Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Five streams of light, each with a different color, converged in the air from different directions and then spread out in all directions, transforming into a colorful net that covered the entire space for thousands of miles.

The so-called "cloud arena" is just a common name. When Golden Core cultivators fight, their supernatural powers can cover hundreds of miles. Even spatial barriers may collapse because they cannot withstand the powerful force that bursts out in a short period of time.

Building an arena where Golden Core cultivators could fight would be a cost that even the combined forces of the five major powers would find difficult to bear.

Therefore, the five True Monarchs joined forces and used their powerful laws to temporarily construct a temporary aerial arena in the air. With the support of the five True Monarchs' great power, they could fully unleash their potential.

At this moment, Xu Miaoyin gently tugged at Song Changsheng's sleeve and said, "Master, wasn't it said that the eldest prince of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty was unparalleled in strength and was a favorite to win the championship this time? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"

Speaking of this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but feel a little strange. They had been in the capital Gaoyang for nearly ten days and had already met the Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect, the Young Sect Master of the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion, and the Young Clan Chief of the Tianshui Ji Clan.

Princess Huayang had met several princes and princesses of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, and even the Human King's own sister, but she had never met the eldest prince, whether in daily interactions or at the welcoming banquet hosted by the Human King.

The seventy-two-hour trial in the second arena has now ended, and the arena in the clouds in the first arena has opened. The order of the battles will be determined by drawing lots soon, but he has still not shown up.

Whether it was due to arrogance or something else that delayed him, no one knows, and no one specifically asked the King about it.

Anyway, according to the existing rules, if he doesn't show up when it's his turn, he will be considered to have forfeited. If that's the case, it will save trouble and eliminate a major enemy.

The old imperial advisor remained calm and took out a foot-tall white jade divination tube from his sleeve, inside which were neatly arranged twenty-five green jade divination sticks.

"After everyone has checked, the participating cultivators can begin the draw."

The lot-drawing container was prepared by our Great Zhenxian Dynasty. To ensure fairness, the participating cultivators from the Zhulu Academy will draw the lots last.

After saying this, he presented the divination sticks to the Dragon Elephant True Lord and others for inspection one by one, and finally handed the divination sticks to a graceful noblewoman.

"This is True Monarch Yingyue from the Array Dao Academy. She will serve as the referee for the first arena of this Five Academies Tournament, ensuring that the competition is conducted in a completely fair and just environment," the old Grand Preceptor solemnly introduced.

The crowd was deeply shocked. The Array Dao Academy, apart from the five holy lands, was a top-tier force that could rank among the top ten in the human cultivation world. It was the holy land of array masters that all the world longed for, and it produced countless array masters every year.

The people of the Array Dao Academy have always acted with integrity and uprightness, earning the trust and respect of the world.

Therefore, they often appear as intermediaries or notaries.

The fact that the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty was able to invite her to serve as a referee shows their unwavering sincerity.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty's way of doing things that the Five Academy Alliance has been able to maintain itself for thousands of years.

Song Changsheng felt a slight tremor in his heart and involuntarily turned his gaze to Yingyue Zhenjun.

"Array Dao Academy".

Having cultivated for over a hundred years, there are very few things that he can call obsessions.

But there was one thing that had been buried deep in his heart for a hundred years, almost running through his entire cultivation career: He Yunxuan, who taught him the "Inscription of Formations with One's Body".

"Inscribing the Formation with One's Body" is the method he has used the least since he began cultivating, but each time it has been a critical moment of life and death.

This is a trump card that he won't use easily, and it's also the source of his confidence as he ventures into different places.

Before He Yunxuan's remnant soul dissipated, he asked him to give this method to his lover, Gu Yiyi, if he had the chance.

Previously, due to his low cultivation level and endless struggles for survival and for his family, he never had the opportunity to fulfill this promise in the face of the transcendent and lofty holy land of array masters.

Now, a True Lord from the Array Dao Academy is sitting opposite him, and this is the closest he has ever come to fulfilling his promise.

Time flies, and a century has passed since He Yunxuan's death. More than three hundred years have gone by.

If Gu Yiyi were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, she would have already turned into withered bones and been reincarnated.

If he were a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level, he would probably be over four hundred years old, his beauty fading with age.

In such a long period of time, no one can say for sure what might happen along the way, and he doesn't know what the final outcome will be.

"No matter what, I still have to go." Song Changsheng thought to himself.

The original plan was to visit the Array Dao Academy after participating in the Five Academies Grand Competition, but now it's much easier. The Array Dao Academy welcomes array masters from all over the world who uphold the righteous path. He is, after all, a mid-grade fourth-level array master, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to meet True Monarch Yingyue.

"This time, it's the first time that a True Monarch from the Array Dao Academy has served as the referee," Ji Shinian said softly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunxuan asked curiously, "Which powerful force were you from before?"

