Azure City, the arena.
Because of the family tournament organized by the Azure Commerce Association, many players throughout Azure City had come to watch and see what was going on. However, as these players drew near the arena, they found that the Azure Commerce Association had already mobilized several thousand well-equipped experts to surround the venue, completely preventing outsiders from getting close. They could only look on as the various major powers invited by the Azure Commerce Association entered one by one — a sight that made the players outside seethe with envy.
Although Azure City's arena was considerably smaller than Zero Wing's, its interior was lavishly decorated to an opulent degree. Even Shi Feng, upon stepping into the arena's ground-floor lobby, couldn't help but feel genuinely impressed.
The floor tiles throughout the lobby were all made of magic ore. The moment one stepped inside, the density of mana in the air was noticeably higher than outside. Beyond the floor tiles, the corridors of the ground-floor lobby were also lined with stone walls inscribed with all manner of patterns.
An ordinary player might glance at these stone walls and think nothing of them, but for players who had mastered combat techniques, the experience was something else entirely.
Because every single pattern on those stone walls was a combat technique!
Of course, these combat techniques were incomplete — each one was a fragment. The difficulty of mastering them compared to those with complete transmissions was incomparably greater. One could say that anyone capable of mastering them was unquestionably a genius.
And at Shi Feng's level, especially after having already integrated combat techniques into his very being, he understood clearly that mastering even one of these incomplete techniques on the stone walls would definitely result in a qualitative leap in strength.
Because mastering such an incomplete technique meant one had already integrated it into oneself. At that point, even a basic combat technique would significantly boost one's combat power — let alone the fact that most of these incomplete techniques were high-grade or above.
Before long, Shi Feng and the others were led by an NPC to the largest battle arena within the Azure Arena. The entire venue could easily accommodate over ten thousand spectators, and the battle platform itself was made of magic ore. Fighting on it could greatly enhance a player's extraordinary performance, making the battles all the more spectacular.
By the time Shi Feng and the others arrived, the spectator stands were already more than half full. These were either promising newcomers from the various major powers or core members of the Azure Commerce Association, and all of them wore excited expressions as they fixed their gazes on the center of the battle platform, where the younger generation of each family was filing in.
"There's no suspense at all about first place this time. The real question is who can fight for second."
"I think the Pang Family's Vice Guild Master Fen Xiao has a great shot. His strength was already acknowledged as one of the top three among the younger generation, and I heard he recently mastered a high-grade movement technique. His power must have improved considerably."
"Fen Xiao was impressive before, but things are different now. I heard that many people from other families have already reached the Void Realm. For instance, Tian Sha — who was also once considered one of the top three — was defeated by Duan Family's Ruan Xiaoqian during the Sword of Violet's training. As it stands, Fen Xiao might have a hard time even making the top three."
As the various members of the Azure Commerce Association's younger generation took their places on the battle platform, the crowd debated who could claim second place. There was no consensus, but one thing was certain — six people already had a shot at second. All six had stepped into the Void Realm, and at their level, anyone might suddenly have an epiphany at any moment that would cause their combat power to surge dramatically.
So all six of them had a chance to compete for that second place.
Yet just as everyone was buzzing with speculation, a middle-aged man from the Azure Commerce Association walked to the center of the battle platform. He wore light gray leather armor with two long swords strapped to his back. The man appeared to be no older than his early forties at most, and he radiated no terrifying aura whatsoever — instead, he seemed as calm and serene as the open sea. But the moment he stepped into the center, the entire venue erupted.
"Holy crap! He's hosting this time?!"
"The arena tickets I bought with all those guild points were totally worth it!"
The crowd stared at the middle-aged man, every pair of eyes gleaming with excitement.
Because this man was none other than the Azure Commerce Association's legendary figure, the Gray-Robed Guest Zui Yan — universally acknowledged as the association's strongest fighter. Rumor had it that he had clashed with the Underworld Empire's number one assassin and the commander of Illusion Myth's ace corps without ever coming off second best. He was now ranked among the top ten on the Power Rankings.
Zui Yan was normally impossible to find — a true dragon who showed his head but never his tail. It was said he had been devoted to improving himself and training, seeking a rematch with those two. For such a legendary figure to appear at the venue, how could anyone not be thrilled?
Not to mention that every year, when the Azure Commerce Association held such a family tournament, the newcomer who claimed first place would get to fight the host. The chance to witness a legendary figure's battle firsthand was worth more than gold.
"I won't waste time with pleasantries," Zui Yan said, glancing at the younger generation from each family with a composed expression. "By the old rules, the arena should select the top six. But this year has been an exceptional harvest — there are seven who have reached the Void Realm and beyond. So we'll first select eight, and then these eight will proceed to the formal matches. If there are no objections, let's begin. Anyone who wants to challenge, go ahead. However, since quite a few newcomers have reached the Flowing Water Realm this time, each person only gets two challenge attempts instead of the usual three. Choose carefully."
As soon as Zui Yan finished speaking, the massive battle platform split into eight smaller arenas, each with a radius of sixty yards — ample space for Tier 3 players to fully deploy their skills. Moreover, each arena had rules enforced within it: any player who entered would have their attributes equalized, so the only thing the two sides could compete on was their actual combat proficiency.
After the arenas formed, Gu Han and the other experts who had reached the Void Realm or above each headed for their own platforms. However, only the eighth arena gave the various families pause, each of them hesitating over whether to step up.
The combat proficiency of the previous seven was obviously extremely high — there was absolutely no suspense. No one was foolish enough to waste an attempt on that. As for the rest, they were all at the Flowing Water Realm. If they stepped onto the arena, they would inevitably face a barrage of challenges. The challenges themselves weren't the problem, but through each successive battle, others would inevitably discover their trump cards, and their chances of winning would diminish accordingly.
"No one for the eighth arena?" Zui Yan said slowly, looking at the empty platform. "For this family tournament, besides the generous rewards the families will grant to the top three, the Zeus Financial Group will also give the top eight an opportunity to train and improve at the Sword of Violet's magic secret realm. Treasure this chance."
Once Zui Yan finished speaking, the eyes of every newcomer from the various families lit up. This was an incredible opportunity.
The Sword of Violet's magic secret realm contained training grounds left over from ancient times. While they couldn't compare to the resources previously obtained from the Sword of Violet, training within the magic secret realm still led to rapid improvement. If they could go train there for a period, breaking through to the Void Realm wasn't out of the question. At that point, they could leap forward to become guild elders with bright futures ahead.
In an instant, everyone began rushing toward the eighth arena.
"Second Sister, aren't you going?" Fen Xiao asked, watching Miao Wuyin, who remained standing in place without moving. He found it quite puzzling.
Yet even as everyone was frantically competing for a spot on the eighth arena, Miao Wuyin, who had remained motionless all this time, turned and began walking steadily toward the first arena where Gu Han stood.