Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Unexpectedly, this arena match, which everyone thought was a foregone conclusion from the start, turned out to be a complete disaster.

The winner was none other than Song Qingming, whom no one had expected to succeed.

With his cultivation at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage, he defeated a peak ninth-level Nascent Soul expert from a long-established major sect, enabling the "Free and Unfettered Sect" to successfully enter the ranks of the top ten sects.

This was also an unprecedented victory for the weak over the strong in the thousands of years of the "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament".

This unexpected outcome truly stunned all the cultivators watching the battle.

Some people who were unaware of the truth even suspected that Hu Canghai, the referee in charge, deliberately targeted the other side's "Jingyue Zhenren" and declared Song Qingming the winner.

Only those Nascent Soul cultivators with stronger spiritual senses at the late stage showed a hint of understanding on their faces.

Just before the final blow between the two on the arena, it was because "Master Jingyue" touched the outer protective array first that he was judged to have lost the match.

On Song Qingming's side, he was also hit by the opponent's blue light and was injured and thrown out of the arena.

However, he touched the outer protective array a few breaths later than "Master Jingyue," so he narrowly won.

Judging from the injuries on both of them, "Master Jingyue" was clearly at a disadvantage.

Even if they both touched the great formation at the same time and the outcome was still uncertain, judging from their post-battle condition, the winner should be Song Qingming without any surprises.

Faced with the outcome of his defeat in the competition, "Master Jingyue" was naturally well aware of the situation.

After Hu Canghai announced the results of the contest, "Master Jingyue" did not say anything to defend himself, but simply turned around and left the arena.

As one of the oldest and most prestigious Nascent Soul sects in the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom".

For over two thousand years, the Qingyang Holy Sect has experienced ups and downs in its rankings, but it has never fallen out of the top ten sects.

Unexpectedly, they made it into the top twenty with great ease and even drew the best draw on paper, so they should have been able to easily hold onto their rightful place.

The result was a misstep, and the horse stumbled at the last step.

Before leaving the arena, "Master Jingyue" looked extremely unwell.

But at this moment, he didn't dare to show too much resentment towards Song Qingming.

In the world of cultivation, no matter where you are, you must speak with your own strength.

His opponent had just defeated him head-on on the arena, even if it was by a narrow margin. The strength that Song Qingming had displayed was far beyond that of an ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

In the eyes of "Master Jingyue", Song Qingming is now almost equivalent to a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.

Of the twelve Nascent Soul elders of the entire "Qingyang Holy Sect," apart from Elder Liang Zhenren, who is still in seclusion attempting to break through to the Divine Transformation realm, none of the others could possibly defeat him.

Moreover, Song Qingming's lifespan is only five or six hundred years. With his talent, he is very likely to advance to the half-step Nascent Soul realm in the future, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Faced with such a formidable enemy with immense potential, even Master Jingyue couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

Could it be that they made a huge mistake by antagonizing Song Qingming back then because of the elders of their sect?

".."

On Song Qingming's side, after winning the victory, he felt somewhat relieved.

Even with two replica spiritual treasures, Song Qingming's combat strength was still somewhat inferior to that of top-tier half-step Nascent Soul experts.

When he managed to get into the top 20 before, he already knew that his chances of getting into the top 10 were not very high.

After all, at this stage, they will be facing true experts from those major sects, and it is impossible to be as lucky as they were a few days ago.

If one draws a lot and gets a top-tier half-step Nascent Soul expert like "Autumn Water True Man," "Azure Cloud Fairy," or Lin Tianrong, who ranks among the top in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom...

Even if Song Qingming used all his strength, it would be difficult for him to defeat his opponent.

It's likely just a formality to go through the motions and exchange a few blows; in the end, they'll inevitably have to admit defeat.

But when he learned that his opponent was "Master Jingyue", Song Qingming was somewhat surprised, but he also began to take the matter seriously.

If he were to face those top-tier half-step Nascent Soul experts, he might not have much confidence in defeating them.

