Dragon Gate Meet

Master Zhong's Great Kun Kingdom was surrounded by numerous other kingdoms, so there were many, many unfamiliar faces here at this moment.

Deep inside the valley was a huge open-air arena. It was extremely vast, with a diameter of over a thousand meters, resembling a large stadium from Zhong Shan's previous life.

The bottom center of the valley was spacious and spotless, while countless loose stones lay around the edges.

The mountain walls were vertical, and mountain peaks encircled the place at its center.

About a hundred meters up the mountain walls were nearly fifty platforms resembling balconies, all on the same level. Each platform could hold fifty people. Two hundred meters up, there were eight platforms arranged in eight directions.

Eight upper platforms and fifty lower platforms.

At this moment, several people had already taken their places on the "lower platforms." Their robes fluttered, and they looked incomparably dashing. Some carried swords on their backs, while others carried sabers.

Below, nearly three thousand people stood along the edges of the valley floor.

Master Zhong led his eight sworn sons to a corner as well.

His eldest sworn son, Zhong Tian, moved a large stone over and placed it in the corner for Master Zhong to sit on.

After sitting down lightly, Master Zhong looked at the seven Peak Acquired Realm sworn sons beside him and began his introduction.

"This is Dragon Gate Valley. The platforms above are where the disciples of the various Immortal Sects stand. They're divided into upper and lower platforms. The lower platforms are for the lesser Immortal Sects or Rogue Cultivators to rest on, while the upper platforms are where the five major Immortal Sects stay. They may not all come, but those who do are all here to recruit disciples." Zhong Shan explained.

Seeing people already standing on the lower platforms, the sworn sons grew excited. Those are people from the Immortal Sects?

"Father, what are upper Immortal Sects? And what are lower Immortal Sects?" Zhong Shijiu asked.

"Heh. Upper and lower Immortal Sects are merely general terms. As long as your sect is powerful, it's an upper Immortal Sect. It's just the pride befitting a major sect." Master Zhong smiled.

"Look at the people below. Do you know what these people who came here are in the eyes of those Immortal Sects?" Master Zhong asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Livestock." Master Zhong's eyes turned solemn.

"Livestock?" The sworn sons frowned in surprise.

"That's right. In the eyes of those Immortal Sects, these people are all livestock. The mortals of the secular world are livestock—livestock for them to choose from. In their hearts, they are all beings constantly evolving, becoming more and more advanced, while we're at the very bottom. It's like those primitive people who ate raw flesh and drank blood that I showed you last time. Would you regard them as your equals? Would you call those savages who couldn't even speak your brothers, drink with them, and enjoy yourselves? No. The disciples of those Immortal Sects are the same. They're selecting a few lucky ones, a few people they deem worthy of notice. Only those chosen will receive their approval." A trace of helplessness flashed through Master Zhong's eyes.

After hearing Master Zhong say this, all the sworn sons fell silent.

During that brief interval, Master Zhong and his group saw several mortals being brought onto the "lower platforms." The Zhao Household was one example. At this moment, two young men from the Zhao Household had been brought up ahead of time because they had connections with someone above.

Master Zhong waited patiently.

An hour later, at last, countless sword lights flew over from every direction in the sky. One sword light after another shot in from all sides. The disciples of various Immortal Sects stepped on Flying Swords and landed on the many platforms. There were also people riding other magical treasures, as well as monks and nuns flying into the valley's platforms.

"At the Dragon Gate Meet, if you can't be chosen at the beginning, you'll have to participate in bloody battles and slaughter for these disciples of the Immortal Sects to watch. If your skills are inferior and you die on the spot, that's an extremely ordinary occurrence. Of the roughly three thousand people here, no more than two hundred will ultimately walk out of this valley alive. If you don't want to take the risk, don't continue." Master Zhong spoke to his sworn sons.

"Rest assured, Father." Determination flashed through all the sworn sons' eyes. This was an incredible opportunity. How could they give it up?

"Mhm." Master Zhong nodded.

At Dragon Gate Valley, thirty of the fifty lower platforms were already occupied by people from different forces. As for the upper platforms, only one was occupied. Everyone there wore identical white robes, standing atop the upper platform and looking down with utter indifference in their eyes.

