Chapter 93: The Selected List!

In the arena, just as the tension between the Zhang and Xu families reached a breaking point, a sharp, chilling voice rang out, wrapped in a surge of mighty spiritual power, and cut through the air with unmistakable clarity, echoing in the ears of everyone present.

As the words faded, the figure of a rather thin elder appeared before the assembled factions. A flash of golden light glinted in his eyes, and his cold, stern gaze swept slowly across the crowd, finally settling on the furious face of Xu Tianlong.

Elder Lin Qingfeng of the Azure Profound Sect.

“If you wish to cause trouble here, then be prepared to have your name stricken from Jinzhou forever!”

With these words, a terrifying storm of spiritual power erupted from the elder, sweeping out in all directions. The oppressive energy contained within was such that even those at the level of Xu Tianlong and Zhang Tai—renowned Spirit-Communing cultivators—could not help but feel a chill in their hearts.

A peak Spirit-Communing cultivator!

At this level of strength, he could easily annihilate any of the powers present single-handedly. Thus, no one doubted the authority in the old man’s words.

At last, under this overwhelming might, the grief-maddened Xu Tianlong regained a measure of reason. He cupped his fists toward Elder Lin and, suppressing his emotions, spoke:

“Elder Lin, that wretched Yang Yan used underhanded means in the Hundred Hunts, causing my son’s tragic death. I beg you to uphold justice for the Xu family!”

Hearing Xu Tianlong shamelessly turn accuser and twist the facts, a look of anger flashed across Zhang Tai’s face. He had not expected the Xu family to stoop so low.

But just as Zhang Tai was about to step forward and explain, Elder Lin let out a cold snort and shot a frosty glance at Xu Tianlong.

“Hmph. Before entering the Hundred Hunts, every participant swore a life-and-death pact. Any accident or even death that occurs during the trial is the participant’s own responsibility and has nothing to do with others. You have no evidence that your son was killed by Yang Yan. Even if he truly died by Yang Yan’s hand, it was within the rules!”

Though Elder Lin’s tone was unhurried, there was a steel in it that brooked no argument. What he said was, after all, the truth. If it had been Yang Yan who was killed instead of Xu Shaoguang, his decision would not have changed.

Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. If the rules set by the Azure Profound Sect could be changed at a whim, how could they continue to lead the families and factions of Jinzhou as the righteous path’s standard-bearer?

“You—!”

Upon hearing Elder Lin’s words, Xu Tianlong’s face twisted with rage.

Yet, even as Xu Tianlong seemed on the verge of losing control again, Elder Lin’s expression remained unchanged. In his heart, however, he had already resolved: should Xu Tianlong dare to insult the Azure Profound Sect’s authority in public, he would not hesitate to bloody him then and there.

“Patriarch!”

Several of the Xu family’s experts stepped forward, blocking the frenzied Xu Tianlong. Though the Xu family rivaled the Zhangs in strength, to defy the Azure Profound Sect was as futile as an ant trying to topple a tree.

“Leave!”

After a long moment, Xu Tianlong finally forced out a single word through clenched teeth, his gaze icy as he shot a look toward Yang Yan’s direction before abruptly turning to leave.

As he departed, the Xu family members at his side glared balefully at the Zhangs before hastily following. Thus, the farce outside the Hundred Hunts came to an end. Now it was time for the Azure Profound Sect to announce the names of the new disciples and distribute the rewards.

“This year’s entrants to the Azure Profound Sect are: Sun Zhixin, Liu Zhenqing, Yang Yan...”

As Elder Lin’s resonant voice, infused with spiritual power, rang out, each participant whose name was called felt joy blossom on their faces. For them, entering the Azure Profound Sect was a dream come true.

Yang Yan also heard several familiar names—besides Leng Yuetian, whom he had nearly killed, both Lei Fengxing and Ye Xiulan had also made it into the top one hundred.

“I emptied their soul-hunt points before, yet in just a day, they made it back into the top hundred. They do have some ability...”

As for Long Aodi, who used a Divine Shield Talisman to escape earlier, he ultimately ranked twenty-second. Clearly, his injuries from the fight with Liu Zhenqing had hindered him, so he hadn’t managed to gain many more soul-hunt points by the trial’s end.

When Elder Lin finally announced the last name, the results of the Azure Profound Sect’s selection were settled. Next came the reward ceremony.

The top ten participants of the Hundred Hunts would receive substantial rewards—martial arts manuals or magical artifacts. As one of the top three, Yang Yan had the privilege of choosing both a martial manual and a spiritual treasure.

Among the rewards presented by the Azure Profound Sect, there were indeed some exceptional items. In fact, the prizes for the top three included a low-grade Profound-class martial manual.

When it came to choosing the martial manual, both Sun Zhixin, who ranked first, and Liu Zhenqing, second, yielded the privilege to Yang Yan. They knew full well that their high ranking was due in large part to Yang Yan holding off Leng Yuetian at the last moment.

Faced with their courtesy, Yang Yan did not stand on ceremony. After perusing the scrolls for a while, he selected an intermediate Yellow-class martial manual.

Of course, Yang Yan was no fool. The reason he chose this particular manual was that it was a movement technique.

The usefulness of a movement technique had been made abundantly clear to Yang Yan during his battle with Leng Yuetian. The latter’s bizarre agility had nearly overwhelmed Yang Yan at the outset, leaving him flustered and on the back foot.

Had Leng Yuetian not grown overconfident, exhausting his spiritual power with his Sword Art and then suffering a soul shock from Yang Yan’s Soul-Devouring Mark, he might well have escaped. With only his “Shadow Step,” a common-world technique, Yang Yan would have had trouble stopping him.

Given his current third-layer Sense Spirit cultivation, a high-grade Yellow-class attack manual was most suitable; besides, he had not yet mastered the final mark of the “Three Shattering Seals.” To overreach for a Profound-class manual would be unwise. Even if he succeeded, he might not be able to unleash its true power.

This was not to say the Profound-class manual was inferior, but rather that with his current reserves of spiritual power, Yang Yan would struggle to unleash more than a fraction of its might.

After choosing his martial manual, Yang Yan then selected a high-grade defensive spiritual artifact: the “Mysterious Ice Chainmail.”

The “Blue Scale Soft Armor” he had worn in his battle with Leng Yuetian had been pierced, resulting in some injuries.

As his strength grew, so too did the power of his foes. Clearly, the low-grade armor would struggle to withstand attacks such as Leng Yuetian’s Fourfold Annihilation Sword Art.

The defensive artifact Xu Shaoguang had worn seemed superior, but after killing him, Yang Yan did not take it. The thought of wearing something a dead man—especially one he so deeply despised—had worn filled him with a sense of revulsion and unease.

As for offensive artifacts, with the “Moonshadow Frostblade” in his possession, Yang Yan had little interest in the rest. Thus, the “Mysterious Ice Chainmail” was the optimal choice for him.

Once Yang Yan had made his selections, Liu Zhenqing and Sun Zhixin soon completed their own. Judging by the delight on their faces, it was clear they too were well satisfied with their rewards.