Firmament Sword

The Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition’s championship battle had finally begun!

For this battle, even the mega-arena, capable of holding five million people, was still not enough to accommodate the surging tide of spectators.

Left with no choice, several senior figures of Celestial Brilliance directly unleashed their Great Divine Techniques, casting mirror images onto the giant Crystal panels set up throughout Celestial Brilliance!

The scenes from the final battle arena were projected directly onto these Crystal panels!

Just as the match was about to begin, countless warships traversed the void and appeared in the sky above the final battle arena.

Not only was the personal vessel of Sect Leader Xiahou Kaiyuan present, but also many senior figures who had not been seen in the world for many years!

The Patriarchs of the Heritage Clans and the high-ranking Elders of Celestial Brilliance had all come!

A grand occasion of this scale had not been seen for several thousand years!

The annual competition could never normally attract this much attention. No matter how outstanding the younger generation was, they were still the younger generation. The true titans would, at most, ask a passing question but would never pay it too much mind.

This year, however, the appearance of one person changed everything!

He was the new Medicine King!

He was the owner of the Soul Scripture Stele!

He was the first person in history to reach the finals in his very first annual competition—and was all but guaranteed to take the championship!

He was Luo Tian!

He was the First Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden!

He was the most sensational young man in all of Celestial Brilliance in countless years!

This battle was a must-see!

Before the battle, Tang Xiao looked at his master, Jiang Botao, with a pained expression. ”I’m just the supporting act, right?”

Jiang Botao nodded.

”I’m just here to make him look good, right?”

Jiang Botao nodded again.

”But I’m not resigned to it, Master! Can’t you lend me a few more of those top-tier Spiritual Artifacts?”

”I finally made it to the finals, and this is probably my only shot at it!”

”That unlucky bastard Jin Ming got kicked out, paving the way for me. Why not pave the way for your disciple one more time, Master?”

Jiang Botao raised his hand with a deadpan expression... and knocked Tang Xiao soundly on the head. ”In your dreams.”

”Ow, Master... any more of that and you’ll knock me stupid!” Tang Xiao protested, then sat down, dejected. He mumbled, ”But I’m really not resigned to this! I’m just one step away... one step away from becoming the champion of the annual competition!”

”Your second-place spot... was a fluke to begin with. Have you still not figured that out? Are you still indulging in wishful thinking?” Jiang Botao said, looking at Tang Xiao sternly.

”Master... don’t be so serious,” Tang Xiao grumbled lazily. ”It’s not that I haven’t figured it out. I just want to climb to a higher peak. You should be supporting me!”

”Alright, enough nonsense. If you can’t win, just concede. After this annual competition, there are more important things for you all to do!” Jiang Botao said seriously.

Seeing his master’s solemn expression, Tang Xiao also became serious. ”What things?”

”The second half of the Soul Scripture!” Jiang Botao said.

Tang Xiao sucked in a sharp breath. ”Is that... something we can do?”

”Here’s the situation. Our people have spent many years pinpointing the final location. At the same time, they discovered a problem. People at the Initial Tier Ultimate Venerable level can enter, but those stronger than an Initial Tier Ultimate Venerable cannot. If they force their way in... their cultivation will be suppressed to the Initial Tier Ultimate Venerable level.”

”Moreover, this year’s annual competition, with the sudden emergence of dark horses like Luo Tian, has also exposed many of our Celestial Brilliance Sect’s problems.”

”These problems weren’t taken seriously in the past, but this year they’ve become particularly obvious!”

Tang Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly. ”You mean the fact that the young disciples have terrible combat experience?”

Jiang Botao looked at his beloved disciple with gratification and nodded. ”Before Luo Tian appeared, this problem wasn’t obvious. Basically, everyone... was ranked based on their strength and a little bit of luck. But after Luo Tian showed up, that balance was shattered in an instant. He used his power at the Peak of Great Saint Realm to sweep away two young Venerables. What kind of terrifying combat power is that?”

”That guy is an absolute beast, a crocodile in a fishpond!” Tang Xiao said, frustrated.

”You’re right, that guy is a freak!” Jiang Botao surprisingly agreed. He felt a surge of annoyance whenever he thought about the Yellow Springs Map he had lost to the Sect Leader.

”Whoa, even you think so, Master!” Tang Xiao said with some surprise.

”Alright, stop with the useless chatter. Anyway, after this annual competition, the sect will select a group of people to go there. They will compete with the young talents of Blazing Flame Province for the second half of the Soul Scripture. And... that place is fraught with danger, but it also holds all sorts of opportunities.”

”What you need to be aiming for isn’t the second half of the Soul Scripture, but those opportunities. If you can get your hands on just one, you’ll have it made!”

Jiang Botao was very direct. His status allowed him to know many things, and he understood that even if they obtained the second half of the Soul Scripture, it would belong to Luo Tian.

It wasn’t a matter of selfishness; he just wanted to look out for his beloved disciple a little.

”Wow, that’s great! I’ll even get to go up against the younger generation from Blazing Flame Province? Heh, I’ll turn their world upside down!” Tang Xiao chuckled.

