Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Soul Power Storm

Ye Xuan was also slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected the small Thirteen Nations Alliance to be able to find so many young Soul Refiners.

According to the competition rules, even for the preliminary round, only Tier One Soul Refiners under the age of twenty-five were qualified to participate.

Once everyone had arrived, the preliminary round of the Floating Light Assembly immediately began.

A host stepped onto the stage. "The content of this year’s Floating Light Assembly preliminary round is beast control."

Beast control?

Many of the contestants began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Beast control was a skill every Soul Refiner had to master. It was actually quite simple: use Soul Power to communicate with a Profound Beast and calm its emotions.

This was one of the most basic assessments for Soul Refiners. Every Soul Refiner had to pass such a test to advance. When Ye Xuan was being certified as a Tier One Soul Refiner, he had successfully passed his assessment and received the Tier One Soul Refiner badge only after pacifying a Tier One Profound Beast, a Cyan Dream Wolf.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the pre-prepared Profound Beasts were led out one by one.

"They’re actually Tier One Nightmare Beasts."

"Isn’t this preliminary round a bit too difficult? Nightmare Beasts are among the strongest Tier One Profound Beasts in terms of Soul Power. Calming them is much harder than calming an ordinary Tier One Profound Beast."

"Haha, that just makes it more exciting!"

The entire valley erupted in an uproar. On the stage, the faces of many contestants changed the moment they saw the Nightmare Beasts, a trace of worry flickering in their eyes.

’Looks like this Floating Light Assembly competition is really something. The arrangements are quite reasonable.’

Ye Xuan nodded to himself. Everyone participating in the preliminary round was a Tier One Soul Refiner registered with their respective nation’s Soul Master Tower. If they were asked to calm ordinary Tier One Profound Beasts, it would be no challenge at all. The Nightmare Beasts, however, could effectively differentiate each person’s control over their Soul Power and serve to eliminate contestants.

Sure enough, after the competition began, more than half of the contestants wore troubled expressions as they faced the Nightmare Beasts. No matter how they tried to communicate using their Soul Power, the beasts before them continued to growl, refusing to be pacified.

However, a portion of the Soul Refiners began to continuously try and use their Soul Power to communicate with the Nightmare Beasts before them.

As a pre-selected contestant, Ye Xuan didn’t need to participate in this kind of competition. His attention was subconsciously drawn to the white-robed youth and his two companions. When he looked, Ye Xuan’s pupils abruptly shrank.

He saw the leading white-robed youth approach a Nightmare Beast, a strange glint suddenly flashing in his eyes. The beast opposite him immediately trembled as if it were about to kneel, its pupils contracting. But then, it started to roar continuously, seemingly engaged in a fierce struggle against the white-robed youth’s Soul Power.

The white-robed youth, in turn, continuously released waves of Soul Power, as if to suppress the Nightmare Beast’s own.

If an ordinary Soul Refiner saw this, they would surely assume the white-robed youth was engaged in a fierce confrontation with the Nightmare Beast. But in Ye Xuan’s eyes, he saw many hidden details.

The white-robed youth had actually tamed the Nightmare Beast at first glance. Everything he did afterward, which looked like a fierce clash, was merely a performance to deceive onlookers.

Ignoring the white-robed youth’s act, Ye Xuan shifted his gaze to the other two youths. He noticed something was off with them as well. In just a few short seconds, they too had tamed their respective Nightmare Beasts but hadn’t stopped. Instead, they were putting on a show, pretending to continue the taming process.

They were clearly trying to avoid standing out.

If, at first, Ye Xuan had only been suspicious of the trio’s origins, after seeing today’s scene, he was now certain that the white-robed youth’s group were definitely not local Soul Refiners from the Thirteen Nations Alliance.

Taming a Nightmare Beast in one second sounded incredibly exaggerated, but in reality, it wasn’t that impressive. Any Third Grade Soul Refiner could do it.

What Ye Xuan cared about was the Soul Refining technique they used to tame the Nightmare Beast. The skill was superb, far beyond anything the Thirteen Nations Alliance could achieve. Not only was the technique advanced, but it was also extremely covert. For instance, even President Dongfang Yanyu and the others couldn’t tell that these Nightmare Beasts had long since been tamed.

’Who are these three, really? Are they here at the Floating Light Assembly with some kind of conspiracy in mind?’

Ye Xuan pondered silently.

As the competition continued, Soul Refiners began to complete the taming of their Nightmare Beasts one after another. The white-robed youth and his two companions also finished at an unhurried pace, blending in with the crowd. They were neither behind nor ahead, maintaining a very low profile.

Half an hour later, the preliminary round concluded. Of the nearly one thousand contestants, only forty percent—just over four hundred people—had passed.

"Everyone, next, we will begin the true showdown of this Floating Light Assembly!" the host announced from the stage, his face flushed with excitement.

