The next morning.

Wang Xiaoqiang and True Person of Taiyi got up early, and met up with the two young ladies from the Yans family. The four of them went out for breakfast together.

During breakfast, Wang Xiaoqiang said to the Yans sisters, "Ruxue, Ruyu, the Armor Snatching Tournament is far too dangerous. In my opinion, it would be best if you two didn't compete. If you really want Spirit Marrow, once I win the tournament, I'll give each of you one—how about that?"

The Yans sisters were momentarily stunned by his words. Then they both fixed their eyes on Wang Xiaoqiang, gazing deeply before shaking their heads in unison. They said with united resolve, "No, since we've come all this way, we won't be content without taking part. Besides, the Spirit Marrow that you've risked your life to obtain—if you simply gave it to us, we would feel undeserving…"

Wang Xiaoqiang continued, "But if you participate in the tournament, I'll be extremely worried. If I'm constantly anxious during the competition, do you think I can win?"

Seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang was completely serious, not merely speaking offhandedly, the Yans sisters felt a wave of emotion. They exchanged glances, both seemingly hesitant and undecided.

True Person of Taiyi spoke up at just the right moment, "Ladies, since Wang Xiaoqiang cares so deeply for you, you should follow my lead and withdraw from the competition. Then you can support Little Qiang as his logistics team, helping him to give his all in the tournament…"

The word "cares" from True Person of Taiyi made the sisters blush a shade of red. They both lowered their heads to eat, neither agreeing nor objecting.

"Your silence is as good as consent, haha…" True Person of Taiyi chuckled.

Ruxue looked up and said, "Today is the registration day. Let's go together later, and decide based on the situation…"

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded, indicating agreement.

After breakfast, the four headed to the plaza in Dragon City.

The registration site for the Armor Snatching Tournament was set up in Dragon City Plaza.

At this time, Dragon City Plaza was crowded with cultivators who had come to register. They came from all over the Yellow Dragon Empire, all wanting to compete in the Armor Snatching Tournament. Some aimed to obtain Spirit Marrow, which would help them in cultivation; others sought fame and recognition; some were there for the possibility of gaining titles and lands; and of course, many were after the precious armors on offer.

The plaza not only teemed with cultivators, but more were continuously streaming in.

Dragon City Plaza soon became overcrowded with people.

At this moment, there were over a thousand soldiers maintaining order in the plaza. These soldiers were all at or above the True Immortal Realm Fifth Stage. They were clad in armor, each equipped with a Spirit Soldier magic treasure, looking mighty and not to be trifled with.

The Armor Snatching Tournament had no special requirements or restrictions for participants—aside from loose cultivators, evil cultivators, demon cultivators, and those from the Ghost Path, all orthodox cultivators could take part. Of course, all participants needed to provide proof of identity.

Right now, on a stone platform in the center of the plaza, there was a mirror on display, the size of a washbasin. It was archaic in appearance, with dragons carved on the top, tigers engraved at the bottom, and tiny characters in the middle that read "Eight Desolation Mirror."

The Eight Desolation Mirror meant that whether you were human or immortal, demon or monster, god or ghost, as long as you stood in front of it, the mirror could reveal your true nature and even display scenes from your past and present lives.

This Eight Desolation Mirror was the evidence for verifying the identities of the registrants.

To one side of the Eight Desolation Mirror, there was a row of tables, with people seated behind them. These individuals were high-ranking officials from the Yellow Dragon Empire and executors of the tournament. Behind them stood a row of soldiers, also in armor and armed with Spirit Soldiers, looking very official and serious.

Fortunately, Wang Xiaoqiang and company arrived relatively early and managed to push their way to the front of the registration line. However, they were in no rush to sign up, instead perusing the official notice that had been posted concerning the tournament's rules and rewards.

The notice detailed the competition process and rules, as well as the prizes:

All cultivators below the Immortal Sage Level could register. Those who passed registration could join the Armor Snatching Tournament. All participants would receive a Spirit Marrow.

However, those who obtained Spirit Marrow and wished to drop out of the competition could only do so after participating in the first match. Moreover, they were not allowed to transfer the Spirit Marrow before withdrawing; it had to be carried on their person.

This implied that reward and risk were intertwined, for even for powerful cultivators, even those at the Immortal Sage Level, it would take a whole week to refine and transform a single Spirit Marrow. Carrying Spirit Marrow on their person was akin to carrying a curse.

