Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 411 - 408: On the Eve of the Conference

Chapter 411: Chapter 408: On the Eve of the Conference

Glacier Island, Xuanbing Mansion.

Within the inner court.

Several figures lingered outside Ye Xuan’s residence, casting anxious glances into the courtyard from time to time.

These people were indeed Nangong Yao, Zhuo Yanyun, Qin Qi, and Li Ziting—the four of them.

"What on earth is Ye Xuan doing? There’s only seven days left until the Four Directions Championship and we still have to hurry to Shenxiu Island. He’s still not coming out. Does he not want to participate in the championship?"

Li Ziting’s brows were tightly furrowed. The four of them were all going to participate in the championship, and now only Ye Xuan was still lingering in his own courtyard without emerging. It was time for them to set off.

"Impossible, he said last time that he would definitely participate in the championship. When Brother Ye Xuan makes a promise, he always keeps his word. Let’s just wait a bit longer,"

Nangong Yao shook her head. She knew that Ye Xuan’s word was reliable and that something must have come up at the last minute.

Another two days passed.

Just when everyone was getting anxious, suddenly, an astonishing fluctuation emitted from the courtyard. This fluctuation contained an extremely heavy soul pressure, and as it swept over them, each of the four felt their souls quiver uncontrollably, shivering involuntarily.

"What’s happening?"

After shuddering, Li Ziting’s face suddenly became shocked. However, the expressions of the other three varied, all showing signs of surprise. This immense soul pressure clearly emanated from within the courtyard—could it really be Ye Xuan’s doing?

"It must be right, could it be a breakthrough?"

A touch of amazement also appeared in Nangong Yao’s beautiful eyes. Ye Xuan had secluded himself and not emerged with the championship about to begin; he must be preparing for the Four Directions Championship. The current anomaly proved this point. Such a formidable pressure—they, standing outside the courtyard, felt their souls tremble. This kind of pressure seemed to come from a superior being, only significant figures several levels higher than them could possess such pressure.

Creak!

At this moment, the big door to the courtyard suddenly opened and out walked Ye Xuan. He appeared in everyone’s sight, his robe looking spick and span, as clean as a whistle.

"What’s wrong with you guys? Did something big happen?"

Ye Xuan closed the door again, looking at the four with a hint of surprise.

"We should be asking you that. With such a commotion, have you advanced successfully?"

Li Ziting’s gaze was somewhat straight as he looked at Ye Xuan, and then he asked with a bit of trepidation.

"Not yet, it’s just some minor progress in other areas,"

Ye Xuan shook his head, smiling.

"Other areas?"

The four were taken aback, then seemed to understand. They knew that Ye Xuan had many tricks up his sleeve for his current strength, some of which they naturally did not know of.

"Alright, then. The Four Directions Championship should be in the next couple of days, it is about to begin," Ye Xuan said, seeing that all four were present, guessing the purpose of their visit. He had been in seclusion for two months, and now the season was nearing year’s end, so naturally, the championship would commence.

"We are here precisely for this matter," Qin Qi also spoke up, "There’s only five days left before the championship begins. We must leave immediately to make it to Shenxiu Island in time, otherwise, we’ll miss this opportunity."

They did not harbor much hope for a top-ten finish, but taking the chance to hone themselves was essential. The championship would feature many formidable masters, with many usually low-profile experts from the Master List and secluded practitioners appearing. Being able to spar with such individuals would greatly benefit their strength.

Moreover, even without snatching a top-ten spot, if one could showcase their skills and defeat those masters from the Master List, they would become renowned throughout the Chaotic Sea Domain and enter the ranks of the Master List after the championship.

"There’s no time to lose, let’s set off immediately."

Ye Xuan nodded his head; he was now feeling quite eager to try himself. His soul realm had reached the Heavenly Realm, and he felt an unprecedented sense of power—a feeling that did not stem from the physical body, but from deep within the heart, from the depths of the soul.

"Let’s go!"

The four of them nodded, and without further delay, they set off.

...

Shenxiu Island.

This island, full of spiritual energy, reminiscent of a God Realm, lay in the northeast of the Chaotic Sea Domain, right on the boundary of the Central Domain. Originally, Shenxiu Island was a rarely visited island, but its atmosphere had quickly heated up because it was the site of the current Quadrangular Contest.

Now, Shenxiu Island had completely transformed from a deserted isle into a bustling place. The flow of people coming and going was incredibly intense; some were here to participate in the contest, but most were merely spectators.

For those with insufficient strength, just having the opportunity to witness the prowess of the peerless individuals from the Chaotic Sea Domain was an immense honor.

