The next day, Yun Wuji's group arrived at the Sword Discourse Arena of Heavenly Sword Villa.
The arena had one large central stage, three hundred meters in diameter, surrounded by thirty smaller circular stages, each about sixty meters wide. Typically used by the disciples for sparring, this arena also hosted the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament. Today, the seats surrounding the main stage were already packed with spectators. In front of each seat was a plaque marking the group that occupied it.
"Look! The Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace disciples!"
"Woah! Even with their faces covered, just their eyes show how beautiful they are!"
"Who are those two men with them?"
"Shh! Keep it down! My senior told me that the pressure yesterday was released by that guy."
"So strong?! Why'd he do that?"
"I heard the Villa Master stared at his wife for a few seconds, and he got pissed."
"Shit! Why didn't you say so earlier?!" The man who had been staring at the Frozen Cloud disciples cursed and quickly looked away.
The moment the Frozen Cloud disciples appeared, whispers filled the air. Yet, despite their curiosity, no one dared to keep their gaze on the female disciples for too long.
Because of a strange rumor, everyone was afraid of angering Yun Wuji.
Ling Yuefeng had been beaten just for glancing at a woman, and even his father got dragged into the mess.
Everyone present was far weaker than Ling Yuefeng, so none of them dared to provoke Yun Wuji.
Although the people in this world are a bit lacking in the brain department, once you hammer some truth into their heads, it tends to stick for a while.
The pressure from yesterday successfully cowed everyone, which prevented any cliché young master events from happening.
The funny thing was the Xiao sect; upon seeing Yun Wuji, their expressions were hilarious. They wanted to pay their respects but were also afraid of offending him. The sect master kept alternating between standing and sitting, hesitating on whether he should approach or not.
'What is this guy doing?' many sects wondered, looking at him in confusion.
"You overdid it yesterday," Chu Yuechan said, sitting behind the plaque that marked their sect's place.
Yun Wuji shrugged with a smirk and teased, "I'll be more careful next time, Your Highness ~"
Yesterday, he was only messing around when he said he wanted her to compensate him. He never expected her to actually go through with it, especially with her sister. As expected, life needs a little spice from time to time.
Chu Yuechan blushed at the memory of yesterday and pouted, "You only know how to tease me, hmph!"
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll protect you," Chu Yueli teased from Yun Wuji's left. Leaning against his shoulder, she whispered seductively, "I'll satisfy you with my body. Please, forgive Her Highness ~"
"Hehehe~ that depends on your performance," Yun Wuji chuckled sinisterly, placing his hand on her thigh.
"You two!" Chu Yuechan couldn't take it anymore and pinched Wuji's waist.
Yun Wuji hissed in pain and muttered under his breath, "Ouch! Why only me?!"
Cang Yue stood behind them, watching the trio with a quiet sigh. In her mind, she thought, 'It should've been me, not them!'
She also wanted to do some role play with her master other than the 'Overbearing Master and Clueless Maid' play or 'The Cold Head Maid and Abandoned Young Master' play.
'...' Mu Lingxue, Shui Wushuang, and Wu Xuexin lowered their heads and sat silently, pretending they didn't see or hear anything.
'Sigh, when can I grow older too?!' Xia Qingyue sighed, glancing at her figure.
Suddenly, a loud screeching of swords echoed through the air. Everyone instinctively looked up to see a hundred swords hovering about three hundred meters above them, dancing as if alive. The sharp sounds shattered the silence, and after circling for a few moments, the swords arranged themselves neatly above the main seat. A white-bearded elder emerged below them, cupping his fists as he addressed the crowd. "I am Elder Ling Wugou from the Sword Baptizing Pavilion of Heavenly Sword Villa. I'm glad to meet all the heroes and outstanding youths today. On behalf of our Villa, I thank you for attending the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament..."
After some pre-match briefings, Ling Wugou coughed and inadvertently glanced at the Frozen Cloud seats. "Now, let this old man declare the prize for this Ranking Tournament."
