When the clear and melodious chime of the great bell echoed throughout the entire Fire God Sect, Liu Bai and the other two had already arrived at the Plaza located at the very center of the sect.
At this moment, the place was truly filled with powerhouses. The Sect Master of the Fire God Sect, numerous elders, and even the Grand Elder Jin Chi had all appeared. It was said that the five direct disciples of the sect, as well as the many elite inner disciples, were all present without exception.
The Sect Master of the Fire God Sect, Yan Qianzhong, was a handsome middle-aged man dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with fiery clouds. The aura surrounding him was mysterious and profound, like a black hole that devoured all spiritual energy and divine sense approaching him.
"These three are the ones personally recruited by the Teaching, Law Enforcement, and Grand Elder?" Yan Qianzhong glanced at the three figures' location, then turned his gaze toward the three elders beside him with a faint smile.
The Teaching and Law Enforcement Elders were both high-ranking figures within the sect, holding real authority. As for Jin Chi, though he did not manage sect affairs, his seniority was the highest among those present. Even Yan Qianzhong, as the sect master, had to show him due respect. Hence, when speaking, his tone remained polite and gentle.
However, Jin Chi's mood lately had been anything but good. The Divine Flame he had guarded for hundreds of years had ultimately been seized by another, and despite searching for so long afterward, he had found nothing. It would be strange if he were in a good mood.
Seeing Jin Chi's cold expression, even ignoring the sect master's words, the other two elders felt slightly amused, though none dared let the atmosphere turn awkward.
The white-haired, childlike Teaching Elder smiled warmly and said, "Sect Master's eyes are as sharp as ever. These three indeed possess fine talent and strength. In particular, that Liu Bai, whom the Grand Elder brought back, is said to be not yet twenty years of age and has already broken through the Spiritual Energy Disaster. I also heard he has by his side a Nine Netherworld Sparrow that has undergone evolution. His talent, fortune, and strength are all extraordinary. I believe our Fire God Sect will earn a fine ranking in this Five Sect Grand Competition."
"Oh?" Hearing that the Teaching Elder held Liu Bai in such high regard, Yan Qianzhong revealed a hint of surprise.
His gaze turned once more, locking almost immediately on Liu Bai among the three.
There was no helping it—Jiu You's appearance was far too dazzling. Once she manifested her human form beside Liu Bai, she instantly became the center of everyone's attention.
"Heh, not bad indeed. To have subdued a Nine Netherworld Sparrow that has undergone evolution speaks volumes of Liu Bai's ability."
Jiu You's beauty was extraordinary, even top-tier, but as long as one was not utterly ruled by desire, such appearance would not give rise to wicked thoughts.
Let alone someone of Yan Qianzhong's standing.
More importantly, the Nine Nether Sparrow race was not one to be trifled with in the Great Thousand World.
One might subdue them through conviction and gain their willing allegiance, but to attempt force would invite disastrous backlash. The wrath of a powerful divine beast clan was something even the Five Element Divine Sect would rather not provoke, much less a lesser sect like the Fire God Sect.
"What a pity. A talent like that is destined not to remain within my Fire God Sect," Yan Qianzhong said with a faint sigh.
At that moment, the Law Enforcement Elder, who had remained silent until now, suddenly said, "The disciples of our Fire God Sect are no weaker than these cultivators of the Five Element Path!"
To become the Law Enforcement Elder, one naturally had to possess a strict and unyielding character, a man of discipline and fairness. Yet this particular elder also carried an old-fashioned stubbornness and a fierce sense of protectiveness.
In his eyes, Liu Bai and the others might indeed be excellent, but the Fire God Sect's own direct disciples were in no way inferior and might even surpass them.
"Well said, well said. The Law Enforcement Elder speaks the truth. When have our Fire God Sect's direct disciples ever feared anyone?"
Yan Qianzhong laughed heartily and then turned to look over the crowded plaza.
"Everyone, the time has come. Prepare to open the Five Elements Realm!"
At his command, all those present straightened their expressions. Led by the Teaching and Law Enforcement Elders, a total of ten elders acted simultaneously.
In an instant, violent crimson spiritual power surged into the sky. Endless radiance descended from the depths of the void, and then a vast red glow spread across heaven and earth.
