Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 315 - 312: The Center of Attention

Chapter 315: Chapter 312: The Center of Attention

In the belly of Sky Demon Mountain, this area marks the deepest reaches of the mountain range, a vast plain with an almost boundless horizon, where only ten Battle Platforms stand out like a string of stars settled upon this land.

Above the plain, a terrifying surge of popularity had already gathered, for today was a big day. The annual grand event of Sky Demon Mountain, the Genius Clash, would take place right here.

From early dawn, a frightening crowd had already assembled, and as time passed, more and more figures hurried over, even powerful individuals not from Sky Demon Mountain flocked to witness this spectacular martial event.

This Genius Clash determined opponents through a lottery, and with over two hundred participants taking part in the event, they would compete through both cumulative points and elimination rounds to decide the final victor.

Over two hundred contestants were divided into ten groups, with the leader of each group securing their place among the top ten in the tournament. In other words, only by securing first place within their group could they qualify to contend for the top three positions.

Since achieving first place depended on points accumulated through battle records, luck played a minimal role, unlike in mere elimination rounds, where luck was a significant factor.

By the time Ye Xuan and Yu Yi reached the plain, the area was bustling with activity; the crowd was dense, and an uproar of voices bubbled like a boiling cauldron.

Sitting atop the central stand were seven prominent figures, the stewards of Sky Demon Mountain’s power, the seven Demon Venerables.

Among these Demon Venerables, two exuded an especially powerful aura, one clad in black, the other in white—two middle-aged men. The man in the black robe had a dark and chilling face that made one uncomfortable; he was one of the Demon Venerables, the Demon Dragon Venerable. The other, a white-robed middle-aged man, looked pristine like a celestial being; he was the Sky Fox Demon Venerable.

This Genius Clash was a major event for Sky Demon Mountain, and even the Demon Venerables paid great attention to it.

Prior to arriving, Ye Xuan had consumed three Demon Essence Pills, confident that even the two Demon Venerables couldn’t detect his human aura, avoiding any suspicion towards him.

After a short wait, as the crowd had nearly all arrived, a referee appeared on each of the ten Battle Platforms, ready to arbitrate the group matches.

"The lottery is starting; go and draw your lot," Yu Yi said, looking towards the ten Battle Platforms where lottery boxes were placed for the qualified contestants to pick their number tags.

This seemingly disorderly lottery looked chaotic, but top experts from each peak, such as Yu Yi and Young Master Hu, were already seeded in different groups, taking the number one slots. For everyone else, the drawing was truly random.

This was to prevent strong contenders from clashing in the first round and impacting the final results of the competition.

"Group nine, number fifteen."

Ye Xuan pulled out a tag with five characters on it, indicating his group and participant number.

"You’re in group nine; you’ll be in the same group as Young Master Hu," Yu Yi said, with her brows arching slightly.

"Is that so?"

Ye Xuan paused, then suddenly felt a gaze on him. Turning his head, he saw Young Master Hu looking at him with a cold smirk and making a throat-slitting gesture.

Seeing this, Ye Xuan was even more astonished. What was Young Master Hu’s deal? Had he already forgotten being defeated by him in Sky Demon City?

"After Young Master Hu was defeated by you, he started to cultivate frantically. Two days ago, it’s said he mastered a secret technique of the Hu Clan. You should be careful," Yu Yi warned.

"Don’t worry; those who have lost to me once don’t stand a chance of winning again."

Ye Xuan spoke nonchalantly, for none who had been beaten by him had ever caught up, and Young Master Hu thinking he could overcome the present Ye Xuan was a grave mistake.

Yu Yi didn’t say anything more upon seeing Ye Xuan’s indifferent expression. She simply hoped that if Ye Xuan lost later, he wouldn’t blame her for not warning him.

Before long, the group battles began successively.

In group ten, the first match commenced. The combatants, one from the Eagle Clan and the other from the Leopard Clan, were of Second Grade and Third Grade Demon King realms, respectively, renowned for their movement techniques and fierce claw strikes. Their clashes erupted in dramatic roars and flying sparks against the thick, azure-blue shield.

After over thirty rounds, the Leopard Clan youth slightly outperformed his opponent, dodging a blade and shattering the Protective Demon Power with a single punch, clinching the victory.

While these battles might seem evenly matched to the ordinary eye, in the view of Ye Xuan and others, the skill level was somewhat lacking. While watching the tenth group’s battles, he also paid attention to the other groups’ matches.

The seeded contenders in each group were formidable; among them, three caught Ye Xuan’s attention.

The first two were the man and woman who had watched Ye Xuan challenge the Demon Tower that day. They were both young talents from the lineage of the Sky Fox Venerable. The man was named Gong Ze, and the woman was named Linglong, both at the realm of Sixth Grade Demon Kings. Among them, the latter was considered a top-tier talent comparable to the Demon Dragon Venerable, being one of the bearers of the two Innate Supreme bloodlines.

