Chapter 97

While the other disciples of the Man鬼 Sect let out a loud "boom" and immediately split into a dozen groups, each surrounding the stone platforms so tightly that not even water could seep through.

Of course, the stone platforms with lower rankings had more people gathered around them.

This was because, according to the usual competition rules, once the challenge began, the core disciples with lower rankings would be challenged the most.

The sounds of "whoosh" and "whoosh" filled the air!

From below the stone platforms, gray clouds rose one after another, and the core disciples of the Man鬼 Sect all stood under their respective banners, each with different expressions, but most of them exuded extraordinary auras, making people dare not underestimate them.

Almost immediately, people began to jump out from below the platforms, directly pointing out the individuals they wanted to challenge. Some platforms even had four or five people jumping up at once.

The spirit masters responsible for overseeing the platforms had each of these people sign a life-and-death contract with their opponents and activated the protective magic arrays that had been set up on the platforms long ago.

Layers of white, luminous barriers emerged, enveloping all the platforms.

The opponents began to cast spells or summon ghostly creatures on these platforms, immediately engaging in combat, which soon drew gasps of surprise from the crowd outside the barriers.

Liu Ming did not linger near these platforms but walked directly to the first platform, which ranked from tenth to first among the core disciples.

This platform was quiet, but it was also crowded with people, many of whom were watching the top ten core disciples on the platform while whispering to each other below.

For Liu Ming, participating in this competition naturally meant securing at least one of the top ten spots, so he could participate in the subsequent life-and-death trials and gain more resources and benefits, allowing him to advance more quickly to the later stages of great perfection.

Thus, in his mind, his true opponents were the top ten core disciples and other challengers who also aimed to enter this ranking.

Liu Ming's gaze swept around the platform and immediately spotted familiar faces like Gao Chong, Lei Zhen, and Jia Lan, as well as other disciples who looked extraordinary.

When these people saw Liu Ming appear, some remained expressionless, while others showed a slight look of surprise.

As for the top ten disciples on the platform, Liu Ming's eyes first fell on Yang Gan, who wore a silver mask.

This rumored eldest disciple of the Man鬼 Sect was seated cross-legged under a banner, his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the outside world.

Under the second banner stood a thin, withered man with messy, grass-like hair, his eyes flashing with silver light. Next to him was a young man in a green robe, his face pale and bloodless, with narrow eyes, giving off a dangerous aura.

Under the fourth banner was a pretty woman in a yellow robe, none other than Senior Sister Qian Huiniang, whom Liu Ming had encountered before.

The fifth person was...

Liu Ming sized up these disciples one by one, his mind racing.

Unlike the other platforms where people had already begun their magical duels, this first platform remained calm, with no one stepping up to challenge.

However, the spirit master overseeing this platform, a bearded man in a brocade robe, did not find this strange at all.

After waiting for a moment, he suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a small hourglass silently fell out, and he said indifferently:

"Within a quarter of an hour, if no one steps up to challenge, it means all disciples have given up their right to challenge the core disciples on the platform. The timing starts now!"

The fine sand in the hourglass began to flow from top to bottom.

This scene caused a stir among the people below the platform.

A moment later, someone flew up from below.

"I, Du Yu, wish to challenge Senior Brother Ye, who is ranked tenth!" The person who jumped up was a handsome young man holding a pink peach blossom fan, who spoke calmly to the bearded man in the brocade robe.

"Heh heh, you want to challenge me? Perfect. I've been feeling a bit stiff lately." The sturdy young man standing under the tenth banner, wearing a golden ring on his head, sneered in response.

"Alright, sign the life-and-death contract first!" The bearded man in the brocade robe caught the hourglass with one hand and put it away, while the other hand emitted a beam of light, causing a blood-red token to fly out and hover steadily in mid-air.

The young man with the fan and his opponent immediately walked over, each squeezing a drop of blood onto the token, then stepped back to face each other from a distance.

A clear sound came from the token, and a wave of blood-red runes surged out, then quickly retracted.

Seeing this, the bearded spirit master retrieved the token and said indifferently:

"The match begins now!"

As soon as he spoke, he stomped his foot, and a white pattern array on the stone platform flashed, enveloping it in a white, misty barrier. He then retreated and floated up to hover above the barrier.

With a "puff,"

The young man with the fan flicked his wrist, and the peach blossom fan transformed into a pink whirlwind, while his other sleeve fluttered, releasing a sweet fragrance that instantly filled the entire barrier.

