The whispers snaked through the entire Imperial City, discussing the arrival of the directly invited Black-Haired Devil and his open competition with the four Star Young Kings. Atop the mountain peaks, specifically in the grand Plaza of the Hongmeng Empire, every figure that arrived was a rare sight for the eyes of the plains cultivators. The grand Plaza of the Hongmeng Empire was not merely an arena; it was a manifestation of the majestic and eternal Dao. The arena itself was crafted from Ten Thousand Year Heaven Jade which emitted a soothing spiritual light. The jade was cold to the touch, yet its surface reflected a faint golden shimmer, as if absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for thousands of cycles.

  The plaza was a perfect circle, its diameter stretching for dozens of zhang, vast enough to accommodate a duel between Soul Transformation realm cultivators without damaging the surrounding infrastructure. Surrounding the battle arena were rows of finely carved jade tribunes, decorated with engravings of dragons, phoenixes, and Qilins that looked alive, promising the blessings of the Great Emperor who founded the Empire. At the outer boundary of the Plaza lay the Nine Dragon Jade Pool. Nine ancient dragon statues made of White Snow Jade appeared to twist and turn, emitting pure and cold Spiritual Water into the pool. Beyond those pools, the view stretched to the horizon.

  The mountain peaks below were shrouded in thin white mist, as if the attendees were witnessing a battle from the peak of the Heavens. In the center of the Plaza, a three-zhang tall Eternal Spirit Fire Chalice burned; its fire was no ordinary mortal flame, but the essence of Pure Yang that burned with tranquility, symbolizing the Eternal Order of the Hongmeng Empire. On the southern side of the Plaza, towering above all structures, was the Pavilion of Infinite Majesty. The pavilion was a magnificent building made of Eternal Golden Sandalwood, its roof decorated with shimmering gold-plated tiles. From that pavilion, the Mortal Emperor and the Elders of unfathomable depth would witness the competition.

  On one side of the Plaza, two figures appeared that immediately drew the attention of thousands of eyes. Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star, entered in shimmering silver war robes. His eyes radiated a cold starlight, reflecting his Dao which focused on the harmonious Five Element Laws and the Law of Starlight. His Five Element foundation had reached Perfection with a focus on Lightning and Fire. He was a figure known for being brutal, inheriting the bloodlust of the Shi Clan in battle. Beside him, the silver spear he carried seemed to vibrate, as if longing for blood.

  On the other side appeared Liu Feng, the Young King of the Eastern Star. He wore sky-blue silk robes decorated with clouds. Liu Feng's Dao focused on the Law of Wind and the Law of Water, radiating a calm aura yet full of storm potential ready to explode. His eyes, as blue as the sea, radiated calm wisdom. He was a Five Element Perfection who used flexibility as his weapon. Soon, two other figures arrived. The Young King of the Central Star, Ye Ming, came with the most mysterious aura. He wore pitch-black robes decorated with golden runes, his face always covered in shadow. His Dao focused on the Law of Ice and the Law of Earth—a rare combination that made him invisible in a crowd, yet the weight of the Earth Law he radiated felt heavy against the atmosphere.

  His power was believed to have reached a Five Element Perfection focusing on Rare Laws. Finally, there was the Young King of the Southern Star, Ling Huo. She was a beautiful woman in fiery red robes, her hair decorated with fire jewels. Her Dao focused on the Law of Pure Fire and the Law of Earth, making her the most aggressive figure. Every step she took felt like a dancing flame, and her spiritual aura felt scorchingly hot. She was a dominant Five Element Perfection. These four Star Young Kings were the embodiment of peak power in the Five Element realm, each carrying a unique Dao and an unshakable foundation, touted to be the deciders or challenges for hundreds of other Five Element perfection geniuses who would challenge themselves to earn a position among the five envoys of the Three Plains Competition.

  Thousands of cultivators who had filled the jade tribunes immediately held their breath as the four Star Young Kings took their positions on special platforms beside the Arena. They were the symbols of the Empire's pride, proven Daos, and the future of the Xing Luo Plains. In the honorary tribune, located near the Nine Dragon Jade Pool, sat the Elders of great sects, representatives of Ancient Clans, and Imperial officials. Among them, Holy Son Hua Tianming and Holy Daughter Hua Lian Xi sat on specially placed golden silk tatami. Their majestic Soul Transformation auras created a zone of silence around them, yet their sharp eyes continued to observe every detail in the Plaza.

