Chapter 566

Martial Path Calendar Year 2049, July 7th

Red Realm, Star-Governing Palace Meeting

All ninth-realm martial artists of Blue Star were present, the air serious and oppressive.

In the Xia Guo's seat, the Red Emperor, sitting in the very center, tall and wearing a red robe, spoke slowly:

"Tomorrow night, the Fire Seed Trial selection officially begins, starting from the seventh realm, then the eighth realm, and finally the ninth realm!"

"Tomorrow's selection is very important; I hope all countries can take it seriously and not let any mistakes happen!"

Once these words were spoken, the air in the meeting room instantly froze, and everyone felt an invisible pressure.

The Shanhe King beside him was shocked; the Red Emperor's aura was even stronger; could it be that he had become stronger again?

Tomorrow's selection was very important; everyone knew very well that this concerned the future of the entire civilization.

At the same time, because it was the selection of high-realm martial artists, many things had to be arranged.

After all, in many countries, there were not many high-realm martial artists, and they still needed to guard the bases.

After discussing for a while, the meeting officially ended!

……

The next day, all seventh-realm and eighth-realm martial artists on the entire Blue Star received the notification for the Fire Seed Trial selection.

Beijiang Province, Black Dragon Base

At the door of Room 206, Lin Qi received a black metal box from the hands of a burly courier.

He closed the door and sat on the living room sofa.

"Beep!"

After the metal box on the table passed the fingerprint verification, it automatically opened, revealing the item inside; it was a silver-white bracelet.

Lin Qi nodded after seeing it: "This is the virtual bracelet; it's exactly the same as the virtual bracelet in the No. 9 ruins."

"It seems our Blue Star's technology has progressed again."

Lin Qi wore the smart bracelet on his left hand; being able to carry it with him was much more convenient than a virtual cabin.

However, the price was not cheap; it required 300 million Xia Guo coins to purchase, or 30,000 merit points.

Blue Star's high-realm martial artists were not short of 30,000 merit points, so they bought them one after another.

"Master, a notification from the Red Dome Martial Arts Mansion!"

Suddenly, Xiaochuan beside him spoke to notify him, and at the same time projected a large screen.

"Fire Seed Trial Selection Notification"

Lin Qi quickly checked the document; this was the Fire Seed Trial selection notification.

It would start at 8:00 PM tonight; during this time period, the disaster beast tide in the Xia Guo had basically ended.

At the same time, the Fire Seed Trial selection would proceed in order from low to high.

Seventh-realm and eighth-realm martial artists were allowed to watch the battles of others, while ninth-realm martial artists would proceed in private.

Lin Qi nodded, feeling that this arrangement was quite good.

It was just a pity that he couldn't see the competition between the ninth-realm martial artists.

Moreover, according to the selection rules, the number of seventh-realm martial artists was too large, totaling tens of thousands.

Matching them two by two for battles would not be finished without several days.

So they might adopt other selection rules; the selection must be finished in a short time.

"Master, a video call from Jiang Tao!"

Xiaochuan projected a large screen again, and Jiang Tao's face appeared on the opposite side.

……

At the same time, high-realm martial artists received the notification, and this matter was also released on software such as War Home and Red Dome Home.

The martial artist groups of the entire Blue Star were all boiling over.

……

At 7:00 PM, on the entire Blue Star, whether day or night, countless martial artists stopped what they were doing and all entered their virtual cabins.

Or they entered Red Dome Home, War Home, or even gathered in the virtual hall to watch the live broadcast.

This selection would be conducted in the form of a live broadcast, and all martial artists would be able to see it.

Beijiang Province, Black Dragon Base.

In Room 206, Lin Qi pressed the circular bracelet on his left hand to activate it.

With the bracelet, he didn't need to go to the virtual hall to fight for a virtual cabin.

"Hum!"

The virtual bracelet's energy scanned his body, not missing any part.

Lin Qi felt the virtual bracelet scan his entire body from head to toe.

When he opened his eyes, he was already on a void plain.

【Mr. Lin Qi, welcome to the Red Realm!】

Lin Qi clearly felt that the Red Realm had changed; perhaps it was more realistic.

He entered the official website, found the link on the homepage, and clicked to enter.

【Do you wish to enter the Fire Seed Trial selection site?】

【Yes!】

As Lin Qi made his choice, his surroundings instantly changed.

He was moved by an invisible hand to another space.

"Boom!!"

The next moment, noisy sounds reached his ears, and Lin Qi's eyes suddenly brightened as he instantly entered a spacious venue.

This was an exceptionally huge auditorium, making him feel as if he had returned to the scene of the Global Martial Arts Tournament in an instant.

