Beauty and Might: Heavenly Flames

As the applause gradually faded, Li Yan remained silent for a brief moment before speaking again. "Elder Chen, if it does not delay the competition, may I take a few minutes to say something to everyone?"

His request immediately drew curious expressions from the surrounding elders. Even Ji Hong leaned forward slightly with interest. Chen Zhi studied Li Yan for a moment before nodding calmly.

"Go ahead."

After receiving permission, Li Yan turned toward the thousands of disciples gathered in the arena. His expression remained composed, his voice neither loud nor forceful, yet every word carried clearly throughout the stadium.

"Fellow disciples, I hope everyone's cultivation has been progressing smoothly."

A faint smile appeared on his face before he continued. "I know many of you have been wondering what rewards exist within the Hidden Level."

Several disciples instinctively nodded.

"If everyone remembers, during last year's competition, one of the senior brothers asked me the same question. At that time, I chose not to answer."

His gaze slowly swept across the crowd.

"My reason was simple. I believed that revealing the rewards would remove both the mystery and the motivation. I hoped the unknown itself would encourage future participants to challenge the Hidden Level with everything they had."

He paused briefly before letting out a quiet sigh. "But today, after seeing that none of the four pagodas produced another Hidden Level conqueror, I realized perhaps the opposite approach is needed."

The stadium gradually became silent once more.

"If revealing part of the rewards can encourage more disciples to reach the Hidden Level next year, then I believe it is worthwhile."

Whispers immediately spread among the participants. Even the Purple-Rank and Black-Rank disciples showed obvious curiosity, while several elders quietly exchanged glances.

Li Yan smiled faintly before asking, "May I ask the Azure-Rank disciples a question?"

Seeing no objections, he continued, "If a reward worth approximately one hundred thousand Shadow Points appeared before you, would any of you consider it insignificant?"

The entire arena fell into stunned silence.

One hundred thousand Shadow Points.

The number alone caused countless disciples to widen their eyes.

Several breaths later, one of the leading Azure-Rank disciples stepped forward. He looked toward Li Yan with visible disbelief. "Junior Brother Li… are you saying the Hidden Level contained a reward worth one hundred thousand Shadow Points?"

Li Yan nodded calmly. "Fifty Darkness Qi Stones. According to the current exchange rate within the sect, their value is approximately one hundred thousand Shadow Points."

A wave of astonishment immediately spread across the arena.

"Fifty Darkness Qi Stones?"

"So many?"

"No wonder the Hidden Level is considered legendary."

Before the discussions could settle, another Azure-Rank disciple quickly asked, "Junior Brother Li, did you choose that reward?"

Li Yan shook his head. "No."

A third disciple immediately stepped forward. "Then… that means it's still available for future challengers?"

"It is," Li Yan replied honestly.

The atmosphere instantly became even more animated.

Another disciple asked, "Besides the Qi Stones, were there any other rewards of similar value?"

"There were," Li Yan answered. "One of them was a Mortal-Tier Peak-Level offensive technique. Its value is not less than the Darkness Qi Stones."

Even several elders unconsciously raised their eyebrows. Neither reward could be considered ordinary.

Li Yan's gaze gradually shifted from the Azure-Rank disciples toward the White-Rank participants. A faint smile remained on his face as he said, "For the White-Rank disciples, I can also reveal one of the rewards from last year's Hidden Level."

"One of the available rewards was ten Darkness Qi Stones. I don't think that's a small reward considering your current cultivation."

A wave of surprise immediately spread among the White-Rank disciples. Many widened their eyes in disbelief. Ten Darkness Qi Stones alone represented a fortune beyond the reach of most ordinary White-Rank disciples, enough to significantly improve their cultivation over a long period.

His gaze then slowly swept across the Yellow-Rank and Brown-Rank disciples. "Although I haven't entered your respective Hidden Levels," he continued calmly, "I'm confident the rewards there are equally valuable. Every Hidden Level exists to reward those capable of surpassing ordinary limits."

The arena gradually became quiet again.

