Zi Yan's tone also took on a noticeable reverence as he said, 'Your guess shouldn't be false, master. Of course, we can't ever know the personal affairs of the Supreme Elders. But there is a strong rumor that goes around, one that no Supreme Elder dares to suppress. That is, Elder Xi instantly defeated Supreme Elder Gao in one move while they were in the same minor boundary. Furthermore, Elder Xi was at the beginning of her minor boundary while Elder Gao was actually at the peak! No Supreme Elders would speak out to confirm its truth. But at the same time, no Supreme Elder will deny the results of the event. Master's best bet to have an unbreakable position, to where even the other direct disciple will be a bit wary around you, is through Elder Xi.'
'I see...' Cain was becoming more eager by the second. A person like Elder Xi would be the best kind of ally to have.
Even if it is just a rumor, there are factual claims of Supreme Elders being subtly suppressed by only Elder Xi. It can be inferred that she is heavily decisive and headstrong. No matter if they are her colleagues, she won't hesitate to stand her ground.
Cain needs that kind of backing. Elder Xi would even be helpful when he and Amber want to go back home, find Kali, and later ascend to higher realms.
The fact that Elder Xi has this supposed enigmatic and mysterious personality didn't disturb Cain's mind.
N0 v el Next. CoM
Given what Zi Yan said, this would most likely be the first time Elder Xi is coming to the direct disciple selection competition.
p Cloudsea Holy Land has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. There have been numerous direct disciple selections, no matter how rare the competition occurs.
If so, why would Elder Xi suddenly come out now than in previous years?
Cain knew he would have to be insanely dense to not know her stirring had to be because of him and Amber. Her main focus would be on their performance. So, obviously, Cain was determined to make sure Elder Xi's efforts weren't wasted.
After exchanging one last instruction with Zi Yan, Cain cut off the connection. He then ignited one last contact ring.
His mind connected to Ji Yan's and Cain spoke first. 'Martial sister. I know you have your own thoughts about this, but I believe you should join the competition tomorrow. Even if you can't reach the top, it will still be a good experience for you. And if any disciple wants to unnecessarily target you, they will be taken care of by us.'
Jin Ya's line was silent for a moment, most likely controlling a stir of emotions. She heaved a sigh, saying, 'I really don't deserve such graciousness, Marital brother. I would rather prove my worth through diligent hard work. But I'm also not a fool. Since you have such faith in me, I won't let down your expectations. I shall go and prepare myself now.'
Without waiting, Jin Ya cut off the connection herself.
Her earnestness in all of her words and actions greatly amused Cain. Even he didn't expect much from Jin Ya. But if she can surprise him, then he's all for it.
Amber gently smiled at Cain's expression. She can already guess what was discussed.
"So you managed to get Jin Ya on with us guessing from that smile. But more than that, you must've received some critical news on the Elders coming, right?"
"Indeed." Cain nodded and went into what was discussed specifically.
After a short briefing, Amber actually held a slight gaze of apprehension in her eyes. "So that Elder is a terrifying force, huh? If we can meet her, she would be the strongest person we've seen so far. A person who stands at the very top of our universe. Hmm...even I can't deny this tingle of anticipation."
Cain lightly chuckled. "I'm glad you starting to see it my way, even if it's only a bit. Alright, let's relax and meditate in our best condition. It will be a long day for both of us."
As a Dao Couple, Cain and Amber really were lucky to be in sync with each other.
The duo casually got close to each other, combing their bodies for relaxation and pleasure. Small moments like this will always give them a different sense of soulful bliss.
Although, in the back of both Cain and Amber's minds, the intimidating thought about Supreme Elder Xi had never left.
...
The Cloudsea Holy Land has numerous areas and quarters fitted for numerous situations. Some areas are used far more than others, such as the battle arena, mission quarters, or residency quarters. Anyone would be able to visit these areas.
But there were areas where it would only be open for a specific period of time.
On this day, one of these closed-off areas has been open.
The general environment of this area wasn't too different from the rest of Cloudsea.
Seas of cloud that exuded luminous Dao runes flowed through the space. Compared to other areas, these clouds' Dao runes shined a harsher energy light. Looking into the energy light would cause less talented cultivators to fall into an enlightened trance.
But the main attraction wasn't the harsh cloud runes. Rather, it was the enormous celestial mountain at the very center of the sea of clouds.
This celestial mountain had a size and width far surpassing most other areas in Cloudsea Holy Land. Even the largest mortal country wouldn't be able to compare to the size of this celestial mountain!
