(Haha! A vote reminder!) "First, all applicants must have their Five Elements foundational techniques at the seventh stage or above—this is the minimum requirement for taking the Foundation Pill. Second, applicants must be under forty years of age; those over that age won’t be able to pass the scrutiny, as the registration officers will use Bone Observation Technique to determine each applicant’s true age." "As long as these two conditions are met, anyone is eligible to register—there are no other restrictions! And precisely because of this, the tournament has become even more intense." "Do you find it normal these days that so many people from the Tai Nan Valley are attending? In fact, most of them are actually coming specifically to the Ascension Assembly. After all, our Tai Nan Assembly began as a mere gathering for young practitioners from the Lanshou region—historically, it only attracted a few hundred attendees each year!" Now look at this—already thousands have gathered within the valley, and as the final days approach, people from even farther regions will keep arriving, reaching the peak of trade during the Tai Nan Fair. "These guests come to our Tai Nan Valley to attend the Tai Nan Fair not only to stock up on what they need, but also to observe the competitors they will face at the Ascension Fair—thus gaining a clear understanding of their rivals." Hu Pinggu smiled wistfully as she said this. When Wu Jiu-zhi heard this, his face turned pale, and he gasped in astonishment, "According to what Lady Hu has just said, even the masters I've seen within the valley who have achieved the tenth level of cultivation are coming to attend the Ascension Fair. Then what's the point of sending those with lower levels? Aren't they simply heading straight for certain death?" "Not necessarily. Who says that someone with a higher level must always defeat someone with a lower level? If a person with slightly weaker magical power employs powerful spells or carries impressive magical artifacts, they can still overwhelm someone with greater magical strength." Blackjin, who had remained silent since entering the room, suddenly spoke these words, drawing everyone's attention. "Indeed, Blackjin's point is well taken. In our disputes as cultivators, the depth of one's magical power isn't the most crucial factor. What truly matters is the strength and flexibility of the spells one commands, as well as the power of the personal artifacts one can rely upon." Qingwen, the Daoist, also agreed wholeheartedly. "Blackjin's and Qingwen's remarks truly hit the mark. Otherwise, this Ascension Festival would never have been convened. Simply having the participants stand and compare their respective levels of magical power would have been sufficient." Hu Pinggu smiled. After listening to Mu Jin and the others, Wu Ji-zhi did not appear particularly delighted; instead, he frowned deeply and murmured continuously. "Powerful artifacts... potent talismans..." This time, Hu Pinggu paid no attention to Wu Ji-zhi and continued: "Due to the large number of participants in the tournament, the Ascension Assembly will set up seven platforms simultaneously, each representing one of the seven great immortal sects of Yue State. Anyone wishing to join a particular sect may compete on the corresponding platform. The platform selection follows a two-on-two advancement system: two contestants compete; the winner advances to the next round, while the loser is immediately eliminated. Then, a new pair is formed and competes. This process continues until, after a public announcement, no further contestants remain for that platform. Only then do the winners proceed to compete against each other in the next round. This cycle repeats until only ten finalists remain. These ten victors will be officially recognized as the new disciples of the sect, granted the privilege of receiving the Foundation Pill without having to face the intense internal competition within the sect. Truly a meteoric rise!" The process of the Ascension Grand Gathering's arena trials is actually quite straightforward. Yet don't be fooled by how simple I'm making it sound—the actual scenes on the stage are nothing short of devastating! Hu Pinggu remarked with growing admiration. "I remember during the last trial, there were no fewer than several dozen ten-tier cultivators who perished. Even two top-tier eleven-tier masters collided head-on, resulting in both of them being obliterated. As for nine-tier and eight-tier cultivators, the number of those who died on the arena is even greater—reports say well over a hundred. After all, in the final rounds, no one would willingly give up their hard-earned chance at becoming a dragon-level cultivator; thus, the casualties were especially severe." Hu Pinggu's face was filled with deep regret as she spoke. "Isn't it strange? For cultivators who have already mastered their foundational techniques up to the eleventh level, do they still need to step onto the arena and fight? I've heard that cultivation sects typically automatically enroll such exceptional talents. Then why do these two have to fight so fiercely and risk their lives?" "A female voice suddenly rose—none other than the usually quiet maiden, Honglian Sanren, who had finally opened her mouth. Huping Gu, hearing this, smiled. "Honglian's question was one I also faced