The Wish Of The Dragon 105 Chapter 104

There's no surprise and everything went as expected... Although, Yun Che managed to garner some people attention seeing that he's capable of defeating someone that of higher cultivation than he is.

They never thought this 17 years old youth who's at the 5th level of the is apparently an underdog...

Since yesterday's ten consecutive wins in the second round of group stages, Yun Che and Xia Yuanba's victories within the group stage had not stopped, rather, it continued on after every match.

It's like luck is on Yun Che side because he never fought against opponents that's on the . Xia Yuanba is the one who fought against them so far...

Eleventh match:

"...Blue Wind Imperial Family's Xia Yuanba wins!"

Qin Wushang tightly gripped both hands in excitement, itching to wave his hands in the air and shout loudly without the slightest of elegance.

Twelfth match:

"...Blue Wind Imperial Family's Xia Yuanba wins!"

Qin Wushang stood up in excitement with trembling lips. As both his hands shook, it was as if he did not know where to put them.

Thirteenth match:

"...Blue Wind Imperial Family's Xia Yuanba wins!"

Even Qin Wushang's black beard started to shake as he continued to repeat himself: "Top fifty… Top fifty… Top fifty…"

Fifteenth match, which was also the last match:

"...Blue Wind Imperial Family's Xia Yuanba wins!"

Top fifty in the individual ranking was a position that he did not even dare to even wish for! His long-time wish was the same as Cang Wanhe's, and he only wished for their power ranking to be in the top hundred. And now, Xia Yuanba alone had already let the entire Imperial Family obtain a rank so high it was not known how many times higher it was from their original goal… He could imagine how excited this would make Cang Wanhe feel when he received news of this.

Yun Che also managed to enter the top fifty.

Cang Yue also clapped her hands in happiness... Now she can leave for without worry... She already fulfilled her royal father's wish...

...

Aside from Yun Che and Xia Yuanba, Xia Qingyue, Xu Wuexin, Shui Wushuang, Ling Yun, Fen Jin and other disciples within the Major Sects also finished with complete victories in the second round of group stages, which meant that they too, did not need to be ranked and could directly advance into tomorrow's elimination rounds.

"Complete victory... Top thirty-two..." It had been a while since Qin Wushang's bottom had touched his seat. He was so excited that he was essentially incapable of sitting down as he continued to rave deliriously, with each of his words carrying a deep vibrato. At this moment, he deeply felt that he was currently dreaming, and was also deeply afraid that this was merely a dream...

Even though he already prepared himself for this, when it truly happened it is still very overwhelming for him...

In contrast, Cang Yue was much more tranquil. After all, unlike Qin Wushang, she did not carry the burden of always seeing the previous ranking tournament's dismal performance results that brought along such humiliation, resentment, and unwillingness.

They're really thankful to Xia Yuanba and Yun Che for partic.i.p.ating in this tournament.

As she thought back to the time when she had first gotten acquainted with Issei in the and all the little details that came after that, she unwittingly began to smile.

It seems that Xia Yuanba's sudden rise in power must have some connection with Issei...

He is a person who has always brought hope, nice surprises, and miracles... Meeting him is her lifetime's most fortunate of miraculous encounters.

"What a truly unforeseen outcome... To think that there is 2 group of monstrous talent in this tournament. The is one thing, but for the as well..." Ling Yuefeng lamented with sincerity as he watched Yun Che and Xia Yuanba walk down the Sword Discourse Arena after fifteen consecutive victories.

Then he looks at the seatings... Xia Qingyue's group finished way earlier than Yun Che's group because even though Xia Yuanba defeated most of his enemies in 1 hit, they still need to wait for Yun Che to finish his fight...

Ling Yuefeng narrowed his eyes while murderous intent filled his gazes when he saw how Chu Yuechan treated Issei... He's envious! How can he not be envious of Issei?! The love of his life is there acting like a dutiful wife serving Issei!

"Father, for one to defeat an opponent of a higher level, there are only three possible reasons why. One of them is when one's innate talent of using profound energy is so high that they are able to bring out a power that's double their own profound strength... The second is when one's profound arts and techniques are so strong that they are able to completely crush their opponent. The third is when one's innate talent is astonis.h.i.+ngly superior with a special nature, like an innate divine strength, a hardened body, a sharp perception, and so on... But as far as I could tell, that Xia Qingyue's group seems to possess all the three conditions above..." Ling Yun said with a sigh.

"Their profound energy usage is very accurate and extremely dense that it is extremely suffocating just being near the range of their attacks, their profound art also really special... Within this mainland, as far as I know, only the could use this kind of profound art... It might seem just your typical ice profound art but there's something more into it... It is vastly different compared to Mu Luanyi who I defeated in the past... Their innate talent is also out of this world... Especially that Xia Qingyue who's only at 17 years old but she's already at the peak of the ... Truly remarkable..."

Ling Yun said with emotion to which his father nodded with an "Em" but his eyes latched on Chu Yuechan's figure still...

But Ling Yuefeng's body shuddered when his gazes intersected with Chu Yuechan... He thought that he might be mistaken but he just felt like he's being gazed by a divine beast instead of a fellow human: 'It must be just my imagination'... He thought to himself but he took back his gaze from her less he will annoy her even further...

He needs to apologize for his misconduct soon or she will thoroughly hate him later...

Unknown to him, Chu Yuechan already despises Ling Yuefeng to the maximum... Because of him, she made a fool out of herself in front of Issei. Actually it's just her being overly conscious and overthinking... Issei is not that petty after all. Nevertheless, she already hated Ling Yuefeng because of this...

His subordinate already reported his blunder yesterday and he was surprised since this subordinate is at the 1st level of the and his profound art is leaning towards concealment art. For Issei to saw through his concealment right away then his cultivation must be above his or he's cultivating some sort of profound art that could see through concealment.

But he doesn't want to accept the 1st outcome... He rather chooses the 2nd option. There's no way his cultivation realm is above his...

Ling Yuefeng's cultivation base himself is at the 4th level. He's just recently had a breakthrough.

He still doesn't know that Chu Yuechan has already left him in the dust in terms of cultivation alone... Even most of the 7 fairies have surpa.s.sed him... Only Feng Hanyue and Feng Hanxue that's still at the while the rest of the fairies are at already...

"...It doesn't matter, Yun'er... It's acceptable for you to lose against these 4 monstrous talents later on. It's not that you're too weak but your enemy is too strong this time... No need to risk yourself fighting against them later. Just surrender if you wanted to. I'm sure n.o.body would look down on you..." Ling Yuefeng sighed bitterly since it seems that his son won't be able to get the 1st place in this tournament...

"Um..." Ling Yun nodded at his father's words but what's on his mind is unknown...

He then set his gaze on Xia Qingyue...

After the second round of group stages, the sect's disciples were directly ranked out using the number of wins. Among them, the top thirty-two disciples in the rankings would proceed to the last elimination round on the main Sword Discourse Arena tomorrow. Disciples below the one-hundredth rank, as well as rank thirty-three to one hundred, would respectively be transferred to different secondary arenas, and progress to the ranking battles between their ranks.

The elimination round was the last stage of the Ranking Tournament, as well as the core existence of the entire Ranking Tournament. Because, among over one thousand and five hundred partic.i.p.ating disciples, these were the decided strongest thirty-two people! Who represented the pinnacle of the Blue Wind Empire's younger generation's strength! Even though the elimination round only had thirty-two people, it would last for an entire five days, longer than any round of group stage matches. The arena would also no longer be the small Sword Discourse Arenas, and would instead be the enormous central Main Sword Discourse Arena.

...

That night Chu Yuechan and the other girls are sitting on the dinner table within their courtyard dining hall.

Ever since that night when she found out about the "Rats" she refuses to receive any beverages or food provided by the Heavenly Sword Villa.

They said they don't need it much to the villa servants dismay... What to do? Their master told them to provide the best service for them but they're unable to do so since Chu Yuechan herself refuses... They can only report this to Ling Yuefeng...

Ling Yuefeng himself can only sigh and told them that it's fine... He doesn't want to anger her even further so he can only follow her wish...

Chu Yueli and the others supported Chu Yuechan's words. They also hated Ling Yuefeng for sending a spy to their place... As for why they're so sure that it's him who sends those spies. It's because this is their domain, there's no way they will let other guests spy each other...

Issei himself also confirmed that they're indeed sent by Ling Yuefeng himself with the help of the .

He told it to follow those "Rats" back to their master's place without anyone realizing its presence... can blend with the darkness itself, that and coupled with its high cultivation base. There's no way those weaklings can detect him... Even Ling Kun himself who's at the 6th level of the won't be able to detect it, needless to say about those who are below the ...

Issei brought the and the with him and stored them inside the .

Issei sighed to himself seeing that the girls don't want to take the food provided by the .

Not that he would blame them for it... Seeing that they would eat the rations they brought he stopped them: "Wait."

The girls stopped their hands and look at him puzzlingly.

"Don't eat that, I will make some food for you." He told them.

While Chu Yueli and the others are surprised by what he said, Chu Yuechan's beautiful face beamed with happiness since she will be able to eat Issei cooking once again... She still can't forget the taste of the wanton soup from before...

Chu Yuechan still hasn't told them that he can cook. Good timing she thought to herself...

Issei tied his hair into a ponytail and proceeded to take out some cooking utensils... Ranging from a magic frying pan, a magic oven, knife, etc... All of these are created by Kathryn at one point. All he need is to channel a bit of his mana/profound energy into it to make it useable.

The girls went into a daze seeing him putting a white ap.r.o.n... It's a lower waist ap.r.o.n and not a full-body ap.r.o.n but it really suits him a lot they thought to themselves...

They're also surprised by the sight of these magical tools but that's all glossed over with the thoughts that it's him we're talking about...

