Chapter 21: The First Twenty-Four

Watching the two within the sealing formation outside the hall and hearing their conversation, the Xia Emperor, Lü Dongbin, and the other seven Pure Yang True Immortals couldn't help but smile.

"This one called Zhu Xiang is also fearless because of ignorance," Lü Dongbin shook his head and sighed. "In fact, those watching this Immortal Fate Assembly already have a good idea of the strongest among these ninety-six. On the contrary, these ninety-six themselves lack an accurate understanding of each other's strength."

Indeed.

Zhu Xiang had merely been told by the Celestial Immortal ancestor of the Red Lotus Sect, 'This Ji Ning is one of the most troublesome at the Immortal Fate Assembly; you must go all out and not be careless in the slightest.' But Zhu Xiang himself had never fought Ji Ning, so how could he know Ji Ning's prowess?

Those outside could see every battle.

Conversely, the Wanxiang Adepts within the Brightmoon Water Diagram were lost in the fog of their own situation. Even Ji Ning had only fought a dozen or so of the other ninety-five.

"There's little suspense in this first round," the Xia Emperor nodded. "In this first round, I separated the most formidable ones, preventing them from clashing head-on. Ji Ning is indeed much stronger than Zhu Xiang."

"Senior apprentice-brother, I think you'd better prepare the Immortal-ranked magic treasures quickly. Each of the top forty-eight needs one," Di Hao laughed. "By the way, are the forty-eight Immortal-ranked treasures you prepared low-grade or mid-grade?"

"Low-grade, naturally!" the Xia Emperor laughed.

"I knew it," Di Hao nodded.

"You can actually offer low-grade Immortal-ranked treasures? The lowest I carry to bestow upon others is high-grade Immortal-ranked!" Lü Dongbin glanced at the Xia Emperor, who helplessly replied, "I have so many subordinates and must govern an entire major world. It's not easy. I can't just toss around Immortal-ranked treasures. Unlike you, Lü Dongbin, who roams freely."

…

Under Ji Ning's explosive power, the six Immortal swords slashed so that Zhu Xiang of the Red Lotus Sect suffered a crushing defeat, utterly unable to fight back.

"I concede," Zhu Xiang shouted loudly, then stared at Ji Ning as if to etch him into memory. This defeat was truly too miserable…

"Hmm, one Immortal-ranked treasure secured." Ji Ning quickly returned to normal, then gracefully left the sealing formation, walked back into the hall, and returned to stand behind King Yan, close to his cousin and Yu Wei.

…

Soon, all forty-eight matches concluded.

The first round of battles was generally relaxed, as the Xia Emperor paired strong with weak, striving to select the strongest.

"You forty-eight have won the first round and will each receive an Immortal-ranked treasure. I now bestow them upon you." The Grand Xia Emperor, seated high in the hall, waved his hand, and a stream of magic treasures with powerful fluctuations flew out: ropes, flying swords, bells, plates, nails, long shuttles, fine needles, great hammers, seals, long staffs, silk ribbons, dusters, colorful robes, sand grains…

Forty-eight Immortal-ranked treasures flew toward each person.

The one flying toward Ji Ning was an Immortal sword. Sword qi swirled around it, condensing into the form of an old man who looked at Ji Ning curiously.

"This is…" Ji Ning reached out and grasped the Immortal sword, sensing it slightly.

Having seen the Greenfire Divine Flame Lamp and the Thousandbull Sword, Ji Ning felt that this Immortal sword's fluctuations were comparable to the Greenfire Divine Flame Lamp.

"It should be low-grade Immortal-ranked," Ji Ning thought. "But it's a flying sword adept at attack. Did the Xia Emperor specially bestow an Immortal sword on me because I'm a sword immortal? Hmm, it's probably worth three to five million catties of liquid elemental essence."

That the bestowed Immortal-ranked treasure was low-grade was within expectations.

After all, the top twelve were awarded ten million catties of liquid elemental essence.

For the top forty-eight, bestowing low-grade Immortal-ranked treasures was reasonable.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ji Ning and the other forty-eight knelt and said in unison, some unable to hide their joy.

Low-grade Immortal-ranked?

Not all Wanxiang Adepts were as fortunate as Ji Ning! Many loose immortals had no Immortal-ranked treasures at all. To have one was already remarkable.

"Whoosh—" The Xia Emperor nodded with a smile, and above Ji Ning and the others, colorful raindrops appeared. Falling on them, they restored depleted elemental energy and divine power, and healed injuries. Though everyone had some elixirs, the Xia Emperor's personal gesture still stirred excitement.

"Rise. Return and rest, prepare for the next matches," the Xia Emperor said.

Ji Ning and the others filed back. Ji Ning and the Slovenly Adept naturally returned to King Yan's side.

Soon, the Xia Emperor issued orders for the second round of battles.

"Now begins the second round of matches," the Xia Emperor said calmly. "First match: Xiang Tianxiao of the Xiangtian clan versus Zhuanshui Gan of the Zhuanshui clan."

Xiang Tianxiao… was the sole remaining member of the Xiangtian clan in this Immortal Fate Assembly. Zhuanshui Gan was likewise the only surviving scion of the Zhuanshui clan.

Both ancient tribes hoped their scion would win.

