The first batch of aristocratic families, under the command of a stern-faced Nascent Soul stage cultivator, had already begun their trials.
Wu Tao's eyes flickered slightly as he sensed the formidable power of this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, prompting him to glance his way a few more times.
The late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator suddenly turned his head, his sharp gaze like a flying sword, instantly directed at Wu Tao.
As their eyes met, sparks flew and spiritual light flashed.
As time passed, both of their pupils began to ache faintly.
Seeing that Wu Tao, under his intense gaze, did not flinch but instead showed signs of counter-attack, the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was quite surprised.
He retracted the spiritual energy from his eyes and nodded gently at Wu Tao with a hint of appreciation.
...
On the other side, Wu Tao also nodded slightly in return, showing respect.
Sensing over a thousand spiritual energy fluctuations around him, not weaker than his own, and some even stronger, Wu Tao's expression grew solemn. The situation had become somewhat beyond his imagination.
He had not expected the power of the aristocratic families in the Purple Continent's immortal cultivation world to be so terrifying, exceeding his wildest expectations.
Initially, Wu Tao, who thought he could stir up a storm in the Purple Continent's immortal cultivation world after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, felt his heart grow cold!
He understood perfectly what these over a thousand spiritual energy fluctuations, not weaker than his own, signified.
It meant that there were at least more than a thousand Nascent Soul stage cultivators on the side of the aristocratic families in the Purple Continent's immortal cultivation world.
This was just on the surface; in reality, it was likely more, perhaps several thousand when all factors were considered.
After countless generations of cultivation and management, the aristocratic families of the Purple Continent's immortal cultivation world had essentially established an unassailable dominance, a situation where destiny was on their side.
To seize a significant portion of the pie from them, unless they first descended into internal chaos, even a child of destiny would be utterly useless.
As a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, Wu Tao still enjoyed certain privileges. At the very least, he was allocated a seat, a table, and a pot of spiritual tea.
Beside him sat the patriarchs and ancestors of various families.
Wu Tao calmly toyed with the jade teacup in his hand, his peripheral vision constantly scanning the surroundings.
The cultivators of the Core Formation stage and Foundation Establishment stage, however, did not fare as well; they stood in neat rows, forming queues.
Facing the imminent Rank Judging Assembly, the expressions on everyone's faces varied according to their differing circumstances.
Some showed excitement, others apprehension, some even despair, while a few remained impassive.
In front of everyone stood enormous stone tablets.
Engraved on these stone tablets were millions of surnames, the surnames left behind by all the aristocratic families over hundreds of millions of years.
Along the edges of these stone tablets, tall formation banners of various colors stood erect, emitting layers of formation light that enveloped the entire area.
Among the millions of cultivators symbolizing the aristocratic families, Wu Tao's position, though at the forefront, was still some distance from the very front.
The cultivators of the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment stages were positioned even further back.
The hundred or so cultivators standing at the absolute forefront were all late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
However, for some unknown reason, the four major aristocratic families, Wang, Li, Kong, and Qin, who could contend with the Liu imperial clan, were nowhere to be seen.
It was known that each of these four aristocratic families possessed a cultivator of the Purple Mansion stage, and a considerable number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
How could they possibly be unable to spare personnel to attend this Rank Judging Assembly?
Before Wu Tao could ponder this question further, the situation in the venue changed once more.
...
After more than two hours, in the center of the densely packed stone tablets, a spiritual light flashed, and Liu Jing, one of the five Purple Mansion stage cultivators of the Liu imperial clan, appeared.
With Liu Jing's arrival, the entire venue fell silent.
Liu Jing nodded with satisfaction as he surveyed the hushed crowd.
After delivering a brief speech, he commenced the day's main event.
A twelve-colored grand formation materialized out of thin air, followed by torrents of various colored runes surging forth from the formation, emitting a resonant humming sound.
The stone tablets, engraved with surnames, began to tremble violently as the grand formation appeared.
As if in response, a series of sounds echoed from all directions, and then hundreds of colossal pillars of light rose, flashing with dazzling spiritual energy.
"Ah, it's the Di Clan Stone Wall!"
Many aristocratic family disciples attending the Chang'an City Rank Judging Assembly for the first time, already stunned by the presence of so many powerful seniors, let out a flurry of astonished cries upon witnessing this astonishing scene.
"Hmph, a bunch of naive youngsters who have seen nothing before. What's so surprising about this..."
"The appearance of the Di Clan Stone Wall signifies that the competition is about to begin."
An old ancestor of a family, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, spoke coldly.
Although his voice was not loud, every cultivator present possessed keen senses and could hear him clearly.
