Celestial Refining Divine Scripture

Seventeen people!

In the massive Celestial Sword City, there were at least hundreds of thousands of cultivators.

Yet only seventeen had come.

This alone was a testament to the difficulty of the Dragon and Tiger Battle.

"Before it begins, we will first test each participant’s cultivation level and Immortal Foundation. Then, everyone will start at the same time."

"Your opponents will either be those invited with one of our Heaven’s Edge Tower’s Heaven’s Edge Orders, or cultivators from within the Tower itself."

"In the first stage, you will face ten battles. The strength of your ten opponents will progressively increase based on your own cultivation level."

"Given your cultivation at the Early Stage of Celestial Immortal, sir, your strongest opponent should be around the Peak of Mid-stage Celestial Immortal."

Xu Yang nodded slightly, not underestimating the challenge in the least.

This was the Eastern Continent, a land blessed by the heavens.

Moreover, they were handpicked by the Heaven’s Edge Tower, so they were certainly not going to be weak.

The first ten opponents alone would be daunting enough to make most people give up.

Soon, Xu Yang followed the attendant to a vast estate behind the Heaven’s Edge Tower.

It was a massive plaza.

When he arrived, quite a few people were already waiting there.

Guards stood at attention along the perimeter.

"These are all participants in the Dragon and Tiger Battle. The seventeen of them haven’t all arrived yet."

"There are two marks on this stone platform. The first tests cultivation level, and the second tests one’s Immortal Foundation. Not even a Golden Immortal can conceal their true stats."

Listening to the attendant’s explanation, Xu Yang asked curiously, "What is the highest grade of Immortal Foundation it can detect?"

The attendant gave Xu Yang a strange look. "The highest is Ninth Grade!"

"In the entire Eastern Continent, there is only one person with a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation."

"That young master is a top-tier prodigy, one of a handful even in places like the ’Nine Moons Encircling Heaven’ or the ’Golden Light Grand White Heaven’."

Xu Yang naturally knew who the attendant was talking about: the first on the Dragon and Tiger List, Di Qinghe, the head disciple of Shanyang Academy. With his Middle Stage Golden Immortal cultivation, he suppressed all his contemporaries, earning the awe of every prodigy.

Xu Yang nodded slightly and glanced at the two marks.

’If it can only detect up to a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation, then it’ll be even easier to disguise mine.’

Then, he discreetly sized up the other participants.

The weakest among them was at the Late Stage of Celestial Immortal.

There was even one Golden Immortal.

Xu Yang hadn’t expected a Golden Immortal to participate.

Although the Eastern Continent had many Golden Immortals, any one of them could serve as a high-ranking cultivator in a major power, holding an extraordinary status.

It just went to show that the benefits offered by Heaven’s Edge Tower were beyond imagination.

Before long, all seventeen participants had arrived.

Xu Yang, with the weakest cultivation level of the group, drew a number of gazes, but no one paid him much mind.

"I didn’t expect a Golden Immortal expert to show up."

"Heh, aren’t we all just here to give it a try? Even if we don’t pass, it’s still good training."

"I only have a Bronze-level Heaven’s Edge Order. I’ll be satisfied if I can just get a silver one."

"Everyone knows how hard the Heaven’s Edge Tower’s Dragon and Tiger Battle is. Barely anyone participates anymore. The ’Dragon and Tiger Honored Ones’ are still the same monsters from a long time ago."

"Still, those first ten battles are no walk in the park."

...

Amid the discussion, two figures strode over.

The man in the lead wore green robes, had an upright posture, and looked to be about forty years old.

An intangible pressure emanated from him, instantly silencing the commotion.

A Golden Immortal expert.

The cultivator behind him was at the Peak of Celestial Immortal.

The two walked up, and the middle-aged man in the lead swept his gaze over the crowd, smiling slightly. "I am Liou Sanqian, the supervisor of Celestial Sword City’s Heaven’s Edge Tower, and I am in charge of this Dragon and Tiger Battle assessment."

"As for the rules, we will only determine victory and defeat, not life and death. I assume none of you have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Liou Sanqian nodded. "Before we officially begin, we will test your cultivation levels and Immortal Foundations. Please, proceed."

