In the Peach Blossom Domain, there stood a verdant mountain, its peak reaching ten thousand meters into the sky, casting a vast shadow. It stretched boundlessly, a sacred ground for all espers, a place of adventure.
The preliminary competition for the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly was held amidst this very mountain.
"Dewdrops moisten the grass, the morning glow paints the sky gold." In the early morning, Xu Mu, seated on the Jiang family's flying boat, casually admired the scenery below, his mood buoyant.
Beneath them, in the air, floated numerous other flying magical artifacts of various sizes, filled with people.
Many also traveled by riding demonic beasts or on foot along the ground, densely packed within the Great Green Mountain, like ants. All were aspiring talents entering the mountain to participate in the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly preliminary competition.
"So many people."
Xu Mu took a bite of his rations, gazing at the cultivators below, as numerous as grains of sand, and sighed.
The flying boat he was on was undoubtedly one of the highest-flying artifacts within a thousand-mile radius. Because of this, his vision was exceptionally broad, allowing him to see the contestants, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.
Such a grand spectacle could rival the sandstorms of Alfheim.
Moreover, Xu Mu had no doubt that beyond his sight, countless espers were still converging around the Great Green Mountain.
But how could a single place accommodate so many espers?
"Is the competition this time drawing everyone from the entire Peach Blossom Domain?" Xu Mu asked, chewing on beef jerky, his tongue clicking in surprise.
"Not at all. The Peach Blossom Domain is just one of them. The total number of contestants this time comes from twenty domains," Qian Qian appeared beside Xu Mu at some unknown point, handing him a bowl of white porridge.
"Twenty domains?" Xu Mu repeated incredulously, his eyes widening, his hand, reaching for the porridge, trembling slightly.
"Such a vast area, nearly half an empire! How many people must have come!"
"Hard to say. Anywhere from eight to nine million, or possibly... eighty to ninety million," Qian Qian said with a hint of emotion, gazing at the black dots below the flying boat.
The Ten Thousand Clans Assembly was the most prestigious event in their allied region.
The outcome of even a single match, or a minor victory for a single prodigy, could affect the rise and fall of a prominent family. Therefore, people here poured their all into striving for qualification to participate in the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly.
"Due to the sheer number of participants, the preliminary rounds will be divided into regions. Every four major clans will gather to form a competition zone. Our zone is formed by merging the territories ruled by the four great families: Jiang, Ye, Wang, and Qi."
"So, there are twenty-five more regions like this, each with a multitude of contestants?" Xu Mu calculated and then exclaimed in shock.
According to Qian Qian, four major clans constituted one region, meaning the hundred clans would be divided into twenty-five regions. This implied… twenty-five regions, each with eight to nine million, or even eighty to ninety million contestants.
The number was simply outrageous!
"There is no cost to register for the preliminary competition. Any esper meeting the age requirements can participate. It's a melting pot, which is why there are so many talents," Qian Qian added, explaining.
Xu Mu shook his head slightly. "With so many people, wouldn't the rounds drag on until next year?"
"There's no need to worry about that; the competition format is quite well-developed," Qian Qian said, taking a sip of water. "The first round will eliminate many participants, and then from the remaining contestants, half will be eliminated in each subsequent round. The qualifiers will be determined quickly."
"I see."
Xu Mu nodded and said no more, simply returning to his seat on the flying boat, quietly sipping the white rice porridge in his hand.
Qian Qian, seeing this, also quietly enjoyed the high-altitude breeze. As the flying boat passed through the clouds, he cast a barely perceptible glance at Xu Mu.
In his eyes, there was a trace of indescribable solemnity.
...
An hour later, the sun gradually climbed higher in the sky, and Xu Mu and his companions arrived at their destination for the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly preliminary qualification match.
This location was in the central part of the Great Green Mountain, surrounded by four majestic peaks. The trees on the ground had long been cleared by human hands, leaving behind an open space tens of thousands of meters long and wide.
Upon this open space, people were already densely packed. Most were prodigy espers who had traveled from outside the Peach Blossom Domain, along with the senior leaders from various sects and families.
"So many people, there's not even a place to stand. How can we fight?" Xu Mu's flying boat, like many other magical artifacts, was forced to hover in the air, unable to land because there was no space on the ground.
"Of course not here, but within the secret realm," Qian Qian said, standing beside Xu Mu. "Soon, you will meet the leaders of the four great families. They will jointly open a secret realm that exists within this space, and all contestants will enter the secret realm to compete."
"Look over there. That is the flying boat carrying the high-ranking members of our Jiang family."
As Qian Qian spoke, Xu Mu followed his gaze towards the tip of the ten-thousand-meter mountain peak.
There, amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a colossal flying ship was vaguely suspended. The ship was flat and round, inlaid with three rings of red crystals. Countless grand dao patterns were etched onto its hull, forming a massive character "姜" (Jiang).
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the ship for a long time. After detecting a breathtaking aura, he quickly withdrew his divine sense.
"Domain Lord peak, and more than one." Xu Mu rubbed his temples, marveling inwardly. A mere preliminary competition was being staged with such grandeur. When the actual Ten Thousand Clans Assembly commenced, how many powerhouses would participate?
A moment later, Xu Mu was startled by a booming sound. He looked up again and saw that the clouds and mist above the other three mountain peaks were slowly dissipating. Giant ships were also suspended there.