  "The four Star Young Kings have arrived. Their foundations, after three years of isolation at the Star Peak, have now fully matured," whispered a green-robed Elder from the Jade Forest Sect.

  "Yes, Daoist Liu Feng, his Wind and Water Laws have reached a formless point, yet are capable of drowning thousands of mountains. Meanwhile, Young King Shi Xing, his Lightning and Fire are absolute destruction," replied another Elder, his voice containing admiration.

  Hua Tianming, holding a white porcelain cup containing spiritual tea, smiled thinly. "They are good seeds, but Order requires challenges," he said, his voice calm. He sipped his tea, his sharp eyes staring blankly at the center of the Plaza. Holy Daughter Hua Lian Xi, beside him, did not touch her tea. She only gazed at the Plaza with her deep black eyes. "The weight of Young King Ye Ming, the Earth and Ice Laws he tempered, is the most impressive. He understands what it means to bear weight and stagnation. A foundation difficult for a young cultivator to forge."

  From high in the air, the Heavens seemed to stop breathing for a moment as a void crack opened, giving rise to dark starlight. Everyone looked up as a carriage pulled by four loudly roaring white tigers appeared, signifying the arrival of the Ancient Zhu Clan. Surrounding it, Clan Elders with cultivations from Weaver Transformation to Divine Transformation accompanied the magnificence of the Ancient Zhu Clan. The four white tigers glided down and hovered exactly at the Ancient Zhu Clan's Honorary Tribune; everyone held their breath as the carriage curtains opened. Holy Son Zhu Yanghai appeared in golden robes with red silk, his face calm and elegant as usual, radiating a solid and oppressive Soul Transformation aura. Beside him, Holy Daughter Zhu Qinglan stood in sky-blue robes, her pearl veil hiding her pale reddish lips and prominent nose. Her light gray eyes stared coldly at everyone.

  The arrival of the Ancient Zhu Clan immediately caused ripples among the attendees. The Zhu Clan, known as the descendants of Great Emperor Zhu who were both cold and burning in equal measure, radiated an aura far more dynamic compared to the cold order of the Hua Clan. All eyes, including the sharp eyes of Hua Tianming, were fixed on Zhu Yanghai and Zhu Qinglan. Zhu Yanghai only nodded vaguely toward Hua Tianming, a brief greeting that ignored all other cultivators in the Plaza. He took his seat on the golden tatami, channeling essence into his Imperial Robes. Beside him, Zhu Qinglan stood tall, radiating a gentle Soul Transformation at the early stage, but her light gray eyes swept the Plaza, searching for something invisible.

  "Zhu Qinglan. She has truly stepped into Soul Transformation, with the Seven Lotus Yin Fruit obtained by that Black-Haired Devil," whispered Hua Lian Xi, her eyes as black as night locking onto the Holy Daughter of the Zhu Clan.

  Hua Tianming smiled silently. "The Zhu Clan invested heavily in their Holy Daughter. However, what is more interesting is why they brought this Holy Daughter, who should still be in closed-door cultivation, to the Plaza. Do they want to show that their Holy Daughter is unshakable because of a karmic bond?"

  Zhu Qinglan ignored the gaze of millions of pairs of eyes, including the sharp look from Hua Lian Xi. For Zhu Qinglan, those gazes were merely dust. her soul, which had just fully reached the Soul Transformation realm, was focused on the spiritual ripples outside the Plaza. She was searching. She searched for a chaotic resonance, a blend of destruction and non-ordered tranquility, which she could only recognize from one source.

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  "Qinglan, you are too focused on the southern sky," Zhu Yanghai corrected in a calm tone but with a meaningful smile, his silvery eyes unblinking. "Zhi Xuan's Dao Perfection has attracted everyone's attention, but he will arrive at the appointed time. Do not worry too much; my brother-in-law will surely be fine."

