Chapter 51: The Profound Martial City Tournament of Prodigies (Part 4)

Meanwhile, on the Heaven Spirit Realm battlefield.

Through the Mirrorless Gate, everyone could see that the Heaven Spirit battlefield was far more intense than the Yuan Dan Realm battlefield. Although there were fewer participants here than in the Yuan Dan realm, the number still exceeded ten thousand. Every Heaven Spirit contestant was seen giving their all to fight for rankings. Perhaps due to a higher level of cultivation, the battles lasted longer, and at this very moment, well over half of the Heaven Spirit contestants remained within the battlefield.

Just like the Yuan Dan Realm battlefield, many contestants here traveled in groups. Even so, defeating a high-level Yuan Dan expert was no easy task. One must remember that anyone able to come to Black Tortoise City to participate possessed at least some background; otherwise, it would have been impossible to reach the Heaven Spirit realm before the age of fifteen.

To ensure their disciples emerged victorious, the sects and family factions of these contestants had spared no expense, preparing a vast array of contingency measures. Not only were they heavily subsidized with medicinal pills, but they were also equipped with various defensive items such as protective armor, defensive talismans, and puppets. Initially, Liao Chen had assumed puppets were prohibited, but seeing many people pull them out made him understand why the Myriad Treasures Pavilion did not ban their use. Under a joint siege by others, a lone individual had almost zero chance of victory. However, with the reinforcement of puppets, one did not need to fear even multiple opponents joining forces.

Of course, the Heavenly Origin battlefield did not permit attack or defense items exceeding the Heavenly Origin realm; otherwise, it would be considered cheating, and the offender would be directly teleported out of the competition arena. As for one's own cultivation surpassing the Heavenly Origin realm, that was not restricted by the rules. After all, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's purpose in holding the Grand Tournament of Proud Talents was to select peerless prodigies, so natural geniuses were naturally unrestricted.

Liao Chen and the others were extremely satisfied to see Jiang Qian display her divine might on the Heavenly Origin battlefield. Even without suppressing her cultivation, it would not be easy for others to defeat her. Once she deployed the Heavenly Dao Formation, not a single opponent she encountered was capable of putting up a fight.

Soon, Jiang Qian's great name spread across the Heavenly Origin battlefield, earning her the moniker "Formation Demonic Maiden." Jiang Qian herself disliked this title, feeling she deserved a much more pleasant alias. Thus, she gave herself the domineering nickname "Venerable Master of the Formation Dao." At first, others thought this was simply a display of arrogance—how could the title of Venerable Master of the Formation Dao be taken so casually?—and consequently, many Heaven Spirit contestants came to challenge her.

In the spectator stands, the onlookers were very curious about this young girl who called herself the Venerable Master of the Formation Dao, wondering if she truly lived up to such a formidable title. Soon, challengers appeared one by one. Luo Hou, a disciple of the Formation Heaven Sect, sought out Jiang Qian and said bluntly, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I am Luo Hou of the Formation Heaven Sect, well-versed in the path of formations. Please enlighten me!"

Jiang Qian kindly warned, "Fellow Daoist Luo, you may challenge me, but do you know the price of failure?"

Luo Hou replied, "Isn't it just the ranking rewards? I, Luo Hou, do not care about those!"

"Very well, in that case, let us begin!" As soon as Jiang Qian's voice fell, the formation in her hands began to take shape, a sight that left her opponent, Luo Hou, utterly astonished.

In his view, no one could casually construct formations on the spot. Even high-level formation experts like the sect masters and elders of his own sect could not set up formations with such casual ease.

"Doesn't setting up a formation require formation stones and formation seals? How on earth did she do it? This defies all logic. I have never heard of anyone being able to directly conjure formations out of thin air!"

Just as Luo Hou was still pondering the problem, Jiang Qian reminded him once more, "Fellow Daoist Luo, if you dawdle any longer, this Venerable Master will stop holding back!"

Out of courtesy to her opponent, Jiang Qian had not rushed to attack, choosing instead to watch Luo Hou set up his formation. The moment her opponent painstakingly completed his setup, Jiang Qian immediately launched her offensive.

"Heavenly Dao Formation, Eight Directions Annihilation!"

Suddenly, formation arrays began to materialize all over the sky. Previously, these formations had been faint and flickering, with only two or three visible at most. But now, as many as several dozen formations could be seen by outsiders. As the formations pressed downward, they descended from the heavens like massive fishing nets. Luo Hou had set up three formations, yet they completely shattered in less than ten seconds under Jiang Qian's assault.

Boom, boom, boom!

