Every year, the opening speech was the same. The more than two hundred thousand people were used to it by now, sitting quietly in the stands and listening.
Ma Feifei, meanwhile, had his pen and paper out, scribbling away.
After about half an hour, Zhou Wuji's speech drew to a close.
"I now declare the Dragon Ranking Tournament officially open. Let us welcome the three hundred students from last year's Dragon Ranking to defend their platforms."
As Zhou Wuji's voice rang out, streaks of light shot toward the platforms scattered around the grounds. Their dazzling, leaping figures drew the attention of the more than two hundred thousand spectators in the stands, who perked up, ready to watch the tournament.
"The young man in blue at the very center must be Xiaoyaozi, last year's Dragon Ranking champion! What a prodigy. He's so young, yet I can't even see through his cultivation." A white-haired man gazed at Xiaoyaozi on the platform and praised him.
"Old friend, you're only at Spirit Master Stage Five. Xiaoyaozi has already entered the Spirit Sect Realm. Of course you can't see through his cultivation," a nearby cultivator couldn't help but point out.
"What's wrong with being at Spirit Master Stage Five? Back in my day, I nearly made it into Zhenguan Academy. If fate hadn't played me false, I'd have reached the Spirit Sect Realm at the very least by now." The old man argued indignantly.
"Oh?" The cultivator beside him regarded him with new respect and cupped his hands. "May I ask how old you are, old friend?"
"Two hundred and three."
"..."
The nearby cultivator's eyelid twitched, and he didn't dare say another word. Generally speaking, cultivators who hadn't entered the Spirit Sect Realm lived between two and three hundred years. At two hundred and thirty, this old man was still only at Spirit Master Stage Five. His life was probably nearing its end, and it was best not to anger someone like that. If he died because he couldn't catch his breath, the cultivator might not get away with it, especially at an event like this.
After all, even cultivators had to obey the law at official events.
Most people in the stands had their attention fixed on Xiaoyaozi. He had held the Dragon Ranking's top spot for two years in a row, and among the young prodigies of the Chu Kingdom, he was undoubtedly a leader.
A small number of people, however, were discussing Yang Chengzhi, standing in a corner.
"That student's wearing a cape. That's rather interesting."
"Isn't it? There's writing on it, too. 'Want to boost your cultivation? Visit the Mysterious Bookstore in Dubian Town.' What does that mean?"
"I know Dubian Town. It's on the border, beside Nine Heavens Mountain. This Mysterious Bookstore must be the name of a bookstore, I suppose?"
"What's he trying to do? What does a bookstore have to do with cultivation?"
The words on Yang Chengzhi's cape piqued the curiosity of a few people. They began discussing them among themselves, and gradually, Yang Chengzhi—who'd previously been completely ignored—started to attract some attention.
Standing on his platform, Yang Chengzhi held his sword with a helpless look, his eyelids drooping as he pretended not to hear.
A middle-aged man stood beside him. He was a mentor at the academy, as well as the referee for this platform.
As an academy mentor, he knew far more than the spectators in the stands.
Just yesterday, Yang Chengzhi had returned to the academy alone, only to be swiftly taken away by the head of the academy's disciplinary division. The incident had immediately sent a stir through the entire faculty and student body. Everyone wanted to know if Yang Chengzhi would be expelled, but to their astonishment, he was back, safe and sound, in less than half an hour. The disciplinary division had made no announcement, as if nothing had happened at all.
According to some students who'd seen Yang Chengzhi, his cultivation, which had been stuck for so long, seemed to have advanced.
It was incredible. Yang Chengzhi had gone two years without making a breakthrough, yet he'd advanced just before the Dragon Ranking Tournament! The students were astonished.
So, in fact, Yang Chengzhi was just as much a focus of attention among the students as Xiaoyaozi. Most of them had their eyes on him.
"It looks like he really did break through. I can't even see through his cultivation!" one student below the platform exclaimed in surprise as he watched Yang Chengzhi.
He'd planned to start by challenging someone near the bottom of the Dragon Ranking, secure his place in the first round, and then try to climb the rankings in the second. After all, Yang Chengzhi had always been at Spirit Master Sixth Stage. It was no exaggeration to say that more than half the students at the academy had reached that level. No one thought Yang Chengzhi could defend his platform in this year's tournament.
Most students had thought the same way. But now, as they watched Yang Chengzhi, they felt a deep, complicated gloom.
This was rough, Ma Feifei!
Those with higher cultivation hadn't planned to challenge Yang Chengzhi. Those with lower cultivation couldn't see through his cultivation. How the hell were they supposed to deal with this?
Challenge him? Don't make me laugh. Not being able to see through his cultivation meant Yang Chengzhi had reached at least the Spirit Sect Realm. Generally speaking, it was impossible to conceal one's cultivation before reaching the Spirit Sect Realm. Below that level, as long as the gap between two cultivators was no more than five stages, they could see each other's cultivation.
The students who'd been confident enough to challenge Yang Chengzhi had all reached at least the sixth stage. In theory, as long as Yang Chengzhi hadn't surpassed the Spirit Sect Realm, they should have been able to see his cultivation.