Before long, more people arrived on the upper platforms: a group of golden-robed, radiant monks; a group of men and women in luxurious robes; and another group dressed in black. Four forces had now arrived at the upper platforms.

It could begin. Yet at that moment, a purple-robed woman suddenly drifted onto another empty upper platform. She had no Flying Sword beneath her feet, simply flying through the air like that.

The moment the woman arrived, she drew nearly everyone's gaze. Her purple robes and numerous sashes made her look exceptionally beautiful. Her feet were bare, revealing a pair of extraordinarily lovely jade feet. Her upper body had an alluring hourglass shape, complemented by an exquisitely—exquisitely—delicate face.

It was as though every beautiful description in the world was incapable of portraying her appearance. She was simply too beautiful. Nearly everyone who saw her stopped breathing for a moment.

Her only flaw was that she was too cold. Her face was frigid, and her emotionless eyes gazed down at the swarms of ants below.

Many people on the lower platforms and in the valley revealed looks of intense longing. The same was true of Master Zhong's seven Peak Acquired Realm sworn sons. Only Master Zhong did not look at her. His eyes were bright as he watched the various forces instead. As for Zhong Tian, he seemed unable to see the woman's beauty and paid her little attention, serving his father with all his heart.

The disciples of the four Immortal Sects on the upper platforms had initially reacted the same way. However, when they saw the woman's face clearly, they all visibly shuddered and dared not look at her again.

All five major Immortal Sects had arrived, and the Dragon Gate Meet officially began.

On one of the lower platforms, an elderly white-bearded man was the first to speak.

"All those in the Innate Realm under sixty, and all Peak Acquired Realm experts under fifty, come to the center of the arena." The white-bearded man's voice rang out.

As soon as he spoke, his voice echoed throughout Dragon Gate Valley.

Everyone knew that the Dragon Gate Meet had begun. One after another, they grew excited.

"Go." Master Zhong leaned on his cane and spoke to the seven sworn sons.

"Yes!" The sworn sons were thrilled and immediately ran out.

When they reached the center of the arena, they formed thirty rows, with a hundred people in each row.

There were three thousand participants in the Dragon Gate Meet. Around the edge of the valley, there were also roughly a hundred people like Master Zhong, all aware that they had no hope and merely bringing their juniors here.

"Those in the Innate Realm who are under fifty, come to the front." The white-bearded elder continued.

After he spoke, twenty people, their eyes brimming with excitement, left the main group and formed a line.

They were all Innate Realm experts under fifty.

Then, from the platforms, the disciples of the various Immortal Sects each tossed down a different object. Some were iron flowers, some were tiny swords, and some were small beads. Without exception, they fell into the hands of those in the Innate Realm.

Receiving one of those small objects meant that the sect which had thrown it had taken notice of them. The Innate Realm experts under fifty were all overcome with excitement.

"Those at the Peak Acquired Realm who are under thirty-five, come to the front." The white-bearded elder spoke again.

The moment he said this, even Master Zhong, sitting to the side, began to tremble. His face revealed overwhelming delight.

Zhong Shijiu—Zhong Shijiu was only thirty-two!

Zhong Shijiu quickly ran to the front and stood in a line with another twelve people. His face was filled with extreme excitement. He was thirty-two—he was only thirty-two!

Sure enough, those twelve people were also taken notice of by the Immortal Sects. Numerous small objects were tossed down from above. Zhong Shijiu received a tiny wooden sword and looked delightedly toward the platform that had thrown it.

He had been chosen. Zhong Shijiu had been chosen. Master Zhong sat to the side, his lips trembling as overwhelming delight flashed through his eyes. The other two thousand or so people looked at those chosen ahead of them with intense envy.

"Good. Innate against Innate, Acquired against Acquired. Choose your opponents, then separate and fight." The white-bearded elder spoke again.

"Yes!" The Dragon Gate Meet participants shouted one after another.

The thirty-two people chosen earlier then stood in a waiting area, while the other two thousand or so people divided up the arena and began slaughtering one another.

It was slaughter—absolute slaughter. Each person used their strongest and fastest techniques, trying to knock down their opponent. Only by defeating an opponent might they be noticed by those Immortal Sects.

