Chapter 18: The Imperial Martial Tournament, the Sovereign Ring of Dragon-Gate, and the Clash of Central Geniuses
The morning sun over Chang’an did not merely illuminate the metropolis; it set the entire sky ablaze with streaks of iridescent violet and molten silver.
Long before the three hundred bronze bells of the Imperial Palace Archipelago chimed for dawn, the five-hundred-thousand-seat Imperial Martial Arena was already packed to total capacity. The terrifying, historic events of the previous dayāthe sudden rise of Lin Chen, his effortless creation of a Flawless-Grade Ninth-Ring Divine Pill, and his absolute, single-handed obliteration of Grand Elder Yin Fearlessāhad swept through the seven continental dynasties like a fiery celestial tempest.
In every tea house, martial guild, and noble estate across the three-hundred-mile capital, only one name was spoken: Lin Chen of the Lin-Su Alliance.
Now, as the morning wind swept across the three-mile-wide floating white marble stage, the heavy bronze chains anchored to the surrounding peaks hummed with immense, vibrant energy. The central stage had been reconfigured by the imperial grand array masters. The twelve alchemy platforms were gone, replaced by a single, colossal arena known as the Sovereign Ring of Dragon-Gate.
Surrounding this vast ring was a towering, semi-transparent barrier forged from the Fourth-Rank Celestial Star Array, designed specifically to absorb and dissipate shockwaves capable of leveling small mountain ranges.
High on the sovereign front tier, Lin Chen sat comfortably on his carved white-jade throne.
He wore a fresh, immaculate robe of snow-white silk, accented with intricate embroidery of gold-and-silver dragon scales along the high collar and wide cuffs. His long, dark hair was tied back with a simple purple jade pin, leaving a few soft locks to frame his calm, strikingly handsome face.
Beside him sat Su Qingyao, her ice-blue robes shimmering like frosted glass in the morning sun, her hand resting gracefully on the hilt of her Nine-Ice sword. Huang Yanyan leaned slightly toward Lin Chen, her crimson silk dress radiating a faint, alluring scent of rare wild orchids as she fanned herself lazily with her lace fan. Behind them stood Zhao Ling, her hand firmly on her greatsword, her sharp eyes scanning the crowds with unyielding vigilance.
To their left, Princess Li Zhaoyang sat at the head of the Grand Tang delegation, flanked by twelve high imperial ministers and thirty Golden Core commanders.
As the final chime of the grand bronze bells echoed across the sky, a tall, imposing figure stepped out from the central royal pavilion. He was dressed in magnificent golden dragon armor, his long silver hair flowing down his back, radiating the deep, majestic pressure of a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Master.
This was General Li Tiangang, the Grand Marshal of the Grand Tang Empire and chief referee of the tournament!
General Li Tiangang raised his right hand, and the roaring chatter of half a million spectators died down into a tense, breathless quiet.
“By royal decree of His Imperial Majesty!” General Li Tiangangās voice boomed like continuous rolling thunder across the vast amphitheater. “The Young Geniuses Martial Tournament of the Grand Central Immortals’ Gathering hereby commences!”
He swept his sharp eyes across the surrounding high platforms, where the top young geniuses of the Seven Dynasties and ancient sanctuaries were seated.
“The rules are absolute!” General Li Tiangang declared. “All participants must be under thirty years of age. Combat is strictly confined within the Celestial Star Array barrier. Victory is declared by surrender, ring-out, or total incapacitation! The top three victors shall be granted immediate entry into the Primordial Dragon Realm to absorb the sacred dragon-vein spirit liquor!”
A wave of intense, burning excitement rippled through the young geniuses across the arena! The Primordial Dragon Realm! It was a legendary opportunity that could shorten thirty years of arduous cultivation into a single day!
“The tournament shall proceed by open challenge!” General Li Tiangang roared, his arm sweeping toward the three-mile marble stage. “Whosoever possesses the courage to claim the ring, step forward!”
SWISH!
Before General Liās voice had even finished echoing, a sharp, piercing sound sliced through the atmospheric barrier!
A streak of blinding, icy-blue light shot out from the delegation platform of the Northern Frost Empire, landing onto the center of the white marble stage with absolute, weightless grace!