Those attending for the first time, who had been somewhat flustered, calmed down and exchanged glances.
The countless stone tablets, engraved with names, merged into one, transforming into the Di Clan Stone Wall.
The Di Clan Stone Wall was a mid-grade spiritual treasure passed down from the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian.
In the past, the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian enfeoffed the aristocratic families of the world and determined their family rankings, a treasure jointly refined by the aristocratic families.
The primary function of the Di Clan Stone Wall was to entrust the destiny of each family upon it, connecting and recording their collective destinies.
By observing the weight of each family's destiny, one could gauge the strength of their respective families.
Over time, it became a symbolic spiritual treasure for the Liu imperial clan to convene the Rank Judging Assembly.
Looking at the character "Liu" at the top of the Di Clan Stone Wall, and the figure exuding immense power and youthful vigor, the patriarchs of many aristocratic families fell silent.
In terms of influence on later generations, the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian was undoubtedly an outstanding figure. He single-handedly reversed the era dominated by sects, ushering in a glorious golden age for the aristocratic families.
To this day, his descendants remain the most powerful clan in the world, firmly holding the throne of Immortal Emperor.
Although they appeared somewhat in decline in recent years, the deep foundations of the Liu clan, accumulated over the ages, are unknown in their true extent!
The first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian once dominated heaven and earth, looking down upon the world, defying the cosmos, and suppressing an entire generation.
Spanning hundreds of millions of years, traversing the river of time, his name still resonates throughout the world.
From this, one can infer the astonishing battle prowess of the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian!
In the past, numerous sect powerhouses joined forces, but they were all overwhelmed by the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian.
Even during this process, the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian slew countless powerful individuals, shattered the order and stability of an era, and caused many once-flourishing and powerful sects to be annihilated!
No one knows what the first generation Immortal Emperor Liu Haotian left behind for his family. In terms of true heritage, there is virtually no existence that can compare to the Liu imperial clan.
If the Liu imperial clan were not already the supreme power in the world, perhaps no one could withstand their might!
As the leader of the dragons, the Liu imperial clan, if they harbored other intentions, would undoubtedly shock the world, and no one could truly contend with the true masters of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty.
Only by uniting all the powerful cultivators of the aristocratic families could there be a chance to suppress the Liu imperial clan.
However, such an opportunity would only arise if the Liu imperial clan were to lose their minds and attempt to annihilate all the aristocratic families.
The foundation of the Liu imperial clan, apart from the Central Domain, also encompasses twelve other major regions.
These thirteen major regions provide the Liu imperial clan with inexhaustible resources, enabling them to cultivate a vast number of talents.
Five cultivators of the Purple Mansion stage, hundreds of cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage, thousands of mid-tier cultivators of the Core Formation stage, tens of thousands of cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage, and hundreds of thousands of cultivators of the Qi Refining stage – these are the fundamental pillars of the Liu imperial clan's existence!
Over hundreds of millions of years, the Liu imperial clan has already weathered countless storms. Their status is deeply entrenched in everyone's hearts.
The reverence accumulated over countless years of dormancy has been profoundly imprinted on the souls of everyone on the Purple Continent.
Cultivators of the Purple Mansion stage possess the power of laws and immeasurable divine abilities.
Liu Jing then presented the mid-grade spiritual treasure, the Di Clan Stone Wall.
On the mid-grade spiritual treasure, the clan names of myriad surnames shone with golden characters!
A series of tokens suddenly appeared from the mid-grade spiritual treasure, each token suspended in mid-air, enveloped by a mysterious halo.
The mid-grade spiritual treasure emanated an aura that suppressed all domains and resonated through the ages, as if originating from a distant era hundreds of millions of years ago and descending upon this place.
As the various tokens emerged, a radiant rainbow began to hang in the sky, spiritual light shimmering, and auspicious energy radiating, as if connecting the heavens and the earth.
Countless streams of destiny emerged from above, taking form and displaying their magnificence in the sky.
Below, members of the various aristocratic families gazed intently at the mid-grade spiritual treasure, their expressions filled with complexity.
This was a spiritual treasure that evoked both love and hatred among all the aristocratic families.
They loved it because, upon successful advancement, their families would prosper even further.
They hated it because, should they fail in the Rank Judging Assembly, everything would change, their current rank would fall, and the interests of their families would be significantly impacted.
"Alright, a total of ninety-six thousand five hundred and forty-nine Di Clan Tokens have been produced," Liu Jing said, somewhat wearily.
"Come, collect all the Di Clan Tokens and decide their ownership later, after the families have been re-ranked!" Liu Jing commanded the cultivators responsible for maintaining order around them.