After two days of registration, a total of 483,000 participants had their identities verified in front of the Eight Desolation Mirror and obtained their qualifications to compete.

According to the rules, these 483,000-some participants either hail from a proper lineage or have a cultivation base below the Immortal Sage level.

In reality, there aren't many cultivators at the Immortal Sage level in the Yellow Dragon Empire, only about forty or so.

Moreover, these forty-odd individuals, who each control a significant power group, are dignitaries and prominent figures. These people are not only busy with official duties but also with cultivation; they have neither the time nor the inclination to participate in the Armor Snatching Tournament.

The third day.

The first event of the Armor Snatching Tournament kicked off.

That morning, according to the specified time, the contestants all flocked to the preparation area at the foot of Yan Mountain.

The preparation area was vast, capable of accommodating over a million people.

The area was divided into 800 zones.

According to the competition process, participants drew lots, received Spirit Marrow, and then searched for their designated preparation area based on the number marked on their tag.

Wang Xiaoqiang, under the accompaniment of True Person Taiyi and the Yans Family Sisters, arrived at the foot of Yan Mountain and faced the densely packed crowd, prompting all four to marvel at the multitude of people.

Especially for Wang Xiaoqiang and True Person Taiyi, who came from Earth, they had never seen such a grand gathering before!

On Earth, it was probably only during large-scale wars that so many people would be gathered, leaving them in awe of the magnitude of the event.

"Little Qiang, be careful, and if it's not working out, it's okay to withdraw from the competition!" Yans Ruxue quietly reminded Wang Xiaoqiang when parting.

Wang Xiaoqiang's heart warmed, and he nodded at Yans Ruxue, showing a reassuring smile. Then he lined up to draw his lot and received a Spirit Marrow.

Wang Xiaoqiang glanced at the Spirit Marrow he obtained, seeing that it was about the size of a duck's egg, oval-shaped, and transparent, with vein-like threads inside that looked somewhat unsightly. However, when Wang Xiaojing's Divine Sense penetrated it, he could feel an extremely rich Spiritual Power swirling inside it incessantly.

After a glance, Wang Xiaoqiang willed, storing the Spirit Marrow into the Sumeru Ring and then checked the lot he had drawn from his hand.

Perhaps because he arrived early, Wang Xiaoqiang also drew a number that was fairly forward, number 66.

It was a very auspicious number.

Wang Xiaoqiang stared at number 66, smiled faintly, then headed towards the preparation area for number 66.

By this time, the preparation area for number 66 had already gathered a group of about forty people. Following directions, these individuals were not allowed to speak and were all sitting on the ground, quietly awaiting the start of the competition.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang approaching, all showed hostility in their eyes. Those who recognized Wang Xiaoqiang also showed a mix of fear and concern, thinking it unlucky to be placed in the same group as such a formidable competitor.

The two administrators managing preparation area number 66 were both powerhouses with an Eightfold Body of the Immortal Venerable,

These two summoned Wang Xiaoqiang over, first took his drawn lot, then sized him up from head to toe, in a business-like manner, and explained to him the competition process and rules of the first event.

It turns out the first event was divided into several timed contests, those arriving early would participate first. Each division formed a group, 100 people per group,

For example, the first 100 people who drew number 66, once the competition started, would enter Yan Mountain together, searching for and vying for an armor labeled with number 66,

Of course, this was not a Spirit Copper Armor or Spirit Silver Armor, much less a Spirit Golden Armor but merely a very ordinary armor,

Regardless of what means and methods were used, anyone who managed to obtain the armor and returned alive not only acquired this armor but also would receive 5 Spirit Marrows.

The winners also secured their qualifications for the second round of the competition. What they had to do next were rest, cultivate, and wait for the start of the second event,

As for those who died in the mountains, it was the end for them. The officials wouldn't care about them, and neither would the families and friends receive any compensation.

Those who survived without securing the armor had two options, either continue to participate in the next time slot's contest or withdraw from the competition.

After explaining, the administrator instructed Wang Xiaoqiang to sit among the people and forbade him from speaking to anyone.

Not allowing speech was actually a principle to maintain fairness; otherwise, acquaintances could form factions at this time, making things worse for everyone else.

Wang Xiaoqiang sat among the crowd and noticed that although no one spoke, they were all communicating with eye contact, showing goodwill to each other.

