"Luck, whether good or bad, is also part of strength." As her words fell, the twenty figures of light and shadow were arranged in order. The first figure stepped onto the arena first, followed by the second figure slowly walking out. Boom—the two figures of light and shadow collided instantly, and one figure shattered on the spot, while the winner remained on the arena. Chi Tongyue's voice slowly rang out.
"The rules are simple," Number One stepped onto the stage first, becoming the first defender. Number Two then challenged. "If the challenge is successful, the current champion is eliminated, and the new winner remains on stage to defend the title." "If the challenge fails, the challenger is eliminated, and the current champion continues to face the next challenger."
Within the light screen, the third figure had already stepped out, followed by the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth. The figures on the arena kept changing. Some were eliminated as soon as they stepped onto the stage, while others defended their positions for several consecutive matches. The whole process was extremely cruel, with no time to catch their breath and no second chance. Chi Tongyue's expression gradually became serious.
"Defeat means elimination. Everyone only has one chance. There are no revival rounds, no second rounds, no Lineage alliances, and no team battles. From start to finish, only one thing matters." She slowly extended a finger, her gaze sharp. "Strength."
The entire hall suddenly fell silent, and even the light screen in the void seemed to freeze for a moment. Qin Yu quietly watched the constantly changing light and shadow, and he roughly understood this rule. It was extremely cruel to the weak, but it was the fairest to the truly strong, because the one who would ultimately remain would be the one who stepped on all his opponents to reach the end.
At this moment, Chi Tongyue continued, "After all twenty people have fought, the last three remaining on the stage will be the top three in this competition. If any special circumstances arise, such as more than three people remaining, then they will continue to fight one-on-one until only three remain."
At this point, she suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. "So, the draw is actually very important. Those who draw earlier might have to face more than a dozen consecutive battles. Those who draw later have the opportunity to rest and prepare. Of course, if you are strong enough, none of this matters."
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Qin Yu, clearly implying something. Qin Yu smiled slightly and did not respond, but Chi Tongyue saw the answer in his expression. She suddenly realized that from beginning to end, the young man's eyes had not wavered at all, as if it were a contest between twenty True Annihilation Realm and Eternal Silence Realm prodigies.
In his eyes, it was nothing more than an ordinary sparring match. Thinking of this, a strange light flashed in Chi Tongyue's eyes. She suddenly had a premonition. This Four Great Lineage Grand Competition would likely produce an unexpected result, and this result was very likely related to the young man before her. Moreover, her confidence grew stronger and stronger.
She slowly leaned back into the jade chair, her slender fingers lightly tapping the armrest, a mysterious smile appearing on her lips. "The rules are finished." "Next..." "Let me tell you about the rewards that have truly driven the Lineage crazy about this competition." As she spoke, a rare, burning light appeared in her eyes, clearly indicating that the rewards she was about to reveal were extremely attractive even to someone of her level.
Inside the main hall, the morning light shone down through the dome, turning into strands of pale golden light that flowed slowly through the air. Chi Tongyue sat behind the jade table, looking at Qin Yu's ever-calm expression, a smile involuntarily appearing in her eyes.
She discovered that this young man could always maintain a composure far beyond his peers, no matter what he faced. It was as if many opportunities and temptations that would make others lose their composure were just ordinary scenery in his eyes.
However, when she mentioned the rewards, her voice became more serious, "The real reason why this Four Great Lineage Grand Competition has alarmed the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain, and even attracted the attention of many hidden forces, lies in the rewards."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and waved it gently. Three floating light and shadow figures immediately appeared in the center of the main hall. The first light and shadow figure was the smallest, but it exuded an extremely heavy primordial aura. "The third place winner will receive a Primordial Origin Supreme Treasure jointly crafted by the Lineage." The light and shadow figure slowly rotated, and the scenes of the evolution of mountains and rivers and the rise and fall of starry seas faintly appeared inside.
Even though it was just a phantom, it caused ripples of Daoist energy to spread throughout the surrounding space. Chi Tongyue didn't elaborate much, clearly indicating that this Primordial Origin Supreme Treasure wasn't the most important thing compared to the rewards that followed. She tapped her fingertip again, and the second ball of light and shadow suddenly enlarged, with countless colorful bubbles appearing within it.
