The Grand Competition Begins

Lin Xuanqing's maniacal laughter finally subsided amidst the rustling of the ancient tea trees.

With a complex, bitter smile on his face, Wen Yuan stepped forward and led Chen Fan back to the quiet, private courtyard.

"Junior Fellow Apprentice, our teacher... he was just too excited."

Wen Yuan's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"For the next three months, focus on consolidating your cultivation here and don't let your teacher down."

Chen Fan nodded without saying anything more.

He could sense that both his mad master and his gentle Senior Fellow Apprentice carried a heavy burden of obsession beneath their expectations.

Back in the Quiet Chamber, Chen Fan sat cross-legged.

As his mind sank into his body, within his reshaped heart, a drop of crimson-gold Life-and-Death Dao Blood pulsed with the most Origin Source force, much like the core of the universe.

Each pulse seemed to illustrate a complete cycle of Life and Death and death, and from this cycle, a strand of pure, new Dao Blood was born, silently merging into his limbs and bones.

His aura didn't increase at all, but the essence of his life was accumulating at an alarming rate.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Life-and-Death Dao Blood within Chen Fan's body had quietly increased from one drop to eighty drops.

He could clearly feel that his control over the Life-and-Death Law was becoming more and more perfect. He could even unleash terrifying power that could bring life or death with a single thought without having to deliberately activate it.

He slowly opened his eyes, ceasing this simple act of accumulating energy.

"It's still lacking something..."

Chen Fan muttered to himself.

His path can only be truly proven in the most intense clashes.

The strength of those in the Undying Realm is primarily determined by the quantity and quality of their Undying Golden Blood.

Generally speaking, the initial amount of immortal essence blood is less than one hundred drops, while the middle stage is between one hundred and one thousand drops, and the later stage can reach tens of thousands of drops of Undying Golden Blood.

Once all the blood in one's body has been transformed into Undying Golden Blood, one will have entered the Seventh-Tier Immortal Realm!

On the very day he emerged from seclusion.

A vast and boundless sound resounded without warning throughout the entire planet where the Life School was located.

"All disciples, listen to my command!"

"The annual academic competition begins today!"

In an instant, all the disciples in the school who were cultivating, researching, or in seclusion, no matter where they were, stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.

Their Chief Instructor, Lin Xuanqing, dressed in simple linen clothes, stood like a god in the starry sky, his face filled with unprecedented solemnity.

Lin Xuanqing raised one hand to the sky, and a vast amount of Power of Law surged forth from his palm.

Before the astonished eyes of all the disciples, a phantom planet materialized and manifested out of thin air beside the Home Star of the Life School!

That was no ordinary celestial body, but a colossal tree with lush foliage, roots that pierced the Void, and a canopy that reached the depths of the universe!

Each of its leaves is as large as a floating island.

Each branch is a naturally formed Combat Platform, upon which the Dao Principles flows, infinitely profound.

"The grand competition will be held on this World Tree."

"Round 1: Competition for the Golden Body Realm Disciples. Enter the arena!"

As Lin Xuanqing finished speaking, beams of gentle life light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping all the Golden Body Realm disciples within the school and instantly teleporting them to the lowest platform of the World Tree.

At the same time.

In the desolate Void beyond the Star Domain of the Life School, nine illusory figures of mentors, each possessing an equally vast and powerful aura, quietly emerged.

He was the Chief Instructor of the Law Realm from the other Nine Great Schools of the Star River Martial Academy.

With expressions of anticipation, they focused their gaze on the incredibly magnificent World Tree, their Divine Thoughts communicating freely in the Void.

"That madman Lin is quite generous; he even brought out his Sect-Town Treasure as the arena for the competition."

"Heh, what's the use of a big scene? Does his Life School still have anyone capable of fighting? I'm afraid they'll get swept in the first round, just like in previous years."

"Speaking of which, that one-year agreement should be up by today, right? I'm really curious to see what level that top Federation Top Scholar he's been praising so highly, that kid Chen Fan, has reached now."

"What other cultivation level could it be? The Perfected Golden Body is the absolute limit! Igniting the Divine Fire in seven days might be true, but condensing Golden Blood in five months? That's simply a fantasy! Just wait and see Lin the Madman embarrass himself in public!"

On the lowest platform of the World Tree, the battles between the Golden Body Realm disciples have reached a fever pitch.

The radiance of the laws surged everywhere, the roar of colliding energies was deafening, and every giant leaf that served as the battlefield trembled slightly.

The battle was undeniably fierce, even brutal.

However, this sight, as seen by the nine imposing figures in the Void outside the tree, only elicited a few undisguised sneers.

"Lin the Madman is still the same as ever. The disciples he teaches are all like flowers in a greenhouse, with weak foundations, scattered methods, and are all show and no substance."

The Chief Instructor of the Ancient Martial Arts School commented without any politeness.

His gaze swept over the Life School disciples who were displaying exceptionally dazzling skills, and the contempt in his eyes was almost tangible.

"Battles at the Golden Body Realm are a contest of the ultimate control and application of one's own power; it's a return to the essence of killing techniques. These guys, on the other hand, fight like fireworks—beautiful, yes, but shattering at the slightest touch."

"Hehe, Old Freak Wang, you're mistaken. At least... the scene is quite interesting."

The Chief Instructor of the New Martial Arts School spoke leisurely, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

He changed the subject, his gaze turning with interest to Lin Xuanqing's blurry figure. "Don't rush, compared to these appetizers, I'm more interested in that one-year agreement. Counting the days, it's due today, isn't it? Where's that Federation Top Scholar that Lin the Madman praised to the skies, that little guy Chen Fan?"

"Could it be... that he doesn't even dare to participate in this Golden Body Realm competition, afraid of losing face as the top scholar?"

Upon hearing this, the other mentors also let out low chuckles.

A year ago, Lin Xuanqing made an earth-shattering Betting Agreement to protect Chen Fan, and the news had already spread throughout their small circle.

Is the Divine Fire lit in seven days?

A year of hard work and dedication?

To them, this was utterly ridiculous.

Now that the year has passed, they want to see how Lin Xuanqing will handle this situation.

Just as they were exchanging ideas without restraint, the contest between the Golden Body Realm experts on the lower platform finally came to a conclusion.

A young disciple of the Life School, whose aura had already faintly touched the threshold of alchemy, was clearly a top expert in the Golden Body Realm.

After exhausting the last bit of strength in his body, he narrowly defeated another opponent in an extremely brutal manner, trembling as he won the first prize.