In the competition, it would surely attract the covetous gazes of other cultivators, who might use the competition as a pretext to commit murder and steal the marrow. Not only could the Spirit Marrow be lost in such a situation, but lives could be forfeited as well.

If one looked closely, it would be evident that the Armor Snatching Tournament did not specify many rounds of competition.

Actually, the officials wished to formulate the next round's rules based on the previous round's circumstances.

Ultimately, the scale of the tournament was immense, with no less than a million cultivators arriving in Dragon City. Though some were merely spectators, the number of actual competitors was staggering, easily amounting to several hundred thousand.

With such a vast base of participants, the only way to whittle down the numbers was through a series of intense matches, or rather, a sequence of bloody battles, where only the strongest would survive.

Having read the notice and learned the rules of the competition, Wang Xiaoqiang realized that the Armor Snatching Tournament was fraught with complexities, a veritable game of killing. A single misstep could lead to death, with the majority of the contestants destined to be cannon fodder. Thus, he solemnly advised the Yans sisters, "Ruxue, Ruyu, you shouldn't participate. The waters of this tournament are too deep!"

The Yans sisters were both extremely astute and also realized the perilous nature of the tournament after reading the rules. At that moment, they both nodded, indicating their agreement.

Yans Ruyu asked, "Little Qiang, are you still planning to participate?"

"Of course! I think it's thrilling, a lot of fun!" Wang Xiaoqiang replied.

A bitter smile emerged on the faces of both Yans sisters and True Person of Taiyi. Ruxue expressed her concerns, "Little Qiang, please be careful. If it's really not feasible, then quit the competition. Spirit Marrow is valuable, but it's not worth more than your life. Don't worry, although we care about the Spirit Marrow, we wouldn't want it if you had to risk your life for it..."

Ruxue's words came from the heart, stirring something in True Person of Taiyi. Hmm, it seemed that Ruxue had started to develop feelings for Wang Xiaoqiang. Perhaps it was time to start with her, to persuade her to become Wang Xiaoqiang's woman.

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded, "Don't worry, I'm still young and naturally wouldn't gamble with my life... Let's go and take a look at the registration area..."

With that, the four made their way to the sign-up booth.

At that moment, cultivators were queuing up and registering one after another.

Before registering, one had to verify their identity.

A male cultivator, following the protocol, approached the Eight Desolation Mirror.

He faced the mirror, and his reflection shone back at him.

Suddenly, the ancient mirror's surface glowed with a hazy white light, and with it, the mirror brightened, revealing the shape of the male cultivator, who appeared to be human. Then, like a movie sequence played in reverse, the mirror swiftly showcased the man's entire life.

From this vision, one could see that the male cultivator was born into a Cultivation Family and later joined a Great Sect to pursue cultivation, his origins were unquestionably orthodox. Throughout his life, he had killed Evil Cultivators, slain Loose Cultivators, and even executed those from the Demon Path, truly a man of vigor.

As a result, his identity was quickly verified.

The officer in charge of identity verification signaled to the male cultivator to proceed with the registration.

Wearing a look of joy, the cultivator approached the registration desk, signed his name, and briskly walked away, leaving the plaza.

Due to the limited space of Dragon City Plaza and the increasing number of participants arriving to register, the officials ruled that those who had registered must swiftly leave the plaza to prevent congestion and facilitate others waiting to sign up.

Wang Xiaoqiang gazed at the Eight Desolation Mirror in a daze, his heart unsettled by what he'd just seen. The mirror had the ability to replay a person's life; what would happen if it were to reflect his own misdeeds, the people he had killed, and most crucially, would it also reveal the Spiritual Spring within him and the one outside? If so, would the officials target him upon discovering his monstrous nature?

If the Emperor were to act against him, his death was certain!

"Little Qiang, what's wrong?" True Person of Taiyi, noticing Wang Xiaoqiang's stupor, gave him a nudge to encourage him to join the queue, so as not to fall behind.

Wang Xiaoqiang found himself caught in a dilemma.

If he gave up the competition, not only would he be dissatisfied, but what would True Person of Taiyi think of him?

What would the Yans sisters think of him?

Especially since he had mocked Wu Jianming just the day before, retreating now would be like slapping his own face!

With this thought, Wang Xiaoqiang steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and joined the line, waiting for the judgment of fate! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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