Tianhai Fairy Journey

Chapter 1597 Ancient Bloodline

Inside the market area.

A young figure in cyan robes walked into the depths of the market, following the surrounding crowd.

Along the way, we gradually encountered more figures wearing white Taoist robes with the words "Baili" printed on them.

Amidst the surrounding hustle and bustle, he gradually came to understand the current situation.

It turns out that today is the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Gathering, a biennial competition on the true understanding of array formations held in the market. Those people wearing the Baili family's standard Daoist robes are the participants in this competition.

Just as the young servant in blue said, the winner of the competition would be qualified to join the outer sect of the Array Dao Academy under the Baili Holy Clan.

The so-called Array Dao Academy is a force under the Baili family. It gathers countless cultivators with array Dao talents and was established by the Baili family to absorb array Dao geniuses from outside.

It can be said that the Array Dao Academy is renowned throughout the entire Xuan Yi Realm and even the Xuan Nan Continent.

The path of array formations is one of the most important arts of cultivation in the path of immortality. Any sect, family, or power needs the support of a grand array to solidify its foundation.

"That's interesting!"

A hint of amusement flashed in Li Qing's eyes, and he followed suit, heading towards the eastern part of the market.

A moment later, a hilly area appeared in the distance.

Before Lingqiu stood a majestic black hall with a plaque that read "Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association" hanging on it.

"I didn't expect that Vice President Zhenming would also show up in person!"

Looking from afar, among the group of figures standing in front of the main hall, the leader was a thin, black-haired old man exuding the aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"It seems that the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Competition attaches great importance to the Array Dao True Understanding Competition. It's just an array Dao competition for the Foundation Establishment realm, yet they've actually had a Nascent Soul cultivator personally overseeing it!"

Li Qing surveyed the situation in the distance.

Special forces like the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association can be considered a unique feature of the Central Region.

The so-called Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association is a loose organization composed of array Dao cultivators within the entire Yuanhuang Plain. It is mainly composed of independent cultivators, and its existence is more about carrying forward the array Dao lineage. Similar to this array Dao competition, it is also to find hidden array Dao geniuses.

Compared to spiritual roots or certain special physiques, the array path is often quite unique, making it difficult to directly ascertain a cultivator's array talent. It is often a comprehensive manifestation of talent.

The next moment, Li Qing turned his gaze to the many white-robed figures gathering in front of him, among whom was the tall, young cultivator with long, flowing hair that he was interested in.

Unlike the powerful sects outside the world that recruit disciples, the only commonality among the white-robed figures who appeared at this moment was their cultivation level—Foundation Establishment. Apart from that, they ranged from white-haired elders to young boys with innocent faces, and so on.

Especially for those Foundation Establishment cultivators who are still old, this Array Dao Competition is their only chance to defy fate. Once they win, they can directly join the outer sect of the Baili family's Array Dao Academy and use the academy's opportunities and spiritual treasures to break through to the Golden Core realm.

It can be said that, unless one's talent for cultivation is extremely poor, entering the Array Dao Academy is almost equivalent to entering the Golden Core realm.

A master of array formations at the Golden Core stage, coupled with the prestigious status of being from the Array Formation Academy, holds a position far superior to that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators outside the realm.

Therefore, even those weathered old men who are about to reach the end of their lifespan will choose to join the Array Dao Competition and make a final attempt to defy fate.

This can be considered a special rule of the Array Dao Academy, which only considers talent and understanding of array techniques, and does not take into account external factors such as spiritual roots and lifespan.

At the same time, an ancient yellow mirror appeared in Li Qing's hand.

Upon closer inspection, nine ancient yellow dragon reliefs are clearly engraved on the frame around the mirror.

The next moment, it was as if clouds and mist were churning inside the Yellow Dragon Mirror, and then condensed into a blurry figure. The yellow clouds and mist gathered faster, and the blurry figure instantly solidified, revealing a tall figure with long, flowing hair.

What secrets is this person hiding?

Li Qing couldn't help but show a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

The Dao of Destiny is extremely mysterious, and even with his current cultivation level, he can hardly glimpse it, let alone control it.

This was the first time on his journey that he had encountered someone with such aura that the Yellow Dragon Mirror could sense it.

A vast divine sense flowed out secretly, enveloping the tall, young man with long, flowing hair.

"Although he is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, there is a subtle, special aura emanating from his body."

A sense of surprise arose in Li Qing's heart.

That aura seemed to be some kind of bloodline power, clearly different from the bloodline of the human race.

