Elder Tong smiled faintly. "Myriad Abyss Island is in a period of upheaval right now. There's no need for anyone to be too smug about their standing. The Rejuvenation Island Domain has already humbled itself considerably. So I suggest that when politeness is called for, we should oblige appropriately. Don't always act cold and imperious, as if everything is owed to us. That kind of attitude might not draw any complaints from the Rejuvenation Island Domain, but it would certainly chill their hearts and make them feel that the people of the Duowen Divine Kingdom are difficult to get along with. They're already going out of their way to curry favor with us. If we respond with indifference even after they've gone to such lengths, they'll naturally feel put off."
"Elder Tong, with all due respect—what is the standing of our Duowen Divine Kingdom, and what is the Rejuvenation Island Domain? They curry favor with us because they want to. Must we smile and welcome them with open arms just because they come scraping?"
"Exactly. That's more than enough already. Small factions like the Rejuvenation Island Domain are a dime a dozen on Myriad Abyss Island. If we had to put on a pleasant face for every single one, we'd exhaust ourselves."
It was clear that these noble scions of the Duowen Divine Kingdom were immensely proud at heart. They felt that, given their kingdom's elevated status, there was simply no reason to give face to a second- or third-rate backwater like the Rejuvenation Island Domain.
As for the lavish reception—the Rejuvenation Island Domain had brought that upon themselves, hadn't they?
Elder Tong sighed at their tone. "I was merely invited here as your arbiter. What I said before was only a suggestion. As for how each of you responds, I'm not trying to force anything. In that case, let us turn to the matter of your Eight Great Houses."
"This time, young geniuses from all eight houses are gathering together. The rules have surely been set already, yes? Anyone over thirty is excluded. Anyone below the Emperor realm is excluded. Is that correct?"
"That's right. If you don't reach the Emperor realm until after thirty, you can't really be called a top-tier genius."
"Indeed. Thirty is the watershed. Fail to enter the Emperor realm before thirty, and you don't qualify as a first-line talent for the family."
The standards of these Eight Great Houses were staggeringly high. Below thirty for the Emperor realm—or you didn't count as a first-rate genius.
If the Emperor realm cultivators of the human territories heard this, they'd be furious enough to die on the spot. In the human territories, most Emperor realm cultivators didn't reach that level until they were well over a thousand years old. Reaching it in just a few hundred years made one an extraordinary prodigy.
Even on the Rejuvenation Island Domain and here on Winterend Island, reaching the Emperor realm typically required at least a hundred years.
That was why the selection criteria for Winterend Island carried its own restriction: above the Emperor realm, below the Celestial realm, and no older than one hundred.
On Winterend Island, even top-tier geniuses generally didn't reach the Emperor realm until between sixty and one hundred.
Yet the Eight Great Houses' standard was thirty.
Don't let those few decades fool you—at the foundational stage of martial cultivation, a gap of several decades was enormous.
From this alone, one could appreciate just how demanding the Eight Great Houses' selection criteria truly were.
Elder Tong smiled faintly. "Based on the information your Eight Great Houses provided, I have a general picture now. For this Winterend Island competition, you have a total of twenty-four participants. Each house nominates three geniuses. Rankings will be determined by individual results. Does that work for everyone?"
"How exactly will the results be calculated?" someone asked.
"Results will be determined by actual harvests, of course. Does anyone have further questions?" Elder Tong's gaze swept over the assembly, sharp and penetrating.
After a long moment of deliberation, the gathered representatives nodded one by one. "Very well, let's settle it. The most straightforward method is the most honest, the most fitting. No one can game the system, and no one can cheat."
"Then it's decided."
Elder Tong rose to his feet and waved a hand. "It's getting late. Everyone get some rest. We set out at dawn for the Black Nightmare Mountains."
……
The next morning at first light, the noble guests from the Duowen Divine Kingdom had already assembled together.
The Eight Great Houses had brought not only their twenty-odd young geniuses but also elders from each family and their personal guards. The total number was considerable.
Elder Tong exchanged a few words with Prince Huo, then turned to address everyone from the Eight Great Houses. "Make your preparations—departure is imminent!"
The Garrison Command led the way personally, and the great procession set off toward the Black Nightmare Mountains in magnificent formation.
Two hours later, one flying ship after another touched down along the outer perimeter of the Black Nightmare Mountains.
Outside the Black Nightmare Mountains, representatives from various factions had been waiting for some time. When they saw the flying ships descending one after another, they were visibly stunned and scrambled to their feet.
The display of force was unmistakable—everyone knew that important figures had arrived.
Even the Garrison Commander himself couldn't have produced such a spectacle. The value of a single one of those flying ships exceeded most people's wildest imaginations. Even the Garrison Commander didn't travel in vessels like these when coming and going.
In an instant, everyone was standing, their eyes filled with awe as they watched the ships settle.
The Garrison Commander led his officers forward at the head of the procession. Behind them, the Imperial Iron Guard escorted the honored guests of the Duowen Divine Kingdom, following at a measured distance.
The leaders of the various factions hurried forward and bowed. "Greetings, Garrison Commander! Greetings, my lords!"
The Garrison Commander nodded, dispensing with his usual air of superiority. "You've all been made to wait. But let me make this clear—the ones observing your trial this time are not merely royal nobility. There are other honored guests as well. These guests are highly valued by the royal court. You must perform your very best and not disgrace the Rejuvenation Island Domain. Understood?"