Each bubble unfolds a different life, a different cause and effect, a different destiny. "Second place," she said, "Ten thousand Dreamplay Beads, plus a forbidden divine technique jointly recommended by the Lineage." Her tone became noticeably more serious. Dreamplay Beads are extremely rare treasures of the Fate Soul; a single one is enough to drive countless cultivators mad. The value of ten thousand pearls is enough to drive many Eternal Silence Realm cultivators mad.
Qin Yu nodded slightly after hearing this, his expression remaining calm. Chi Tongyue's gaze also fell on the third ball of light, and at this moment, her eyes became subtly solemn. "As for the first place..." As her voice fell, the third ball of light slowly split open, and a sword shadow slowly emerged. The moment the sword appeared, the entire space of the main hall seemed to tremble slightly. The sword was three feet nine inches long, and its blade was not simply black or white, but was divided in two by a straight dividing line in the middle.
The left side was pitch black like an eternal night, and the right side was pale white like Annihilation. The black and white colors constantly alternated and flowed, as if countless cycles of beginning and end were constantly breaking and rebuilding on the sword. Just one glance would give one a strange illusion, as if all the cause and effect cycles in the world could be cut off by it with a single sword. Chi Tongyue spoke slowly.
"This sword is called the Severing Cycle and Slaying Beginning Sword. It is an extremely special divine weapon." As she spoke, the illusory image of the sword slowly emerged from its sheath. Countless shattered chains of cause and effect appeared in the entire hall. Countless illusory images of reincarnation broke apart with a bang. Even the remnant image of the River of Time was forcibly torn open.
"This sword is not bound by time or the closed loop of cause and effect. It is specifically designed to counter all supernatural powers and origins of reincarnation, self-consistency, and cycles. Whether it is the reversal of injuries, the reconstruction of the Fate Soul, or the restoration of cause and effect, it can be severed with a single sword strike." As she said this, a hint of admiration appeared in Chi Tongyue's eyes. Clearly, even she highly regarded this divine weapon.
"Furthermore, if the winner is an outsider, in addition to the Severing Cycle and Slaying Beginning Sword, they will directly obtain the status of a steward of the Lineage, without needing to change their surname. No oath is required; they can freely enter and exit the Lineage, enjoying all the privileges of a steward. They can enter the core areas such as the Divine Weapon Pavilion, the Divine Power Hall, and the Scripture Hall three times each, and are under the Lineage's protection. However, they are not bound by the Lineage's rules and are free to come and go as they please."
At this point, Chi Tongyue smiled gently and her gaze fell on Qin Yu. "If a disciple of our clan wins first place, the disciple will be promoted to steward, and the steward will be promoted to elder." The clan leader will personally receive them and they will also receive the Severing Cycle and Slaying Beginning Sword. The entire main hall returned to silence. Qin Yu picked up his teacup and slowly sipped the spiritual tea.
This time, however, his gaze was noticeably more serious than before. The Severing Cycle and Slaying Beginning Sword was indeed powerful, capable of specifically Mieyin loops and the reincarnation system. If it were placed in the outside world, it would definitely be enough to make countless Eternal Silence Realm cultivators fight over it. However, Qin Yu was very clear in his heart that, in terms of sword dao level alone, this sword still could not compare with his own Silent Origin Stainless Sword and the newly transformed sword style Severing Dao · Annihilation Heavenly Sword · Supreme Finality.
What truly moved him was not the sword, but the identity. Thinking of this, Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and the scene of participating in the competition and Chi Ninghua inviting him to join the Chi Lineage involuntarily appeared in his mind. At that time, the biggest obstacle was changing his surname, but now, the first outsider was completely different. He retained the Qin surname and was free to come and go without restraint.
The fact that he could enter the Divine Weapon Pavilion, the Divine Power Hall, and other core areas three times was a valuable reward for ordinary cultivators, even more so than the Divine Weapon itself. For Qin Yu, the three opportunities to enter the Chi Lineage 'Severing Cycle and Slaying Beginning Sword stronghold were even more valuable than the Divine Weapon. Thinking of this, Qin Yu put down his teacup, and a genuine interest finally appeared in his eyes.
Seeing this, Chi Tongyue's lips slowly curled into a smile. She knew that only now had this young man truly shown interest in the competition.