After flying for about half an hour, Zhang Ling leisurely arrived at White a time unit Hall.
White a time unit Hall is located on a semi-circular, small mountain peak floating in the sky. It has many ancient trees, covering most of the area.
Zhang Ling landed down a long flight of stairs and, led by a deacon disciple, walked towards a palace-like building above.
"Today is the semi-annual Island Seizing Competition. Fellow cultivator, you've come here for this, too, right?"
The deacon disciple was a middle-aged man with a mid- Foundation Establishment stage cultivation. He looked him up and down before asking.
"Fellow cultivator Sun has keen eyes. I wonder what the rules of the competition are? Zhang is not very familiar with it."
"Haha, this Myriad Manifestation City's Island Seizing Competition is simple. There are no requirements, as long as you defeat your opponent. However, the cultivators participating in this competition are quite strong, and there will be some deaths and injuries." Deacon Sun laughed and explained everything to him as he walked.
"If fellow cultivator is unlucky, you might even encounter a Golden Core stage expert."
"Golden Core cultivators? Is there no limit to cultivation levels?"
"Hehe, although there are many cave dwelling for sale or rent in Myriad Manifestation City, the spiritual veins above have reached the level of mid-grade spiritual veins. These spiritual veins are mostly sold to those high-level cultivators. It is unlikely that cultivators with Foundation Establishment cultivation like us can get them. There are very few available."
"But besides the spiritual vein cave dwelling in the Immortal City, the area within a few thousand miles around Myriad Manifestation City is under the direct jurisdiction of Myriad Manifestation City. There are also many islands with spiritual veins, which are the main target of the Island Seizing Competition."
"The cave dwelling in the city are hard to grab, so some high-level cultivators will set their sights on these islands. But Fellow cultivator Zhang doesn't need to worry too much. There are many islands nearby. As long as the requirements for the spiritual veins are not too high, you can still successfully seize an island."
Zhang Ling smiled faintly and followed him to the front of the palace. Upon entering the palace gate, it was somewhat quiet inside.
After passing through the palace and arriving at a rear hall, dozens of cultivators with different expressions had already gathered there.
Zhang Ling glanced over, and his brows couldn't help but raise. These people were all in the Foundation Establishment stage, and their strength had reached the late stage. Among them, there were five or six cultivators whose strength was the same as his, at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
It seems there are many cultivators competing for spiritual veins.
"Fellow cultivator, please wait here for a while. An elder will come here to preside over the competition." Deacon Sun cupped his fist at Zhang Ling and returned the same way.
Zhang Ling's arrival attracted the attention of a few cultivators. They also glanced at him and then stopped paying attention. He expressionlessly found a place where there was no one, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.
...
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, a few more cultivators with considerable strength arrived, but no Golden Core cultivators appeared, which also relieved Zhang Ling. Facing Foundation Establishment cultivators, he had no fear.
At this time, a red wooden door on the other side of the wall creaked open, and a white-clothed youth of about twenty years old walked out from inside. This person had delicate features and was fair-skinned, looking very weak.
Zhang Ling and the other cultivators looked at him and their expressions changed immediately. This delicate youth was actually a high-level cultivator.
"Greetings, Senior."
"The time has passed. Those who haven't arrived can only wait for the next time." The young man looked at everyone kindly and said quickly.
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a cyan scroll appeared next to him. With a whoosh, the scroll was opened. Zhang Ling's divine sense condensed, and he clearly saw that this was a map of the area near Myriad Manifestation City.
Zhang Ling concentrated and saw that the scroll was a map of the area near Myriad Manifestation City, with hundreds of spiritual lights of varying degrees of brightness and darkness.
"I am originally surnamed Xiao and am an elder of this White a time unit Hall. You can call me Elder Xiao. You have come here for spiritual vein cave dwelling, so I will tell you the rules here." The youth pointed at the scroll, and the scroll floated in mid-air.
"Listen carefully. Only seven islands nearby have become vacant during this period. But there are thirty-four of you."
"There are only so few islands, but the rules of the Island Seizing Competition do not consider life or death. If there is danger, I cannot intervene. Only when one side admits defeat or dies will it end. If anyone doesn't want to participate, you can leave now."
The youth pointed at the scroll, and the spiritual lights on it dimmed all at once, leaving only seven light spots distributed in different locations.