"Several times it was high-ranking monks from Vajra Temple, since it's closer in distance."

"A monk would actually get involved in worldly affairs?" Cai Die said with some surprise.

"Hmph, being in the mundane world, how can one truly transcend it? It's nothing but empty rhetoric to fool the masses." Gu Xueying's tone was somewhat cold.

"Sister Gu seems to have some prejudice against Buddhism."

Gu Xueying turned to look at Cai Die and emphasized firmly, "It's not prejudice."

Seeing this, the others wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

Among the contestants from Wanxiang Palace, only Song Changsheng and Gu Xueying are considered "outsiders," while the others are all from Wanxiang Palace.

Just as no one knows all of Song Changsheng's past, naturally no one knows all of Gu Xueying's past either.

But it is clear that she is a very stubborn person, and her theories are always so unexpected, which may be related to some of her past special experiences.

If it weren't for the fact that her skills were indeed superior to Liu Yunxuan's, she might have been the substitute this time.

"Thanks to the trust of all my fellow Daoists, I have the honor of being a witness to this Five Academies Conference. I will do my utmost to ensure the smooth running of this competition!"

"Now, we will draw lots according to the team ranking points of Team B, and submit the ritual implements for inspection and registration."

There are twenty-five lots in the lot-drawing tube, one of which is blank. The person who draws this lot will have no opponents in this round and will directly advance to the next round.

The remaining jade slips are engraved with numbers from one to twenty-four. They are drawn in two rounds. In the first round, each contestant from each college draws a slip, and the number on the jade slip represents your number.

The second round will be drawn by the host, with two lots drawn at once. The cultivators whose numbers correspond to each other will be each other's opponents. If a cultivator from the same academy is drawn, the lot will be shuffled and a new lot will be drawn.

All of this will be conducted under the joint supervision of the five deans to ensure absolute fairness in the lottery.

The first draw will now be conducted by the participating cultivators from the Myriad Manifestations Palace branch.

As soon as Yingyue Zhenjun finished speaking, he turned the white jade divination tube in his hand and it arrived in front of Song Changsheng and the others.

The rules of the competition do not balance the cultivation levels of the participants. In other words, even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator may be drawn against a late-stage Golden Core opponent.

Although it's a competition, it's not entirely about individual battles; teamwork is equally important.

The first round of the competition is currently underway, which is the qualifying round of 25 to 13. This will be the competition with the most eliminations and the greatest unpredictability.

After this round, the department with the most surviving members will naturally have an advantage in the following rounds.

When the overall gap is not large, the only way to win is by sheer numbers.

None of those who can participate in the Five Academies Conference are mediocre; the differences between them are not significant.

Even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator is not without a chance to severely injure a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Even if a player wins, being injured will definitely affect their performance in the next match.

After the competition, time will indeed be given for the contestants to recover from their injuries, but except for the final semi-finals and finals, the remaining time will not exceed seven days. This is the default rule of all previous Five Academies Grand Competitions.

This is to avoid an excessively long competition schedule. After all, you can't just say that your injury is not healing and make everyone wait for you to recover, right?

That's simply unrealistic. Dragon Elephant True Lord would be the first to flip the table. The situation in the East Sea is dire right now, and he doesn't have the time to waste here.

Seven days is neither a long nor a short time.

Ordinary injuries can be easily healed with the help of miraculous medicines and Nascent Soul True Monarchs. However, if one suffers a fundamental injury, seven days is not enough, and this is the best opportunity for the opponent to break through.

While such tactics may seem somewhat dishonorable, they are effective and entirely within the rules of the Five Academies Grand Competition.

The Myriad Palaces suffered a similar loss in the last Five Academies Grand Competition. In the third round of the competition, when they were down to seven, only one person remained. They were then defeated by two cultivators from the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion and were eliminated, failing to reach the semi-finals.

Therefore, luck in the draw becomes especially important. As long as you avoid strong opponents in the first round of the qualifying rounds, you can conserve your strength to the greatest extent and lay a solid foundation for victory.

Moreover, among these twenty-five jade slips, there is one slip that grants a bye, which is equivalent to a guaranteed pass.

The first round of lotteries at Vientiane Palace was a mixed bag.

Seeing that no one stepped forward to draw lots, Ji Shinian smiled slightly and said, "It's just a matter of drawing lots anyway."

You've already won first place in event B, and the task assigned to you by your sect has been completed. Even if you don't make it into the top three, it's alright. Just do your best and don't put too much pressure on yourselves.

"Butterfly, you go first."

"Yes, uncle."

As instructed, Cai Die stepped forward to the divination box, extended her slender fingers, and drew a jade stick. After just one glance, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She turned around, waved the jade stick in her hand at everyone, and said with a faint smile, "It seems my luck isn't very good. Now it's up to you all." Song Changsheng glanced at it; Cai Die had drawn the number "seven."