Amidst deafening explosions, the formations continuously broke apart. Finally, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure, Luo Hou had no choice but to forfeit and exit.

With Luo Hou's withdrawal, Jiang Qian's mastery of the formation path won the praise of the spectators, yet many contestants still deep within the battlefield remained unconvinced. Soon, a second challenger appeared—Xiu Wuya, a disciple of the Great Sword Sect.

Xiu Wuya was not one for many words. He looked coldly at Jiang Qian and stated, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, if you can withstand ten moves from my hand, I will voluntarily concede defeat and withdraw from further competition."

This Xiu Wuya was undoubtedly a grandmaster-level swordsman. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Qian might have felt some concern, but after her duel with Qin Tian, she already had a countermeasure for how to suppress sword masters.

"Fellow Daoist Xiu, then as you wish!" With a flick of her wrist, Jiang Qian casually deployed hundreds of formation arrays. A mere dozen or so defensive formations probably wouldn't be enough for the opponent to break through.

Xiu Wuya had not expected Jiang Qian to be even more troublesome than he had imagined. Previously, he had only heard people say this girl possessed terrifying formation skills, assuming it was mere exaggeration. After all, the path of formations demanded exceptionally high comprehension; without skillfully utilizing formation seals, it was practically impossible to deploy high-tier formations.

Seeing that Jiang Qian's formation proficiency surpassed anyone he had ever witnessed, Xiu Wuya knew he had to treat her with utmost seriousness. He immediately unleashed his swordsmanship, the Violet Firmament Divine Sword Art. This technique belonged to the lower-earth tier and ranked among the very top sword arts across the entire Qianyuan Continent.

"First move, Sunset Rainbow Slash!"

A brilliant golden light descended from the heavens, unstoppable like a setting sun. Jiang Qian's formations were rapidly breached; with this single sword strike alone, over twenty defensive grand arrays were smashed apart. Seeing this, Jiang Qian instantly deployed another hundred defensive formations. In other words, the formations Xiu Wuya destroyed were fewer than the ones she continuously replenished. At this rate, it was simply impossible for him to break through all her arrays.

Realizing Jiang Qian's intent, Xiu Wuya stopped holding back. His previous attack had merely been a probe; now came his consecutive ultimate moves.

"Second move, Yin-Yang Cross Slash!"
"Third move, Heaven and Earth Universe Slash!"
"Fourth move, Meteor Slash!"
"Fifth move, Astral Slash!"
"Sixth move, Sun and Moon Slash!"
"Seventh move, Thundering Gallop Slash!"
"Eighth move, Purgatory Slash!"
"Ninth move, Oblivion Slash!"
"Tenth move, Heaven-Rending Slash!"

After ten strikes, Xiu Wuya's spiritual energy was completely exhausted. On the other side, Jiang Qian was also left dripping with sweat from the pressure, but she never stopped weaving defensive formations. Consequently, her protective arrays were never entirely breached. Standing at the epicenter of the formations, she remained as unshakable as a pillar calming the seas; no matter how fiercely Xiu Wuya hacked and slashed, she remained as unyielding as a mountain.

Once Xiu Wuya exhausted his strength, Jiang Qian smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiu, it is my turn to counterattack now. Are you ready?"

Xiu Wuya waved his hands repeatedly and cried out, "Wait, wait, wait! Show mercy, Fellow Daoist Jiang, I am willing to concede defeat!"

At this moment, he was truly terrified of her. While it was true that he excelled in swordsmanship, without spiritual energy to support the limits of the sword dao, he lacked any meaningful defensive capability in the end. His opponent was different. Although Jiang Qian's defense had consumed a massive amount of spiritual energy, her net loss was far less by comparison. If she were to launch an offensive using her formations right now, Xiu Wuya wouldn't be able to defend against it at all, and there was a high probability he would sustain severe injuries. If they were in the outside world, Xiu Wuya would never risk pushing himself to the absolute limit; he had to ensure his own absolute safety.

Seeing her opponent yield, Jiang Qian swiftly retracted her formation seals and said with a triumphant air, "Do you submit or not?"

Xiu Wuya smiled bitterly and replied, "I submit, I submit! Fellow Daoist Jiang truly lives up to the name of Venerable Master of the Formation Dao."

With no lingering attachment, Xiu Wuya crushed his token and vanished. After him, no one else in the Heaven Spirit realm battlefield dared to challenge Jiang Qian. Wherever she went, opponents either conceded or fled outright. Left with no choice, Jiang Qian simply coasted until the very end, claiming first place in the Heaven Spirit Realm battlefield.