However, even if the "Master Jingyue" with a cultivation level of only the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage had a counterfeit spiritual treasure, he believed he still had the strength to fight him.

Especially when he thought of the grudges between him and the "Qingyang Holy Sect", as well as the ambush he had in the Illusionary Sea Desert, Song Qingming felt even more unhappy.

Now that we've encountered them, how can we easily give them up!

In the end, Song Qingming narrowly escaped defeat in this great battle and actually won.

Not only did Song Qingming successfully enter the top ten sects, but he also kicked out the annoying rival, the Qingyang Holy Sect. At this moment, he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

Amid cheers from the crowd, Song Qingming returned the greeting with a gesture of respect before slipping away from the arena and returning to the pavilion below.

Inside the house, Song Qingyu and the others, who were waiting on the side, looked at Song Qingming returning triumphantly, their eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Previously, when Song Qingyu and others drew the opponent "Qingyang Holy Sect", they were very worried that Song Qingming would suffer a loss at the hands of the opponent, and even tried to persuade him to give up the competition.

Seeing that Song Qingming had actually won, everyone felt as if it were a dream, and some still couldn't believe the result.

It should be noted that in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains," no sect has ever successfully entered the ranks of the top ten sects in thousands of years.

Song Qingming's actions were not only an honor for him personally, but also an unparalleled glory for the entire "Xiaoyao Sect".

Bai Yuxian wanted to go up and congratulate him properly, but then she noticed that Song Qingming was still injured. She quickly took out a bottle of healing pills from her body.

"Junior Brother Song, your injuries still need to be treated. Quickly take this pill to recuperate."

"Thank you so much, Senior Sister Bai!"

Although he also had healing pills on him, Song Qingming did not refuse the other party's kindness. He took the pills that Bai Yuxian handed over and then sat down cross-legged to the side.

Once the pill entered his stomach, a warm current quickly flowed into the wounds on his body, and the cracks above began to slowly heal.

In the recent arena battle, Song Qingming narrowly defeated "Master Jingyue".

However, he also highly recognized the strength of his opponent.

It must be said that although Master Jingyue was only at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, his combat strength, wielding the "Thousand-Blade Mystic Crystal Disc," was far superior to that of ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Among all those who made it into the top twenty, "Master Jingyue's" supernatural abilities are also among the top ranks.

Apart from the top five experts who are at the half-step Nascent Soul stage, it is estimated that it would be difficult for anyone else to reliably defeat "Master Jingyue".

Song Qingming was able to defeat his opponent this time not only because of his own powerful fighting skills, but also because he possessed several powerful magical treasures.

When "Master Jingyue" first faced him, he was clearly somewhat careless and mistook him for an ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, thus suffering some losses due to his lack of understanding of his opponent.

Unexpectedly, Song Qingming, who seemed to be the least noticeable among them, not only possessed supernatural abilities no weaker than those of a ninth-level Nascent Soul cultivator, but also had two powerful imitation spiritual treasures hidden on his person.

The reason Song Qingming was able to quickly break through the "Thousand Blade Mystic Crystal Disc's" blockade was due to their final attack.

It was by relying on another imitation spiritual treasure on his body, the "Purple Sun Token," that he was able to move space and divert some of his opponent's blue light, allowing him to successfully break through the encirclement and appear in front of him.

He ultimately defeated "Master Jingyue" with a single sword strike, winning the arena battle.

In terms of their fighting strength, Song Qingming and "Master Jingyue" are actually not that different; both are second only to those top-tier half-step Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, in this battle, Song Qingming benefited from his opponents underestimating him, which allowed him to perform better.

If the two were not fighting in a ring, but were fighting to the death outside, it would be difficult to determine a winner in a short time, and it would be hard to say who would ultimately win or lose.

However, Song Qingming's cultivation has only recently advanced to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He has the advantage of being much younger than his opponent, and his potential for improvement is also greater.

When he cultivates to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, even "Master Jingyue" will probably be no match for him.

".."