When the blue light dispersed, a young man in silver scale-armor holding a long, double-edged ice spear stood erect. His skin was pale as mountain snow, his hair silver-white, and his eyes burned with a cold, ruthless arrogant light.
He was Prince Han Dong of the Northern Frost Empireāa Fourth-Level Golden Core Master at merely twenty-four years of age, widely hailed as the number one spear genius of the northern territories!
Han Dong raised his icy spear, pointing the glinting tip directly at the Lin-Su Alliance platform, his voice dripping with freezing frost:
“Han Dong of the Northern Frost Empire claims the first ring!” he shouted arrogantly. “I hear the Lin-Su Alliance boasts unmatched talent! Lin Chen! You destroyed an old man whose core was already decaying with age, yet you dare posture like a sovereign! Step down here and face my spear, or send out your subordinates if you are afraid!”
The crowd gasped in excitement!
“Prince Han Dong! The Ice-Spear Sovereign of the North!”
“He reached the Fourth Level of the Golden Core Realm two months ago! His Frost-Dragon Spear Technique can freeze an entire river in three breaths!”
“Is he directly challenging Lin Chen?!”
On the Lin-Su Alliance platform, Lin Chen didn’t even bat an eye. He calmly took a sip of his warm tea, a subtle, amused smile playing on his lips.
Beside him, Su Qingyao gently set down her teacup. Her cold, ice-blue eyes shifted toward Han Dong on the stage below, her voice soft and tranquil as falling snow:
“He speaks of frost… before the ice.”
She looked at Lin Chen, her lips curving into a gentle, loving smile. “Husband, allow me to handle this noisy northern prince.”
Lin Chen looked into her clear eyes and smiled warmly. “Go, Qingyao. Show the Central Continent the absolute path of the sword.”
“Yes,” Su Qingyao replied softly.
She stood up. Her movement was so fluid, so smooth, that her pristine ice-blue robes seemed to flow like liquid moonlight.
She did not leap. She did not use explosive spiritual energy.
With a single, effortless step, her figure blurred slightly, appearing floating ninety feet above the center of the arena stage! She drifted downward like a solitary, beautiful snow-flake, her white cloth shoes landing without making a single sound on the white marble floor, thirty yards opposite Prince Han Dong!
The half a million spectators held their breath!
Su Qingyao stood straight and tall, her slender frame radiating an untouchable, pristine elegance. Her left hand held the sheath of her Nine-Ice Sword, while her right hand rested loosely at her side. Her long, silky black hair fluttered in the mountain breeze, and her face was calm, cold, and flawless as carved polar jade.
Han Dong looked at Su Qingyao, a sneer twisting his pale face.
“A woman?” Han Dong laughed coldly, shaking his spear so that ice crystals sprayed into the air. “Lin Chen hides behind his women while sending a Third-Level Golden Core girl to die? Miss Su, you are undeniably beautiful, but my spear knows no chivalry! Leave the stage now before I mark that pretty face with cold steel!”
Su Qingyao looked at Han Dong as if looking at a speck of dust on a road.
“Draw your weapon,” she said softly. Her voice contained no anger, no bravadoāonly an absolute, terrifying coldness that made the temperature inside the arena barrier drop instantly by ten degrees!
“Arrogant bitch!” Han Dong roared, his face darkening with rage!
BOOM!
Han Dong slammed his silver boots against the stone floor! His Fourth-Level Golden Core energy erupted in its absolute fullness! A massive, two-hundred-foot phantom of a roaring Frost Dragon formed behind his back, its icy scales crackling with lethal, sub-zero energy!
“Northern Imperial Spear: Frost Dragon Pierces the Heavens!“
Han Dong transformed into a blinding beam of silver-blue light, shooting forward at three times the speed of sound! The tip of his ice spear unleashed three thousand razor-sharp frost-needles, locking onto every single opening in Su Qingyaoās body!
The speed was so blinding, the frost energy so suffocating, that over half the spectators couldn’t even track his movements with their spiritual sense!
Yet, Su Qingyao did not move a single inch.
She did not draw her sword. She did not summon a protective shield.
