[Cloud-Reaching Peak]
[The sea of clouds churned; a lone peak stood out in splendor.]
[At the summit lay a grand plaza forged from billions of catties of immortal gold. It was transformed from Fangcun Mountain's mountain-suppressing treasure, "Fangcun Temple," its entire form flowing with Dao resonance.]
[Today, the final battle of the Star-Plucking Assembly began.]
[Six of the nine remaining slots had been decided. After several rounds of fierce battles, six people ultimately stood here to welcome the final round of competition.]
[By old custom, there should have been another two rounds: first deciding the top three, then determining the champion. Yet this assembly would only determine the top three, with no distinction in rank among them.]
[Thus, today's three duels would be the final battles.]
[First battle: "Little Green Peak · Qi Ling" versus "Jade Pool Peak · Feng Qingge."]
[Second battle: "Dragon Head Peak · Yuan Shujian" versus "Five-Colored Peak · Ziwei."]
[Final battle: "Fangcun Mountain's Senior Brother · Sun Miao" versus "Elixir Crane Peak · Xie Mosheng."]
[Of the six, the first three had long been renowned. The latter three—Qi Ling, Xie Mosheng, and Ziwei—had originally been unknown, yet all had won their way through in succession, rising out of nowhere. Their names had already become widely known, shaking the various peaks.]
[At this moment, disciples from every branch arrived one after another, gathering atop Cloud-Reaching Peak.]
[The plaza was divided into upper and lower levels. The upper level held Fangcun Mountain's elders and honored guests from the Righteous Nine Sects who had come to observe, as well as cultivators from the major dynasties under its jurisdiction and highly respected lay disciples. The lower level was packed with the young disciples participating in this assembly.]
[Looking over the two tiers of stands, figures filled every corner. Their