☆, Chapter 22: Finally, the male lead was raised to adulthood (Part 2)
Jedi Valley.
The Valley of Despair actually spans seven undulating mountain ranges, covered in lush greenery. Within it, streams, waterfalls, strange rocks, secluded valleys, and towering peaks intertwine and intersect. True to its name, there are always terrains that seem to "force one into a dead end," but in the next moment, one can see a winding path leading to a way out.
From Shen Qingqiu's perspective, even if it's not used as a venue for the Immortal Alliance Conference, it's still an essential item for group adventures and home life.
The main participants were the four major cultivation sects. The Cangqiong Mountain Sect was the leader, followed by Zhaohua Temple, Tianyi Temple, and Huanhua Palace.
Of the four sects, the Azure Sky Mountain Sect is the most comprehensive, with each of its twelve peaks possessing unique strengths, making it a diverse and well-rounded group. The temples and monasteries are naturally sects of monks and Taoists, while the Illusion Flower Palace is more complex, its guiding ideology leaning towards military strategy and specializing in esoteric arts. It also has the most interaction with the secular world. While its level of magical skill is unclear, it is undoubtedly the wealthiest. At every major conference, the Illusion Flower Palace contributes the most money.
In addition, there are countless small and medium-sized sects, so the final number of people who signed up and gathered in the Valley of Despair must have been over a thousand.
The once quiet and desolate valley entrance was suddenly flooded with thousands of people. The mountain animals, who had never seen people before, were all startled out, making it lively in every sense.
The rising stars attending the event stood in neat rows, surrounding a huge natural stone platform in front of the valley.
High platforms had already been erected on all four sides of the valley entrance for cultivators not participating in the tournament to watch the battle. Colorful flags representing various sects fluttered on the platforms. The special seats for the sect leaders were on the highest level, and the Cangqiong Mountain Sect delegation, led by Yue Qingyuan, was seated on the high platform.
After Shen Qingqiu took his seat, an elderly man with white hair and an elegant demeanor, who was sitting next to him, greeted the people from Cangqiong Mountain and nodded to him, saying, "Immortal Master Shen."
The former master of the Illusion Flower Palace was also the master of Luo Binghe's biological mother. Shen Qingqiu returned the greeting with the mindset of someone observing royalty.
Soon, a disciple of the Illusionary Flower Palace stepped onto the stone platform. After all, they had contributed the most money, so it wasn't unreasonable to criticize the major shareholder for acting as the master of ceremonies. The thousand people below gradually quieted down, listening intently as he announced the details of the conference.
This person possessed profound skills and a rich, sustained breath; his voice could be heard clearly throughout the valley entrance, including from the high pavilions.
"The tournament will last for seven days. After you enter the valley, a giant barrier will be erected, covering the entire Desolate Valley. For seven days, all participants who enter the Desolate Valley will be unilaterally isolated from the outside world. They will not be able to know the situation outside, while the spectators can know the situation inside the arena through the spirit eagles that soar freely in the sky above the valley."
"More than a hundred kinds of demons have been placed in the valley, totaling nearly five thousand. For each demon you capture, you can obtain a rosary bead from it. The spiritual energy contained in the rosary beads varies greatly depending on the level of the demon. Does everyone have a golden thread strung on their wrist?"
The crowd below immediately raised their wrists in unison, displaying the gold threads adorning their wrists. It looked quite spectacular.
The emcee continued, "After obtaining the rosary, string it on the gold thread, and everyone's scores will be automatically ranked on the leaderboard here."
The ranking lists hung opposite the high platform. Although there were eight lists, in literature there is no first place, but in martial arts there is no second. Everyone's attention was naturally focused on the top one hundred on the first red list. Or even just the top ten. This is the essence of the saying, "In literature there is no first place, but in martial arts there is no second."
Finally, the disciples of the Illusion Flower Palace sternly emphasized: "Fighting and stealing prayer beads between sects are strictly prohibited! Anyone found to be fighting amongst themselves or using despicable means to steal others' prayer beads will be immediately disqualified from the conference and will be barred from participating for three sessions!"
Three terms, which is twelve years.
Among these rising stars, there are many young and inexperienced, but also quite a few seasoned veterans, scoundrels and hooligans—a mixed bag indeed. If fighting isn't prohibited, the entire event will likely descend into chaos, possibly even resulting in fatalities. Therefore, this regulation is essential.
At this moment, several female relatives of the sect leader were whispering among themselves nearby.
"Which sect's disciple is that? He's so handsome."
“That white robe really suits him; he’s no less handsome than Brother Gongyi.”
"Brother Gongyi's spiritual power is far superior; how can we compare him to him?"
Shen Qingqiu immediately recognized that they were talking about Luo Binghe, who was dressed in white and looked elegant and otherworldly in the crowd.
In fact, it wasn't just them who were peeking and talking; even among the disciples attending the meeting below the stone platform, many young girls were secretly watching Luo Binghe, their cheeks flushed.
Although their voices were kept extremely low, the cultivators present were all extraordinary individuals with exceptionally sharp senses; how could they not hear them? These young women were simply unaware that their private conversation had been overheard. Fortunately, everyone was considerate, pretending not to hear and keeping their eyes straight ahead.