The crimson brilliance condensed slowly above the sky, distorting space until it formed a blazing tunnel of fire.
"This passage leads to the Five Elements Realm, the miniature dimension prepared for this Five Sect Grand Competition. All disciples except the outer sect may enter. However, order must be maintained, and no conflict with allied sects is permitted. Violators will face sect punishment!"
Yan Qianzhong's deep and resonant voice echoed in everyone's ears as his gaze swept across the entire plaza.
At the same time, as the Fire God Sect began entering the Five Elements Realm, similar scenes unfolded at the other four corners of the Five Element Continent.
Opening the entrance to the Five Elements Realm required the cooperation of all five sects, and the time had been long agreed upon in advance.
After speaking, Yan Qianzhong's figure flickered, transforming into a stream of light that darted into the fiery tunnel. Behind him, the many elders followed in succession.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A thunderous roar of rushing wind filled the air. The vast plaza, once packed with people, erupted as countless figures took flight like locusts, surging upward into the blazing passage in the sky.
Naturally, Liu Bai was among them.
Before long, he emerged from the end of the tunnel.
What met his eyes was a world completely sustained by the spiritual power of the Five Elements.
Here, spiritual energies of different attributes gathered together, each occupying a domain of its own, yet coexisting without interference. Floating above these regions was a vast and majestic golden platform.
Liu Bai and the others had arrived in the fiery domain constructed of crimson spiritual energy, while the other areas represented the other four sects—the white domain of the Metal God Sect, the black domain of the Water God Sect, the green domain of the Wood God Sect, and the yellow domain of the Earth God Sect.
When all five sects had assembled, a group of figures appeared upon the golden platform above them.
"Greetings to the Envoy of the Divine Sect!"
As Liu Bai observed quietly, all five sects—from the sect masters and elders down to the ordinary inner disciples—bowed toward the figures on the golden platform.
Liu Bai glanced discreetly and saw that the so-called "Envoy of the Divine Sect" appeared very young. Judging by his aura, he cultivated the same Five Element Path as they did.
However, the experts standing around him were different. Liu Bai could not sense their power at all, but from their attire, he could tell they were also of the same lineage as the five sects.
"Could it be that within the Five Element Divine Sect, there are cultivators who do not follow the Five Element Path?" Liu Bai wondered silently.
The envoy from the Five Element Divine Sect seemed to be a straightforward person or perhaps he simply disliked wasting words for he directly declared the start of the Grand Competition.
At his signal, the five individuals standing behind him stepped forward simultaneously. Each raised a hand, releasing a towering beam of spiritual light that blasted into the void before them.
In that very instant, Jiu You's shocked voice echoed in Liu Bai's heart.
"Earth Sovereigns!"
"All five of them are Earth Sovereigns!"
Liu Bai's expression twitched violently upon hearing that.
"Are you sure?" he asked, still somewhat in disbelief.
Although in the later stages of the original work Earth Sovereigns were no better than cannon fodder, at this stage of cultivation they were definitely true overlords of their regions.
Just look at the impact brought by the North Sea Dragon when it had just broken through to the Earth Sovereign level and joined the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. Or compare it to the Northern Region of the Great Heavenlaw Domain—there, even a single Earth Sovereign expert could reign supreme over an entire territory.
Yet now, in what was essentially just a selection trial between five sects—something similar in nature to the Fire God Sect's internal disciple assessment from two months ago—five Earth Sovereigns had appeared at once.
That meant the Five Element Divine Sect must have an abundance of Earth Sovereigns. They might even be on par with the three great overlords of the Northern Region of the Skylaw Continent.
No wonder they could dominate the entire Five Element Continent; they truly possessed immense strength.
As the five Earth Sovereigns made their move, the once multicolored sky began to surge violently, and soon a massive astral gate composed of five colors appeared before everyone.
The black gate represented Water.
The red gate represented Fire.
The green gate represented Wood.
The yellow gate represented Earth.
The white gate represented Metal.
These five gates appeared to be right before one's eyes, yet at times seemed infinitely distant. Liu Bai could faintly sense spatial power at work within them.
Ever since his mastery of array arts had advanced to the level of the Advanced Phase of the Void Heart Eye, Liu Bai's spiritual soul power had surpassed even that of Jiu You. Thus, his perception of spatial power was superior to hers, even though she was a Fourth Grade Sovereign.
