Chapter 318 - Jiang Bilan, the Saintess
“Guys, follow my lead. Let’s head to where the trial will take place.”
Fang Jian said as he immediately led the crowd and proceeded past the Fabled Immortal Lotus Pool.
Along the journey, to their surprise, many of Duanmu Peak’s disciples greeted the crew with smiles on their faces.
“Welcome Junior Brothers, feel free to ask me any questions after joining Duanmu Peak.”
“HAHA, I can give you a tip or two regarding Martial Arts!”
“Ladies first!”
“……”
Even Martial Dominator Realm experts among the disciples greeted them with a friendly tone, causing the geniuses to be excited.
In their countries and their sects, most of the Martial Dominator Realm experts possessed great power and authority, and who did not bother to talk to them unless it was something important.
Fang Jian explained after seeing the confused looks on the crowd’s face, “Guys, allow me to explain to you all; the Qinglong Sacred Area is completely different to your sects or your clans. Although the competition between disciples is quite intense here, you will find less conspiracy. Not only that, there’s no ranking here in the Qinglong Sacred Area, and you won’t get bullied by a tenth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit even if your Martial Spirit is only ninth-grade Huang ranked. After all, this is the Qinglong Sacred Area. There are countless geniuses who are stronger than you, so most of the cultivators are quite humble here.”
The words astonished many disciples among the crowd.
In the Canglan Continent, the rank of one’s Martial Spirit was treated as the ultimate rule. If one’s Martial Spirit was not strong enough, despite being diligent and with the help of countless fortunate encounters, the person would not be able to reach a higher realm. As such, many of the geniuses with stronger Martial Spirits would be ruthless and take advantage of the weak.
Qin Nan nodded his head in agreement. He had no doubt been treated disdainfully most of the time because of the rank of his Martial Spirit.
“Well, this is the place where the selection will take place.”
Fang Jian halted his footsteps.
Before him was a spacious dojo, which was different compared to the Fabled Immortal Lotus Dojo. Over hundreds of rings were set up here, each ring built with some kind of ancient rock, resulting in a solid platform. Those below the Martial Dominator Realm would find a hard time damaging the ring.
“This is the dueling ground of Duanmu Peak, which will be the first round of the upcoming trial.” Fang Jian spoke, “When the rest of the participants arrive, you will be grouped into the Xiantian Realm, Martial Emperor Realm, and Martial Ancestor Realm before facing your opponents. We’ll try our best to assign you an opponent with a similar cultivation level, to ensure the fairness of the trial.”
“That being said, there is no such thing as being disqualified in the trial. Even if you are not chosen by anyone, the Qinglong Sacred Area will still allow you to be a disciple of the Sacred Area, but that would mean a lower status for you. Therefore, when the trial begins, try your best to defeat your opponents, since the envoys of the two Sacred Areas will be spectating the duels, and they might choose you during the selection phase!”
The eyes of the geniuses flickered with excitement, and they could not wait to participate in the duels.
The format of the trial was indeed fascinating, allowing the geniuses to display their talent and attract the attention of the envoys, which would result in a fairer competition and a better opportunity for the participants, preventing one from manipulating the results under the table.
“Tsk tsk, I’m afraid that at least more than ten Peak Leaders would be fighting for me, right?” The Longhu Ancestor Beast said with a proud expression.
“Hehe.” Princess Miao Miao let out a smirk and said, “Longhu, since we are both Martial Ancestors, I’m looking forward to facing you in the duel.”
The Longhu Ancestor Beast’s face instantly turned pale and he begged for forgiveness. He no longer dared to boast about his strength.
Qin Nan could not help but chuckle while seeing this, who exclaimed in his heart, As expected of the two Sacred Areas, they would not care if you are a beast or any other race, anyone is allowed to participate in the selection. Besides, the atmosphere and the facilities here in the Sacred Area are utterly impressive, causing one to be fond of the place.
In comparison with the Mystic Spirit Sect, leaving aside the strength of the disciples, the Sacred Area’s forbearance alone was already so much better.
“Here it is!”
Fang Jian suddenly let out a groan.
Shoosh!
A piercing sound could be heard as a middle-aged envoy of the Qinglong Sacred Area, who was followed by a young man, glanced at Fang Jian and smilingly said, “Brother Fang, this is the genius I’ve appointed; his name is Huang Zhiheng, please go easy on him.”
“Sure thing!” Fang Jian replied with a smile.
Appointed by the envoy!
The crowd’s attention was immediately focused on the young man’s figure, with a hint of admiration in their eyes. They finally realized the significance of being appointed by an envoy; not only would he be able to skip the trial and advance straight away, there was nothing for him to worry about either in the ultimate selection, as the envoy would surely recruit him into the Sacred Area.
That being said, those who were appointed by an envoy would possess extraordinary strengths, for example Qin Nan who was appointed by Fang Jian.
“Fourth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, eighth-layer Martial Emperor Realm cultivation…” Qin Nan glimpsed at Huang Zhiheng and nodded his head. His talent and strength was on par with Leng Jianxiong.
Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!
Following this, countless piercing sounds were heard as the envoys of the two Sacred Areas and the appointed geniuses arrived at the scene.
These geniuses all possessed incredible strength and powerful Martial Spirits!
As time went by, the geniuses from Jianghuang City felt relieved. At least hundreds of envoys and geniuses had arrived. However, not every appointed genius was an unmatched talent for them. Some were relatively weak compared to the others, including one who possessed a cultivation of the eighth-layer Xiantian Realm and a tenth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit.
At that instant, the atmosphere of the place intensified, as a blurry figure soared across the sky and descended.
An uproar took place among the crowd, as the geniuses were startled.
“Peak Leader!”
Fang Jian was astonished as he immediately raised his head.
The blurry figure turned out to be a middle-aged man with a vague face. Beside him stood a white-shirted lady.
Qin Nan was shocked upon seeing the white-shirted lady.
“Fang Jian, this is the participant I appointed, who is also the Saintess of the Trading Alliance, Jiang Bilan.” The middle-aged man spoke with a hoarse voice without purposely unleashing his cultivation, but the words felt like claps of thunder to the crowd.
Appointed by a Peak Leader?
The Saintess of the Trading Alliance?
“I am Jiang Bilan; it’s my first time taking part in the trial. Pleased to meet you all.” Jiang Bilan reached out her finger and slowly unveiled the mask on her face, revealing an attractive face and a prominent nose. Together with her watery eyes, her slightly curled lips, and her outstanding physique resulting in an incredible charm, the crowd could not help but feel affection for her.
The geniuses were astounded.
“Humph!”
Princess Miao Miao rolled her eyes in a disdainful manner. She could never understand why they would end up seeing this b*tch no matter where they went.
Qin Nan wore a calm expression, but his eyes turned incredibly sharp.
Jiang Bilan!
So her name is Jiang Bilan!
And why would she take part in the trial despite her identity as the Saintess of the Trading Alliance?
“My friend Qin Nan.” Jiang Bilan’s eyes locked onto Qin Nan’s figure in the midst of the crowd, as she said in a gentle voice, “I’m quite unfamiliar with the environment here. Is it possible for you to answer my doubts?”
The geniuses instinctively glanced at Qin Nan.
Many of the geniuses who were appointed by the envoys were confused; Who was this guy and how did he earn the Saintess’ fondness?
Meanwhile, the geniuses from Jianghuang City wore mocking expressions, as they were familiar with the conflict that existed between Qin Nan and the Trading Alliance. Now that the Saintess is here, how would Qin Nan deal with the situation?
“Piss off!”