“The Yun Family's foundation is indeed far beyond our wildest imagination.”
The chatter in the stands swelled even further.
On the sparring platform, Canglan had already walked over to stand in front of Yun Heng, his massive body shielding her from behind as his gaze remained fixed on Jin Yushan.
If Jin Yushan showed any signs of standing back up, it would not hesitate to strike again.
The officiating elder stepped into the center of the platform. After checking Jin Yushan's condition with his divine sense, he began the countdown.
“Five.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
The crowd in the spectator stands gradually quieted down, holding their breath as they stared at Jin Yushan, who was lying on the ground.
“Two.”
“One.”
The countdown ended, but Jin Yushan still showed no response.
He had completely passed out.
In the guest viewing area, a middle-aged male cultivator immediately stood up from his seat upon seeing this and hurried down toward the platform.
He was the Patriarch of the Jin Family from the Northern Wilderness, and also Jin Yushan's father.
Several medical cultivators stepped onto the platform, carefully lifting Jin Yushan onto a stretcher before quickly carrying him away.
The Jin Family Patriarch hurried after them, his forehead drenched in sweat.
Seeing that although his son was heavily injured, his life was not in danger, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Although his son had lost, at least he hadn't run away without a fight, nor had he brought shame to the Jin Family.
Most importantly, they hadn't offended Young Lord Yun.
“Group fifty-nine: Yun Heng, victorious!”
The moment the words fell, a thunderous cheer erupted from the spectator stands.
“Yun Heng!”
“Young Lord Yun won!”
“That was way too fast! She didn't even draw her sword!”
Many had already anticipated Yun Heng's victory, but no one expected it to happen so quickly.
From the start of the match to Jin Yushan being blasted away, only a few brief breaths of time had passed.
At the same time, the System's notifications began chiming in Yun Heng's mind.
【Awe Points +100.】
【Awe Points +300.】
【Awe Points +200.】
Yun Heng's face remained a picture of calm.
She reached out to gently pat Canglan's head before sending it back into her spirit domain.
Yun Heng stepped down from the platform and returned to the waiting area.
The gazes of all the other participants locked onto her, filled with a mixture of shock and wariness.
Someone lowered their voice and muttered, “Young Lord Yun is simply too terrifying.”
“I just hope I don't draw her in the next round.”
“I thought her own cultivation was already high enough, but who would have thought she'd have a contracted spirit beast in the mid-stage of the Soul Transformation Realm? How is anyone supposed to fight that?”
Yun Heng walked straight back to her spot, only to find Yan Yi, Xiao Cen, Jiang Qian, and Xiao Jingheng all staring at her.
She looked to her left, then to her right.
“What's wrong?”
Yan Yi was the first to lose her composure, asking directly, “Yun Heng, how on earth did you manage to contract a mid-stage Soul Transformation spirit beast?”
Yun Heng shrugged, her face completely nonchalant.
“It was willing to do it of its own accord.”
Yan Yi swallowed hard, momentarily at a loss for words.
Jiang Qian and Xiao Jingheng simultaneously gasped.
Xiao Cen looked at Yun Heng, a clear smile dancing in her eyes.
“Just how many more surprises do you have that we don't know about?”
Yun Heng returned the smile but offered no answer.
On the other side, Xie Wujiu stared fixedly at Yun Heng.
A tempest was already raging in his heart.
To have reached the late stage of the Soul Transformation Realm at just twenty-five years old was already enough to shock the entire Taiyan Continent.
He had never expected that Yun Heng would also possess a contracted spirit beast in the mid-stage of the Soul Transformation Realm.
Why?
How could Yun Heng be this powerful?
Xie Wujiu's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tighter and tighter, his nails digging deep into his palms.
Before long, the matches on Ye Zezhi's and Bai Chu'an's sides also came to end.
Unsurprisingly, they both defeated their respective opponents as well, successfully advancing to the second round.
With that, all fifty-nine matches of the first round of the Five Domains Prodigy Gathering came to an end.
Gong Yiding stepped back onto the main platform.
“The first round of this term's Five Domains Prodigy Gathering has completely concluded. All of the winning contestants have been decided.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the massive light screen above the main platform rapidly shifted.
The names of the fifty-nine winning cultivators appeared on the light screen in sequence.
“Next, would all winning contestants please step onto the platform!”
Yun Heng and the others stood up from the waiting area, walking onto the main platform together.
The fifty-nine cultivators stood in a single row on the platform.
The image-recording array slowly panned across, clearly presenting each cultivator who had advanced to the second round to the audience across the Five Domains.
In the plaza of Qingya City in the Central State, countless cultivators gathered in front of the image-recording array.
One cultivator looked at the fifty-nine people on the screen and couldn't help but remark, “The first round is over, but the second round is where the real show begins.”
“From here on, even Soul Transformation cultivators will start getting eliminated.”
The person next to her nodded.
“Indeed. But honestly, Yun Heng's strength is completely beyond my imagination.”
“I originally thought there would be a bitter struggle between her and Ye Zezhi, but now it seems Yun Heng is practically guaranteed to win.”
“A late-stage Soul Transformation cultivation, plus a mid-stage Soul Transformation Rock-Armored Spirit Tiger... who could possibly beat her?”
Another cultivator nearby chimed in, “Though after watching the first round, there are actually a few prodigies I hadn't paid attention to before.”
“Yeah, aside from Bai Chu'an, I think the Eastern Region imperial family's Third Prince, Xiao Cen, is also incredibly strong.”
“And that other one from the Eastern Region... what was his name again?”
The person frowned, thinking for a moment. “Oh, right, Xie Wujiu.”
“He's also in the mid-stage of the Soul Transformation Realm, and his swordplay is incredibly powerful.”
While they were still discussing, the projection from the image-recording array shifted once again.
On the main platform, a drawing box appeared in front of Gong Yiding.
She announced, “There are fifty-nine participating cultivators in the second round. In this round, one person will receive a bye and directly advance to the third round.”
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of the fifty-nine cultivators on the platform shifted.
Receiving a bye meant they wouldn't have to participate in the second round, allowing them to advance directly to the third.
Furthermore, they would gain an extra week of time to rest and prepare.
“Next, we shall draw the contestant who will receive the bye for this round.”
Gong Yiding reached her hand into the drawing box.
All the participating cultivators stared intently at her movements, silently praying in their hearts.
Gong Yiding's hand lingered in the box for a moment before she pulled out a glowing sphere.
The glowing sphere slowly floated up into midair, its surface gradually dispersing into countless golden specks of light.
Everyone's gazes followed the movement of the golden light.
Soon, the golden specks of light coalesced into two words.
Yun Heng.
In an instant, the participating cultivators on the main platform, the spectators in the stands of the Five Domains Platform, and the cultivators in front of the image-recording arrays in every major city across the Five Domains all widened their eyes.
After a brief moment of silence, a massive wave of chatter erupted in every corner.
“Yun Heng got the bye?!”
“There's no cheating involved, is there?”
A few spectators looked highly skeptical.
“How could there be cheating?”
The person next to them immediately scoffed, “The Five Domains Prodigy Gathering is jointly organized by the six top forces of the Central State. Who would dare to play tricks here?”
The first speaker still looked completely incredulous.
“Then her luck is simply too absurd.”
Rate on N.U.