"You may freely choose any of the five gates to enter. The first to break through all the trials and reach the end will be ranked first, and so on in order. Each of you holds a spatial jade slip. If you encounter danger or wish to forfeit, crush it, and you will be transported out. Should you suffer a fatal attack, the jade slip will also activate automatically and send you out for protection."
"The champion of this Grand Competition will receive the Five Element Body ranked eighty on the Sovereign Celestial Body List, as well as a minor divine art. The second and third place will have the right to choose either a suitable Body Condensation Method or a minor divine art as their reward. Those ranked fourth through twentieth will receive Five Element Divine Treasures."
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out among the five sects' disciples.
The rewards were simply too generous. Even those who had mentally prepared themselves beforehand could not help but feel envious and excited.
Liu Bai took a deep breath. He had not expected the Five Element Divine Sect to be so generous, offering even a Sovereign Celestial Body as a prize. More astonishing still, it was one ranked on the Sovereign Celestial Body List itself.
One must know that in the vast Great Thousand World, countless practitioners existed, and innumerable had reached the Sovereign Realm. Each Sovereign condensed their own Celestial body, but only one hundred types of bodies had ever qualified for the Sovereign Celestial Body List.
The Five Element Body was not one that appeared in the original story, yet for it to be ranked eightieth, it was undoubtedly an extremely powerful Sovereign Body.
Of course, some might think that a body ranked eightieth was inferior to those of certain antagonists. For example, the
Nine Ominous Beast Body of Xia Hong, the Fourth Prince of the Great Xia Empire, was ranked fifty-seventh—an incredibly formidable body for what was merely a minor villain.
But there was no helping it. Liu Bai lacked such resources. All he could do was rely on himself to earn every step forward.
Even so, he would first have to distinguish himself among countless competitors just to earn the right to claim it.
"Hey, first place, huh? Do you think you can get it?" Jiu You, knowing Liu Bai's intentions, gently nudged his arm and asked softly.
As for the bodies and arts given to second and third place, their names had not even been mentioned. Clearly, Liu Bai would not be interested in them, and Jiu You, being perceptive, did not bring them up.
"Confidence? About seventy percent. After all, I have your Undying Flame. I doubt there will be much of a problem," Liu Bai replied calmly.
Both of them understood well that due to certain reasons, many of Liu Bai's methods were inconvenient to use, especially since they could not be sure whether those outside could perceive what happened beyond the gates. Hence, Liu Bai chose to act cautiously.
"Huh, I didn't expect you to be this confident," Jiu You said in mild surprise, glancing at him.
"Of course. If I didn't have at least that much confidence, why would I travel tens of thousands of miles to get here?" Liu Bai chuckled lightly.
"When I enter later, you just stay outside quietly and avoid trouble. Otherwise, even I might not be able to cover for you."
"Tch! That's what I should be saying to you!" Jiu You rolled her eyes playfully, clearly dissatisfied that he was underestimating her.
At that moment, the envoy above finished his explanation and formally announced, "The Five Sect Grand Competition begins! Everyone, choose your gate and enter!"
With that command, countless figures shot toward the five colossal gates.
However, none of the disciples of the five sects chose the gate corresponding to their own elemental affinity. For example, the Fire God Sect disciples all rushed toward the white gate representing Metal.
In the Five Elements, Fire restrains Metal.
Thus, when facing Metal-attribute Spiritual beasts, Fire God Sect disciples could display two hundred percent of their combat strength.
Liu Bai and his group were different. They cultivated all five elements, so theoretically any gate would be suitable.
In practice, however, Liu Bai also chose the white gate representing Metal, while Yan Xu and Dong Qing, his fellow Fire God Sect disciples, selected the Wood and Earth gates respectively.
Liu Bai's choice stemmed from his fusion with Jiu You's Undying Flame. Without resorting to his hidden trump cards, his Fire attribute was his strongest. It was likely that Yan Xu and Dong Qing had made similar strategic calculations.
Thus, following the surge of people, Liu Bai plunged headlong into the white gate of Metal. It felt as though he had passed through countless layers of folded space. His vision swayed, then went completely dark.
When sight returned, he found himself standing in a completely unfamiliar world.
...
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