Chapter 118: Nine Dragons Seized the Pearl
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Everyone was startled.
They never expected Su Yu to say such a thing.
Jiang Ming's condescending look grew cold, "You just said what I should have said!"
Only Jiang Ming, the Heavenly King from outside of the Sanctum, was qualified to say those words!
"I don't wish to repeat myself, let's quickly get this over with! Please, make your move!" Su Yu was anxious.
There were only three days left before Xianer was going to marry someone else. His heart ached.
Jiang Ming was enraged, "Such insolence! Windless Wave!" He unleashed a top realm of a deity level cultivation movement technique.
"Iron Wolf Eight Trigrams Palm!" He also used another assault technique, a top realm deity level cultivation technique.
His formidable power levels surged when he combined the two types of deity level cultivation techniques and imbued them with his terrifying Second Level Lower Tier Holy King's spiritual energy!
Whoosh—
Jiang Ming's figure unexpectedly disappeared from the spot.
When he reemerged again in a flash, he was already within ten feet of Su Yu and appeared to be swooping in!
Jiang Ming scowled with loathing as he clapped both his palms, "You need to pay for your shameless boasting! Get lost!"
Boom—
Zhao Lin and Wu Pangyun had only just touched him, and they were thrown from the shock.
Now, Jiang Ming was using all his strength, how terrible would his power be? The piercing cry of the howling wind filled the area. His ferocious punch struck Su Yu in the chest.
However, Su Yu looked at ease as he calmly shot out his palm! A violet lotus, gentle and beautiful, spun calmly within it!
After the unremarkable violet lotus exploded, a blast rumbled through the sky!
Boom—
That wave of energy was like an earth-splitting landslide! The thunderous noise stirred up the clouds. Dust flew everywhere!
It was so loud that even the deaf could feel it; it was devastating!
Everyone at the arena quietly watched the scene unfold, their sneers suddenly changing into looks of disbelief!
When the dust dissipated, only a shadowy purple-clad silver-haired figure was left on the platform—confusing the guests.
Jiang Ming, one of the Three Heavenly Kings from outside of the Sanctum, had vanished into the thin air!
They had not seen Jiang Ming get shockingly struck, and they had not seen him fly back, off the platform!
Where was Jiang Ming?
Just as the spectators were feeling bewildered, they saw from the corner of their eyes a black object drop from the sky and crash onto the platform with a loud bang.
Upon a closer look, they were shocked to see that it was Jiang Ming with his mouth full of blood, he had lost consciousness on the spot!
His face was still frozen with a look of horror.
Hiss—
The spectators gasped!
That one blow just now had unexpectedly blasted Jiang Ming into the sky! Jiang Ming did not faint during the fall, he had fainted from being unable to withstand that blow!
Everyone was silent!
Jiang Ming, one of the Three Heavenly Kings, was crushingly defeated?
Furthermore, he had lost to Su Yu, who was an extremely lucky First Level Holy King?
"It's a legacy level cultivation technique! He has cultivated a legacy level cultivation technique!" Eventually, some shrewd spectator tremblingly voiced the alarming fact.
"What? A newbie has a legacy level cultivation technique? The Three Heavenly Kings from outside the Sanctum do not even have the qualifications to cultivate those!"
"That's right! I remember now, at the recruitment assessment the number one contestant could enter the Depository of Buddhist Scriptures, to read through cultivation techniques. Could it be he took a peek at that time?"
"Impossible! Within the Depository of Buddhist Scriptures, the thunder-based cultivation techniques are hidden away in the depths of the depository. How could he have reached that step?!"
Everyone was shocked until the umpire coolly declared Su Yu as the winner!
Wu Pangyun turned deathly pale! He stared at Su Yu with a look of horror!
When... when had he become so formidable?
Thinking back, he was confident that his ability had been equal to Su Yu's, now he could not help but flush with anger!
Among the spectators, there was another person Su Yu was familiar with. It was Cao Xuan! That terribly strong man of the Dragon Realm! He was considered supreme among the Inner Sanctum disciples of the Liuxian Faction.
He was initially too lazy to watch the matches, but after hearing the activity from the arena, he decided to look.
However, when he glanced over, his pupils suddenly shrank.
"Li Guang's disciple from Shenyue Island?" Cao Xuan had already forgotten Su Yu and even failed to recall his name. As far as he could remember, although his fighting power was great, this disciple of Li Guang was a Worthless Spirit!
Nonetheless, he had suddenly appeared in the Liuxian Faction today and, furthermore, he had broken the shackles of the Martial Path to become a Holy King.
Since he was able to break through to the Holy King level, he must be able to absorb spiritual energy, which was equal to having a Spirit. But on that day of the spirit testing, why has he considered a Worthless Spirit?
Cao Xuan was slightly stupefied, and then his eyes gradually narrowed, "Li Guang, oh Li Guang... it seems like you really groomed this disciple!"
With this one match, Su Yu became famous and there were no more rivals within his group!
