Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 452: Registering for the Elite Competition

Tang San nodded slightly and said, "It seems it's purer now. Congratulations on your bloodline advancement, eldest brother. Before reaching the god level, you shouldn't worry about your bloodline."

Wu Bingji looked at him deeply and said, "Little Tang, you know, I understand you less and less now."

Tang San smiled. "Some things I can't explain now, but maybe one day you'll understand. But rest assured, eldest brother; everything I do is for humanity. After all, I am human."

"Yes, I believe you, and so does everyone else. So even though the things you do and say make us wonder, no one asks because we don't want to cause you trouble."

Tang San patted his shoulder and said, "Let's go back so we don't worry everyone."

"Alright." Wu Bingji had just been through a bloodline awakening thanks to the Throne of Frost and needed to stabilize his energy.

Huang Bingbing had also left, returning to the Ice Maiden clan. Tang San had already given her his contact information so they would meet again in Kali City once the Ice Maiden clan made a decision.

Wu Bingji returned to the White Tiger Hotel, but Tang San didn't go with him. Instead, he activated his Golden Roc Transformation and flew toward Kali City.

The Lion-Tiger Sword Saint couple hadn't arrived yet. They needed to hurry up if they wanted to participate in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition. Tang San planned to meet them and speed things up.

After a night of meditation, Tang San mainly recovered from the internal injuries caused by using the Great Sumeru Hammer, but his chest still ached slightly. The Great Sumeru Hammer wasn't easy to use, mainly because his physical strength and toughness were insufficient. If not for the significant enhancement of his physique by the Lion-Tiger Transformation, he wouldn't have even qualified to use the Great Sumeru Hammer at all.

Finding the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint couple wasn't difficult. Tang San also had the Lion-Tiger bloodline, so he could locate their bloodline aura through divine consciousness within a certain range. Besides, there was only one road from Kali City to the Ancestral Court.

To his surprise, the Lion-Tiger couple was faster than he had imagined; he found them after only half a day.

Tang San explained the details of the Elite Competition to the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint and shared his thoughts. Big Cat naturally agreed eagerly. He loved fighting the most. Having survived countless life-and-death battles in the Great Beast Fighting Arena, how could he fear a mere competition? Moreover, with his new and improved Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, he couldn't wait to find opponents to test the power of its first-tier bloodline.

They accelerated together, heading straight for the Ancestral Court.

Since Little Cat didn't have noble status, she couldn't enter the Ancestral Court. Tang San thought of a solution. He first entered the Ancestral Court and found the Aetherhorn Merchant Association. He asked them to help sneak Little Cat in and forge some identity documents. She wouldn't be exposed if there wasn't a comprehensive inspection.

After the auction of the array discs, the Aetherhorn Merchant Association was filled with anticipation for whatever the array master would bring out next. Tang San's request wasn't too difficult, and Xu Ziran promptly handled it.

The following day, Tang San, the Big Cat, and the Little Cat entered the Ancestral Court together.

It was the couple's first time in the ancestral court, and Tang San introduced them to some aspects of it. Seeing the many Sacred Mountains, the longing in the Big Cat's eyes was unmistakable.

He had always been ambitious, but his bloodline issues had forced him to suppress this ambition. Moreover, with his wife being seriously ill for a long time, he hadn't had the heart to think about these things.

But with Tang San's help, the Lion-Tiger bloodline evolved, the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was successfully improved, and the bloodline issue that plagued him, his wife, and his clansmen was resolved. This reignited the fire deep within him as he cultivated in Golden Valley.

So when Tang San mentioned the God-Slaying Sword, Big Cat agreed without hesitation. This was the kind of opportunity he longed for. He knew that if he relied solely on the Lion-Tiger clan, it was impossible to aspire to the level of Demon Emperor in the future. Only a strong clan could help him become a peak powerhouse.

Today was the last day to register for the Ancestral Court Elite Competition. Tang San had already had his companions find out the registration location. He rented a carriage and took them straight to the registration site without giving Big Cat and Little Cat time to rest.

The Shrek Squad naturally wouldn't participate in this competition. They had only managed to resolve the turmoil from the last team battle in the Great Beast Fighting Arena, so they couldn't easily show themselves again. Therefore, Tang San had his companions continue their cultivation on the Sacred Mountains, with only Big Cat participating in the Elite Competition this time.

The registration period for the Ancestral Court Elite Competition had been going on for a while, so by the time they arrived at the registration point, there was hardly any crowd.

The Ancestral Court Elite Competition was held in the Grand Plaza of the Ancestral Court. The Ancestral Court Council was located on the plaza's east side, making it a landmark. This highlighted the competition's importance to the Ancestral Court.

There were conditions for participating in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition; not just anyone could participate.

Having noble status was the most basic requirement. Without it, one couldn't even enter the Ancestral Court, let alone participate in the competition. Secondly, one’s bloodline had to be at least second-tier to qualify for the competition. This requirement excluded most small and medium-sized clans.

Lastly, there was a fee of one hundred naturae coins. Even powerful clans couldn’t dish out that kind of money for ordinary members.

Therefore, those representing their clans in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition were indeed elites. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a waste of money if they were eliminated in the first round.

According to the information Zhang Haoxuan had gathered, each Ancestral Court Elite Competition had about three hundred participants. This was a grand event, with the Ancestral Court specifically setting things up for these young elites. It was said that the emperors even placed private bets, one of their few ways of entertainment.

Moreover, each Elite Competition was when the emperors gave out the most tokens. When they saw talented youths, they would extend olive branches, regardless of whether they were from the same clan or not.

Today was the last day to register, and the competition would start in three days. There were no complicated round-robin formats. Just elimination matches: win and advance, lose and be eliminated. It was that simple.

As for those who were strong but met an even stronger opponent... that was too bad for them. Luck is also part of one’s strength.

And speaking of that, whenever the Ancestral Court Elite Competition was about to start, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor would order all his clan members to stay away and not interfere with the competition's luck.

The Celestial Fox clan was not skilled in combat and naturally did not participate in the Elite Competition. However, if someone managed to get a powerful Celestial Fox to enhance their luck, their chances of drawing favorable lots and winning would significantly increase. Hence, this rule was established.

No one dared to disobey the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's orders, and his descendants least of all, so the Celestial Fox clan had never interfered with the competition.

Tang San brought Big Cat to the registration site on the west side of the Grand Plaza. At this moment, the plaza was still bustling with construction work. The construction of the battle stages was close to finished; there were three giant stages over two hundred meters in diameter each, and many protective measures being put in place. This was quite an extensive project.

The registration site was now deserted; most of those who wanted to register had long since done so. It was just a small shack, practically.

Two tall males with long, fiery red hair, exuding a powerful aura, were in charge of registration.

Phoenix demons! Tang San immediately recognized their features; they appeared to be from the same clan as the Undying Demon Emperor.

Tang San wore a mask and a hood, while Big Cat only wore a hood.

They approached the registration desk, and Tang San said, "Hello, my friend wants to register for this Elite Competition."

The phoenix demon on the left looked up at the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint. When he saw Big Cat's appearance, a trace of surprise appeared on his face. "What clan are you from? Why do you look so strange?"