Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Chapter 501 First Exploration of Tianyuan

The next day, early in the morning.

The gentle, eternal dawn-like light of the heavens shone through the spiritual mist, evenly illuminating the courtyard of "Yunqi Garden." The spiritual spring continued to gurgle with milky white steam, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to the small courtyard.

But the owner of the courtyard had no time to appreciate this tranquility.

After a night of meditation, Shen Mo's nascent soul became increasingly solid and well-rounded in the pure and rich spiritual energy environment.

He pushed open the door, and Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao were already waiting in the courtyard.

Both women had changed into brand-new defensive robes purchased from the Treasure Pavilion, one in light blue and the other in dark cyan, which accentuated their ethereal beauty. The robes shimmered with a subtle spiritual light, effectively blocking the detection of spiritual senses from those below the Golden Core stage.

"Sect Leader," the two women greeted.

"Yes, let's go out for a walk today, familiarize ourselves with the surroundings, and see if we can find out more information about the conference." Shen Mo nodded. "Qingyan, is the formation stable?"

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, the arrangements are complete. The simplified variations of the Yin-Yang Micro Dust Array are used as the core, incorporating several small arrays for early warning, anti-submarine warfare, and alerting. Unless a late-stage Golden Core cultivator or even a Nascent Soul cultivator who is proficient in arrays and whose cultivation far surpasses mine launches a deliberate attack, it will be difficult for them to infiltrate silently."

"If anything goes wrong, the array will give an alert, and I will be able to sense it immediately," Zhao Qingyan replied, a hint of fatigue in her eyes. Clearly, setting up this array last night had taken a lot of her time and energy, but more than that, she exuded a calm composure as if she had completed her mission.

"Very good." Shen Mo looked at Su Xiao.

Su Xiao nodded slightly, and her clear, cold voice rang out: "Within three zhang outside the courtyard, 'Shadowless Traces' have been set up to sense the approaching spiritual power and life force of anyone who is not a member of our sect."

"Three members of the Golden Wolf Clan left the neighboring courtyards after midnight and returned at dawn. Their auras were slightly fluctuating, as if they had been sparring or cultivating."

"There was moisture and slight fluctuations in star power in the courtyard of Xingluo Island all night, which should be a routine task. So far, no suspicious persons have been seen lurking in the vicinity for a long time."

"Understood." Shen Mo said no more and walked out of the courtyard first. Zhao Qingyan and Su Xiao followed closely behind.

The courtyard gate opened, revealing the same quiet path I had taken yesterday. The path, paved with smooth white marble slabs, meandered upwards, connecting to a higher platform and the street.

The roadside plants were meticulously trimmed, with glistening dewdrops rolling on their leaves, exuding a vibrant energy. The air was so fresh it felt like it could wash away the dust from your lungs.

The three of them strolled slowly along the path. Unlike their initial arrival yesterday, they now had the leisure to carefully observe the scenery of Tianyuan Inner City.

The buildings are mostly white-walled and blue-tiled, or constructed with a certain light-colored wood, with subtle variations in style, appearing both solemn and elegant.

The streets are planned in an extremely neat and orderly manner, crisscrossing each other, yet due to the elevation differences of the mountains and platforms, they form a three-dimensional and layered aesthetic.

At each corner of the main streets, there are illuminated signs indicating the area name and directions to major facilities.

There were slightly more pedestrians than yesterday at the berth platform, but it was far from crowded. Most of them walked with ease and composure, and their cultivation level was at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage, with Golden Core cultivators also quite common.

When they met, they mostly nodded slightly or exchanged a knowing glance, rarely talking or laughing loudly. The entire city was shrouded in an atmosphere of tranquility, order, yet with a hidden edge.

The shops along the street are also quite different from the dazzling and bustling style of Wanfa City.

The shops are usually small, decorated in a simple and understated style, and the signs are mostly simple spiritual characters, such as "Tingtao Pavilion" (selling water-attribute spiritual materials and cultivation techniques), "Jingexuan" (a shop selling magical artifacts), "Danxia Residence" (selling elixirs), "Tiangongfang" (puppets and mechanisms), and so on.