”Don’t underestimate them. Blazing Flame Province is plagued by natural disasters year-round. The people there are extremely aggressive, and their combat experience is far beyond what you people have! Don’t you go and get yourself killed, leaving me without a disciple in my old age!” Jiang Botao said.

”Don’t you worry, Master. Once we’re out there, I’ll definitely stick close to Senior Brother Luo Tian...” Tang Xiao grinned, baring his teeth. ”I know full well that the safest place to be is right by his side!”

”You little rascal!” Jiang Botao couldn’t help but laugh. His beloved disciple might seem like a slacker, but he was actually quite shrewd.

”Go and fight! Even if you lose, don’t make it too embarrassing! Luo Tian knows you’re my disciple; he won’t make things too difficult for you!” Jiang Botao clapped Tang Xiao’s shoulder. ”Just treat it as a training experience!”

”You can rest easy!” With a relaxed expression, Tang Xiao pressed the token in his hand and teleported out of the room.

By now, the surrounding stands were a sea of people, and every face was etched with excitement.

The Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition was not only a test of what the younger generation had learned over the year, but also a grand festival for the youth!

A festival that happened only once a year!

No one would miss the final championship battle. Even those most dedicated to their cultivation would emerge on this day to watch the match.

Most of the Medicine Garden disciples had entered the stands of the mega-arena at the earliest opportunity. They were waiting to personally witness the birth of a miracle!

A disciple of the Medicine Garden was finally going to be number one in the annual competition!

As far as anyone could remember, this had never happened before!

Among the Heritage Clans, many unfamiliar faces had also appeared. They were all figures of an extremely senior generation, some of whom had even emerged from seclusion to watch this match.

Sect Leader Xiahou Kaiyuan had arrived a full hour before the match was set to begin.

Standing in a private box, Xiahou Kaiyuan turned to Jiang Botao behind him and asked, ”Have you told your precious disciple everything he needs to know?”

Jiang Botao nodded. ”I’ve told him everything. I believe that kid will fight a perfect final battle in a very relaxed state of mind!”

”That’s good. The last semifinal match... was an absolute farce. That little girl from the Ming Family is still too green!” an Elder chimed in with a laugh.

”Indeed. I was expecting a spectacular, intense battle, but instead... we got a show of Dragon and Phoenix. It was really something else!” another Elder said.

”Speaking of which, who knows how many Heritage Clans have their eyes on this kid now. It’s a shame the girl from the Xie Family already got a head start,” said a man who looked to be in his thirties, smiling.

In reality, no one standing here was truly young. They only looked young because that’s how they had appeared when they stepped into the Venerable Realm, and their aging had slowed to a crawl.

”That kid Luo Tian is just too outstanding. I even want to marry my own daughter to him!” said a round-faced Elder.

”Your daughter... isn’t she a bit too old? Your great-granddaughter, maybe!” someone joked.

Another person said, ”Oh, you don’t know, do you? Elder Zhao has a young daughter. She’s eighteen and as beautiful as a flower!”

”What? An old tree sprouting new blossoms!”

The group of high-ranking Elders in the private box shamelessly bantered with each other, the atmosphere light and relaxed.

In truth, they hadn’t been this relaxed in a long time, not since Jin Ming was expelled from the sect.

Sect Leader Xiahou Kaiyuan, in particular, had been silent for many days.

Jin Ming was his Direct Disciple, and he had always placed high hopes in him. Even knowing that Jin Ming was a scion of the great Jin Family of Xi Hezhou, he had still trusted him completely.

He had never imagined that Jin Ming was... that kind of person to the core. Xiahou Kaiyuan had no choice but to self-criticize at the Elder Council, admitting that he had misjudged someone.

For the leader of a sect, this was a rather embarrassing... and rather serious mistake!

If Jin Ming had never revealed his true nature and had actually become the Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master one day, one could only imagine how many innocent people would have died at his hands.

The man’s jealousy had reached an extreme. If not for Luo Tian’s appearance, no one would have been able to expose his true face.

Fortunately, however, this piece of scum was promptly purged from Celestial Brilliance.

But because of this incident, a crack had formed in the relationship between Sui Feng Hall and the Celestial Brilliance Sect.

Sui Feng Hall’s Hall Master, Tu Dahai, had his most beloved youngest son suffer a great loss at the Celestial Brilliance Sect. Although Sui Feng Hall said nothing, being in the wrong, the very fact that they made no official statement proved just how much Tu Dahai cared about the matter!

While the Celestial Brilliance Sect was not afraid of Sui Feng Hall’s wrath, many people were unwilling to see a rift form between the two major powers over this incident.

’This time, the search for the second half of the Soul Scripture won’t just involve people from our Celestial Brilliance Sect. Many great powers from Xi Hezhou will also send people. There’s bound to be a fierce struggle. I hope this will be a good tempering experience for our younger generation, and not a journey into hell,’ Xiahou Kaiyuan thought to himself as he looked down at the arena below.

At that moment, a tsunami of cheers erupted from the surrounding stands.

The two protagonists of the championship battle, Tang Xiao... and Xu Luo, appeared on the mega-arena at almost the same time!