Thousands of cultivators signed up to participate in the Conclave of Immortals. After testing their bone age and cultivation realm, each was handed a special token with the participant’s name and corresponding number. They were then divided into groups of two hundred for the first stage of the battle royale. After the final participants were designated to their respective brackets, a total of five hundred groups were formed. 

At the end of the first round, from the initial participants only five hundred would remain. It’s a ruthless but necessary culling, only the strong have the right to advance. The five hundred would then be divided into groups of ten and by the end of the second selection only fifty participants would remain. The first and second selections are the most tough and rigorous, not to mention bloody and unforgiving.

In the third round, the fifty participants will battle each other and those who amass the most wins would be granted a spot in the top ten. To avoid cheating a time limit was established and challenge restrictions were set.

Each combatant could challenge another competitor and accept a challenge once per day. No one is allowed to challenge the same competitor twice. Which means in order to amass a decent amount of victory, each competitor must challenge and accept challenges from different individuals daily and win.

The final phase of the conclave is a knock-out competition amongst the top ten competitors. The duels would be decided by drawing lots and one loss meant the end for the competitor. The duels will continue until the champion amongst the participants emerges.

The use of soul avatar, martial spirit, spiritual weapons and magic tools are permitted but divine spiritual weapons, forbidden elixirs, mounts and contracted beasts were not allowed during battle. There are no set rules against crippling or killing an opponent. But since the Conclave of Immortals is merely a tournament, of sorts, it would be ideal if one was left with a way out. In short, crippling your opponent or killing him is upon the participant’s discretion.

The rules of the Conclave of Immortals are simple and straightforward. Fight and win. Only those who remained standing on the stage are considered winners.

Zhou Xue Xian casually followed the tide of people until she stepped onto the stage for the first round. She looked around trying to find a familiar face but everyone in her group was a stranger to her.

It has been days since Zhou Xue Xian arrived in the Imperial Capital of Wuxing. The first thing she did was purchase information regarding the favorites and the strong contenders among this year’s participants. In truth, Zhou Xue Xian does not care about the championship. But it would be a disgrace and a waste to be eliminated during the first round.

After sweeping the group with another swift glance, Zhou Xue Xian relaxed her breathing. Her lucky stars are perfectly aligned as none of the favorites to win the competition was on the same stage.

But despite this piece of good fortune, Zhou Xue Xian did not reduce her vigilance. The Conclave of Immortals is a gathering of geniuses. The competition was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Although no top contender was grouped with her, Zhou Xue Xian was not conceited to think she would easily win the first round of the battle royale.

Still, this was the perfect opportunity to test her new strength. She’d been cultivating non-stop since her breakthrough and what she lacked was experience. The Conclave of Immortals was the perfect setting for tempering herself.

Soon, the five hundred stages were occupied. After the opening remarks from the Emperor of Wuxing and the activation of the grand formation, in order to protect the spectators, the horn was blown to commence the tournament.

The participants almost moved in unison. The stage was big enough to accommodate each combatant, with enough space to spare for movement and intense fighting. Some cultivators flew to the edge of the stage to gain more breathing ground while others moved to viciously attack the participants closest to them.

Zhou Xue Xian watched as the participants around her furiously battled. Each was trying to establish a territory on the stage to defend and attack from. But despite the frenzy, Zhou Xue Xian remained unfazed. She stood in the middle of the chaos, detached from it all. It was as if there was no one on that stage but her.

With a calm mind and a steady heart, Zhou Xue Xian took out her double swords and peacefully closed her eyes. She silently willed her soul avatar to manifest. But unlike the previous time, when it wildly flew out of her chest, she contained the Ancient Battle Spirit within her body and utilized only a fraction of its immense power.

When Zhou Xue Xian opened her eyes once again, everything seemed to have stopped or slowed down in her surroundings. Five sword energy congealed and started revolving around her. The sword energies rotated non-stop, forming an impenetrable barrier to block unprecedented attacks.

Zhou Xue Xian lightly tapped her foot and set off. She was like a swift arrow as she flashed from one spot to another, leaving only blurred images on her wake. Everywhere Zhou Xue Xian went, within a breath, a body would fly out of the stage and crash on the dirt covered ground below. None of the other competitors could block her ruthless assault. Some did not even know what happened until they hit the ground below the stage.

Soon, almost everyone in the arena was watching the lithe figure flashing to and fro in the 113th stage. The spectators watched, with bated breath, as the jade-faced youth got rid of the other competitors one by one and sometimes even two at the same time.

Some of the more cunning participants tried to band together in order to stop the jade-faced youth’s relentless momentum. But in the end, they were still no match for the youth’s undeniable fighting prowess. Forget about putting up a fight, it was a one-sided annihilation! The show of extreme dominance immediately captured the spectator’s undivided attention.

On the viewing platform, the four guardians were watching the youth closely. Although no visible emotion could be seen from their divine faces the excited, almost fanatic, glint in their eyes betrayed their current thoughts and feelings.

Jin Bai, who’s heart had been in turmoil since he last saw Zhou Xue Xian, finally found some semblance of peace after witnessing the first battle. His obsidian eyes never strayed from the agile figure as she flashed tirelessly on the stage below.

‘Good girl!’ He thought with pride. ‘That’s it, show them your strength. This is how you should be!’