The plaza of the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain was paved entirely with Profound Yellow Stone, its smooth surface polished like a mirror, faintly reflecting the drifting clouds above.
Twelve Dragon Coiling Pillars stood tall at the plaza's edge, their tops burning with eternal Earth Fire Lamps, casting a solemn halo over this grand sect tournament held every fifty years.
More than three hundred young Inner Sect Disciples, all uniformly clad in moon white martial attire, were arranged in neat formations. These were the disciples who had joined in the past fifty years and belonged to the Xuan generation.
They had Identity Jade Scrolls hanging from their waists, spirit light flowing from them, and faint mana waves emanating from their bodies, with half at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage and Mid-stage, and a few reaching Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Joining the Daoist Sect largely meant exceptional aptitude; a High Grade Spiritual Root was just the starting point, with most possessing Earth Grade Spiritual Roots. They also had to pass tests of character, perseverance, and comprehension.
If they had significant shortcomings in other areas, even an Earth Grade Spiritual Root couldn't ensure entry into the Daoist Sect; every chosen one was the best of the best!
At the front of the formation stood a massive White Jade Stele, carved with the ancient script "Daoist Sect Tournament."
The pen strokes carried the pressure left by High Tier Cultivators, causing the disciples to involuntarily restrain their Heart Spirits.
At the highest cloud sea, Han Lou True Monarch sat atop a Purple Gold Lotus Platform.
He wore a Profound Daoist Robe, with sleeves embroidered with patterns of Pill Furnace and stars, his gaze ancient and steady, sweeping slowly over the disciple formation below.
This grand meeting was personally presided over by him!
Evidently, the Three Elements Dao Sect encouraged diverse talents, but they also placed great importance on the disciples' combat power, with nearly half of the True Inheritors emerging from such tournaments.
On a slightly lower cloud platform, Golden Core Elders from various veins sat in rows, each with banners symbolizing their different veins behind them.
The Red Flame Banner of the Dan Vein, the Profound Talisman Banner of the Talisman Vein, the Cyan Blade Banner of the Sword Vein... the banners flapped in the mountain winds, the runes flickering, making the platform resemble a suspended Immortal Palace.
Arts uit Antwerp: 's Ochtends komen er wormen uit je lichaam. Probeer hetOpen
Chen Sheng sat in the central position of the platform, wearing a purple robe embroidered with cloud patterns and a Pill Furnace, a pale green Jade Ring hanging from his waist—an emblem of a Tier Three High Grade Alchemist.
Surrounding him were seven or eight Golden Core Elders from various veins, all with warm smiles on their faces.
Fifty years' time was enough for him to firmly establish himself in the sect, becoming a figure of power and influence.
Now, Chen Sheng had gradually assimilated the Alchemy Dao inheritance, becoming not only a Tier Three High Grade Alchemist but also unrivaled in the Realm-Breaking Elixir field.
He continuously improved pill formulas, incorporating exclusive refining techniques, surpassing even the Tier Three Top Level Alchemists of the Dan Vein in terms of the probability and quality of refined pills.
Unless a Tier Four True Monarch appears, others in this field couldn't compete with him at all.
The Realm-Breaking Elixirs he refined had become a golden signboard for the Daoist Sect and the surrounding Immortal Cities, with seekers needing to make reservations years in advance to have their wishes fulfilled.
Before long, Master Shi Fang walked up to Chen Sheng, casting his gaze upon the disciple formation below:
"Look at the third row from the left in the formation; Xihua and his brothers are standing there. Perhaps this time, they can contend for a True Inheritor spot."
Following his gaze, three young disciples standing tall and alert came into view.
The one in the center was Chen Sheng's ninth son, Chen Xihua, wearing cyan martial attire, bearing a resemblance to Chen Sheng with sharper features.
This forty-seven-year-old Late-stage Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator not only possessed an Earth Grade Gold Spirit Root but also showed great talent in Body Refining, having reached Body Refining Sixth Layer Perfection.
He had been thoroughly cultivated by Chen Sheng over the years and was one of the popular candidates for this tournament.
Beside him were Chen Sheng's other two offspring—Chen Xihai and Chen Ximei.
Both had Earth Grade Wood Spirit Roots, just over thirty years old, with steady and solid mana fluctuations, having reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Chen Sheng smiled gently, speaking modestly:
"Xihai and Ximei are still young, their cultivation still shallow. Participating in the tournament is already a fortune, as for results, that's secondary."