Next, Baili Yuntu, Gu Xueying, Ling Xiao and others stepped forward one after another, but all of them drew jade slips with numbers on them.

"You are truly our last hope now." Liu Yunxuan looked at the jade tokens in everyone's hands with envy, then looked at Song Changsheng and said.

Song Changsheng walked forward without saying a word, casually picked up a jade slip, and the crowd gathered around with expectant faces, only to find that the number "one" was clearly engraved on it.

Clearly, they are out of luck with a bye this round.

He shrugged helplessly and said, "Looks like my luck isn't very good today either."

Liu Yunxuan looked at the number, clicked his tongue, and said, "To be able to draw the number one so accurately, your luck can't be too bad."

"If we didn't get it, we didn't get it. Even if we rely on our strength, we're not afraid of anyone," Ling Xiao said gently to comfort everyone.

Seeing that they hadn't drawn a bye, the other participating cultivators from the academies couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation and were all eager to try their luck.

The second group to draw lots was the Beast Taming Sect. Their luck wasn't very good either; all five of them drew number lots. Song Changsheng paid special attention to the number of the Beast Taming Sect's Holy Son and found it to be "twenty-four".

The two of them, one at the beginning and one at the end, can be considered to echo each other.

To be honest, he really wanted to spar with this holy son, but he didn't know if he was destined to.

Because the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty voluntarily placed last, the third batch of draws was for the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion. Who would have thought that the team score of the [Tianshui Ji Clan] in the second round was even lower than that of the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion? They only had one person reach the finish line and submit their score, while the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion had two people, a full three points higher.

The two events seemed unrelated, but they gave Bai Ding Ge a crucial opportunity.

"A bye!" A somewhat thin cultivator from the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion looked at the jade slip in his hand that had no numbers on it, and felt an immense joy envelop him.

"This guy really does have some luck on him," Liu Yunxuan said with a hint of sourness.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Previously, Bai Ding Pavilion was attacked by Nascent Soul cultivators of the demonic path on the way. One of the Golden Core stage contestants was unfortunately caught in the spatial turbulence. When he was found by True Monarch Qianlian, his physical body was completely destroyed, leaving only his Golden Core essence.

Fortunately, Bai Ding Ge had prepared substitutes in advance, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to gather enough participants.

The substitute who originally had no hope of playing now holds the "bye" that all the players crave.

It just goes to show how unpredictable life can be. When an opportunity comes, you can't escape it. I was just here to be a runner-up, but now I've made it straight into the qualifying rounds.

Originally, Bai Ding Ge had placed all their hopes on the B-stage competition, but the result was far from ideal. They had almost given up hope for the A-stage competition, but unexpectedly, a "bye" draw rekindled their hope.

As long as fewer than two of them are eliminated in the first round, they still have a very good chance of finishing in the top three.

Just as the cultivators from the Ji Clan of Tianshui were about to draw lots, an ancient bronze chariot, stained with blood and bearing the marks of time, rumbled toward the arena in the clouds, pulled by two four-clawed dragon puppets covered in patina.

On the chariot stood a valiant young man clad in golden armor, wielding a silver spear. His sword-like eyebrows were slightly raised, his eyes were bright and piercing, and his bronze skin gleamed with a dull, bronze-like luster. A solid aura of bloodlust enveloped his body, as if he had just been in a fierce battle.

The chariot arrived in an instant. The young man, holding a silver spear, stepped across the empty void to the center of the arena. He respectfully bowed to the imposing figure above, who was shrouded in golden light, and said, "Your son greets Father. There are demons invading the border, so I am late. Please forgive me."

"It won't happen again."

The King's voice was stern and harsh, completely lacking the gentleness he had shown at the banquet.

The young man seemed to be used to it all along. He walked expressionlessly to the platform where the Zhulu Academy was located, and everyone bowed and greeted him: "Greetings, Elder Brother/Your Highness the Crown Prince."

The eldest prince nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Princess Ning'an for a moment before extending a hand to the elders accompanying him from the academy.

The elder quickly handed him the detailed information about the contestants that had been compiled in advance.

He quietly flipped through the pages, saying nothing, as if nothing around him could arouse his interest.

"Is this the eldest prince?" Song Changsheng's eyes gleamed. The moment he saw the other party, he knew that this was an extremely powerful opponent.

Although the other party had concealed his aura to the extreme, he could still clearly smell an extremely strong, dangerous aura emanating from him, like that of a bloodthirsty beast.

Since breaking through to the Golden Core stage, very few people have been able to give him this feeling.

Whether it's Ling Xiao, whom they spend every day with, the Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect, or the young patriarch of the Ji Clan of Tianshui, they are all top geniuses of the Five Academies. Their strength goes without saying, and countless veteran Golden Core cultivators can only look up to them.