Once he had rightfully and properly obtained the first place in his group, all opinions were silenced!
His one palm had defeated one of the Three Heavenly Kings, it proved that Su Yu's ability was uncommon.
The rest of the group challenges gradually ended.
This time, Yun Yan's group had a First Level Upper Tier Holy King, and she was regrettably defeated.
Based on the Second Elder's demand, she was unable to gain the qualification needed to enter the Inner Sanctum, and therefore she had lost the chance to remain in the Faction. Furthermore, she had lost the opportunity to seek a legacy level cultivation technique for her family.
Yun Yan suddenly wanted to cry as she bowed out sadly.
She would gradually become an ordinary person who hurriedly lived through the rest of her life.
As her beautiful eyes gazed at the purple-clad figure who resembled an invincible god of war, Yun Yan's inner sorrow deepened.
"Why can't I be like him?" Yun Yan's slender fists were tightly clenched, her heart unwilling to let go.
When she returned to the spectators' stand, she was quiet and dejected.
The competition for the nine-strong spots had finally concluded.
Su Yu, a newcomer from outside the Sanctum, had never even officially stayed for more than a day outside the Sanctum, and he had already stormed into the top nine. It was dazzling and stunning!
The nine competitors stood side by side.
The other eight paid attention to Su Yu, who was considered a dark horse.
The First Heavenly King, Zhao Wuxie slightly revealed his fighting intent, "It's indeed extraordinary that he has a legacy level cultivation technique to bypass the ranks and fight with."
But when his gaze turned and fell on a figure beside him, his fighting intent became like the ardent burning sun, "Unfortunately, Sun Tianyang is still my formidable opponent for this match!"
The newly appointed disciples of the Inner Sanctum, Sun Tianyang, and Yuan Hu, had participated in the hundred-strong competition. It was only to be expected that they would storm into the top nine.
Sun Tianyang's ability had reached the Second Level Peak Holy King and he was an Inner Sanctum disciple. Although he had only been in the Sanctum for a month, he was closely guided by the Great Elder and his fighting power was somewhat a mystery.
After all, among the Ten Great Elders, the Great Elder was ranked first; any disciple who received his guidance must be extraordinary.
Even in the hundred years of the Faction, the only newly appointed Elder was Elder Han Zhi—once the disciple of the Great Elder!
Now, Sun Tianyang was his disciple, so his aptitude must have been extraordinary.
The short and stout Yuan Hu looked astonished.
The Su Yu he remembered was merely a Level Nine Peak of the Martial Path, he was not even a Half Holy King! That had not been that long ago, and he had reached the Holy King Realm!
Even Jiang Ming, who was defeated by Su Yu, was comparable to Yuan Hu in terms of their cultivation bases. Both of them were Second Level Lower Tier Holy Kings.
Ranked second of the Three Heavenly Kings, Zhao Longyang smirked mockingly, "Senior Brother Yuan, it seems you are going to have some trouble—Su Y is not weak."
Yuan Hu's chubby face suddenly turned cold, "That piece of trash, Jiang Ming. How can he be mentioned on equal terms as me, of the Inner Sanctum? Who cares about Su Yu? I alone can put him down!"
"Another thing!" Yuan Hu turned his head to the side and looked disdainfully, "You're from outside of the Sanctum and not even qualified to call me Senior Brother! And please do not speak to me, lest I be mistaken for a disciple from outside the Sanctum!"
Zhao Longyang's smile stiffened and he turned red in the face.
He was more than twenty years old and had been at the Faction for more than five years. Yuan Hu was only fourteen years old and had just entered the Faction.
Zhao Longyang had indeed lowered himself by calling him a Senior Brother and was guilty of trying to make friends with him by fawning and using flattery. But he did not expect Yuan Hu to be so unruly! He had exposed him publically!
Suppressing his anger, Zhao Longyang lightly chuckled, "I would like to see how long you, from the Inner Sanctum, can fight with Su Yu! Humph!"
Although he did not have Yuan Hu's qualification, he was very good at making discerning judgments from his many years of cultivation.
He seemed to have reservations about Su Yu's match with Jiang Ming...
"The Nine Dragons to Seize the Pearl competition has officially started! The ultimate arena is open!" The umpire announced and activated a mechanism.
Crash—
The central arena rumbled and shook!
The platform was split into two down the center, and it moved aside like a giant manhole cover.
Aha—
A terrible chill poured out.
The entire arena instantly became ice-cold.
Upon a closer look, there was an emerald-green lake under the platform!
The lake was quiet and bluish-green like bamboo in the spring, but it also looked like an emerald pearl.
But, the lake, for some reason, was bone-chillingly cold.
The chill condensed the vapor in the air and produced waves of white-cold fog which floated around the arena.
In the blink of an eye, the arena resembled a paradise on earth, filled with drifting celestial mist.
In addition to the cold, the spectators also clearly felt that the spiritual energy within the arena spike!
