The figure in gray emerged slowly from the shadows, its steps steady, as if walking on an invisible blanket.
As he walked through the crowd, the monks on both sides instinctively made way for him.
It wasn't because he released any kind of oppressive force.
He was too quiet.
He's as quiet as a piece of dead wood left by the roadside; you can see him, but you always subconsciously ignore him.
Lin Fan's gaze fell on that figure.
The light screen of the system panel unfolded before his eyes, and lines of information flowed by like water.
[ The Son of Fortune's Name: Ye Tian ]
[Identity: Orphan of the Ye Clan, a direct descendant of the Longevity Dao lineage]
[Realm Level: Late-Stage Quasi-Emperor ]
[Life Script: Ye Tian will use the Dao Discussion Conference to select ten people to enter the Longevity Ruins. The opening of the Longevity Ruins requires the essence blood of the Ye Clan's direct lineage. The root cause of the ruins' destruction is the infiltration of dark forces from Foreign Domain; someone within the Emperor Pass is colluding with this darkness. The surviving remnant soul within Ye Tian tells Ye Tian that only by having the people of the Emperor Pass confuse the beings from the Foreign Domain can he have a chance to reclaim the Ye Clan's possessions and, in the future, find the Ye Clan's enemies and take revenge!]
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
The entire clan was wiped out, leaving only one person and his grandfather!
He was familiar with this script; it was the standard template for a tragic, vengeful, and Son of Fortune.
The next step should be to endure humiliation and hardship, rise up in a moment, and wipe out the enemy in blood.
But this Ye Tian was clearly much smarter than the template suggested; he chose to leverage external forces. He used the hands of the two great immortal families to open his own door.
He was more interested in the last two lines of notes.
Darkness has infiltrated, and there is an internal traitor lurking within a certain faction in the Emperor Pass.
That's getting interesting.
The young man in the green robe looked at him but didn't say anything.
The young man in the greyish-white robe chuckled, "Young Master Ye, your timing is perfect. Jin Zhen just left, and you're here right away. Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd been waiting here the whole time."
Ye Tian smiled too, a very faint smile, as if it were just a thin layer on his face. " The Longevity Ruins are the old territory of the Ye Clan. If I didn't come, you wouldn't be able to open it."
The words weren't harsh.
But it's very heavy.
The young man in the greyish-white robe paused slightly with a smile, then slowly nodded. "Indeed."
People on the sidelines were whispering among themselves. " The Ye Clan? Which Ye Clan?"
Someone's pupils contracted, and they exclaimed in surprise, "There's no Ye Clan in Emperor Pass... Wait, which Ye Clan are you talking about?"
" The Ye Clan, the lineage of immortality? Weren't they wiped out long ago?"
"They've been wiped out, but their bloodline isn't necessarily extinct. Look at what he just said about us not being able to open it; that means the entrance to the Longevity Ruins requires the Ye Clan bloodline to unlock."
"So he came not to compete for a spot, but to be the key?"
"Getting a share even as a key? Isn't that much more worthwhile than fighting?"
Lin Fan sat on a flat bluestone by the field, listening to the discussion, a slight smile playing on his lips.
A smart person.
This Ye Tian is a smart man.
Despite carrying a deep-seated hatred, he wasn't blinded by rage and recklessly charged in to kill; instead, he chose a safer path...
He made everyone owe him a favor.
The two great immortal families want to enter the ruins, and they all need his blood. So even if he stands still, he is the most secure candidate.
"Interesting!"
Lin Fan said in a low voice.
As it turns out, they could fight.
And the fight was quite lively.
Of the ten spots, four were taken by Lin Fan, Ye Tian, and two prodigies from the two great immortal families, leaving six remaining.
Lin Fan's defeat of Jin Zhen has already proven his strength, guaranteeing him a spot in the competition!
There's no need to say more about these three!
These six have to be earned through hard work.
There were quite a few geniuses from the Emperor Pass, more than a dozen in total, plus some Quasi-Emperor from the Three Thousand Provinces and the Immortal Burial City, making a total of more than twenty people.
The young man in the green robe announced the rules: two people would fight each other, and the winners would advance until the remaining six people were determined.
Lin Fan originally thought he might have to play again.