"I hereby declare that the Grand Competition of True Understanding of Formations begins now. All those with competition slots shall enter the Hill of Ten Thousand Formations. You shall simply exert your utmost efforts to decipher the ever-evolving formations, and the one who deciphers the most formations shall be the winner."

A burst of spiritual light enveloped all those participating in the array formation competition, and then simultaneously descended upon the hilly area behind them.

The next moment, thick black stone pillars shot into the sky from the surrounding hills, and countless spiritual lights and array patterns intertwined, transforming into layers of restrictive spiritual clouds that covered each white-robed figure.

"The market is open! The market is open!"

As the counts rang out one after another, the originally bustling crowd instantly transformed into a lively scene.

Beside him, a carefree Golden Core cultivator swiftly released a massive magic disc, upon which the names of many participants in the Array Dao Competition were engraved.

"Has anyone bet on Old Man Mu to win first place in the competition?"

The carefree Golden Core cultivator chuckled: "Three times the odds!"

"cut!"

The others nearby shook their heads dismissively: "That old geezer has lied to us more than once; he's all show and no substance!"

"At his advanced age, he has devoted his entire life to the art of array formations, yet he has never even made it into the top three, let alone been number one. And he still claims to the outside world that he was a genius of array formations in his youth!"

"That's right. That old bastard is shameless; we lost a lot of money on him last time."

"."

While the formation competition was underway, numerous betting battles also began on the periphery.

The Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association seemed to be used to this and did not intervene. In fact, several cultivators from the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association even took the initiative to participate in the betting.

Feeling the lively atmosphere around him, which was completely different from the outside world of cultivation, Li Qing couldn't help but become a little interested.

Just as he felt when he first entered the Inner Star Sea, the Central Region was even more so.

Within this world, the integration between mortals and cultivators is extraordinary, a harmonious blend.

Upon arriving at the gambling platform, Li Qing instantly saw the profile of the person with the destiny he was interested in.

"Tong Guang, a rogue cultivator, with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level. Several years ago, in a major battle against a group of tribulation cultivators, he single-handedly fought six opponents and killed them all, relying on several formations."

"Six times the odds?"

However, after seeing the carefree cultivator behind the betting platform, who was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, Li Qing ultimately only lost a high-grade spirit stone, focusing on the experience.

"This time I'm going to bet everything I have!"

A burly middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said, "We'll bet on old man Mu!"

"Winning would be enough for me to purchase the materials needed to form my core. As for losing, it doesn't matter. I'm going out on an adventure to find a chance to form my core anyway, and I might not even come back alive!"

"But if I really lose, I'll definitely send that old bastard away before I leave."

A burst of teasing voices immediately rose from the surroundings.

"No need for that. This is probably the old man's last competition. If he loses, there's no need to lift a finger; he's almost dead anyway."

Meanwhile, the Array Dao Competition had officially begun in the distance.

But all they could see on the distant hills were large clouds of restrictive array patterns floating above the heads of each seated figure. Within these clouds, thousands of array patterns intertwined, evolving into second-tier grand arrays that tested everyone's understanding and comprehension of the arrays.

"Does that little thing even deserve the master's attention?"

The Sky-Splitter Sparrow scoffed, "A mere second-tier ant like you isn't even worthy of being my food in the Endless Flaming River!"

Li Qing ignored him and continued to observe the cultivator named Tong Guang with great interest.

For him, the focus was not on the person, but on what he called luck.

His main goal was to understand what kind of extraordinary fortune was needed to activate the Yellow Dragon Mirror.

As for whether Tong Guang will truly rise to prominence in the future, he doesn't care, nor does he have any intention of recruiting him.

Since the Huanglong Kingdom incident and his travels, he has increasingly felt that the speed at which the world is unsealed is accelerating. Now, it may be too late to focus on cultivating some geniuses, unless they are special cases like Heyang who have the bloodline of auspicious beasts. Otherwise, he has long lost interest.

Damn it!

"That damned bastard, he's already done for?"

As the array-patterned clouds in the distance condensed into a new array, some people were instantly eliminated.

Amidst the bustling crowd, angry curses began to rang out one after another, clearly from those who had lost their bets.

"This time the situation is slightly different. The participants are all quite strong, and they have already begun to evolve second-tier high-grade formations!"

Soon, many people discovered the truth.

For many participants in the formation competition, the second-tier superior formation is already considered a difficult threshold.

Above the array-patterned clouds on the distant hills, thousands of illusory blue wooden vines began to fall automatically, descending towards the remaining people.

