At this moment, an old man jumped down from the platform, landing steadily on the fifth arena, his presence immediately drawing all the gazes.
Wearing a spotless azure robe, the old man appeared simple yet ethereal, exuding a sense of authority.
He was one of the only 3 Innate Realm powerhouses of the County Magistrate's Mansion, an absolute elite tier existence below the Qi Refinement Realm, having lived for nearly a hundred years and slain no less than ten Innate Realm experts himself.
He was recognized as the most powerful expert under the Qi Refinement Realm in Lingshan County, a truth no one dared to deny after his battle record of suppressing 3 Innate Realm experts from the former great power Wind Sword Pavilion spread more than twenty years ago.
His strength must have surely reached an even more terrifying level since then.
He had also been the one to consistently oversee the Lingshan County Annual Talent Conference since the past few decades, thus, people were naturally familiar with this legendary Innate Realm expert of the government.
The old man's gaze swept across the crowd, speaking in a calm voice, yet loud enough to reach everyone's ears clearly, "Since you all are here, you must already know about the rules, I won't repeat them."
With that he jumped backwards towards the platform with a light footwork, his voice echoing through the area, "Now, come forward, the last ones to remain standing on each arena will be the winners of this round. Lingshan County Annual Talent Conference officially begins from this moment!"
As soon as his words fell, thousands surged towards the ten arenas, kicking up dust and wind.
On arena number 3, as soon as a First Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator landed, he was forcefully pulled back by his shoulder and thrown out by a Second Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator.
The scene seemed to have instantly turned chaotic, yet only those observing everything from the high platform above could see that everything was going as usual.
Seriously injuring or killing anyone in the competition was strictly forbidden by the Great Jing, otherwise, even if it was an accident, one could face lifetime imprisonment if they couldn't defend themselves.
However, all these prodigies were also clearly prepared; none of them was weak enough to be trampled to death, unless they weren't even at the Body Tempering Realm First Stage.
It was brutal, cruel even to some, but this was how the cultivation world was.
The Great Jing Dynasty clearly did not want anyone freezing at the sight of chaos and unable to hold their ground against armies after consuming the dynasty's resources.
Soon enough, vast clearings were formed on the various arenas, others constantly jumping up to try and take down those already on stage.
Even if someone was forced out of the arena, they weren't disqualified, given Infinite retries, the only limit was their own endurance and stamina.
Yet...
The difference between each minor realm could be described as nearly insurmountable for these ordinary cultivators.
Only in groups of four to five could they barely contend against someone just a single minor realm higher than them, rapidly consuming their stamina.
*Wham!*
A powerful sound rang across arena number 5, a figure sent flying as he spat out large mouthfuls of blood, crashing on a group of several First Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators about to get back up, instantly making them lose their combat power.
Seeing this scene, the frenzy around arena number 5 began to calm down, and all eyes turned towards its center.
A burly man with a bald head stood straight with his arms crossed, visible muscles rippling throughout his body with each breath, his expression extremely indifferent.
Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm!
This thought simultaneously appeared in the minds of those around him, causing them to instinctively back away.
Less than a few hundred people remained, staring up at the burly man with serious expressions, exchanging glances with eachother.
"That... Tan Jinghe!?"
"That is the heir of Tan Workshop in the inner city, the sole disciple of a Meridian Cleansing Realm Artifact Forging expert, Old Master Tan!"
"Isn't he only eighteen this year? He's already at the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm?"
"He has been cultivating for only eight years, I heard rumors that Tan Jinghe possessed First-Grade Talent but didn't believe it before, but it really seems to be the case."
The crowd further away from the arena immediately erupted into discussions, and Tan Jinghe's identity was quickly brought up.
At this moment, a young man, seemingly eighteen or nineteen years of age, stepped forward towards arena number 5, drawing the attention of everyone else as other Second Stage Body Tempering Realm and First Stage Body Tempering Realm quickly gathered around him, all closing in on Tan Jinghe from every direction.
"Isn't that... the young master of the century old Li Family?"
The young man surnamed Li seemed oblivious to everything, looking at Tan Jinghe before him with a serious expression as he took out a folding fan, a Low-Rank Yellow Grade Spirit Artifact.
At the same time, the hundreds of cultivators circled around them, suddenly drawing out a large chain from who knows where, refined from a special material, not a Spirit Artifact but not far from it either, capable of even binding rampaging ancient elephants, in other words, enraged Body Tempering Realm cultivators.
*Swoosh!*
They all erupted simultaneously, Tan Jinghe rushing forward and throwing a punch at the young man surnamed Li, only to be blocked by the folding fan, retreating several steps as he fell backwards, using his arm to support his entire body before jumping off like a spring, his agility surprising with his body size.
*Wham!*
He kicked the young man, causing the other party to lose balance for a moment, and seized the chance to swoop down, about to deliver another whirling kick.
*Clang!*
The sound of metal dragging suddenly reached his ears, and by the time he reacted, dozens of Second Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators had already bound Tan Jinghe's massive frame into the chains.
Over a hundred First Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators alongside dozens of Second Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators gripping the chains from both sides, making it difficult even for a peak Third Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator to move in the slightest.
Even then, as Tan Jinghe used force, the expressions of these cultivators became increasingly unsightly.
What a monster!
Only this thought remained in their minds.
Tan Jinghe's eyes narrowed, and he took in a deep breath, his cultivation technique beginning to circulate within him.
From afar, Old Master Tan saw this scene and showed a faint smile.
Several other experienced powerhouse watching were also stunned
"Breaking through using the pressure of a real battle? Interesting."
Ji Tianyu raised his eyebrow slightly.