Chapter 63: Martial Arts Competition

In the city of Tianyin, at the Divine Stone Square.

A rhombus-shaped meteorite, as large as a small mountain, stood towering in the Meteorite Square. Most of the meteorite was deeply embedded in the ground, with only a hundred meters visible above the surface, creating a magnificent sight.

According to legend, this meteorite fell from the sky a thousand years ago, landing in what was then a desolate area, before the city of Tianyin was even built.

After the meteorite landed, it is said that at night, under the moonlight, it would shine with a brilliant silver light. Over time, the silver light gradually faded, and after ten years, the meteorite no longer glowed, becoming an ordinary stone.

The Merchant Alliance revered this mysterious meteorite as a divine stone and built the city of Tianyin around it.

Over the years, Tianyin has become the largest and most central city of the Merchant Alliance.

Despite the fact that the meteorite no longer glows, the warriors of the Merchant Alliance still consider it a divine gift and treat it as a sacred stone.

The Divine Stone Square was established because of this meteorite.

Many couples in the Merchant Alliance, after falling in love, would come to the Divine Stone Square to make vows of eternal love, treating the divine stone as a witness to their love.

Every martial arts competition of the Merchant Alliance is also held at the Divine Stone Square.

Today, the Divine Stone Square is bustling with people, and outside the square, there are countless vendors, many of whom are warriors selling items related to martial cultivation.

Inside the Divine Stone Square.

In front of the massive meteorite, there are sixteen martial arenas, each a hundred square meters in size. The arenas are paved with hard blue iron stone, which is extremely durable, even a warrior at the Human Realm would struggle to shatter it with a full-force attack.

Surrounding the sixteen arenas are five stone towers.

One of the towers is fifty meters tall, while the other four are forty meters tall. The five towers are spaced several hundred meters apart, and each tower is occupied by members of the major families, allowing them to oversee all sixteen arenas from above.

On one of the towers, Shi Yan stands beside Shi Jian, looking down at the warriors gathered at the Divine Stone Square.

This tower belongs to the Shi family and is forty meters tall. The other four towers belong to the Beiming, Ling, Zuo, and Mo families.

The towers of the Ling, Zuo, and Mo families are also forty meters tall, but the Beiming family's tower is fifty meters tall, clearly standing out from the others!

The height of the five towers alone demonstrates the Beiming family's dominant position in the Merchant Alliance!

This is the first day of the martial arts competition.

Shi Jian, Shi Tie, Shi Tang, and other direct descendants of the Shi family are all on the tower.

Han Feng and Han Zhong, the two brothers, are also in the center of the tower, along with a few faces unfamiliar to Shi Yan. Han Zhong introduced them as the Shi family's retainers, who usually handle affairs in other cities but were called back for the competition.

Yang Hai, however, is not on the tower. This is because he does not practice martial arts, and with the martial experts from other cities being called back, Yang Hai had to stay in those cities to maintain order during the competition.

The martial arts competition is divided into five levels: Postnatal, Prenatal, Human Realm, Hundred Tribulations, and Earth Realm. However, the Earth Realm competition is often nominal.

Generally, even solitary warriors who reach the Earth Realm have their own cultivation methods and are unlikely to covet the prizes offered by the five major families.

Warriors at the Earth Realm are considered experts, whether in the Merchant Alliance, the Flame Empire, or the Divine Blessing Empire.

Such warriors do not need to participate in the competition; if they want a good cultivation environment, they can join any major force as a retainer.

Major forces would also actively extend offers to Earth Realm warriors who have not joined any faction, hoping to recruit them.

Therefore, while the Earth Realm competition is set up, very few Earth Realm warriors actually participate.

Even warriors at the Hundred Tribulations level rarely attend the competition, with only a few participating each time.

Most of the participants are at the Postnatal, Prenatal, and Human Realm levels.

These three levels are the most common, with lower cultivation and no established paths. They come to the competition either to obtain precious cultivation items or to secure a good position as a retainer in one of the five major families.

The competition usually lasts five days.

The first four days are dominated by warriors competing for prizes and retainer positions. The five major families observe these battles and select the warriors they like, extending offers to them.

The final day is the highlight of the competition.

On this day, the five major families send their retainers and direct descendants to compete against each other, testing the strength of the other families.

This day is also when the five major families showcase their power to the outside world.