back then. I puzzled over it for a long time, until I met an elder among our independent practitioners, who gave me just a few pointers and then it all became clear to me. Wu and Han brothers—perhaps they too have the same question?" "Not only them, even we brothers ourselves find it puzzling. Why, with such a splendid, well-trodden path of extraordinary talents available on the eleventh level, do they insist on squeezing through this narrow, precarious bridge, where a single misstep could mean falling to their death?" Blackmu frowned, clearly puzzled. "I think Qingwen Daojun is calm and composed—surely he has already anticipated this. It would be best if he explains it to them." Huping Gu chuckled lightly, gently passing the question off to the Taoist. The Qingwen Daoist was somewhat surprised, but soon fell silent and acknowledged it. After a moment's pause, he said, "In fact, both of those individuals come from immortal families. Their eleventh-level attainments must have required a significant number of pills—hard-earned progress, if I'm not mistaken." He shook his head, clearly unconvinced by their approach. "Isn't it quite normal to use pills to elevate one's cultivation level? They could easily join an immortal sect, right?" Wu Ji widened his eyes, expressing some confusion. "Wu brother has overlooked one thing: While it may be rare for someone to achieve an eleventh-level cultivation by their fortyth birthday, in the eyes of the grand, centuries-old sects, such individuals are merely ordinary in talent—just qualified backup disciples meeting the entry requirements. Otherwise, these young people would have been formally enrolled as disciples by the major sects long ago." It was their family's belief that, as they were, they barely had any chance of making a lasting career in a cultivation sect—nearly hopeless of securing a spot to take the Foundation Pill among so many disciples with superior talent. That's why they had simply decided to keep them, setting them aside for special cultivation. Having quietly stayed in the background for several decades, their only ambition was to make a dramatic breakthrough at this Ascension Gathering, directly securing the Foundation Pill—a clear shortcut. Yet, their family hadn't anticipated that two individuals with the same ambition would unexpectedly meet and, in the end, both meet their demise. Otherwise, they would surely have succeeded! The Qingwen Daoist spoke continuously, sighing deeply. Wu Jiuzhi and the others had already been staring, wide-eyed. "I've always wondered why the recent Ascension Gatherings have become so intense—nowadays, I hear of high-ranking cultivators from the tenth and eleventh layers appearing one after another," Blackwood murmured to himself. The young lady and Wu Jiuzhi remained silent, clearly surprised by this development. "Think about it—on one side we have grand cultivation families nurturing and fully equipped masters, while on the other, we ordinary independent practitioners, struggling with limited resources and funds. Do you really think we independents have any chance of successfully seizing the opportunity?" Hu Ping Gu's expression was cold, laced with a touch of self-mockery. "Then, according to this, the joy those cultivation sects expressed when they secured ideal disciples through the Ascension Festival—was all just a facade, a mere show of inflated pride?" Han Li rubbed his nose, clearly pondering. "Brother Han is right—how often does the world truly offer perfect, all-around blessings? To achieve even two out of three is already a great feat!" Hu Ping Gu glanced sideways at Hei Mu, causing Hei Mu's face to flush slightly. "Could it be that we independent practitioners are truly outclassed by the disciples of the cultivation sects? Even those disciples who were left behind by the sects are far stronger than us ordinary independents?" Red Lian, the independent practitioner, asked with growing indignation. "Though we'd rather not admit it, the likelihood of our independent practitioners achieving high rank is indeed far lower than that of the other side. Moreover, when compared individually in terms of human and material resources, we are vastly behind them. Our external advantages are simply much more limited!" The Qingwen Daoist's voice carried a hint of bitterness. "I've also heard from friends that even among our independent practitioners who happen to be fortunate enough to become disciples of a celestial sect, only a few manage to successfully establish their foundation after taking the foundation pill—few and far between!" Blackwood added, sounding equally discouraged. "Now, everyone, don't lose heart! We're all still young. This time may not work out, but there's still ten years ahead—perhaps the very opportunity to become a disciple of a celestial sect is waiting for us in the future. Let's now focus on the arrangements for traveling together after the meeting!" After lifting everyone's spirits, the Qingwen Daoist shifted the conversation once again. "There's nothing much to say—I'll just join everyone at the appointed time. Hearing about all these remarkable figures in the immortal cultivation world, I actually feel a bit hesitant to set off alone!" Wu Jiu still seemed a bit listless. The Qingwen Daoist shook her head helplessly and then turned her gaze toward the Honglian Hermit.