"I'm so furious I could die!"
When Zi Yuan saw Qin Feng watching the young ladies dance, her face puffed up like a steamed bun on the spot.
Even Xiao Bai the rabbit, after getting two carrots from Qin Feng, happily joined the young ladies in their dance. Clutching the carrots, wagging his little tail, and swaying his rabbit ears—he really was just like his master.
"Could this child have fallen for Qin Feng!?"
The Moon God appeared beside them, looking at Zi Yuan with concern.
Back when Qin Feng was little, she hadn't thought much of it and had simply assumed Zi Yuan liked this little brother. But now, it seemed she really was in love with him. ??
She had never doubted Qin Feng's talent and firmly believed he could bring unparalleled glory to the Moon God Palace, but she couldn't agree with his character.
A man who would even dig out his own younger brother's Supreme Bone for the sake of power—how good could his character possibly be? He was truly no suitable match for her.
At that moment—
In the Yin Moon Dynasty, inside the palace of the Six Paths Imperial Sovereign.
Princess Nanfeng had come to pay a special visit to the Six Paths Imperial Sovereign, hoping to take part in the Yin Moon Dynasty's Death Elimination Tournament.
After witnessing Qin Feng's terrifying power, she hadn't planned to enter a competition where she might lose her life.
But then she reconsidered. If she entered the Death Elimination Tournament under the banner of washing away Great Xia's humiliation, the other young prides from the noble clans would surely join her.
If a few of them died, she would have met her quota. If they won, they would wash away the humiliation, strengthen her standing in her father's eyes and her influence among the civil and military officials, and pave the way for her future ascension to the throne.
She stood to gain either way. Why not do it!?
"The Great Xia delegation wants to enter the Death Elimination Tournament!?"
When the Six Paths Imperial Sovereign heard the news, he wasn't particularly surprised.
The Great Xia Royal Family had sent Students of Heaven's Son as its delegation to display its strength—a way of showing off its muscles. Entering the Death Elimination Tournament was the most direct way to do just that.
"Very well!"
The Six Paths Imperial Sovereign agreed without the slightest hesitation.
As the leader of the Yin Moon Dynasty, he had absolute confidence in his own Heavenly Prides and feared no challenge. He could even openly wipe out a few of Great Xia's Students of Heaven's Son. It was exactly what he wanted.
"Thank you, Imperial Sovereign!"
Both sides smiled happily. Their cooperation was going swimmingly.
Meanwhile, the young prides from the noble clans among Great Xia's Students of Heaven's Son had no idea they'd already been sold out. They were still rubbing their hands together, preparing to grind Qin Feng into the dirt.
Before long—
Registration for the Yin Moon Dynasty's Death Elimination Tournament began.
Because the death rate was especially high, registration was voluntary; no one was forced to sign up.
But even after signing up, one wasn't guaranteed a place in the Death Elimination Tournament. First, there was a qualifying round to prove that one was capable of taking part.
The Yin Moon Dynasty wanted true Heavenly Prides, not hot-blooded cannon fodder.
And because so many people entered each year, the Yin Moon Dynasty divided the competition into tens of thousands of battle zones. Each zone would select ten representatives, and then, from the more than one hundred thousand participants, a thousand would be chosen through a method like raising poisonous insects in a jar and receive special training.
Exceptionally outstanding Heavenly Prides might even be named Saint Children of the Yin Moon Dynasty. They were the equivalent of princes in the Great Xia Royal Family, with a chance to inherit the throne and become the Yin Moon Dynasty's true ruler.
"Saint Child? Why does that sound less prestigious than my title as God's Son?"
Qin Feng couldn't help muttering as Zi Yuan dragged him over to sign up.
Even though he was now the God's Son of the Moon God Palace, he had no special privileges at all. He still had to pass the qualifying round to earn the right to compete.
Zi Yuan lifted her little chin proudly. "Of course. The Moon God is like a guardian deity to the Yin Moon Dynasty, and the Goddess is the future successor to the Moon God. A Saint Child is just a prince. How could he compare with the God's Son or Goddess of my Moon God Palace?"
"Hmm!?"
Qin Feng was completely baffled.
If his title as God's Son was so prestigious, why was he competing in the Death Elimination Tournament for the position of Saint Child?
Wasn't that lowering his own status!?
"What a fool!"
Zi Yuan stole a glance at Qin Feng, her little face flushing pink. "You can be the Imperial Sovereign in the future, and I'll be the Moon God. It'll be more convenient for us to talk behind closed doors as family."
"My Rabbit gets it!!"
Xiao Bai, sitting on Qin Feng's shoulder, suddenly cried out, "That's called colluding in the shadows, being in cahoots, and officials shielding each other!"
"What kind of wild talk is that!?"
Zi Yuan rolled her eyes in anger. Just like that, the rosy mood was ruined.
Just then—
A wave of gasps rose from the registration area. Everyone turned to look at Qin Feng.
"Look, it's Qin Feng from the Moon God Palace! Is he entering too!?"
