Firmament Sword

Meanwhile, Xu Luo was in a secret chamber. Besides him, there were only two other people in the room.

One of them was the Chief Grand Elder of the Medicine Garden, Yuwen Ji. The other... was the Sect Leader of Celestial Brilliance... Xiahou Kaiyuan!

At that moment, Xiahou Kaiyuan was explaining something to Xu Luo and Yuwen Ji.

"The Divine Domain is boundlessly vast, and the Human Race occupies just one corner. This corner is known as Jiuzhou. Our Xi Hezhou is just one province within it. Besides ours, there are eight others: Dongsheng Province, Southern Province, Beitong Province, Celestial Ocean Province, Sea Soul Province, Great Wilderness Province, Ice-Sealed Province, and Blazing Flame Province."

Xiahou Kaiyuan looked at Xu Luo and sighed softly. "Our Xi Hezhou is located in the barbaric lands of the western frontier. Among all of Jiuzhou, our overall strength ranks third to last, only slightly stronger than Ice-Sealed Province and Great Wilderness Province."

"Many years ago, a forbidden land in the Divine Domain called Gui Xu was discovered by mighty experts. Inside were countless Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, and all sorts of rare materials could be seen everywhere. There were even some ruins hidden within, so ancient that their age was untraceable."

"However, Gui Xu was home to innumerable Divine Birds and Beasts... all possessing tyrannical, unrivaled power. Forget a few top-tier experts; even the combined might of an entire province would be insufficient to breach it!"

Xu Luo couldn't help but gasp. He had long known that the forbidden lands of the Divine Domain were terrifying, but he never imagined that the combined power of an entire province would be unable to conquer one.

After all, the power of a single Supreme Great Sect like Celestial Brilliance was already strong enough to make one tremble!

Even Yuwen Ji couldn't hide his surprise. There were some ancient secrets that even he... was not entirely clear on.

"So... the magnates of several Supreme Great Sects began to unite, gathering the power of all Jiuzhou to jointly attack the forbidden land. After sacrificing countless experts, they finally drove away some of the most tyrannical Divine Birds and Beasts and secured a foothold in Gui Xu."

"When the war ended, it was time to consider the division of spoils. Jiuzhou, which had only united for profit in the first place... immediately fell apart. Each magnate had their own agenda. Just as the hard-won Jiuzhou Alliance was about to collapse, something else major happened..."

Xiahou Kaiyuan said slowly, "Some of the Divine Birds and Beasts, unwilling to accept defeat, charged out from the depths of Gui Xu... once again!"

The corner of Xu Luo's mouth twitched violently. Although Xiahou Kaiyuan hadn't specified the realm of those Divine Birds and Beasts, it was obvious they were true titans capable of grasping the sun and moon and plucking the stars from the sky.

"These Divine Birds and Beasts... were like True Gods. It took the combined might of Jiuzhou's top magnates to stand against them."

"Therefore, the same magnates who had just been red-faced from arguing over the spoils had no choice but to temporarily set aside their disputes and unite once more to fight the Divine Birds and Beasts that had returned to kill them."

"In the end, the Jiuzhou allied army was victorious again. They reached an agreement with the Divine Birds and Beasts: each side would keep to its own territory and not encroach upon the other."

At this point, Xiahou Kaiyuan sighed. "You could say that the Human Race's territory in Gui Xu was bought entirely with the blood and lives of our ancestors."

Yuwen Ji asked somberly from the side, "How many people died?"

Xiahou Kaiyuan gave a bitter smile. "Are you sure you want to know? It's a tragic number."

Without waiting for Yuwen Ji to reply, Xiahou Kaiyuan continued, "The Jiuzhou Alliance dispatched a total of three billion Martial Artists at or above the Saint Realm. In the end, only three hundred million returned."

HISS!

Both Xu Luo and Yuwen Ji were stunned. They never thought the price of attacking a forbidden land... would be so devastatingly high.

It was a truly unbearable cost!

"After that battle, all of Jiuzhou was severely weakened. The Human Race feared that the powerful beings in Gui Xu wouldn't keep their promise, so they didn't dare to start any internal conflicts. Eventually, someone proposed holding a competition every three hundred years to decide the distribution of profits."

"The province that ranked first would receive the most and best resources from Gui Xu for the next three hundred years!"

"Our Xi Hezhou's overall strength was originally quite formidable, but we suffered such heavy losses in the battle to conquer Gui Xu that our vitality was crippled. As a result, in the countless years that followed, Xi Hezhou has never been able to secure a good ranking in the Peak of Jiuzhou competition."

"As the most powerful sect in Xi Hezhou, our Celestial Brilliance must naturally shoulder this heavy responsibility. In three years... the tri-centennial Peak of Jiuzhou will begin. And this time, we are determined to make our mark!"

A sharp glint flashed in Xiahou Kaiyuan's eyes as he looked at Xu Luo and said, "After careful observation, and by the unanimous decision of the Elder Council, you... are qualified to receive a spot to participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou."

As he spoke, Xiahou Kaiyuan glanced at the grim-faced Yuwen Ji and said coolly, "However, I must first explain the rules of the Peak of Jiuzhou to you!"

"The Peak of Jiuzhou competition is nothing like our Celestial Brilliance's annual tournament. There is absolutely no room for sentimentality. The most fundamental rule is survival of the fittest!"

