Rumbling sounds echoed as the grand gates of the Hall of Life and Death slowly opened. Since there was a full hour of rest time, the hall gates were naturally opened during this period, allowing people to go out and take a walk before returning to the Hall of Life and Death when the time was near.
The countless mortals present were filled with excitement and passion.
However, in the eastern spectator area, clusters of Immortal Beings, whether in groups of three or five, or gatherings of eight or ten, were chatting casually. Compared to the mortals, they were far more composed, treating the event merely as a spectacle and an opportunity to reunite with old friends they hadn’t seen in years.
Winning three matches?
That was nothing significant. It was far too ordinary. For mages, perhaps winning three matches was worthy of praise since mages were at a disadvantage in direct one-on-one combat without the use of magical artifacts! However, Immortal knights were naturally adept at battle. Any knight who had reached the Realm of All Things and possessed rich combat experience would be a laughingstock if they failed to pass the first three matches! Passing them was merely meeting expectations.
Winning four or five matches was considered quite impressive.
Winning six matches was truly remarkable!
Like Vice Overseer Chao Qing and Chi Qiu Bai… they were also extraordinary warriors who had won six matches each! Without awakening any ancient bloodline powers or special talents, relying solely on their cultivation level and combat experience, winning six matches was truly admirable!
As for those who won seven, eight, or nine matches… nearly all of them possessed ancient bloodline powers or unique talents!
Take for example ‘Shan Qingyan,’ from the past ten thousand years. Her ancient bloodline granted her a special bloodline ability—by burning her blood, she could instantly boost her speed and strength, and even her body approached an almost immortal state! Initially, she won six matches purely based on her cultivation level and combat experience. Later, when she activated her talent, her overall power surged dramatically, and her body became nearly indestructible. She then proceeded to win seven, eight, and nine matches consecutively!
Another example is the legendary ‘Inferno Knight’ Jie Li, who holds the record for the most matches won in the entire Xia Clan’s history. His ancient bloodline talent was even more extraordinary. As a mortal, he could already manipulate flames of extremely high temperature! After becoming an Immortal, combining the mysteries of the All Things Realm and martial energy, the flames he controlled transformed into a terrifying fire known among Immortals as ‘Inferno Flame,’ earning him the title ‘Inferno Knight.’
Inferno Flame alone was capable of incinerating even peak-level flying experts!
Even if one’s body was strong enough to endure the flames for a short time, the pain of being burned was unbearable. Moreover, the oppressive force of Inferno Flame was immense, preventing opponents from exerting even half their strength. Jie Li himself was also incredibly powerful. With his talent, he ultimately achieved the incredible feat of winning eleven consecutive matches—an achievement unmatched in the entire history of the Xia Clan to this day.
Therefore—
Those who achieved high scores in the ‘Immortal Life-and-Death Battle’ were not only high in cultivation level and combat experience, but also often possessed ancient bloodline talents. Dongbo Xueying’s talent was merely a doubling of strength, which was quite unremarkable among various talents.
…
Thus, now that Dongbo Xueying had only won three matches, the Immortals remained calm and composed, chatting casually with each other as usual.
…
Inside a side garden of the Hall of Life and Death.
Dongbo Xueying held a flat flask, which contained Oceanic Realm Stone Spirit Liquid. Sitting in the garden, he gazed at the flowers and plants. Since it was already winter, only a few small white flowers and some hardy grasses remained in the garden.
“Gulu.” He casually took a sip of the Oceanic Realm Stone Spirit Liquid. This spirit liquid nourished the body, martial energy, and soul, leaving him feeling refreshed and comfortable after drinking.
“The first three matches of the first round weren’t particularly difficult. It was just that the talent of that native Immortal was somewhat unique,” Dongbo Xueying remarked. “His speed was actually twice as fast as mine!”
If countless Immortals had to choose between increasing their strength or speed by double,
Probably nearly ninety-nine percent of them would choose to double their speed.
“My ancient bloodline talent is indeed quite ordinary,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled with self-deprecating humor. Whether it was the former Master of Longshan Pavilion, Yi Hong, or Chi Qiu Bai, upon learning that Dongbo Xueying’s ancient bloodline talent was merely a strength boost, they had all dismissed it as unremarkable.