"Enchanting fragrance! It seems you are a disciple of the Poison Spirit lineage! Heh heh, you're unlucky to meet me!" The young man with the golden ring laughed wildly, chanted some words, and his body was covered in a faint black spiritual pattern, which suddenly expanded, transforming him into a giant two zhang tall. He then "hoo" "hoo" punched out three times, sending waves of invisible force surging out.

The pink whirlwind, pressed by the surging force, condensed and then recoiled with a muffled sound.

The young man with the fan, caught off guard, felt his breathing tighten, and his entire body was thrown back by the force, crashing into the barrier behind him. His face turned pale, and he spat out several clumps of blood.

The giant man, transformed from the young man with the golden ring, immediately strode over menacingly.

"Impossible, how are you not affected by the soul fragrance! You, you are a body cultivator... I concede." The young man with the fan, seeing this, was terrified and immediately conceded.

"Hmph, what a waste, to challenge me with such weak strength!" The giant man stopped, coldly said a few words, then retracted his secret technique, returned to his normal size, and walked back under the banner.

The pattern array on the stone platform flashed again, and the barrier disappeared. The young man with the fan, his face full of shame, hurriedly jumped down and quickly left the area.

The bearded spirit master then descended from the sky, calmly announced the victory of the young man with the golden ring, and released the hourglass again, waiting quietly.

Perhaps because the young man with the golden ring had won too easily, this time it was not until the sand in the hourglass was nearly halfway through that someone coughed lightly and stepped onto the platform.

It was a young man in his late twenties with a sallow complexion, wearing a light green robe. As soon as he appeared, he bowed to the bearded spirit master and said:

"Senior Uncle, this junior, Duan Canzu, wishes to challenge Senior Sister Fei, who is ranked sixth!"

His words made everyone's hearts skip a beat, and many people looked at him in surprise.

The gap in strength between the sixth and tenth places on the Taiyin Stele was quite significant.

"Has anyone heard of Duan Canzu?"

"No, I've never heard this name before."

"He seems to be a disciple of the Corpse Cultivation lineage, but he was previously unknown."

...

The crowd below began to murmur.

Sitting under the sixth banner was a woman in a fiery red robe. Upon hearing this, her eyebrows arched, and she stood up, holding a pair of crimson short forks.

A moment later, the two signed the life-and-death contract, and the barrier on the platform reappeared.

"You actually dare to challenge me. My pair of Fire Coral Forks, though not yet spirit weapons, are top-tier talisman weapons. Be careful not to lose your life to them," the red-robed girl said coldly. As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly shook her shoulder, and one of the forks shot out as a red beam, moving as fast as lightning.

Duan Canzu's eyes flashed with a crystalline light, and he raised his hand to strike the red beam.

A dull, wooden sound echoed, and the red beam turned back into a flying fork, flying back.

The white cloth wrapped around his fist suddenly shattered, revealing more deep yellow bandages, extending from his palm, up his arm, to his elbow, as if they continued to the end of his arm.

Under the second banner, the thin, withered man with long hair, upon seeing the bandages on Duan Canzu's hand, showed a look of surprise and muttered to himself:

"Heavenly Gate Corpse Garment. It seems Junior Brother Duan has truly cultivated this powerful secret technique, and it seems he has reached a high level."

Seeing the flying fork being struck back by the opponent, the red-robed girl was also surprised, but she immediately pointed her finger and chanted some words.

The crimson fork spun, and its surface flashed with red light. With a "puff," it transformed into a ball of crimson flames, shooting toward Duan Canzu.

Duan Canzu, seeing this, flicked his wrist, and seven or eight yellow bands shot out, dancing wildly to form a protective shield around him.

The crimson flames struck the shield, causing a loud explosion, and flames scattered everywhere.

The flying fork, pushed back by the force, flew away again.

The yellow bands, however, remained unharmed, showing no fear of the flames.

Seeing this, the red-robed girl's face turned grim. She chanted some words and shook her shoulder again, and the other fork flew out, transforming into another ball of flames and rushing toward Duan Canzu.

Instantly, two balls of crimson flames circled around Duan Canzu, the red light flickering, and the intense heat spreading, creating a formidable scene.

However, the yellow bands, impervious to water and fire, danced more rapidly, blocking the two balls of flames, preventing them from getting any closer.

The red-robed girl's face turned even grimmer. She suddenly made a hand seal, chanted some words, and slowly raised her finger, which turned crimson like blood at the tip.