She simply waited until the tip of Han Dongās spear was merely three inches from her throat!
Thenā
CLINK.
A sound as delicate as a drop of water hitting a frozen lake echoed across the stage.
Su Qingyaoās right thumb gently pushed the guard of her Nine-Ice Sword upward by half an inch!
A single, razor-thin line of pure, white moonlight blade-aura flashed in the air!
WHOOSH!
The two-hundred-foot Frost Dragon phantom, the three thousand frost-needles, and the terrifying momentum of Han Dongās Fourth-Level Golden Core energy vanished instantlyālike a candle flame blown out by a mountain storm!
STRIKE!
Han Dongās silver spear snapped in half with a crisp CRACK!
Before he could even comprehend what had happened, an unimaginable, absolute force of freezing blade-intent slammed into his chest armor, shattering the silver scale-plates into thousands of tiny, frosted splinters!
“AAAGHH!”
Han Dong let out a sharp cry as he was sent flying backward across the three-mile stage like a broken kite, his body tumbling uncontrollably across the marble floor before crashing violently against the Celestial Star Array barrier two miles away!
THUD!
Han Dong slid down to the base of the barrier, coughing up a mouthful of frozen, blue-tinted blood. His chest armor was completely ruined, and his arms and torso were covered in a layer of deep, unbreakable frost that locked his meridians in place! He lay there, twitching weakly, his eyes wide with absolute, horrified shock, completely unable to stand back up!
The entire Imperial Martial Arena fell into a dead, absolute silence!
One strike!
She didn’t even pull her sword fully out of its sheath! A single half-inch unsheathing of her blade had shattered a Fourth-Level Golden Core princeās weapon, destroyed his defensive treasure, and knocked him out cold in less than a tenth of a second!
Su Qingyao gently pressed her thumb back down, locking her Nine-Ice Sword into its sheath with a soft CLICK.
She did not look at the fallen Han Dong. She slowly turned around, her ice-blue robes swaying gracefully as she walked back toward the Lin-Su Alliance platform, her voice drifting calmly across the silent arena:
“Next.”
CHEERS! BOOM!
The half a million spectators erupted into a wild, thunderous frenzy!
“ONE STRIKE! SHE DEFEATED PRINCE HAN DONG IN ONE STRIKE!”
“She didn’t even draw her sword completely! What kind of monster is she?!”
“The Lin-Su Alliance… even their women are this terrifyingly strong?!”
On the Northern Frost Empire platform, two elders quickly rushed down to retrieve the frozen, unconscious Prince Han Dong, their faces pale as death, not daring to utter a single word of complaint!
High on the royal pavilion, General Li Tiangangās eyes flashed with profound amazement as he looked at Su Qingyaoās retreating figure. That sword intent… it was completely pure! No wasted energy, no hesitation! She has reached the realm of Sword Heart Unity!
He quickly raised his voice, clearing his throat: “First match victor… Su Qingyao of the Lin-Su Alliance!”
As Su Qingyao smoothly stepped back onto the platform and took her seat beside Lin Chen, Lin Chen handed her a fresh cup of warm tea, smiling warmly. “Flawless execution, Qingyao.”
Su Qingyao took the cup, her cold demeanor instantly melting into a soft, beautiful smile as her eyes met his. “Thank you, Husband.”
Before the crowd’s cheers could subside, another powerful figure stood up from the delegation platform of the Imperial Sun Sanctuary!
Even though their Grand Elder Yin Fearless had been killed yesterday, the sanctuary still possessed immense foundation. Standing up now was their number one core discipleāSun Yutian, the nephew of the deceased Grand Elder and the renowned First Genius of the Sun Sanctuary!
Sun Yutian was twenty-seven years old, a Fifth-Level Golden Core Master, dressed in a blazing red-and-gold martial tunic. His skin was bronze, his eyes burned with golden fire, and he carried a massive, six-foot golden broadsword on his back that radiated intense, scorching heat!
BOOM!
Sun Yutian leaped from his platform, slamming onto the center of the arena stage like a falling meteor, cracking the marble floor beneath his boots!
