Qualification Selection Tournament!

After flying to within three kilometers of Nine Treasures City, Du Busi brought Qin Ze down to the ground.

Flying was forbidden in Nine Treasures City. Unless one was a guardian elder of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, anyone flying into Nine Treasures City would be regarded as declaring war on the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Du Busi had no desire to be chased down and beaten by three Titled Douluo, though he was not afraid of them.

On the broad avenue, carriages traveled back and forth along the official road. As the largest city under Heaven Dou Empire jurisdiction aside from Heaven Dou City, Nine Treasures City was bustling every day. The two cities were close together, and merchants frequently traveled between them to discuss business.

Moreover, some of Nine Treasures City's goods were even more plentiful than those in Heaven Dou City. In a sense, its permanent population might even have exceeded that of Heaven Dou City.

Having gotten a free ride on an uncle's carriage heading to Nine Treasures City to sell fruit, Qin Ze leaned against the wooden boards and watched the magnificent city draw ever closer.

Nine Treasures City was the first true metropolis Qin Ze had encountered in this life. Even Baihe City looked like a small town compared to Nine Treasures City.

Three kilometers was not far. After some time, a city wall twenty meters high finally appeared before Qin Ze's eyes. Within the walls stood nine accessible gates, each guarded by Soul Masters.

Yes, not ordinary people, but Soul Masters!

At a glance, there were likely no fewer than three thousand people intending to enter Nine Treasures City. The dark mass of people filed orderly through the nine gates.

Yet what truly drew the eye atop the walls were the pitch-black cannons placed every fifteen meters.

The massive cannons pointed toward the open ground outside Nine Treasures City, radiating terrifying intimidation.

"Those are Level 4 Fixed Soul Cannons!" Du Busi explained when he saw Qin Ze staring at the enormous cannons atop the walls.

"Level 4!" Qin Ze turned around.

Du Busi stroked his beard and sighed. "Though the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is a little weaker than my Body Sect in terms of strength, when it comes to wealth, even ten Body Sects couldn't compete with it. A Level 4 Fixed Soul Cannon costs around 3000 Gold Soul Coin. Look at that row of Soul Tool Cannons stretching into the distance—how much money do you think it took to set all that up?"

Hearing this, Qin Ze looked up and estimated that there were no fewer than a hundred of those Level 4 Soul Tools.

That alone amounted to 300,000 Gold Soul Coin, not to mention that these Soul Tools were merely the tip of the iceberg. There were surely more Soul Tools installed in places he could not see.

"This is the outer city. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is built in the inner city, where the Soul Tools are of even higher grade—Level 5, perhaps even Level 6!" Du Busi continued, leading Qin Ze toward Nine Treasures City.

"Senior, how do you know so much?" Qin Ze asked curiously.

"It was nothing. Back then, I sparred with two of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's guardian elders. I couldn't help taking a look around, and I remembered it." Du Busi replied casually.

He did not tell Qin Ze that he had actually gone to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect seeking a treasure. When they refused, he flew into a rage and fought them, ultimately obtaining the treasure.

Of course, he had paid a price in the end. He had handed over a soul bone from a Spiked Armor Demon Turtle that was fully thirty thousand years old in exchange for the treasure he wanted.

"Hurry and go watch! The Qualification Selection Tournament is about to begin again."

"Hey, wasn't it supposed to start the day after tomorrow? Why is it starting today?"

"I heard that Miss Ning Tian, the Sect Master's daughter, advanced to become a Soul Master. To celebrate, the Qualification Selection Tournament was moved up, and ten more spots have been added for those who pass!"

As the two spoke, a burst of noisy conversation suddenly reached their ears.

Qin Ze watched the crowd hurriedly surge toward the inner city and asked in confusion, "What are they doing?"

Du Busi smiled faintly. "The Qualification Selection Tournament is a selection competition used by the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to recruit new disciples. They don't accept just anyone. At the very least, their Innate Soul Power Level cannot be below Level 4, and they must not be older than eight!"

"You've got good luck, kid. With Innate Full Soul Power, you became a Soul Master as soon as you obtained a soul ring. Come on, go sign up. Once you join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it will be time for me to leave."

"Alright!"

The two followed the flowing crowd toward the inner city.

On a spacious square some distance from the inner city, several Battle Platforms had already been erected.

As a qualification tournament for recruiting new disciples held once every two years, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect naturally attached great importance to it. Quite a few of the sect's current backbone members had stood out in the qualification tournament and later been cultivated by the sect.

On the inner city's walls, a little girl with light gold hair and a fair, tender face sat on the shoulders of an Elegant Middle-aged Man. "Daddy, when will the competition begin?"

The girl's name was Ning Tian!

The middle-aged man's name was Ning Guanqing, the current Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!

Ning Guanqing smiled gently. "What's wrong? Can't my good daughter wait any longer?"

Ning Tian scrunched up her little face and said in a soft voice, "I'm almost falling asleep!"

"You little sleepyhead!" Ning Guanqing laughed and scolded her as he reached out to pinch Ning Tian's cheek.

"Sect Master, there are already five hundred registrants. Shall we begin the selection tournament?"

As the father and daughter chatted, the air rippled like water struck by a stone. An Elder stepped out from it and asked in a low voice.

Ning Guanqing's expression turned serious. "Begin!"

"Yes!" Soul Power surged around the Elder, and his body vanished.

"Miss!" Suddenly, another voice rang out, though this one sounded somewhat childish.

Hearing the call, Ning Tian looked down. Her eyes immediately curved into crescents as she smiled. "Wu Feng, you're here!"

"Name."

"Qin Ze!"

"Age."

"Six."

Inside a tent beside the square, the person in charge of registration paused, then looked up at the little boy before him. There had been no more applicants, and he had been planning to watch the competition, yet another little boy had unexpectedly arrived.

The little boy wore a smile, and his eyes were especially clear, like a pool of spring water.

"Are you sure you're six?" The man wore a suspicious expression as he sized Qin Ze up. This kid looks more like an eight-year-old.

"Yes, I only turned six a few days ago." Qin Ze maintained his smile.

The registrar's face was stern. "You're only six, yet you've come to take part in the selection tournament. Do you know that to advance successfully, you must at least become a Soul Master? You may not know the rules of the selection tournament. Go back and cultivate properly. Try to become a Soul Master and obtain a soul ring as soon as possible. It won't be too late for you to come back in two years."

Seeing that Qin Ze's clothes were quite ordinary, he assumed Qin Ze had likely come from a village or small city. Children from such places would already be fortunate to possess Innate Soul Power at Level 5.

"Do you mean this?" Qin Ze's water-blue eyes fixed on the registration worker. Beneath him, a Yellow Soul Ring slowly condensed and eventually floated around his waist.

"Y-you... you're already a Soul Master?" The worker's eyes went blank, and even his speech became clumsy.

Then Qin Ze softly added another sentence, leaving the worker rooted to the spot.

"I have Innate Full Soul Power!"

Thanks to Archer Undying at Stella for two monthly passes.

One monthly pass from Book Friend 2021030110385776.

One monthly pass from Reader 1365152243537223680.

Also, today's bookmarks surpassed five hundred. On top of the original two chapters, I'll add two more chapters. Thank you all for your support.

As for rewards, I truly don't have the energy to add more chapters for them, haha.

When bookmarks reach one thousand next time, I'll add three more chapters! A promise is a promise!