Heavenly Prodigy Assembly (13)
Golden light descended from above, illuminating Yang Xuanyang and Xuan Lingzi as they faced off.
Although it is known that cultivators from the same realm are unlikely to face life or death, as the saying goes, no one would entrust their own safety to the kindness of others.
Just like this Heavenly Prodigy Assembly, the venue was entirely chosen by the Lu Wu Realm.
The honeycomb-shaped Formation below, originating from the Buddhist Sect, is called the Great Vajra Mount Sumeru Formation. It contains supreme power and can serve as both a competition arena and a means to combat the powerful figures of the Nine Phoenix Realm.
Inside the Black-Gold Palace, the Nine Phoenix Realm's side was indeed stronger, but they dared not go too far because the venue was set up by the Lu Wu Realm, essentially making it the latter's home ground.
Even if they Sage Manifestation powers, they might not necessarily win if a battle breaks out.
Even if they were to wage war at the cost of their own lives, then none of their own geniuses should return.
A chaotic battle involving hundreds of Sage Manifestation powerhouse at the Manifestation stage could create Space Black Holes that would devour anyone weaker than a Nascent Spirit Transformation. So who will bear the responsibility for this?
Was Marquis Huochang or Marquis Huoxu?
Whoever indirectly caused the annihilation of so many geniuses will definitely face dire consequences upon returning home. It's quite possible that they might even be secretly eliminated by other forces.
It is precisely because of the interlocking of various links that the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly is like a carriage traveling on a gravel road; although it is bumpy, there is no danger of it overturning.
Unless the leaders of the Nine Phoenix Realm are all hotheads.
Another point to understand is that since the Nine Phoenix Realm took the initiative to participate in the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly, they must follow the methods of the organizer, namely the Lu Wu Realm.
In this way, almost all potential dangers were eliminated, allowing the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly to proceed smoothly and preventing a large-scale melee between the two sides.
Ten breaths passed quietly in their silent standoff.
When the time came, Yang Xuanyang stepped out of the Formation barrier, then smiled and clasped his hands in a salute.
Xuan Lingzi returned the greeting with a smile.
Regardless, he made it to the semifinals.
Upon returning to the sect, his status as a Saint Son was unavoidable.
He need not worry about future cultivation resources; the sect will naturally prepare them for him.
The Heavenly Prodigy Assembly is fraught with danger, so why do so many geniuses still participate?
On the one hand, the rewards are very generous, including four Origin Crystals, which are used to reward the Champion from the Nascent Soul Early Stage to the Great Perfection stage.
The rewards for the other winners, while not as generous, were still quite substantial.
Take Yang Lingjian for example. As the Champion in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, the reward he received, after being converted into Spirit Stones, amounted to about six or seven thousand Upper-Grade Spirit Stones, which is equivalent to nearly one hundred million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this is an absolute fortune; before reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm, there's no need to worry about resources.
On the other hand, achieving a good ranking will greatly enhance one's status within their sect or Lineage.
Taking Yang Xuanyang as an example, after the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly, the Yang Household's resource allocation towards him will definitely increase significantly, directly exceeding the support given to Yang Xuanyun, Yang Taishan, and others, which is equivalent to the treatment of a different kind of Saint Son.
Half a day later, the battle of the Nascent Soul Early Stage ended. The Champion was a prodigy from the Eastern King Sect of the Nine Phoenix Realm, a cultivator who followed the Dharma-Protecting War God Way. He was extremely powerful and directly defeated the prodigy of the Jiufeng Imperial Clan, thus winning the Champion's title.
Leaving aside the conflict between the Jiufeng Imperial Clan and the Eastern King Sect, the battle Nascent Soul Early Stage ended only half a day before the battle Nascent Soul Middle Stage began.
Yang Xuanwu, the last genius of the Yang Household, finally makes his appearance.
Inside the hive, hundreds of experts at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage realm confronted each other. If there were no Formation to block them, the terrifying aura could probably be felt throughout the entire World Interstice.
Those who can overcome all obstacles on the path of cultivation and reach the Nascent Soul Middle Stage realm are truly heroes.
Those selected to participate in the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly are the cream of the crop, their talent needing no further explanation.
If the battle between the Foundation Establishment Realm was something the high-ranking members of the Three Great Realms within the Black-Gold Palace were doing with a somewhat joking attitude.
When they Golden Core Realm, they put away their joking attitude and became a little more serious.
Even these important figures take the Nascent Soul Realm very seriously.
Previously, Marquis Huoxu of the Nine-Phoenix Clan went so far as to severely injure Yang Xuanyang to vent his hatred, and this was not without reason. If it were when he was at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would not have made such a move.
Ultimately, it all comes down to strength. Nascent Soul Sage Manifestation, and it is no exaggeration to say that more than 60% of the Nascent Soul geniuses participating in the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly have the potential to break through to the Divine Spirit Transformation stage, and quite a few of them possess the talent to Sage Manifestation.
Therefore, even Sage Manifestation powerhouse are extremely concerned about the backbone of these future clans or sects.
This is why the casualty rate in the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly drops sharply after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.
Simply put, Foundation Establishment prodigies can afford the losses because their numbers are vast, and who knows what the future holds?
There are far too many prodigies who die young.
Nascent Soul prodigies are different; they already possess a certain status and influence within their respective forces, and their future prospects are almost predictable.
Just like Yang Xuanwu, if he continued his cultivation step by step, breaking through to the Sage Manifestation would be almost a certainty. Would Yang Tianyou really be willing to let him die?
Therefore, the battles at the Nascent Soul level are the most captivating part of the entire tournament.
Not only did the onlookers watch closely, but even the important figures dared not lose their focus.
They were terrified that a single oversight would result in their genius being killed by their opponent.
Although the cultivators participating in the Heavenly Prodigy Assembly were all prepared to perish.
But of course, it would be best if we could survive!
A gentle breeze stirred, causing ripples on the golden screen, and words the size of a house appeared.
"The Heavenly Prodigy Assembly, the Nascent Soul Middle Stage competition, shall now begin!"
Bang!
The font is broken; a battle is about to break out.
Boom!!
Yang Xuanwu held the Four Symbols Sacred Spear, with phantom images of dragons, phoenixes, turtles, and tigers flashing behind him. His domineering aura rose like the blazing midday sun, seemingly climbing endlessly.
"Roar!!"
A roar that sounded like a lion or a tiger Dang Kai, and a ferocious Demon Beast covered in blue fur, three zhang long and more than one zhang tall, suddenly opened its mouth and bit down from a distance.
In an instant, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged and converged, transforming into a gigantic maw of Abyss, its white teeth resembling towering pillars, and with each opening and closing, a ferocious aura raged forth.
"What a fine dog!" Yang Xuanwu laughed heartily, his spine as majestic and upright as an ancient divine mountain, reaching to the sky and standing tall, as he thrust out with his spear.
"Chaotic Spear Slaughter!"
Brush!!
Thousands upon thousands of spear beams suddenly erupted, like a summer storm, stirring up layers of Spiritual Qi.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
The spear light surged like a volley of arrows, tearing the Abyss's gaping maw into pieces, which then scattered and fell in all directions as wisps of Spiritual Qi.
"An eye for an eye, so take this!" Yang Xuanwu shouted, his body suddenly expanding into a hundred-foot giant, and the Long Spear in his hand also grew larger.
As Yang Xuanwu swept his spear across, the sound of explosions continued, and mournful cries of Spiritual Qi echoed from all directions. The Qing Ao Lion, facing this attack, changed its expression drastically, as the threat of death crashed into its mind like a tidal wave.