Chapter 1149: Who Can Win the Championship?

July 12th. The weather remained fair and bright.

Throughout the duration of the Yellow River Meeting, there was no room for unfavorable weather.

The Pillars of Six Harmonies still towered towards the sky, and people from various nations flowed in.

The six supreme Dharma Forms descended, reaching the heavens and spanning the earth.

True Monarch Yu Xi of Jade Capital Mountain presided over the main competition, and Mister Ao once again took his seat.

Everything was no different from yesterday, except that the participating prodigies were now at the Inner Mansion realm.

Jiang Wang still sat in the front row.

His friends from Qi were seated not far behind him.

Words of encouragement had long been spoken, and no one disturbed him now.

Ye Lingxiao and his daughter sat in the northwest stands, whispering something.

He did abide by True Person Ye's instructions, constantly feigning ignorance before Du Ruhui, acting as if he didn't know them.

Chong Xuanzun was also present today, still sitting beside him. After a night of treatment, though still looking very weak, he was after all out of immediate danger.

In short, the spectacle was as grand as ever, a fine time waiting for song.

Jiang Wang held his sword across his lap, his hands lightly resting on it, sitting upright and silent.

Speaking of his cultivation journey, he had begun it from a young age.

However, disciples of renowned sects started by conditioning their bodies under the guidance of powerful individuals to increase the chances of successful meridian opening. All sorts of cultivation techniques, secret arts, and even experiences were arranged in the most suitable manner.

Jiang Wang, on the other hand, relied on his own arduous training, starting from mundane martial arts, forging himself little by little.

He officially opened his meridians on June 15th of Dao Calendar 3917, successfully transcending the ordinary, and it had been over two years since then.

Before transcendence, he had practiced relentlessly, regardless of the heat or cold, never slackening. There was no need to mention how many hardships he had endured; he would never forget the moment he returned from Xishan covered in blood.

In the more than two years since transcendence, he had experienced far too much... how many difficulties, how much pain, how many moments of despair.

But no matter when or where, he had never given up trying. No matter what he faced, he had not given up on himself.

Searching for hope in despair, carving a path to life in utter destitution.

Every day, every hour, every moment of this journey, he had been moving forward.

Moving forward with unwavering determination.

So today, it was time to validate all of this.

Today, tens of thousands of eyes were watching.

Today, on the Guanhe Platform, the prodigies of various nations were gathered.

Today, both he and his Changxiangsi had waited a long time.

The world should be waiting for a name called "Jiang Wang."

Ten years grinding a sword in its sheath... it should let the world know the frost and brilliance!

Unlike the eagerness of previous days, at this moment, Changxiangsi was surprisingly quiet, without a single cry.

Perhaps it also knew that today, it could fully bloom.

There were still eight martial stages, designated as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.

After each round, they would merge. Eight into four, four into one.

True Monarch Yu Xi stood on the stage, his voice reaching everyone's ears: "Today is the main competition for the Inner Mansion realm, sixteen prodigies vying for a single champion. Please prepare!"

A light screen unfolded like a scroll, and the names of the sixteen Inner Mansion realm prodigies flickered like stars on the screen.

Each name on it represented a prodigy of a nation, the "most outstanding" in the Inner Mansion realm, chosen from among millions.

But only one person could claim the champion title.

The brief time the names changed on the light screen felt extraordinarily long in the anxious waiting.

When the names on the light screen finally stopped, many people breathed a sigh of relief. The matchup list was confirmed, and there was no possibility of change.

Huang Sheli, the prodigy of Jing Kingdom, against Yelü Zhi of Liao Kingdom.

Xiang Bei, the prodigy of Chu Kingdom, against Bai Yuxia, the prodigy of Yue Kingdom.

Qin Zhizhen, the prodigy of Qin Kingdom, against Xiao Shu, the prodigy of Dan Kingdom.

The Inner Mansion realm prodigy temporarily brought in by Mu Kingdom was likely the most watched. His name was Deng Qi, said to be from the Yuwen clan, but there was no more specific information. He was matched against Yin Wenhua, the prodigy of Song Kingdom.

Contrary to many people's expectations, he did not choose a seemingly weaker opponent, but instead chose a regional great power like Song Kingdom, highlighting the confidence of an overlord nation...

The sixteen Inner Mansion realm prodigies had varying expressions as they looked at the light screen.

Some were calm and composed, some were full of confidence, and some were brimming with fighting spirit.

But none could match Lin Zhenren's expression at this moment... it was complex.

It was the kind of facial expression controlled by astonishing willpower, and eyes with drastically changing emotions... mixed and conflicting, giving people a very contradictory and complex feeling.

He was originally refined and calm, sitting in the front row of the waiting area with the mindset of "going as far as I can, and even if I can't go further, it's still glorious."

Among the sixteen nations listed in the main competition of the Yellow River Meeting, Zhuang Kingdom was the least likely to squeeze in.

He had already created the best result in Zhuang Kingdom's history, and Zhuang Kingdom's requirement for him was only four words: "show the demeanor." Compared to the other fifteen prodigies, it should be said that he had a psychological advantage.

Moreover, he had carefully studied the few opponents he might encounter and prepared more than one plan to deal with them. It was not impossible to go a step further.

However...

The light screen showed that his opponent, Lin Zhenren, was Jiang Wang, the prodigy of Qi Kingdom!

In contrast, Jiang Shaohua of Shen Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Chu Min, the prodigy of Xia Kingdom, had a resolute expression on his face, vowing to avenge his country – he had originally expected to be chosen by the Qi Kingdom prodigy and was ready to fight to the death – his eyes were now visibly relaxed.

Of course, some people couldn't help but secretly laugh.

The Qi Kingdom prodigy did not target Xia Kingdom, nor did he challenge Shen Kingdom, but instead chose the prodigy of Zhuang Kingdom, who was relatively weaker on paper among the top sixteen... Was this a sign of a lack of confidence?

However, Ji Zhaonan and Chong Xuanzun's performances were too dazzling, which made these people cautious about Jiang Wang's strength and temporarily dared not express their opinions.

As for Jiang Wang himself, his expression was calm, and his eyes were serene.

He had simply made the choice he wanted to make; how others viewed or evaluated it was irrelevant to him.

Rising from his seat, he courteously greeted Cao Jie, Ji Zhaonan, and Chong Xuanzun, exchanged glances with a few friends in the stands, then pressed his hand to his longsword and walked down from the spectator area, heading towards Martial Stage G.

He held his head and back straight, his steps calm, as if strolling in his own courtyard, interacting with familiar flowers and trees, without any sign of nervousness or unease.

Those who watched him could feel a kind of ineffable beauty in his movements.

That was the ethereal charm brought by the immortal technique "Stepping on the Clouds," "stepping on air and treading on emptiness, as if walking on flat ground." Now walking on flat ground, he still had a touch of immortal grace.

But only in Lin Zhenren's vision.

He felt that the other party's steps were heavy, each step landing on his own heartbeat.

He sat in the spectator area, watching that familiar figure, who often appeared in his nightmares, walk down from the spectator area step by step, towards the martial stage.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

The sound of his heartbeat was so clear.

He started to feel it difficult to breathe.

Since seeing the matchup list, he had been having trouble breathing.

It was as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping... gripping his heart.

Because with his intelligence, it was easy for him to figure out why he was matched against Jiang Wang!

A voice within him was screaming—

"He wants to kill me!"

"He wants to... kill me!"

On the martial stage of this Yellow River Meeting main competition, under the watchful eye of True Monarch Yu Xi, Jiang Wang wanted to kill him!