"What could the unique treasure be?"

Ling Chen wasn’t very interested in fame, but when he heard there was a solid prize for first place, he immediately perked up.

"The winner of the last tournament was reportedly granted a portion of the Saint Body Ointment."

Ling Xue said.

"Saint Body Ointment?"

Ling Chen was only slightly surprised—the Saint Body Ointment could help experts of the Half Saint Level refine their Saint Body and was indeed a very precious item. However, it wasn’t very useful for him at the moment.

"Don’t be too disappointed. It’s not necessarily the Saint Body Ointment—the Empress’s reward isn’t fixed. She will definitely give you what you need most at the moment." Ling Xue seemed to see through Ling Chen’s thoughts and immediately said with a smile.

"That sounds more reasonable."

Ling Chen nodded.

"Thinking about this right now is too far off; aiming for first, whether for you or Ling Yuxuan, is not so easily achieved."

Ling Xue shook her head. With so many stars gathered, winning first place was incredibly difficult.

"Even if I don’t get first place, it’s worth dreaming about."

Ling Chen laughed casually and said.

Though his goal was indeed first place, even if he said so at the moment, probably no one would believe he had the strength to achieve it and would only think he was boasting.

At this moment, as the tournament opened, the square bubbled over with excitement, a wave of heated and noisy voices swept across like waves.

The elder from the Imperial Clan, upon announcing the opening of the tournament, exchanged glances with four expert warriors from the clan, whose figures moved with lightning speed in four directions, landing in four locations around the square.

The four of them formed seals with their hands and activated their True Qi, with a thunderous rumble the square shook violently, a massive Array Formation faintly emerged within it, and in the center, over a kilometer of ground cracked open, revealing a gigantic arena rising up slowly.

Several minutes later, the arena finally stopped ascending, then divided into four parts, separating once more.

Buzz!

Once the four arenas stabilized, shimmering shields emerged from each of them.

Once the arenas were stable, the deacons of the tournament began distributing identity tokens.

Ling Chen received his identity token, a black token that felt cool to the touch, transmitting a chill into his body.

After everyone received their identity tokens, the elderly host from the Imperial Clan nodded, then took out a scroll resembling a Holy Command, throwing it out; the scroll unfolded in midair before enlarging tenfold, a hundredfold.

"This is the ranking golden list, a sacred object from the Imperial Clan."

Ling Xue said in slight amazement.

As soon as her words fell, countless names appeared densely on the scroll, hundreds or thousands of names flickered across it before finally settling down.

Hundreds of names, matched in pairs.

The contestants for the first match emerged.

"Murong Feng from Murong House in Yangzhou!"

"Yang Xuewu from the Yang family in Youzhou!"

Both came from prestigious families—Murong House needs no introduction, and the Yang family is one of Youzhou’s top aristocratic families with significant influence, although not one of the Nine Great Families, it’s a notable family of saints.

Murong Feng was a young man wielding a green blade, while Yang Xuewu, a female swordsman, both leapt onto the first arena almost simultaneously.

"Please enlighten me!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Please enlighten me!"

The two stood tens of meters apart, exchanged bows, then their eyes sharpened abruptly, staring at each other without blinking, seeking the opportunity to strike.

The tournament was based on elimination matches, where a single defeat meant losing the qualification to compete, thus no defeat could be allowed, and no match could tolerate the slightest carelessness.

The two stood tens of meters apart, exchanged bows, then their eyes sharpened abruptly, staring at each other without blinking, seeking the opportunity to strike.

Ha!

Murong Feng attacked first, his blade carving a green trajectory in the void, ferociously launching forward.

Yang Xuewu dared not slacken, raising her sword to parry.

Clang, clang, clang!

A fierce battle ensued, one wielding a blade, the other a sword, sparking fierce clashes that caused the air to quiver.

Ultimately, Murong Feng’s skill prevailed, winning the first match of the Heavenly Sword Tournament.

Following this, the young elites of various families took to the stage, four simultaneous duels commenced, with the colorful reflections of True Qi streams glancing off the shields surrounding the arenas, showcasing dazzling martial techniques in abundance.

Meanwhile, the young talents from various Saint Families had already entered the stands beside the arenas, sipping tea as they watched the matches, enjoying themselves immensely.

Ling Chen sat in the spectator area allocated to the Ling Family, watching these battles with great interest; although no particularly strong contestants had appeared yet, these participants were elite members of various Saint Families. The martial arts they demonstrated were the absolute techniques of their families, and each possessed certain highlights that prompted Ling Chen to think and learn.

During this time, a few members from the Ling Family also took the stage, individuals with some notoriety within the family, but perhaps due to unfavorable luck, each one suffered defeat, causing Ling Lie and others to furrow their brows slightly.

"It seems the Ling Family is truly declining, once a prestigious Saint Family, now in this generation it has fallen to such a state, it’s genuinely a pity."

As soon as the Ling Family’s contestant lost, voices among the crowd questioning the Ling Family’s prowess immediately arose.

"Indeed, aside from Ling Yuxuan, there’s barely a mention of any experts among the younger generation of the Ling Family, perhaps soon their status as one of the Nine Great Families will be overtaken by other families."

"The Ling Family is in such an awkward position, but even the remnants of a millennia-old insect like the Ling Family might last for a few more years."

A few people murmured softly.

"Outrageous, these rumor-mongering fools dare look down upon my Ling Family."

Behind Ling Chen, upon hearing the comments, Ling Tong was nearly unable to restrain himself.

"Calm down," Ling Chen shook his head; such agitation couldn’t stir him in the slightest, "The more others belittle us now, the greater the contrast when we achieve victory, why be concerned with mere transitory honor and disgrace."

"Ling Yu is right." Ling Xue’s elegant face became solemn, she nodded slightly, "We will prove with our strength and performance that my Ling Family, a thousand-year aristocratic family, is not to be casually discussed by them."

"Ling Tong of the Ling Family in Xuzhou versus Ma Mengqi of the Ma Family in Liang Province!"

As the referee’s voice rang out, the square adjacent to the Ling Family swiftly stirred again.

The Ling Family was an ancient existence as a millennia-old aristocratic family, whereas the Ma Family represented one of the newly emerging Saint Families.

"Haha, the Ling Family, merely a dead camel, will ultimately be replaced by our Ma Family!" Ma Mengqi, a youth with slightly yellowish hair, held a long spear, pointing it arrogantly towards the direction of the Ling Family’s members.