Each green vine was rapidly blossoming and bearing fruit, attempting to cover and envelop the white-robed figures sitting cross-legged below.

The remaining people all had solemn expressions, their hands forming hand seals, and array flags continuously fell, evolving into various methods to break the array and stop the green vines from spreading.

However, in a short while, another group of people were eliminated.

Furious curses and shouts rose and fell.

"Old Man Mu, you can't actually do that, can you?!"

Several surprised exclamations rang out from the side.

However, the white-haired old man who was despised by them now seemed to be in complete control, quickly and completely suppressing the Green Vine Formation, and his speed was even far ahead.

"An item for Core Formation!"

The burly middle-aged man who had bet on Old Man Mu had excitement in his eyes: "Old man, hang in there! You're the key to whether I should risk my life to explore the ruins!"

"If we really win, I'll give you a proper burial after you die!"

Another tall, thin man suddenly realized what was happening, his face full of regret: "I remember now, that old man said a while ago that he had received guidance from a master of array formations, and that his understanding of array formations had taken a step further!"

"Then why didn't you bet on Old Man Mu?" a few people nearby said gloatingly. "It would be better to miss out on such a windfall. Even betting on Old Man Mu to make it into the top three would be good!"

"How do I know if that old man is telling the truth or not?"

The tall, thin man retorted regretfully, "That old man always claims he's improved in every competition, but he's never even made it into the top three!"

"."

As the test of the wooden vine array dissipated, only seven figures remained on the hill. Then, a large golden light array re-emerged, eliminating four people.

"He made it! That old man really made it into the top three!"

"Would he really risk his life to win first place and join the Array Dao Academy?"

A series of exclamations rang out, clearly indicating that the white-haired old man was a celebrity in the market and was attracting much attention.

"What's impossible about that? The Array Dao Academy has produced more than one array Dao expert who successfully advanced before their lifespan was about to end, eventually stepping into the Nascent Soul realm."

Meanwhile, a new challenge has begun.

It was formed from countless crystal sands that exuded an aura of the third-order Golden Core realm.

"That's a top-tier second-order crystal sand formation. If the foundation for setting up the formation is strong enough, it can unleash the power of a Golden Core cultivator."

Amidst countless whispers and discussions around them.

Li Qing had already secretly cast his divine sense down upon Tong Guang once again.

But what could be seen on the young face, which was hidden by his long, loose hair, were several scabs that looked like scars, making his handsome face look somewhat ferocious.

However, when no one was paying attention, Tong Guang's mouth opened and closed slightly, and the original scar became mysterious as if it had crystallized. At the same time, a blood-red halo appeared deep in his pupils, and he instantly saw through the nodes of the large array that had fallen around him.

The array flags shot straight up into the array-patterned clouds above. Whoosh! Whoosh! The crystal sand array collapsed.

"Could it be some kind of ancient bloodline?"

A strange light flashed in Li Qing's eyes.

As early as the initial investigation, he discovered the special condition within Tong Guang's body. However, when Tong Guang made his move just now, the power of his bloodline erupted, allowing his pupils to instantly see the flaws in the countless array patterns around him, thus dissolving the power of the great array.

"No wonder he could attract Huang Longjing's attention; he's probably similar to Jiang Yuanxu, having awakened some kind of ancient bloodline."

Just then, a scream came from the side.

"Damn old man, why couldn't you just hold on a little longer!"

A burly middle-aged man roared angrily, "I've lost everything! Now I have no choice but to risk exploring the ruins. You old bastard, you're trying to drag me down with you before you die!"

"First place in this Grand Competition on the True Understanding of Array Formations - Tong Guang!"

The vice president from the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association announced the results of the competition.

at the same time.

Countless eager eyes converged on Tong Guang.

Joining the Array Dao Academy at such a young age, his future potential is unimaginable; he may even have the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

A Nascent Soul Array Master from the Array Dao Academy, who is proficient in array formations, holds a very high status even in the most prosperous and flourishing Xuan Yi Realm.

At this moment, even the members of the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association began to show Tong Guang friendly smiles.

If this array genius were to reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future, he would naturally contribute back to the Array Dao Association of the Yuanhuang Plain.

This is what makes the Yuanhuang Plain Array Dao Association special. It does not actively compete for any external benefits, and even has to give up some benefits to cultivate people with array Dao talent. However, the favors and networks it gains are also a kind of potential huge benefit.

Is the South Sea Celestial Palace about to open?

Just then, Li Qing also received good news: an invitation from the Baili family.