He's wearing a black t-s.h.i.+rt with 2 b.u.t.tons opened from the top which serves as an allure for the onlookers'.

Issei then took out some fish meats from the , then proceeded to cut them to an appropriate chunk for each of them.

He seasoned the meat then seared it first before putting them in the magic oven then proceeded to make the gravy sauce for it.

The meat he took out is a lump of meat from a . This fish is quite rare since it's quite powerful back in its own world. It can be considered an apex predator over there... Its name came from how its head shaped just like a Dragon with a giant horn while possessing a giant tuna body that's colored golden hence the name .

It's a beast nearing . It had the mystical properties of dissolving immediately when entering the mouth and also being able to strengthen the body. It was also rumored that this meat had the capabilities of improving one's appearance, maintaining one's youthful appearance forever.

So it's quite popular with the ladies back in its world and even in Issei's world...

The gravy sauce is its bone marrow and bone sinew themselves. Issei ground it in a magic blender and then he proceeded to take out some unique looking vegetables... Then he mixed the blended bone marrow and sinew with some herbs into a giant pot and then he simmers them in a pot full of Yggdrasil tree honeydew.

He also roasted some vegetables as a side dish along with some caviar on top of them from the very same fish. Even though its body is huge, its eggs are very small, at the size of sturgeon caviar. Probably because it will be easier to hide them from other predators...

For the drinks, he took out some specialized wine with zero alcohol content. After all, Xia Qingyue is still underage(at least in his opinion) and he will also eat with them so he can't let himself become drunk because of the wine or it will be catastrophic...

After a few minutes, he arranged the plates and set the tuna steak carefully with some intricate design from the ingredients he has, making it looks like a blooming rose and poured the gravy on top of the tuna steak.

Their eyes turned moist gazing at the current Issei... It's really romantic for women when a man knows how to cook. That and coupled with his otherworldly face almost made them swooned out loud...

The food mouth-watering smell immediately snaps the girls from their daze. They keep swallowing their saliva to prevent them from overflowing... They have never smelled this kind of heavenly fragrance in their entire life...

Even Jasmine and Xun'er who's inside the almost drooled at the sight of his food and him at the same time...

Xun'er and Jasmine's little heart thumped loudly after seeing him and then they saw the breathtaking food he arranged on the table. If it wasn't for Chu Yuechan and the others being there then they would've exited the pearl to join him to eat the food.

Thankfully they could keep their composure or they would've made an embarra.s.sing scene of themselves in front of the man they adore...

"Take a seat and let's eat." Issei took off his cooking ap.r.o.n and seated himself on the dining table. The girls hastily took their respective seats.

They shakingly pick up their chopsticks because of the heavenly smell becomes even stronger now that they're in front of it... They copied Issei's action on how to eat the food.

The meat is very soft and using can be easily cut by using chopsticks alone.

Choosing one of the meats from the three slice of meat, then cutting out a small piece from it, The girls squinted their eyes and stuffed the small piece of meat into their mouth at the same time. 0.1 seconds later! The girls opened their eyes wide open. What kind of meat is this! It actually immediately dissolved when it entered their mouths!

The meat is still particularly fragrant, sweet and extremely delicious. Furthermore, the meat doesn't carry a particular odor most meats usually does. The gravy sauce also enhances the flavor even further.

They almost swallowed their tounges just from one slice of meat.

They instantly throw away their etiquette out of the windows and quickly devoured the delicacies in front of them in gusto.

When they took a sip of their wine, their eyes become wide open once again. Just what is this thing! Why is it this delicious? Although they only took a small sip, the unique fragrance revolved around their mouth, then afterward, the taste transmitted to their brain and made their minds become clear more than ever before. Even the pores on their skins also opened up making them feel so refreshed and comfortable.

Not only the food, but even the drink is also very tasty!

Raising their heads up, the girls drank the entire wine in one go. They felt that their entire body was about to start floating. The fragrance distributed to every cell in their body, and their cells were cheering and thirsting for another cup of wine.

Looking at the empty wine gla.s.s, they immediately regretted it. They shouldn't have drunk it all in one go just now, they should have drunk it slowly. Their gaze was immediately placed onto the only wine gla.s.s left, which is Issei's.

Only then they realized their lack of etiquette and their face instantly exploded in red. They wish they could find a hole and crawl inside it because of how embarra.s.sing it is... They can't believe they just embarra.s.s themselves in front of the man they adore...

It's his fault! Why does his food have to be so tasty! They thought inside their minds putting the blame on Issei...

Issei proceeded to pour some more wine for them.

"Eat slowly, no need to rush." He said calmly towards them.

They nodded shyly and this time they eat more slowly and enjoy every bite and every sip of wine they have...

Issei smiled thinly seeing their act... It kind of reminded him of Ramius's group during his stay in their world.

He then calmly eat his food...

"Y-You better have already prepared the portion for this princess and this princess royal mother!" Jasmine's threatening words yet it sounded like a pleading voice tone rang out from within the pearl.

Issei stopped his hand for a second before smirking to himself...

...

The girls hurriedly enter their room when they finished their dinner. They're too embarra.s.sed to see Issei right now and for some reason, their body felt a little bit hot...

They're a bit confused why they feel this way but they don't think that Issei drugged them or anything...

Why would he wait till now if that's what he was aiming for? His strength is far above them and he could easily have his way with them if he wanted to, so him drugging them is non-sensical or plain dumb... And if he really wanted to do "it" then they won't really mind either...

But soon they realize that it's not only their body but their profound veins are also feeling hot. They hastily check their bodies and becomes astonished that there is abundant profound energy residing within...

They immediately cultivate in their respective rooms.

Each of them had a breakthrough by 1 or 2 small realms on that very same night... Chu Yuechan officially stepped into the peak of the , Chu Yueli entered the 5th level throne, Xia Qingyue into 1st level throne, Shui Wushuang, and Xu Wuexin entered the 8th level of the .

When morning came they sigh to themselves thinking that they owe him yet again... But then they are surprised seeing a bit of stinky black grime on their body. They hurriedly entered their bathroom to wash up...

...

Inside the pearl, Issei smirked at the little princess who acts bossy in front of him.

"Where's this princess food?" She asked haughtily.

Issei ignored her and proceeded to take out the same steak he just cooked and put them on the dining table inside the pearl. The heavenly fragrance the food emitted immediately provoked their taste bud to no end...

"*C-Cough* Good, this princess will remember your merit" Jasmine faked a cough as an excuse to wipe her drool.

When she extended her hand towards the plate of steak before her, Issei slapped her hands lightly to the side.

"What are you doing!?" Jasmine shouted indignantly.

"Is that how you convey your grat.i.tude?" Issei smirked at her.

"Y-You..." Jasmine bared her fangs towards Issei.

"What you? If you don't properly say thank you then you're not allowed to eat." Issei calmly retorted to her words.

Jasmine gritted her teeth and swung her head to the side as if saying 'See if this princess cares about your measly food'.

But the way she sneaks a peek at the corner of her eye once in a while betrayed her thoughts... Who can blame her? The food Issei cooked just smells that good!

Xun'er could only smile wryly at her daughter. But this time she decided to take Issei's side.

"Ise, may I have your food?" She asked Issei permission to eat the food.

"Sure." Issei nodded at her.

"Thank you." She sat down on the dining table after properly conveying her grat.i.tude towards him.

She proceeded to grab a pair of chopsticks and said out loud: "Mmm, this smells really good and I bet the taste also taste delicious... Jasmine dear, are you sure you don't want to eat? If not then mother will take your share as well~"

Jasmine's ear twitched ever so slightly but she still doesn't say anything...

Xun'er smiled at her daughter and proceeded to eat a slice of meat she just cut...

"...S-So delicious!" She was thinking to act a play but she never thought that Issei food could taste this good... Her current reaction is genuine.

She then reacts just like Chu Yuechan and the others.

She immediately eats at a rapid pace which worries Jasmine a lot... Will mother really eat my share as well? Jasmine started fidgetting a lot while worry laced her face and she gulped audibly seeing how happy her mother when she's eating the food.

Just when Xun'er portion started to dwindle by quite a bit, she finally couldn't take it anymore and immediately went forward to Issei's direction.

"P-Please l-let me have your food!" She shouted in a red face.

Issei smirk grew wider while Jasmine's eye started flooded with tears threatening to drop from the corner of her comely eyes.

Issei finally decided to stop teasing her and give her the green light: "Sure."

She doesn't bother to hide her joy and hastily sit on the table as well and joined Xun'er... Her eyes are wide open the moment she tasted the food... So. Freaking. Delicious!

Then both of them enjoyed their food with Issei calmly observing them from the side... Issei also sent a portion for Xiaotao and the 2 wyverns inside the ... The howl and roar of joy coming from the 2 wyverns almost made Xiaotao went angry because of how noisy it is but all of that disappears the moment she put the meat in her mouth...

...

Xun'er and Jasmine's face went beet red just like the other girls when they finish their food... Xun'er can't believe she loses her composure in front of Issei... While Jasmine felt embarra.s.sed despite the tough act she showed, in the end, she still surrendered into the enemy's "threat"...

"...Dear, don't you have something to say?" Xun'er said in a stern voice to hide her embarra.s.sment from Issei and made her daughter a scapegoat.

Jasmine pouted slightly but she manages to say her thanks albeit in a small voice just like a mosquito buzzing: "...th-thank you..." She mumbled.

Issei chuckled lightly and ruffled her hair roughly: "You're welcome, little brat."

Her pout grew larger but she doesn't avoid his touch and if someone were to look at her eyes, they will find out that she's feeling happy although her face doesn't show it...

"...Th-This princess allows you to be her personal chef from this moment on." This won't do! She needs to regain her prestige back! But all of that comes crumbling down the moment she saw Issei hand gesture ready to flick her forehead.