He sat in the front row, and looking out, it was densely packed with heads.

At the National Martial Arts Tournament, those watching the competition were all martial arts university students.

But now, almost all martial artists who had stepped onto the battlefield, and even many martial artists, had come online to watch the competition.

What Lin Qi saw were all Xia Guo people; there were too many of them, conservatively estimated to be over 100 million.

"Lin Lin Qi Ge!"

"Lin Qi!"

Lin Qi heard a familiar voice and turned his head to look; it was Jiang Tao's dark face.

Sitting on his left hand side, on his right hand side was Liu Yuanzhang, and those sitting nearby were all acquaintances.

Xue Zhou, Teacher Mu Hong, Pei Yiqing, Xu Qin, Shen Heng, Zhang Tianyang, Meng Yuxuan, Lei Shuang...

Further away, there was Senior Brother Liang Tai, and even Wan Ming of the Sky Dome Academy, Chu Yu, Yu Zhuoran, and other old acquaintances.

He also saw Sun Sheng and Li Tianxing, nodding to greet each other.

With him as the center, within a radius of several thousand people, they were all people he knew.

This location was also chosen by everyone by agreement.

Jiang Tao looked at the people around him and sighed:

"So many people!"

Liu Yuanzhang said beside him: "This Fire Seed Trial selection is different from ordinary competitions; it is to select top-tier powerhouses."

"And it represents our Blue Star civilization fighting against other civilizations."

"So the selection here is very important, so our Xia Guo pays attention to this matter, and those who have the conditions have all come online."

"Those without conditions can only watch the live broadcast!"

Everyone nodded; this selection was countless times grander than the Global Martial Arts Tournament.

"Everyone!"

Suddenly, a deep voice came from the center; those sitting in the first row were all ninth-realm powerhouses of the Xia Guo, and several of them had also come online at this time.

Lin Qi even saw the figure of the strongest, the Red Emperor, and sitting beside him was a tall, slender, and graceful figure — the Starry Sky Inspection Envoy — Tu Lan!

And in the arena in the middle, a burly and tall figure was projected.

The one speaking was Lin Qi's grandmaster — the Shanhe King.

The Shanhe King looked around, his voice like a great bell, reaching every corner:

"Welcome everyone to the scene of the Fire Seed Trial selection."

"The entire selection will last for three days!"

"One day per realm!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone was surprised; it was truly a matter of speed, concerning the selection of tens of thousands of high-realm martial artists, yet it was to be finished within three days.

The Shanhe King continued:

"Today we will conduct the selection for seventh-realm blood-replacement martial artists; the selection rules are preliminary rounds and main rounds."

"Because the number of seventh-realm martial artists has reached 89,688, in the first part, we will eliminate 99% and only select 160 people for the main rounds."

"In the preliminary rounds, all seventh-realm martial artists will enter the selection; you will face virtually set opponents, and only by defeating three rounds of opponents can you enter the main rounds..."

Hearing this rule, Lin Qi suddenly thought of the Star Fire Tower in the No. 9 ruins.

The rules for the preliminary rounds were almost exactly the same as the Star Fire Tower.

Arranging virtual opponents and conducting them simultaneously could select the top-tier powerhouses in the shortest time.

The Shanhe King continued to introduce the rules: "After three rounds, we will select the strongest 160 martial artists from those who successfully advanced to conduct the main rounds!"

"Without further ado, for the future of Blue Star, I wish all martial artists a prosperous martial path!"

"I announce, the preliminary rounds officially begin!"

"Clap, clap!!"

As soon as the words fell, the Shanhe King's projection dissipated, and thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium.

Then, a female smart voice reached the ears of all seventh-realm martial artists.

【Please, contestant Jiang Tao, get ready; we are about to begin the selection!】

The same voice reached Jiang Tao's ears.

"Lin Lin Qi Ge, everyone, I'm going to participate in the assessment!"

Lin Qi nodded: "Taozi, good luck!"

Everyone also wished him luck, watching Jiang Tao transform into a crimson light and disappear into the air.

"I have to start too!"

Like him, there were Xu Qin, Pei Yiqing, Shen Heng, Zhang Tianyang, and a large group of others.

They were all seventh-realm martial artists and all had to participate in the selection.

The seats around Lin Qi suddenly emptied.

His gaze was fixed in front; he saw a huge screen projected in front of him, simultaneously erupting with more than 80,000 preliminary matches.

Whether old or young, as long as they were seventh-realm martial artists, they had to participate in the selection.

And a small green screen was projected in front of Lin Qi, where he could choose the contestants he wanted to watch.

He chose to watch the preliminary round Jiang Tao was in; he saw everyone enter an arena.