"As for Xihua, it depends on his own fortune."
In fifty years, Chen Sheng not only advanced in Alchemy Dao but also established branches and leaves in Yue Country.
Besides these three progeny who successfully joined the Daoist Sect, he had nearly a hundred offspring whose slightly inferior aptitude prevented them from entering the sect. Instead, they flourished in the Tier Three High Grade Yunlan Mountain Dojo he purchased, establishing the Chen Clan.
Today, the Chen Clan of Yunlan Mountain was a renowned family in the Three Elements Immortal City!
In the third and fourth generations, though many had no Spiritual Root or Lower Grade Spiritual Root, they willingly ventured into the mundane world, becoming either princes or wealthy merchants, spreading the Chen Clan's bloodline ever more widely.
Master De Ming beside him shook his head with a smile, eyes full of envy:
"Dao brother, you speak too modestly. Xihua and his brothers, young as they are, already practice dual cultivation of body and spirit. Such talent is rare even among Inner Sect Disciples."
"Truly, heaven favors you, Dao brother, not only with exceptional Alchemy Talent but also with such outstanding children."
Typically, the fertility of High Tier Cultivators gradually diminishes!
But Chen Sheng, with his unique physique, not only could bear children but also produced numerous talents, creating a remarkable family in just a few decades, envied by many.
Master De Ming came from a Golden Core Clan with a two-thousand-year heritage, with countless branches, yet only one outstanding youth from their clan's younger generation managed to enter the Inner Sect of the Daoist Sect.
Compared to the increasingly prosperous Chen Clan in recent years, they were much inferior, evoking a great sense of envy.
Chen Sheng listened, looked at Master De Ming, and smiled:
"My descendants have inherited a few of my traits. If Brother Dao is interested, how about our two families form a marriage alliance?"
Master De Ming's eyes lit up instantly, and he stood up abruptly, his robe sleeves fluttering without wind:
"Are you serious, Brother Dao?"
For a Cultivation Clan, allying with a top-tier Alchemist like Chen Sheng not only ensures a stable source of Elixir Pills but also leverages his network to elevate the family's standing.
Not to mention, Chen Sheng's bloodline physique has attracted much attention over the years.
"Of course, it's true."
Chen Sheng nodded with a smile, calculating in his heart that allying with these Golden Core Clans would not only strengthen the Chen Clan's power but also spread his bloodline more widely.
In this way, when he reincarnates, the probability of being born in Yue Country will greatly increase.
Several close Elders saw this and also spoke up:
"Brother Micro-Image, you can't show favoritism! My grandson also has a High Grade Spiritual Root... My son is very interested in Alchemy, and a marriage alliance with the Chen Clan would be perfect..."
Chen Sheng laughed out loud:
"Brothers, no need to rush. Our families should interact more in the future. As for marriages, it ultimately depends on the children's wishes; we can only encourage it."
At that moment, Han Lou True Monarch spoke high above, his voice like a great bell echoing across the plaza:
De parasieten verlaten het lichaam! Doe het voor het slapen gaanOpen
"The Sect Competition begins now!"
The next moment, the black robe sleeves of Han Lou True Monarch brushed the Cloud Sea before him seemingly casually.
Instantly, fine silver lines appeared on the Profound Yellow Stone ground at the center of the plaza, spreading like a web from the White Jade Stele in all directions.
Finally consolidating into thirty-two space passages before over three hundred disciples!
The entrances of the passages were oval-shaped, margins flowing with distorted auras, as if absorbing the surrounding light.
Through the thin light film, scenes within could be vaguely discerned—jagged black rocks one moment, a scarlet sand sea the next, and an ice-sealed cliff at another instance.
Behind these passages lay a Small Realm!
Even a sect like the Qinghua Sect could control space realms; for Three Elements Dao Sect, it was effortless.
Not only does Three Elements Dao Sect control many Secret Realms, but it also controls a Pocket World together with several other Nascent Soul Sects.
However, these Small Realms before them are not Secret Realms, nor Pocket Worlds, but "by-products" of Nascent Soul Cultivators comprehending the Void.
Han Lou True Monarch's voice carried through space to every disciple's ears:
"Though narrow, these Small Realms most reveal the truth, where incomplete Five Elements lead to chaotic Spiritual Power, and complexities in terrain demand adaptability, a hundred miles ideal for two to maneuver."
