The Divine Martial Nation stretched for hundreds of millions of miles from north to south, with a population of over a billion.
Within the Divine Martial Nation stood four peerless Martial Dao Sects.
The Azure Cloud Terrace Palace, the Blazing Fire Palace, the Edgeless Sect, and the Spirit Sword Sect.
The Azure Cloud Terrace Palace was publicly acknowledged as the strongest and most deeply established of the Four Great Sects. It had been founded over a thousand years ago.
The Blazing Fire Palace and the Edgeless Sect were only slightly weaker.
The weakest was the Spirit Sword Sect.
Actually, there had once been a period when the Spirit Sword Sect had even surpassed the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace, becoming the strongest sect in the Divine Martial Nation.
Unfortunately, a traitor had emerged within the Spirit Sword Sect a hundred years ago, stealing nearly all of the sect's peerless martial techniques before disappearing from the Divine Martial Nation.
With a large number of its martial techniques stolen, the Spirit Sword Sect quickly declined.
At that time, the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace had risen with the tide, suppressing the Spirit Sword Sect. The two great sects went to war, and the Spirit Sword Sect was defeated.
Under this double blow, the Spirit Sword Sect had long since lost the glory of its former days, nearly being replaced by some third-rate sects.
Early that morning.
Lin Bai got up to wash and freshen himself.
Today was a major day for Lin Bai. Not only did he have to defeat Lin Zier, but he also wanted to join one of the Four Great Sects and pursue greater strength and Martial Dao.
After spending the night expelling the poison, Lin Yue had eliminated two-thirds of the toxins in his body. His Martial Dao cultivation had recovered somewhat, so he went with Lin Bai to the place where disciples were being recruited.
The place for the disciple-recruitment tournament was the City Lord's Mansion.
That day, the City Lord's Mansion opened its gates wide, allowing all the martial artists in Spirit Rhino City to enter.
In the square inside the City Lord's Mansion, Lin Bai had thought he had arrived fairly early. Unexpectedly, by the time he and Lin Yue arrived, the square was already packed with people.
"I thought we'd arrived early enough. I didn't expect there to be people even earlier than us."
Lin Bai smiled wryly as he spoke to Lin Yue beside him.
At that moment, a martial artist beside Lin Bai said, "Early my ass! I came here to wait three days ago."
Lin Bai gave an awkward laugh.
"The disciple-recruitment tournament is a great opportunity for the martial artists of Spirit Rhino City to soar into the heavens. Naturally, they wouldn't miss it."
"Lin Bai, if you still haven't decided which sect to join, I suggest you go to the Spirit Sword Sect."
Lin Yue spoke earnestly.
"Why?"
Lin Bai asked in confusion.
"It's still too early to talk about this. Wait until you pass the assessment first." Lin Yue smiled.
Isn't the strongest sect the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace? Why is Lin Yue suggesting that I go to the Spirit Sword Sect?
The Azure Cloud Terrace Palace was the greatest sect in the Divine Martial Nation, possessing the strongest foundation and strength among the Four Great Sects.
If Lin Bai joined the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace, he could obtain more cultivation resources and increase his cultivation speed.
"You came too!"
Just then, a man walked past Lin Bai and spoke with an unfriendly gaze.
Lin Bai took a look and was surprised to find that it was Ye Rulong.
"What? Am I not allowed to come?" Lin Bai replied with a cold laugh.
"Heh heh, the disciple-recruitment tournament is the stage where the geniuses of Spirit Rhino City compete. What qualifications does a good-for-nothing like you have to step onto it?" Ye Rulong said disdainfully.
"Whether I'm qualified isn't up to you to decide. Besides, I don't consider myself a good-for-nothing."
"As for who the real good-for-nothing is, there will certainly be a conclusion once we take the stage."
Lin Bai cast a scornful glance at Ye Rulong.
This man was at the Martial Dao Ninth Level and had only just broken through, leaving his realm unstable. To defeat him, Lin Bai would not even need to draw his sword.
Lin Bai was genuinely curious about what gave Ye Rulong the nerve to act so arrogantly before him.
"Haha, you're right. Once we're on the stage, if you dare come up, I'll beat you until you can't even take care of yourself!" Ye Rulong said through gritted teeth.
With that, Ye Rulong walked far away with the geniuses of the Ye Family.
"When did you get on the wrong side of this rich second-generation heir?" Lin Yue asked curiously.
"Last night, at the Treasure Pavilion. We had a bit of a verbal clash." Lin Bai briefly recounted what had happened at the Treasure Pavilion the previous night.
After listening, Lin Yue narrowed his eyes and looked toward the Ye Family's side. "Hmph, so that's how it is. Looks like the Ye Family won't survive much longer in Spirit Rhino City."
With Lin Yue's Martial Dao cultivation restored, his confidence was naturally strong as well.
After all, this was a world where the Martial Dao reigned supreme.
Without strength, one could only be bullied.
But if you possessed strength, then even if you did not bully others, they could forget about bullying you!