She hastily covered her forehead and closed her eyes at the same time.

But Issei suddenly pinches her cheeks which caught her off guard... Her m.u.f.fled sound because of his pinch came out rather funny. "S-Stowp! It huwts! I'm sowwy!" Only then he let go of her cheeks which becomes red for a whole another reason this time...

Then he left the fuming little princess alone and exited the pearl while Xun'er giggled at her angry daughter...

...

The next morning, as the sky was just barely lighting up, the Sword Discourse Arena in the Heavenly Sword Villa was already clamoring.

The final event of Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, the Round of Thirty Two, had finally begun!

An enormous profound stone was temporarily erected in the center of the Main Sword Discourse Arena, and the names of the thirty-two people who had entered the Round of Thirty Two, as well as the sect they belonged two were displayed on top. Amongst these thirty-two names, the twelve disciples from the Major Sects were all present without any exceptions.

But in the history of this Ranking Tournament, this was a sight that was most common. If even one were to be missing from there, it would instead be abnormal. The great disparity between the major Sects and the other minor sects could be glimpsed at from this.

"I had never thought even in my dreams, that there would be a day our Blue Wind Imperial Family's name would actually appear on it." Looking at that enormous profound stone in the arena, Qin Wushang's complexion actually carried a deep devoutness within. He was excited to the point of being unable to sleep at all last night, and to also come here so early in the morning. His feeling of excitement could not be suppressed no matter what.

Every single name on the profound stone was more breathtaking than the last, and the name of the sects was also more astonis.h.i.+ng than the last. Qin Wushang believed, that Yun Che's winning streak in this Ranking Tournament would be stopped here, but Xia Yuanba will keep his winning streak without difficulties...

He should be able to get 2nd rank but considering that Shui Wushuang and Xu Wuexin belong to his elder sister sect then he will forfeit the match... It's fine though since being in 4th rank is more than enough for him...

"Partic.i.p.ating disciples of the Round of Thirty Two, please come to the stage and draw the lot for battle order!"

Then the tournament resumed itself...

But Qin Wushang is surprised seeing that Yun Che managed to enter the top 16 still... It looks like luck is still on his side since most of his enemies are mostly on the same realm while those who are on the are faced with Xia Yuanba.

It's a good thing though... That means Yun Che still has a chance to enter the top 10 ranks as well...

...

After another night had pa.s.sed, a new day had begun. New matches were also imminent. It was early morning, but the entire Sword Discourse Arena was already jammed packed with people waiting for the Round of 16 to begin. As of now, this Blue Wind Ranking Tournament's match progression still conformed with the norm... If they're taking Xia Qingyue's group out of consideration that is...

Yun Che result is also surprising for them since he's capable of defeating those that are in a higher cultivation realm than he is... But his achievements are overshadowed by those 4 monstrous talents.

As for the ranking tournament's final results, that was already predestined inside everyone's heart long ago, during the first day's Profound a.s.sessment Ceremony…

They've already forgotten about competing for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th rank altogether since it's nothing but a pipe dream now...

The 5th rank is what they're competing for... But since Ling Yun is here then that's also another pipe dream but at the very least they still have a sliver of a chance in defeating him compared to Xia Qingyue's group...

Even their respective clan/sect leaders told them it's fine for them to not compete for the 1st to 4th rank... No need to endanger themselves fighting those monsters, they told their respective disciples.

They can't put a protest either since there's no rule is being broken... They can only lament their bad luck for this year's tournament...

At that point, Ling Kun, who usually was very silent, stood up from his seat and looked at Yun Che. Although his actions could be considered inconspicuous on the gigantic Sword Discourse Arena, everyone present turned to him as if attracted by an unknown aura and subconsciously watched him. His sudden action seemed to make everyone's hearts thump.

, a place that was sacred and distant, and perhaps even legendary to them. The applause stopped immediately and the entire Sword Discourse Arena turned so silent that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see what this mighty elder that came from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region wanted to do.

"Young man, you are called Yun Che?" Ling Kun looked at Yun Che as he asked cheerfully. His voice was very peaceful.

Yun Che's footsteps stopped for a moment, as he was visibly shocked by the question. He nodded and replied humbly: "Yes, I am Yun Che. I wonder if Senior Ling wishes to say anything to me."

"You are currently a disciple of the Profound Palace set up by the Blue Wind Empire's Imperial Family, right?" Ling Kun asked.

"Yes."

Ling Kun nodded slowly before saying something earth-shattering: "Well, are you interested to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region?"

This one question of Ling Kun's, echoed through the ears of everyone, causing great shock. Qin Wushang was stunned, and so was Cang Yue. Even Ling Yuefeng was shocked motionless. Every person in the audience revealed an expression of deep astonishment.

While Xia Qingyue and the others only raised an eyebrow seemingly a bit tad surprised seeing how Yun Che is being invited to join one of the sacred grounds.

Mighty . One of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, an almighty existence in the Profound Sky Continent. If one was able to enter the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, he must be one of the top profound pract.i.tioners currently in existence. Without exaggeration, if a servant in the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region came to Blue Wind Empire, he could become a renowned master of a faction. In terms of status, he would easily be more respectable than a country's emperor! Many of the young profound pract.i.tioners could be considered to be of a genius level, but not one of them dared to dream of entering one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Not even Ling Yun had dared think of it before.

Among the seven countries in the , was the smallest and weakest one until now. It was also the one that was the furthest from the . They had only heard the names of the Four Great Sacred Grounds in legends. Most of the people would not interact with it in any form throughout their lives. Today, however, one of the legendary Sacred Grounds had taken the initiative to invite a seventeen-year-old youth to join them.

To be honest, Ling Kun rather has Xia Yuanba joining the sect but since Xia Yuanba is not a swordsman and he also refused all invitation so far then he decided to just invite Yun Che instead.

Everyone's eyes fell onto Yun Che… Shock, envy, amazement, jealousy, and disbelief… If it was Xia Yuanba that's being invited then they won't be so shocked but to think it will be Yun Che instead...

Sure his talent not bad but compared to Ling Yun then he falls short, isn't he?

Only Xia Qingyue and Chu Yueli had different thoughts... They know that a few months ago, this Yun Che can't even cultivate. Now he's already at the 5th level of the ...

If those who are envious and indignant of him know of this then they might think otherwise...

His cultivation speed is really quick but since they have seen a true talent which is their sect elder they didn't think much about it... Their elder can reach the peak of the in but one single breath! They're willing to bet with everything they have that no one will be able to do what he did... 100%!

But they are indeed a bit curious just what kind of fortuitous encounter that this Yun Che encountered to make him advance this fast... If they know about Yun Che true ident.i.ty then they won't be as surprised...

Issei for one can tell that this Yun Che is not 17 years old... At least on the outside or body structure then he is indeed only 17 years old but his soul says otherwise... His soul age is at least twice Issei's own age... More than 40 years old...

But once he thought of the treasure he possesses beforehand then it might be not so weird after all... This indeed has a property that could somehow "Reincarnate" one soul back to the past but its power is limited within this universe only as far as he could tell.

He once tried to a.n.a.lyze it inside the but the result is a little disappointing... He meant, don't get him wrong, it's indeed quite a powerful artifact but compared to the other treasures he possesses then it's a bit lacking...

Semiramis ability alone could easily surpa.s.s this but it would be a bit unreasonable comparing a True G.o.ddess of Death to this low-level artifact...

"Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… That is a place even I do not dare to dream of." Qin Wushang exclaimed in a shocked manner: "The Mighty has invited him. Even I, cannot fathom his future anymore... How about you, Yuanba? Do you want to enter the ? With your and Yun Che's talent, it's not something like a little Blue Wind Profound Palace is worthy of having. Maybe the Mighty Four Great Sacred Grounds are the ones that are truly worthy of keeping you both... When the times to come, knowing you both would probably be something that would make me proud for the rest of my life. Hahahaha." Qin Wushang laughed warmly.

He's not the type of person who overcomplicates stuff. He truly thinks that the small Blue Wind Profound Palace/New Moon Palace is not worthy enough of their talents... Staying there would only harm their future growth and that's not something he wanted to see.

Cang Yue also felt the same as Qin Wushang and she thought it would be best if they both enter the Heavenly Sword Region. Even she was thinking to enter the on her own...

"Ah? No no, I'm already content with just staying in the New Moon Profound Palace." Xia Yuanba waved his hand frantically.

Qin Wushang and Cang Yue smiled wryly... His lack of ambition worries them a bit... But they thought they will slowly advise him to enter 4 Sacred Grounds later on...

Ling Kun who heard Xia Yuanba's answer sighed in pity... Then he looks at Yun Che waiting for his answer.

Yun Che's brows moved slightly. He did not have the elation and excitement everyone expected him to have. His face was shockingly, only a field of calmness. He took a step forward and replied courteously: "Many thanks to Senior Ling for thinking so highly of this junior. However, this junior is currently still a disciple of the Blue Wind Profound Palace and has no thoughts of leaving yet. Furthermore, this junior still has plenty of unfinished business here. Even though my heart longs for it, I am unable to bring myself to leave… I can only thank Senior Ling for the love and kind intentions."

Yun Che's answer was completely out of everyone's expectation. Everyone stared at him and wondered if he had gone mad… Being invited by Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was something that people did not even dare to dream about, and he actually rejected it! Instead, he was willing to stay in a small Blue Wind Profound Palace! This was a reply only an idiot or lunatic would make.