Evidently, those were the representatives of the other three great families besides the Jiang family.
"Although this is only a preliminary competition, there are still many rogue powerhouses. The format of the first round is still unknown, Brother Xu, so do not be careless," Qian Qian said, stretching his limbs and smiling.
"Yes, I will try my best," Xu Mu nodded, his gaze never leaving the sky.
*Buzz... Buzz...*
As the clouds dispersed and sunlight illuminated the area, all the espers within the Great Green Mountain looked up at the flying ships on the four mountain peaks.
"It's about to begin."
Someone murmured, and from the four flying ships, four figures flew out, one after another. They stood at the very tip of the ships, hands clasped behind their backs, looking down upon the world.
"It seems the number of participants this time is greater than usual, so let us begin earlier," said an old man on the brown flying ship, which bore the Wang family's banner. He was lean and his face was indistinct, his voice echoing through the sky.
Clearly, he was the representative of the Wang family, one of the hundred clans, for this event.
"This is the First Elder of the Wang family, a powerhouse at the Domain Lord peak," Qian Qian recognized the person and whispered an introduction to Xu Mu.
"Agreed," the other three replied in unison, none objecting.
"Since there are no objections, let us begin earlier," the middle-aged man on the Jiang family's flying ship stated, setting the tone for the matter. Immediately after, beams of esoterically colored light shot out simultaneously from the four flying ships on the four mountain peaks.
These beams, filled with immense energy, converged at the center of the space, forming a giant vortex.
*Rumble! Rumble!*
The torrent of energy in the space converged, emitting earth-shattering friction and tremors, as if the laws of the great dao were collapsing. Under the stunned gaze of countless people, the energy torrent slowly formed an oval vortex black hole, ten thousand meters long, exuding a powerful gravitational pull.
"Such a strong suction!" Xu Mu's expression turned grim as he watched the black hole. In an instant, he felt his consciousness being pulled into it.
"Esteemed contestants, please use your divine souls to communicate with the space and enter the Pure Void Secret Realm," the Wang family elder instructed. Thus, the espers who had traveled from afar and had no place to rest, and who were already impatient to compete, immediately closed their eyes and began to communicate with the space using their divine souls.
*Bang!*
Instantly, countless espers shot into the sky. They surged like a locust swarm, drawn into the dark spatial vortex.
"Let's go in too," Xu Mu said to Qiongqi. He no longer resisted the vortex's pull, his body ascending into the air before instantly transforming into a streak of light and entering it.
Upon entering the Pure Void Secret Realm, Xu Mu was greeted by an expanse of darkness. He could see nothing, and the place was unusually quiet.
Ten seconds later, the space illuminated, and Xu Mu found himself standing in an open, barren field. There were no trees, but it was covered in grass. Looking up, he could see four towering mountain peaks.
"The Pure Void Secret Realm is a secret realm with infinite spatial folding. Each contestant will initially be in their own isolated space."
While Xu Mu was still bewildered, illusory images of the leaders of the four great families appeared in the sky. They were observing from the outside, explaining the rules one by one.
"For the first round, you must engage in at least three battles within the allotted time. Opponents will be randomly matched. If your strength is sufficient, please strive to win as many matches as possible, as this will determine your advancement to the second round."
"Your battles will be displayed on countless water screens, projected into the outer space. Members of various sects and families can watch freely. Therefore, do not harbor any thoughts of cheating. Anyone found using forbidden talismans, magical artifacts, or elixirs will be immediately disqualified from the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly!"
"Do you have any objections to the rules?"
On the Jiang family's flying ship, a tall and imposing figure looked towards the spatial vortex. All the contestants simultaneously felt as if the man were looking at them, and the pressure intensified.
"Since there are no objections, let the first round of the competition begin," said the First Elder of the Wang family, and the four figures vanished simultaneously.
Then, before Xu Mu, a phantom stone tablet appeared, beckoning his divine soul to touch it.
It seemed that establishing a connection with it would allow him to start matching with opponents and engage in combat.
"Name: Mu Xu, Wins: Zero, Losses: Zero, Rank: Pending."
Xu Mu gazed at the phantom ranking board that hung upside down from the heights of the Great Green Mountain. Just as he was about to marvel at the secret realm's wonders, he saw hundreds of names instantly appear on the ranking board, each with one win.
"Qian Qian is here too. Is he in such a hurry?" Xu Mu, spotting Qian Qian's name among them, clicked his tongue and then touched the phantom stone tablet.
In the next moment, Xu Mu's body arrived in another space. It was the same as the previous location: no trees, only grass, and four tall mountain peaks.
However, this time, a person stood before him.
The person had clean features and a youthful face, but the aura emanating from them was incredibly powerful, so powerful that even with a cultivation of peak second stage, Xu Mu sensed a trace of danger.
"I am truly sorry. It is indeed unfair for me to participate in the preliminary round, but please forgive me. There is a reason for this."
The person spoke, looking at Xu Mu from a distance, and then casually pointed a finger. Their expression was indifferent, their long hair fluttering slightly, as if they intended to defeat Xu Mu with this single move.
But the next second, their smile froze on their face.
This was because Xu Mu was not eliminated. Instead, he reached out and caught the incoming finger.
Equally casually.