Fang Yu felt Qin Luo's gaze and politely nodded slightly before following Dean Wan Xuan away from the stone platform.
The group followed the dean through a long corridor. Upon exiting the corridor, they saw a huge circular plaza, its surface paved with a special kind of spirit jade.
A ring of stands surrounded the plaza, which at a glance appeared to be able to accommodate at least tens of thousands of spectators. At this moment, the stands had gradually filled with teachers and students from various academies, as well as cultivators from the other three realms.
"Look, it's Senior Brother Fang Yu. It's said that his cultivation has reached the sixth level of the Spirit Vortex Realm after this seclusion." A young disciple of the academy said excitedly, his eyes fixed on the academy members in the center of the square.
"Hmph, sixth level of the Spirit Vortex Realm? They're just frogs in a well." A cultivator dressed in Flame Domain attire sneered disdainfully, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his seat.
"You can't say that," a student from the academy nearby said, displeased.
“Those who are selected to participate in the selection must have extraordinary abilities. Our senior students from Wanxuan Academy have all undergone numerous tests to stand there. Whether it is their spiritual power foundation or their martial arts skills, they are probably no worse than the people from the three major domains.”
"Heh." The cultivator from the Flame Domain sneered dismissively and then ignored the academy disciples.
......
Above the square, a huge spiritual energy shield floated, resembling an inverted bowl, enveloping the entire competition area.
The group arrived at the center of the plaza and divided into six groups according to the runes they had drawn earlier, each standing in their respective areas.
Yan Yuan, the Domain Lord of Liu Yu, and Xia Chaozong also followed Dean Wan Xuan to the highest point of the square, which was a VIP viewing platform specially prepared for them.
Seeing that the time had come, Dean Wan slowly stood up, circulated his spiritual energy, and his voice resounded throughout the entire venue like thunder:
"Gentlemen, the selection competition for the Heavenly Gate is about to begin. This is not only a test of your own strength, but also a crucial moment concerning your future. You are all aware of the rules: stop when you've reached your target, and absolutely no violations are permitted. Now, I declare the competition officially open!"
As the dean finished speaking, the atmosphere in the stands was instantly ignited, and the competition in the six areas officially began.
In an instant, the entire square was filled with flashes of spiritual energy, and the light and sound of various martial arts techniques intertwined, forming a magnificent and intense battle scene.
But the spectators in the stands were all deeply attracted to the leftmost competition area, watching intently as the two beautiful women fought in that area.
Xia Zihan and Yan Rao, the alluring woman with fiery red hair from the Flame Domain, stood facing each other.
Yan Rao's red hair danced in the wind, her tight red dress outlining her graceful figure, exuding a captivating charm. Xia Zihan, on the other hand, stood quietly in a purple dress, needing no words; her alluring beauty alone was enough to make everything around her pale in comparison.
Looking at that face that even she was somewhat jealous of, Yan Rao snorted coldly in displeasure, and then fiery red spiritual energy surged in her hand, transforming into a red ribbon in a moment.
With the infusion of her spiritual power, the ribbon instantly became straight and hard, like a sharp blade, piercing towards Xia Zihan.
Xia Zihan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. After sensing the spiritual energy emanating from Yan Rao, she realized that Yan Rao's cultivation level was at the seventh stage of the Spirit Vortex Realm.
With this thought, she made up her mind, and wisps of purple spiritual energy instantly appeared beneath her feet.
Her figure glided gracefully to one side, like a twinkling star in the night sky. The red ribbon brushed against the hem of her clothes, but failed to harm her in the slightest.
Seeing that her attack had missed, Yan Rao's eyes flashed with annoyance. She changed her hand seals, and the ribbon drew a graceful arc in the air before turning back like a serpent and sweeping towards Xia Zihan once more.
This time, the ribbon attacked even faster, creating a scorching gust of air wherever it passed.
Xia Zihan remained calm and composed, spiritual energy surging from her toes. Her figure became even more ethereal, the red ribbons weaving around her but always missing their mark. As she dodged, she rapidly moved closer to Yan Rao.
Yan Rao was shocked; she hadn't expected Xia Zihan's movements to be so unpredictable. She hurriedly tried to retract the ribbon to defend herself, but the ribbon had already stretched to its limit and she couldn't retract it in time.
Just as Xia Zihan approached Yan Rao, she quickly formed a hand seal, and a star-studded spiritual seal instantly condensed on her palms.
"Purple Star Spirit Seal Palm!"
As Xia Zihan silently chanted, the purple spirit seal, shimmering with mysterious starlight, slammed towards Yan Rao. The spirit seal carried powerful stellar energy, exerting a strong suppressive force on Yan Rao the moment it appeared. Yan Rao felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her body, and her movements became sluggish.
Her eyes widened in terror, wanting to dodge but powerless. Xia Zihan's Purple Star Spirit Seal Palm landed solidly on Yan Rao's chest. Yan Rao was instantly struck as if by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her body flew backward violently, straight out of the competition area.
Xia Zihan won with a single blow, but her face showed little expression, as if it were just an ordinary event for her. She stood quietly in place, the purple spiritual seal light flashing between her palms slowly dimming.
The audience in the stands gasped in amazement at this sight. They hadn't expected Xia Zihan to win so easily.
Xia Chaozong, standing in the VIP stands, nodded slightly. He knew that Xia Zihan's strength was far greater than that; her current cultivation at the ninth level of the Spirit Vortex Realm was probably the most outstanding level here.
In the adjacent area, Su Yao from Wanxuan Academy and Liu Pengtao, the chubby boy from Liuyu, also began their competition.
Liu Pengtao's smiling expression didn't change as the competition began; instead, he looked at Su Yao with a beaming smile and said:
"Sister looks really tough. Could you please go easy on me later? I don't want to get hurt."
Hearing his flippant tone, Su Yao's eyes turned cold. Then, she waved her hands, and countless petals flew out from her sleeves. These petals, seemingly delicate, actually contained powerful spiritual energy, instantly transforming into sharp blades that swept towards Liu Pengtao.
Upon seeing this, Liu Pengtao's eyes lit up. He was delighted to see that his opponent was only at the fifth stage of the Spirit Vortex Realm, and immediately shouted, "What a beautiful martial skill!"
But he was not careless at all. He quickly formed hand seals in front of him, and the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly. Then a huge, yellowish-brown rock slowly rose from the ground and stood in front of him.
The sharp petal blades struck the rock, producing a series of crisp sounds and sending sparks flying. Although the petals contained powerful spiritual energy, the rock was extremely thick, and for a time, it was impossible to break through.
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