“But in my weaker days, the ancient bloodline did provide me with great assistance. Without it, I probably would have died at Xiang Pangyun’s hands long ago,” Dongbo Xueying said without the slightest concern about his seemingly mundane ancient bloodline. After all, for Immortal warriors, as they grew stronger, everything else became secondary—cultivation level was the most important and fundamental factor.
Sipping the Oceanic Realm Stone Spirit Liquid, Dongbo Xueying felt increasingly clear-headed.
He recalled the previous three matches, reflecting on his performance during each battle and drawing lessons from his experiences.
“The second round ahead will truly be difficult.”
“According to the rules set by the Spark Palace, the opponent in the fourth match will be a martial energy clone! The fifth match will still be a lower-tier native Immortal, and the sixth match will be a mid-tier native Immortal,” Dongbo Xueying mused silently.
Martial energy clone.
This was something achievable upon reaching the Saint-level. A Saint-level expert’s ‘Immortal martial energy’ could condense into a humanoid form, capable of transforming freely. Moreover, a Saint-level expert’s soul would become even stronger, sufficient to project a portion of the soul into the ‘martial energy clone.’ As a result, the clone could act independently, displaying formidable power. Usually, during adventures, Saint-level experts liked to send their ‘martial energy clones’ ahead to explore unknown territories.
Even if the clone encountered great danger and was destroyed, resulting in the partial soul’s demise, the Saint-level expert would only suffer a significant loss of vitality. With proper rest and recovery, they could heal. However, recklessly charging in person… could easily cost them their life!
The strength of a martial energy clone depended on the amount of ‘Immortal martial energy’ it contained and the portion of the soul attached to it.
…
Lower-tier native Immortal, mid-tier native Immortal, upper-tier native Immortal—these were the classifications humans used for the native beings of the Immortal world.
These native Immortals were akin to weakened ancient beings, each possessing their own strange talents.
Based on the uniqueness and threat level of their talents, humans categorized them into lower, mid, and upper tiers.
In fact, this classification was learned from the demons of the Abyss! Abyssal demons were also divided into lower, mid, and upper tiers… in terms of threat, Abyssal demons were far more dangerous than native Immortals, being terrifying beings from the Dark Abyss.
Of course—
The native Immortal Dongbo Xueying faced in the third match, whose speed was twice that of an opponent at the same level, was only classified as a ‘lower-tier native Immortal.’
Mid-tier native Immortals were extremely terrifying.
Upper-tier native Immortals were very rare indeed. The Xia Clan rarely captured one, and when they did, these beings were usually kept and studied by semi-god level Immortal mages. They would never be brought into the Immortal Life-and-Death Battle for reckless combat. After all, studying ‘bloodline and physical bodies’ was quite common among Immortal mages! Even in Qinghe County, the mortal ‘Si Lianghong’ was dedicated to researching bloodlines and physical bodies.
…
An hour quickly passed.
The Hall of Life and Death thunderously closed once again. The countless mortals had long returned to the Hall, each filled with excitement and anticipation, for the later matches would be even more spectacular, with opponents growing increasingly unique!
Inside the battlefield.
Dongbo Xueying stood alone, silently awaiting his opponent.
“Boom!” A drumbeat echoed like thunder throughout the entire Hall of Life and Death, silencing everyone.
Whoosh!
A streak of light descended, landing atop a cluster of rocks. It was a handsome and unrestrained white-robed man carrying a divine sword on his back. His entire body faintly shimmered with radiant energy, clearly not a flesh-and-blood body but a form composed entirely of martial energy!
Dongbo Xueying looked at the white-robed man in surprise: “Elder Gongliang!”
Although the white-robed man was a martial energy body, Dongbo Xueying immediately recognized him as Elder Gongliang Yuan, the one who had guided him into the Spark World!
“Hehe,” the white-robed, handsome man touched his nose and smiled helplessly. “I’m afraid there’s no helping it. I am your opponent for the fourth match.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage