Hum.
With a humming sound, Li Xuan's eyes suddenly opened. The dizziness from the teleportation gate moments ago vanished completely.
Hiss!
However, as Li Xuan looked, a trace of shock remained on his face.
A colossal mountain peak floated in mid-air, radiating a powerful golden light all around. At the foot of the mountain, dense clouds and mist rose, obscuring vision. The interplay of mist and golden light made it appear like a fantasy.
Countless figures already hovered around the mountain peak, evidently the participants who had passed the preliminary selection. Beyond them, on the mountain itself, pulsed more than ten powerful auras.
Despite the obscuring golden light, these ten-odd powerful aura fluctuations were remarkably distinct. Clearly, this was also a method employed by the Buddhist sect.
Under the pressure of these strong auras, the assembled crowd fell silent, the atmosphere becoming solemn.
Even Luo Jia Ye, the city lord of Luo Jia City, wore a solemn expression with a look of reverence in his eyes. Li Xuan glanced around, a hint of surprise in his heart.
Almost everyone present possessed considerable strength. Considering the importance of the Buddha Son for the Bliss Continent, it was understandable. The Buddha Son selection competition was, in essence, the most significant event on the Bliss Continent.
"Those twelve auras belong to the twelve supreme powerhouses of Buddhism. To think that even in this preliminary round, they are already present." Perhaps to clarify matters for Li Xuan, Jiang Shang lowered his voice and said, after a glance around.
As for He Shu Qian and his junior brother, they seemed to already know the identity of these twelve auras and remained reverently silent.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, acknowledging the information. After Jiang Shang turned away, Li Xuan's gaze casually swept across the surroundings.
After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, three more streams of light ignited. Clearly, more participants from other regions had arrived.
As more and more contestants arrived, led by powerful figures like Luo Jia Ye, an immensely vast and brilliant golden light erupted from the summit of Dong Xu Mountain.
Under this golden light, twelve figures became faintly visible. Their overwhelming and invincible auras seemed to awaken, surging towards the sky like divine might.
From within the twelve figures, one slowly floated forward. Clad in golden Buddhist robes, with faint light pulsing like blood vessels beneath the surface, this individual spoke.
This person surveyed the surroundings of Dong Xu Mountain and announced, "I am Jin Lun. I will preside over the preliminary round of this Buddha Son selection competition. Now, personnel from various factions present to witness the ceremony, please take your seats."
As Jin Lun's voice faded, with a wave of his hand, courtyards and pavilions materialized out of thin air in the sky.
With the appearance of these structures, Jiang Shang turned to Li Xuan and He Shu Qian, saying, "Two, I entrust this to you."
As he spoke, Jiang Shang prepared to bow to Li Xuan and He Shu Qian.
Seeing this, Li Xuan hastily stopped Jiang Shang, saying, "Senior Jiang, such formality is undeserved. Since I have already promised you, I will do my utmost. That Snow Lotus Nine Petals, I am determined to obtain!"
"Hmph, quite a bold statement. Let's see if you can pass this preliminary round first. Don't boast too early, only to fall in the first round and become a laughingstock." As Li Xuan finished speaking, He Shu Qian sneered.
"Young friend Shu Qian, there is no need to worry. Even if young friend Li should fall, I believe you, young friend Shu Qian, will be able to turn the tide." Jiang Shang shook his head with a hint of helplessness. Considering he had to rely on He Shu Qian, he naturally could not say much more.
After offering a word of encouragement, Jiang Shang turned to He Shu Qian's junior brother, saying, "Young gentleman, please accompany me to my seat."
"The preliminary round of the Buddha Son selection competition now begins. Combat will be one-on-one, with only the victor advancing. Now, I wish everyone good luck!"
As Jin Lun's voice concluded, Li Xuan felt the surrounding air become heavy. Everyone's aura was palpably taut, ready for battle. Even He Shu Qian beside Li Xuan breathed with a noticeable thickness.
Li Xuan was already aware of the rules for the preliminary round's matches before they commenced.
All participants in the preliminary round would be uniformly classified by the host. Under the arrangement of peak-level Powerhouses in the God Shattering Realm, fairness and justice would be ensured to the greatest extent possible.
Contestants within the same rank would typically be placed in the same group. For example, Spirit Masters in the Realm Creation Realm would be divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced tiers. The same applied to other cultivation realms. The combatants would engage in duels within a space designated by the host.
The outcome of the battles would be sensed by Jin Lun.
As for the pairings, they would be arranged by the host's methods. The purpose of this was not solely to select the strongest.
According to Jiang Shang, in addition to strength, the Buddhist sect's selection of a Buddha Son also depended on their recognition of Buddhism and their comprehension of Buddhist teachings.
While the top ten Buddha Sons were generally powerful, there was no doubt that their comprehension surpassed that of others.
Just as Li Xuan marveled at Jin Lun's immense power, Jin Lun waved his hand, and countless specks of spiritual light appeared in the sky. In an instant, all participants held a light speck in their hands.
With a flash of golden light, the contestants present vanished from their spots.
"Hahaha, Pavilion Master Jiang, the young man you chose seems to have poor luck. He's already encountered a cultivator at the advanced stage of the Realm Creation Realm in the preliminary round. With his intermediate Realm Creation Realm strength, he likely won't even withstand three moves from the opponent."
"It seems the final hope will have to fall upon my senior brother."
Watching the projection, He Shu Ming's voice rang out, laced with clear schadenfreude.
Jiang Shang immediately shifted his gaze to the screen. Upon seeing it, a flicker of bewilderment crossed his eyes. Based on Jiang Shang's observation, although Li Xuan's strength was only at the intermediate Realm Creation Realm, he had a feeling that Li Xuan was more capable than he appeared. At least, he was not as simple as he seemed on the surface.
He hadn't expected him to be matched against an advanced Realm Creation Realm opponent so early.
"Silence!"
At this moment, a stern gaze swept over. Accompanied by the two words, a terrifying aura rapidly enveloped He Shu Ming. In an instant, He Shu Ming felt as if he had fallen into hell, a chill spreading through his entire body.
"Please, Great Jin Lun, show mercy. This young man merely spoke carelessly and disturbed the competition. He harbored no intent to challenge the dignity of Buddhism." Seeing Jin Lun's gaze shift, even Jiang Shang felt immense pressure and quickly stood up, bowing in apology.
"Next time, you will be directly expelled from the Bliss Continent and forbidden to ever return!" Jin Lun frowned slightly, then waved his hand, withdrawing his power and closing his eyes once more.
"Young sir, are you alright?" Feeling the pressure recede, Jiang Shang quickly looked at He Shu Ming. Under the oppressive might of a peak God Shattering Realm expert, He Shu Ming was in no position to resist.
Although He Shu Ming felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, the terrifying sensation was deeply etched into his mind. He dared not speak further, and after a hasty nod, he quickly sat cross-legged to recuperate.
Seeing He Shu Ming in this state, Jiang Shang paid him no further mind. His eyes instantly shifted back to the screen, focusing on Li Xuan, whose battle had already begun.
"The opponent Li, young friend, is fighting seems to be the Great Elder of the Earth Luo Sect, Di Le."
Seeing Li Xuan's composed expression, Jiang Shang felt a glimmer of reassurance. "I hope my intuition is not wrong."