Ling Kun, however, was not angry, and instead laughed peacefully: "Hahahaha, good! Even though you are young, you are not arrogant, nor are you impatient. You are not fl.u.s.tered, nor are you rash. This is indeed rare. The reason I want to bring you into Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not because of the talent you displayed. Although your talent is considered shocking in this country, in the Sacred Grounds, it might not even be considered average. The reason I want to bring you in is because of the beautiful way you handle the heavy sword…

Mighty Heavenly Sword Region used to have a Heavy Sword/Great Sword department. However, it eventually died out. From you, I can see hopes of reforming that department. It is inappropriate for me to ask who your master is, but I hope that when you do join Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, you are able to reform the Heavy Sword department. If you could do it, becoming an elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not unlikely."

Hisss...

"Elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region". These few words made many people shudder. That was a figure that even Heavenly Sword Villa's Villa Master Ling Yuefeng was unqualified to meet.

Yun Che still remained very calm and replied without hesitation: "Senior Ling's graciousness, this junior will remember it well. When this junior is done with his unfinished business, he will definitely think about it deeply."

"Good!" Ling Kun still did not become angry, and instead commended him with a nod: "I admire your personality. If that is the case, I shall not force you. Here, take this!"

Ling Kun flicked his finger and a piece of a deep purple colored jade stone the size of a fist horizontally flew out and was caught by Yun Che.

Ling Kun withdrew his palm and said coolly: "This is a special Sound Transmission Stone that is able to communicate with me as long as we are within a distance of a hundred fifty kilometers. If you eventually decide to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, drop me a message. I will guide you to us and bring you to meet the Venerable Sword Master. I believe the Venerable Sword Master would be immensely interested in how you handle the heavy sword."

Despite being rejected twice by Yun Che, Ling Kun did not become angry. Instead, he left him a Sound Transmission Jade. Such treatment was undoubtedly an extremely favorable one which left many people envying until they nearly cried blood tears. However, Ling Kun also had absolute confidence that Yun Che would initiate contact with him in the near future… The invitation to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was a 'temptation' that any young profound pract.i.tioner could not possibly reject.

But when Ling Kun gazes went towards Xia Qingyue's group, Issei frowned a little since he can sense some sort of ill will inside his gaze... It's not l.u.s.tful gaze but more like greed-filled eyes, like he's looking a mountain of gold... He doesn't really care about those 4 sacred ground or whatnot but if they do dare to bare their fangs towards the members of the then he won't mind sending Esdeath's group once again to "clean the house"...

"...Be careful of this Ling Kun, don't trust him." Issei said softly towards Chu Yuechan and the others.

They're taken aback by Issei sudden words but they nodded obediently soon after... If their sect elder told them to be careful then they would. Although they don't know why they should be careful of this Ling Kun they would still follow his words suit...

It's not like Issei will harm them anyway and they rather believe his words rather than someone else they barely know...

Xia Qingyue for one knew very well when Issei said these kinds of warnings then he most likely has a good reason for it... Just like last time during their visit to the when they encountered that "Miracle Saint" or whatnot...

And her guess is right...

...

-Last night-

Ling Kun, as one of the executives of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, his status could only be considered as the low-middle cla.s.s in the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. However, in the Blue Wind Empire, his status, and his strength, was enough to frighten and be revered by all the large sects. None of them would dare to offend or disobey him in the slightest.

In the eyes of the Four Great Sacred Lands, these small empires were simply nothing but third-rate places that they would not even bother to step into.

The courtyard had prepared for Ling Kun was also extremely extravagant. Just by the number of servants attending to him alone were more than a dozen, and currently, all of these people who attended to him were sent away by him. In the room lighted up by the pale candle-light, he took out a treasure jade that was entirely bluish-purple in color. This was a piece of an extremely rare and unique sound transmission jade.

With the insertion of profound energy, the bluish-purple sound transmission jade emitted out a pale glow, and the sound transmission formation that's hidden within began to quickly spin.

"Young Hall Master, how have you been? Do you still remember this trivial old man?" Ling Kun narrowed his eyelids and softly spoke to the sound transmission jade.

"Senior Ling? Ling Kun of Mighty Heavenly Sword Region? Now this sure is rare. It seems like, you should have something interesting to discuss with this young master?"

"That's right." Ling Kun slowly said. "This old man wishes to make a trade with Young Hall Master. I believe Young Hall Master will definitely be interested in this trade."

"Oh? Go on." The voice from the other end said in an intrigued tone.

"Hoho, I heard that Young Hall Master has been looking for a girl who possesses the in these recent years. And a mystical girl like that, this old man has actually encountered one. I wonder if Young Hall Master is interested?" Ling Kun said while remembering the body of Xia Qingyue... He accidentally sensed her special physique when she's using the Profound a.s.sessment Stone.

"What?" The voice which was initially calm instantly became hurried, and then, his voice once again sank. "This young master naturally will not suspect Senior Ling's eyes. But since it's the that would rarely appear in ten thousand years, why isn't Senior Ling using for himself, or presenting it to your Holy Master of Mighty Heavenly Sword Region?"

"This old man knows of his own status, I really do not have the sufficient guts to enjoy this . If I were to offer it to the Holy Master, I will only be able to exchange it for the so-called 'merits', but if I were to offer it to Young Hall Master… Heh, I believe, with Young Hall Master's boldness and wit, this old man will definitely receive even more benefits."

"Hahahaha! Senior Ling sure is a smart man. This young master likes to talk with smart people. Looks like back then, when this young master left the sound transmission jade to Senior Ling, it was really the wisest decision on my part. Whatever benefits Senior Ling wish to have, please feel free to express them. If it's the real Nine Profound Exquisite Body, no matter what Senior Ling wishes to have, it would never be too much." The young master laughed in a jovial manner.

"As I thought, Young Hall Master is straightforward." Ling Kun laughed: "This old man only wants one thing… A thousand five hundred grams of Purple Veined Divine Crystals."

"...A thousand five hundred grams. This request of Senior Ling's sure is big."

"Hahahaha, to others, forget about a thousand five hundred grams of , it would be difficult for them to even obtain a thousand five hundred grams of Purple Veined Heaven Crystals. But, to Young Hall Master, I believe obtaining a thousand five hundred grams of Purple Veined Divine Crystals isn't really a hard task. And, when comparing the Nine Profound Exquisite Body to a thousand five hundred grams of Purple Veined Divine Crystals, it basically isn't worth mentioning."

"Fine! Within two years, this young master will personally prepare a thousand five hundred grams of . I hope when that time comes, Senior Ling will definitely not disappoint me."

"Young Hall Master, please be at ease. Unless this old man is tired of living, otherwise, I definitely would not dare to fool Young Hall Master in the slightest. Then, this old man will quietly wait for Young Hall Master's good news…"

The light in the sound transmission jade disappeared. Ling Kun raised his head, quietly smiled, and muttered softly to himself. "The characteristic of that girl's profound aura is exactly the same as the records of the Nine Profound Exquisite Body in the Secret Tome… Heh, I did not expect that such a divine body would be born in this trivial land. Heaven is basically on my side!"

'Yep, I'm on your side alright, on your side to see your own and your sect destruction when the time comes that is! What a r.e.t.a.r.d...' The "Heaven" would've reacted that way if it were to hear his words...

Ling Kun then thought about the other women as well... Especially that Chu Yuechan who's quite mystical even in his eyes... He thought that he should investigate them even further to see if there's something else worth selling for...

That Shui Wushuang and Xu Wuexin is not bad either... Their body seems quite special on their own. But he can't really sense Chu Yueli and Chu Yuechan to the fullest for some reason... And that Elder of theirs as well...

Well, it doesn't matter... Even though their natural talent is really great but compared to the 4 sacred grounds it is still lacking, he thought proudly inside his mind while being clueless that he's currently poking a hornet, nay... A Dragon's nest...

...

The speed and results of the second match were completely as expected as it came to a close. The third match came shortly after, with Heavenly Sword Villa's Ling Yun and Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's Xia Qingyue on opposite ends.

This was a showdown between Heavenly Sword Villa's core disciple and Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's core disciple. This kind of duel usually appeared as the final battle in the past, but this year's group divisions had brought about an imbalance in average strength, making what ought to be the final battle of the tournament s.h.i.+ft to an earlier date, the Semifinal...

Ling Yun who saw his next match up sighed wryly... It seems that it's time to face the inevitable...

"Go... You can admit defeat if you want." Ling Yuefeng gave Ling Yun a sweeping gesture with his hand.

Ling Yun nodded. Without seeing any motion or profound energy fluctuation under his feet, his entire body had already vaulted up. He won't give up just like that... He wanted to try his best even knowing when he will lose and besides, they're not fighting to the death anyway.

In the next instant, he had already landed in the middle of the Sword Discourse Arena and stood there magnificently. The edge of his clothing fluttered, his handsome face was like jade, his gaze as if the autumn water. It instantly made the eyes of many young girls bloom like peach blossoms as they lose control of their beating heart.

But soon they started comparing his figure with Issei's... Almost immediately their fluttering hearts calmed down but soon it beats for a different figure this time around.

They're basically not on the same level... It's like comparing a goldfish to a Dragon, they thought rudely inside their mind... Even Xuanyuan Yufeng herself agreed with their thoughts and she is Ling Yun's mother needless to say about the other female onlookers'.

"Qingyue excuse herself." Xia Qingyue calmly said towards her sect elder and masters.

"Um. Be careful." Chu Yueli said softly.

Even though they know that she will win, it's better to be safe rather than sorry. Never underestimate thy enemy...

Along with a wave of fluttering ice spirits and a slightly drifting cold energy, Xia Qingyue also silently landed in front of Ling Yun. She was still in white attire with blue spirits, and an ice gauze covered her face. Only a pair of eyes like the starry sky flashed with an extremely beautiful brilliance.

Looking at this pair of eyes close up, Ling Yun's calm gaze actually became inattentive for an instant. Because this was the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. This kind of beauty could not be described and explained. He clearly felt that as he was looking at this pair of charming eyes, his consciousness and soul were both being deeply attracted, and almost made him unable to divert his gaze.