Everyone excitedly seized the moment to cultivate in public!
"The Nine Dragons Seize the Pearl competition at the Icy Azure Lake is now open! Is it finally here? I've watched all the matches, and I was waiting just for this moment!" said a Lower Tier Holy King, who was greedily absorbing the rich spiritual energy.
"If there comes a day when I can participate in the Nine Dragons Seize the Pearl competition, it will be good for me. It is said that above the Icy Azure Lake, the spiritual energy is richer and its intensity is ten times stronger than that of the outside world! A day of cultivation there is equal to ten days in the outside world!"
Many people who participated in the battles had waited just for this moment.
Su Yu stood around the Icy Azure Lake and immediately felt the rich spiritual energy blowing on his face. It was very strong!
The closer he got to the Icy Azure Lake's edge, the stronger the spiritual energy was!
Would the spiritual energy be more intense if he was inside the Icy Azure Lake?
Above the bottomless icy lake, there was an artificial, three-layered bridge.
The three-layered bridge was constructed from top to bottom; the closer it was to the water surface, the more intense the spiritual energy was.
"After discussing with your opponents, you can choose the most suitable bridge battlefield for you. Bear in mind, you must assess your capabilities and act accordingly. The chill below is extremely cold, so if your cultivation base is not up to scratch, you may freeze and die!
"In addition, if you accidentally fall into the lake, you will certainly perish! Therefore, you all must choose carefully. Especially at the bottom layer of the bridge, the Faction will not be able to assist in time if you fall in, because the distance is too close to the lake. The bottom of the lake already has many disciples' skeletons and they have not been salvaged to this day. You will have to look out for yourselves!
"The Nine Dragons Seize the Pearl competition starts now! The first battle is Yuan Hu from the Inner Sanctum who will battle against Lin Hao, from outside the Sanctum!"
Besides the Three Heavenly Kings, Lin Hao, a Second Level Lower Tier Holy King, was ranked number one outside the Sanctum. His ability was only slightly weaker than Jiang Ming.
Swish—
Due to caution, the two men chose to fight on the top layer of the bridge.
The spiritual energy there was four times that of the outside world. It was even better to absorb the spiritual energy during battle.
"Make your move!" Yuan Hu stood with his arms folded, his eyes looked contemptuous.
Lin Hao, who was over twenty years old, was capable of facing Yuan Hu. But, he felt no small amount of pressure. How powerful would an Inner Sanctum person be when he was of the same realm as him?
"Pale Wolf's Claw!" Lin Hao growled, all his spiritual energy was concentrated into his move.
His figure was like a pale wolf galloping forward, and his palm became claw-like.
A cold, pale light emerged from his claws, it looked like an ice-cold blade!
Aha—
His claw attacked. The air burst with a howling sound, as if it was about to be ripped apart!
Yuan Hu waited until the claws were right before him before he finally made his move!
"What a paltry trick!" Yuan Hu coldly rebuked as he suddenly lifted his leg, "Dragon Tail Whip!"
Crackle—
His leg moved swiftly and continuously like a swimming dragon's swaying tail.
The air twitched and vibrated.
A terrifying aura permeated the arena.
Crack—
Ah—
A scream came!
Lin Hao's fingers were shattered, his blood spraying everywhere! He wobbled and almost fell from the bridge!
"Lin Hao is defeated!" The umpire declared right away.
Lin Hao was defeated in one move!
The gap between the Inner Sanctum and the outside was great!
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the move "Dragon Tail Whip" had some degree of a legacy level cultivation technique!
Without a doubt, Yuan Hu had been cultivating a legacy level cultivation technique and he had felt some true essence.
There would be no chance to encounter a legacy level cultivation technique, even for those who stayed outside of the Sanctum for ten years.
Yuan Hu had just entered the Inner Sanctum for a month and he already had access.
The difference in their power was disheartening!
"The next battle is Yuan Hu versus Su Yu!" The umpire quickly announced.
As Su Yu darted to the bridge, the strong spiritual energy rushed forth. It made him feel comfortable as it was mingled with the weak chill in the air.
Yuan Hu stood with his arms folded and he coldly sneered, "I didn't expect the tiny ant to come walking up to me now!"
"Make your move, I have a tight schedule," Su Yu said calmly with a flat gaze. He pretended not to hear him.
A hint of anger flashed across Yuan Hu's face and his viciousness surged forward, "Humph! The difference between a talent and an ant is huge. I'm from the Inner Sanctum, and you're still struggling outside the Sanctum! Even if you have advanced by leaps and bounds, you're still that lowly pitiful creature underneath my feet!"
Su Yu's look darkened, "You're so noisy! Get lost immediately if you don't dare to fight! You're not qualified to waste my time!"
Every second meant that he had one more bit of hope of taking Xianer away.
Yuan Hu was furious, "Very well! Since you're looking to die, don't blame me for not giving you a chance! An ant will always be an ant, even if you're standing, you still need to look up to me! Dragon Tail Whip!"