The third person was named Xiang Shao, the son of the Xiang Tian Demon Venerable. His strength was almost on par with Young Master Hu, and he was also ranked among the top ten youths of the Sky Demon Mountain.

In the seventh group’s battle, Yu Yi quickly took the stage. As expected, her opponent couldn’t withstand even a single move from her and was blasted off the platform, swiftly defeated.

Of course, even if Yu Yi faced someone like Young Master Hu, she would be at a disadvantage, with the odds of victory around 30 to 70. But now things were different. With Ye Xuan’s help, she had overcome her Heart Demon, which was tantamount to achieving a rebirth in her state of mind. Her cultivation had even broken through its previous bottleneck. Now her rank among the younger generation was high enough to soar up several places.

"Did Yu Yi’s strength really improve this fast? Could it be that she has been guided by a master recently? Huoyou, this master couldn’t possibly be you, could it?"

On the high platform, a middle-aged man in a golden robe spoke. He seemed somewhat surprised by Yu Yi’s performance. This golden-robed middle-aged man was one of the seven Demon Venerables, the Peng Venerable.

"Guidance from a master, perhaps. But it certainly wasn’t me. I don’t have that ability."

The Huoyou Demon Venerable smiled, and in her bright eyes, there was also a flicker of faint light. She knew that Yu Yi had fallen into a predicament not long ago and even she had been unable to do much about it. It was unexpected that in such a short amount of time, Yu Yi had emerged from it and also achieved a mental breakthrough.

If there truly was a master, then it wouldn’t be her but Ye Xuan, who had recently moved into the Skyfire Hall.

She had also heard about the matters between Ye Xuan and Yu Yi. Otherwise, with Yu Yi’s typically haughty disposition, how could she possibly have thrown herself at that brat Ye Xuan?

"The sixth match, Ye Xuan against Young Master Tian Ying!"

As the judge’s voice fell, the tenth group’s battle quickly turned to Ye Xuan.

"First point secured."

Young Master Tian Ying, seeing that his opponent was Ye Xuan, a smile formed on his lips. Ye Xuan appeared to be only at the Third Grade Demon King level and was a newcomer, seemingly easy to bully. After all, Young Master Tian Ying was one of the talented individuals from Sky Demon Mountain. Though he couldn’t match Young Master Blood Python or Young Master Hu, he was a formidable expert in his own right.

Dealing with an unknown junior should be a piece of cake for him.

What he didn’t know was that even Young Master Hu had been defeated by Ye Xuan. But not only was he unaware, but most others were also in the dark since Ye Xuan and company hadn’t spread the word. And this incident was a taboo to Young Master Hu, who dared to spread it around?

"Be defeated!"

Young Master Tian Ying tapped the ground with his foot. Demonic power burst from his back, transforming into a pair of gray demonic wings. With a flap of the wings, his speed surged as his sharp claws ripped through the air with chilling intent, lunging straight at Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan stood still, a glint of sword light seemed to flash in his eyes, and the state of Sword Heart Clarity was released. It invisibly shattered Young Master Tian Ying’s momentum, instantly turning his face deathly pale.

Whoosh!

Before his claws could touch Ye Xuan, Young Master Tian Ying’s body was flung backward, spewing blood from his mouth as he flew off the Battle Platform.

"Over just like that?"

The referee, too, was somewhat unclear about what had just happened, as he hadn’t seen Ye Xuan make a move, not even a twitch, and Young Master Tian Ying was defeated, which seemed rather far-fetched.

Was it a deliberate loss? Doubts flickered in the referee’s mind.

Only the seven Demon Venerables on the high platform understood and saw a hint of what had happened. Although their knowledge of Sword Dao was only superficial, they knew that Ye Xuan hadn’t remained inactive. It was not a tangible attack but rather the oppression of sword intent that shattered Young Master Tian Ying’s spirit, even collapsing his will, causing him not only to be utterly defeated but also to develop a shadow in his heart toward Ye Xuan.

"Is this young fellow the same one who recently reached the ninth level of the Demon Tower?"

The Sky Fox Venerable in the center stroked his beard. Even with his abilities, it was somewhat strange that he couldn’t see through Ye Xuan’s true form.

"Yes, that’s him. His name is Ye Xuan. During the test, his bloodline was determined to be Upper Grade Innate, and it even triggered a Demon Energy resonance," the Huoyou Demon Venerable replied.

"Oh? In that case, his performance in this generation’s talent competition is indeed worth looking forward to."

The Sky Fox Venerable merely frowned slightly and then relaxed. Since the Bloodline Crystal had been tested, there was nothing strange about it. There were many things in this world capable of concealing one’s true nature, and perhaps Ye Xuan possessed such an object on his person.

"Hmph, defeating a useless fool is nothing special. If it were me, I could do it in one move as well. Ye Xuan, today I will certainly avenge my previous humiliation."

Young Master Hu watched Ye Xuan with a chilling gaze. No one else knew yet of his defeat to Ye Xuan. Once he defeated Ye Xuan on the Battle Platform in front of so many people, the prior humiliation would be wiped clean.