"This year’s competition will be divided into three rounds, with a certain number of people eliminated in each. The first test will be the Soul Power Storm."

Soul Power Storm?

Confused expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

Under the crowd’s gaze, the host suddenly pressed something. With a series of WHOOSHES, countless brilliant white rainbows erupted around the massive stage. They shot straight into the clouds, and a surging wave of Soul Power swept across the stage like a vast ocean. The formless Soul Power created a suffocating pressure that filled the air.

"What terrifying Soul Power pressure! Could this test be about each contestant’s Soul Power strength?"

Some veteran Soul Refiners saw the truth of it at a glance.

"I’m sure many of you have already guessed. That’s right, the Soul Power Storm test is a measure of each Soul Refiner’s Soul Power strength." The host announced loudly from the stage. "Soul Power is the foundation for every Soul Refiner. No matter how powerful or talented a Soul Refiner is, the strength of their Soul Power is the most direct indicator of their ability. Therefore, the first round of the Floating Light Assembly will be a contest of Soul Power strength."

"As you can all see, there is an ancient grand array on the stage before you. The eye of the array is at the center of the stage. Once activated, this array will release an endless barrage of Soul Power. The closer you are to the eye, the stronger the Soul Power impact will be."

"The impact’s intensity is divided into six levels. The lowest level is equivalent to the Soul Power impact of a Tier One Soul Refiner, while the highest is equivalent to the impact of a Sixth Grade Soul Refiner."

"In other words, the Soul Power strength at the eye of the array is equivalent to that of a Sixth Grade Soul Venerable."

An uproar swept through the crowd.

The moment he said this, the entire venue erupted in a clamorous uproar.

The Soul Power strength of a Sixth Grade Soul Venerable! It was simply unbelievable. The strongest Soul Refiner in the entire Thirteen Nations Alliance, Master Zhu Tianlan of the Celestial Gold Kingdom, was only at the Peak of Fourth Grade, just one step away from the Fifth Grade. To think that this Soul Power Storm could test up to the level of a Sixth Grade Soul Venerable was astonishing.

The host smiled slightly, clearly satisfied with the crowd’s shocked reaction. "This trial tests each contestant’s ability to withstand the Soul Power Storm. The rules are twofold: the higher the level you can endure, the higher your score. At the same level, the longer you can last, the higher your score will be."

"This assembly uses a point-based system. The final rankings will be determined by the combined scores from all three rounds. In this Soul Power Storm, the person who endures the longest at the highest level will earn two hundred points. The scores will decrease from there based on performance. Anyone ranked below three hundredth place will receive no points and be eliminated."

"Alright, contestants, please prepare. The first round of the competition begins now!"

As the host’s voice fell, he leaped off the stage. At the same time, an invisible wave of Soul Power suddenly emanated from the center of the stage, crashing violently into the four hundred-plus remaining contestants like an ethereal tide.

Some of the contestants with weaker Soul Power cultivation instantly turned pale. Their bodies swayed, and they were nearly eliminated on the spot by the sudden impact.

Fortunately, those who had made it to this round were the elites among the Tier One Soul Refiners. Many of them quickly sat down cross-legged near the edge of the stage, holding their breath and concentrating, using various techniques to weaken the Soul Power hitting them in an effort to last longer.

"It’s finally our turn, hahaha."

"Tsk tsk, how weak. If you can’t even handle this little bit of Soul Power, why did you even bother coming to the Floating Light Assembly?"

"I heard the grand array for this Soul Power Storm is an Array Disc that came from the Floating Light Secret Realm a century ago. It contains the secrets of ancient Soul Refiners. The longer you endure, the more benefits you receive. I, for one, want to see just what secrets this Soul Power Storm holds."

While many contestants were treating this as a life-or-death battle, a chorus of jeers and taunts came from the direction of the pre-selected contestants from the five great kingdoms.

The various pre-selected contestants from the five great kingdoms—some disdainful, some arrogant, some sneering—all stepped forward one by one and began walking slowly toward the eye of the array.

At the very front was Xia Qixi from the Celestial Gold Kingdom. Her expression was calm, and she didn’t flinch in the face of the Tier One Soul Power impact. It was as if what washed over her wasn’t a terrifying stream of Soul Power, but a gentle breeze.

"As expected of a genius from the Celestial Gold Kingdom, the number one power. Xia Qixi’s strength is truly fearsome."

"Such poise, such style. She’s a true heroine."

Amidst the crowd’s discussions, Xia Qixi walked straight to a point halfway to the eye of the array and sat down cross-legged.

Beside Xia Qixi, a few other contestants also sat down cross-legged, not daring to take a single step further, positioning themselves on the same level as her.

In the stands, Zhu Tianlan stroked his beard and chuckled. "This bunch of kids is pretty sharp. They know this is the spot with the greatest returns."