What beautiful eyes… Below the face veil, should be a girl as beautiful as a G.o.ddess, right...?

Ling Yun thought silently in his heart, and at the same time birthed an urge of wanting to see her true face. With a swing of the Celestial Yuan Sword, he made a simple sword courtesy toward Xia Qingyue: "Heavenly Sword Villa's Disciple, Ling Yun, asks for Xia Fairy's guidance."

He will still try regardless of the outcome and Xia Qingyue nodded slightly at his words.

Seeing the two had already finished preparing, Ling Wugou did not delay either and said with a loud voice: "The second match of the Semifinals, Heavenly Sword Villa's Ling Yun, against Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's Xia Qingyue, battle start!"

No one had many expectations for this match. This was a match with an already decided outcome because one of them was that G.o.ddess... But some are a little bit hopeful wanting to see if Ling Yun could at least stand a chance against Xia Qingyue... At the very least he won't be defeated in just 1 move like her previous foes so far...

But he's taken aback seeing Xia Qingyue brought out a sword out of nowhere. This is the first time they saw her use a sword in this tournament...

She doesn't give Ling Yun time to regain his composure and instantly dash up close to him.

Xia Qingyue's sword gestures were as if a blue b.u.t.terfly dancing but each of her sword slashes are very deadly despite the beautiful movement she showcased. Just like the verb on Issei's world, "Float like a b.u.t.terfly sting like a bee".

Each of her swings seems slow but Ling Yun is having a hard time to deflect or evade her sword strikes.

He couldn't counterattack because there is no opening that he could take advantage of!

Along with several tens of ice lotus blossoming and wilting, the two's swords had also collided several dozens of times, letting out a harmonious scene of being evenly matched as if that's how it looks in the eyes of the onlookers but in actual fact, Ling Yun is on his wit's end already.

His hand that's holding the sword is getting numb and not only because of the ice aura she emits but also because of how heavy her sword strikes are.

"Good sword!" Ling Yuefeng and the other swordsman such as Ling Kun exclaimed out loud after seeing Xia Qingyue sword arts.

As the two swords clashed, a blue aura covered Xia Qingyue's sword and it splendidly exploded at the point of collision. With a somersault, Ling Yun's body landed around fifteen meters away but he felt the blood rus.h.i.+ng through his throat because of that explosion and his hand that's holding the sword is covered with a thin layer of ice... His whole body s.h.i.+vered because of how cold it is.

He broke into a cold sweat because if it wasn't for his quick reaction then that explosion just now would be the end of him...

He lifted his sword horizontally. His gaze concentrated as the sword force also went through a great change. The sword intent that surrounded his body and his sword also exploded as if a flood that broke through a dam.

"Xia Fairy… Receive my sword!!!" He shouted out loud because this is it for him... This is his strongest attack that he could muster. If this attack fails him then he will lose...

To be honest, Xia Qingyue could defeat Ling Yun in an instant if she were to use her but she wanted to test her sword arts with someone proficient in the way of the sword just like Ling Yun. He needed an actual battle with someone close to her equal... At least in the sword path. Ling Yun is the best opponent she could hope for currently.

She barely uses her cultivation arts and mostly depends on her sword arts just now. That ice explosion just now is her sword intent that took shape in the form of an ice bomb. Heck, she still hasn't used her and if she were to use her then Ling Yun's sword might already break at the first clash...

Issei's skill is too high and she gets the feeling even if she were to clash swords with him for a hundred years then she's still won't be able to come close to him... It's better to fight him in cultivation battle rather than the sword battle...

As his voice fell, Ling Yun's palm flipped. As the profound energy and sword intent flowed, the Celestial Yuan Sword suddenly transformed into a dash of light and flew toward Xia Qingyue. During the flight, the sword brilliance of the Celestial Yuan Sword quickly dispersed; from one sword it turned to ten, and then several tens… several hundred… In the end, it turned into a sword formation field that blanketed the heavens and earth and enveloped Xia Qingyue as if a meteor shower.

"Wah!" A large amount of astonis.h.i.+ng cries resounded in the Sword Discourse Arena.

Ling Yun had dispersed over one thousand lines of sword beams. Moreover, each and every one of the sword beams was glaring to the point of making one unable to look at it straight.

From this move, Ling Yun's terrifying strength could be evidently seen.

"Can he win with this?" Almost everyone had thought like this in their hearts.

Xia Qingyue was completely trapped within the sword formation. Her front, back, left, right and above, were all filled with extremely sharp sword light.

If it were someone else, when facing such a scary formation that should not have been used by such a youth, that person would probably shudder in fear. However, in her crystal clear eyes, there was no hint of fear nor trepidation... Her pet.i.te figure floated as though she was as light as clouds, and as she waved her ice crystal sword, several ice lotuses blossomed around her. Each lotus was several times bigger than the previous one, and the coldness released from the lotus coagulated the air. The surrounding temperature dropped at a frightening pace.

Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding…

The numerous sword beams gathered together and attacked the ice lotus. Some of the sword beams shattered immediately while the others were sealed with ice within the petals of the lotus flower, unable to proceed on any further.

Each ice lotus was stabbed full with ice sealed sword beams and the sword beams that had not been touched by the ice lotuses all gathered and stopped around Xia Qingyue.

One could imagine how frightening the coldness of the ice lotuses was when seeing them sealed Ling Yun's sword beams that were transformed from his profound strength and sword intent.

Xia Qingyue calmly stands at the center of the formation and her gazes are still calm. She doesn't even look at the sword beams Ling Yun produced... It's as if those things are not worthy of her attention...

This was a scene no one had expected yet also expected at the same time... To think that she could easily stop those powerful attacks just like that...

They thought she would at least struggle by at least a tiny bit but it seems that they guessed wrong...

Ling Yun was even more shocked by this... Originally, he thought he could at least stand for a few dozen moves with her but it seems that she has been holding back her power from the start... He smiles bitterly thinking that it seems they're not on the same level at all... But soon his eyes regained its sharpness.

Seeing his sword beams being sealed in ice, his eyes flashed with sword light, and his body rushed out like lightning. He grabbed the air and instantly, the Celestial Yuan Sword returned into his hands. In that instant, a cyan light flashed from the Celestial Yuan Sword as he instantaneously vanished from everyone's line of sight…

A stream of cyan light flashed past. It seemed like a shooting star that fell from heavens, it immediately disappeared from the Sword Discourse Arena… The shooting star slashed all the ice lotuses in half and also streaked past Xia Qingyue's body…...

Pingpingpingpingpingping…

The ice lotuses and their sealed sword beams all shattered at the same time, filling the sky with ice crystals. It seemed as if it was currently hailing in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena. Ling Yun's body also appeared about thirty meters behind Xia Qingyue… When everyone had finally refocused onto Ling Yun's new location, everyone was overwhelmed with shock. Other than a few strong elders, no one could clearly figure out how he had gotten to that location. All they could see was a cyan light suddenly flas.h.i.+ng past their eyes.

Although those attacks don't hurt Xia Qingyue in the slightest, she miscalculated by a tiny margin... She's feeling astonished because of this small blunder...

She started blaming herself... Her sect Elder already reminded her to never underestimate her enemies but here she is underestimating Ling Yun thinking that there's no way she could hurt her if she were to utilize her profound arts but reality said otherwise... It's not that she's hurt or anything but...

The hand the was held horizontally in front of him was lowered slowly as Ling Yun whispered: "...I thank fairy Xia for showing mercy towards me... This Ling Yun is really grateful... I surren-

As he spoke, he slowly turned around... Just like he thought... He can't defeat her nor injure her in the slightest since their cultivation base is far too different...

Just as he completely turned to face Xia Qingyue, his voice was suddenly stuck in his throat and he was unable to say another word.

His originally calm expression was suddenly stunned. Even his mind turned blank, as his vision and mind were left with an illusion of a sky that seemed to be from an imaginary world...

Following a small fluttering sound, in the wake of a cold breeze, Xia Qingyue's snow-white face veil slowly floated down, and her originally covered face was revealed to everyone present...

The entire Sword Discourse Arena instantly turned silent as everyone present became breathless.

Xia Qingyue's skin was exceptionally white but it wasn't the pale white that would make people uncomfortable. It was as white as pure snow with a flawless and glowing whiteness. Although the light from the sun was not glaring, the l.u.s.ter of her snowy skin was so flawless that it made people dumbstruck. Her skin looked like it was snow during a winter day with plenty of suns.h.i.+ne.

Ignoring everything else, her exposed snow-white flawless skin alone was able to capture the souls of even man in this world!

On her snow-white skin were eyebrows that were thin and long that seemed like the crescent moon. She also had deep clear watery eyes and her sweet cheeks were whiter than snow. Her dimples were beautiful like those described in poems and paintings. Her tender lips, which were a lovely pink rouge that seemed as though G.o.d himself personally drew it with the utmost care, were astonis.h.i.+ngly beautiful... All of these gathering on one girl displayed a beauty that made the heavens and earth, stars and moon, all pale in comparison.

The moment Xia Qingyue's face was revealed, an absolute brilliance seemed to have obstructed every other color. Everyone's breathing stopped and it was as though their hearts had stopped beating. In their hearts, they echoed a similar phrase…

Was she a G.o.ddess that descended from heaven… How could there be such absolute beauty in this world...

The ones that had the largest reactions were no doubt the young profound pract.i.tioners. They had been completely transfixed and their souls seemed as if they had unknowingly flown outwards. Even those clan heirs, who usually did not lack beauties around them were also mesmerized as their eyes and mind could not leave Xia Qingyue's beauty. All of them could no longer feel their own existence. Even those middle-aged men and the elders, whose hair and beard had already turned white, were awestruck and mesmerized.