"Third place in the individual rankings will receive one 'Purple Striped Dragon Heart Pellet.' Second place will receive three drops of 'Purple Veined Marrow Quenching Fluid.' First place will receive a 'Purple Dragon Ascension Pellet.'"
"The rewards this time are generous compared to the previous tournament," hearing him, Mu Lingxue said. She was someone who participated in the previous competition and took third place.
"Yes, however, compared to the pills Guardian Wuji gave us, it is somewhat lacking," Shui Wushuang nodded in agreement and added. The resources Yun Wuji provided them were of much higher quality and quantity than these rewards.
"Hmm! Senior Yun Wuji is too good to us," Wu Xuexin nodded vigorously, glancing at him. Her face flushed red when their eyes met. Yun Wuji had stuffed them with pills, but she wished he would stuff them with something else.
Something long, thick, and hard...
Ling Wugou's declaration continued: "The top ten forces in the ranking tournament will qualify to explore the 'Heaven Basin Secret Realm' in teams after the tournament."
"The time has come. Now, this old man declares: this session of the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament officially begins!" Ling Wugou landed in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, where a gigantic Profound Assessing Stone already stood in place.
"This session's Ranking Tournament includes a total of five hundred and thirteen sects and one thousand five hundred and thirty-five participating disciples. Participants must be aged between sixteen and twenty; those outside this range will be disqualified. We will begin the lot drawing. Each disciple must undergo an age and profound strength assessment before drawing their number. Now, those called by this old man, step forward for your assessments and lot drawing."
"Webnovel sect's Exyb, Ronin46, EnavoiG"
The three disciples called by Ling Wugou immediately stepped down from their seats and placed their palms on the Profound Assessing Stone one by one. Their ages were revealed as 20, 18, and 20, with profound strength ranks of Spirit Profound Realm rank 6, rank 3, and rank 5, respectively. After drawing their Ranking Tournament numbers, they returned to their seats.
"Heaven Exploding Faction' Siegfrid, KenTheSlayer, Solgalao"
...
"Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's Mu Lingxue, Shui Wushuang, and Wu Xuexin!"
The moment the name "Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace" was announced, the entire audience fell silent once more.
Everyone's attention was on them.
Shui Wushuang was the first to place her palm on the Profound Assessing Stone. The stone glowed, and the result was revealed.
Shui Wushuang —— 17 years old —— Spirit Profound Realm level nine.
"..."
"Impossible!"
"Seventeen years old at the ninth level? The strongest in the Xiao sect and Heaven Burning Clan are also at the ninth level, but they're twenty!"
"Sigh! The Frozen Cloud is destined to dominate the empire. They have a powerful expert guarding them, and their younger generation is outstanding. It's only a matter of time before they take over."
In that instant, the audience fell silent for three full seconds. Then, suddenly, a wave of exclamations erupted. Both old and young members of the audience, including Xuanyuan Yufeng, sprang to their feet, staring at the results displayed by the Profound Assessing Stone with astonished expressions.
It is worth mentioning that didn't Ling Yuefeng preside over this tournament, under the guise of 'taking care of his injured father'; it is his wife who took this role this time.
Probably he was too ashamed or perhaps afraid.
She glanced at the Frozen Cloud's seat, her eyes fixated on Chu Yuechan. Gritting her teeth, she then turned her gaze to Yun Wuji, her expression a mix of emotions.
Following Shui Wushuang was Wu Xuexin.
Wu Xuexin — 17 years old — Spirit Profound Realm level nine.
"Another one!"
The commotion this time was mild; people had already expected this after Shui Wushuang's appearance.
Finally, it was Mu Lingxue's turn.
Mu Lingxue — 20 years old — Earth Profound Realm level two.
"Fuck!"
"I still remember she was only at the 5th level of Spirit Profound Realm in the last tournament. How did she improve so fast?!"
"Could it be because of that man?"
The audience had just calmed down from the previous shock when another wave of exclamations erupted.