"All participants from across Jiuzhou will enter an enclosed Small World. The Small World itself is fraught with immense danger, and you must also guard against ambushes from your opponents... Every person will carry an identity plate. In the end, the team that has collected the most identity plates will be the winner!"

"Therefore... this is war!"

Xiahou Kaiyuan looked at Xu Luo. "Do... you understand?"

"I understand," Xu Luo nodded.

"Then, what are your... thoughts on this?" Xiahou Kaiyuan looked at Xu Luo. "If you are unwilling, I will not force you."

Xu Luo was silent for a long moment before raising his head. "If I can resolve a matter that's been weighing on my mind, I will participate."

"Speak," Xiahou Kaiyuan said, looking at Xu Luo.

"I want to join the mission to find the second half of the Soul Scripture. If it is found, I want to be able to study it." Xu Luo looked at Xiahou Kaiyuan. "If the Sect Leader agrees to this request, then... I will definitely participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou three years from now!"

"Done!" Xiahou Kaiyuan didn't hesitate at all. He looked at Xu Luo and said, "Since you were able to comprehend the first half of the Soul Scripture, it proves you have an affinity with this scripture. Therefore, if we find it, you are free to study it as you wish!"

"Thank you, Sect Leader. I accept," Xu Luo said calmly.

Yuwen Ji frowned slightly from the side and said, "Sect Leader, you just said that in the Peak of Jiuzhou, the team that obtains the most opponent identity plates is the winner. What if one's own team... suffers too many deaths...?"

Yuwen Ji had not participated in the last Peak of Jiuzhou, so he wasn't completely clear on some of its rules.

An event like the Peak of Jiuzhou... was simply too far removed from the lives of most people.

Xiahou Kaiyuan glanced at Yuwen Ji and said coolly, "Even if everyone on your own team dies, as long as you have collected the most opponent identity plates, you are still the champion!"

"So cruel..." Yuwen Ji couldn't help but be flabbergasted.

Listening from the side, Xu Luo's heart pounded in alarm. 'The Sect Leader is right,' he thought. 'This really is a war!'

"Then, how many people will our Xi Hezhou be sending, and will they all be from our Celestial Brilliance?" Yuwen Ji was actually asking on Xu Luo's behalf, as he already knew the answers to these questions.

But Xu Luo did not!

As his master, he had an obligation to help his disciple understand more.

Although there were still three years, for something like this, the more details one knew, the better. That way, one could make the best, most targeted preparations.

"In the most recent Peak of Jiuzhou competitions, each province has sent one hundred people. These one hundred people represent almost the entire strength of that province's younger generation!"

Xiahou Kaiyuan continued, "Xi Hezhou is vast. Although Celestial Brilliance is the greatest power, there are still outstanding young people in other factions. If we from Celestial Brilliance were the only ones to participate, how would they ever get a share of the astonishing profits from Gui Xu?"

"That's true. When such astounding profits are at stake, everyone will want to get a piece of the action," Xu Luo remarked from the side.

Xiahou Kaiyuan said, "Therefore, one year before the Peak of Jiuzhou begins, we in Xi Hezhou must also hold a qualifying tournament. Participants are first nominated by their sects. Each sect can nominate ten people. Our Celestial Brilliance... nominates one hundred!"

"In total, there may be around a thousand participants. From these thousand, the strongest one hundred will be chosen to participate in the Peak of Jiuzhou!"

Other sects got ten people, but Celestial Brilliance got one hundred...

Xu Luo thought to himself, 'As expected of a Supreme Great Sect. That confidence alone is enough to command respect.'

"That being said, most of the time, ninety percent of the final participants for the Peak of Jiuzhou come from Celestial Brilliance!" As Xiahou Kaiyuan spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face, a smile full of pride.

"This year's annual competition is different from previous years. The disciples who make it onto the list of one hundred and twenty-five will be briefed by their elders about the Peak of Jiuzhou. Participation is voluntary."

Xiahou Kaiyuan continued, "You can refuse, because your life will be on the line! But for those who participate and manage to return alive, the rewards they receive... will be absolutely beyond the imagination of others!"

Yuwen Ji chuckled lightly at the side. "Isn't that the case with Ge Datong, Zuo Mingyu, and the rest of that bunch?"

Xiahou Kaiyuan nodded. "Which is why their current personal cultivation, status, and standing are all far higher than others."

"Is there anything else you want to ask? The Sect Leader is here, so ask quickly." Yuwen Ji gestured to Xu Luo, signaling for him to seize the opportunity to ask questions.

To be personally received by the Sect Leader and briefed on such matters was an immense honor. An ordinary person would probably be too nervous to even speak properly.

But Xu Luo had been accustomed to seeing important figures since he was young and felt no natural sense of fear toward them.

In Xu Luo's eyes, no matter how great a figure was, they were still a person first and foremost.

And as people, they would have all sorts of emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Therefore, there was nothing to be afraid of.

After some thought, Xu Luo looked at Xiahou Kaiyuan and said jokingly, "Sect Leader, since you've already agreed that I can participate in the search for and study of the second half of the Soul Scripture, does that mean I don't absolutely have to win the championship in this annual competition...?"

Before Xiahou Kaiyuan could even speak, Yuwen Ji, who was standing to the side, flew into a rage. "You brat! You fool! The champion of the annual competition receives incredibly rich rewards and benefits you can't even imagine! How can you be so lazy!"

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