought out their own skills, struggling to resist the two terrifying suppressions as they flew with all their might toward the Sunset Secret Realm.

As Zhaang Ye struggled to resist the incredibly sharp suppression, a strange look appeared on his face. He was inwardly shocked. ’What terrifying suppressions! The first, heavy one must have been from the Fist Dominator. This sharp one now must be from the Sword Monarch! Strange... why does the Sword Monarch’s suppression feel a little familiar?’

--(To be continued.