Mu Lingxue slowly removed her hand from the Profound Assessing Stone and walked away, followed by Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin. They paid no mind to the noise surrounding them, which sounded like roaring tidal waves.
Many youngsters who were eager to show off in front of the ladies lowered their heads in shame; they felt too inferior to them.
When the girls returned, Yun Wuji asked, "What number did you pick?"
"I got 2024!" Wu Xuexin beamed as she showed the tablet she had taken. The number displayed on it was: 2024.
"I got 1007!" Shui Wushuang also showed her tablet.
"I got 911!" Mu Lingxue did the same.
"Aside from Mu Lingxue, the person with the highest cultivation is that Ling whatever guy from the Heavenly Sword Villa, his cultivation is at the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm," Yun Wuji said, glancing at their tablets before addressing Wu Xuexin and Shui Wushuang. "However, under the Earth Profound Realm, it's possible to fight those a few levels higher as long as it's not more than three. Your bodies are tempered with countless resources, and you're using the improved Frozen Cloud Arts, which is multiple times stronger than the original. Defeating him will be a piece of cake!"
In cultivation, while it's very rare, a few talented individuals can fight opponents several levels higher when they are below the Earth Profound Realm. However, once one reaches the Earth Profound Realm, it becomes much harder to achieve that feat. As cultivation advances, the gap between realms grows wider, making it increasingly difficult to bridge.
In the Divine Master Realm, even a single level can create a vast difference in power.
A realm master at the 9th level of the Divine Master Realm is an upper realm's realm king, while a 10th level Divine Master Realm cultivator rules a king realm and they are called 'God Emperor'.
Despite being separated by just one level, the status and strength of these two are worlds apart.
Jasmin's brother, renowned as a great genius with incredible battle strength at the 9th level of the Divine Master Realm, still found himself powerless against his father, Star God Emperor.
"As for you, Mu Lingxue, I have nothing to say," Yun Wuji said as he turned to her. "This tournament is just a platform for you to shine and show off your talent and Frozen Cloud's strength."
Though her talent was created by him, in the original novel, she was at the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm yet still lost to Ling Yun, who was a level lower than her.
"Senior Yun Wuji, if I defeat that guy, can I get a reward?" Wu Xuexin suddenly asked with a mischievous grin.
'I didn't expect little sister Wu Xuexin to be so cunning!' The other two looked at her with regret; they felt regretful for not having thought of this themselves.
"Oh?" Yun Wuji glanced at her with a meaningful smile. "What kind of reward do you want?"
"This... I... I still haven't thought of it," Wu Xuexin stammered, her blush deepening as she looked at his smile, feeling as if he could see right through her thoughts. She fidgeted, trying to find her words.
Chu Yuechan facepalmed, while Chu Yueli snickered. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell what she was planning.
"Guardian Wuji, if... if I defeat him, can I also get a reward?" At that moment, Shui Wushuang mustered her courage and asked.
"Sure, if either of you two defeat that Ling whatever guy or Ling Yun, you'll be rewarded," Yun Wuji said, spreading his hands helplessly.
"..." Mu Lingxue sighed in frustration, for the first time in her life she felt that having a higher cultivation wasn't good. She didn't have the face to ask for a reward.
"Alright, the first round has started. You need to get ready," Chu Yuechan interrupted them. She couldn't sit still watching them flirt; it wasn't that she minded Yun Wuji being with other women, but right now they were the center of attention, and she didn't want others to keep watching them flirt.
This could damage the reputation of the sect.
"Yes! Senior Sister!" The three girls suddenly felt a chill and immediately replied.
The first round of group fights will last three days, with thirty groups of about fifty disciples each. Every competitor must participate in twelve fights, and the top ten from each group will advance, totaling three hundred disciples for the second round. The twelve hundred who don't advance will move on to ranking fights, which will largely go unnoticed by anyone outside the affiliated sects.
