Yao Jun walked through the spatial tunnel, heading for the distant exit, the outline of a city faintly visible outside the exit. As he walked through it, Yao Jun was once again amazed at the sheer stability and toughness of this spatial tunnel. He could see spatial storms and shards of shattered space batter the outside of the tunnel, but it didn't even tremble.

Yao Jun quickly reached the end of the spatial tunnel, stepping out of it. After leaving the spatial tunnel, he found himself standing in a star-shaped plaza where the ground was covered in light pink stones that released a calming fragrance. The plaza was far larger than any Yao Jun had ever seen, at least 300 kilometers in every direction, completely shocking him. If just the plaza was this large, then just how big must the rest of the city be?

The plaza itself was filled with an uncountable number of people, more and more people arriving thanks to the spatial tunnels that kept popping up over the area. A vast number of square booths placed on wheels were located around the plaza, peddlers of all races and shapes trying to sell their wares.

The buildings that surrounded the plaza were also massive, even the smallest building was around two kilometers tall. Each building was made from a strange type of metal that shone like silver, causing the entire city to emit a faint light. The buildings weren't as wide as Yao Jun was used to, most only around 200 or 300 meters wide, square windows filled with crystal glass neatly lining up along the sides of the buildings.

There was another fact about the city that stood out somewhat to Yao Jun, and that was the fact that the Qi in it felt different from what he was used to. It was a faint feeling, but the Qi was definitely a bit different, more orderly and mellow than the Qi he was used to. It was a strange sensation, but as he couldn't figure out what caused the difference, he could only shelve the thought for now.

While Yao Jun was examining the city and the people around him, the spatial tunnel behind him shrank and vanished, returning to his token. With the spatial tunnel returning to it, a change also happened in the token. It suddenly cracked and shattered, dissolving into a stream of yellow energy that entered Yao Jun's left hand. Once the energy settled in his palm, a faint bronze symbol in the shape of a coiled serpentine dragon appeared at the center of his palm.

The symbol didn't release any energy, nor was Yao Jun able to interact with it, it simply released a faint, yet constant, bronze light. Yao Jun was able to hear several people around him talk loudly, wondering about the symbol, so it seemed like it wasn't just he who got it.

Yao Jun and the countless other people continued to wait inside the plaza, as they were confident that they wouldn't have been sent there for nothing. They didn't have to wait for much longer, only another three days, before the final spatial tunnel appeared and vanished, the entire plaza finally becoming completely filled with people.

Once the plaza was filled with people, the sound of faint footsteps resounded over the entire plaza, catching the attention of every single person there. They all raised their heads and turned in the direction of the footsteps, spotting a tall and elegant woman who had flowing hair that was a deep pink in color and was clad in a rainbow-feathered robe walking towards them.

The woman was casually walking in the air, but still produced the sound of footsteps, meaning that the Qi beneath her feet was instantly hardened the moment her foot touched it. The woman didn't use any of her Qi to produce this effect, it simply happened, as if it was a natural instinct of the Qi to harden when she touched it.

This phenomenon, coupled with the energy that radiated from her, told everyone exactly who this woman was, a Heavenly Deity, and a strong one. The pink-haired woman stopped in the air above the plaza, the strong energy radiating from her pushing down on everyone. She swept her golden eyes over the entire plaza, clearing her throat and speaking out, her soft words reaching the ears of every single person.

"Greetings everyone, I am Phoenix Feather Tang Jingyi, and I will be the one to explain the procedure of the upcoming competition to all of you."

While some were shocked that her words were able to reach everyone despite being so soft, Yao Jun was interested in her name. Tang Jingyi was the type of name that sounded like it could come from his own home planet, were there other planets that used similar names, or had she actually come from his home planet long ago? Tang Jingyi ignored the peoples' shock, continuing to talk.

"First off, a rule. Only a single type of outside aid is allowed during the competition, and that type of aid is an escape talisman that will teleport you away. Using one such talisman is the same as admitting defeat, so you will forfeit your right to continue taking part in the competition and you will promptly be guided away. We wish to see your strength, not the strength of your elders. There are no other rules, you are free to fight and kill as you please. But anyone who tries to break the one rule we have will be killed without mercy, so do try to follow the rule."

Tang Jingyi's eyes narrowed faintly as she spoke, the pressure pushing down on everyone increasing by a bit and turning icy cold, showing how serious she was. She quickly pulled back the pressure, continuing in a casual manner.

"As for how the competition will proceed, it is divided into three different stages. The first stage is the Point Gathering stage, where everyone will be thrown out of the various cities that are spread through this hidden realm and be forced to gather as many points as they can. There are three ways to gather points, defeat other competitors and steal their points, kill Demonic beasts, or acquire the inheritance of a powerhouse. There are many different inheritances spread throughout this hidden realm, some so old that even we don't know what they contain. The more points you have, the brighter that mark on your palm will glow, once it reaches the purple-gold level, others will become aware of your location, so take care."

This hidden realm was incredibly ancient, so ancient that not even the various sects and clans could remember when it was first created, or who even created it to begin with. But despite this, they had been using it for this competition for as long as they could remember, each competition causing some wondrous herbs, strange inheritances, or Demonic beast parts to be brought back to the outside world.

While Tang Jingyi continued to talk, she also raised her hand and caused a projection to appear next to her. The projection showed the same symbol that had appeared on the palm of everyone below her, but it showed the various ranking colors. From the lowest to highest it was, bronze, silver, gold, purple-gold, rainbow, and black.

"The second stage is the Mountain Ascension stage, where those who have managed to reach at least the gold level with their symbol will have to ascend the Godborne Mountain. While climbing, you have to protect your symbol from not only other competitors who might wish to steal it but even some Demonic beasts that roam the mountain and wish to steal the symbol so that they can take part in the competition."

This hidden realm contained a vast variety of Demonic beasts, some had even reached the Godking realm and left it, becoming top powerhouses and members of the various sects and clans, some even founding their own.

Yao Jun could guess that even though the Demonic beasts would be troublesome, the desperate attacks of the contestants who didn't have a mark of a high enough rank would be far more dangerous, as they would likely risk everything for the chance to reach the final stage.

"And the final stage is the Heaven's Chosen Battleground, where all the people who have managed to ascend the Godborne Mountain will face each other in a competition to determine the top rankings. You don't need me to tell you how serious this competition is, do your best and show all your strength. If you are lucky, you might get picked up by some of the stronger clans and sects. The competition starts in six days, so just wait quietly here."

The number of points one had would not be enough to accurately determine their strength, so in the end, an actual battle competition was necessary to properly rank people based on their strength.

After Tang Jingyi finished her words, she vanished into thin air, as if she had been nothing but an illusion to begin with. What she left behind was an uncountable number of people who felt their blood boil in excitement, wishing that the competition would start immediately.

Yao Jun sat down on the ground and closed his eyes in cultivation, but even he had to admit that he could feel his blood seethe. Ancient inheritances, weird Demonic beasts, herbs with amazing effects, this hidden realm was a true treasure trove. But that did not mean that entering it was a blessing, as one could very easily lose their life here.

Six days quickly passed in cultivation, the date of the grand competition arriving. Not only the people participating, but even most of the universe was seething with excitement, everyone paying close attention to anything that happened during the competition. And while everyone was seething with excitement, Yao Jun and all the other contestants were surrounded by a cocoon of light, tossed to a random place in the hidden realm, signaling the start of what would be a bloody and gruesome competition.