For a time, the entire battlefield was steeped in blood. Countless crimson flashes shot into the sky. Ants. Livestock. This was livestock, wagering their lives to win the Immortal Sects above's sympathy—or their regard?

Zhong Tian, the eldest sworn son, revealed a trace of reluctance in his eyes.

"Ah~~~"

In the distance, Zhong Xuan severed his opponent's right arm with a single slash. A lower Immortal Sect flew over and tossed down a wooden knife, which landed in Zhong Xuan's hand. His eyes brimmed with excitement. He had gotten one. He had gotten one!

Holding the small knife, Zhong Xuan quickly ran toward Zhong Shijiu.

"Ah~~~" "Ah~~~" "Ah~~~"...

Screams rang out without pause. More than a hundred people had already been slaughtered on the spot. Many others had received small objects thrown down by the Immortal Sects as well.

Amid Zhong Tian's shouts, Zhong Shiba and Zhong Liu were killed on the spot by two opponents. Zhong Tian's eyes turned bloodshot, and he instinctively wanted to charge out, but Master Zhong stopped him. A trace of heartache also flashed through Master Zhong's eyes, but he still held Zhong Tian back and endured it.

You have no strength to stop them. You can only throw your life away. Besides, this was the path they chose. They can return immediately if they withdraw now, but the sworn sons chose to fight, all for the sake of squeezing into an Immortal Sect. Immortality was simply too tempting.

After a while, Zhong Di also obtained a token. However, Zhong Huang and Zhong Yi were killed on the spot.

Everyone on the battlefield had fought until their eyes were red. After killing an opponent, if they still had not received a token, they would immediately fight another person. They continued until a token was thrown down—or until they were exhausted.

An hour later, only five hundred people in the arena had been chosen, while only two hundred remained fighting. Every one of them was drenched in blood, and corpses covered the ground.

Cruel. It was too cruel.

"Stop!" the white-bearded elder commanded.

The remaining hundred or so people, their bodies covered in blood, stopped without realizing it. Tears of grief streamed from the eyes of those who had each been heroes of the mortal world, and they hurriedly threw themselves toward the corpses scattered across the ground.

They had not been chosen. They had not been chosen, and their relatives and friends had died as well.

It was a cruel scene, a cruel slaughter. This was the Dragon Gate Meet. The Dragon Gate Meet people yearned for: leap through the Dragon Gate and transform into dragons; fail to leap through it, and fall back down to your death.

At this moment, Zhong Tian immediately rushed into the arena, searching for the corpses of Zhong Huang, Zhong Yi, Zhong Liu, and Zhong Shiba.

He quickly brought back the four corpses. With tears in his eyes and his body drenched in blood, Zhong Tian returned to Master Zhong's side.

"Alas~~~" Master Zhong sighed softly. This was the path they had chosen themselves.

"Father." Zhong Tian looked toward Master Zhong.

"Take them back later and bury them properly," Master Zhong said.

"Mhm," Zhong Tian replied.

At this moment, people flew down from the various platforms as well.

Following the objects they had thrown, they found the people they had chosen. They scattered throughout the area.

"Esteemed Master, accept three bows from your disciple!" "Esteemed Master, accept three bows from your disciple!"...

The master-disciple relationships were first established roughly in various places. Zhong Di, Zhong Xuan, and Zhong Shijiu each became disciples of different sects. Zhong Di and Zhong Xuan went to two lower Immortal Sects, while Zhong Shijiu was incomparably fortunate to become a disciple of one of the white-robed upper Immortal Sects.

Once the relationships were established, it was time for everyone to bid farewell to those who had come to see them off, settling their worldly ties. From then on, they would no longer concern themselves with secular affairs. They would enter the Immortal Sects and cultivate the supreme Immortal Dao.

Some people first left their newly acknowledged masters and went to bid farewell to their families.

Master Zhong leaned on his cane and looked at his three sworn sons.

You must ask that Immortal Elder for a Restriction Breaking Pill. You absolutely must ask him for one.

However, Zhong Di, Zhong Xuan, and Zhong Shijiu did not come over to bid farewell to Master Zhong. Instead, they stood atop their respective masters' Flying Swords or magical treasures and flew up toward the platforms.