Central Kyushu, the City of Sacred Flame.

Located at the foot of Mount Shengyaozong, Holy Fire City is under the protection of Shengyaozong and is extremely prosperous. The streets and alleys are brightly lit and filled with shouts and cheers from acrobats.

On the bustling streets, there were many disciples of the immortal sects carrying long swords. They walked in groups, were friendly to others, and occasionally drew envious exclamations from onlookers.

The 800th birthday celebration of the Grand Elder of the Holy Glory Sect has attracted the attention of many immortal sects. Hearing that the Grand Elder will hold a trial competition on his birthday with generous rewards, many immortal sects have sent their young disciples to gather in Holy Fire City, all for the sake of competing for the treasures of the Grand Elder of the Holy Glory Sect.

Among the many immortal sects in Kyushu, nine major sects are considered the pinnacle of immortal sects.

Based on the strength of each sect, people divide them into the three upper sects, the three middle sects, and the three lower sects.

For nearly a hundred years, the three upper sects have been in seclusion, with no disciples emerging from the world. They have gradually faded from the stage of the cultivation world, and no one knows what they are doing. All that is known is that it has been a long time since any disciples of the three upper sects have been seen going out.

Below the three upper sects are the Blazing Sun Temple, the Moon Pavilion, and the Seven Star Sect.

The Temple of the Blazing Sun has recently followed in the footsteps of the three upper sects, closing its gates and no one venturing out.

Therefore, the most attention in Holy Flame City now is focused on the remaining few sects among the nine major sects.

They are: Moon Pavilion, Seven Star Sect, Holy Radiance Sect, Four Seasons Gate, and Quanxiu.

Many disciples from various immortal sects were secretly observing the forces that had come to Holy Fire City, but they were surprised to find that the disciples of Moonlit Pavilion and Seven Star Sect had not appeared in the city.

Many people were secretly talking in the streets and alleys, probably because the Moon Pavilion and the Seven Star Sect were taking advantage of their stronger power and therefore deliberately disrespecting the Grand Elder of the Holy Radiance Sect.

At a tea stall near the south gate of Holy Fire City, several rogue cultivators were whispering and exchanging pleasantries.

One of the thin, rogue cultivators said, "It's been several days now, and apart from the disciples of the Holy Radiance Sect, we've only seen disciples from the Four Seasons Sect among the nine major sects. Where are the other sects?"

Another young man with a full beard grinned and said, "Is there any need to say anything? The people from the three upper sects haven't appeared in the world for a hundred years, so they probably won't come this time either. The Blazing Sun Temple is the head of the three middle sects, and they also closed their sect a few months ago, so they won't come either. As for the Moon Pavilion and the Seven Star Sect, I don't know. Perhaps they look down on the Grand Elder of the Holy Radiance Sect?"

The gaunt young rogue cultivator said, "Shh! Keep quiet. We can't let the people from the Holy Radiance Sect hear this."

The bearded young man laughed, "What's there to be afraid of? Would a disciple of a prestigious family beat me up in the street?"

The rogue cultivator clicked his tongue and said, "But the people from the Seven Star Sect and the Moon Pavilion are really clueless about human relationships. This is, after all, the birthday of the Grand Elder of the Holy Radiance Sect. Even if they don't allow their disciples to come and compete, they should at least come and offer their birthday wishes, right?"

"Who knows?" The bearded young man took a sip of tea and asked, "By the way, haven't Quan Xiu and her group of female cultivators arrived yet?"

The gaunt, rogue cultivator calculated with his fingers, "Quanxiu has traveled a long way to get here. Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon, right?"

The bearded young man grinned and said, "I really want to see the female cultivators of Quanxiu. Every female cultivator is so tender that she looks like she could drip water. I can't even imagine how many beauties there are in the entire Quanxiu."

The thin young man clicked his tongue and said, "Yeah, I wonder how many beautiful women there are..."

As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly came from the direction of the city gate.

Following the gaze of passersby, the two saw a group of female cultivators entering the city in an orderly fashion.

The two quickly came over to watch. They mingled in the crowd, looked up, and their eyes lit up with excitement when they saw the faces of the many female cultivators.

"Huh?" The bearded young man noticed Su Nian and Ye Hua at the front of the crowd and asked in surprise, "Why are there two other men here?"

The thin young man said speechlessly, "You don't know Ye Hua, fine, but you don't even know Su Nian?"

"Su Nian? Who is he?" the bearded young man asked, scratching his head.

"Among the current generation of young cultivators in the entire Nine Provinces, Su Nian can rank in the top three! A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator at the age of twenty! Tell me, isn't that amazing?"

The bearded young man was shocked. "So powerful?"

"However, it's a pity..." The thin young man looked at Su Nian's figure and clicked his tongue regretfully, "I heard that his Nascent Soul has been destroyed and his cultivation has fallen all the way to the Foundation Establishment stage."

The passersby whispered about Quanxiu's group, and many of their words reached the ears of the Sixth Elder, Li Baiyu. She was aloof and never paid attention to these words, but considering that Su Nian was still young, she still whispered a reminder to Su Nian.

"Su Nian, don't take these outsiders' words to heart. You're just traveling and won't be participating in any martial arts competitions, so you don't need to worry about it."

Su Nian smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sixth Elder. Don't worry, I don't care what they say. If I really cared that much, I wouldn't have come with them this time."

Xu Xinrou sighed from the side, "You came along because you were worried about me, right? Actually, you didn't have to. I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage and can protect myself."

Su Nian did not explain.

He simply turned around and glanced at Ye Hua, then grinned at him.

"By the way, Junior Brother Ye, will you be participating in the Foundation Establishment group battle this time?"

Ye Hua didn't want to talk to Su Nian, but due to his status, he still gave a soft "hmm".

"You recovered really quickly! I beat you up like that a few days ago, and you were still able to participate in the competition? I hope your injuries won't affect your performance."

Ye Hua said unhappily, "No need for Senior Brother Su's concern, I will definitely win the top spot in the Foundation Establishment group!"

"Oh, right. Your 'One Sword Transforms into Ten Thousand Swords' technique already has the flair of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Getting first place in the Foundation Establishment group is a piece of cake, isn't it?" Su Nian crossed her arms and shook her head, saying, "Oh dear, I just hope nothing unexpected happens during the competition, otherwise Junior Brother might not get this reward!"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!