He flicked his finger, sending thirty-two pale golden runes from the lotus platform, precisely landing above each passage entrance, brightening the passage scenes slightly.
Through one passage was a stone forest filled with spikes and through another a canyon with rushing black water.
On the cloud platform, Chen Sheng glanced at those space passages leading to Small Realms, understanding briefly flashing in his eyes.
Most of these Small Realms were bubbles in the process of spatial change, collapsing and vanishing swiftly.
However, Nascent Soul Cultivators, grasping the Void Power, could seize those fleeting nodes amid space tides, stabilizing these bubbles to form Small Realms.
But these Small Realms have imbalanced Five Elements, with chaotic Spiritual Power flowing wildly; forget planting Spirit Grass, even regular cultivators residing for long would harm their foundation, proving valuable only in Magical Combat.
Without reservations, it's the best dueling arena!
In the plaza, the Steward Elder in charge of coordination shouted loudly:
"First group, enter the realm!"
Two disciples dressed in Moon White Martial Attire responded, their Identity Jade Tokens on their waists glowing red simultaneously.
They stepped to the nearest space passage, feeling the emanating pull.
The two exchanged looks, simultaneously deploying Magical Artifacts to protect themselves, leaping into the light film, their figures passing through the passage caused the entrance halo to fluctuate wildly.
The scene inside quickly switched to a lava-strewn valley, glowing red magma flowing slowly in the ravines, the air thick with the pungent smell of sulfur.
The Steward Elder's voice echoed throughout the plaza:
"Two people per realm, life and death are of no consequence, fight until exhausted!"
"Ten realms per group, controlled by Golden Core Elders through the Central Jade Disc!"
On the left side of the cloud platform, ten Golden Core Elders each had a palm-sized jade disc floating before them.
The disc bore intricate star maps, with each star point corresponding to a Small Realm, its brightness changing with fluctuations in realm Spiritual Power.
One Elder lightly tapped the jade disc, causing the star point representing the third Small Realm to flicker, a semi-transparent water curtain unfurled mid-air, clearly displaying the Magical Combat scene of two disciples in the realm.
Though said to disregard life and death, that wasn't really possible!
Every Inner Sect Disciple was among the best selected by the sect, the backbone of the sect's future.
Apart from the Demon Dao, even Sword Cultivation Sects known for their decisiveness couldn't spill too much blood in a sect competition.
The Golden Core Elders stood as the first layer of protection for the Foundation Establishment disciples engaged in Magical Combat within the Small Realms, holding the central control, able to retrieve disciples at the brink of life and death instantly.
Additionally, each combatant disciple bore a faint golden light mark on their forehead, the Tier Three High Grade Primordial Spirit Talisman's imprint.
Upon activation, this talisman could transform into a three-foot-thick Gang Qi Shield, capable of withstanding not just a full-powered strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator but even the divine techniques of a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator for a moment,
While distributing the talisman, Chen Sheng specifically chose Thunder Pattern Rune Talisman Paper for its thirty percent greater toughness than ordinary talisman paper, better enduring the chaotic Spiritual Power impact within the Small Realms. This was the second layer of protection!
Meanwhile, amidst the highest Cloud Sea, Han Lou True Monarch slightly closed his eyes, the Spiritual Energy Vortex around him accelerating suddenly.
His Divine Soul surged like an invisible tide into thirty-two Small Realms simultaneously.
Able to see disciples laying Illusion Arrays in the dark forest, sensing cultivators secretly conjuring magic, even catching subtle tremors from the Space Barriers of some realms.
Such is the mighty power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch's Divine Soul, like a divine eye above all Small Realms, leaving no danger undiscovered, serving as the final layer of protection.
Master De Ming gazed at the disciples leaping into the passages below, sincerely marveling:
"Three layers of protection, both safeguarding hazards and sparing life."
"With Primordial Spirit Talisman shielding powerful attacks, Golden Core Elders controlling entry and exit, and True Monarch's Divine Soul protecting the whole situation, such an arrangement indeed leaves no stone unturned."
Chen Sheng nodded slightly, focusing on the seventh passage Chen Xihua had entered.
Behind that passage lay a wind-eroded Gobi, black winds swirling with pebbles howling past, even the space rippled faintly from the winds.