Chapter 353: Why Are You Sitting on the Judges' Panel?

The grand festival of Qingzhou officially commenced, its most glittering spectacle being the tournament of the younger generation.

Every year, this great contest would bear witness to the spirited rise of immensely gifted young cultivators, leaving those who had spent their entire undistinguished lives in futile struggle to look upon them with bitter shame and sigh toward the heavens.

Time had indeed proven the boundless potential of these youths; setting aside those who met with untimely demises, the vast majority went on to achieve great wealth and renown, either succeeding as sect leaders or establishing houses of their own.

It was not merely the Qingzhou authorities who placed immense value on these young cultivators; numerous sectarian factions had also gathered, wondering if they might poach a few talents for themselves.

Perhaps because a great and prosperous era was drawing nigh, the young cultivators participating in the tournament over recent years were increasingly extraordinary, continuously shattering the records of previous generations.

"Look over there, quick! Is that not Li Shaoyang of the Wind-Calming Sect? I heard he has already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement. During his travels down the mountain, he encountered bandits blocking his path; with a great spear in hand, he pierced through those three bandits who were already at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement in a single strike!"

"What? At such a tender age, he is already at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement? That is a realm sufficient to rank among the top eight!"

At the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, one could attempt Foundation Establishment; to ensure a successful breakthrough, cultivators would meticulously refine this realm, which outsiders referred to as the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement.

Most of the cultivators gathered here to watch were merely in the Qi Refinement stage, and the Great Perfection was their ultimate aspiration.

Yet the Five Great Immortal Sects held no such notion; they lacked even the slightest interest in dividing the Qi Refinement stage into layers. Whether it was the first layer or the Great Perfection, it made no difference to them.

"And look at that exceptionally beautiful female cultivator beside him, named Qiao Hongye. She comes from the first-grade Wuxiu Sect and is also at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, possessing the dual spiritual roots of Wood and Fire. The Wuxiu Sect recently held its own internal tournament featuring several disciples at the Great Perfection, and Qiao Hongye claimed the absolute first place in that contest!"

"In previous years, the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement could guarantee a spot in the top eight, but this year it is hard to say. Whispers have it that several cultivators who have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage have come to compete!"

"Foundation Establishment before the age of eighteen?! And several of them?!"

A companion spoke with an air of profound mystery, "Have you ever heard of Gu Qisheng from the Rainbow Palace? Born on a yin year, a yin month, and a yin hour, he possesses the Mysterious Yin Physique. At the moment of his birth, he suffered a catastrophic tribulation, and had he not been rescued by the master of the Rainbow Palace, he would likely have perished in infancy."

"The Mysterious Yin Physique incurs the jealousy of heaven, making birth itself a great tribulation. Survive it, and one's cultivation path becomes smooth and unhindered; fail, and one is cut down halfway."

"Someone saw Gu Qisheng arrive just yesterday. He is already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment."

"Greetings, we are here to register for the tournament."

A government officer was registering names not far away, his desk rather desolate.

Generally, competitors registered well in advance, but a small fraction always joined on a whim at the very last moment.

The officer glanced at the two youths who bore amiable smiles, unable to discern their cultivation realms. He thought little of it, for traveling with artifacts that concealed one's cultivation was a common practice.

Pointing to a nearby boulder, he said, "This is the lowest quality Profound Iron Stone, which only a cultivator of the late stage of Qi Refinement can shatter. Break the stone."

To the two of them, the Profound Iron Stone was no different from soft tofu; with a gentle strike of a palm, the rock shattered into pieces.

"It seems you are at the Foundation Establishment stage. This year is truly a gathering of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

"This is the Annual Ring Stone. Place your hand upon it and infuse your spiritual energy."

On the other side of the officer lay a stone block resembling a cluster of tree roots, etched with concentric circles, specifically used in the cultivation world to test age.

The two placed their hands upon it and channeled their spiritual energy. The rings illuminated one after another, finally halting at the seventeenth circle.

