King of Ten Thousand Years

”My chance of winning was less than ten percent, but that doesn’t mean my probability of failure was over ninety percent!”

Luo Tian smiled faintly.

He was already very satisfied with a draw.

Before the Celestial Pride Conference, he had never even dreamed of contending with the five great Celestial Prides.

The Extreme Ice Fairy was indeed powerful, well-rounded in Attack, Defense, and speed, with no obvious weaknesses.

If the Extreme Ice Fairy had gone all out and taken him seriously from the beginning, Luo Tian would have lasted a few moves at most.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Luo Tian once again arrived at the mountaintop, basking in the gazes of the entire audience!

On the South Martial Arts Arena, Jiang Daoyun, Yin Xiaofeng, Young Master Hai, and the others stared at him as if he were a monster.

Originally, Yin Xiaofeng and Jiang Daoyun had not been convinced after losing to Luo Tian.

But after this battle, they were completely humbled.

BUZZ!

A massive surge of Celestial Fate Qi suddenly poured out of the Extreme Ice Fairy’s Genius Order and shot into Luo Tian’s.

”Referee, this...” the Extreme Ice Fairy cried out.

”Although you and Luo Tian drew, you were the one who initiated the challenge. According to the rules, you must forfeit one-third of your Celestial Fate Qi to Luo Tian!”

The referee explained indifferently.

Those who actively challenged others were generally very confident in their victory.

The challenged party was at a disadvantage, essentially serving up their Celestial Fate Qi on a platter.

Therefore, if an active challenge resulted in a loss, half of one’s Celestial Fate Qi would be forfeited. If it was a draw, one-third would be lost.

BUZZ!

The golden light from Luo Tian’s Genius Order suddenly flared, enveloping an area of over ten meters in a faint golden radiance.

’Sigh, I didn’t even want this much Celestial Fate Qi...’

Luo Tian couldn’t help but sigh.

By a strange twist of fate, he had plundered the Crow’s Celestial Fate Qi and had shone brightly all the way, becoming the most eye-catching and dazzling presence in the entire arena.

Luo Tian walked to the side and sat down cross-legged.

His injuries from the battle with the Extreme Ice Fairy were quite severe, worse than those from his fight with Yin Xiaofeng.

However, Luo Tian’s gains were also greater.

Fighting a Celestial Pride from the Northern Domain to a draw brought him a level of fame and prestige that far surpassed what he gained from defeating Yin Xiaofeng.

Additionally, his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body had improved, approaching the Great Success Level.

But the greatest harvest of all was his Nether Dragon Divine Vein!

Having absorbed a large amount of the Extreme Ice Fairy’s Martial Vein Power, Luo Tian’s Nether Dragon Divine Vein had grown even stronger. The Cold Power it could now release could severely affect an ordinary Half-step Earth Element Realm cultivator.

’Sigh, if only I could have absorbed it for a little longer.’

Luo Tian glanced at the Extreme Ice Fairy, already missing her Martial Vein.

He closed his eyes slightly and activated his Nether Dragon Divine Vein to dissolve the chill that had permeated his body and refine the Martial Vein Power he had absorbed!

The refining process went smoothly and was done within half an hour.

Luo Tian estimated that after his battle with the Extreme Ice Fairy, the might of his Nether Dragon Divine Vein’s Cold Power had increased by more than forty percent.

Coupled with the improvement of his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body, Luo Tian’s overall strength had seen another considerable boost.

The ranking matches on the South Martial Arts Arena had already reached the seventh round and were gradually approaching their end.

At this point, many geniuses, in their bid for a higher ranking, would use up almost all three of their challenge opportunities to plunder more Celestial Fate Qi.

There were a total of three Earth Element Realm cultivators on the South Martial Arts Arena.

They were the Extreme Ice Fairy, Yin Xiaofeng, and ”Blood Sun Finger,” who was ranked tenth on the Spirit List.

Blood Sun Finger was a man with a scholarly and refined temperament, a genius cultivated by the Celestial Ring Alliance.

He was currently looking at Luo Tian, intending to challenge him.

Luo Tian fighting the Extreme Ice Fairy to a draw didn’t mean they were evenly matched. It was purely because the Extreme Ice Fairy had been careless and underestimated him, suffering an unexpected setback.

And with Luo Tian heavily injured, he was certain he could win!

”Blood Sun Finger, get up on the stage and fight me!”

