Entering the portal felt like passing through a layer of thin membrane.
Ling Xiaoyou estimated that it was the Space Membrane, which proved that the actual venue was located within the Secret Compartment of the sports stadium.
Opening her crimson eyes, Ling Xiaoyou looked at the true venue of the Xuantian Martial Tournament.
A flash of shock immediately crossed her gaze.
It was a majestic and grand colosseum-style venue.
The massive building looked as if it could accommodate half the population of the Imperial Capital.
Ling Xiaoyou did not doubt for a moment that such a vast arena was large enough to support even the battles of experts in the Mysterious Nether Realm (6th Realm).
After the initial shock passed, Ling Xiaoyou continued to observe the massive colosseum.
Although it gave off a strong impression of an ancient Roman arena at first glance, it was filled with a sense of modernity.
There were wide screens, dazzling lighting effects, and even background music.
The atmosphere was completely dialed up!
However, with the venue being this massive, could the arriving audience truly fill it?
This thought surfaced in Ling Xiaoyou’s mind as she stared at the structure.
But she quickly shook her head.
It was none of her business, so why should she care?
She followed Li Xuemà n into the colosseum.
Fortunately, everyone was a cultivator and had enough Speed; otherwise, it would have taken a long time just to reach the inner grounds.
“You must be the participants from the Ghostly Resentment Office of the Underworld. Please follow me; I will lead you to your Rest Chamber,” a staff member with a Guard Badge hanging around his neck said as he approached them upon their entry.
“Thank you for the trouble.”
Li Xuemà n nodded and spoke politely, leading the group as they followed the staff member inside.
Along the way, Ling Xiaoyou looked left and right, seeing many other groups of participants being led to their respective Rest Chambers by other staff members.
‘Wow, there really are quite a few people. To think that so many people would participate in this Xuantian Martial Tournament.’
As they passed another Rest Chamber for a “Hundred-Person Group,” Ling Xiaoyou sighed internally.
Suddenly, she heard a strange commotion and turned her gaze toward another direction in the hallway.
There, a staff member was looking at a young girl with a troubled expression, speaking continuously as if trying to dissuade her.
And that girl…
Ling Xiaoyou was momentarily stunned.
She looked at the girl with some surprise; it was the same girl she and Bai Shuang had seen in the restaurant earlier—the one she had described as a “General Girl who looked like she came from a battlefield.”
What was happening to make the staff member look so troubled?
Driven by curiosity, Ling Xiaoyou looked again and felt instantly speechless.
The General Girl was holding a rein in her hand, and tied to that rein was a majestic, imposing horse clad in precious armor…
An Armored Warhorse?!
Ling Xiaoyou was completely bewildered.
Who would bring an Armored Warhorse to a competition?
What kind of logic led to such an action?!
Setting aside whether a horse was even allowed inside a Rest Chamber, what did she even intend to do with it?
‘Is she really planning on riding an Armored Warhorse into the tournament? This isn’t a war!’
After a frantic round of internal complaining, Ling Xiaoyou was too speechless to care about the General Girl anymore.
She followed the staff member into the Rest Chamber assigned to the Ghostly Resentment Office.
After bringing them there, the staff member left without staying.
Judging by his hurried manner, he was likely heading off to receive other participants.
Ling Xiaoyou looked around the Rest Chamber and found a random spot to sit down.
“Now, we just need to wait for the competition to begin. At the very least, we won’t need to go on stage until the elimination rounds start.”
Li Xuemà n sat down beside Ling Xiaoyou and took out her seemingly bottomless thermal flask, beginning to sip hot tea.
Ling Xiaoyou nodded her small head and pulled out her Mobile Phone to start scrolling through videos.
Seeing this, the others also began to pass the time in their own ways.
Some looked at their phones like Ling Xiaoyou, some played cards, and some even went straight to sleep.
This was normal, however.
Since there was truly nothing to do before the competition started, it was better to do something interesting than to just sit there.
Fortunately, the wait was not too long.
When the time reached 9:00 AM, a light screen suddenly appeared in the center of the Rest Chamber, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ling Xiaoyou looked at the light screen with curiosity.
She wasn’t surprised by the appearance of something so sci-fi; although it looked like technology, it was actually a product of fantasy and had nothing to do with science.
She was more curious about what the light screen was for.
Before Ling Xiaoyou could wonder for long, the screen suddenly brightened.
An old man with a long beard, white eyebrows, and a kind face appeared in the image.
Ling Xiaoyou blinked, wondering who he was, when she heard Li Xuemà n explain from beside her, “He is the President of the Exorcist Association in the Imperial Capital. Although he has no Cultivation himself, he manages the Association quite well.”
So he was the President of the Exorcist Association.
Ling Xiaoyou nodded understandingly, then suddenly realized another piece of information in Li Xuemà n’s words.
“You’re saying this President has no Cultivation?”
“That’s right.”
Li Xuemà n also looked at the light screen, where the President was speaking eloquently.
“It’s surprising, isn’t it? But it is the truth.”
“The President of the Exorcist Association in any region cannot be a cultivator. This is because a cultivator’s lifespan is too long. If they were allowed to hold the position of President indefinitely, even if they didn’t form cliques for private gain, their influence would become too deeply rooted to remove.”
“Therefore, a cultivator can only hold the position of Vice President at most, creating a system of checks and balances with the President. This is the best structure.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded thoughtfully, more or less understanding the meaning behind those words.
“Everyone, the Xuantian Martial Tournament, which occurs once every few years or even decades, has finally begun again. I am sure your hearts are as excited and surging as mine!”
“And this year is especially special. Countless Heaven’s Chosen have gathered here to display the strength of the new generation and show their elegance to us old folk.”
“I am very happy because the new generation has such talents, and I am honored to give the opening speech for such a competition…”
On the light screen, the President’s speech continued as if it would never stop.
Ling Xiaoyou could only listen for a short while before she couldn’t take it anymore.
She swiped on her Mobile Phone and immediately sent a message to her specially pinned contact: ‘QVQ, this President’s long-winded speech is so annoying. Why does he like to talk so much nonsense, just like a school principal?’
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