Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Before the arrival of the Two Sects and One City, Dingyuan City had already constructed two massive arenas in its center.

The arenas were pitch-black, each with a diameter of five hundred zhang. They were cast from Refined Iron that had been processed by a Tier Two Array Master, and their surfaces were inscribed with Runes. Even a Purple Mansion Cultivator would find them difficult to damage.

When the competition began, Song Changsheng and the others would have to fight for control of these two arenas to earn a spot in the finals.

The night before the competition, Song Changsheng and the others gathered together. Zhan Tianxia took out several Jade Scrolls, distributed them, and said, ”Take a look. Tell me your thoughts after you’re done.”

Song Changsheng took a Jade Scroll and pressed it to his forehead. He found that it contained intelligence on the combatants from the Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect.

There were ten people in total, all of them young Cultivators and the elites of the two Major Sects. Each one had an extremely glorious record, making them household names in the Daqi Cultivation World. Even among the dozen or so surrounding kingdoms, they were considered the absolute cream of the crop.

The intelligence was incredibly detailed. The more Song Changsheng read, the more his brow furrowed, because every name listed was a force to be reckoned with.

He could already predict that the next day’s arena matches would be a bloodbath.

Suddenly, Song Changsheng saw a familiar name in the files.

”Xia Qingxue? She’s participating too?” Song Changsheng’s expression was a little strange.

Speaking of which, there were quite a few connections between the Song Clan and Xia Qingxue.

Back then, Song Yulong and his companions had rescued Xia Qingxue on the road after she was severely wounded in an ambush by a Blood Demon. After she recovered, she left a personal Jade Pendant with the Song Clan as a token of gratitude.

Song Changsheng had placed that Jade Pendant beneath the spirit tablet of the first Clan Leader, Song Taiyi. In the time since, the Song Clan had faced countless threats, but no matter how dire the situation, Song Changsheng never had any intention of seeking Xia Qingxue’s help.

Given Xia Qingxue’s talent, the longer he held on to this favor, the more valuable it would become.

It was an insurance policy Song Changsheng had left for his clan. The unexpected could always happen, and no clan could prosper forever.

If the Song Clan were to ever suffer a major calamity, this favor would give them a chance to one day make a comeback.

”To think she’s also reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.” Song Changsheng murmured, his expression turning solemn.

Song Changsheng had a vivid memory of Xia Qingxue’s strength. Back then, in the Luoxia City Secret Realm, Xia Qingxue had only been at the Early-stage of Foundation Establishment, a full stage lower than him. He hadn’t expected her to catch up so quickly.

She had even fought Yinn Shang back then. Although Yinn Shang had never used his full strength, it was still enough to prove her extraordinary capabilities.

Now that she had reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, combined with her status as the Direct Disciple of the number one figure in the Daqi Cultivation World, the very thought of facing her brought a pressure as heavy as a mountain.

And she wasn’t even the most pressuring part. The most terrifying thing was that there were nine other people just like her.

Song Changsheng continued reading through the intelligence. Compared to the others, the information on Xia Qingxue was much more concise. It only stated that she had an Ice Spirit Root, a powerful Divine Soul, extremely strong combat awareness, and that she cultivated a secret art of the Golden Crow Sect.

Beyond that, there was nothing.

’This intelligence is no better than nonsense,’ Song Changsheng thought. He already knew all of this.

Song Changsheng’s brow furrowed, a wave of curiosity washing over him. ’The Golden Crow Sect has done a good job hiding her. After all these years, the intelligence on her is still this sparse. What secret could she possibly have that would be worth the Golden Crow Sect’s painstaking efforts to conceal?’

Just then, Yinn Shang stood up and asked, ”Martial Uncle, which arena should we fight for tomorrow?”

Zhan Tianxia glanced at him and said in a low voice, ”No one thinks much of us. They believe the Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect are the main event in this competition. This is a good thing. We don’t need to be the ones to stick our necks out. We won’t make a move during the initial scramble for the arenas.”

”After the Golden Crow Sect and the Celestial Vein Sect have each taken an arena, we’ll strike. We will use all our strength to seize the one held by the Celestial Vein Sect.”

”To ensure a flawless victory, Yinn Shang will fight the first battle. As long as he succeeds in one blow, we can create a five-on-four situation.”

”Once we’ve captured the arena, Niu Dazhuang will take over from Yinn Shang to defend it. He should use his Arrays to their full advantage and, at the very least, take one of them down with him.”

”The same goes for the rest of you. Every opponent we eliminate puts the Celestial Vein Sect at a greater disadvantage, which in turn becomes our advantage.”

At this point, Zhan Tianxia turned to Song Changsheng and said, ”If we make it to the finals, Yinn Shang will represent Luoxia City, so he must conserve his strength during these preliminary matches.”

”On the Celestial Vein Sect’s roster is a man named Jin Yue. He is the number one talent of their current generation and also a candidate slated for the finals.”

”He will be a huge threat to our defense of the arena. If we encounter him, you will be the one to fight. Even if you can’t defeat him, you must do everything in your power to severely injure him. Can you do that?”

Jin Yue was an extremely tricky opponent. The ideal plan would have been for Yinn Shang to face him, as that would offer a higher chance of victory.

However, Zhan Tianxia feared their opponents would resort to a mutually destructive tactic. If Yinn Shang were severely injured, even if he made it to the finals, he would surely lose to the Golden Crow Sect.

After careful consideration, he decided to entrust this heavy responsibility to Song Changsheng.

The reason was simple. Over the past six months, the five of them had frequently sparred. Without using their hidden trump cards, Song Changsheng had narrowly defeated Niu Dazhuang and was on par with Yinn Shang.

Among the five of them, besides Yinn Shang, only Song Changsheng stood a chance against Jin Yue.