Because everyone was prepared in advance, this time no inner disciple collapsed as soon as they stepped onto the White Jade Steps.
However, for most inner disciples, their movement speed dropped significantly once they ascended the White Jade Steps.
At this point, the gap in cultivation and the purity of spiritual energy among the inner disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect was immediately evident.
...
Behold, a maiden with a long zither on her back, clad in a white flowing dress, and possessing elegant and natural bearing, seemed to be barely affected by the White Jade Steps.
She trod on a clear breeze, effortlessly and leisurely, soaring towards the distant end of the steps, her robes fluttering in the mountain wind.
The maiden's demeanor was unhurried, as if she were not navigating a trial but strolling through a garden with friends.
"It's Shui Xianzi Xue Rou'er, one of the Nine Great Holy Children."
Someone in the crowd recognized the identity of the white-robed maiden.
The White Jade Steps were the first stage of the grand competition, and all inner disciples had to participate, even the most gifted.
However, for Heavenly Prodigies like the Nine Great Holy Children, this stage was merely a formality.
The gravity on the White Jade Steps was virtually nonexistent for them.
"Is the gap between cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage really that vast?"
At this moment, the young people seated in the suspended cities and palaces couldn't help but have such thoughts.
...
Originally, they were considered outstanding individuals in their respective countries and clans.
Having grown up under the halo of talent, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of fifty was enough to be proud of.
But in comparison with Xue Rou'er, one of the Nine Great Holy Children, there was no comparison at all.
This stirred yearning in their peers while also inevitably striking a blow to their hearts.
And then, two more figures surged onto the jade platform. Although they lacked the grace of the white-robed maiden, their speed was even greater.
...
"Mo Wen, let's see who's faster!" The youth speaking was clad in red, holding a folding fan, and possessed handsome features.
He was Yan Yan, one of the Nine Great Holy Children.
Beside him stood a young man in his late twenties, dressed in a green robe, with a long halberd on his back. His sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes conveyed a stern and resolute expression.
This man was Mo Wen, one of the Nine Great Holy Children!
The speed of Yan Yan and Mo Wen was like a raging storm, their movements like thunder.
In just a few breaths, both had ascended to the middle section of the White Jade Steps.
They paused here for a few breaths before continuing their advance, rushing directly into the small world in one go.
Following them, several other powerful Heavenly Prodigies distinguished themselves and entered one by one.
As for the inner disciples of weaker strength, they could only barely maintain their footing on the White Jade Steps, moving their bodies inch by inch.
At such a snail's pace, not only would they fail to enter the small world within the allotted time, but they might not even be able to reach the entrance to the small world.
Among the foremost group were the remaining six of the Nine Great Holy Children: Chu Jiayi, Ma
Yunqing, Lu Yi, Su You Shi, Wang Qingyu, and Ximen Jingxue.
...
On the other side, Wu Tao, closely following Long Ao Potian, ascended the White Jade Steps.
Upon stepping onto the upper section of the White Jade Steps, Wu Tao immediately felt his body sink, and his speed decreased considerably.
The aerial prohibition on the White Jade Steps seemed different from ordinary prohibitions.
For every foot he rose, the restrictive force doubled. For every foot of height, the restrictive force doubled. This prohibition was truly overbearing.
...
"The Nine Great Holy Children, such a great reputation, they truly have some ability. Such powerful gravity would greatly affect ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet those few can act as if it's nothing..."
"Interesting. I do want to see who is the strongest among the inner disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect."
Thinking thus, Wu Tao readjusted the circulation of spiritual energy within his body, activated his sword-footwork, and unleashed his spiritual energy.
His entire being moved upwards with ease. His speed was not fast, but he was incredibly composed, as if he were walking leisurely on the Great Dao.
...
Mo Wen, Yan Yan, Xue Rou'er, Chu Jiayi, Ma Yunqing, Lu Yi, Su You Shi, Wang Qingyu, Yin Xuanyin, and the other Nine Great Holy Children, one after another, took the lead, crossing the White Jade Steps and entering the small world.
Other elite inner disciples also followed closely, crossing the White Jade Steps and entering the small world.
With just the first hurdle, nearly a thousand inner disciples were eliminated.
...
It seemed that the high-ranking officials of the Taiyi Immortal Sect truly intended to select the most elite disciples from these thousands of inner disciples for focused cultivation.
After entering the small world, Wu Tao landed on a piece of land.