Stare!
Suddenly, Lin Bai felt a cold gaze fixed on him.
Lin Bai raised his head. His gaze crossed layer upon layer of the crowd and landed on a girl in purple robes standing on the eastern side of the square.
The girl in purple was also looking at him mockingly.
"Lin Zier!"
That girl was none other than Lin Zier.
Lin Taiheng said beside Lin Zier, "That brat Lin Bai really isn't afraid of death. He actually dared to come."
"It doesn't matter, Father. He's nothing more than a clown jumping around." Lin Zier shook her head.
"My gaze is no longer on Spirit Rhino City. It's on the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace."
After giving Lin Bai a mocking, contemptuous glance, Lin Zier seemed to lose interest and withdrew her gaze, turning to look at the elevated platform.
"Damn it, he still dares to look down on me! Today, I'll make you pay!" Lin Bai said, furiously clenching his fists.
After waiting for a long time, the elders of the Four Great Sects still did not appear.
"Wow, the sun's out. It's so hot."
"The sun's already shining on our asses. Why hasn't it started yet?"
Some martial artists could no longer sit still and began shouting one after another.
Just then, when the flow of people in the square had reached its peak,
the Spirit Rhino City Lord and four vigorous-looking old men stepped onto the elevated platform.
"They're here—the Spirit Rhino City Lord and the elders of the Four Great Sects!"
The crowd first erupted in surprise, then fell silent.
After all, before the Four Great Sects and the Spirit Rhino City Lord, they could not afford to act recklessly.
Lin Bai also looked up.
He saw five middle-aged men on the elevated platform.
One of them wore a purple-gold robe and a golden crown. An aura of high authority pressed down on the martial artists throughout the square, making their hearts tremble. This person was the Spirit Rhino City Lord.
The other four middle-aged men wore garments embroidered with the words "Azure Sea," "Spirit Sword," "Blazing Fire," and "Edgeless," respectively.
With one glance, Lin Bai understood that these were the elders of the Four Great Sects, responsible for recruiting disciples this time.
But when Lin Bai looked more closely,
he saw that the elders of the Four Great Sects did not speak to one another at all.
The Spirit Sword Sect's elder in particular had a cold expression and looked deeply displeased.
Meanwhile, the elder of the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace and the elder of the Blazing Fire Palace were chatting merrily.
As soon as the elder of the Edgeless Sect stepped onto the platform, he closed his eyes to rest, wearing an expression that said this disciple recruitment had nothing to do with him.
"Silence!"
After stepping onto the platform, the Spirit Rhino City Lord raised his arm and shouted. A berserk force swept across the entire square.
The already-quiet square fell even quieter.
"These four are the disciple-recruitment elders sent here by the Four Great Sects!"
"This is the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace's elder, Murong Qi!"
"This is the Blazing Fire Palace's elder, Xiao Tianchu."
"This is the Edgeless Sect's elder, Ling Han."
"This is the Spirit Sword Sect's elder, Ji Bei."
"We pay our respects to the four sect elders and the Spirit Rhino City Lord."
After hearing the Spirit Rhino City Lord's introductions, all the martial artists in the square bowed in unison.
After the Spirit Rhino City Lord and the other martial artists finished saluting, he continued, "This disciple-recruitment tournament will take place in Sky Ghost Valley."
"Last night, I arranged for people to place tokens throughout Sky Ghost Valley."
"Each token is worth one point. The tournament will last half a day, and once that time is over, the rankings will be determined by points."
The Spirit Rhino City Lord said with a beaming smile, "We all know that this is a world where martial artists reign supreme. The better a ranking you obtain today, the more attention you will receive, and the greater your chance of joining one of the stronger sects among the Four Great Sects."
"So, martial artists of Spirit Rhino City, strive hard. The world belongs to you!"
"Thank you, City Lord! We will certainly not disappoint you!" The martial artists once again expressed their gratitude to the Spirit Rhino City Lord.
The Spirit Rhino City Lord smiled and spoke with soaring heroism.
"Good. Now, all martial artists participating in the disciple-recruitment tournament, follow me to Sky Ghost Valley."
"As for everyone else, wait here."
Just as the Spirit Rhino City Lord was about to order people to lead the martial artists away,
"Wait!"
The elder of the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace, Murong Qi, stood up with a smile.
"Hehe, Elder Murong, is there anything you'd like to add?" the Spirit Rhino City Lord asked with a smile.
"Nothing in particular. It's just that someone entrusted me with a task, and I wish to reserve a spot for one martial artist." Murong Qi spoke indifferently.
A reserved spot?
All the martial artists in the square sucked in a cold breath.
What kind of extraordinary talent did this person possess to be granted a reserved spot by the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace?
"May I ask which martial artist the Azure Cloud Terrace Palace intends to reserve a spot for?" the Spirit Rhino City Lord asked curiously.
Murong Qi took a step forward and swept his sharp gaze across the square. "Is Lin Zier here?"