After this person finished speaking, no one spoke for a while. But after two breaths, a bearded man stepped forward and said.
"May I ask, Senior, if we win the competition, how many years of authority will we have?"
"As long as you obtain the qualification to own the island, you can choose the time you want to own it, but it must be at least ten years and no more than one hundred years."
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Senior, for the clarification." After the bearded man finished asking, he hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fist and saluted the young man. "This junior's strength is insufficient and is willing to give up this opportunity."
"Go,"
The youth had no expression, just nodded and waved his hand. The bearded man quickly cupped his fist again and quickly left.
With this person taking the lead, seven or eight more cultivators left.
"Since you have made up your minds, come with me." The youth glanced at the remaining people, waved his hand, and grabbed the scroll again. He waved it towards another black bronze door.
After the bronze door opened, there was a small stone house inside, with only a small teleportation array.
At the suggestion of this expert, ten cultivators immediately stood on the teleportation array. The young man pointed at the teleportation array, and the people above disappeared in a flash of spiritual light.
Zhang Ling squinted his eyes at the small teleportation array and knew that the teleportation distance must not be long. Otherwise, a teleportation talisman would be needed.
...
Before long, everyone was teleported to an open-air square. There were ten identical arenas in the square.
The young man flashed with spiritual light and arrived in mid-air. He took out the scroll again and began to cast spells on it.
Zhang Ling released his divine sense to penetrate the surrounding environment. Apart from a few thick stone pillars, the outside was all ancient trees. This seemed to be in a mountain forest.
It seems they were still on the mountain peak where White a time unit Hall was located. After observing the environment, Zhang Ling, like the others, began to look at each other.
Now there were twenty-six people left, all late- Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Among them, there were exactly nine peak cultivators, including himself.
Coming here to compete for spiritual vein islands, Zhang Ling didn't need to hide his cultivation. He also noticed that many people were hostile to him.
Although he was not familiar with these people, being here meant they were either enemies or soon would be. He could only rely on his strength to compete for the islands.
He had learned before that the Island Seizing Competition was divided into two matches. Only after winning the first match would one be qualified to compete for the island. The second match was to choose one's favorite island.
There were no restrictions on choosing the same island. The more people there were, the more competition there would be. If one was lucky, only one person would choose a single island, and then one would not need to participate in the second match.
This time, there were seven islands for them to choose from. He had also carefully looked at the location and spiritual vein level of the seven islands on the scroll.
Among them, only three reached the level of mid-grade spiritual veins. This was his goal, but looking at the cultivation levels and hostility of the people next to him, these three islands would not be so easily obtained.
Besides the few people at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage like him, the cultivators who came to compete for the islands also had some trump cards and methods.
While Zhang Ling was thinking about these things, the youth in mid-air had finished casting his spell. He saw the scroll split out some white mist-like spiritual light and hit the high platform on the ground.
All ten high platforms were shrouded in white light curtains, but as long as one's divine sense swept, one could penetrate it and see the situation inside clearly.
The youth landed on the ground again, took out a red wooden bamboo tube, and the tube contained some bamboo sticks.
"Alright, you can draw one. Those with the same number will compete against each other first, and the winner will be qualified for the next round."
Hearing this, the twenty-six cultivators, including Zhang Ling, did not hesitate and stared at the jade tube.
But as soon as their divine sense swept over it, a layer of grayish-white spiritual light flowed out from the bamboo tube, covering the bamboo sticks inside. When the divine sense touched the spiritual light, it was repelled.
Although Zhang Ling's divine sense was much stronger than that of cultivators of the same rank, he could not penetrate this spiritual light.
"Don't waste your effort. This is a special magic weapon. Even the divine sense of a Golden Core cultivator cannot detect these bamboo slips."
The youth naturally observed the expressions of Zhang Ling and the others and shook his head with a nonchalant look.
The crowd looked at each other, and obediently took turns going up to draw bamboo sticks one by one.
In a few breaths, everyone had obtained a bamboo stick. Zhang Ling glanced slightly at the bamboo stick in his hand. One side was engraved with a few strange silver symbols. The back was the number twelve.
Zhang Ling was expressionless, still took the bamboo stick into his hand, with an indifferent look.