"Under eighteen years of age. You may participate."

"Name?"

"Lu Yang."

"Sect?"

"The Dao-Seeking Sect."

"Eh?" The officer snapped his head up, staring at him intently as if he had seen a ghost.

Lu Yang found it strange, "Is there a problem?"

The officer recalled the words of the Governor: Encourage participation in the grand tournament, the more the better. Do not fear those with grand backgrounds; fear only that those with grand backgrounds refuse to participate.

With two disciples from the Dao-Seeking Sect entering the fray, the Governor would surely be delighted.

"No, it is nothing. You may join the tournament. And you, what is your name?"

"Meng Jingzhou, also of the Dao-Seeking Sect."

"Here are your numbers. In fifteen minutes, the drawing of numbers will begin to arrange the battle roster. Prepare yourselves."

"No problem!"

"Strange. The first round of the tournament is about to begin, so why have we not seen Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou yet?" Lan Ting sat regally upon the judges' bench, looking somewhat perplexed.

"Perhaps they encountered an unexpected delay on the road," Bai Ming speculated. Such occurrences were common; he always ran into unforeseen situations whenever he descended the mountain for training.

"Wait," Yan Tianzhi uttered, as parsimonious with his words as always.

Lan Ting had only just met Yan Tianzhi and was not yet familiar with him. Bai Ming told her that Yan Tianzhi rarely spoke, and it was futile to expect any commentary from him.

Lan Ting could only sigh helplessly, realizing the heavy burden of providing commentary would fall squarely upon her shoulders.

The crowd below noticed the three figures on the judges' bench and began to discuss them in hushed tones.

"Who are those three? They look so young. Are they truly qualified to be judges?"

"Especially that young maiden. Beautiful as she is—and I have never seen anyone so fair—she looks as though she lacks any real combat experience."

"That is where you are ignorant. Those three are disciples of the Immortal Sects, the very darlings of heaven. I heard they are the most outstanding among their peers within their respective sects!"

"More than that! A relative of mine serves in the government office, and he claims all three of them are at the Golden Core stage!"

"The Golden Core stage?!"

"Now you see how vast the gap in natural talent truly is."

The highest cultivators participating in the tournament were merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, so having those at the Golden Core stage judge them was more than sufficient.

Lan Ting scanned the records of the cultivators participating in the first round and spoke in a gentle tone, "Competing in the first match is Feng He, a true disciple from the first-grade Seven Emotions Sect. Not long ago, without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill and relying solely on the foundation he built during the Qi Refinement stage, Feng He broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in one fell swoop. He is now a cultivator of the early Foundation Establishment stage."

"The Seven Emotions Sect expresses its insights into the seven emotions and six desires through the path of melody. Feng He has fully inherited the true teachings of his sect and excels in the musical arts. A single rendition of his piece 'Parting Joy' can cause birds to halt their flight and flower buds to blossom!"

"Feng He is also a seeded contestant of this tournament. Let us look forward to his performance!"

A confident smile curled at the corner of Feng He's mouth. With his early Foundation Establishment cultivation, he would undoubtedly shine brilliantly in this grand tournament.

To traverse the martial world, one relied first on strength, and second on reputation.

This grand tournament would be the starting point of his fame!

"Feng He's opponent is a cultivator who registered at the last moment. The opposing party is... Lu Yang from the Dao-Seeking Sect?!"

Mid-sentence, Lan Ting almost failed to maintain her composure.

She lowered the documents in her hand, looking toward the arena. Seeing that familiar figure, a thoroughly bizarre expression washed over her face.

She turned her head to look at Bai Ming beside her, whose expression was an exact mirror of her own.

Seeing Lan Ting and Bai Ming upon the judges' bench, Lu Yang first raised a hand in greeting, then scratched the back of his head in utter bewilderment.

What was going on?

Was it not said that they were here to participate in the tournament? Why were they sitting on the judges' bench?