Chapter 1885 - 1886: Rules
Lin Chen lifted his gaze and saw that the arena was distinctly divided among the five first-class sects, but the senior figures of each major sect were exchanging polite banter with smiles.
During this process, the disciples of each sect were sizing each other up. Lin Chen noticed that each sect had a few powerful disciples. Just like the five dominant figures of the Outer Sect in the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, the other sects also had disciples whose statuses were quite prominent. You could tell who the top disciples were based on their positions.
In the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Qian Jin, Chu Hanrou, and other top five figures of the Outer Sect stood at the forefront of their sect's formation.
In the Chiyan Sect, four powerful individuals, including the red-haired youth, sat behind Chiyang Divine Emperor.
The Kaiyuan Sect had only three noticeable figures, who quietly sat there cultivating, but one could tell they were not to be trifled with.
The Sunlight Sect was composed of four individuals, including Ning Yan, known as the Four Heroes. Their strength was formidable. Ning Yan felt a bit uneasy at this moment because he sensed the presence of the murderer who killed Ning Hao here, but he couldn't clearly identify who it was. However, Ning Yan knew that as soon as this person faced him or stood in the arena, he would recognize them immediately!
Thinking of his brother, Ning Yan felt angry inside, having cursed Lin Chen's ancestors thoroughly in his mind.
Meanwhile, in the direction of the Luoshui Sect, there was a flutter of youthful chatter and laughter. Many disciples from other sects couldn't help but glance over frequently. The reason was simple: the Luoshui Sect consisted entirely of female disciples, whereas other sects were 80-90% male disciples.
Because the Luoshui Sect only recruited female disciples, their numbers were comparatively smaller. In the middle of the crowd, three women stood out, and upon seeing the one in the center, Lin Chen couldn't help but frown:
"Hmm? How could it be her?"
A veiled woman stood there, with a graceful figure, eyes like stars, and skin as smooth as jade. Although her full appearance couldn't be seen, it was clear she was a beauty, one of a caliber that could bring calamity to nations.
But Lin Chen felt something was odd because this woman was the mysterious lady in purple he had encountered at the Treasure Pavilion. Now it seemed her identity was not simple!
The Kaiyuan Sect, Sunlight Sect, Chiyan Sect, Luoshui Sect, and Heavenly Sword Pavilion were the five sects participating in this tournament, and the sect masters exchanged casual banter.
During this process, new faces continued to arrive in the arena. These were representatives from various sects who came to spectate. After all, since they were all first-class sects, observing the competition was beneficial.
Among them, Lin Chen spotted Zhao Xiaohua and Zhao Xiaowen from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, although the two sisters didn't see him. He Tianyao, with whom he had some grievances, was also among the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's lineup.
As more and more heavyweights arrived, finally, it was time for the sect competition to officially begin.
Li Changfeng, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, stood up, his simple black robe exuding an immortal aura. He bowed slightly to all the Divine Emperor-level powerhouses present and then spoke loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today is the day of the Eastern Domain's sect competition. I, Li Changfeng, thank you all for gracing us with your presence! I am deeply grateful!"
"Haha, enough with the pleasantries, Changfeng. This year, your Heavenly Sword Pavilion is quite promising, isn't it? Don't let it go like last year!"
The speaker, wearing a white robe, was Zhang Tianyuan, the Sect Master of the Kaiyuan Sect.
Despite the lack of reverence in his tone, Li Changfeng wasn't the least bit offended. He smiled and said:
"Tianyuan, where is that from? Our Heavenly Sword Pavilion has many outstanding disciples this year, on par with your Three Talents disciples!"
"Oh, really? I don't believe it!"
Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile, teasing Li Changfeng.
At this point, the crowd watching also began to laugh, and then Xiao Rou, the Sect Leader of Luoshui Sect, spoke up:
"Changfeng, these are all old customs. Let others handle it, and we'll just watch. We'll discuss the quota for the Heavenly Pool after the competition."
Li Changfeng nodded upon hearing this, and then he gestured, and the Grand Elder Sword Bone strolled forward, allowing Li Changfeng to step back. The host for this competition was Grand Elder Sword Bone himself.
After a lengthy speech, which made Lin Chen a bit drowsy, Elder Sword Bone finally got to the main topic of the competition.
"This competition will initially be conducted in a mixed battle format, followed by elimination rounds. Those who succeed in the mixed battle can proceed to the one-on-one elimination rounds, continuing until the top ten are determined."
"The top ten will receive generous rewards, and as for what those rewards are, you could probably guess: Divine Crystals, Divine Origin Pills, Red Spirit Fruits, and so on. As long as you have the strength, they're all yours!"
Hearing Elder Sword Bone, many people's hearts surged with excitement, clearly tempted by the prizes.
Seeing this, Elder Sword Bone knew he had stirred the atmosphere, then smiled slightly and continued:
"Well, if you have no questions, let the competition begin!"
After speaking, he rose into the air and, without any additional gestures, slightly raised his hands, and four massive crevices appeared on the arena, separating the central area of the arena from the audience surrounding it. Then, with another wave of his hand, an energy barrier covered the separated stage.
Bear in mind that the area of the formed stage was quite large, showcasing Elder Sword Bone's formidable strength!
"All disciples participating in the battle, please step onto the stage in the center of the arena!"
Seeing the stage formed, Elder Sword Bone spoke.
Then all the disciples, Lin Chen included, entered the arena.
Looking at the surrounding crowd, Lin Chen couldn't help but frown; roughly estimating, there were likely over a thousand participating disciples.
However, given the stage's vast area, even a thousand people standing on it at once wouldn't be crowded at all.
Seeing everyone enter the stage, Elder Sword Bone nodded to the sect masters of each sect and then said:
"The rules for the mixed battle allow the use of all attacks. Those defeated automatically exit the stage; the same goes for those who surrender until only the last two hundred remain, at which point the mixed battle ends."