But Song Changsheng could only sense a threat from them, not danger.

Only he brought such a clear feeling that it raised his vigilance towards the eldest prince to the highest level.

Moreover, the opponent had clearly just gone through a bloody battle, and the solid blood-fiend aura behind him was the best proof of that.

In such an important occasion as the Five Academies Grand Competition, which of the participating cultivators present did not come in their best condition?
But he seemed to take it completely lightly, not only failing to adjust his condition but also arriving at the last minute to participate in the competition.

Yet, no one present seemed to think anything was wrong, as if everything was perfectly natural.

Just as Song Changsheng was quietly observing the eldest prince, the prince seemed to sense something, and when he looked up, his bright eyes precisely locked onto Song Changsheng's location.

Song Changsheng felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "Such keen perception."

He thought he had been discreet enough, but he didn't expect to be discovered by the other party.

At this moment, the Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect spoke arrogantly: "Zhao Yin, you finally dare to show your face. I thought you didn't dare to come."

What I lost from you before, I, the Holy Son, will personally take back this time!

Ignoring his provocation, Zhao Yin turned his gaze away from Song Changsheng and continued to peruse the documents in his hands, quickly focusing on the name "Song Changsheng".

"In the cultivation world of the Great Qi Dynasty, Song Changsheng..."

His indifferent reaction left the Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect feeling powerless, as if he had punched cotton. He clenched his fists tightly, his sharp gaze wishing he could tear Zhao Yin to pieces.

Decades ago, he lost to Zhao Yin by a mere half-move, which was an immense humiliation for him.

Over the years, he has studied and practiced diligently, never daring to slack off for a single day, all for the sake of personally washing away the shame of past defeats and trampling Zhao Yin's arrogance underfoot today!
To put it bluntly, he didn't take any of the participating cultivators seriously, except for Zhao Yin.

He is arrogant, but he has the right to be arrogant.

What he hadn't expected was that the other party didn't even respond to his provocation.

This feeling was more humiliating to him than defeat.

Soon it was the turn of the Zhulu Academy to draw lots. All eyes were on Zhao Yin's hand. The jade lot he drew clearly had the number "two" written on it.

Everyone memorized the number, and most people secretly prayed that their own number wouldn't appear in the same frame.

After the first round of drawing lots, everyone began to step forward one by one to register and undergo inspection.

None of the participating cultivators from the Myriad Manifestations Palace possessed puppets or spirit beasts for assistance, thus allowing them to carry two spiritual treasures of no higher grade.

Song Changsheng doesn't have many spiritual treasures. In this situation, if he wants to unleash his strongest power, it would be best if one of his spiritual treasures was offensive and the other defensive.

In terms of armor, the only armor he had that met his requirements was the [Golden Silk Soft Armor] that Mu Guibai had given him before he left.

Of the other spiritual treasures he possessed, only the Yin-Yang Spirit-Slaying Gourd and the Hundred Fiends Qiongqi Cauldron reached the mid-grade level, but without exception, neither of these two possessed sufficient killing power.

In particular, the Yin-Yang Spirit-Slaying Gourd contains the essence of thunder laws that he had previously collected in the Thunder Pool, all of which are things that cannot be exposed to the light of day.

Fortunately, on the way here, True Lord Dragon Elephant had considered this problem and lent him a high-grade spirit sword called [Amazing Swan].

Although it's called a loan, once the True Lord has given his help, there's no reason to take it back; it's actually a disguised gift.

As long as Song Changsheng performs well enough, he can rightfully possess it.

To achieve a good ranking, Wanxiang Palace really spared no expense. As far as he knew, Gu Xueying had also obtained a high-grade spiritual treasure-level piece of armor.

During this period, he has been making the most of the time to work together. The spirit of the artifact is also Mu Qiang, and Song Changsheng's strength has undoubtedly been recognized by him. It has been cooperating very well and is already very easy to use.

Besides his cultivation level, his last weakness has also been overcome.

In comparison, the Beast Taming Sect has benefited somewhat from the rules.

Each of them possessed a demon king-level spirit beast. Apart from the holy son's [Azure Scale Winged Dragon], which was ranked as a mid-grade fourth rank, the spirit beasts of the others were all low-grade fourth rank.

This means that when others face the Beast Taming Sect, they have to face two opponents at the same time. The role that spirit beasts can play cannot be easily compensated for by a spirit treasure.

"The second round of the draw will now begin."

As soon as Yingyue Zhenjun finished speaking, he drew out two jade slips in full view of everyone.

One of them has the number "one" clearly engraved on it.

……

P.S.: I had a routine meeting after get off work, which took up some time. Here's a 6,000-word chapter for today, still 7,000 words to go~~ (End of Chapter)