As his voice fell, the participants glanced at one another. The sole Golden Immortal was the first to step forward.

"I didn’t expect this guy to come."

The cultivator behind Liou Sanqian watched the Golden Immortal, a flicker in his eyes.

"Oh? You know him?" Liou Sanqian raised an eyebrow.

"I have some impression of him."

"He was an elder of a minor power. He offended someone later on, and I thought he’d already perished. It seems he’s still alive. I suspect he’s not here for the Dragon and Tiger Battle itself."

Hearing this, Liou Sanqian said thoughtfully, "Then he must be looking for an opportunity to join the Heaven’s Edge Tower."

"His potential may not be great, but he’s a Golden Immortal cultivator nonetheless. We’ll assess his strength later. If he really wants to join, we can arrange a trial mission for him. If he passes, we’ll extend an invitation."

"But for this round of the Dragon and Tiger Battle, getting a silver-rank participant will be the limit."

"Sigh, the Dragon and Tiger Battle is basically just for show these days. It’s too difficult. The powerful prodigies on the Dragon and Tiger List disdain having deeper ties with our Heaven’s Edge Tower, and the others can’t make it very far."

"Look at those Dragon and Tiger Honored Ones. The oldest is nearly four hundred years old."

Liou Sanqian shook his head with a wry smile. "But our Heaven’s Edge Pavilion cultivates too few powerful figures of its own. The Dragon and Tiger Battle still exists, and it’s tied to an incredible treasure ground. While the other high-level Heaven’s Edge Towers aren’t doing much better, our branch here in Celestial Sword City is also failing to live up to expectations."

"This place is full of Sword Cultivators, and they’re all clamoring to get into Celestial Sword Mountain. Why would they come to the Heaven’s Edge Tower?" The cultivator beside him also looked helpless.

On the surface, the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion seemed glorious, but in reality, it was struggling.

It couldn’t cultivate its own heaven-defying prodigies or monstrous talents. Whenever one did appear, they were snatched up by the seven great immortal sects, leaving no chance for the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion.

Left with no choice, they had to find another way, disregarding age and selecting powerful combatants to fill the gap.

Even so, it was just a drop in the bucket.

The Heaven’s Edge Pavilion was especially massive and required a large number of people for its many operations, making cultivators with potential and combat strength a desperate need.

When the Dragon and Tiger Battle first began, it attracted monstrous prodigies from top immortal sects to compete. But later, it became too difficult. Furthermore, those prodigies already belonged to their own powers, and getting too involved with the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

They could easily obtain the resources they needed from their own sects. At most, a high rating from the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion just offered some convenience. Why would they look twice at it?

BUZZ!!

The Golden Immortal expert was tested.

Cultivation: Early Stage of Golden Immortal. Immortal Foundation: Fifth Grade.

To reach the Golden Immortal realm with a Fifth Grade Immortal Foundation was already quite remarkable.

After him, the others went up one by one.

Finally, it was Xu Yang’s turn.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he raised his hand and pressed it onto the first mark.

WHOOSH!

As the immortal light surged, Xu Yang felt a startling power probing his body.

The words "Early Stage of Celestial Immortal" coalesced from the immortal light.

Then, he moved to the second mark.

Xu Yang’s expression turned serious as he applied a slight disguise.

BUZZ!

An irresistible force surged directly into his body, heading straight for the Dantian Immortal Foundation.

’A Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation will definitely cause a huge stir. However, I’m from the Northern Continent and have no roots here. Receiving better treatment from the Heaven’s Edge Tower has only upsides and no downsides.’

Therefore, he did not conceal it completely.

Although this probing power was startling, it was still unable to see through the disguise provided by the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod.

WHOOSH!

The immortal light flared, dazzlingly bright.

An astonishing immortal lotus seed was illuminated within the light.

"Why is the reaction so intense?"

"What a huge immortal lotus!"

Two surprised voices broke the silence.

In an instant, all eyes focused on the dense immortal light in front of Xu Yang.

When they saw the immortal lotus clearly, everyone’s eyes widened. They were completely stunned, as if they had seen a ghost.

Even Liou Sanqian’s gaze turned to one of utter disbelief, thinking he must be seeing things.