But now they couldn't. There was only one explanation: Yang Chengzhi had reached the Spirit Sect Realm.
The students who'd wanted to challenge Yang Chengzhi exchanged silent looks.
"Swish~"
"Swish~"
By now, challengers were gradually taking their places on the platforms around the grounds. Before long, every platform was occupied. In the end, only a few remained without challengers.
The rules of the Dragon Ranking Tournament allowed each challenger only one chance to face a platform defender. If they lost, they couldn't challenge anyone else. To play it safe, challengers usually chose defenders lower on the Dragon Ranking. As a result, the higher a defender ranked, the less likely they were to be challenged.
At that moment, all the platforms belonging to the top ten on the Dragon Ranking were empty. Not a single challenger had stepped up.
"Looks like no one can shake up the top ten this year, either!" an old man who'd watched many Dragon Ranking Tournaments sighed from the stands.
The most exciting part of the tournament each year was the battle for the top ten. But the least interesting matches were also the ones involving the top ten.
The top ten in the first round were the least interesting to watch. The top ten in the second round were the most exciting.
"Indeed! Look at those top ten prodigies on the Dragon Ranking. They're all bursting with vitality, and no one can see through their cultivation. They've all entered the Spirit Sect Realm. It'll be incredibly difficult for the students below to beat them."
"But I hear this year's freshmen are the most talented in a thousand years. Maybe one of them will step up and challenge someone in the top ten."
"This year's top ten are also the strongest in a thousand years. It'll be incredibly difficult for a freshman to challenge them."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Looks like we'll have to wait until the second round to see what they can do."
"Hey, why is there still a platform with no one challenging it?"
As everyone discussed the strength of the top ten prodigies, Yang Chengzhi's platform in the corner drew countless eyes because no one had stepped up to challenge him.
"Brother Yang, turn around and give us a hand!" Ma Feifei's section of the stands was near Yang Chengzhi's. Seeing how much attention he was getting, Ma Feifei couldn't help standing up and calling out.
Yang Chengzhi rolled his eyes and slowly turned around in place.
"You're too stiff! Make it look natural. And, Brother Yang, could you run around the platform once and let your cape fly for a while?" Ma Feifei shouted. This wasn't having much effect. With spectators on all four sides of the stands, no one could see much if Yang Chengzhi only turned around once.
Yang Chengzhi was speechless. He glanced at the more than two hundred thousand people around him and shook his head. He refused to do what Ma Feifei suggested, no matter what.
"Brother Ma—" Ma Feifei was about to persuade him again. What a great opportunity! It would be a shame not to promote the bookstore. But Zhou Zhuling tugged at his sleeve. Ma Feifei turned around, and Zhou Zhuling lowered her head and pointed behind him with her little finger.
Ma Feifei looked up. Good grief—people all around them were staring at him. Even though he thought he had thick skin, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed under so many gazes. He hurriedly sat back down.
By now, Yang Chengzhi had become the center of attention, drawing even more eyes from the spectators than the platforms where people were fighting.
The platforms in the corners were usually defended by students near the bottom of the Dragon Ranking. They attracted a great many challengers—sometimes as many as half of all the contestants.
But now, not a single student had challenged the platform in this particular corner. Naturally, everyone was curious.
It wasn't just the spectators in the stands. Even the students in the top ten on the Dragon Ranking were keeping an eye on Yang Chengzhi, some more openly than others.
"Looks like Senior Brother Yang came across quite an opportunity. He's actually reached the Spirit Sect Realm," Feng Xinglie, ranked fifth on the Dragon Ranking, remarked casually. When he finished, he deliberately glanced at Xiaoyaozi.
He'd enrolled a year after Yang Chengzhi. But thanks to his exceptional talent, he'd reached the top five in the Dragon Ranking Tournament the following year with his Spirit Master Stage Nine cultivation.
He and Yang Chengzhi had little to do with each other, so there was no bad blood between them. But everyone knew Xiaoyaozi and Yang Chengzhi were enemies.
Xiaoyaozi noticed Feng Xinglie's glance. A playful smile crossed his handsome face. "Why are you looking at me, Junior Brother Feng? Are you so eager to fight me?"
At last year's Dragon Ranking Tournament, Feng Xinglie had placed fifth because he'd lost to Xiaoyaozi. Otherwise, he could easily have climbed one or two places higher.
As fellow prodigies, neither was willing to yield to the other.
Feng Xinglie shrugged. "I think someone else is even more eager than I am to fight Senior Brother Xiaoyao."
Everyone at Zhenguan Academy knew about the long-standing feud between Yang Chengzhi and Xiaoyaozi. Back when Yang Chengzhi had been a good-for-nothing, no one had cared much about a feud so lopsided. But now, more and more people were interested.
"Then we'll have to see if Senior Brother Yang can defend his platform," Xiaoyaozi said nonchalantly.
No one was more surprised than he was that Yang Chengzhi had reached the Spirit Sect Realm. He was simply very good at hiding it and hadn't let it show.
"Look! Someone's gone up!" someone cried out.
Everyone turned to look.
They saw a student standing on Yang Chengzhi's platform.
"Senior Brother Yang, I'm your junior, Wang Dong. Please, give me a lesson."
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