All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 167: The Grand Opening

Internally, this grand event was to decide the six candidates for the Heaven Book Trial. Externally, it was a competition of young talents. Not only would the legendary White Cloud House and Moon Reflection Pavilion send participants, but even the mysterious Night City and Ancient Sun-Chasing Kingdom would make appearances. As the competition was open to the public, Thunder Lord and others had shamelessly started selling tickets early on. The ticket prices were extremely high, with the proceeds used for disaster relief and reconstruction. When better to harvest these wealthy cultivators if not now? Of course, these people didn’t feel they were being fleeced at all. Being able to participate in such a high-level event was already extremely fortunate, possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Some even spent their entire fortunes to buy tickets.

The huge square, originally used for various martial arts demonstrations at the Academy, could accommodate a hundred thousand spectators, and it was finally put to good use.

As night fell, the grand competition began.

The twelve participants stood in a line on the arena, surrounded by a sea of seated spectators. On the main platform was the chief judge of this competition – Thunder Lord. With his extremely strong power and unparalleled speed, he could quickly intervene if any accidents occurred in the arena, making him the perfect judge.

On one side of the square were private boxes. These boxes offered a clear view of every move in the arena without the need to mingle with the noisy crowd. Privileges exist everywhere, at all times. The boxes naturally housed the elders and dignitaries from various forces.

Zhanyue stayed in one room with Baizhi, Holy Maiden Lixi, Nangong Weilai, and Alchemy Daoist. Alchemy Daoist’s presence was to ensure the safety of Zhanyue and Baizhi. Although this event was meant to showcase the strength of the human race and boost morale, necessary precautions couldn’t be neglected.

“Elder Alchemy Daoist is really attentive in protecting the Holy Maiden, not leaving her side even at a time like this. Ah, I had hoped to take this opportunity to ask him some questions,” a voice lamented in another private box.

“That might not be the case. The one Alchemy Daoist is protecting might not be the Holy Maiden. Didn’t you notice that boy called Zhanyue? He’s also one of the guaranteed admissions, but we don’t know much about him. I suddenly remembered a rumor from the Academy before, about a junior below the Profound Realm breaking the record of the Boundless Tower, but then disappearing without a trace. People speculated that he was taken as a disciple by some big shot and secretly protected. Now that I think about it, that person might have broken through to the Profound Realm, and could very well be that boy called Zhanyue. You didn’t notice earlier, but both the Holy Maiden girl and the Moon Reflection Pavilion’s Nangong girl seemed to revolve around him, as if he was the center. That’s quite telling,” another voice added.

This person’s observation and deduction skills were indeed extraordinary, almost guessing the truth. His voice wasn’t blocked from others, so naturally, everyone in the box could hear. Yan Baifeng, sitting in the front row of the box, smiled. She had heard about Zhanyue’s identity from Alchemy Daoist – he was the disciple of the Illumination Goddess, how could his status be ordinary? However, Alchemy Daoist and the others hadn’t made this public. The fact that Alchemy Daoist had told her privately earlier probably meant he wanted Zhanyue to establish good relations with their Green Crane Valley. Considering Zhanyue’s identity as an alchemist, Yan Baifeng instantly understood Alchemy Daoist’s intention. “He’s after the Hundred Flowers Secret Realm. Well, since he’s the Goddess’s disciple, I should give him face no matter what,” Yan Baifeng thought to herself, then turned her gaze to the huge window outside, which was designed for them to watch the competition.

The boxes were filled with big shots from various forces, many of whom hadn’t seen each other for a long time and were catching up. No one complained about how crowded the box was, after all, there weren’t many boxes to begin with, so everyone just squeezed in. The viewing stands outside were even more crowded, with a worse view than here.

“Kid, you’ll soon learn there’s always someone better out there. Your family spent a lot of money on tickets for you to watch this competition, to broaden your horizons and see true world-class geniuses. These geniuses are usually treasured and rarely appear in public. Kid, what are you looking at? Are you listening to me?” On the viewing stand, an old man smacked the head of the young man beside him.

“Grandpa… what… what did you say?” Cultivators all had excellent eyesight and could see the people on the stage clearly even from afar. Among the twelve, the one attracting the most attention was Yunyao. There was no other reason – she was too beautiful. Unlike Huang Xueqing, she didn’t conceal her appearance. Her cold, otherworldly, aloof aura was hard not to notice. Her perfect features and cold eyes seemed full of stories.

“So beautiful, such a cold woman.” This was most people’s impression of her. Moreover, she had a pair of small white wings on her back, making her look as pure as an ‘angel’. Yunyao, in her white dress, naturally became the focus of everyone. Even some of the geniuses on the stage occasionally glanced at her. However, Yunyao seemed oblivious to everything, ignoring all gazes, her eyes looking down on everything.

“This sister has such a strange temperament. I hope I don’t encounter her later,” Huang Xueqing thought to herself.