Although everyone was standing on opposing sides and facing competitors, at this moment, everyone had the same idea—to be as friendly as possible and avoid attracting hatred, because one could be annihilated even before locating any armor.

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't bother to curry favor; he continuously used his Divine Sense to observe the cultivation bases of those sitting around him.

Knowing both your friends and enemies will ensure you aren't weary from a hundred battles!

Participants drawing number 66 arrived one after another, and once the count reached 100, anyone else with number 66 had to wait until the next round.

Wang Xiaoqiang observed the 99 other participants and discovered that the lowest had a cultivation base at the Third Transformation of the Immortal Realm, while the highest was at the True Immortal Realm Fifth Stage. The disparity in their cultivation bases was vast.

The one at the True Immortal Realm Fifth Stage could instantly kill a cultivator at the Third Transformation of the Immortal Realm.

Seeing this phenomenon, Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't help but lament in his heart, "Humans die for wealth as birds die for food; cultivators really disregard their own lives for the sake of good cultivation materials—Spirit Marrow!"

A mere Third Transformation Immortal daring to face death!

When the count of 100 participants was reached, the tournament in the 66th division began,

The two administrators commanded these 100 people to stand up, distributed the tags they had drawn, gave some instructions, and then led them into the competition area.

This competition area was at the edge of Yan Mountain.

Although it was the peripheral area, it was still a mountain of dangers with rampant Spirit Beasts, making it extremely perilous upon entry.

Once these 100 participants entered the competition area, sixteen of them anxiously flew up and headed towards the mountain, while simultaneously unleashing their Divine Sense to search for the armor, trying to discover it early and snatch it to win the competition.

Watching these sixteen individuals recklessly fly towards the mountain, and considering none of these sixteen had reached the True Immortal Realm, Wang Xiaoqiang smirked coldly and thought, "This is purely seeking death!"

Cultivators consume a vast amount of Spiritual Power during Sky Manipulation, which causes severe fluctuations in the Spiritual Power inside their bodies,

and these beasts are extremely sensitive to the fluctuations of Spiritual Power within cultivators. They can accurately locate a target from a great distance based on the power's fluctuation and then devour the target.

Sure enough, after those sixteen flew out of sight, a series of tragic screams emanated from the mountains ahead, chilling to the core. Then, several large Flying Beasts were seen carrying several bodies, flying towards the deeper part of the mountains.

Seeing this, everyone exchanged glances, scared to move forward. The weaker cultivators, those with less resolve, were all visibly terrified.

Watching this scene, Wang Xiaoqiang displayed a meaningful smile and loudly said, "If no one wants to die, we can move together …"

All eyes landed on Wang Xiaoqiang, faces showing suspicion,

Indeed, entering the mountain together, assisting each other, and collectively slaying any powerful Spirit Beasts could indeed safeguard their lives. Furthermore, before finding the armor, everyone's interests aligned,

but once the armor is found, the situation would change completely.

"This is the only way; otherwise, everyone might be devoured by Spirit Beasts before finding the armor. Life comes only once; I advise everyone not to gamble lightly with it!" Wang Xiaoqiang added.

Previously, Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't engaged with Spirit Beasts, and he felt quite apprehensive at this moment, daring not to take the risk alone.

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, deeming the method viable, and thus walked together towards the mountain, simultaneously releasing their Divine Senses to search for the armor.

Although Wang Xiaoqiang's Divine Sense was not powerful—his cultivation base was one of the higher ones here but his Divine Sense was the weakest—he did not want to waste mental energy and simply followed closely behind the group, step by step.

As they turned into a hollow ahead, they saw a large swath of blood, the stench filling the air; everyone clearly understood that this was where those sixteen had met their tragic fate.

Despite the gore, everyone rushed forward like flies drawn to carrion, searching the ground to see if the dead had left behind any Storage Rings,

as Storage Rings are items used by cultivators to store possessions. Everyone had just received a piece of Spirit Marrow, which certainly couldn't be refined in such a short time, thus finding a deceased's Storage Ring could mean gaining another piece of Spirit Marrow.

Indeed, at that moment, one person found a Storage Ring, but just as he picked it up, he faced several people's scramble for it. Suddenly, more than ten people drew swords against each other, fighting over that Storage Ring. (To be continued. If you like this novel, please vote at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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