Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Tier Six Martial Venerable

"Memorize their faces, especially the older generation of Soul Refiners. They are all from the Fire Crow Kingdom. If you encounter them in the Floating Light Secret Realm, you must be extremely careful." Kuchen’s expression was grave as he instructed Ye Xuan and the others.

The Fire Crow Kingdom and the Liuyun Kingdom bordered each other, and for hundreds of years, they had been in constant conflict. Countless soldiers from both sides fell on the battlefield every year, and the struggle between their upper echelons was just as severe. Both kingdoms wished for nothing more than to annex the other. If they were to meet in the Floating Light Secret Realm, the outcome would undoubtedly be a fight to the death.

Yun Aoxue and the others all nodded, etching the opponents’ faces into their minds. Ye Xuan was no exception.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Ye Xuan’s keen senses picked up several waves of killing intent coming from different directions. He frowned, turned to look, and was momentarily stunned.

The killing intent originated from the participating teams of other kingdoms. Ye Xuan was very familiar with these people; they were the same ones he had clashed with over the Profound Nether Stone a few days ago.

What shocked and confused Ye Xuan, however, was that these individuals weren’t together. They were clearly in the teams of several different kingdoms, which immediately sparked a flicker of suspicion in his mind.

The hook-nosed young man who had stayed until the end that day was not far from Ye Xuan. His team was also formidable, on par with Ye Xuan’s, or perhaps even slightly stronger. When their eyes met, a cold, murderous glint appeared at the corner of the young man’s mouth, chilling to the bone.

Ye Xuan’s interest was piqued. "Vice Chairman Kuchen, do you recognize this team?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Kuchen glanced in the direction Ye Xuan was looking. "You must mean the team from the Dongsheng Kingdom. Dongsheng is one of the five major kingdoms. Their overall strength is greater than our Liuyun Kingdom’s, not weaker. Their relationship with us is neutral, but they do have some border conflicts with the Shizhen Kingdom."

Ye Xuan mentally took note of this and then asked about the teams of the other individuals. Just as he had expected, the four of them were in four different kingdoms. Apart from the hook-nosed youth’s Dongsheng Kingdom, which was one of the five major kingdoms, the other three belonged to the other eight kingdoms.

’How did these four end up together?’

Ye Xuan immediately sensed that something was wrong. The last time he saw them, the four had been acting together, and they were very close. That kind of bond was usually only seen among disciples from the same clan. Ye Xuan had originally assumed they were all geniuses from the same kingdom, but now he saw that wasn’t the case, which completely subverted his expectations.

This was especially true for the white-robed young man who had led them last time. He had been arrogant and carried an air of superiority, as if he stood above all else. Now, however, he was standing in a kingdom’s team, and although his presence was still extraordinary, that previous disdainful, condescending aura had vanished completely, giving Ye Xuan a sense of unreality.

It was like a phoenix had landed in a chicken coop and deliberately plucked all its feathers, as if trying to hide something.

’These four are clearly very close, so why are they in four different kingdoms? If someone claimed they had only just met and formed a bond of mutual admiration, I wouldn’t believe it for a second.’

’Because that day, their relationship was too intimate, like...’

Suddenly, Ye Xuan’s mind jolted, and his eyes lit up. He finally understood what the four of them were like.

’They’re like fellow disciples from one of the great sects on the continent, sharing a deep trust and closeness. I can’t be mistaken about that feeling.’

’Could these four be from a sect within the Thirteen Nations Alliance?’

’No, that’s not right either. Setting aside which sect in the Thirteen Nations Alliance could even produce such geniuses, their current behavior is still off. When their eyes meet, they’re secretive about it, lacking any sense of openness.’

Moreover, Ye Xuan didn’t believe that any sect in the Thirteen Nations Alliance would go to the trouble of cultivating such geniuses only to place them in four different kingdoms.

As if sensing Ye Xuan’s continuous scrutiny, the white-robed young man’s seemingly plain and mediocre gaze shifted toward him. A sharp glint suddenly shot out from his eyes, and a flash of killing intent flickered past.

The killing intent was extremely subtle, but Ye Xuan’s keen senses caught it.

’This group’s origins are certainly strange, but I can’t be bothered with them. However, if they insist on provoking me, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when I stop being polite.’

Ye Xuan turned his head away, his expression impassive and his heart calm.

Although he sensed something was amiss, he didn’t point it out or dwell on it. No matter what their purpose was, he just wanted to explore the Floating Light Secret Realm, not to seek revenge or anything of the sort. He couldn’t be bothered to start conflicts. However, if others thought he was an easy target and tried to pull something, they shouldn’t expect him to show them any courtesy.

As time passed, more and more Soul Refiners arrived one after another.

From the thirteen major kingdoms and some smaller duchies of the Thirteen Nations Alliance, several thousand people had gathered here.

These people could be said to represent the peak combat strength of the entire Thirteen Nations Alliance, embodying its most powerful forces.

As more and more experts arrived, the many Soul Refiners present grew even more excited.

"Look, that’s the Chairman of the Dongsheng Kingdom’s Zuo Yi Alliance! His presence is as extraordinary as they say."

"The one in the profound robe is Chairman Dongfang Yanyu of the Liuyun Kingdom. He’s also a veteran Fourth-Grade Soul Refiner, with consummate skill in the art of Soul Refining."

