Mirror Combat Stage

"Charge!"

Long Jiuyyao roared and sped up with all his might. He'd lost some time helping Yuan Xin deal with a few opponents, and he couldn't afford to waste any more. Otherwise, he wouldn't make it through the Life and Death Heavenly Ladder!

Long Jiuyyao and Yuan Xin fought with all their strength. No more trouble came their way along the rest of the path, and the two made it through the Life and Death Heavenly Ladder unscathed. When Long Jiuyyao glanced back, the incense stick was nearly burned down!

Long Jiuyyao looked around and saw Tai Feichen, grandson of the Sixth Elder; Ji Xian, grandson of the Fourth Elder; Liu Qing; the brothers Yan Shan; and the siblings Ji Ling'er and her brother, all stepping onto the Ancient Palace's main avenue.

The number of people who made it through dwindled once again. More than half had been eliminated in the Life and Death Heavenly Ladder trial. Though plenty of people still filled this space, their numbers had fallen considerably from before.

Those who remained, however, were all exceptional. As the trials continued to narrow the field, the survivors would only grow stronger.

Only after the waves had washed away the sand could gold be found. Some might be eliminated early because of bad luck, but no one could possibly rely on luck to make it to the end. Only strength mattered.

Before them lay a vast space, with five Mirror Combat Stages standing within it.

"This is the Dragon Clan's Mirror Combat Stage, the final trial of the clan tournament. There are five stages. Once you step onto one, a phantom opponent will appear. Anyone who fails to reach the level of a Green Armored Warrior will be eliminated. You may begin."

The Dragon Clan Great Elder looked at them and spoke calmly.

As soon as he finished, Liu Qing flashed forward, as dazzling as a blazing sun, and landed on the middle stage. The stage was small; once you were knocked off, the battle was over.

Light shimmered into being, and a phantom figure appeared opposite Liu Qing. The figure wore scarlet armor and was at the Late Earth Yuan Stage.

"Whoosh!"

The Mirror Warrior lunged at Liu Qing with a spear.

A glint flashed in Liu Qing's eyes, where a faint green light seemed to shine. He swept out a hand, and the Mirror Warrior's body instantly blazed with green light before vanishing, turning into radiance that flowed into Liu Qing. At once, a red suit of armor appeared on him.

Two Mirror Warriors appeared next, both clad in orange armor.

Liu Qing stepped forward. The Azure Heaven Dragon Transformation Art was terrifying indeed. He struck with his palm, destroying both Armored Warriors at once. His armor immediately turned orange.

"In the Mirror Combat trial, increasingly powerful Armored Warriors appear. Their armor comes in seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. If you pass all seven stages, you'll wear purple armor and stand out in the crowd. Some have even cleared all seven stages and fought a Platinum Armored Warrior, earning a Platinum Battle Robe."

Yuan Xin spoke softly. Once this trial ended, their armor would directly reflect their strength. You could tell how strong someone was just by looking at their armor!

Liu Qing was terrifyingly powerful. In the blink of an eye, he defeated three Yellow Armored Warriors and donned a layer of illusory yellow armor.

"These three Armored Warriors are at the early Heaven Origin Realm and wield spear intent. The strength of their spear intent adjusts to match the challenger's power, and their spear techniques are formidable." Long Jiuyyao understood what he was seeing.

In the first three battles, one additional Armored Warrior appeared each time, but they were all equally strong. Still, the three fought in perfect coordination, supporting one another, and were far more fearsome than a single Armored Warrior.

In the fourth battle, an Armored Warrior clad in green armor appeared on Liu Qing's stage.

His cultivation was still at the early Heaven Origin Realm, but his spear technique was even more formidable. Cyan light shone across Liu Qing as he unleashed his power without restraint.

The Green Armored Warrior on the stage was powerful, with spear intent that swept in every direction and might without equal! Yet he still lost to Liu Qing.

One after another, people stepped onto the other four stages to face the formidable challenge, fighting their way through the red-armored warriors.

Anyone who failed to reach the level of a Green Armored Warrior would be eliminated. That meant they had to clear five battles, defeating two powerful warriors clad in green armor, or be eliminated.

More and more people watched Liu Qing, their hearts in turmoil.

By now, Liu Qing wore an illusory Green Battle Robe. He had defeated two Green Armored Warriors.

Liu Qing was now locked in a fierce battle against three Blue Armored Warriors.

All three were at the late Heaven Origin Realm. Though they all wielded spears, each had a different kind of spear intent. Their combined attacks were terrifying, making many onlookers tremble with fear.