After all, he had just displayed three streams of Immortal Qi, and some people might be unconvinced and want to challenge him.
After waiting for a long time, no one came looking for him.
Several prodigies did linger on him for a moment as they walked past him, before turning away in unison.
"Not fighting?"
"We can't beat them."
"Didn't you see him shatter Jin Zhen's clone just now?"
"I saw it, but I haven't lived enough yet."
"What if he's just bluffing?"
"Have you ever seen someone who just bluffs actually turn the monsters of the Emperor Pass into dust? Go if you want, I won't stop you."
"... I suddenly remembered that I haven't finished my cultivation for today, so I'll take my leave now."
Lin Fan listened to the hushed conversation and sighed softly.
Being invincible is also a kind of loneliness.
He was hoping to earn some more Villain Points, but now he can only watch from the sidelines!
The battles on the dojo were one after another.
The geniuses of Emperor Pass are indeed not weak; they are at least far stronger than cultivators of the same realm in the Three Thousand Provinces.
Although Jin Zhen was smashed by him, it was only because Jin Zhen encountered him.
If it were anyone else, Jin Zhen's clones would be enough to sweep most of the field.
Lin Fan watched as the two figures clashed and intersected in the arena, with fragments of laws surging like waves, occasionally offering a comment or two.
"The angle of that punch was alright, but the force was somewhat lacking."
"Hmm, this swordsman is interesting... Oh, he got slapped to the ground, but it's alright now."
Sitting next to him were several cultivators from Immortal Burial City, who were now sitting upright, not daring to even breathe loudly.
The day passed quickly.
They fought hundreds of rounds in the arena, with two breaks in between.
The final list of ten people included Lin Fan, Ye Tian, and the two prodigies from the longevity families.
Tian Ming slowly stood up, gently pressed his palm down, and the noisy discussions in the arena immediately quieted down as he announced the results.
"The ten people have been decided."
" Lin Fan, the Lin Clan."
" The Longevity Ye Clan, Ye Tian."
As he uttered the name, his gaze seemingly swept across the arena unintentionally, but it landed precisely on the gray figure in the southwest corner, lingered for a moment, and then looked away.
" The Tian Clan, the Tian Ming."
He spoke his name in a steady tone.
" Rogue Cultivator, Jing Wuxin."
" The Yue Clan, Yue Linglong."
" The Jin Clan... will fill the vacancy; Jin Xuan's true form will enter seclusion in three days."
"In addition, there are three prodigies from the Northern Region Sword Valley and the ancient clans of the Eastern Desolation."
After reading the last name, he closed the scroll and calmly swept his gaze across the entire room. "The list of ten is finalized. Excluding the fallen Jin Zhen, nine people are confirmed. The one spot to be filled will be filled by the last prodigy at the entrance of the ruins."
" The Longevity Ruins will open in three days. At that time, everyone should gather in front of the ancient pass of Immortal Burial City."
"You are on your own to face life and death on this journey."
"Once the ruins open, life and death are your own responsibility, and opportunities will depend on your own abilities."
"I hope you all... will take good care of yourselves."
After saying this, he didn't linger any longer and turned to leave with the young man in the grey and white robe.
The two walked slowly, but there was a strange rhythm in their steps, as if each step was landing on some unseen point.
No one objected. Although the Rogue Cultivator and the geniuses from the Emperor Pass who didn't get a spot looked unwilling, they eventually withdrew their gazes from the nine people in the arena.
Lin Fan watched their figures disappear at the end of the stone steps.
Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at the gray-clad figure in the distance.
Ye Tian didn't leave either.
He stood at the edge of the debate arena, whispering something to several of the geniuses from the Emperor Pass, a very faint smile on his face.
Lin Fan did not go over to greet him.
He simply stood up and walked towards the direction of Immortal Burial City. As he passed Ye Tian, their eyes met briefly in the air.
"Young Master Lin."
Ye Tian took the initiative to speak, his voice very polite.
Lin Fan nodded.
Ye Tian smiled and said, "Looking forward to seeing you in three days."
Lin Fan didn't stop, he simply waved his hand casually behind him. "No problem."
After walking ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), he silently added a sentence in his mind:
care?
Alright, hehehe!