Chapter 205: The Contest for the Secret Key

The banquet's atmosphere was lively, with guests gathering in twos and threes, chatting and laughing in low voices, and as cup after cup of fine wine went down, the mood continued to climb.

Until a certain moment, the music in the banquet quietly softened, and everyone saw Yu Yu Hongxi step onto a raised platform, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the guests from all sides.

Inside the banquet hall, gaze after gaze turned toward the glamorous, commanding beauty whose presence radiated dazzling light.

"Thank you all for taking time from your busy schedules to celebrate my little daughter's birthday."

"I won't say any more unnecessary words. As you all know, in addition to celebrating her birthday, I also want to encourage the young talents of the various houses, so I've taken out several Golden Dragon Secret Keys to serve as tonight's prizes..."

"These Golden Dragon Secret Keys are limited to the Diviner realm, so any young member of the various houses who meets the condition may try their hand. Our Golden Dragon Treasury's 'Golden Dragon Dao Field' may not dare claim to be unmatched in this world, but it should still count as a top-tier cultivation holy land." Yu Yu Hongxi smiled radiantly. She raised her hand, and a golden key dangled from her fingertip. The key was shaped like a dragon, coiling and winding, with mysterious patterns etched into its dragon scales, faintly emanating an incomparably profound power.

Many gazes in the hall fixed on the golden key at Yu Yu Hongxi's fingertip, and even some Marquis-level experts showed a flicker of interest.

Because rumor had it that the "Golden Dragon Dao Field" was immensely vast, like a small world unto itself, and so it too had its layers. For instance, the Golden Dragon Secret Key for the Diviner realm could only grant entry to the outer layer of the Golden Dragon Dao Field, while experts like them, the Marquis-level powerhouses, were interested in the deeper reaches of the Golden Dragon Dao Field.

But unfortunately, the Golden Dragon Dao Field had been built by the Golden Dragon Treasury through the gathering of countless manpower and resources. It was the very foundation of the Golden Dragon Treasury, and only members of the Golden Dragon Treasury could enter it to cultivate. Anyone else, unless invited by the Golden Dragon Treasury, would find no door to enter, even if they were Marquis-level experts.

"So that's the Golden Dragon Secret Key?"

Li Luo also looked at the Golden Dragon Secret Key in Yu Yu Hongxi's hand with some curiosity. He actually didn't know much about the so-called Golden Dragon Dao Field, but he figured that anything capable of opening up a small spatial world couldn't possibly be simple.

"The Golden Dragon Dao Field... it's truly hard to imagine. Just what kind of colossal entity must the headquarters of the Golden Dragon Treasury be, to be able to build a cultivation holy land of this caliber?" Beside them, the Eldest Princess sighed softly, a faint trace of melancholy in her expression.

Jiang Jiang Qinge glanced at her. The Eldest Princess had an extremely proud and competitive nature, and as one of the current powerholders of the Wang Ting, perhaps in her heart the Wang Ting was the strongest force in the Great Xia. But faced with a special existence like the Golden Dragon Treasury, even someone as noble as she felt a faint sense of helplessness.

Jiang Jiang Qinge did not offer the Eldest Princess any comfort, because the latter didn't need such meaningless consolation.

"Looks like the competition pressure on you is quite heavy." Jiang Jiang Qinge looked at Li Luo and reminded him.

Li Luo nodded, somewhat helpless. From what Yu Yu Hongxi had said, the competition for the Golden Dragon Secret Key was open to anyone in the Diviner realm, but for someone like him at the first stage of the Diviner realm, this was clearly extremely disadvantageous. After all, no matter how monstrous he was, he didn't think he could leap across stages and defeat people like Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan and Ye Ye Qiuding, who were at the third stage of the Diviner realm.

This competition didn't seem very fair!

"I think the contest for the Golden Dragon Secret Key probably won't be the kind where you just throw punches and fight it out." Jiang Jiang Qinge understood Li Luo's worry and said after a moment of thought.

"Mm, after all, today is Lv Qing'er's birthday banquet. If they really started fighting, the scene wouldn't look very nice, so the method of competition should be different." The Eldest Princess beside them also said with a smile.

Li Luo nodded at her words. He'd just have to see how things played out. If there was a chance, he would naturally compete, but if it really wasn't possible, there was no point forcing it.