  Zhu Qinglan shifted her gaze from the southern horizon, turning slightly toward her brother, Zhu Yanghai. Although she showed no emotion on her face covered by the pearl veil, within her Sea of Consciousness, a ripple of dissatisfaction vibrated subtly. She disliked the way her brother mentioned Zhi Xuan's name, as if the youth were a long-known relative. For Zhu Qinglan, that bond was a complicated karmic contract, not a familial relationship.

  "Brother underestimates the gazes of other clans too much," replied Zhu Qinglan, her voice calm and cold, like the essence of the Pure Water Law. "Thanks to him bringing back the Seven Lotus Yin Fruit, I stepped into Soul Transformation. The Hua Clan, and other factions, will consider it a weakness if I appear anxious about the arrival of that Messenger of Fate."

  Zhu Yanghai only chuckled, a laugh that echoed only in Zhu Qinglan's ears. "Your cold decisiveness, as usual. But Zhi Xuan, he is a powerful cultivator. He is the chaos born from order. Everyone will look at him, and that is our purpose for bringing you here."

  Zhu Yanghai merely took a short breath. He knew his sister had a unique obsession with the extreme Dao. Not just because of the Seven Lotus Yin Fruit that accelerated her Soul Transformation, but because of the promise of fate that bound them. In the Shi Clan's honorary tribune, located across from the Ancient Hua Clan, an Elder in pitch-black robes sat with a cold face full of hatred. He was Elder Shi Xuan, a Weaver Transformation realm cultivator; his burning red eyes stared sharply toward Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star, and then toward Holy Daughter Zhu Qinglan.

  "Zhu Qinglan dares to appear after linking herself with that Devil," hissed Elder Shi Xuan to the Elder beside him, his voice hoarse and containing a suffocating spiritual power. "And even Shi Xing, our Young King, must share the stage with that trash."

  The Elder beside him, an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, only nodded in agreement. "The Hongmeng Empire is too soft. If not for the Ancient Zhu Clan acting as protection, that Devil would have long ago become ash. We must ensure he never sets foot in this arena, let alone in the Central Continent."

  "This competition belongs to Shi Xing. No stray dog is allowed to steal it," said Elder Shi Xuan coldly. "If he appears, make sure he feels his Dao before he can set foot in the Plaza. Our Star Young King must prove his weight."

  Amidst the low hubbub of whispers praising Holy Daughter Zhu Qinglan's decisiveness and condemning the Black-Haired Devil, the grand Plaza of the Hongmeng Empire was now filled with suffocating energy. Thousands of young cultivators from various sects in the Xing Luo Plains felt their foundations vibrate, not from fear, but from the vibration of the majestic Dao coming from the Pavilion of Majesty and the honorary tribunes of the Ancient Clans. Among the hundreds of Five Element geniuses who came to challenge the four Star Young Kings, a youth known as Daoist Yu Long from the Sky Sword Sect looked toward the place where the Young King of the Central Star, Ye Ming, sat. Yu Long himself had reached Five Element Perfection with a sharp Sword Law, but he felt a vast difference between his Dao and Ye Ming's Dao.

  "That weight... Young King Ye Ming has truly merged with the Earth," murmured Daoist Yu Long to his companion, a female cultivator proficient in the Wood Law. "The Earth and Ice Laws he tempered give him an unshakable foundation. Even without moving, he suppresses space as if he were a heavenly mountain."

  His companion, Fairy Hua Yan, nodded. "That is the legacy of the Ten Thousand Stars Sect. But, I heard Ye Ming is the most mysterious. They say he does not only seek stability, but also imitates the stillness of the Heavens."

  Suddenly, the eyes of Yu Long and Hua Yan shifted to Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star. Shi Xing, known for his brutal nature, now looked calmer than usual, yet that calmness felt like a hidden flame.

  "Shi Xing. The Shi Clan will certainly cause trouble," whispered Hua Yan. "The grudge between the Shi Clan and that Black-Haired Devil is widespread; not only was the Black Dragon Tomb a branch loot of the Shi Clan, but the Black-Haired Devil brings along a Dragon youth. If Young King Shi Xing duels him, it will be a life-and-death struggle in this arena."

  In the lower tribunes, a rough-looking brown-robed cultivator, Daoist Tie Shan, laughed dismissively. Tie Shan was a Five Element Perfection cultivator who used physical strength and the Earth Law to fight.

