The moment the elder finished speaking, the ground before the crowd began to shift with a piercing rumble. Slowly, two massive entrances emerged, revealing that beneath the surface lay two vast and spacious tunnels stretching into a boundless subterranean palace.
"Everyone, these two passages lead to our Supreme Villa's Boundless Palace. As long as you can make it through, you will qualify for the Marriage Conference."
"Due to the large number of participants this time, the Boundless Palace has been divided into two tiers for fairness's sake. One tier is designed for Xuan Martial Realm cultivators. Everyone who has reached the age of eighteen must enter this Xuan-tier Boundless Palace."
"The other tier is designed for Yuan Martial Realm cultivators. Those under eighteen may choose to enter the Yuan-tier palace — if you pass, you will also qualify for the Marriage Conference."
"Furthermore, if anyone under eighteen feels that the Yuan-tier palace is too easy and would be beneath their abilities, they may choose to enter the Xuan-tier palace instead. However, those who have already turned eighteen are strictly prohibited from entering the Yuan-tier palace."
"Regardless of which tier you attempt — Yuan or Xuan — the very first person to complete it will receive generous rewards."
"For the Yuan-tier labyrinth, the first to clear it will receive a Supreme Token. Holding a Supreme Token grants you the finest treatment within all territories controlled by our Supreme Villa, and you will be free to come and go without any obstruction."
"In addition to the Supreme Token, the first-place finisher will also receive ten thousand Yuan Pearls."
"As for the Xuan-tier labyrinth's champion, not only will they receive a Supreme Token, but also ten thousand Mystic Pearls," the presiding elder announced in a booming voice.
"What? Ten thousand Mystic Pearls!" At these words, nearly everyone present lit up with wild joy. Even Gu Bo and the others from the Spirit World Association couldn't help but lick their lips in excitement. "This Supreme Villa truly is loaded. Their rewards are on another level."
"Oh my, Mystic Pearls as rewards — and ten thousand of them!" But compared to them, the most stunned of all was none other than Chu Feng.
Hailing from Qingzhou, the most desolate province on the Nine Provinces Continent, Chu Feng had never even laid eyes on a Mystic Pearl. Even after turning the Lingyun Sect — the strongest faction in Qingzhou — completely upside down, he hadn't managed to find a single one.
Yet now, the Supreme Villa was offering ten thousand Mystic Pearls as a reward. That amount alone was more than the entire net worth of the Lingyun Sect, and it wasn't even close.
That showed just how vast the gap between the Supreme Villa and the Lingyun Sect truly was. No wonder the Lingyun Sect could reign supreme in Qingzhou but never make it onto the continental stage — compared to top-tier powers like the Supreme Villa, the Lingyun Sect was laughably weak.
"Chu Feng, ten thousand Mystic Pearls — that's more than enough for you to break through to the Xuan Martial Realm with ease. You might even push straight into the second level of Xuan Martial. This is incredible!"
"If you reach the second level of Xuan Martial, you'll only be one level behind this queen in cultivation. Without relying on my power, you'd be able to dominate among Xuan Martial powerhouses. Coming to this Supreme Villa was absolutely the right call — you're about to strike it big!" In truth, it wasn't just Chu Feng who was excited — even Eggy was buzzing.
"Ten thousand Mystic Pearls are certainly tempting, but you saw it too — among the tens of thousands of people here, more than half are Xuan Martial cultivators, and many are at the peak of Xuan Martial. Who knows how many of them are far stronger than Dugu Aoyun?"
"On top of that, there's that perverted old man, Xu Qiang — with a Heaven Martial expert like him in the mix, claiming first place won't be easy." Chu Feng sighed at that, but then steeled his resolve. "Still, the lure of ten thousand Mystic Pearls is just too great. No matter what, I have to give it a try."
"Everyone, the first-place rewards are located at the exit of each passage. The first to emerge will claim them."
"However, let me remind you — the Boundless Palace is the result of centuries of modifications by many generations of Supreme Villa ancestors. It is not only enormous but filled with countless dangers. If your strength proves insufficient, you may very well lose your life."
"So if anyone wishes to bow out, you'd best not set foot inside. After all, life and death are your own responsibility. Should anyone meet with misfortune inside the Boundless Palace, our Supreme Villa bears no liability."
"The time limit for the trial is five double-hours. Once time is up, all who have passed through either Boundless Palace may participate in the Marriage Conference. Those who fail will be eliminated entirely."
"Now then, enough talk. We shall see who claims these two tokens."
The moment the presiding elder finished, the tens of thousands gathered in the plaza surged into motion, splitting into two streams that poured toward the two entrances.
At the Yuan-tier entrance, a special barrier had been erected. Forged from unique instruments, it could silently gauge a person's age. Many who had already turned eighteen but tried to slip through by entering the Yuan-tier palace were blocked — or even injured — by the invisible barrier. Those caught attempting to cheat had their qualifications revoked and were expelled from the Supreme Villa.
"Well, well — if it isn't that bumpkin Chu Feng from Qingzhou. I can't believe you showed up here too. Talk about a toad lusting after swan meat."
A harsh voice suddenly rang out. Turning toward it, Chu Feng saw a familiar figure slowly approaching — Jie Bufan of the Jie clan.
Jie Bufan was now at the ninth level of Yuan Martial, just like Gu Bo. Several other Jie clan members trailed behind him, all of them Xuan Martial powerhouses.
"And here I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's the same waste I beat to a pulp inside the Shura Ghost Tower." Chu Feng cast a dismissive glance at Jie Bufan.
"Ha! What a joke. Back then, the only reason you won was because you could ignore the suppression inside the Shura Ghost Tower. Without it, could you have beaten me?"
"Want to find out?" Chu Feng felt no fear toward Jie Bufan — behind him stood Gu Bo and the other Spirit World Association members. Besides, with his current strength, forget Jie Bufan; even the Xuan Martial clan members behind him weren't worth a second thought.
"Fine. I'll be waiting for you inside. If you've got the guts, follow me." Jie Bufan tossed out those words and strode toward the Xuan-tier entrance. The Jie clan members behind him shot Chu Feng cold glares before following him into the current and disappearing into the Xuan-tier Boundless Palace.