After three and a half days, Ye Xuan and his group finally arrived at Shenxiu Island.

By the time they reached the island, it was overcrowded, with strong individuals wearing various uniforms and emanating different auras gathered everywhere. The vast Shenxiu Island was teeming with figures, among which a few exuded powerful presences.

"Shenxiu Island spans nearly a thousand miles. Although the venue for the contest has been prepared, we need to find our own place to stay. Let’s find somewhere to settle down and rest for now."

Qin Qi was the oldest among them, and she took charge of the team’s affairs. After arriving at Shenxiu Island, they found a spot on a mountain peak to rest.

"Okay."

Ye Xuan nodded. There was still a day and a half until the start of the contest, and they needed to find a place to spend the night.

The group found a place to stay, setting up tents and a campfire.

"I’ve heard that many reclusive experts will be joining this contest. They are even more unpredictable than the high-rankers on the Master List. Their true strength is nearly impossible to gauge, and they are virtually unknown, potentially the strongest contenders in this contest," Qin Qi said while sitting cross-legged by the campfire, looking at everyone as she cautioned.

"I heard too. Some figures who usually go unnamed suddenly appeared, like that Zhao Xin. Before the contest even began, he challenged many of the masters from the Master List and defeated them in a single move with overwhelming momentum," Li Ziting nodded, clearly having heard of the matter as well, his expression slightly serious.

"And there’s more. There’s a guy who controls puppets, and his strength is also quite terrifying. The strength of the puppet combined with their own is like fighting two people at once. It’s said that even Liu Qinghe of the Sword Sect couldn’t handle him in a fight," Zhuo Yanyun interjected.

"Alright, it’s not as exaggerated as you all make it out to be. These people are just a bit mysterious and their methods might be bizarre. Once on the martial arts stage, it’s hard to tell how strong they’ll really be," Nangong Yao retorted, somewhat dismissively. Her cultivation had just reached the level of a Sixth Grade Martial Sect, but with her Xuanyin Body, even against a Half-step Martial Venerate, she was capable of putting up a fight.

Indeed, given Zhonghang Wang’s strength, he couldn’t overpower Nangong Yao. Moreover, at Snow Dragon Mountain, her prowess should be not much different from Snow Dragon Mountain’s Young Master, Wei Qianxiang.

Therefore, there were high hopes for Nangong Yao in this contest, and she knew with Ye Xuan’s ability, it was likely he could enter the top ten. As long as he was in the top ten, he would be noticed by the envoys of the Sects from the Spirit Martial Continent, and no accidents were expected to happen.

She also strived to enter the top ten to go to the Spirit Martial Continent with Ye Xuan.

"Yaoer is right, the hidden experts are naturally strong, but only a few of them are truly formidable. We shouldn’t be overly intimidated. Once we see these people the day after tomorrow, whether they are masters or not will become clear," Ye Xuan, who had been listening to the conversation, shook his head. These so-called hidden experts weren’t necessarily stronger than those on the Master List. They were just mysterious and unknown, and with the element of surprise in their sudden moves, together with the spreading rumors, their reputations had grown more formidable.

Of course, it couldn’t be denied that among these individuals, there must be some heavyweight experts. After all, how vast was the Chaotic Sea Domain. It was impossible for only two Fifth Grade powers to exist. In the Middle Ages and in more recent times, there were high-ranked Martial Venerate experts, and even Semi-Saints were born. Most of these individuals had disappeared from public view, with many heading to the Spirit Martial Continent, but some had still left behind their legacies and descendants.

However, it was precisely because of this that this Quadrangular Contest had become even more interesting. With more experts involved, the competition would be fiercer, and a grandiose battle of the strong would unfold.

The night passed without incident.

On the day before the opening of the contest, Ye Xuan and his group of five headed for the central venue of the island. Everyone who came to Shenxiu Island had to pass a pre-contest test. Only those who passed could register for the contest; all others could only be spectators.

The test consisted of measuring one’s attack strength with a testing pillar. Each person had to deliver their strongest strike in front of the testing pillar. If the strength met the standard, they would qualify for participation, and officials would record those eligible, determining the match list for the next day.

Such a test was routine for Ye Xuan; he had undergone a similar test in the Tiannan Region. Since there were too many people arriving and not everyone could meet the criteria, a selection process was necessary to ensure the quality of the contest participants.

Ye Xuan and the four from the Xuanbing Mansion easily passed the qualification test. However, in the venue, they felt many powerful presences. Among the crowd, a few individuals stood out conspicuously.