The Grand Display and the Soul Lament

“Look, Senior Sister Chi Qiu is here today too.”

“Senior Sister Chi Qiu—over here!”

As Chi Qiu approached the arena stands, she heard calls from not far away. Following the sound, she saw a large group of fifty to sixty Tianyan Sect disciples gathered, many of whom were waving at her. She tilted her head slightly, then waved back. Taking quick strides, she swiftly reached their gathering spot.

“I knew Senior Sister Chi Qiu would definitely come.”

“Sit here, Senior Sister Chi Qiu.”

The Tianyan Sect disciples found a front-row seat for Chi Qiu, then moved aside to allow her to sit down comfortably. The disciples present were all quite young, chattering amongst themselves with lively discussions. Chi Qiu glanced around, and upon seeing no elders from the Tianyan Sect, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Most of these disciples, who had come to support Su Hanxing, were only in their teens, with the oldest barely in their early twenties. Interacting with these much younger disciples put no pressure on Chi Qiu. However, if an elder from the Tianyan Sect were to arrive, she would certainly feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

“Senior Sister Chi Qiu, do you think Senior Brother can win this competition?” a disciple asked from nearby.

Chi Qiu looked over, recognizing the familiar face of Junior Brother Chu Li, who had been the first to greet Su Hanxing after his emergence from the Yinglong Tomb.

“What do you think, Junior Chu?” Chi Qiu countered, raising an eyebrow.

“I certainly believe in Senior Brother, but he hasn’t returned to the Tianyan Sect base since his journey from the Yinglong Tomb. So, I’m feeling a bit uncertain…” Chu Li said, a hint of concern in his voice. “Moreover, the Heart God Sect’s techniques are extremely restrictive to our Tianyan cultivation methods. Senior Brother must be extra careful.”

Chu Li’s words prompted agreement from the other disciples, who all looked at Chi Qiu with worried expressions.

“Senior Sister Chi Qiu, you live with Senior Brother; do you know his true strength?” Chu Li asked again.

“You can rest assured, this Zhu Yan is no match for Su Hanxing.” Chi Qiu did not answer directly but instead offered words of comfort.

“With Senior Sister Chi Qiu’s words, I feel at ease.” Chu Li’s expression of worry finally eased, and he bowed to Chi Qiu.

“Look, Senior Brother is on stage!”

Among the crowd, an unknown voice shouted loudly, instantly drawing everyone’s gaze towards the arena. On the greyish-blue arena, a flash of white light streaked across. Then, Su Hanxing, clad in black and gold robes, materialized and stood firm on the stage. As he stepped onto the platform, the surrounding spectator stands instantly fell silent.

Su Hanxing’s long hair cascaded freely, and he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a faint smile gracing his lips. His entire body shimmered with starlight, and Dao patterns emerged beneath his feet. Several small suns, moons, and stars slowly drifted behind him, their trajectories profound and mysterious.

A river of white sand and starlight flowed from these celestial bodies, encircling Su Hanxing’s form. The starlight river surged, constantly giving birth to miniature stars within its flow. These stars ultimately formed constellations and celestial palaces of various hues behind, above, and around Su Hanxing. These celestial phenomena were not merely decorative; as they rose and fell, they pulsed with starlight, hinting at hidden sharpness.

This fellow… what a grand display.

Chi Qiu watched the numerous phenomena surrounding Su Hanxing, first startled, then nodding in understanding. It seemed Su Hanxing truly intended to win this competition with a magnificent flourish.

“How magnificently grand! Why has the Tianyan Sect’s senior disciple put on such a display?”

“I heard this competition is a grudge match; the Tianyan Sect and the Heart God Sect have always been at odds. That’s probably why Su Hanxing is showing such a grand formation.”

“Though Su Hanxing is strong, the disciples within the Tianyan Sect are generally weaker. They’ve lost many previous encounters to the Heart God Sect, so it remains to be seen if Su Hanxing can reclaim some prestige for his sect.”

Seeing Su Hanxing make such an ostentatious display, the recently quieted audience once again erupted in chatter.