But just then, the Extreme Ice Fairy suddenly spoke.

She had fought Luo Tian to a draw, was extremely frustrated, and had even lost some Celestial Fate Qi. So, she wanted to find someone to vent on and plunder some Celestial Fate Qi from.

The second-strongest person on the South Martial Arts Arena, ”Blood Sun Finger,” was the best choice.

’I have no choice!’

A look of helplessness crossed Blood Sun Finger’s face as he stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena.

He too had long been looking forward to a battle with one of the five great Celestial Prides!

「Twenty moves later.」

Blood Sun Finger was defeated. He was nearly frozen into a popsicle, his hands, feet, and neck stiff, and his meridians and internal organs had suffered a certain degree of damage.

It was obvious that the Extreme Ice Fairy had used him as a punching bag to vent her anger.

After stepping down from the stage, Blood Sun Finger immediately took a Healing Elixir. He wouldn’t dare challenge Luo Tian anytime soon.

Otherwise, in his current state, he might even lose to Luo Tian.

”Number 110, versus Number 144!”

The referee announced.

’My turn?’

Luo Tian opened his eyes and stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Across from him, a familiar figure took the stage—it was none other than Young Master Hai.

”I forfeit!”

Young Master Hai had no will to fight and forfeited immediately.

Luo Tian had already left a shadow on his heart from the first round of eliminations.

Luo Tian’s battle with the Extreme Ice Fairy just now had completely shocked him.

’It would be a loss either way, so I don’t want to lose face again.’

’A victory without a fight.’

Luo Tian shrugged and walked off the stage.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation in the ranking matches.

Generally, this was a ”privilege” enjoyed only by the Earth Element Realm cultivators in the top twenty of the Spirit List, or even the five great Celestial Prides.

「The ninth round.」

Luo Tian’s opponent forfeited again.

Soon, the ranking matches reached the final round.

「West Martial Arts Arena.」

Cheng Wanli took the stage. This was his last battle!

So far, Cheng Wanli had only lost one match, making him quite the dark horse!

’My agreement with my father was to enter the top thirty of the Celestial Pride Conference...’

Cheng Wanli thought to himself.

But with his current amount of Celestial Fate Qi, breaking into the top thirty wasn’t a sure thing.

And if he lost this match, he would have no hope at all.

”Your Yunxiao Sect really has a lot of dark horses, but I won’t be careless.”

Across from him, a man in a brown robe chuckled lightly.

His Cultivation was shockingly at the Earth Element Realm, and he was ranked twentieth on the Spirit List!

”I must win!”

Cheng Wanli’s expression was incredibly determined, and a fire seemed to burn in his crimson pupils.

”Wishful thinking!”

The brown-robed man chuckled, wielding a Long Halberd and sweeping out a torrent of cyan halberd-shadows that resembled a clashing army.

Cheng Wanli gripped a Dark Cyan Hammer, stirring up a cold storm. With heavy and surging momentum, he charged forward to meet the attack head-on.

The moment they clashed, he was knocked back and put at a disadvantage.

However, the brown-robed man didn’t manage to injure Cheng Wanli either.

In previous battles, Cheng Wanli had already revealed his trump card: his torso and limbs were all covered in Upper Grade Armor, making him look like a Turtle Shell.

’It must be nice to be rich and an Artifact Refiner.’

Luo Tian remarked with a faint smile.

At this Celestial Pride Conference, if you were to ask who had the most Upper Grade Treasure Artifacts, it would definitely be Cheng Wanli.

But even so, it wouldn’t be easy for Cheng Wanli to defeat the brown-robed man.

The battle continued. Cheng Wanli fell into a passive, defensive position, forced into a corner and on the verge of defeat!

Suddenly, Cheng Wanli took out a cyan helmet, put it on, and recklessly lunged at the brown-robed man... then grabbed him in a bear hug!

It seemed he had been inspired by watching Luo Tian’s fight.

It was just that Luo Tian had hugged a noble beauty, while he was hugging a real man’s man.

”I must win!”

Cheng Wanli roared, simultaneously activating all the Treasure Artifacts on his body.

These Treasure Artifacts had a shared property and could be used as a set. It was a secret weapon forged by Cheng Wanli!

BOOM!

As Cheng Wanli held the brown-robed man, all the Treasure Artifacts on his body released a layer of dark Cold Power that fused together and began to erode his opponent.