"He won?" The crowd stared in amazement. Liu Qing had defeated three Blue Armored Warriors and now wore a Blue Battle Robe, exuding great authority.

At that moment, a Purple Armored Warrior appeared on his stage, its bearing solemn and its gaze enough to inspire deep fear.

Countless eyes settled on Liu Qing, eager to see just how strong he was.

Liu Qing did not disappoint. He began to unleash his power. His entire body, flesh and blood alike, seemed to transform into green light, and his overwhelming battle intent made people tremble.

Green light now suffused his entire body, gathering over his skin as though forming a strange membrane. Faintly, that membrane seemed to bear the pattern of dragon scales.

The Dragon Clan Elders watched Liu Qing's performance and nodded with pleased smiles.

As the crowd looked on in amazement, Liu Qing defeated the Purple Armored Warrior and donned a Purple Battle Robe.

For the first time, the crowd truly understood how powerful Liu Qing was. He was aiming to wear the most dazzling robe and claim first place.

In everyone's understanding, Liu Qing was the strongest of the Dragon Clan's younger generation. His strength was formidable, but just how powerful he was had always been a mystery. No one truly knew—until now, when he fought before them for the first time. Only then did they feel the full force of his strength!

Liu Qing won again, defeating two fearsome Platinum Armored Warriors. In the crowd's view, three dazzling Purple Gold Armored Warriors appeared, looking down at Liu Qing. The aura around them was so terrifying that no one could fathom its limits.

At last, Liu Qing could go no further. The three Purple Gold Armored Warriors knocked him off the stage, but his performance was still dazzling enough.

Liu Qing wore the Platinum Battle Robe. It seemed no one could surpass him. The only question was whether anyone could match him and wear the dazzling Platinum Battle Robe as well.

One powerful warrior after another stepped onto the stages. This was a true test of skill: those who could not overwhelm opponents of the same cultivation level would fail the fifth battle. Unable to earn a Green Battle Robe, they were eliminated.

The brothers Yan Shan and Ji Ling'er, among others, managed only to earn Blue Battle Robes.

Among them, Tai Feichen and Ji Xian stood out. They had defeated Purple Armored Warriors and earned Purple Battle Robes, putting them a level above Yan Shan and the others. They were nowhere near as monstrous as Liu Qing, but they had every reason to be proud!

"So they're all beginning to show their talents. This year's clan tournament is filled with prodigies far stronger than in years past."

Long Jiuyyao stood watching the battles ahead, his heart churning. A powerful pressure weighed on him. It seemed he'd underestimated the difficulty of the clan tournament.

"The Dragon Clan! First place in the clan tournament!" Long Jiuyyao took a deep breath. It would be an extremely difficult challenge for him.

The vast majority were eliminated or managed only to earn Green Armor. Very few made it further.

That only made Liu Qing's Platinum Battle Robe look all the more impressive and dazzling.

"It seems I have a great advantage."

Long Jiuyyao smiled. He was at the Late Earth Yuan Stage, so the Mirror Warriors he faced would be at the same stage. Their cultivation would only rise gradually after that. But he had something the others lacked: the Ancient Dragon Bone.

The participants were young and had not yet had the chance to enter the Dragon Transformation Pool and obtain a Dragon Transformation Bone, so they had only Ordinary Dragon Bones.

When their cultivation levels were close, the Ancient Dragon Bone would be enough to erase the gap.

Long Jiuyyao flashed forward and strode onto an empty combat stage. The moment his foot touched the ground, light shimmered across the stage, and a strange force stirred. A Mirror Warrior appeared, at the same cultivation level as Long Jiuyyao: the Late Earth Yuan Stage.

Long Jiuyyao flashed forward, Pitch-black Yuan Power wrapping around his hand. He threw a punch, and terrifying Yin Sha Power instantly destroyed the Mirror Warrior.

Then two more appeared. Long Jiuyyao blurred into motion. This time, Pitch-black Yuan Power again wrapped around both fists, with a hint of dark gold glinting faintly in his palms.

Two punches, and both Mirror Warriors fell.

In the third battle, three Armored Warriors appeared. As before, he dispatched them with three punches.

"So fast! It's that guy again!" Someone noticed Long Jiuyyao. He had matched Liu Qing when the war drums sounded, carried someone up the Ancient Palace during the Life and Death Heavenly Ladder trial, and now he was showing off his strength again. He was only at the Late Earth Yuan Stage, yet his combat strength was terrifying. He could kill anyone at the same stage with a single blow.