All of those young masters all had the same expression, they stared at her as though they had lost their souls. Burning Heaven Clan's Fen Juecheng had unknowingly stood up from his seat and his eyes were filled with an unprecedented obsession… If they already had such a big reaction, obviously the others also had a huge reaction.

The calmest person in the whole arena beside Issei's group as expected is Xia Yuanba himself since he's her little brother after all... There's no way he would drool at the sight of his own big sis... Well... Even if Xia Qingyue is not his big sis then he would still stay calm as well since he got a few screws loose inside his head...

"Woah. As expected, big sis got prettier." Xia Yuanba uttered in a soft voice. The atmosphere around the arena had suddenly become strange, causing him to look left and right, before looking at Yun Che. He muttered in confusion: "Everyone looks so weird… Even Brother-in- I mean big brother Yun Che too."

He almost said brother-in-law just now... Phew! What a close call!

When he had initially seen her during their wedding, Yun Che was already pleasantly surprised. Today, he was deeply shocked. A mere three and a half months could bring such a huge change to a girl's looks. Sixteen-year-old Xia Qingyue was already beautiful beyond the likes of any normal girl. Now, she was seventeen. With the nourishment from Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's ice and snow, she could only be described as beautiful beyond the mortal world, which had made even him stare blankly...

This was also one of the reasons why she was wearing a face veil.

Not only men, but even a woman like Cang Yue was also deeply amazed by her beauty. Even though she also possessed an absolute beauty with a very n.o.ble status to match, in front of a G.o.ddess that should not be in the human realm, she felt ashamed of her looks for the first time.

Even though she knew she should not have such a feeling, she had a sense of inferiority. Looking at Xia Qingyue's demeanor, such a feeling uncontrollably came over. As she turned to look at Issei's direction, she clenched her hands tight... Does she still have a chance?

Some of the elders who had attended the ranking tournament thirty years ago would realize that this scene was very similar to when Chu Yuechan's face veil dropped at that time… At that time, the same scene had replayed itself on the same stage thirty years later. Similarly, it was caused by a disciple from Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace.

Silently looking at the reactions of the crowd and remembering the heartache from that time, caused tears to well up in Ling Yuefeng's eyes. He then gazes at Chu Yuechan wanting to ask if she also remembers about their "past"... What a joke, Chu Yuechan couldn't wait to beat him up, just why would she remembers about that one-sided "past" of his...

She might have suffered defeat in his hand in the past but she doesn't think much about it... If he dares to try anything disrespectful then come at her, see what happens then...

In his reminiscences, he did not realize that Xuanyuan Yufeng was staring at him.

His reaction made her slowly frown. After that, she turned and looked at her son Ling Yun… He was the closest to Xia Qingyue. From his eyes, he revealed an unprecedented dreamy look. Such a look did not even appear when he conquered the Celestial Yuan Sword(His current sword) at the young age of seventeen.

'Very well... If that's how you feel you old fart then don't blame me for being merciless either...' She said inside her mind...

She thought there's still some bit of love within Ling Yuefeng's heart but since he seems to be ignoring her presence altogether then don't blame her doing the same thing! Her eyes started fluttering on her own while gazing at Issei's figure: 'Underneath that mask, there must be an otherworldly face... There's no way those d.a.m.n ice statues would be making a man as their sect elder for no reason... Just you wait... I will surely unveil your mask!'

Xuanyuan Yufeng genuinely loved Ling Yuefeng back when they meet... And she knows that he marries her only because of her background but she doesn't care back then and went with him leaving her home, making her go against her father's wish enraging the elder... She thought that as time goes he will start loving her from the bottom of her heart but then she realizes this old fart doesn't feel that way even until now... Then so be it... She had enough of his bulls.h.i.+t.

Issei suddenly felt gooseb.u.mps was.h.i.+ng over him... His sudden movement made Chu Yuechan and the others become curious but he said it's nothing...

'What was that? It felt like I'm being eyed by some sort of wild beast...' He thought confusedly inside his mind...

Ling Yun's attack could be said to be world-shocking. The face veil dropping was also something that Xia Qingyue did not expect because of her small miscalculation... She used her ice lotus to protect her vital area but she miscalculated the position by a few millimeters and as a result, her veil is cut open...

Seeing the crowd's reaction, she faintly sighed. Lifting her snowy hand, she brought out a new ice veil to cover her face, once more covering up the absolute beauty that made the heavens and earth pale in color while dulling the sun and moon.

The most beautiful image in the world being mercilessly covered brought countless people back to their senses.

"Is… Is… Is she a G.o.ddess…" A disciple of one of the sects muttered stupidly while in a daze.

"Woman…A woman can actually this beautiful to such an extent? I felt my soul leave my body just now… The legendary Princess Snow… Could at most be this much…"

"Princess Snow? Who's Princess Snow?"

"What? You don't even know the top beauty of Profound Sky Continent, Princess Snow? She is the sole daughter of the current emperor of

. When she was thirteen, she was publicly recognized as the top beauty in the continent and was labeled by her people as "the beloved child of heavens", "the pearl of

", "the treasure G.o.d gave to

". Within the

, her existence is like a religion's."

"People from the

might not know who their emperor is, might not know what the

is, but they all definitely know of Princess Snow! Rumor has it that several top painters wanted to paint a portrait of Princess Snow but no one was able to do it. When the top painter in

had seen Princess Snow, he threw his paintbrush immediately and claimed that even if all the painters in the world gathered, no one would be able to properly represent her charm…"

"Whoa! Only thirteen and named the top beauty in Profound Sky Continent, could it be an over-exaggeration? Could she be more beautiful than Fairy Xia?"

"...No idea… But it can't be possible? Fairy Xia is already beautiful beyond my dreams. I really cannot believe there can be anyone in this world more beautiful than her…"

Their discussion is heard by Issei and Xiaotao... It seems that he needs to pay a visit to this

later to see if this "Princess Snow" is the true inheritor of the Phoenix legacy chosen by the other Phoenix soul residue...

"I want her… I must have her!" This is what's inside the various young masters present... Including Fen Juecheng...

As the sons of major sects, they were people fated to look down upon the world in the future.

To them, women were merely a man's accessory. They had never thought and also had never believed that there would be a woman they would lose their hearts to. Yet now, this woman appeared. They deeply felt that if they were to obtain this woman, it would truly mean that one did not live their lives in vain and was the real peak of one's life! And if it were to be compared, the position of the future Sect Masters did not look the least bit attractive.

And this was also the thought of practically every man with enough "qualifications". As for those without the qualifications, they could only feel ashamed of their inferiority after being endlessly stunned. What was left, was only a fantasy that was as far as the clouds on the horizon reverberating in their minds.

"...She actually has gotten even more beautiful, and she is still only seventeen years old. Once a few more years pa.s.s, that wouldn't be any joking matter." Yun Che muttered to himself in a low voice. When he saw the entire audience's reactions, it would be impossible for him to not feel a sliver of vanity, because that young girl who had struck the entire audience was once his officially wedded wife… But he believed that if this fact were to be publicized, he would be pierced into a hornet's nest by countless gazes of envy and hatred.

And they're not husband and wife anymore either... He smiles bitterly once this reality hits him.

Xia Qingyue and the other girls had always known about their own beauty but they don't want anyone else to see their beautiful face other than one particular individual... They're often felt a little bit frustrated seeing how calm Issei when he saw their faces and they often thought if their beauty has waned or something...

But seeing the crowd reaction just now they nodded slightly to themselves thinking that it seems that there's nothing wrong with their beauty...

During the process in which the ice veil fell to when she covered up her face again, she had merely released a light sigh. However, it was different for the Ling Yun in front of her. The Ling Yun who had always guarded his mind with sword intent, whose heart had not the smallest speck of dirt, was distinctly in disorder from his breathing. His eyes were no longer filled with dignified tranquility and were instead suffused with the unrest that could not settle down until a long while.

For Ling Yun, it was the first time this had happened since birth. The first time his mind had become such a mess in front of the dueling opponent he was up against.

Like the Ling Yuefeng who had seen Chu Yuechan's true appearance that year...

Ling Yun was undoubtedly strong and Xia Qingyue is much stronger than he is but even though she possessed incomparable innate talent, she had a fatal weak point, which was her lack of actual combat experience! This kind of thing was something someone with an even greater innate talent would have trouble making up for. On this point, she was really lacking and she herself realizes that as well...

This is also another reason why Chu Yuechan wanted to experience a real life and death combat in the wasteland before... Even though her combat experience is great but she needed to solidify and measure her newfound strength as to avoid being taken advantage of by her enemies...

Training with Issei benefits them greatly but they won't be able to have a real combat experience just from sparring with him... He won't harm them and they know that well hence they won't be able to gain a real life and death combat experience they needed since their subconscious is telling them it would be fine they won't die anyway...

Issei also realizes this but there's really nothing much he could do for them... This is something they needed to experience by themselves. Sure he can train them more strictly but their subconscious won't change that easily...

They need to hone their battle instinct through a life and death battle...

"Sir Ling, if you want to surrender now is your chance... If not then Qingyue will go all out this time." She narrowed her eyes dangerously. She won't make the same mistake twice this time...

A touching, faintly discernible voice that sounded like heaven's music came out from between her petal-like lips and lingered beside Ling Yun's ear, making him stare blankly without a reaction for a long while.

At this moment, Ling Yuefeng's cold voice was suddenly heard in his mind: "Yun'er, focus!"

Ling Yuefeng's spirit sound transmission was like a splash of cold water that poured on top of his head and immediately cleared his head in a flash. He unconsciously forgot to surrender because he doesn't want to embarra.s.s himself in front of Xia Qingyue.

He gripped his sword tight which made Ling Yuefeng frowned even further... There's no use in fighting her at this point since their strength is too far apart but as a fellow man, he can understand his feeling...