Many disciples lowered their heads thoughtfully—especially those who had ranked near the top of their respective pagodas. Looking back, they realized they had approached the trial with the wrong objective.

Throughout the competition, their focus had remained on securing a place among the top sixty-four rather than attempting to conquer every level. Whenever the difficulty exceeded their expectations, they chose caution instead of pressing forward.

Now, another possibility appeared before them.

Had they challenged themselves instead of protecting their rankings, they might have reached the Hidden Level as well.

The opportunity had already passed. Regret alone could not change the outcome. Yet the disappointment that lingered among many disciples gradually transformed into determination.

Quietly, countless people made the same decision. Next year, they would no longer enter the Pagoda Trial merely to qualify for the elimination rounds. They would challenge every level until they reached their limit.

Li Yan cupped his hands toward the gathered disciples. "Thank you for listening," he said. "I sincerely hope that when the Annual Competition returns next year, someone standing among you today will create a new piece of history."

With those final words, he stepped away from the center of attention and calmly returned toward the Azure-Rank participants gathered near their pagoda.

On the elders' platform, Ji Hong watched everything unfold with quiet satisfaction. Cao Lian smiled faintly beside him, while several other elders nodded in approval. Li Yan had revealed only part of the Hidden Level's rewards, yet that alone had rekindled the ambition of countless disciples.

Starting next year, the Pagoda Trial is likely to become far more competitive than ever before.

Above the arena, Chen Zhi looked toward Li Yan before speaking. "Li Yan, thank you for those words. I also look forward to seeing what next year's disciples will accomplish." His tone remained calm, yet a trace of appreciation could be heard within it.

Without waiting for a reply, Chen Zhi added. "We shall now proceed to the second phase of the Annual Competition—the one-on-one elimination rounds. The top 64 participants in each rank, according to the leaderboard, will advance. Everyone else is dismissed."

A ripple of mixed emotions spread throughout the arena. Those who had qualified immediately became excited, while the eliminated disciples sighed quietly before making their way toward the spectator stands.

Although disappointed, many of them still carried the determination Li Yan had quietly planted within their hearts.

At the same time, Chen Zhi infused the jade talisman with Qi. Four brilliant beams of light shot toward the towering pagodas. A deep rumble echoed throughout the arena as the enormous structures slowly descended beneath the ground.

Moments later, the battlefield transformed once more. Four independent competition zones emerged, separated by translucent barriers of spiritual light, representing the White, Yellow, Azure, and Brown Ranks.

The qualified disciples immediately began walking toward their respective competition areas. Li Yan quietly followed the Azure-Rank participants until they arrived inside the Azure Zone. There, everyone waited calmly for the next announcement.

Before long, Ji Xin noticed him among the crowd and walked over with a faint smile. "You really reached the Hidden Level."

Li Yan smiled faintly. "Barely."

Ji Xin immediately rolled her eyes. Several nearby Azure-Rank disciples almost choked upon hearing that answer. Only someone like Li Yan could describe conquering the Azure-Rank Hidden Level while possessing merely Qi Channeling Realm (Stage-3) cultivation as "barely."

Before anyone could continue the conversation, Chen Zhi's voice echoed across the arena once more. "Participants."

The entire stadium immediately became silent. He gestured toward the bracelets resting upon everyone's wrists. "Your match numbers, arena assignments, and opponents have already been determined. Proceed immediately to your designated platforms."

The atmosphere shifted almost instantly. The relaxed discussions disappeared, replaced by focused determination. The Pagoda Trial had ended. The true competition was about to begin.

Li Yan lowered his gaze toward the bracelet around his wrist. Characters gradually emerged across its surface.

[Round: 1

Match #: 1

Arena #: 21

Opponent: Lan Rui

Status: Begin]

Similar notifications appeared on every qualified disciple's bracelet. Soft murmurs immediately spread throughout the four competition zones as everyone checked their opponents.

Not far away, Lan Rui stared silently at her own bracelet before letting out a helpless sigh. "So it's Li Yan Tian…"

She had black hair and black eyes, an average-looking appearance. A bitter smile appeared on her face. The disciple standing first on the Azure-Rank leaderboard. The disciple who had conquered the Hidden Level.