"I remember he's only fifteen. Isn't he too young!?"
"The Death Elimination Tournament is for people no older than twenty-five. At fifteen, he's at too much of a disadvantage."
"I heard there are more than a thousand people at the Entering Dao Realm this year. His ninth level of the Transcendent Realm won't be enough."
"He's at a disadvantage in age and cultivation. He's rushing into this."
"He should wait for the next tournament. In ten years, he'll be just twenty-five. First place will be his for sure."
"Being young and having a low cultivation level doesn't mean Qin Feng is weak. Have you forgotten how terrifying it was when he drew half his sword a few days ago?"
"No one lives up to a great reputation for nothing. He's the Archaic Era's Number One Heavenly Pride, after all."
"..."
After seeing Qin Feng sign up, many people at the scene hurried off to register in other battle zones.
A man's name was like the shadow of a tree. Qin Feng at full strength was simply too terrifying, and hardly anyone wanted to encounter a monster like him in the qualifying round.
Some, however, refused to be intimidated and wanted to test themselves against Qin Feng.
After all, everyone entering the Death Elimination Tournament was under twenty-five. The hot-blooded delusion of youth made them feel that Heaven was first, they were second, and that their fate was theirs to command, not Heaven's.
Only when they reached middle age did they realize they were just here to make up the numbers.
Clang!!
A clear copper gong rang out. Princess Nanfeng's luxurious carriage rolled slowly toward them, accompanied by more than a dozen Students of Heaven's Son from her delegation. Only Zhu Tou was nowhere to be seen.
"What are they here for?" Zi Yuan asked suspiciously.
"We're here to sign up!"
Princess Nanfeng wasn't dressed in luxurious finery today. She'd changed into a neat martial arts outfit.
"We're here to wash away the humiliation!"
The young prides from the noble clans shouted in unison, their murderous glares impossible to hide.
Especially when they thought of what had happened to Zhu Tou. Their hatred for Qin Feng rose sharply. The noble clans' young prides all shared the same fate: when one flourished, they all flourished; when one suffered, they all suffered.
"Used as a weapon and still showing off!"
Qin Feng couldn't help grumbling to himself. Those young prides from the noble clans were still too green.
Princess Nanfeng had only sweet-talked them a couple of times, and they'd charged straight into the flames. Didn't they know she could concede and withdraw from the contest at any time!?
But when he saw Fang Chang signing up too, he immediately felt full of energy.
Clang!!
A deafening gong rang out, and the entire scene fell silent.
"Registration is closed. The qualifying round begins now!"
A black-clad man with a cold expression floated in the air. He formed a Finger Seal, then pointed forcefully at the ground below.
Rumble!!
The earth began to shake violently, and hundreds of arenas slowly rose from underground.
"The qualifying round has begun!"
Countless cultivators came from all directions to watch. Some hovered in midair on flying swords, others landed on rooftops and trees around the area, and still others used spells to project the scene thousands of miles away, just like a live broadcast.
Before long—
Several thousand contestants entered the arena grounds and began drawing numbers to choose their arenas.
"That's all!?"
The black-clad man furrowed his brows and looked toward Qin Feng, who stood on an arena.
In previous years, tens of thousands of people had entered the qualifying round in this battle zone. But with Qin Feng and Great Xia's Students of Heaven's Son participating, the number had fallen to less than a tenth of what it normally was.
After all, Great Xia's Students of Heaven's Son were all young prides from noble clans, and there was no question about their strength.
Even those who stayed were just gambling on luck, hoping they wouldn't run into Qin Feng or the Students of Heaven's Son. If they did, they'd concede without hesitation.
"I concede!!"
Qin Feng was completely speechless. That made eight in a row.
Other people fought back and forth on the arena. He didn't even have to move, yet he'd won eight matches in a row and gone straight into the round of sixteen.
It was as if Heaven had heard Qin Feng's prayers. In the ninth match, he faced a boy named Wang Peng.
He was a Student of Heaven's Son from Great Xia. Unlike the others, he didn't concede. He came at Qin Feng as soon as he stepped onto the arena, thrusting an iron staff at him.
"No wonder he's a Student of Heaven's Son. That staff is fierce!"
Qin Feng could clearly feel the power in the blow. He dodged nimbly, like a phantom, and didn't forget to flick a few concealed Silver Needles toward his opponent.
"Despicable!"
Wang Peng's eyes brimmed with contempt. He hadn't expected Qin Feng to use concealed weapons.
With no time to dodge, he raised his arm to block. Several Silver Needles sank into it, but didn't cause much damage.
"You've lost," Qin Feng said calmly.
"Lost? You poisoned me!!"
Wang Peng's expression changed. He hurriedly pulled out the needles to inspect them.
"I'm an upright gentleman. How could I possibly use poison?" Qin Feng said with an earnest expression.
"Phew..."
Wang Peng let out a breath of relief. As long as Qin Feng hadn't poisoned him, that was fine.
But Qin Feng's next words made him curse furiously. "I used an aphrodisiac. Even a sow would go wild..."
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