“I never imagined Senior Brother could unleash such a technique! It seems Zhu Yan is in for a rough day. Senior Sister Chi Qiu, do you recognize this technique?” Chu Li asked, his excitement growing.

“It looks a bit like Elder Su He’s Star River Dharma Manifestation,” Chi Qiu replied after a few moments of observation.

“Senior Sister Chi Qiu truly has remarkable insight! This is indeed a simplified version of the Star River Dharma Manifestation. I can’t believe Senior Brother can perform this technique; he must have already touched the threshold of the Dharma Manifestation Realm.” Chu Li’s voice was filled with excitement.

“A simplified Dharma Manifestation, indeed.” Chi Qiu nodded slightly, her eyes fixed on Su Hanxing.

“Challenger—Zhu Yan of the Heart God Sect!”

The arbiter of this arena was a white-haired old man. Though aged, his appearance was still spirited, and his voice boomed with powerful resonance like a great bell. Following the announcement, a young man, also clad in black robes, slowly ascended the steps. He possessed an ordinary appearance, a gaunt face, and a calm demeanor, showing not a hint of unusual emotion.

Neither overbearing nor weak, neither proud nor complacent; his temperament is truly excellent, certainly not comparable to those scions of noble families.

Chi Qiu observed Zhu Yan’s steady steps and composed expression, completely unafraid of Su Hanxing’s grand display. She couldn’t help but nod inwardly.

“Are you two ready?” The white-haired old man squinted slightly, asking both of them.

They both nodded in response simultaneously.

“Let the competition begin—”

The old man withdrew from the arena and struck a large bell. Upon hearing the bell, everyone craned their necks, unwilling to miss a single detail on the stage.

As the bell chimed, Su Hanxing immediately took a step. However, instead of employing a movement technique or divine ability, he moved like a mortal, slowly walking towards Zhu Yan with his Starfall Step, an act that was quite peculiar. As he advanced, the celestial phenomena and the white sand river surrounding him subtly trembled, following closely by his side.

“Soul Lament—”

Seeing Su Hanxing begin his slow advance, Zhu Yan naturally dared not be negligent. He deep understood the importance of seizing the initiative and immediately summoned a phantom of his divine soul. Simultaneously, his internal divine soul power surged forth, instantly covering half of the arena.

The phantom of the divine soul in mid-air bowed slightly, then covered its face with both hands. Its entire body trembled, as if weeping silently. A strange ripple of energy spread from the divine soul phantom, directly targeting Su Hanxing.

In that instant, when the audience in the arena saw the bowing, weeping divine soul phantom, an inexplicable sense of sorrow welled up in their hearts. Many cultivators even found tears unknowingly streaming down their faces.

What a strange divine soul attack, but this move is useless against Su Hanxing, Chi Qiu thought. The ripple of energy passed over her without any effect, as both her and Su Hanxing’s divine souls were protected by Dragon Orbs, rendering them immune to such attacks.

Chi Qiu surveyed the audience around her, noting that most wore expressions of sorrow, clearly affected by the ‘Soul Lament’. Only a small number remained unaffected.

“Is that Elder Song?” Chi Qiu quickly spotted a familiar, unaffected figure in the audience. Since this was a competition involving a Heart God Sect disciple, it was hardly surprising that Elder Song would be present.

Not far behind Elder Song, a cultivator in black robes also remained completely unaffected.

This person doesn’t look like a Heart God Sect cultivator, yet they are immune to the Soul Lament’s influence. Their strength must be considerable, Chi Qiu mused.

Chi Qiu seemed to sense someone quietly observing her. The black-robed cultivator slowly lifted their head, looking directly at Chi Qiu, who was surrounded by numerous Tianyan Sect disciples.

Chi Qiu’s mind reeled. From the shadows of the black robe’s hood, a pair of scarlet, blood-red eyes stared intently at her. A chilling aura of carnage, as if from mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, emanated with that gaze, momentarily leaving her breathless.

A soft chuckle traversed thousands of chi, reaching Chi Qiu’s ears from the lips of the mysterious black-robed figure. Chi Qiu’s heart instantly turned cold; she seemed to have provoked an extremely powerful being.