Furthermore even more, mysterious energy runes pattered all over the celestial mountain.
Greater sensations of the Great Dao flowed out into the atmosphere, creating an unforgettable impression on whoever is in the general vicinity.
Many lower realm cultivators wouldn't know how to exactly describe the sensation of the Great Dao.
Boundless, ancient, mysterious, all-encompassing, unfathomable, these words couldn't even begin to describe the true sensations of the Great Dao.
Dozens of miles away, an enormous group of Cloudsea members has gathered. These people range from outer, inner, and core disciples. To also Divine Ruler and Holy King Elders.
Though these thousands of people were far away from the celestial mountain, the sensation of the Great Dao still swirled throughout their Spiritual Sea.
Everyone felt genuinely enlightened. If they had a chance to cultivate for some time here, many believed they could easily break through their current bottlenecks.
Every single member here was a cut above the average masses of cultivators. Yet, all of them, even Holy King Elders, were heavily affected by the mere pulsation of the celestial mountain.
At this time, everyone's attention wasn't even on the celestial mountain. Rather, it was on an enormous light projection at the top of the celestial mountain.
On the light projection, it showed dozens of disciples at the base of the mountain, eagerly awaiting for the competition to begin.
The surrounding audience had already erupted into fervent discussions while waiting for the competition to begin.
"This year's selection competition will be intense! Every Senior Martial sibling is throwing their weight into the ring. Honestly, I still believe Senior Martial Brother Wei will be one of the top contenders in this competition. His Sun Concept makes him nearly unrivaled among all half-step Divine Rulers."
"That's too much of an overplay. While Senior Martial Brother Wei is very talented, so are the others. There's still Senior Martial Brother Bo with his silent Sword Laws. And we can't forget about the young Lightning Lords. Their progress is truly frightening!"
"Oh, yeah. Both Senior Martial Brother Tao and Senior Martial Sister Wen got so much more powerful. Senior Martial Brother Wei doesn't even dare to claim he's absolutely invincible at the number one spot after their latest duels. The young Lightning Lords are almost guaranteed to be near the top!"
"And to think...they progress so quickly after meeting Martial Brother Lee..."
It wasn't known who exactly said it, but when Cain's fake name was brought up, a shiver spread throughout the disciples. Many simply didn't feel like discussing the possibilities of either Cain or Amber. The other disciples are a legitimate toss-up on who will come out on top. While Cain and Amber's results were inevitable.
"It's not going to be if they can match Senior Martial Brother Wei, but just how far the disparity grew after so many weeks. Nobody saw those two after they went into close-door training..."
At this time, several hundred meters directly below the base of the celestial mountain were every challenger disciple.
The number of challenger disciples wasn't a large amount. Only a few hundred had decided to show up.
Though this was an opportunity of a lifetime, people had to be realistic about this competition.
This was an event for only geniuses among geniuses. It wasn't enough to only be a special type of genius. One needs to go over and beyond if one wants to stand out to the Supreme Elders.
Hence, the tests that will be given today will be incomparably brutal. The disciples here all have a reasonable amount of confidence in themselves.
None of them come to embarrass themselves, but to secure a spot for themselves at the top rankings.
These disciples range from outer, inner, and core rankings. But no matter the selection they hail from, every disciple here would be able to make a grand name for themselves in the outside world.
These hundreds of disciples had split off into groups. Nearly everyone has their own factions or alliances that have strong ties with each other.
Only a few were loners. But nobody would underestimate these loners as they have their own set of great skills and hidden talents.
Nove l B(in).C OM
While the arrangement of the disciples may seem standard, there was actually a subtle divide between them and the ones who stood at the front of the pack.
Several powerful half-step Divine Rulers stood near the front. Each of them exuded their own unique, unfathomable presence that rippled with a confusing mist of Law energy principles.
Not a single person here will dare to underestimate anyone of these half-step Divine Rulers. As they were all the very top-ranking Core disciples!
The one standing slightly farther than them all was Sun Wei.
At Sun Wei's side was a quiet, yet dangerous-looking young man. His very pupils didn't just glint, but an actual gray glow flowed out of them.
The gray glow radiated a terrifyingly sharp presence. Anyone who dares to look this man in the eyes would feel as if they were pressing themselves into a deadly sword.
The man's natural presence had the same terrifying sword pressure amplified by numerous degrees.
He was 3rd ranked of the Core disciples, Jin Bo.
Unlike everyone else, Jin Bo was a bit special. He couldn't hide his blatant dislike at all. His eyes glowered with maliciousness as he watched three other disciples stand at the very front of the pack.