’That’s the Cold Power of Celestial Yin Jade!’

Luo Tian realized.

The tables had turned!

The brown-robed man had fought Ye Feng before and was already injured. After holding on for a moment, he was finally defeated.

”I did it!”

Cheng Wanli let out a long breath, then laughed with irrepressible excitement.

Afterward, Luo Tian watched the battles on the other Martial Arts Arenas and used the Celestial Book to inscribe the Sword Intent of another genius.

”Number 110, versus Number 138!”

The referee on the South Martial Arts Arena suddenly announced.

This was the final round!

Luo Tian slowly walked onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Across from him, a blue-haired woman walked out. Number 138 was none other than the Yunxiao Sect disciple, Lu Lin.

Lu Lin looked at Luo Tian, her expression complicated.

After breaking through to the Half-step Earth Element Realm, she had wanted to defeat Luo Tian at the Celestial Pride Conference to redeem herself from her previous shame.

Who would have thought that Luo Tian would become the biggest dark horse, defeat the Earth Element Realm genius Yin Xiaofeng, and fight the Extreme Ice Fairy to a draw? Her goal suddenly seemed utterly laughable.

’No! Luo Tian is severely injured after his battle with the Extreme Ice Fairy. I have a chance to win!’

Lu Lin’s face darkened.

’As long as I can defeat Luo Tian, I can use him as a stepping stone to make a name for myself across the Continent!’

”Lu Lin, you...”

Qiao Hai’s expression changed slightly, and he sighed.

Before the Celestial Pride Conference, the Yunxiao Sect’s upper echelons had instructed that when Yunxiao Sect disciples met in the ranking matches, the weaker party should forfeit directly to avoid internal strife.

’What on earth is she thinking?’

In the viewing stands, the Grand Elder snorted in displeasure.

The current situation was very clear: Luo Tian could enter the top twenty, while Lu Lin couldn’t even make it into the top fifty.

Lu Lin should have forfeited directly, giving her Celestial Fate Qi to Luo Tian to help him achieve an even better result.

But now, because of her own selfish desires, Lu Lin wanted to fight Luo Tian!

”Begin the battle!”

Following the referee’s announcement, the Treasure Sword in Lu Lin’s hand stirred up a wave of watery Sword Qi, which transformed into a several-meter-high tide of Sword Qi that rolled toward Luo Tian with incredible ferocity.

Luo Tian activated his Nether Dragon Divine Vein, transforming into a gust of cold wind. He dodged the Sword Qi and instantly closed in on Lu Lin.

A bone-chilling cold erupted, concentrated within a radius of several meters.

In an instant, frost condensed all over Lu Lin’s body. Even executing her Water Sword Technique became difficult.

SHING!

Lu Lin swung her sword, cleaving the Luo Tian beside her in two.

But it was only an afterimage.

The Wind Manipulation Technique at the Great Achievement Realm was even faster than the Earth Element Realm cultivator Yin Xiaofeng. Dealing with Lu Lin was truly a piece of cake.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Luo Tian transformed into wind, constantly weaving around Lu Lin, ensuring the Cold Power of his Nether Dragon Divine Vein continuously enveloped her.

In less than twenty breaths, Lu Lin, a Half-step Earth Element Realm cultivator, was frozen solid, unable to move.

And from beginning to end, Luo Tian hadn’t made a single move. He hadn’t even touched Lu Lin.

He purely wanted to test how strong the Cold Power of his Nether Dragon Divine Vein was now.

”Luo Tian wins!”

Luo Tian’s tenth-round battle was over.

Not far away, the Extreme Ice Fairy’s gloomy, icy gaze swept over Luo Tian.

’His Martial Vein Power is even stronger than before. Could it be because of me...?’

At this thought, the Extreme Ice Fairy grew even more furious, wanting to tear Luo Tian to pieces.

「A few moments later.」

On the five Martial Arts Arenas, all ten rounds of matches were complete!

”The second round of the ranking matches has ended!”

”From the five Martial Arts Arenas, the four people with the most Celestial Fate Qi will advance to the final tournament!”

The resonant voice echoed in all directions.

”The tournament for the King of the Celestial Pride begins in three days!”

For most of the geniuses, the Celestial Pride Conference was already over. But for the top twenty on the Spirit List and the five great Celestial Prides, the battle had only just begun!