He drew his six-foot golden broadsword, pointing it directly at the Lin-Su Alliance platform, his face twisted in psychotic, bloodthirsty hatred!
“Lin Chen!” Sun Yutian screamed, his voice amplified by golden fire energy. “You murdered my uncle! You humiliated my sanctuary! Do you think sending a woman to win one match makes your alliance invincible?! Today, I, Sun Yutian, challenge the Lin-Su Alliance to a Life-and-Death Match! Send out your next fighter, or come down yourself and pay for my uncleās life!”
The crowd gasped again! A Life-and-Death Match! That meant the rules against killing were completely suspended within the arena barrier!
Lin Chen casually leaned back against his throne, taking a slow sip of his tea.
Before he could speak, Huang Yanyan let out a light, melodious chuckle that sounded like silver chimes swinging in a gentle breeze.
She slowly stood up from her seat, her voluptuous, perfect figure highlighted by her clinging crimson silk dress. She unfolded her red lace fan with a crisp CLACK, resting it lightly beneath her chin as her crimson eyes looked down at Sun Yutian with amused, feline delight.
“A Life-and-Death Match?” Huang Yanyan purred, her voice soft, sweet, and laced with an irresistible, hypnotic charm. “My, my… such a fiery young man. Husband… he’s shouting so loudly, he’s giving me a headache. May I go down and quiet him down forever?”
Lin Chen looked at her mischievous, alluring face and chuckled softly. “Do not play with your food too long, Yanyan.”
“I promise to be quick, Husband,” Huang Yanyan winked playfully.
SWISH!
Huang Yanyan stepped off the platform!
Unlike Su Qingyao’s cold, moonlight-like movement, Huang Yanyan transformed into a swirling cloud of brilliant crimson rose petals and red starlight! The petals drifted lazily through the air, reassembling into her gorgeous, seductive figure directly in the center of the stage, twenty yards from Sun Yutian!
The male cultivators among the half a million spectators held their breath, their eyes wide as they stared at Huang Yanyanās breathtaking, enchanting beauty!
Sun Yutian sneered, his golden broadsword surging with thick, blazing solar fire!
“Another woman!” Sun Yutian barked savagely. “Lin Chen is truly a coward! Girl, you are the daughter of the Huang Merchant Family! You think your little charm arts and family wealth can stand against my Fifth-Level Solar Core?! I will chop you into three pieces and send them back to Lin Chen in a box!”
Huang Yanyan gently covered her mouth with her red lace fan, letting out a soft, pitying sigh.
“Fifth-Level Solar Core?” Huang Yanyan murmured, her crimson eyes suddenly flashing with a deep, ancient, terrifying crimson light! “Little boy… do you even know what true fire is?”
BOOM!
Huang Yanyan lightly snapped her red lace fan shut!
In that exact split second, her Third-Level Golden Core cultivation base eruptedānot with normal spiritual energy, but with a horrifying, divine aura of Nine-Divine Crimson Phoenix Fire!
A colossal, three-hundred-foot phantom of a magnificent, ancient Crimson Phoenix materialized in the sky above her head! Its wings spanned half a mile, composed of concentrated, absolute crimson flames that turned the sky red as blood!
The scorching heat unleashed by Huang Yanyan’s Crimson Phoenix Fire was ten times hotter than Sun Yutianās solar fire! The white dragon-vein marble floor within five hundred yards of her instantly melted into liquid, glowing magma!
“WHAT?!” Sun Yutianās jaw dropped in absolute, cosmic horror! His Fifth-Level solar broadsword began to melt in his hands, the golden steel turning into red liquid drops under the sheer, suffocating heat of her phoenix flames! “THIS… THIS IS A DIVINE PHOENIX BLOODLINE?!”
“Die, little ant,” Huang Yanyan smiled sweetly.
She lightly waved her fan forward.
WHOOSH!
The three-hundred-foot Crimson Phoenix let out a deafening, celestial screech and plunged straight down toward Sun Yutian!
“NO! I CONCā”
Sun Yutianās desperate scream was cut off instantly!
BOOM!
The Crimson Phoenix swallowed Sun Yutian whole!