  "Nonsense about the Black-Haired Devil," exclaimed Tie Shan. "Whoever reaches Five Element Perfection, that is only a foundation. What matters is the technique and the actual depth of cultivation. He might have a strange Dao, but before Shi Xing's Lightning and Fire, or Ye Ming's Earth, he is merely a weed that is easily burned!"

  Another cultivator, known as Medicine King Wei from the Alchemist Sect, held a pill bottle in his hand. His eyes, red from lack of sleep, were full of desire.

  "You all focus too much on the fight. I am more interested in his protective artifacts," whispered Medicine King Wei greedily. "The artifacts he carries must be priceless treasures. Imagine if we could obtain that heralded Three Ages Divine Cauldron!"

  The four Star Young Kings, although appearing calm on their respective platforms, felt the waves of emotion swirling in the Plaza. They knew that the arrival of the Black-Haired Devil—Zhi Xuan—was a deciding factor. Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star, closed his eyes. His Lightning and Fire Dao felt heated, responding to the hatred boiling around him. He did not care about the whispers; he only cared about the honor of the Shi Clan that had been trampled upon. He had to show that his Five Element Perfection was supreme, and that no anomaly should stain the majesty of the Empire.

  Meanwhile, the Young King of the Central Star, Ye Ming, remained shrouded in shadow. He was the only one among the Star Young Kings who had a strong focus on the Earth Law. He felt the weight he had absorbed during his isolation cultivation, and that weight now resonated faintly with the Earth aura he felt far outside the Plaza.

  "Weight," murmured Ye Ming, his voice barely audible yet filled with power. "A very heavy Dao weight, almost equal to the weight I bear."

  He knew that a cultivator carrying an aura of destruction and balance as described was a worthy opponent for his Dao. He had to test whether the absolute stillness of his Earth Law was capable of withstanding the Storm supported by the Earth. Amidst the hubbub of tension and swirling whispers, a suffocating silence suddenly enveloped the Plaza. It was not a spiritual silence coming from the cultivators, but a silence dictated by the majesty of authority.

  From the Pavilion of Infinite Majesty, a man stepped forward. He wore imperial robes of pure gold, decorated with nine twisting dragons—the symbol of supreme power in the Central Continent. Although he was a Mortal Emperor, his cultivation aura far surpassed the Soul Transformation realm; every movement of his hand seemed capable of moving mountains and splitting oceans. He was the Hongmeng Emperor, leader of the Empire that had stood for tens of thousands of years. He stood on the pavilion balcony, his hands behind his back. Although he did not release aggressive spiritual pressure, his presence compressed the air of the Plaza, as if time itself slowed down under his gaze.

  "The selection for the Three Plains Competition this year officially begins," said the Hongmeng Emperor. His voice was not loud, but his words resonated to every corner of the Plaza, piercing through the Formation Laws and directly striking the Sea of Consciousness of every attendee. "Order requires a solid foundation. And that foundation must be forged amidst destruction and limitless ambition. You who have come are the seeds we need to support the Empire."

  Thousands of young cultivators, including the four Star Young Kings, bowed deeply.

  "We welcome every Five Element genius who has reached Perfection. You will fight here, not only for the Empire, but for your own Dao," continued the Hongmeng Emperor, his gaze sweeping the honorary tribunes of the Ancient Zhu Clan and Ancient Hua Clan, stopping for a moment on the figure of Shi Xing. "We have prepared five envoy pillars, and we have invited several geniuses who, although their paths are full of controversy, possess an inevitable Dao."

  Exactly beneath the Pavilion of Majesty stood a youth who radiated a cold aura of arrogance. He wore deep red imperial robes decorated with a Qilin. He was the Eighth Prince of the Empire, the one who had issued a direct challenge to the Black-Haired Devil. His handsome face was now tense, his eyes radiating dissatisfaction and burning ambition. In his hand, he held an ancient artifact—a small bell made of moss-green bronze that emitted a soothing spiritual light, but within it was contained unimaginable power of destruction. That was the Seven Eternal Gods Bell, an ancient Imperial artifact heralded to have power equal to the Heavenly Sword possessed by the Black-Haired Devil.