Just as Song Qingming began to recover from his injuries, the final match for the top ten was already underway on the high-altitude arena outside.

The final battle was fought by the "Xuanmu Sect," which ranked sixth among the top ten sects in the previous competition. The one who took the stage was their Grand Elder, who was also a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.

Their opponent was a sect located in Ningzhou of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom," which sent out an elder at the peak of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

The two fought fiercely for the victory.

However, in the end, the half-step Nascent Soul elder of the "Xuanmu Sect" was stronger and finally won the last place among the top ten sects in the Sword Tournament.

With the names of the top ten winners being announced, the new "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" Top Ten Sects were also revealed.

Based on previous rankings.

The ten major sects are "Wuxiang Sect", "Wanshou Mountain", "Danyuan Valley", "Bixia Palace", "Tiandao Sect", "Xuanmu Sect", "Taiyi Immortal Sect", "Sanyuan Sect", "Shengu Sect" and "Xiaoyao Sect".

The top eight sects were all among the top ten sects in the previous term.

Only the "Divine Gu Sect" and the "Free and Unfettered Sect" are newly established sects in this sword competition.

In the past, each "Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament" would produce one or two newly established sects, so this result was not unexpected.

The only surprise was the "Xiaoyao Sect" where Song Qingming and his group belonged.

It should be noted that the "Free and Unfettered Sect" is only a sect that has emerged in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range in recent decades, and there are only six Nascent Soul elders in the sect, who are "Wind Apes" who have just formed their Nascent Souls.

Excluding Song Qingming, a Nascent Soul ancestor with exceptional strength, the number of low-level disciples in the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages under the "Xiaoyao Sect" is still less than that of the "Wanling Sect," which belongs to the same Fuyun Mountain Range.

With such theoretical strength, if placed in the cultivation world of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom," they would probably struggle to even rank among the top twenty.

If this had happened before the Sword Tournament, probably no one would have believed that the relatively unknown "Xiaoyao Sect" would have fought its way through the arena, ultimately defeating the powerful "Qingyang Holy Sect" and securing a place among the top ten sects.

After today's sword competition ends, the names of both "Xiaoyao Sect" and Song Qingming will soon resound throughout the entire "Donghuang Immortal Continent".

After the names of the final top ten were announced, Song Qingming and the other ten masters quickly came to the arena to determine the final rankings.

As with previous years, the rankings of the top ten cultivators were determined with reference to the sect rankings of the previous Sword Tournament.

The rankings of the top eight sects remain unchanged, with the "Xiaoyao Sect" and "Shen Gu Sect" ranking ninth and tenth respectively.

The reason why "Xiaoyao Sect" is ranked higher than "Shen Gu Sect" is because Song Qingming defeated "Qingyang Holy Sect", which was ranked higher. The difference in strength between the two opponents was relatively large, so it ranked ninth.

However, this ranking is only temporary. Next, the "Top Ten Masters" can challenge their ranked opponents according to the rules.

If a challenge is issued and the opponent is defeated, the rankings of the two sects will be swapped.

Conversely, if they lose or give up the challenge, their sect ranking will remain unchanged.

Similar to the previous sword tournament, after so many matches, everyone can see each other's strength, and no one will take the initiative to challenge someone unless they are confident.

After all, they knew the chances of victory were slim.

Intentionally challenging your opponent will not only bring you no benefit, but may also offend them.

Those present were all Nascent Soul cultivators who had cultivated for many years, so naturally they wouldn't make such a move rashly.

The top three sects, "Wuxiang Sect," "Wanshou Mountain," and "Danyuan Valley," demonstrated their strength in the Sword Tournament, and almost no one dared to challenge them by name.

Only the fourth-ranked "Bixia Palace" received challenges from the next two, "Tiandao Sect" and "Xuanmu Sect".

"Fairy Biyun" fought two battles, with one win and one loss.

The Heavenly Dao Sect successfully defeated the Bixia Palace and ranked fourth, while the Xuanmu Sect lost the duel and remained in sixth place.

