However, up until now, Jiang Chen remained completely ignorant of the rules governing this Martial Tower competition.
He was also entirely in the dark about just how many outstanding geniuses the Glazed Glass Royal City actually possessed.
When Jiang Chen cast a questioning glance toward him, the Peacock Great Emperor seemed to see right through his thoughts. He chuckled, "You haven't been in the Glazed Glass Royal City for long, so you must be quite unfamiliar with the Martial Tower competition. Do you have any idea how many people have registered to participate this time?"
Jiang Chen didn't rush to answer, instead asking, "Are there any age restrictions for participation?"
The Peacock Great Emperor nodded. "Participants must be under sixty years old. Because the Glazed Glass Royal City Tower is held only once every sixty years. Therefore, in a lifetime, a person can only participate in the Royal Tower assembly once."
"Are there any strength restrictions?"
The Peacock Great Emperor nodded again. "One must be at the Saint Realm or above. Of course, without reaching the Saint Realm, participating in the Royal Tower assembly would only amount to being cannon fodder."
With these two restrictions, the number of registrants certainly wouldn't reach an absurd level.
He cautiously ventured a number: "A hundred thousand people?"
He knew that the number of participants in the Martial Tower competition must be at least ten times that of the Alchemy Tower competition.
After all, in the world of martial arts, martial cultivation reigned supreme, while alchemy was merely supplementary. Moreover, not every martial arts genius possessed alchemy talent, nor was every martial arts genius interested in alchemy.
For the Alchemy Tower competition, he'd heard that over thirty thousand people had registered, and ultimately, only two hundred made it to the main contest—a hundred independent cultivators and a hundred disciples from powerful families.
So, a hundred thousand was somewhat conservative, but not wildly inaccurate.
The Peacock Great Emperor, however, burst into laughter upon hearing this. "A hundred thousand? Far too few, far too few. Multiply that by ten, and you'll be roughly correct."
"Ten times?" Jiang Chen was stunned. "A million? Does the entire Glazed Glass Royal City have that many Saint Realm geniuses under the age of sixty?"
The Peacock Great Emperor smiled. "It's not just the Glazed Glass Royal City. Many surrounding forces and independent cultivators also aspire to the Royal Tower assembly. The Glazed Glass Royal City, located in the southern part of the Upper Eight Domains, holds tremendous attraction. Even first-tier sects cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Glazed Glass Royal City."
Compared to sects, the Glazed Glass Royal City was more open and offered greater freedom.
Therefore, this kind of power naturally held more appeal for independent cultivators and other martial artists.
After all, sects came with many strict rules and strong prejudices against outsiders. For an ordinary person to enter a sect was extremely difficult.
But a power like the Glazed Glass Royal City was different. Its inclusivity was immense, capable of absorbing many strong individuals.
However, there were drawbacks. The cohesion of such a power was naturally not as strong as that of a sect.
Of course, with the Peacock Great Emperor presiding over the Glazed Glass Royal City, cohesion wasn't really an issue. After all, having ruled the city for three thousand years, his ability to command respect, awe, and influence was deeply ingrained.
Moreover, the Peacock Great Emperor's own personal charisma was astonishing.
Jiang Chen clicked his tongue in amazement at the number one million.
"A million people, and in the end, only thirty-six can enter the Glazed Glass Royal City Tower?" Jiang Chen was also shocked by such a vast disparity.
"Correct. Only thirty-six can truly enter the main tower. However, two hundred people can enter the Martial Tower."
The Glazed Glass Royal City Tower consisted of three towers.
The main tower and two auxiliary towers. The two auxiliary towers were the Alchemy Tower and the Martial Tower.
The main tower was the true totemic structure of the Glazed Glass Royal City, standing here since ancient times, safeguarding the city's fortune.
"Truly a one-in-a-million chance," Jiang Chen sighed. "In that case, most people have no real hope; they're just here to make up the numbers?"
"Make up the numbers?" The Peacock Great Emperor laughed heartily. "Many people know they have no hope, yet they still fight tooth and nail for a spot. Do you know why?"
Jiang Chen was taken aback. "Why?"
"Simple. For the opportunity to hone themselves. Opponents of the same level, a gathering of all kinds of geniuses, the clash of different talents is bound to spark many fires of inspiration. Historically, many geniuses with lower cultivation levels never made it into the final thirty-six, but after gaining insights from this Martial Tower competition, they eventually walked the path of becoming top-tier powerhouses. Conversely, some who broke into the top thirty-six later met untimely ends. The path of martial arts is forever filled with unknowns. No one knows who will have the last laugh. A true genius wins through the process itself. With your comprehension, I'm sure you understand?"
Jiang Chen fell into thought, nodding gently.
With over a million participants, countless battles of all sizes, this kind of opportunity for tempering was something you'd never get in normal times.
Just imagine it—participating in such battles, over the course of several months, fighting hundreds of times, the gains obtained would be truly astonishing.
Especially for some martial arts prodigies, this was absolutely a prime opportunity for advancement and training.
Jiang Chen suddenly understood why the numbers reached into the millions.