Once all the major factions were seated, Sheng Qianyu adjusted his robe, stood up, cleared his throat, and said, “I welcome all the top forces of the Southeast Region, and everyone present, to Shengshi City!”
His voice boomed, resonating across the entire plaza.
As Sheng Qianyu spoke, the scene instantly quieted, with countless eager gazes fixed on him.
His words signalled that the Southeast Region Youth Summit was about to begin.
“The Southeast Region Youth Summit is a major event for the entire region. It is the ultimate contest among the younger generation, a reflection of each faction’s ability to nurture their youth, and a mirror of whether the Southeast Region is thriving or declining!”
“The Sheng family is honoured to represent all factions in hosting this summit.”
Sheng Qianyu’s voice rang out clearly. “Now, I declare the Southeast Region Youth Summit officially open!”
The crowd erupted, and waves of excited noise filled the plaza.
Everyone was eager to witness the clash of the region’s top young talents.
“First, let me explain the rules of the summit,” Sheng Qianyu continued after a brief pause. “The summit consists of five rounds. The first round is an elimination battle in the illusion array battlefield. The second round is a round-robin, selecting the top fifty.”
“The third round is another round-robin, selecting the top fifteen.”
“The fourth round is a ranking battle among the fifteen, determining the preliminary summit ranking.”
“The fifth round is the final challenge for the summit leaderboard, deciding the ultimate rankings.”
He paused, then added, “The first four rounds involve teams from the Martial Emperor families. The final round includes the four merchant guilds and eight super sects.”
“Each Martial Emperor family will select their highest-cultivated youth to advance directly to the third round.”
“The remaining four will participate in the first round.”
These rules were unchanging, as the format of the Southeast Region Youth Summit had always been so.
Though unfamiliar to this generation of youths, Sheng Qianyu explained the rules in detail.
Hearing the competition rules, Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised. With thirty-seven Martial Emperor factions each selecting one youth to advance to the third round, that made thirty-seven participants.
This left only thirteen spots for the second round’s top fifty.
In other words, the rest would be eliminated in the second round.
The elimination rate was indeed quite high.
The selected individuals from each faction had an easier path, advancing to the third round without competing.
This was reasonable, as the highest-cultivated youth from each family already had the strength to reach the third round.
Even if they competed in the first two rounds, they would likely qualify for the third.
By excluding the strongest group early, it prevented top contenders from clashing prematurely or eliminating other capable youths who could vie for higher ranks.
This ensured the final summit leaderboard reflected a more accurate strength ranking.
The summit leaderboard carried immense prestige, and everyone wanted the most precise ranking of strength.
Ideally, each faction would select their strongest youth to advance to the third round.
However, strength was hard to judge outwardly, and disputes could arise. Thus, cultivation level was used as the fairest measure.
For instance, if the Purple Emperor chose Lin Xiao, claiming he was the strongest in their team, few would believe it or allow Lin Xiao to advance directly to the third round while Purple Dragon competed in the first two.
If Lin Xiao were chosen and Purple Dragon competed, Purple Dragon’s strength would easily carry him through, securing two spots for the Purple family in the third round.
Other factions might then follow suit, leading to chaos in the selection process.
Thus, the selection was based solely on cultivation level, ensuring relative fairness.
“Now, each Martial Emperor family team’s four youths, a total of one hundred forty-eight, prepare for the first round,” Sheng Qianyu said in detail. “In the first round, within the illusion array, there are numerous fifth-tier advanced illusion beasts and a few sixth-tier primary ones. Killing a fifth-tier advanced beast earns one point, and a sixth-tier primary beast earns ten points.”
“Killing another participant grants all their points.”
“Points and rankings will automatically appear in the palm of your hand.”
“Of course, no one truly dies in the illusion array. If killed, you’ll be ejected and eliminated.”
“This round is scored by points, with only half advancing, meaning seventy-two will proceed to the next round.”
“Those ranking in the top ten will receive corresponding city wager rewards. The top five, in addition to this, will gain preferential treatment in the second round’s round-robin draw.”
Sheng Qianyu also mentioned the city wagers, twenty cities per faction, a public matter.
It was the threshold for a Martial Emperor faction to participate, with no need for secrecy.
“One more reminder: treasures exceeding the strength of a sixth-tier intermediate realm will be ejected. The array also detects banned elixirs that boost strength, ejecting anyone who uses them.”
“Upon entering, everyone will be randomly dispersed. You have three days. After three days, the illusion array will close, ejecting everyone.”
“Or, if half are eliminated, everyone will be ejected.”
Sheng Qianyu declared loudly, “Now, I ask the Sheng family elders to open the illusion array gate!”
At his words, four Ninth Stage Martial Lord elders flew in from all directions, standing before the array altars on the stone platform.
Each inserted a special key, channelling surging power into them.
Moments later, four beams of light shot into the sky, a mysterious force seemingly pulling and repelling in the air.
The space above blurred.
With a sharp sound, as the four beams vanished, a gate dozens of zhang wide appeared in the void, surrounded by misty, space-distorting fog, giving it an ethereal, illusory appearance.
The gate was double-sided, visible from both the north and south.
“The illusion array gate?” Lin Xiao exclaimed, gazing at the gate in the void.
It resembled the stone gate of Jun Zang but was not a physical entity.
Inside, it contained illusion beasts, and those “killed” wouldn’t die but would be ejected.
This array altar was truly powerful, its origin surely extraordinary.
Even a Martial Emperor-level array master couldn’t create such an array.
“The city walls can’t be destroyed even by Martial Emperors. With such an extraordinary array and the mysterious Shengshi Observatory, what is the origin of Shengshi City?” Lin Xiao wondered, his curiosity piqued. He didn’t believe Shengshi City held no secrets.
But any great secrets were likely known only to the Sheng family.
Perhaps even the Sheng family themselves didn’t know, merely guarding the city through generations.
“Now, I invite all young talents to enter the illusion array gate. The first round of the Southeast Region Youth Summit officially begins!” Sheng Qianyu announced loudly.
Lin Xiao, Purple Spirit, Purple Yi, and Purple Huan stood from their seats.
Youths from other Martial Emperor factions also rose, eyeing each other.
The scene erupted, with discussions and cheers rising and falling.
In the crowd’s view, a burly youth in a red robe, carrying a large blade, was the first to fly to the illusion array gate. He scanned the participating youths and declared, “This first round’s top spot is mine!”
His tone was filled with confidence and dominance, exuding an air of unrivalled supremacy. His words set the entire plaza ablaze with excitement.