But the battle ended quickly, with Xiang Tianxiao defeating Zhuanshui Gan by a clear margin.

"This Xiang Tianxiao is quite formidable," the Slovenly Adept praised, watching outside the hall.

"Hmm," Ji Ning nodded. "He follows the Grand Dao of the Saber. The saber dao rivals the sword dao—more brutal and domineering. Xiang Tianxiao has an innate forthrightness, and his saber style matches his character… He's indeed a tough opponent."

"A tough opponent," the Slovenly Adept agreed.

"Second match: Loose cultivator Blackstone Adept versus East Sea Danzhu Adept," the Xia Emperor announced.

Danzhu Adept, like a moon palace fairy, frowned at the announcement but still walked toward the sealing formation outside the hall. Blackstone Adept, as always, barefoot, bald, dark-skinned, holding a crooked staff, walked out with a serene smile.

"The Xia Emperor actually pits Danzhu Adept against Blackstone Adept? Based on the first round, the Xia Emperor usually pairs strong with weak to prevent early clashes," Ji Ning shook his head. "It seems in the Xia Emperor's eyes, Danzhu Adept ranks among the bottom twenty-four of the forty-eight."

"Right. Though Danzhu Adept is famous, she's not a divine-body cultivator," the Slovenly Adept added. "Compared to divine-body cultivation, qi-refining is at a disadvantage, especially in this assembly of monstrous talents. The flaws of qi-refining become more apparent."

Ji Ning nodded.

Indeed.

Even now, after tribulation, divine-body cultivators become Celestial Immortals, on par with Pure Yang True Immortals! This shows the immense advantage of divine-body cultivation in later stages.

…

The battle between Blackstone Adept and Danzhu Adept was a very strange one.

Blackstone Adept, relying solely on his Fuxi Staff Formation, rendered Danzhu Adept helpless, and she eventually conceded. Throughout, Blackstone Adept never engaged in close combat.

"How terrifying, this Blackstone Adept." This made Xiamang Zishan, Ji Ning, Ninefate Adept, Cangwu Jiu, and other prodigies secretly take note.

…

Match after match.

Some made Ji Ning and the others secretly wary, even those less familiar, like 'Golden Crow Adept,' 'Guiyuan Adept,' 'Qianyi Adept,' and others. At this stage, everyone who made it to the top twenty-four was formidable.

"Twenty-fourth match: Loose cultivator Knife Slave Adept versus Blood Demon Adept of the Pofeng Sect."

This was the last match of the second round.

Blood Demon Adept was a standout; his bloodthirst and madness had already etched him into the spectators' memories.

But…

He lost badly!

In just two strikes! The first strike sent Blood Demon Adept staggering back, still eager to continue. But the second strike cleaved his body in two! Split in half, Blood Demon Adept immediately shouted, 'I concede.'

"What!"

"How is that possible!"

Ji Ning, the Slovenly Adept, Xiamang Zishan, Blackstone Adept, Ninefate Adept, and the others were all shocked, their eyes showing gravity.

A formidable foe!

An absolute formidable foe! No one dared claim they could definitely defeat this mysterious 'Knife Slave Adept.'

Knife Slave Adept was a black-robed man holding a cleaver. He was cold and silent, barely noticeable standing there, but in this battle against Blood Demon Adept, he revealed his edge!

"This loose cultivator… should be a disciple of a friend of mine. Earlier, he kept a low profile, and I thought it was just a coincidence of dao names. But those two strikes, combined with his identity as a loose cultivator, leave no doubt," Lü Dongbin's eyes lit up as he praised. "My friend once mentioned this disciple to me, saying he chose the dao name 'Knife Slave,' vowing to serve the 'Dao of the Saber,' to merge all other daos into it. He is willing to be a slave to the saber dao!"

"Oh? Interesting," Chiji Zhenjun's eyes brightened. "Donghua, this friend of yours is?"

"Ah, what fine weather today," Lü Dongbin suddenly looked up at the endless void above.

Chiji Zhenjun was helpless.

The Xia Emperor and the others couldn't help but smile. They understood that Lü Dongbin didn't want to reveal this friend's identity, likely from a faction opposed to the Dao Ancestor behind Lü Dongbin. Lü Dongbin was known for befriending all across the Three Realms, even enemies and demons.

"There are indeed several loose cultivators this time," the Xia Emperor said. "Knife Slave Adept is one. Some are true loose cultivators, others may come from other worlds. Regardless of their origins, since they participate in the Immortal Fate Assembly, they must be treated fairly."

"But this sudden display of strength from Knife Slave Adept gives me a headache," the Xia Emperor shook his head. "I had a prior assessment of their strength and a plan for the third round pairings, but this last match of the second round has left me uncertain how to proceed."

"Let me make a suggestion," Lü Dongbin suddenly said.

"Oh?" The others looked over.

"This Knife Slave is likely the strongest in the 'saber dao' among the remaining twenty-four," Lü Dongbin sighed. "And the Dao companion of the young lady I like, Ji Ning, is the strongest in 'sword dao.' One is a sword immortal, the other a saber demon. A match between them would surely be spectacular."

The Xia Emperor smiled as well: "These twenty-four are all extraordinary. Pairing Knife Slave Adept with anyone gives me a headache. Since you've spoken, Lü Dongbin… let Ji Ning and Knife Slave fight."

…