Among the major sects ranked lower, only the "Divine Gu Sect," ranked tenth, stepped forward to initiate the challenge.

Song Qingming originally thought that the "Divine Gu Sect" would challenge him for the ninth position, but unexpectedly they chose the eighth-ranked "Three Yuan Sect".

The young woman who ultimately represented the "Shen Gu Sect" defeated the Grand Elder of the "San Yuan Sect" after hundreds of rounds of battle, ranking eighth.

The "Sanyuan Sect" dropped directly to tenth place, ranking at the very bottom.

After that, no one launched any further challenges, and the final ranking of the "Top Ten Sects" was confirmed, from top to bottom as follows:
"Wuxiang Sect", "Wanshou Mountain", "Danyuan Valley", "Tiandao Sect", "Bixia Palace", "Xuanmu Sect", "Taiyi Immortal Gate", "Shengu Gate", "Xiaoyao Sect", "Sanyuan Sect".

Seeing that the position of "Xiaoyao Sect" had not changed, Song Qingming breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just as the final rankings were about to be announced, a golden light suddenly descended from the sky above the arena, instantly enveloping everyone on the arena below.

At the same time, all the cultivators in the entire venue simultaneously felt a powerful pressure suddenly appear out of nowhere, and they couldn't help but stand up solemnly.

"This aura belongs to a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

".."

The Supreme Elder of the Immortal Origin Sect, "Ancestor Jin Xuan," did not attend the Eastern Phoenix Sword Gathering.

The only Nascent Soul Grandmaster who could appear at the venue was Chen Qingxuan from the "Heavenly Imperial Sect," who was known as the number one expert in the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.

Sensing this powerful pressure, Song Qingming and the others, who had already guessed the identity of the other party, quickly bowed to the sky.

"We pay our respects to Senior Chen!"

".."

As soon as he finished speaking, ten beams of light descended from the golden light and landed directly in front of Song Qingming and the others.

After the light stopped, it instantly transformed into various exquisite magical treasures radiating spiritual light, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the arena.

Before anyone could get a good look at these magical treasures, "Autumn Water Master" standing to the side was the first to rush out, heading straight for the flying sword magical treasure at the top.

Seeing this, Song Qingming and the others were not to be outdone, and they all rushed toward the magical treasures they had their eyes on.

Song Qingming had no shortage of offensive magic weapons, and his first target was a high-quality alchemy furnace magic weapon that he wanted to acquire.

But just as he set off, he discovered that three other people were also eyeing the object, and their speed was in no way inferior to his.

Seeing so many people vying for this item, including a master like the Grand Elder of Dan Yuan Valley, Song Qingming immediately shifted his gaze to a blue jade ruler beside him and quickly grabbed it.

This blue jade ruler is called the "Four Symbols Blue Yuan Ruler".

It is about the same size as the "White Dragon Ruler" that Song Qingming used before, and it is also a defensive magic weapon.

Its quality was even higher than the "Black Tortoise Spirit Light Shield" he was wearing; it was actually a high-grade level four defensive magic weapon.

Not long after Song Qingming received the "Four Symbols Azure Ruler", the other cultivators on the field also received their own prizes, and their eyes showed excitement.

The ten magical treasures that were bestowed as a reward were mostly high-grade level four magical treasures that were extremely rare outside.

However, even among top-grade level four magic treasures, there can be differences in quality and value.

The golden flying sword that "Master Qiushui" obtained was an attack magic weapon of excellent quality, forged from special materials, and its power was definitely the highest among all magic weapons.

Although the alchemy furnace obtained by the Grand Elder of Dan Yuan Valley was not of particularly outstanding quality, this magical artifact could be used for alchemy, and its value would naturally surpass that of other magical artifacts.

While the "Four Symbols Azure Ruler" that Song Qingming obtained wasn't particularly outstanding in quality, it was still a high-level defensive magic weapon, and it wasn't one of the worst items on the stage.

As everyone received their rewards, the golden light in the void quickly dissipated.
A moment later, the area around the arena returned to normal, and no one saw Chen Qingxuan, the ancestor, again. They could only bow in gratitude towards the sky.