"Chairman Wei Guang from the Shizhen Kingdom arrived a while ago."

"Chairman Xuu Xin Hua of the Fire Crow Kingdom... his aura has grown even denser since the last time we saw him."

Nearly every Soul Refiner’s gaze was fixed on the chairmen of the five major kingdoms’ Soul Master Towers. They were the chief representatives of the Thirteen Nations Alliance’s Soul Refiners and the highest embodiment of their skill.

Suddenly, as a group of Soul Refiners with an imposing presence entered, the entire square erupted in a commotion.

"Look, the team from the Celestial Gold Kingdom has arrived."

"The one leading them is Chairman Zhu Tianlan of the Celestial Gold Kingdom! It’s said that he reached the Peak of Fourth Grade ten years ago and is currently striving to break through to become a Fifth-Grade Sect Level Soul Refiner. He’s our Thirteen Nations Alliance’s greatest hope for producing a Fifth-Grade Soul Refining Grandmaster."

"And the one next to him... could that be the Martial Venerable, Qi Xian?"

A commotion erupted.

"That’s him? The only Tier Six Martial Venerable in the entire Thirteen Nations Alliance? So domineering, powerful, and magnificent! Truly a dragon among men. If I had a daughter, I would definitely marry her to him."

"Hmph, you have a daughter? Even if you did, she’d be ugly. If I were a woman, a man like that is the only kind I’d fall in love with."

"BLECH! You have some weird tastes!"

Amidst the crowd’s discussion, Ye Xuan also took notice of the arriving team. Their overall morale and presence were clearly much stronger than those of the other kingdoms. The leader, in particular, had a personal aura that formed an invisible barrier around him, blocking any intrusion of Profound Power. This was the materialization of Profound Power into a field, something only a Tier Six Martial Venerable could achieve.

"So this is the lineup of the number one kingdom in the Thirteen Nations Alliance? Truly terrifying. Only the Celestial Gold Kingdom could possess such an imposing presence."

Yun Aoxue and the others murmured to themselves at the side.

A Tier Six Martial Venerable. In the entire Thirteen Nations Alliance, Qi Xian of the Celestial Gold Kingdom was the only one. In the hearts of the people of the Alliance, Qi Xian was a god, possessing immense fame.

Ye Xuan subconsciously glanced at the white-robed youth, the hook-nosed youth, and the others. He saw that their downcast eyes didn’t hold the same fervent worship as the other Martial Artists. A playful smile touched their lips, as if a Tier Six Martial Venerable was nothing remarkable in their eyes.

That sense of detached superiority didn’t diminish in the slightest, not even in Qi Xian’s presence.

「Half a day later」

All the participating teams from the major kingdoms had arrived. The massive group immediately set off into the Water Mist Mountain Range.

The Water Mist Mountain Range was majestic and imposing, with rolling peaks and endless mountains stretching as far as the eye could see. Lush, green trees, like pillars holding up the heavens, soared into the sky. Shrouded in ethereal clouds and mist, the landscape was like a fairyland on earth, beautiful beyond compare.

But beneath this beautiful scenery lay endless killing intent. Demon Beasts ran rampant and Profound Beasts lurked in the shadows. Every year, countless Martial Artists met their end in these mountains.

After so many iterations of the Floating Light Assembly, the major kingdoms had mapped out a relatively safe route. Under the escort of each nation’s experts, the group traveled without any major incidents and arrived at the location of the Floating Light Secret Realm the next day.

It was a vast, open valley. In its center, an arena platform had long been set up. It was impossible to tell how many years the platform had stood there; it was mottled and ancient, covered in moss, clearly possessing a long and storied history.

Around the platform, Martial Artists from the Celestial Gold Kingdom had already cleaned and tidied the area, creating a large clearing. They had even built some wooden courtyards outside the clearing. After everyone had settled into their accommodations according to their kingdom’s status, Chairman Zhu Tianlan of the Celestial Gold Kingdom, acting on behalf of the Thirteen Nations Alliance, announced the rules for the Soul Refining competition of this Floating Light Assembly.

This Floating Light Assembly, like those before it, was divided into two tiers: the Experts’ Group and the Geniuses’ Group.

The content of the competitions for the two groups was also different. The Experts’ Group competition would not be public; it was an internal contest.

This wasn’t because the various chairmen were being selfish with their knowledge. Rather, as the top Soul Refiners of the Thirteen Nations Alliance, many of their methods and techniques were original creations that could not be easily taught publicly.

In fact, the Experts’ Group competition was more of an exchange between the top Soul Refiners of the Thirteen Nations Alliance. It was a way to roughly determine rankings, so the competition wouldn’t be overly intense.

The real spectacle of the Floating Light Assembly was the Geniuses’ Group.

A nation’s geniuses represent its future. Therefore, the more geniuses a nation possessed, the greater its influence within the Thirteen Nations Alliance.

Furthermore, the number of slots each nation would receive for its Soul Refiners to enter the Floating Light Secret Realm would also be determined by the geniuses’ duels.

Based on years of experimentation, the five major kingdoms had concluded that the maximum number of people the Floating Light Secret Realm could safely accommodate was two hundred.