Chapter 409: The Competition Begins

"Younger brother, bye-bye, see you later!"

Wang Dun left amid He Pingsheng's puzzled gaze.

He Pingsheng: Wang Shixiong speaks strangely—is that a dialect?

After Wang Dun left, He Pingsheng took out another jade slip and began studying it.

Tianyue Divine Array Technique.

There are still three days until the real competition—can't waste this time, right?

As for the fourth-rank 【Rebirth Talisman】, He Pingsheng did not use it.

Because he wanted to strengthen it, turning this one Rebirth Talisman into two.

One for himself, one for Sister Qiao.

But the problem is, this is Tiannian Mountain—there are countless True Persons at the Soul Transformation realm here.

So He Pingsheng dared not take out the Treasure Gathering Basin.

Wait!

We'll deal with it when the chance comes later.

Besides, there's no safety issue here on Tiannian Mountain anyway.

Day one!

Day two!

Day three!

Time passed quickly.

On the fourth day, Zhenyu Ancestor summoned everyone out.

Everyone reformed their ranks.

"Follow me… Today is the first day of the competition, but our Liang State isn't competing—hahaha…"

"It's good to go watch the spectacle anyway!"

Zhenyu Ancestor led everyone walking for the duration of an incense stick before arriving at the competition grounds.

The venue was enormous.

Above it floated four inverted glowing orbs.

These were arrays.

Each glowing orb contained a separate competition arena.

Beneath each arena were over two hundred seats for spectators.

Of course, no one was watching.

All spectators were competitors themselves.

Near the seats stood a massive stone stele, inscribed with the order of each match.

Today is the first day—four matches total, but none involve Liang State.

Nine nations participate in the Nine Nations Grand Competition.

In a one-on-one format, one nation must sit out each round.

Conveniently, Liang State is the one sitting out this time.

Today's matches total four!

Match One: Shinv State versus Qi State!

Match Two: Qin State versus Tang State.

Match Three: Chu State versus Daqian State.

Match Four: Yan State versus Pilu State.

Bye: Liang State!

But no worry—Liang State's match is in the second round!

The stele also showed the second round: Liang State's opponent is Qi State.

Perfect!

Not far off.

Theoretically, each round lasts ten days.

That means ten days from now, the match between Qi State and Liang State will begin.

But today wasn't wasted—He Pingsheng saw that Qi State's opponent today is Shinv State, and Shinv State is precisely Wang Dun's faction.

The key is, Wang Dun ranks first, and Xiao Xuan ranks first too.

These two will face off today.

Let's see if Wang Shixiong can beat Xiao Xuan.

Watching more never hurts—get familiar with opponents' tactics and main attack styles, so you'll know how to respond if you face them later.

"Watch closely, all of you!"

Zhenyu Ancestor sat on the spectator stand and told his disciples: "Ten days from now, it's our match against Qi State!"

"We've been old rivals with Qi State!"

"And this competition involves a major wager!"

"A whole commandery!"

"So we must win!"

Everyone turned to him in shock.

Liang Huaqiu asked: "Ancestor, what does 'a commandery' mean?"

Zhenyu Ancestor said: "It means exactly what it says—the Divine General Mountain in Shangdang Commandery has no treasures left, so Qi State is wagering Shangdang Commandery against us—if they lose, Shangdang becomes ours!"

"This has been officially recorded in the Sacred Grounds, witnessed by both Holy Masters!"

Everyone nodded.

Only Liang Huaqiu pressed on: "Ancestor, what if we lose? Which commandery will we forfeit?"

Zhenyu's face darkened: "Hongshi Commandery."

Damn…

His brow twitched: Hongshi Commandery?

If we lose, Hongshi Commandery becomes Qi State's territory.

Then… Xiaoyao Immortal Sect becomes part of Qi State too.

Will Sister Qiao become a citizen of Qi State?

He Pingsheng realized something—he sensed this was some scheme by Qi State.

They must have an agenda.

"Don't overthink anything else!" Zhenyu said. "Just watch and prepare for battle!"

At that moment, a tall female Nascent Soul stepped onto the arena and addressed the crowd: "Esteemed elders, welcome to Shengshan!"

"I am an Elder of Tiannian Sect, presiding over this round of competition!"

"Before we begin, I must explain the rules of the Nine Nations Grand Competition!"

"Please listen carefully, elders and competitors alike!"

"Rule One: No external objects permitted—talisman, magic treasure, elixir, and more—all forbidden. Also, no attacks on the opponent's spiritual sense."

Rule Two: Combat is life or death—each bears their own fate.

"Rule Three: If either side calls stop or surrenders, the match ends immediately—the other side must cease all attacks."

"Rule Four: Theoretically, each competitor fights only once per day—but if both agree, they may fight again."

"Rule Five: Victory is determined only by surrender or death."

"These are the five basic rules—have you all understood?"

"If anything is unclear, raise your hand and ask me!"

It was clear enough: once combat begins, the match ends when one side surrenders or dies.

Otherwise, they keep fighting.

But the only restrictions: no external objects, no attacks on the spiritual sense.

The prohibition against attacking the spiritual sense puzzled He Pingsheng.

After all, spiritual sense isn't an external object.

It felt oddly targeted at him.

But since it was a rule, he had to abide.

Though he couldn't attack the opponent's spiritual sense, he'd still need to use his spiritual sense to control spells and techniques.

"Good…" the female Nascent Soul said. "Since no one has questions, please take your places!"

"Arena One: Qi State versus Shinv State!"

"Arena Two: Qin State versus Tang State."

"Arena Three: Chu State versus Daqian State!"

"Arena Four: Yan State versus Pilu State!"

"Liang State sits out this round!"

"Please ascend!"

Competitors from the eight nations stepped onto the arenas.

Naturally, the first to enter from the State of Qi was Xiao Xuan, without a doubt.

And the first from the State of Shinv was precisely Wang Dun.

The two stepped into the array's light membrane almost simultaneously.

Then a miraculous sight occurred.

After entering the light membrane, they suddenly shrank.

"Huh…" He Pingsheng was slightly startled: "What… what is going on?"

Not just him—all other competitors also grew astonished one by one.

Zhen Yu smiled and said: "This array appears small, but within lies a hidden world, crafted by the Holy Master through supreme spatial arts!"

"So it's not that the people shrank—rather, the space inside expanded!"

"Now do you understand?"

Everyone nodded: So that's how it is.

He Pingsheng extended his spiritual sense, sweeping it over the array's light membrane.

This light membrane was constructed from a fourth-rank defensive array.

Then…

This could definitely not be broken!