Rules emerged: put on combat equipment, fight virtual opponents!

The next second, a tall and robust swordsman wearing crimson battle armor appeared out of thin air; Lin Qi understood immediately after seeing it.

It really was a copy of the Star Fire Tower's rules, applied here.

Soon the battle officially began, and Jiang Tao and the red-armored swordsman fought in a tangle.

The moment they exchanged blows, Lin Qi judged the red-armored swordsman's strength; compared to the Star Fire Tower, the swordsman's strength had been weakened.

But the strength was still very strong, not something an ordinary person could defeat.

"It's only just begun, and many people have already been eliminated!"

Liu Yuanzhang beside him spoke.

He saw on the big screen that in just a moment, seventh-realm martial artists had already disappeared, eliminated.

"Is this selection too cruel? Is the red-armored swordsman's strength this strong?"

"Some seventh-realm martial artists were actually defeated in three moves?"

Lin Qi looked at the barrage; some viewers were shocked.

Seventh-realm martial artists were all big shots in their eyes, yet they were defeated so quickly, giving a feeling of a dream shattering.

Lin Qi shook his head; the red-armored swordsman in their eyes was not simple.

Even if weakened, it was still terrifyingly strong.

Soon, Jiang Tao defeated the red-armored swordsman and entered the second round.

A big screen was projected above.

【Number of eliminated: 45,800】

In the first round, more than half of the seventh-realm martial artists had already been eliminated.

"Hum!"

Three figures appeared; they were Pei Yiqing, Zhang Tianyang, and Lei Shuang.

Pei Yiqing's exquisite face instantly turned red with shame:

"The opponent was too strong; I actually couldn't beat him!"

Zhang Tianyang also shook his head with a bitter smile:

"We are still too weak, losing face for the Xia Guo!"

Liu Yuanzhang spoke to comfort them:

"You just broke through to the seventh realm not long ago; the opponent is too strong, it's not that you are weak."

Pei Yiqing, seeing that half were eliminated, also breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, many people were eliminated, and she didn't feel so bad.

They continued to watch the selection; soon the first round of battles all ended, totaling 50,000 people eliminated, with fewer than 30,000 people defeating the red-armored swordsman.

And the opponents for the second round also followed seamlessly.

Jiang Tao also saw his second-round opponent; from one red-armored swordsman, there was now an additional blue-armored swordsman, and their strength had both improved.

Two opponents besieging him, the difficulty rose in a straight line.

As soon as the battle started, dozens of seventh-realm martial artists had their necks pierced by the swordsman's battle sword.

"Finished!"

"Fuck, I actually died!"

At the same time, in other countries, seventh-realm martial artists who were eliminated broke down one after another after being defeated.

This time the opponents were too strong; they were completely no match.

The fastest to be eliminated were also seventh-realm martial artists from some small countries.

Lin Qi watched with his own eyes as the number of eliminated people continued to rise, shaking his head secretly; the gap between seventh-realm martial artists was still too large.

In the blink of an eye, a few more minutes passed.

Of the more than 30,000 who advanced, more than 20,000 were eliminated again, and finally only 525 seventh-realm martial artists remained to enter the third round.

Jiang Tao also successfully entered the third round, and the opponents successfully became three: red-armored swordsman, blue-armored swordsman, and golden-armored spearman.

The strength of the three opponents had also been greatly improved.

This time Jiang Tao also felt heavy pressure.

"Bang!"

After one collision with the swordsman, he frowned instantly.

"They've become stronger again!"

And the repeated attacks of the three opponents made Jiang Tao exhausted.

He knew that he had to be fully focused, otherwise, the one who would lose would likely be himself.

Five minutes later

"Pfft~"

Jiang Tao deployed a small divine ability, his combat power skyrocketed, and he killed the three opponents one after another.

【Contestant Jiang Tao, congratulations on successfully passing the preliminary rounds!】

A message popped up in front of him.

The next second his body turned into nothingness, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the auditorium.

"Taozi, congratulations on passing the preliminary rounds!"

Lin Qi's congratulations came from beside him.

Jiang Tao also revealed a smile and shook his head: "Too difficult; this preliminary round really isn't something an ordinary person can pass."

Liu Yuanzhang smiled: "But it can quickly filter out powerful martial artists!"

"Currently, only 120 people have been able to pass by defeating all opponents and successfully advancing!"

After Jiang Tao heard this, sure enough, on the big screen in front of him, only 20 martial artists remained.

The rest were either eliminated or had passed the preliminary rounds.

Lin Qi spoke slowly: "It is very likely that not 160 people will be able to pass the preliminary rounds!"