There was no drawn-out battle. There was no exchange of blows. Within less than half a second, Sun Yutianās Fifth-Level Golden Core body, his six-foot golden broadsword, and his protective high-grade artifacts were completely, utterly VAPORIZED into thin ash, leaving not even a single drop of blood behind on the molten stage!
The crimson fire dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a twenty-yard crater of white-hot liquid glass where Sun Yutian had been standing seconds ago!
Huang Yanyan gracefully snapped her fan open, fanning herself lightly with a sweet, innocent smile on her beautiful face.
She turned her head toward the Imperial Sun Sanctuary platform, where the remaining disciples were screaming in total, psychotic panic.
“Is there anyone else from the sanctuary who wishes to quiet my headache?” Huang Yanyan asked softly, her voice full of gentle, deadly sweetness.
Not a single sanctuary disciple dared to move. Five elders fainted on the spot, while the rest scrambled backward in absolute, terrified chaos!
General Li Tiangang wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling slightly as he announced:
“Victor… Huang Yanyan of the Lin-Su Alliance!”
The arena spectators were beyond shockedāthey were completely terrified!
Two matches! Two young geniuses from top continental factions! Defeated in a single strike each by two women from the Lin-Su Alliance!
“Monsters… they are all monsters!”
“Who can possibly fight against the Lin-Su Alliance?!”
“Where did Lin Chen find such terrifying wives?!”
Huang Yanyan floated back to the platform, sitting next to Lin Chen and leaning her head affectionately against his shoulder. “Husband… I kept my promise. Quick and clean.”
Lin Chen smiled, gently stroking her face. “Well done, Yanyan.”
At that moment, from the highest, grandest platform belonging to the Imperial Great Chen Dynastyāthe number one military power among the Seven Dynastiesāa tall, shadowy figure slowly rose from his golden throne.
The entire arena quieted down instantly as every eye turned toward this figure!
He was a young man in dark purple royal robes embroidered with nine golden five-clawed dragons. He had sharp, sword-like eyebrows, deep dark eyes that held an air of absolute, supreme domination, and a long, pitch-black dark-iron spear slung casually across his back.
This was Prince Chen Tianfengāthe Crown Prince of the Great Chen Dynasty, widely recognized as the Number One Young Genius of the Central Divine Continent!
At merely twenty-eight years of age, he had reached the incredible, terrifying realm of the Peak Seventh-Level Golden Core Realm, possessing the legendary Sovereign Dragon Body!
Chen Tianfeng did not leap. He slowly stepped forward into the air, stepping casually across the sky until he stood floating above the center of the arena stage, three hundred yards opposite Lin Chen.
His deep, powerful voice echoed across the five-hundred-thousand-seat arena like an imperial decree:
“Miss Su and Lady Huang possess truly extraordinary talents,” Chen Tianfeng admitted calmly, his eyes cold and majestic. “However… this tournament is ultimate a contest for the supreme seat.”
Chen Tianfeng narrowed his dark eyes, locking his intense, dominating gaze directly onto Lin Chen!
“Lin Chen!” Chen Tianfeng called out, his voice shaking the atmospheric barrier. “Your wives have shown their strength. Now… step into the ring and let me see if you, the young master of the Lin-Su Alliance, have the right to stand at the top of the Central Divine Continent!”
The crowd went completely wild!
“PRINCE CHEN TIANFENG IS CHALLENGING LIN CHEN!”
“The Number One Genius of the Continent versus the Sovereign Young Master of the East!”
“THIS IS THE FINAL SHOWDOWN!”
Lin Chen looked at Chen Tianfeng floating in the high sky.
He slowly set down his silver wine cup. A magnetic, sovereign smile appeared on his handsome face.
Lin Chen stood up from his white-jade throne. His pristine white-and-gold silk robes fluttered gently in the mountain wind as he took a single step forward into the open sky!
SWISH!
In a gentle ripple of folding spatial starlight, Lin Chenās figure vanished from the platform, reappearing instantly thirty yards opposite Prince Chen Tianfeng, standing calmly in the high sky without a single trace of spiritual fluctuation!
The ultimate final battle of the Grand Central Immortals’ Gathering… was about to begin!
[End of Chapter 18]
