At the Sacred Land of the Five Elements, the battle to select disciples for the exploration of the hidden realm was fiercely unfolding. Jiang Yun's many clones, present in the arena, were fighting each other with intense determination. Each move seemed deliberate, with the stronger clones ultimately winning. Meanwhile, some of the clones were also fighting against other competitors who were not clones of Jiang Yun. These opponents were all defeated by the clones, as each clone had cultivated their power to the upper level of Nirvana level 9, making them nearly invincible.
The battle continued until a loud voice called out, "Next match!"
Xiao Feng, a young man with great determination and exceptional skills, immediately stepped into the arena. As he looked ahead, he saw the clone of Jiang Yun's Light Dragon Sacred Body standing before him. He smiled slightly, respectfully greeted the clone, but received no response. The signal to begin the fight sounded instantly.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng launched his attack, using his sword technique to charge directly at his opponent. However, the Light Dragon clone dodged swiftly and countered by conjuring a brilliant light sword that slashed toward Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng barely dodged and retaliated with a slash of his own. Suddenly, a beam of light shot towards him from the front. He tried to block it with his sword, but the beam was too strong to be easily stopped. Xiao Feng let the beam pass by his side, and the two opponents began another intense exchange.
Xiao Feng, using his quick and precise sword skills, charged at the Light Dragon clone again. But the clone used powerful light energy to strike back. After a fierce and prolonged battle, Xiao Feng's sword finally broke. He sighed and admitted, "I have lost. I accept my defeat."
As the Light Dragon Sacred Body clone was about to leave, Xiao Feng called out, "Next time, let's fight again!" The clone did not reply and walked away, indifferent.
Xiao Feng smiled and said, "I'll take that as a yes." Then he collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
Elder Su Ling and the other elders were impressed by the skills of both fighters. They praised them, saying, "If they do not die prematurely, we will surely witness two great emperors in the future."
After that, the selection process continued for another half day, and the final 500 candidates were chosen. Xiao Feng won another round of combat against a competitor who was not a clone, but he again chose to challenge the Light Dragon clone and was defeated once more. However, Xiao Feng did not feel discouraged. He accepted his defeat with respect, saying, "Hardship is just a test to help us grow and become stronger."
Before he left, he heard a woman's voice. When he turned around, he saw Elder Su Ling, who asked, "Do you want to be my disciple?"
Xiao Feng smiled and replied, "Sorry, I already have a master."
Su Ling gave a small smile and continued, "In that case, do you want to join the Sacred Land of the Five Elements? I can make you a true disciple."
Xiao Feng thought for a moment and asked, "Can I bring my younger brother and sister along? They are both disabled."
Su Ling nodded and replied, "Certainly."
Xiao Feng smiled and agreed to join the Sacred Land of the Five Elements.
As Su Ling walked back, she asked the old man how many people had joined the Sacred Land of the Five Elements, and how many of the final 500 had joined them. The old man answered, "There were almost 50,000 people in total. Most of them have special physiques, not below the level of Earth. As for the final 500, they said they would join us after the hidden realm exploration is over."
Su Ling thought about the final 500, all of whom were very strong. She believed that these 500 would surely become emperors in the future, and compared them to the disciples of the Sacred Land of the Five Elements. She thought that in a real fight, they might not even be able to win. She wondered who they were, with almost all of them being at Nirvana Level 9. She wondered if the Tianyuan fragment had started to change. She instructed the old man to send people to investigate the identities of the final 500 to clear her doubts. Then she nodded and said, "I do not want any mistakes. When the time comes, we must be ready."
Four days later, at the peak of the Sacred Land of the Mist, in the grand hall, eleven people sat together. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared and said, "Master, the selection for the representatives to explore the hidden realm is about to begin."
Jiang Yun replied, "Hmm, go and get ready. Do not disappoint me. All ten of you must obtain a quota to explore the hidden realm. Understand?"
Everyone there responded loudly, "We will not disappoint the Holy Son!"
Jiang Yun continued, "Wait for me outside. Remember, there is no room for mistakes."
Everyone there responded loudly, "We will give our lives for the Holy Son."
After the ten left, Jiang Yun asked the Samsara Clone, who was the dark shadow, "How is the selection at the Sacred Land of the Five Elements?"
The clone replied, "All 500 quotas are ours, with 10 Samsara Clones, 66 Sacred Body clones, 334 Emperor Body clones, and 90 King Body clones, ready to enter the hidden realm in 21 days. The clones that did not pass the test are returning to train to reach the Saint King level."
Jiang Yun nodded, waved the clone away, and stepped outside. Everyone saluted him, and he simply said, "Let's go."
In the inner courtyard, Ye Chen was happily chatting with his four elder sisters. Ye Chen asked Zhang Xinyue, "Where did Sister Mu Chuyuan go? I haven't seen her in the past few months."
Zhang Xinyue replied, "I don't know either. Since Mu Chuyuan is quite cold, I haven't been very close to her."
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen smiled and continued to chat joyfully with everyone.
At the peak of the Sacred Divine Mountain, a young woman spoke up, "As expected of the Sacred Land of the Mist, the resources and secrets here have allowed me to progress rapidly."
Then, a man's voice sounded, "Disciple, it is time for the selection."
The young woman stepped out and said, "Understood, Master." She thought to herself, "I, who was once an emperor, now have to fight these children. It probably won't be much fun." That young woman was Li Xinyuan, and she confidently set out.
The Sacred Divine Master, who was watching, smiled and thought, "This child is truly remarkable. In just a few months, her cultivation has advanced incredibly. I hope you won't disappoint me. Haha!"
In the inner courtyard, many disciples gathered, including inner disciples, outer disciples, and some servant disciples. When they saw some of the true disciples, they immediately shouted greetings, and a seemingly new female disciple asked an inner disciple, "Can you tell me who you think will obtain the 100 quotas?"
The inner disciple smiled, "You want to bet, huh? You asked the right person. Do you see those five people? They are disciples of the Supreme Elder. Ye Chen, Gu Qingxue, Li Dongyu, Guan Mengyao, Zhang Xinye—they are guaranteed to get the quotas."
The female disciple looked at the five people, who were meditating gracefully. She just smiled while the inner disciple introduced other disciples, those with special physiques, and disciples of the principal elders.
"Do you see that woman over there?"
"Her name is Ling Lan, and she has the Wood Emperor Body, a disciple of the Fifth Elder."
"Do you see that red-haired man? His name is Li Kai, and he has the Battle Emperor Body, a disciple of the Third Elder."
"And of course, the Holy Son himself, who will surely secure a quota. However, due to recent events, the Sacred Divine Master ordered the Holy Son to participate in the selection as well, and---"
He stopped talking, and the entire inner courtyard fell silent to the point where one could hear a heartbeat. The female disciple seemed to know what was about to happen and remained indifferent, but the other disciples immediately shouted,
"We salute the Holy Son!"