"There is a high probability that we will need to select dozens more from the eliminated seventh-realm martial artists!"

His words were verified a moment later.

When the preliminary rounds were all over, only 125 seventh-realm martial artists successfully defeated the three rounds of opponents and passed the preliminary rounds.

Everyone else was eliminated.

"Hum!"

At the same time, the Shanhe King was projected again, and he spoke slowly:

"The preliminary selection has officially ended; congratulations to the 125 contestants who passed the preliminary rounds!"

"According to the selection rules, if the number of people is less than 160, we will make up the number from the eliminated martial artists!"

"According to the time taken for the battles, congratulations to the following 35 contestants for entering the main rounds."

After speaking, the projected screen showed 35 names, each from different countries.

The entire auditorium was in an uproar.

"Only 125 contestants passed this preliminary round; how could it be so difficult?"

"Each of them is a top-tier genius."

"Those who can pass are top-tier powerhouses; sure enough, our Xia Guo is the strongest, with 30 people passing, a ratio of nearly one-fifth."

Jiang Tao also sighed:

"Who designed this preliminary round? Why is the difficulty so high?"

Xu Qin, Pei Yiqing, and Zhang Tianyang nodded.

Liu Yuanzhang beside them smiled: "This is difficult?"

"Let me tell you, these preliminary rules are modeled after the test in the No. 9 ruins, and the difficulty has already been significantly reduced."

"The strength of the three opponents has all been weakened."

"And originally there was one more round; your opponents would have been five people; besides those three, there would have been a spirit reader and a spearman!"

"Each opponent is equivalent to an SSS-level genius who has completed blood replacement 5 times."

Jiang Tao and the others gasped after hearing this.

The strength of such powerful opponents was still weakened?

Pei Yiqing widened her eyes and asked: "So difficult, then who can pass?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the gazes of Mu Hong, Liu Yuanzhang, and Xue Zhou all turned to Lin Qi.

Liu Yuanzhang smiled: "Who else could it be?"

"Sure enough, it's Lin Qi!"

"Only three people from our Blue Star passed, namely Lin Qi, Sun Sheng, and Li Tianxing."

"Among them, Lin Qi had the fastest speed and took the least time."

Jiang Tao gasped: "Lin Lin Qi Ge, you're that fierce?"

Seeing several people looking at Lin Qi in shock.

He saw this and smiled modestly: "You all just broke through."

"You were already at the seventh-realm peak at that time, so your strength was naturally different."

After hearing this, everyone would not believe Lin Qi's explanation.

The projected Shanhe King continued:

"Next, the main rounds officially begin!"

"The main rounds will be conducted by random matching, and the strongest will be decided to end it."

As soon as the words fell, 160 projections appeared, and through random, free matching, 80 battles were matched, and four battles were conducted simultaneously.

After all, from the beginning to the end of the preliminary rounds, it only took 20 minutes.

One night was enough to finish all the seventh-realm competitions.

Once the battle table was out, the competition officially began.

"I'm up!"

After Jiang Tao spoke, he transformed into a crimson beam of light and descended into the arena.

His opponent was a bearded man from the Sunset Nation, burly and holding a heavy sword.

As soon as the battle started, he showed powerful strength.

A moment later

"Pfft~"

Jiang Tao successfully slashed the opponent's throat and successfully advanced to the second round of the main rounds.

Lin Qi in the auditorium nodded after seeing this; Jiang Tao's talent was indeed extraordinary.

Although he had only broken through for a few months, he had already completed blood replacement four times.

In the future, he would have a chance to sprint for seven blood replacements.

Now, an ordinary seventh-realm peak martial artist with this strength might not necessarily be able to beat him.

Sure enough, in the following second and third rounds, Jiang Tao passed them all and successfully entered the top 20!

As long as he passed one more round, he could obtain a quota.

Besides him, there were Shen Heng, Xu Qin, and Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng was also a top-tier genius and also had a chance to obtain a quota.

A moment later

Jiang Tao was teleported back, and he smiled bitterly with a dejected expression:

"Lin Lin Qi Ge, I lost!"

"I can't fight for Blue Star anymore!"

Jiang Tao lost, defeated by a burly man from the Mao Xiong Nation, whose strength was extremely strong.

Jiang Tao's breakthrough time was still too short, and he unfortunately lost.

Lin Qi comforted him:

"It's okay; according to the competition rules, one month later, there is one last chance."

"Contestants who lost in this round can challenge 10 people again; as long as they can win, they can successfully replace the other party."

Hearing this, Jiang Tao's eyes lit up:

"That's right, there's still this rule!"

"I still have one chance!"

"One month later, I will become even stronger!"

……

(End of chapter)