"Alright, those who draw the same number will compete against each other first. From left to right is one to ten."
Everyone drew a bamboo stick, and they heard the youth expressionlessly point to the ten arenas in front of him.
"There are formations set up on the arena, and Foundation Establishment cultivation cannot destroy them. As long as you get the other party's bamboo stick, you will win. You can use any means you want, no matter what method, let's begin."
After the youth finished speaking, several cultivators immediately walked towards the arena. In the blink of an eye, two cultivators stood on each arena.
And Zhang Ling and the remaining few people were still under the arena. There were only ten arenas, and his number was twelve, but it was good to see the methods of others first.
...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half an hour has passed. On one of the arenas, there was a loud bang, and Zhang Ling walked out of a layer of gray-green smoke. At this moment, he was holding two bamboo sticks in his hand.
This meant that he had already achieved victory.
After the mist on the arena behind him disappeared, a man in yellow clothes was kneeling on one knee. This person was also in the late- Foundation Establishment stage, but his face was green and red. A trace of blood also overflowed from the corner of his mouth, and there were some gray-green spots on one of his arms.
This person was poisoned by a kind of mist that Zhang Ling researched, this kind of poisonous mist Zhang Ling named it Seven-Colored Smoke, it was refined based on Five-Colored Smoke with some poisonous weeds, it is highly poisonous, and Foundation Establishment cultivators can also defend against it.
The yellow-clothed man slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at Zhang Ling's back, sighed and walked off the arena.
After defeating his opponent, Zhang Ling walked to the front of the Golden Core stage youth, cupped his fist and saluted, and handed over the two bamboo sticks.
"I didn't expect it to be poisonous mist, it can hurt late- Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, it can be considered to have some means." The youth said with great interest while looking around Zhang Ling.
"Senior is laughing." Zhang Ling just lowered his head and said softly complimenting.
The youth didn't say much, and took the bamboo sticks back.
"Since you have already achieved victory, then choose the island you like." The scroll floating beside the youth stretched out at once while speaking.
"Yes"
Zhang Ling responded, and carefully observed the location of the seven islands on the scroll. But he already had a goal, focusing on the three islands.
Double Serpent Island, Iron Mountain Island, Fire Cloud Island. The spiritual veins on these three islands have reached the level of mid-grade spiritual veins, but the spiritual veins above are not large, but it is enough to open a cave dwelling.
This kind of small spiritual veins will be taken out by Myriad Manifestation City for external sale.
As long as you invade the island pattern on the map with your divine sense, you can get the accurate location of the island, and the level of the spiritual veins, these simple information are pre-printed on it.
Among them, Double Serpent Island is the largest, located three thousand miles southwest of Myriad Manifestation City. There is a kind of two-headed snake demon beast on it.
This is a low-level demon beast with first-order strength, the strength is not strong, and cultivators in the Qi Refining stage can deal with it, and the name of the island comes from this.
There is also a small market on the island, where some mortals and some rogue cultivator live. The total number of people is not large, only thousands of people.
rogue cultivator are only in the Qi Refining stage, and there is no such thing as an island owner, it is completely a free place to enter and exit at will.
If you choose this island, you will also be responsible for guarding these mortals, because of this reason, the cultivators who choose here can get some discounts when using the spiritual veins on the island.
And that Iron Mountain Island is several times larger than Double Serpent Island, and the area is equivalent to several small islands.
In addition to a small spiritual vein, there is also a Black Iron Mountain, which is rich in black iron stone, which is a spiritual mine material for refining middle and high-grade magic weapons. Hundreds of mortals and some low-level cultivators mine spiritual mines here all year round. There are also several deacon disciples of Foundation Establishment cultivation.
According to records, the iron stone spiritual mine can be mined for another sixty or seventy years. The cultivator who chooses this place has his cave dwelling on the other side of Iron Mountain Island, although he does not need to guard mortals.
But there are deacon stationed on the island in Myriad Manifestation City, and it is inevitable to deal with these people, Zhang Ling denied this Iron Mountain Island in his heart.
Zhang Ling felt a little bitter in his heart, it seems that it is not easy to find a good place to stay.
If the last island with mid-grade spiritual veins does not meet his requirements, then he can only choose the remaining ones.
After checking the information of Fire Cloud Island, Zhang Ling was quite satisfied.
