In the end, Yan Xiaolong accepted the pocketwatch. Though, he felt he had no choice in the first place. The pair rode the sword for some time until they arrived in a misty region. Tie Wuqing made a few gesture with his hand and the some of the mist parted, revealing a glowing circle in the air. 

 

He bit his finger and a drop of blood flew out to the glowing circle. The glowing circle turned green and became a vortex of light. Once they passed the vortex of light, the pair were no longer in misty region. Rather, it was an empty field of grasses with clouds and a sun in the sky. 

 

“This is an alternate space that belong to our Immortal Sage Sect and serves as the entrance to the Necropolis Trial.” Tie Wuqing pointed downward. “There’s some people down there already. Let’s see who else arrived.” 

 

The sword flew with great speed again and arrived with the other challengers. Some of these disciples were from the Immortal Sage Sect and others were from the subsidiary sects. Like Yan Xiaolong, they were led by their Nascent Soul elders. Although there was a gathering of several hundred people, many of them stuck to their cliques or were patiently cultivating by themselves. 

 

Overall, it was a quiet, but tensed atmosphere. Yan Xiaolong and Tie Wuqing remain seated on the sword and only looked around. 

 

“Look around, Xiaolong. These are some of the best of your generation. Some are even half as talented as I am.” Tie Wuqing nudged his head toward the distance. “See that swarthy kid with the silver hair and green eyes? That’s the most talented disciple of the Shen Clan right now, Shen Daozi. He’s the grandson of the Shen Clan’s patriarch, our Grand Elder Sacred-Falcon, and a Chosen.” 

 

Yan Xiaolong looked and saw a swarthy young man staring off blankly into the distance. His eyes appeared unfocused and his whole hunched back seemed to portray him as a lazy person. The dark, heavy eye bags on his face added a sense of lethargy to his aura as well. 

 

“Despite how he looks, he’s a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. That puts him within the top ten spots among all other disciples competing right here. He once fought a rogue Nascent Soul cultivator to a standstill and even slaughtered a horde of demonic beasts all by himself. Moreover, he has a very strange, but strong, cultivation art that specialize in sand manipulation. Whatever you do, don’t try to fight him. You’ll get your ass handed to you. He’s also from the Golden King Society of our Immortal Faction so he’s an ally.” 

 

Tie Wuqing pointed at another disciple. “See that plain-faced girl in those rag-like robes and with a hair bun? Don’t let her fool you as well. She’s a late-stage Golden Core cultivator from our Spring Flower Peak. Her name is kept hidden and everyone knows her by her daoist title: Joy-Spark.” 

 

“How come nobody knows her name?” 

 

“She wanted it that way, and the sect leader agreed to it. I shouldn’t say much myself, but she is related to the sect leader. You just need to know that her cultivation art is also very strange and is focused in speed. She’s the fastest disciple in the Central Court and once outran a group of Nascent Soul cultivators before leading them all into a death trap. A rather cunning fellow. However, she’s very well-mannered as long as you don’t antagonize her. She’s from the Ethereal Society of the Sage Faction and is also a Chosen. ” 

 

“Then, there is Su Meimeng, Xiao Jianshen, Daoist King-Slayer, Prince Jiang Wei...” 

 

Tie Wuqing continued to introduce him to the other top contenders. They were the deadliest people gathered here for the Necropolis Trial. Of course, all the other disciples were fantastic in their own ways. Each person was their own respected expert with a cultivation base no weaker than peak-stage Qi Disciple. Tie Wuqing only bothered to give details on the most powerful disciples since they were the biggest threat to him. 

 

Similarly, many Nascent Soul elders were giving instructions to their own disciples on Yan Xiaolong, who was given to be one of the strongest fighters in the Necropolis Trial. Although he could not hear what they were saying, Yan Xiaolong had a good feeling that they were reciting everything they need about him and his Immovable King’s Scripture. Truth to be told, he was one of the few people present that cultivated a Void-Tier cultivation art so people, especially inner court disciples, were mostly alarmed about him. 

 

Time passed and more people joined. Over a thousand disciples were present so that only left a few people left until the Necropolis Trial would officially open. 

 

Three beams of light appeared in distance, which contained two women and a man. 

 

It turned out that the newcomers were from Ice Jade Peak. A woman in her late-twenties stood before the two disciples behind her. Her hair and robe was white as snow while her eyes were as blue as the sky. She had a placid expression on her face that radiated utter chill to anyone that dared look at her. Moreover, she was very tall, as tall as Tie Wuqing, and that gave anyone the impression of looking at a glacier when they looked at her.

 

It was a simple task to determine her as Elder Ice-Jade, master of Ice Jade Peak. 

 

To her right was a young man who also had a placid expression on his face, but not nearly as cold. He seemed ordinary in every way, with simple clothing and a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation base. Whether it was that unassuming appearance, or the fact that he accompanied two beauties, he earned the hostility of the other male disciples. Naturally, he was Tai Shan. 

 

To the left was a young woman who was completely different from those two. She had shoulder-length white hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and a soft smile. Her body could be simply described as mature, with long legs and a curvaceous figure, but her face was pure and innocent like any young maiden's. She was also in the late-stage Foundation Establishment. If Elder Ice-Jade was a glacier, than this young woman would be a snowflake. Yan Xiaolong rubbed his nose and wondered why the young woman looked so familiar to him. 

 

“Hm? I don’t remember Ice Jade Peak ever accepting male disciples. A troublemaker at that.” Tie Wuqing looked over at his nephew. “You don’t recognize her? That’s Han Xiaoling. Your ex-fiancee.” 

 

Like a broken toy, Yan Xiaoling’s neck turned around quickly. “That’s her!? She actually looks approachable now.” 

 

“Yes, it is quite strange. She also holed up for three years and experienced a transformation in personality and power. Her cultivation was slightly lower than yours and she’s didn’t take the Supreme Dragon God’s Blood Potion, but she managed to catch up. With the Winter Empress’ Secret Art, I’m sure that she’s in the top ten of inner court disciples as well. I suspect the... breakup had something to do with her change.” 

 

“Maybe it has something to do Tai Shan instead? Icy, jade beauties really melt for those kind of guys. One-dimensional, treasure-magnet, murder hobos.” Yan Xiaolong mused to himself. “Should I strike a conversation with him now? Zhong Yun should’ve said some good things about me during these three years. The friendlier I am to Tai Shan, the more benefits I’ll receive in the future. Though, it might be a little awkward with her around.” 

 

He turned his gaze away, missing the strange gleam that appeared in Han Xiaoling's eyes. Her icy, blue pupils took in every detail on Yan Xiaolong as if she was confirming his presence. However, she only looked at him for a split second before looking away. She murmured something that only she could hear and continued to softly smile. A tinge of something dark and cold remained in her eyes. 

 

The trio from Ice Jade Peak stood on the ground and waited like everyone else. Some time later, more beams of light came and within the next ten minutes, everyone had arrived. 

 

While Yan Xiaolong was contemplating on whether to talk to Tai Shan and Han Xiaoling, a booming voice suddenly arrived. 

 

“Since everyone is here, this old man will not keep you all waiting any longer.” 

 

The land rumbled and a statue of dirt formed in the distance. It expanded until the head touched the clouds and the people were at its feet. Looking at it closely, it depicted a cultivator in meditation with crossed legs and rested arms in the lap. The cultivators below all bowed toward the statue. 

 

“Greetings, Sect Leader!”