Morning mist hung over the Qingling Sect's assembly ground, but the atmosphere was anything but calm. Today was the final day of the qualifiers, where the strongest would be chosen to advance into the next stage of the grand tournament. Every sect and empire sat on edge, for what happened today would shape not only the duels to come, but the balance of pride and power among them.
The hosts and referees formed a solemn line in the center of the arena, their robes embroidered with the crest of Qingling. Above, Sect Master Lin sat on his dragon-throne, gaze sharp as lightning. The emperors, elders, and rival masters leaned forward, waiting.
"From this day forward," the chief referee announced, his voice booming through the formation amplifiers, "victory or defeat shall determine advancement. The winners shall ascend, the losers shall be eliminated. Fight with your all. Hold nothing back."
The crowd erupted in anticipation.
Match One – Yin Rou (Silken Vein Pavilion) vs. Princess Hong Xue (Crimson Jade Dynasty)
The two young women descended into the ring like twin storms—Yin Rou with her blood-threaded veil and sewn-shut eyes, Hong Xue wreathed in poisonous flame.
"Do not disappoint me again," Empress Feng Lanyi hissed toward her daughter from the stands.
The duel began with an inferno Heart-Incineration Lotus blooming across the ground. Yet Yin Rou's threads danced like crimson serpents, splitting the flames and binding them apart. She whispered a chant, Silken Web of Crimson Hunger, and threads coiled around Hong Xue's limbs.
The princess screamed as razor-like cords cut into her flesh, drawing blood. Her fire flared in fury, but every escape only bound her tighter. At last, pinned and bleeding, she was forced to yield.
Winner – Yin Rou.
Chaos broke out instantly. The Crimson Jade camp raged, their empress slamming her fist against the throne rail. Widow Bai merely smirked from behind her black veil.
Match Two – Tie Yuan (Iron Vow Sect) vs. Wei Zhan (Qingling Inner Disciple)
The audience still remembered Tie Yuan's brutal destruction of another Qingling disciple. Today, he faced Wei Zhan, a young inner disciple with respectable strength.
Tie Yuan sneered. "Five moves. Use them well."
Wei Zhan, enraged, unleashed his techniques one by one:
Ocean-Tide Palm – a wave of surging qi.
Iron-Spear Strike – condensed energy forming a spear.
Crescent Blade Sweep – a spinning slash of light.
Shattered Sky Kick – a leaping kick infused with spirit force.
Seven-Star Burst – his trump card, seven beams exploding together.
When the smoke cleared, Tie Yuan was untouched, still standing in the same place. He sighed, stepped forward, and unleashed Earth-Shatter Fist. The strike broke Wei Zhan's meridians, hurling him against the barrier and leaving him crippled.
The healers rushed in, but the verdict was clear Wei Zhan was finished.
Winner Tie Yuan.
Xuanye gripped his sword in fury, but Sect Master Lin's sharp voice "住手!" (Stop!) kept him from acting rashly.
Match Three – Prince Hong Ye (Crimson Jade Dynasty) vs. Sea Cloud Captain
Unlike his sister, the Crown Prince fought with elegance. Opening his Molten Jade Fan, he conjured Mirage Flame Veil, summoning dozens of illusory copies. The Sea Cloud captain countered with a spear, waves of water crashing forward.
But Hong Ye only smiled, whispering: "Blazing Mirage Ascends."
The battlefield shimmered into a heat haze. Water turned to steam; the spear melted at its tip. With a single snap of his fan, the captain collapsed in defeat.
Winner Prince Hong Ye.
Match Four – Zuo Kuang (Obsidian Bone Sect) vs. Void Horizon Disciple
Zuo Kuang dragged two chained corpses into the ring before the duel began. His aura reeked of rot and bone-poison. The Void Horizon youth conjured illusions of radiant skies, but Zuo Kuang's Soul-Binding Chains pierced through them, dragging him screaming to the ground.
Winner Zuo Kuang.
Match Five – Su Feilí (Qingling Sect) vs. Silver Marsh Sect Disciple
Su Feilí entered gracefully, her robes fluttering like petals. Her opponent struck first with watery whips. She countered with Blossom Seal Array, binding him in a cage of luminous flowers.
Then, with Petal-Shattering Palm, she scattered the array into a thousand slicing blades. The disciple fell unconscious, body bloodied but alive.
Winner Su Feilí.
Match Six – Yue Chányīn (Qingling Sect) vs. Crimson Jade Prince's Follower
Yue Chányīn's frost spread across the arena, snowflakes drifting as she drew her blade. The Crimson follower launched Blazing Tiger Form, flames roaring like a beast.
Her eyes remained calm. "Frost-Sealing Crescent."
One slash flames froze mid-roar, the tiger shattered, and her blade rested at his throat. He surrendered.
Winner Yue Chányīn.
Match Seven – Hei Mu (Black Mist Academy) vs. Iron Tide Sect Disciple
Hei Mu never even drew a weapon. Black fog swallowed the ring. The crowd heard a scream, then silence. When the mist cleared, his opponent lay unconscious with blood trickling from his ears.
Hei Mu sat cross-legged in the same spot.
Winner Hei Mu.
Match Eight – Ling Xuanye (Qingling Sect) vs. Outer Sect Challenger
Xuanye's turn arrived at last. His opponent, though talented, was unremarkable. Xuanye drew his blade, bowed slightly, and ended it in three strokes: Falling Leaf Cut, Moon-Splitting Arc, and Silent Sheath Return.
The duel ended so quickly many spectators blinked and missed it.
Winner Ling Xuanye.
Match Nine – Miscellaneous Battles
Other sect disciples clashed through the day. Many fell, many advanced, but none drew as much attention as the core contenders.
The Nine Who Ascend
By sunset, only nine remained—the strongest of the qualifiers, their names carried like banners across the continent:
Hei Mu (Black Mist Academy – Late Nascent Soul)
Ling Xuanye (Qingling Sect – Middle Core Formation, suppressed)
Tie Yuan (Iron Vow Sect – Early Nascent Soul)
Zuo Kuang (Obsidian Bone Sect – Middle Nascent Soul)
Yin Rou (Silken Vein Pavilion – Peak Foundation)
Yue Chányīn (Qingling Sect – Early Core Formation)
Su Feilí (Qingling Sect – Late Core Formation)
Prince Hong Ye (Crimson Jade Dynasty – Peak Core Formation, Mirage Flame)
Feng Ruo (Qingling Sect – Early Core Formation, narrowly victorious in her match)
Cheers, curses, and whispers filled the night air. Nine had risen, nine sects and empires held their breath waiting for the storm of the next stage.