Amidst songs and dances celebrating peaceful years, there are always youths pressing forward with all their might. Great hopes are pinned on talented juniors, and marvelous Daoist techniques astound everyone.
New Year in Chen Kingdom was decked with lanterns and colorful banners everywhere, brimming with a rich, festive atmosphere. Inside the imperial palace, resplendent in gold and jade, ministers dressed in formal attire entered to pay their New Year respects to the Emperor. Following proper protocol, the scene was both solemn and bustling with lively energy. The imperial banquet was unimaginably luxurious, with tables laden with delicacies. Amidst song and dance, it fully displayed the grandeur of the royal family. Over the past year, the impressive performance of the imperial princes had won great prestige for the royal family, leading ministers to actively curry favor with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.
The various aristocratic families were not to be outdone, holding martial arts tournaments and other events to celebrate the New Year. Family disciples displayed their skills to the fullest in the arenas, drawing wave after wave of cheers from their kin and infusing the New Year with vitality and passion.
At the Royal Academy, although there was not the luxurious display of the palace and the great families, it was nonetheless filled with holiday cheer. Li Xiangdong did not return home, choosing instead to spend the New Year at the Academy. He gathered with a few like-minded senior brothers and senior sisters to share a simple New Year's Eve dinner.
At the dining table, laughter filled the air as everyone exchanged insights on cultivation and amusing anecdotes from the past year. But time spent together is always brief, and soon the senior brothers and senior sisters dispersed.
Unlike the others who immersed themselves in the joy of the New Year to relax, Li Xiangdong knew well that the immortal cultivation exchange tournament was approaching. Time was tight, and he could not afford the slightest slack. While others were still enjoying their holiday leisure, he turned right around and plunged back into intense cultivation.
In the Academy's cultivation room, Li Xiangdong sat cross-legged alone, the surrounding spiritual qi rushing into his body like a whirlpool. With single-minded devotion, he charged full force at the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Sweat soaked his clothes, but his gaze remained resolute.
New Year firecrackers popped continuously outside the window, and lively noises drifted in from time to time, but Li Xiangdong seemed to exist in another world. Only the conviction of cultivation burned in his heart.
In this festive New Year, Li Xiangdong took cultivation as his companion, writing his path of immortal cultivation with sweat and effort as he made his final sprint toward the upcoming tournament.
The festive clamor of the New Year had not yet fully dissipated when an announcement issued by the imperial palace struck like a thunderclap in the hearts of Chen Kingdom's immortal cultivators. January 16th was deeply etched into the minds of everyone yearning to participate in the immortal cultivation exchange tournament.
Only the top 150 participants from the pre-New Year ranking tournament were eligible to take part in the selection, a rule that left many feeling anxious. Those cultivators who fell just outside the top 150 were filled with regret, while those on the list did not dare relax in the slightest, knowing full well that the upcoming selection process would have an extremely high elimination rate.
When Li Xiangdong received the news, he was in the cultivation room adjusting his breathing. He narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly weighing his strengths and weaknesses. Although he had already achieved success in fist and sword techniques, he understood that he had to leave no room for error when facing such fierce competition.
As the days drew closer, a tense atmosphere permeated the entire Chen Kingdom. The top 150 cultivators entered seclusion or searched everywhere for precious magical treasures and pills to increase their chances of winning the selection.
At the Royal Academy, Li Xiangdong and the other qualified disciples exchanged insights while secretly competing against one another. Everyone knew that these 15 spots were the key to higher honors and resources, and no one wanted to miss out.
In the streets and alleys of the capital, people could not stop talking about the upcoming selection tournament. In the teahouses, people guessed who would ultimately be selected; in the martial arts halls, masters used the event to inspire their disciples to train even harder.
January 16th finally arrived, and the plaza before the imperial palace gathered a multitude of immortal cultivators. Sunlight spilled over their expectant and nervous faces, the heavy atmosphere thick enough to condense into water. The officials in charge of the selection wore stern expressions as their gazes swept over the assembled participants.
Li Xiangdong took a deep breath and stepped into the plaza. He knew the true test had begun—a brutal competition where only the strongest could stand out.