"Frozen… Cloud… Domain…"

A low and gentle chant slowly escaped from her lips. In a split second, it was as if the world suddenly switched over. The air in the three hundred meters that surrounded her turned into a sheet of ice in a flash. In this huge ice-blue domain, the air was as frigid as purgatory. Ice and frost filled the sky as they fell. Vapor in the air also rapidly solidified into countless ice crystals, forming a sheet of pure white that grew thicker by the second.

The movements of both Ling Yun's stopped simultaneously as layers of ice began to quickly solidify on their entire bodies. A deep shock was revealed on their faces.

"This is… This is… This is..."

"Domain!?" Everyone is shocked by this sight.

Ling Kun's complexion also changed in a split second. After the shock had pa.s.sed, he quietly muttered to himself, "It's truly worthy of being called… the Nine Profound Exquisite Body that holds no regard for regulations!"

"Do… Domain!?"

"It… It can't be! It can't possibly be! Domain…. Isn't that a Throne's power!"

"But this is clearly the strength of a Domain! And it's a completely formed Domain!"

This time, not only the younger pract.i.tioners but even the elders were all stunned. Domain, to the younger pract.i.tioners, was too far away to reach, and to these elders, they clearly and deeply knew of the concept of Domain… And this sort of power was still the ultimate goal they pursued throughout their entire lives!

"Domain… Domain…" Ling Wugou stared at the ice-blue world in front of him, gobsmacked. In the midst of all the shock, his face became thoroughly stiff. As of today, he was at the eighth level of the , and the possibility of ever charging into the in his lifetime was extremely slim. And to fully utilize a Domain, was proof of a Throne's power. But for him, all this was only a dream that could not be reached… However, this dream of his had actually completely appeared on a mere seventeen-year-old girl's body.

"...Did she breakthrough?!" One of them shouted in disbelief. This made those young masters who have any idea about her sobered. If she's a throne then she alone could handle them all together with ease.

Within the Frozen Cloud Domain, ice-cold flying snow, frost, mist, and wind… everything had been changed to become advantageous towards Xia Qingyue's element, and at the same time, it restricted Ling Yun to an enormous extent in all aspects. The frightful chill cut to the bone and even caused Ling Yun's bones to tremble. The sky was filled with wind and snow, and the frosty mist obstructed his view…

Thick layers of frost had even spread to the Celestial Yuan and Yang Swords. The world within the Frozen Cloud Domain was akin to a freezing h.e.l.l, and if a person did not have a Domain of similar intensity to counteract it, they would have to bear the continuous pain of the ice prison… For Ling Yun, who was in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, let alone two of him, even if there were ten, or a hundred, he would still not be able to create a true Domain.

While he was dumbstruck and at a loss, thick layers of ice had already unknowingly crusted below his feet and on his chest.

Ping!!!

With a loud explosion, the layers of ice on his chest were smashed into pieces. Xia Qingyue did not hold back at all in this. .h.i.t, causing Ling Yun to be sent flying far away, flying straight for thirty meters, before landing outside of the Frozen Cloud Domain.

Bang!!!

Ling Yun fell harshly onto the ground... His sword falls powerlessly from his hand.

While in the Frozen Cloud Domain, not only had his body been frozen, his profound strength had as well. So when he had taken that hit, his profound energy defense had been extremely frail. This one hit had made him suffer profuse inner injuries.

The world in front of his eyes was a sea of disorder. His body struggled, yet he was ultimately unable to stand up.

"Yo-Young Villa Master!"

Ling Wugou rushed over quickly to help Ling Yun up. The moment he touched him, he found that his body was practically as cold as a block of ice.

"I… surrender…" Slowly opening his eyes, Ling Yun said these two words... After which, his head sagged and he fainted dead away.

Ling Yuefeng somberly went back to his seat, and then took a long breath before silently closing his eyes... He already expected this but when it truly happens it's really hurtful for him... He knew that Ling Yun had lost and that Heavenly Sword Villa had lost… There was not even a shred of hope for a fluke left for them...

He can see that Xia Qingyue already showed mercy or Ling Yun's life would've ended right there and right then with her attack just now...

"Alas..." Ling Yuefeng muttered lowly and despondently.

"Ling Yun has conceded… Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's Xia Qingyue is the winner, and will enter the final battle tomorrow!" Ling Wugou stood up, and with a voice filled with pain, announced the results of this battle that n.o.body would have ever expected to happen.

Although Ling Wugou said final battle but Xia Qingyue can be considered the winner already with how the match has been going so far... Xia Yuanba her supposedly biggest contender already forfeited 3 matches in a row... And that match was when he's against Xia Qingyue and her fellow sect disciples, Shui Wushuang and Xu Wuexin...

The captured all top 3 ranks just like that... With Xia Yuanba in the 4th rank...

Yun Che as expected loses against Ling Yun but miraculously, he managed to enter the 6th rank in this tournament... He somehow was able to defeat his opponent that is on the 1st level of the . The reason why he won is because he has more endurance than his opponent... So to say he won by luck is not wrong either.

This concluded this year's tournament...

When Xia Qingyue returned to her seat, she apologized in a downcast manner: "Qingyue apologizes for her mistakes..." She bowed towards Issei and Chu Yueli.

"Aiii... It's fine, Qingyue... What matters is that you recognize your slight mistake and it's not that fatal either... As long as you're willing to fix it then it's fine. Right, Elder Ise?" Chu Yueli said in a soft voice.

They're currently in public so they won't be calling Issei with his nickname alone.

"Um... Don't blame yourself too much. It's normal to make a mistake as a human being... Just like Senior sister Yueli said, what matters is that you're willing to fix it." Issei calmly extended his hand and give Xia Qingyue's head a slight pat.

Xia Qingyue was taken aback by his touch but soon her face bloomed with a radiant smile under her veil: "En!"

Chu Yueli and the others also smiled seeing their interaction while the onlookers' felt really envious...

This year's tournament had been the most special Ranking Tournament yet. It had defied over thirty years of history. Its process and conclusion were filled with excitement and surprises. This ranking tournament was expected to spread throughout the Blue Wind Empire like a giant wave and be discussed for a very long time...

Qin Wushang and Cang Yue are extremely satisfied with this outcome and they immediately sent the news of them occupying the 4th and 6th rank towards Cang Wanhe...

When Cang Wanhe received this news he laughed out loud feeling really happy with this outcome. Even being in the top 50 is already more than enough for him but to think they enter the top 10...

The Ranking Tournament at both the main and the secondary arena had finished. The rankings of over five hundred sects had been decided.

1st Place: Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, Xia Qingyue

2nd Place: Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, Shui Wushuang

3rd Place: Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, Xu Wuexin

4th Place: Blue Wind Imperial Family, Xia Yuanba
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5th Place: Heavenly Sword Villa, Ling Yun

After these rankings were announced, it had caused large waves amongst those in Blue Wind Empire's profound circle.

Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba were both only seventeen years old and sixteen years old, but their names had already spread throughout every corner of the Blue Wind Empire and traveled towards the six other nations very quickly...

The other nations had always paid close attention to the Blue Wind Empire's Ranking Tournament. The results of the Ranking Tournament had greatly shocked the other nations as well, making them unable to not remember the names Xia Qingyue and Xia Yuanba.

Yun Che also becomes quite famous but since Xia Yuanba is more abnormal than he is then there's nothing that he could do... They only considered Yun Che as a genius while Xia Yuanba is a monstrous talent.

Shui Wushuang and Xu Wuexin's are basically from the same sect as Xia Qingyue so remembering Xia Qingyue's name or the altogether is enough...

After the Ranking Tournament had ended, the various big sects had started to leave. Only the top ten sects of the Ranking Tournament had remained for the sake of entering the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. None of them were willing to pa.s.s this chance up.

As the days pa.s.sed, the day when the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm would open quickly approached.

Then the winners received their respective rewards as well...

...

The night before the opening of the .

A lone moon hung in the night sky, with several stars s.h.i.+ning brightly.

Ling Yuefeng flew through the night sky. He was originally heading towards Ling Yun's courtyard, but changed directions midway and went towards Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's residence.

The atmosphere around Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's courtyard carried a unique calmness. Ling Yuefeng shut his eyes and lightly inhaled as if he was savoring something. A short while later, he opened his eyes and gazed at the room Chu Yuechan stayed in. The lights were still on. Though, as he gazed upon the light in the room, he felt a piercing cold chill emitted from within... He knew he had been discovered. It seems that Chu Yuechan's current cultivation wasn't beneath his...

Ling Yuefeng inhaled slightly, then used voice transmission, projecting his thoughts towards Chu Yuechan: "I, Ling Yuefeng, would like to request a meeting with the Fairy of Frozen Beauty. Would you grace me with your presence?"

"What do you want? Speak!"

Chu Yuechan didn't appear. She only replied with five short words, each of them without a shred of emotion in them. They were cold to the point where they could freeze humans into ice sculptures.

Hearing such cold words from Chu Yuechan, Ling Yuefeng could only bitterly smile. "Ever since the first time we met in the Ranking Tournament, I've gone to Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace twenty times within ten years, but I've never been able to see you even once, until this year's Ranking Tournament..."

"There's no need to speak of matters of the past. If Villa Master Ling has any matters, please speak of them immediately." Chu Yuechan coldly said.

Ling Yuefeng sighed: "Back then, everyone knew about how I felt for you. Even if I had to be the laughingstock of the entire world, even if I had to incur my parent's anger, I still continued to visit Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace. All I hoped for was to meet you once again… Alas, after so many years, my memories of you are still of that year... Even today, the greatest wish of my lifetime is that I could see you once again... I no longer wish to obtain your love, all I wish is to see you once more, so I can see how you look like now…"

Ling Yuefeng was a pa.s.sionate person, but it wasn't easy to get him infatuated. Before meeting Chu Yuechan, he had devoted all of his efforts into swordsmans.h.i.+p. But on the day he met Chu Yuechan, the emotions he'd been burying burst open. Thirty years have pa.s.sed since that moment. Figuratively speaking, any emotion should have waned over the long period of time, but in Ling Yuefeng's heart, Chu Yuechan's image had never waned. Was it because of Lin Yuefeng's undying pa.s.sion, or was it because Chu Yuechan was simply too charming? n.o.body knew.