To break the awkward silence, someone coughed twice and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, unlike in previous years, why don't you also do some calculations and see which new talents will emerge at this year's Immortal Alliance Conference?"
Shen Qingqiu's spirits lifted!
The "calculation" mentioned here doesn't literally mean calculating with your fingers, but rather—gambling.
To put it bluntly, it's about betting on promising rookies.
Cultivators also need a little entertainment. Besides, the bets aren't on mundane things like gold and silver, but on magical treasures, spirit stones, and even the opportunity to send disciples to study under the opposing sect. They don't actually gamble on anything truly crucial, but it's a traditional entertainment activity at the Immortal Alliance Conference.
Even the older sect leaders like Yue Qingyuan wouldn't play these games, but naturally, some people were eager to join in the fun. Before long, dozens of bets were being placed in the stands with great enthusiasm. Many people were betting on their own outstanding disciples; for example, Qi Qingqi bet on Liu Mingyan.
Shen Qingqiu didn't need to think twice and immediately bet a thousand spirit stones on Luo Binghe!
Such a grand gesture astonished everyone around.
The sect leaders were all wondering to themselves why they had never heard of Luo Binghe. It wasn't surprising; Luo Binghe was now quite humble and low-key, unwilling to take credit, and always quietly left after completing his missions, thus his reputation never truly took off. Outsiders, unaware of the reasons, simply assumed Shen Qingqiu was using this as a lucky charm to encourage his disciple.
Below the platform, the emcee, with a strong voice, finished announcing the details of the event. After the rookies took their oaths in unison, the entrance officially began.
Due to the large number of participants, twelve different entrances were set up, shuffling the sects and allowing entry in batches. The newcomers to the event stepped into the territory of the Valley of Despair with great nervousness, beginning their journey. On the high platform, the accomplished seniors, however, were leisurely chatting, exchanging tips, and even eating melon seeds.
How can outsiders know what's happening inside the Valley of the Dead?
There are hundreds of spirit eagles inside the barrier. Each eagle is controlled by specialized personnel; special crystals are inlaid in the silver rings on their claws. When soaring, they can take in everything below, projecting their images onto several crystal mirrors in front of the platform. The effect is almost comparable to surveillance equipment.
Someone beamed with joy: "As expected, Gongyi Xiao came in first as soon as he entered!"
On the red list, the top ten names were all written in gleaming gold. The first name had now changed to the three golden characters "Gongyi Xiao". It was followed by the number "twelve".
In other words, within less than half an hour of entering the venue, he eliminated twelve demons and obtained twelve prayer beads!
Even Liu Mingyan, who came in second place, only obtained six prayer beads, leaving him a gap of more than double.
The crystal mirror reflected a handsome and agile young man, whose movements were as graceful as flowing clouds and water, yet as swift as lightning, instantly annihilating the vengeful spirit before him.
Why are you so awesome!
Shen Qingqiu smiled but remained silent.
This Gongyi Xiao looks very domineering, but actually, he's just a cannon fodder like himself.
He's the quintessential example of someone who's "handsome, from a good family, highly talented, popular with girls, ambitious, and successful at a young age, but unfortunately, with the protagonist around, you're destined to become the protagonist's supporting character and cannon fodder." Despite having the most people betting on him to be the top scholar, unfortunately, he won't stay at the top for long before Luo Binghe kicks him off.
Luo Binghe's name is now ranked in the middle, with only one "1" following it.
Shen Qingqiu was not worried at all.
He knew that once midnight arrived tonight, no one would be able to withstand Luo Binghe's unstoppable momentum on the list.
At that time, a thrilling massacre, a massive upheaval, and a terrifying conspiracy were about to unfold!
The Immortal Alliance Conference, Day 1, nearing midnight.
The sky was a deep blue, and a full, golden moon hung high in the heavens. The stands were brightly lit.
Shen Qingqiu had been keeping his eyes closed and silent, seemingly deep in thought, but in reality conserving his energy. Finally, he opened his eyes. Among the several crystal mirrors, he finally found one that reflected the current situation on Luo Binghe's side.
Luo Binghe walked slowly through the forest, carrying a long sword on his back. He was spotless and showed no signs of fatigue. His eyes were like stars, as if they could pierce straight through a crystal mirror.
However, he is not alone.
Most people act alone, or with only familiar partners, or at most in groups of two or three fellow disciples. While there are certainly some extremely skilled female cultivators, overall, their strength is not as formidable, and their mental fortitude is not strong enough; often, they actually need help from others. When they do team up, it's usually with close female or senior disciples, joking and teasing each other along the way, and they generally don't form a cohesive unit. Furthermore, with so many people working together to fight monsters, how should the prayer beads obtained be divided? This is also a complex problem.
Luo Binghe, on the other hand, was accompanied by seven or eight people, all of whom were either frail women or young disciples. This situation attracted considerable attention, and some people immediately stopped looking at Gongyi Xiao's heroic figure and instead curiously scrutinized this bloated group.
Among them, the one walking closest to Luo Binghe was a disciple of the Illusion Flower Palace dressed in a light yellow robe, holding a luminous pearl to provide illumination.
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