On the platform, Yu Yu Hongxi continued: "This contest for the Golden Dragon Secret Key will not be an open, bare-knuckle fight, but will take a different form."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, and a surge of phase force whistled out, sweeping back and forth across the spacious banquet hall. As the guests gradually parted, a wide open space was finally formed in the center.

The phase force then formed a curtain of light around the open space.

"The Golden Dragon Dao Field is not entirely without danger. Upon entering, you will encounter the Green Wind Gang, a force born from violent, razor-sharp wind-attribute energy. Although the Golden Dragon Secret Key will offer you some protection, some of the wind gang will still invade, and it will pose an extremely great threat to you."

"The method for this contest for the Golden Dragon Secret Key will be a simulation of a Green Wind Gang sweep."

"Those who wish to compete need only enter this area and endure to the very end within the Green Wind Gang I release, and they will obtain the Golden Dragon Secret Key." Yu Yu Hongxi smiled and pointed at the open space below, wrapped in the curtain of phase force light.

At these words, a stir of commotion arose. The young people who had been interested in competing for the Golden Dragon Secret Key all wore expressions of surprise and doubt, clearly not expecting the Golden Dragon Secret Key to be contested in this manner.

The commotion lasted for a moment, and then everyone saw Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan—tall, imposing, radiating a domineering confidence—step into the arena first.

With Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan taking the lead, Ye Ye Qiuding, Mo Ling, Wang Wang Hejiu, Duze Duze Beixuan, and others also stepped in one after another.

In just a short while, over a dozen people had appeared in the arena. Some were prodigies from the Sacred Mystic Star Academy, and some were young talents gathered by the various powers.

"So that's how it is..."

A faint smile crept across Li Luo's face. If it were a straight-up brawl, he really would have a hard time competing against people like Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan, who were at the third stage of the Diviner realm. But if it was a contest of who could take the most punishment, then it really wasn't so certain...

Because just in the past few days, under Jiang Jiang Qinge's beatings, he had developed a method called "Firm Body" for taking hits! Now, it had finally found its perfect use!

Beside him, Jiang Jiang Qinge tilted her head to glance at Li Luo and said with a light laugh: "You're welcome."

Li Luo's mouth twitched. You big white goose, you're really too much. You beat me for days on end, and now you want me to thank you?

Black-hearted!

Ignoring Jiang Jiang Qinge, Li Luo also stepped into the arena under the watchful gazes of several onlookers.

On the platform, Lv Qing'er watched Li Luo walk in, her small hands quietly clenching. Though her face betrayed nothing, in her heart she was cheering Li Luo on.

Yu Yu Hongxi's gaze also swept over Li Luo without leaving a trace, then her peripheral vision drifted to Lv Qing'er. Though the girl was very restrained, the sharp-eyed Yu Yu Hongxi still noticed that Lv Qing'er's body had tensed up at that moment.

She's really quite nervous.

Still, although Li Luo was quite outstanding, he himself was only at the first stage of the Diviner realm. Relying on that to compete against people like Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan, who were at the third stage of the Diviner realm, should still be quite difficult.

As Li Luo stepped into the arena, he happened to notice Qin Qin Zhulu standing silently beside him, and immediately asked curiously: "You actually came to attend a banquet like this?"

"Is it because of the Golden Dragon Secret Key?"

Qin Qin Zhulu glanced at him and said in a low voice: "No, my father made me come. He said if I didn't come, he'd take me to visit the brothels."

Li Luo swallowed. Holy crap, your father is really ruthless. He's pushing Qin Qin Zhulu to the brink of death. Is he really your biological father?

Casting a sympathetic look at Qin Qin Zhulu, Li Luo couldn't think of any words of comfort for the moment.

As the many impressive young people entered the arena, Yu Yu Hongxi took out a green jade bottle from her sleeve. The jade bottle seemed to be inscribed with extremely exquisite, complex light patterns, and faintly, the sound of whistling wind emanated from it.

"Everyone, begin."

She gave a light laugh, flicked her finger, and phase force swept across the mouth of the green jade bottle. The next moment, everyone saw green gang wind suddenly pour out, sweeping and scouring toward the figures within the light curtain—Li Luo, Senior Zhu Zhu Xuan, and the rest.