"Thank you for the treasure, senior!"

".."

The fact that he used ten high-level magic treasures in one go truly stunned the many cultivators below, who all cast envious glances at Song Qingming and the others on the arena, hoping that they too would one day stand on it.

However, as much as one admires, to be able to enter the top ten in a competition like Song Qingming and the others, one would at least need to cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

This alone made over 90% of the Nascent Soul cultivators present admit their inferiority.

Back in the attic below, Song Qingming was greeted with another round of congratulations, and a smile appeared on his face.

Not only Bai Yuxian and Song Qingyu, but also Chu Lingyun, Yang Fengyu and others who came with them, came to congratulate Song Qingming.

This time, Song Qingming represented the "Xiaoyao Sect" and entered the top ten, winning the position of one of the top ten sects. This is not only an honor for their sect, but also for the entire cultivation world of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

For thousands of years, the "Floating Cloud Mountains" have produced many geniuses like Zhao Wuling, but his best result in the Eastern Phoenix Sword Tournament was only to enter the top twenty.

Song Qingming, with only the seventh level of the Nascent Soul cultivation, was able to do something that his predecessors had not been able to do for thousands of years, which really surprised everyone, and their eyes couldn't help but flash with excitement when they looked at him.

Just as everyone was congratulating Song Qingming, two more figures suddenly appeared at the door. One of them was Lu Yue, the "Demon Slayer Palace" elder who was with Song Qingming.

The other person was a round-faced old man wearing a Tai Chi robe, whose cultivation level was also that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Song, on defeating all rivals and securing a place in the top ten of the tournament!"

"Fellow Daoist Lü, you're too kind. And who is this fellow Daoist?"

"I am Feng Yangzi of the Tianyu Sect. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Song."

".."

Upon hearing that the visitors were late-stage Nascent Soul elders from the "Tianyu Sect" and the "Dangmo Palace," Bai Yuxian and the others bowed and stepped back, giving Song Qingming and his companions space to speak.

Only after everyone else had left did Lü Yue speak:

"Fellow Daoist Song, Fellow Daoist Feng and I have come here today to discuss two matters with you."

"Please feel free to speak your mind, fellow Daoists."

After nodding slightly to Song Qingming, Lü Yue continued, "This matter concerns your sect."

Now that the Free and Unfettered Sect has been selected as one of the top ten sects, according to past rules, you will be eligible to participate in our "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" council meeting once every ten years for the next two hundred years.

If your clan has any matters to attend to in the future, you are welcome to come and participate in the council meeting to discuss them with us.

Furthermore, since your Xiaoyao Sect has already been ranked among the top ten sects, it will also enjoy the tribute of a state's territory. If your sect intends to rule any state, you can first inform the two of us.

When we get back, we'll try our best to arrange this.

The so-called "Ten Great Sects of Donghuang Immortal Continent" not only represent this title, but also signify the overall distribution of interests in the Donghuang Continent over the next two hundred years.

Of the thirteen states of the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom," only the three largest states remain under the fixed jurisdiction of the three major powers of the "Demon Suppression Palace."

The remaining ten states were divided equally among the "Ten Great Sects," and each sect, family, and market town within them was required to pay a certain percentage of tribute to the other sect each year.

However, in return, if anything happens in the state, the sect that governs the state must also be responsible for quelling the matter.

Otherwise, if mismanaged, the sects below could directly appeal to the "Council," and they might also be stripped of their "Top Ten Sects" status.

Because the cultivation world was located in the remote "Floating Cloud Mountains," Song Qingming had only heard some things about the Ten Great Sects and had not studied them in depth.

Only when Lü Yue explained in detail did he understand the reason, and he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

I thought that if I could get into the top ten, I would get a magic weapon and the title of "one of the top ten sects". I didn't expect that there would be so many interests involved below.

It seems that the benefits he can gain from this conference go far beyond what is currently apparent. (End of Chapter)