“God, these people are all so strong. Brother Feng, I’m afraid we’ll embarrass Night City,” Huan Xiaoyao, standing next to Feng Bulang, already had a bitter expression. Without even fighting, they could feel how formidable the others were. Monsters, they were all monsters, a whole row of monsters.

Feng Bulang was frowning, a change from his usual carefree attitude. He truly wanted to secure a spot. Although he appeared unrestrained on the surface, he still had the heart of a strong person. “As long as I don’t encounter those few people, I still have a chance to get a spot. Sigh, I’ll do my best and hope heaven takes pity on me.”

Tai’e from the Ancient Sun-Chasing Kingdom had the most unique attire. It was the traditional costume of the ancient kingdom, with cloth-like clothing on the upper body exposing bronze skin and strong muscles showcasing his strength. The lower body was covered in long pants with an animal skin apron. His hair was loose, held by a headband similar to the Tight-Fixing Spell, but instead of a moon at the front, his headband had a sun pattern, the symbol of the Ancient Sun-Chasing Kingdom. Around his neck was still a necklace of beast teeth. He was used to such occasions, not much different from the beast arenas in his ancient kingdom, just on a larger scale with stronger opponents.

He scanned the crowd, his eyes landing on a red-haired man who was meditating with his eyes closed. There was a faint red light at the position of his heart – it was Fan Longyu.

“This person is very strong,” Tai’e immediately noticed Fan Longyu due to his sense for strong opponents. As for beauties, not everyone in this world was as ‘obsessed with beauty’ as Zhanyue. More people were in pursuit of power.

“This woman is also very strong,” of course, even if not captivated by Yunyao’s beauty, Tai’e still felt the pressure emanating from her.

“I wonder if there are others hiding their strength,” Tai’e’s eyes were full of fighting spirit. This trip wasn’t in vain.

“Everyone!” A voice like thunder spread in all directions. Whether in the private boxes or on the stands, everyone fell silent. Thunder Lord was speaking.

“Welcome to Academy Town. This youth competition is a grand event unseen in a hundred years. Prodigies from all major forces have gathered here, showcasing the abundance of talent and the endless vitality of our human race. Earlier, due to the sudden rampage of the Nightmares, our human race suffered heavy losses. Many still live in fear and grief. But what I want to say is, the human race will not submit. We have propagated until today and are not so easily defeated!” As he spoke, a powerful aura surged from Thunder Lord’s body, piercing through the clouds and covering the entire Academy Town, demonstrating the authority of the human race’s leader. His action was like a signal, and all the human experts in Academy Town released their auras. In an instant, hundreds of powerful auras filled Academy Town, with several auras incomparably strong.

The millions of people in Academy Town were completely awed. The terrifying aura tore through the night, extending for hundreds of miles. Even some strong cultivators in neighboring cities could feel it.

The twelve standing on the arena also changed their expressions dramatically. They were geniuses, but still just geniuses. The owners of these auras were the current pillars of the human race. Each powerful aura made them yearn and ignited their desire for power.

“Everyone, this is just a small part of our human race’s strength! So why should we be pessimistic? I believe many friends have guessed that the Illumination Goddess didn’t truly die, and the recent calamity was resolved by her intervention. We have the Goddess’s protection, numerous strong cultivators, and countless prodigies. Whether in the past, present, or future, the human race will never decline!”

Thunder Lord’s words greatly encouraged everyone. Especially accompanied by these powerful auras, many people truly realized for the first time the strength of the human race. The nightmare that had been lingering in their hearts dissipated. If the human race was too weak without any chance of resistance, they would have just muddled through, but the human race had the power to resist!

“Moreover, the Myriad Spirits Realm is not just our human race. The hundred races will unite this time to face the calamity together. The Nightmares are not invincible,” Thunder Lord continued.

“Before the grand event officially begins, please all rise,” Thunder Lord suddenly said, then turned to face the direction of the Illumination Goddess statue.

“The Goddess has protected the human race for thousands of years, and then became a star to guard the mortal world. No one hasn’t benefited from the Illumination Tower, no one hasn’t received the grace of the moonlight illuminating the world. Let us express our highest respect to the Goddess!”

Everyone stood up, paying their respects towards the Goddess statue. Even Tai’e on the arena, who didn’t worship the Goddess, still admired and revered this strongest human cultivator of the past thousands of years. Above was the bright moon transformed from the Goddess, below were countless believers silently paying their respects. At this moment, Zhanyue truly realized the status of his adopted sister in the hearts of the human race in the Myriad Spirits Realm. No wonder there were Goddess statues everywhere. But he also felt somewhat rueful. The freedom his sister wanted seemed difficult to achieve. In this situation, she could never abandon the human race. Unless… the human race could become strong enough to no longer need the Illumination Goddess’s protection, no longer need the Illumination Tower, no longer need that faith to unite their strength, but truly become powerful, powerful enough to not need any god or any faith.