There weren't many people coming and going, but it was clear that they were all wealthy and discerning.

Shen Mo noticed that several shops had signs hanging at their entrances that were exclusive to the three holy lands or the Sky Patrol Pavilion, clearly indicating that they were directly affiliated or related businesses.

Even more surprisingly, he saw an inconspicuous three-story building with only a small black sign hanging at the door, which was neither gold nor wood and had the words "Seeking the Way" written on it. There was no one in front of the door, but there was a subtle yet powerful aura of restriction. His divine sense was gently repelled as soon as it approached.

Such a place is probably only for Nascent Soul True Monarchs or high-level cultivators with special introductions.

"The shops here... seem to focus more on 'quality' than 'quantity'," Zhao Qingyan said in a low voice, her gaze sweeping over a shop with several array plates displaying spiritual light at the entrance, clearly of high quality.

"Yes, to open a shop here, a good background, a good reputation, and high-quality goods are all essential. The target customers are at least Golden Core stage participants and their entourage, so it's naturally different from the markets outside," Shen Mo said.

He was also observing, silently assessing the difficulty and cost of acquiring resources here. He feared that the spirit stones he had exchanged for in Wanfa City using materials from the Southern Region wouldn't last long here.

Turning a corner, a spacious small square appeared ahead. In the center of the square stood a huge jade disc, about three zhang high and more than five zhang wide.

The surface of the jade disc shimmered with spiritual light, displaying densely packed characters and patterns. Dozens of cultivators gathered around it, craning their necks to look at it and whispering among themselves.

"It's the preliminary schedule and rules announcement for the conference," Su Xiao said in a low voice, her eyes sharp.

The three approached and looked up. The contents on the jade disc were extremely detailed, listed in clear entries:

Outline of the Tianyuan Assembly (Jiazi Session):

First ten days: Registration, qualification review, and accommodation arrangement.

Second to fourth ten-day periods: Specialized skill competitions (alchemy, weapon crafting, array formations, talismans, beast taming, spiritual plants, chess, etc.).

Fifth period: Initial test of the new project "Celestial Deduction".

Sixth phase: Qualification screening for the simulated battlefield of "Suppressing Demons and Exorcising Evil".

Seventy to Ninth Years: Individual Battles (Group Elimination Tournament for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stages).

Tenth to twelfth period: Team battles to explore and compete in the "Small Universe Realm".

Thirteenth month: New project "Exploring the Hidden Realms".

The fourteenth phase: comprehensive evaluation, ranking announcement, and resource allocation negotiation.

The fifteenth day: Closing Ceremony, Tianyuan City Asks the Question.

(Note: A "ten-day period" refers to ten days. Specific details and venue arrangements will be announced separately three days before the start of each phase.)

Below is a long, meticulously worded set of competition rules, covering all aspects such as eligibility, outcome determination, penalties for violations, safety responsibilities, and appeal procedures. It is so detailed that it practically eliminates any conceivable loopholes.

It explicitly states that intentional death or maiming is strictly prohibited, as is the use of talismans, magical artifacts, or elixirs exceeding the prescribed level. External interference is also strictly prohibited. Violators will be severely punished, depending on the severity of the offense, including disqualification, confiscation of resources, expulsion, or even the abolition of cultivation.

"Goodness, these rules are terrifying." A burly cultivator carrying a large sword muttered to his companion, "This isn't a competition, it's like being taken to a torture chamber."

"Otherwise what?" His companion, a tall, thin man, rolled his eyes. "Those who come are all the precious gems of their families. If we really kill a few of them, wouldn't those old guys tear down Tianyuan? It's better to have strict rules, at least on the surface, everyone has to follow the rules."

"Hmph, just rules on the surface." Another voice interjected sinisterly. It was a young cultivator with a pale face and shifty eyes. "Once you're on the arena, where life and death hang in the balance, how many 'mistakes' and 'accidents' have there been? Rules are dead, but people are alive."

Upon hearing this, the people around him all showed knowing or deeply agreeable expressions, said nothing more, and continued watching.