Of all sixty-four participants, she had drawn the most difficult opponent in the very first round.

Even though her own cultivation was at the Qi Channeling Realm (Stage-5), two stages higher than Li Yan's, she didn't have the confidence to win against him, knowing that Li Yan possessed the strength to defeat opponents with higher cultivation.

Several nearby disciples noticed her expression. One of the female disciples beside her looked at her bracelet, laughed, and patted her on the shoulder. "At least you'll become famous."

Lan Rui looked at her fellow disciple helplessly. "By getting defeated?"

The disciple nodded seriously. "Exactly."

Laughter immediately spread among the surrounding Azure-Rank disciples. Even Lan Rui could not help laughing at her own misfortune.

Not far away, Li Yan merely shook his head with quiet amusement. The pairings were randomly determined by a ranking system linked to the stadium's formation arrays. There was nothing anyone could do to change them.

After allowing everyone sufficient time to review their assignments, Chen Zhi finally announced, "The first round of the elimination stage officially begins. All participants, proceed to your designated battle platforms."

Movement immediately spread across the arena as the qualified disciples from all four ranks headed toward their assigned arenas. Li Yan calmly turned toward Arena Platform Twenty-One.

The first elimination round of the Annual Competition was about to begin.

Arena Platform Twenty-One quickly became one of the most-watched battlefields within the competition grounds.

Although dozens of elimination matches were about to begin simultaneously, a considerable number of disciples—and even several elders—shifted their attention toward Li Yan's platform.

After all, only moments earlier, he had claimed first place in the Azure-Rank Pagoda and become the first disciple in the sect's history to conquer its Hidden Level. Naturally, everyone wanted to see just how much stronger he had become during the past year.

Li Yan stepped calmly onto the platform, his expression as composed as ever. Standing opposite him, Lan Rui could only smile bitterly.

"I was hoping I'd survive at least one round."

Several nearby disciples immediately laughed.

Even Li Yan's lips curved slightly. "Then give it your best."

Lan Rui sighed helplessly. "That's exactly what worries me."

The supervising elder soon stepped onto the platform. His gaze swept across both participants before he nodded slightly.

"Prepare."

Neither disciple spoke again.

A brief silence settled over the arena.

Then the elder raised his hand.

"Begin."

The instant his voice fell, Lan Rui circulated her Qi without the slightest hesitation. Darkness Qi surged throughout her body before condensing into layers of dark-gray armor covering both arms, both lower legs, and the front of her torso.

Qi Armor.

Every cultivator who stepped into the Qi Channeling Realm awakened this defensive ability. As one's cultivation increased, additional sections of the armor would continue manifesting until the entire body became protected.

Lan Rui knew she could not afford to underestimate Li Yan.

A long black whip immediately appeared in her hand.

With a sharp crack that echoed throughout the arena, the whip shot forward.

Darkness Whip Art.

Dark Shadow Lash.

The whip twisted through the air like a venomous serpent, changing direction midway before striking toward Li Yan's shoulder.

Li Yan calmly took a single step sideways.

The whip narrowly swept past him.

Without waiting for it to retract, Lan Rui immediately changed her wrist movement. The whip curved once again, attempting to wrap around Li Yan's sword arm.

Unfortunately…

Li Yan was already gone.

His figure blurred slightly before appearing several meters closer.

Lan Rui's pupils contracted. "So fast…"

She immediately retreated while swinging the whip once more, forcing it to form a defensive barrier between them. Several overlapping whip shadows covered nearly every approach.

Li Yan remained completely calm.

His footwork changed subtly.

One step.

Then another.

Each movement carried him precisely through the smallest openings between the incoming strikes, as though he had already predicted the whip's trajectory before it was unleashed.

Before Lan Rui realized what had happened, Li Yan had already entered her effective range.

A sword quietly appeared in his hand. Darkness Qi flowed across its blade. No technique. No Sword Intent. Only a simple sword strike.

Lan Rui instinctively raised the whip's handle to intercept.

Clang!