"You already have a wife and plenty of kids. You and I are simply strangers who've met a few times, there's no need to meet again. My current appearance has nothing to do with you. If you have no further matters, please leave. Your hospitality should not include disturbing female guests late in the night!" Chu Yuechan remarked, with a faint hint of anger in her voice.

"Sigh, your temper hasn't changed since that year. All I wish is to see you once more, so I can put aside my wish. I have no other hidden agendas. Once I've seen you, I will immediately leave. I will not bother you for as long as I live after that..."

Suddenly there's someone who appeared in front of him without Ling Yuefeng realizing it just when did this person appear in front of him... It is none other than Issei.

"Leave."

Issei just said one word and even that word sounds so calm but for some reason, Ling Yuefeng felt extreme trepidation.

He slowly cupped his fist trying to calm himself at the same time but no matter what he does he just can't seem to regain his bearings back...

"G-Greetings, Elder... I'm here just to apolog-"

"I said leave." Issei waved his hand calmly but Ling Yuefeng's body started floating into the sky instantly reappeared 100 meters from his previous spot without any warning.

He felt alarmed by this and cold sweat started flowing from his whole body... What did he just do?!

He doesn't feel any profound energy being used and his body already flown away by 100 meters just like that! Just what kind of concept is this?!

It was also at this moment that he realizes that Issei cultivation is higher than his... That's the only explanation that he can come up with.

His body shuddered at a visible rate and he immediately left... His lonely figure vanished in the night sky very quickly.

Issei then returned to his room... Chu Yuechan insisted that there's nothing going on between her and Ling Yuefeng much to his confusion. Issei then said he understands...

Only then Chu Yuechan sighed in relief...

That night Issei also prepared a feast as a celebration for Xia Qingyue's group... They felt like they're in heaven yet again the moment they taste Issei's food... They started thinking that they couldn't live without his cooking anymore at this rate...

One little princess also reeled in her haughty att.i.tude and become meeker in front of this heavenly enticement...

...

Deep into the direct north of Heavenly Sword Mountain Range was a flat clearing. Within the imposing Heavenly Sword Mountain Range filled with sword energy, this place was one that was completely different. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, and even the sounds of the wind were exceptionally soothing.

At noon, a group of people arrived. This group of people was all of the ten sects who had ranked in the top ten of the Ranking Tournament. This was the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Everyone here carried varying levels of excitement, especially those who've yet to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm before. Their eyes were oddly bright and looked as if any possible encounters were already in front of them, within reach.

Ling Yuefeng stood at the front acting like last night event never happened and announced: "Shortly, the entrance to Heaven Basin Secret Realm will appear. Before that happens, I will need to remind all of you of some things."

"Heaven Basin Secret Realm can only take at most fifty people at a time. With that said, each sect can only send five representatives. As for which five, you are free to choose. After entering the realm, you will only stay for two days. After forty-eight hours, you will all be teleported back here against your free will. There's only one exception to this rule…"

Ling Yuefeng coldly said: "And that is a dead person!"

"Do not ever think that the Heaven Basin Secret Realm only contains innumerable resources and treasures. At the same time, it also contains immeasurable danger! If you pay no heed to safety and are driven by greed, you may very well lose your life! The Heaven Basin Secret Realm is immeasurably huge and there has never been anyone who was able to travel to the end. At the same time, what you see within the Secret Realm changes every single time. Even if you've once traveled deep into the Secret Realm, you might see a completely new world this time around."

"While exploring the Secret Realm, you can choose to travel alone or travel in a group. But in order to truly gain experience, the young and older generation should split up."

Ling Yuefeng's speech had left everyone in deep thought. If the younger generation still needed the older generation's protection, that would be wasting this precious training opportunity and incur embarra.s.sment.

"Within the Secret Realm, the sound transmission does not work. n.o.body will be able to communicate via sound transmission."

"The Secret Realm is a place for exploration and training, it's not for settling grudges! If you wish to settle your grudge within the Secret Realm, I would advise you to not do so. Do not waste this precious chance to train! Especially the older generation, I hope that you wouldn't stoop that low and disregard your dignity and attack someone of the younger generation. If I happen to find out, you wouldn't like the outcome." Ling Yuefeng distinctively said. "Even if there's a conflict between the younger generation due to a treasure found at the same time, the older generation is not allowed to intervene."

"The deeper you go into the Secret realm, the higher the danger! If you are not strong enough, do not try to push your luck. Even the season within the Secret Realm is not fixed. Sometimes we'll get the warm spring season, sometimes we'll get a cool summer season, but if luck is not on our side, we might get a harsh winter..."

The younger generation who did not have experience entering the Secret Realm earnestly listened to Ling Yuefeng's long speech and took them to heart. At this time, a "Zizi" sound came from behind Ling Yuefeng, beckoning people to look towards the sound. To their surprise, a spatial distortion had formed behind Ling Yuefeng. Its surface was just like a stormy wave, with layers and layers of constantly forming ripples.

The spatial ripples started to speed up its vibrations and began to revolve at high speed until it formed a gigantic swirling vortex. The surrounding air currents around the vortex were sucked towards it, giving rise to the howling of the wind. Eventually, the revolution of vortex started to slow down, and when it completely stopped, it became a jet black hole which was almost three meters long in diameter. Through the jet black hole that floated in midair, nothing could be seen other than complete darkness.

Issei becomes intrigued after seeing this... A natural dimensional rift? He hasn't seen this for a while now...

"This is the entrance into the Heaven Basin Secret Realm." Ling Yuefeng stood in front of the entrance, looked at the crowd who had faces of astonishment and excitement, and said: "Each time the Secret Realm has been accessed, on average there will be two or three people who get left within the realm, never to return. Now that the entrance to the Secret Realm has opened, it will only stay open for seven and a half minutes. Anyone who wishes to back out may choose to do so now!"

There were none who wished to back out. Those who were afraid of death were meant to never become truly strong. Furthermore, the risk was not high. Two or three out of fifty wasn't even comparable to the risk they took when they chose to join their respective sects' special training. Within some of the sects with higher standards, those that had several hundred to thousands of deaths weren't uncommon.

"I've already said what has to be said. Let us enter the secret realm based on the results of the Ranking Tournament. Our friends from the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace shall enter first."

Issei sent a sound transmission towards Xia Qingyue's group: 'Go on ahead, I will join you later. Don't worry, I can create my own spatial opening when the time comes.'

The girls then nodded at his message and entered first. They know of his capabilities in opening a spatial rift.

Issei left behind a mark in their protective charm so it's quite easy for him to find out just where they are.

"Fairies, please go ahead." Ling Yuefeng said towards them but his eyes are latched onto Chu Yuechan the whole time which only earned him a cold gaze from the latter... But he doesn't dare to look at Issei direction...

The onlookers' are surprised seeing that Issei is the one who decided to stay behind... But they won't think much since they need to stay focus.

When the group disappeared into the portal... Soon Issei also disappears from the spot but no one realizes his disappearance but Cang Yue...

She kept quiet about this though...

After them then it's the turn...

Yun Che is not with them since he needs to recuperate from his wounds...

"Palace Chief Qin, Princess Cang Yue, and little brother Xia Yuanba, please go ahead." Ling Yuefeng was naturally aware of the circ.u.mstances. He didn't say anything unnecessary and just led Qin Wushang's group towards the entrance.

At that moment, someone hurriedly shouted from the distance: "Hey! Palace Chief Qin, wait for me!"

The crowd turned their heads, and surprisingly, they saw a Yun Che anxiously running towards them... The current Yun Che didn't look very well but it's not really that bad and he can still endure it.

He started looking around when he arrives but he doesn't see Issei much to his disappointment... He thought that they would be able to meet here but it seems like luck is not on his side...

...

When Issei emerged at Xia Qingyue's group side he saw a snow-white world.

The bone-chilling cold wind blew snow to fill the entire sky. A mirror-like smooth ice field continually extended beyond what he could see and the giant mountain range of ice stood erect before him like steep cliffs. Unable to be seen, the highest peak towered beyond the clouds and radiated coldness even in this thick cold climate.

An uncountable amount of hail that had been broken by cold wind pelted down. When it hit the face, it caused severe pain. If people with lower cultivation were to be here, they might have already been covered with b.l.o.o.d.y holes just the hail.

But for the girls and Issei, this is like a breeze for them all... The girls needless to say since their cultivation arts are leaning towards Ice while Issei is a Master of all elements... Even if they emerged in a river of lava he wouldn't still be harmed in the slightest... Heck, he won't even feel hot but feel comfortable instead... But it would be dangerous for the girls though...

"This is the ?" Issei murmured in a low voice. Now that he's here he needs to search the area if there's a treasure that could help his recovery or if there's a high climate area...

The current area is quite cold but it's not enough for him...

"Elder Ise." The girls greeted Issei when he emerged beside them.

"Um." Issei nodded at them but soon he sensed another presence about to emerge near them so he hid himself as to avoid troublesome stuff from happening.

The girls also sensed this so they're not confused seeing Issei suddenly disappeared from the spot. Although he seems like he disappeared from the naked eye, they can still sense his presence nearby...

Behind them, the spatial vortex constantly distorted, and each time it distorted, someone else was sent here. When they opened their eyes, their reactions were even more exaggerated than the last. n.o.body had expected the legendary to contain a snow-white world.