On this day, the competition is often accompanied by significant stakes, with mines, commercial streets, secret treasures, and mysterious martial techniques becoming the chips of the five major families.

A single competition can bring a family astonishing wealth or leave it bankrupt. The final day's competition can become a topic of discussion for years to come.

On this day, the experts of the major families reveal their true strength, displaying rare martial techniques and martial souls. Various secret treasures also emerge during the intense battles.

Most warriors from outside the city come for the final day's competition.

They can observe the differences between themselves and the warriors of the five major families, learning from the intense battles to improve their cultivation and broaden their horizons.

Some may even advance in cultivation after the competition.

This is the most attractive aspect of the martial arts competition!

Shi Yan stands on the tower, his expression calm, looking down at the warriors gathered below.

On the Beiming family's tower, two graceful figures ascend with Beiming Ce.

On the highest tower, Mu Yudie and Di Yalan stand beside Beiming Ce, overlooking all the arenas.

Mu Yudie, dressed in a white dress, her hair flowing, stands on the highest tower, her figure captivating, like a fairy.

Di Yalan, still in her dark red armor, her fiery figure accentuated by the armor, exudes an alluring charm, though her eyes are filled with worry.

From two hundred meters away, Shi Yan raises his head slightly, glancing at the two women, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Boy, you must observe carefully over these four days. You lack combat experience, so watch how others fight. Don't be idle," Shi Jian said, his face showing a hint of displeasure as he saw Shi Yan looking at the two women from the Beiming family. "Women are everywhere. With your conditions, you can have any woman you want in the future. Don't get distracted before you become strong!"

"Alright, I understand," Shi Yan nodded.

"Brother, Kulo from the Ethereal Pavilion has come to visit and says he has something to discuss with you," Shi Tie called out from the tower's staircase.

"Kulo?" Shi Jian's face showed surprise, but he nodded after a moment. "Please him up."

"Grandfather, how is the matter with the Ethereal Pavilion?" Shi Yan asked in a low voice.

Shi Jian nodded slightly and grunted, "Don't meddle in this matter, and don't mention it again. Understand?"

"Okay," Shi Yan replied, knowing from his expression that he had likely finalized the details with Zuo Xu. However, with Han Feng and other retainers present, Shi Yan was unsure if the Shi family had sent anyone to assist Chixiao at the Ethereal Pavilion.

Kulo smiled as he ascended the tower, calmly approaching Shi Jian. "Lord Shi, I have a request. Do you know where your adopted son, Yang Hai, is? I need to find him to go to the Ethereal Pavilion. Would that be a problem?"

"Yang Hai?" Shi Jian's face darkened, and he grunted, puzzled. "What do you want with Yang Hai?"

"A friend of mine from the Endless Sea has lost a child named Yang Hai. She asked me to inquire about it. I hope Lord Shi can help," Kulo said, bowing with a smile.

Shi Jian's eyes flickered with surprise, and after a moment, he shook his head. "Yang Hai is not in Tianyin City at the moment. I called many people back for the competition, and he is currently stationed in another city. We can discuss this later."

"That's fine, as long as Lord Shi remembers," Kulo said, not pressing the matter. "When he returns, just have him visit the Ethereal Pavilion. I won't let him come for nothing."

"Alright," Shi Jian nodded noncommittally.

"I'll take my leave then," Kulo said, leaving without further delay.

...

Suddenly, a melodious tune rang out from the Beiming family's tower.

The heavenly music instantly filled every corner of the bustling Divine Stone Square. Mu Yudie, sitting cross-legged on the tower, played the zither with focus.

Many warriors attending the competition were captivated by the ethereal music, their faces showing enchantment as they looked up at the Beiming family's tower.

Beside Mu Yudie, Beiming Ce stood proudly, a hint of disdain on his face as he accepted the admiring and envious gazes of the warriors below.

Mu Yudie's music, like a clear mountain stream, flowed through the hearts of all the warriors, purifying their souls.

When the music ended, the warriors were entranced, their faces showing amazement.

At that moment,

Beiming Shang suddenly flew out from the tower, his massive figure hovering above the Divine Stone Square like a deity, looking down at the crowd. "The martial arts competition begins!"

"Levitation! A Heaven Realm expert!"

The warriors were amazed, their faces showing reverence at Beiming Shang's display of power.