The second round will have three hundred disciples competing over three days, each completing fifteen fights. Rankings will be based on wins, listing the top one hundred and the thirty-two strongest. Those outside the top hundred will move to the secondary arena for further ranking from the thirty-third to the hundredth. Disciples can challenge those ranked above them; if they win, they take their opponent's ranking. Meanwhile, elimination matches for the top thirty-two will begin in the main arena.
*Info dump for those who forgot or haven't read the novel.*
Ling Wugou took a long time to read the tournament's procedures and guidelines. Finally, the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament officially began.
"...A competitor loses if they fall for over ten breaths or concede! Any competitor taking more than thirty breaths to enter the stage will be considered defeated. Now, this old man declares the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament officially started!"
The 30 small arenas were surrounded by transparent profound energy protective screens. These profound energy barriers could isolate the two competitors so that their profound energy would not affect the surroundings during combat.
At the same time, 30 Sky Profound Realm experts served as judges, each overseeing a small arena.
Soon, the numbers of sixty disciples lit up simultaneously. The competitors quickly stepped onto their respective Sword Discourse stages, and the first match officially began.
The matches lasted for a very short time, and quickly the winners were decided.
"Oh, it's my turn! Senior sisters, Guardian Wuji, I'll be going!" Shui Wushuang saw her number and quickly headed to her arena.
"Look, it's a disciple from Frozen Cloud!"
The moment Shui Wushuang stepped onto the stage, all eyes were on her. Whenever a disciple from any of the Four Major Sects appeared, they naturally became the center of attention.
That's especially true for disciples from the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace.
Opposite Shui Wushuang, a twenty-year-old youth walked up. However, his expression was terrible. Within his heart, he was inwardly complaining about his bitter lot. His profound strength was at the Sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, and within this group, he was considered good.
He never expected to get a disciple of the Frozen Cloud as his first opponent.
Logically, the most sensible choice was to admit defeat immediately, but his fragile ego wouldn't allow him to back down without a fight, especially against a seventeen-year-old girl.
"I am idealist from the Bald Bearded Uncle Faction," he introduced himself and his sect.
"..." However, he was met with silence.
Although Shui Wushuang and the others are warm and very 'friendly' with Yun Wuji that is because he is one of them and they admire him greatly. Usually, they are always cold and distant when facing others, whether men or women. They always give off "Stay away, I am not interested" Aura.
"Take my heaven-splitting, earth-shattering, world-destroying slash!" The man felt ashamed when she ignored him, pulling out his sword and shouting.
As his voice faded, he stepped forward and thrust his sword outward. A surge of sword aura rushed toward her.
Shui Wushuang didn't bat an eye, facing his sword aura, her right hand moved slowly,
A cold wind swept past and cut at his face like blades. In seconds, his sword aura was frozen and shattered, as if he'd been plunged into a frozen prison. His limbs froze in place, locked in the pose of wielding his sword and rushing forward. He couldn't even move his fingers.
In the blink of an eye, a layer of hoar frost spread from the tip of his sword, enveloping his entire body.
"I... admit... defeat..." idealist's mouth trembled as he squeezed out those three words. He idealistically thought that even in defeat, he could still put up a fight and maintain his dignity. But he didn't expect to last even one move!
"Bald Bearded Uncle Faction's idealist admits defeat, Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace Shui Wushuang wins!" The judge declared.
Shui Wushuang stepped out of the arena, awaiting her next fight.
After her battle, Mu Lingxue and Wu Xuexin fought in their respective arenas. However, following Shui Wushuang's impressive display, most of their opponents chose to admit defeat without even a fight.
"Sigh, I didn't meet anyone from the other great sects, much less anyone from Heavenly Sword Villa," Wu Xuexin complained as the first day passed quickly. After returning to their residence with the others, she sat down, unable to hold back her frustration.
"It doesn't matter, we might still meet them in the next stages," Shui Wushuang replied, not as disappointed.
"Hmm, true," Wu Xuexin nodded in agreement.
"..." Mu Lingxue listened to the duo, shook her head in silence, and quietly returned to her room.
------
*I felt old when I found out that Emperor's Domination had ended. I've been reading it for 8 years.*