Chapter 7 (1/2)

The soft glow of the rising sun warmed his body. For the past half month, Jiang Xiaofan sat in a lotus position under the cherry tree. At this moment, he opened his eyes, and streaks of light flashed in his eyes.

“Hehe, you’re awake. Hungry yet?”

A melodious voice resonated. Ye Yuanxue sat on the thickest branch of another tree next to him, beaming a mischievous smile, and casually kicked her petite legs. In her hand was a stick and at the tip was a roasted goose, oily and deliciously tempting.

“Xiao Xue, you didn’t cultivate at all?” He stood up with his green-grey robe swaying to the wind. In truth, he hated this style of wear.

She jumped down from the tree, but before she could speak, the air in the sky unexpectedly vibrated. Colorful lights radiated across the sky and seven figures appeared in midair. They were all elders with grey-white hair, looking just like typical immortals. From above, they swept downward glances across the entire Emperor’s Heaven Sect.

Below, the disciples were alarmed, and their expressions varied. Only the outer disciples carried excitement and anticipation on their faces. The selection tournament for inner disciples was to begin.

Up in the sky, the seven elders extended their right hand. A faint ball of light swirled in their palm and slightly shook. More rays of colorful lights permeated the atmosphere. Suddenly, a large, red-gold martial arena appeared, slowly materializing and landing on the vast open field below.

“Damn, isn’t this a bit too easy?! If the people from Planet Earth saw this, they’d be scared witless!” Looking at this scene, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The universe was full of strange wonders.

*Boom*

The arena was approximately three thousand meters in width, one-third meter in height, and divided into seven platforms. It created a thundering sound and strong winds on the ground, causing many of the disciples’ hair to blow wildly.

“This is a freestyle battle tournament with seven platforms. The last seven standing will be the victors.” The Emperor’s Heaven Sect’s elder’s voice was clear and brisk. After he had spoken, he stepped back and quietly stood with the rest, scanning at the disciples.

The tournament was neither large-scale nor small-scale. Not only were there outer disciples, but there were also a good number of inner disciples present. Yet, the scene was a quiet one. No one wanted to be the first.

“I’ll go!”

Those who could pass the first selection trial of the Emperor’s Heaven Sect were, for certain, not ordinary people. Within them were a considerable number of those with prominent backgrounds. As such, these disciples were no cowards. The first person who stood up leaped to one of the platforms.

With the first person up, there would naturally be a second. Not long after, battles had already been initiated on the seven platforms. Many types of martial and cultivation techniques of all levels were used. It was dazzling. From time to time, loud cheers could be heard.

“When are you going up?” Ye Yuanxue asked Jiang Xiaofan.

“Heh, of course the later, the better. I need to conserve my strength. Besides, looking at those people fight is entertaining enough,” calmly replied Jiang Xiaofan. Indeed, the skin on his face was thicker than a city’s wall.

“Such an interesting guy. Anyway, I’m going. As for you, don’t bother. This place isn’t right for you.”

Ye Yuanxue impishly smiled and headed to a platform, one specifically for female cultivators. The males instinctively didn’t go there.

The battles on the seven platforms were heating up. Many from the crowd began to chatter.

“I wonder what rewards will be given. I heard that there’s something extraordinary, maybe one of them being a spirit-ranked weapon.”

“Spirit weapon! It can’t be!” Another onlooker gasped. “Looks like they’re heavily investing in this year’s new disciples.”

“Of course. Supposedly, this year’s group of outer disciples has lots of potentials. The sect is going to value them even more. However, there are only seven prizes. I just wonder which seven people will get them.”

“Last time, there was a crazy guy called Jiang Xiaofan. He should be able to get into the top seven. He’s a dark horse after all. It’s evident that, after he beat up Zhu Xidao’s cousin, he’s insanely strong and vicious.”

“You never know. Many other strong ones exist here. It’s just that they didn’t have a chance to show off yet. Besides, the guy whom you mentioned had offended Zhu Youwei. Whether he can survive in the tournament or not is difficult to say.”

While the outer disciples whispered away, Jiang Xiaofan crouched in a corner with a green stalk of wild grass dangling from his mouth. From time to time, he glanced at the nearby female cultivators. Those who noticed him were rendered speechless. He was the epitome of a punk.

“Is Jiang Xiaofan here? I wish for Jiang Xiaofan to come up.” On the first platform, a green-robed man had already defeated many challengers. His expression carried a gentle smile. He had a scholarly air which exuded the feeling of affinity for him.

“Where is Jiang Xiaofan? I want to challenge you. Will you come up?” On the second platform, another voice sounded. He was a white-robed youth with tall stature. His steps were firm and powerful. Judging solely by his posture, this person seemed to be quite formidable.

What followed after left the crowd wide-eyed and jaws agape. Other than for the female-only platform, all six challengers from each platform had extended their battle invitation to Jiang Xiaofan.

“What’s up with these guys? Why do they all want to fight Jiang Xiaofan?” Many onlookers voiced their curiosity.

“Now that you mention it, who’s Jiang Xiaofan? Is he very famous? How come all six of them singled him out?”