The land was vast, stretching endlessly like a plain, vanishing beyond sight.
Moreover, the spiritual energy within the land was extremely rich, comparable to any ordinary blessed cave.
Even though Wu Tao was aware of the importance of this grand competition in advance,
when he personally witnessed this vast, boundless land appear out of thin air through the divine ability of spatial translocation,
despite being mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be deeply shocked.
"Battlefield! Descent! The slaughter will begin immediately..."
Just as Wu Tao was carefully observing his surroundings, a cold voice echoed in the air.
As soon as the voice fell, the sound of explosions, far more piercing than "thunder," began to erupt.
...
At this moment, within the small world, in all directions, patches of void began to warp.
Once the warping of the void expanded to a certain extent, dark cracks immediately appeared.
Many, many huge landmasses appeared simultaneously.
These landmasses had extremely irregular shapes, but their auras were remarkably similar.
Or rather, aside from their varying shapes, everything else about them was identical.
Wu Tao, having been prepared, understood very well what these landmasses were for and where they came from.
...
After the Three Eras of Ancient, Primordial, and High Antiquity, although the current era has seen a断层 (discontinuity) in cultivation techniques, divine ability systems, and inheritance methods due to continuous warfare,
there are still numerous textual records in the current era's cultivation world regarding the many historical events of those three eras.
During the several great calamities of the Ancient, Primordial, and High Antiquity Eras, immortals, demons, beasts, ghosts, humans, and myriad races fought fiercely, drawing almost all races into these cataclysms.
From the beginning of the Ancient Era to the end of the High Antiquity Era, the originally vast and boundless Great Desolation Continent was shattered into countless fragments by numerous powerful beings.
And the Nine Continents, now dominated by humans, is the largest and most complete fragment among these countless pieces.
These innumerable fragments are scattered throughout the world.
The largest fragments became continents, slightly larger ones became islands in the sea, and small fragments became reefs.
Some fragments were even transformed into secret realms and small worlds by powerful divine beings.
...
However, at this very moment, no one could have imagined that the high-ranking officials of the Taiyi Immortal Sect would directly summon so many fragments of the Great Desolation Continent from the Three Eras into the small world for this grand competition.
"What a grand gesture, using fragments of the Great Desolation Continent as a battlefield..."
"Is this the might of a super-dominant force? The Taiyi Immortal Sect is indeed one of the ten most powerful orthodox sects on the Nine Continents."
...
Having been shocked numerous times before, the rogue cultivators, and cultivators from small families and sects in the cities and palaces, thought they had become numb and accustomed to it.
But they were still terrified by these world-shattering, mountain-moving, and sea-filling techniques.
Their faces were ashen, and they looked with awe at everything unfolding in the small world.
On each fragment of land, the spirit-filled soil was controlled by cords of chaotic spiritual energy.
These cords of chaotic spiritual energy controlled many, many fragments of land.
They divided the land fragments into regions, each region seemingly existing in a different space, completely separated.
...
"Chaos Yangyang Boundless Diagram!"
The moment Wu Tao saw the vast Yin-Yang divine diagram in the sky above the small world, he thought of a name.
It was one of the renowned sect-guarding treasures of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, known as the Chaos Yangyang Boundless Diagram.
The Chaos Yangyang Boundless Diagram served as the control center of the small world, managing all the formations within it.
Now, the Chaos Yangyang Boundless Diagram transformed numerous fragments into a battlefield resembling a chessboard.
Wu Tao stood on the ground, his hand resting on the scabbard of his Chuxi sword, awaiting his opponent.
Not much time passed, perhaps only a dozen seconds, when the sound of wind arose again, and a blurred figure suddenly appeared.
The moment this figure appeared, a powerful aura was released, pressing down from mid-air like a tidal wave.
Revealing his appearance, it was a burly man clad in armor.
This burly man held a giant axe, and the numerous scars crisscrossing his fleshy face added a touch of ferocity.
Wu Tao had long anticipated the kind of opponent he would face. With his late Foundation Establishment cultivation and his status as an elite inner disciple,
his opponents would mostly be fellow elite inner disciples, cultivators around the late Foundation Establishment stage or at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
Although most inner disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect would participate in this grand competition,
those divided as opponents were generally of the same status and cultivation level.
...
Although he had some suspicions in his heart, Wu Tao's lips curved slightly when he saw his opponent.
What he hadn't expected was that his opponent this time was someone he knew.
Tie Li, a representative of late blooming talent.