Chapter 2329

Upon hearing this, the Nascent Soul cultivators were first stunned, then quickly became overwhelmed with a mix of surprise and delight. In previous years, the grand competition's top prize was, at most, a set of spirit treasures. This time, however, a heaven-reaching spirit treasure was being offered, which was completely unexpected.

While the Xuan Yang Realm boasts abundant cultivation resources, not all Divine Transformation cultivators wield heaven-reaching spirit treasures. Many rogue cultivators and members of smaller families still rely on spirit treasures, often toiling for years just to acquire a single heaven-reaching one. With a major beast tide fast approaching, Wang Qingcheng hoped the family could gain one or two new Divine Transformation cultivators before its arrival. To motivate his clansmen to cultivate diligently, he decided to offer a heaven-reaching spirit treasure as the first-place prize.

The Wang family has been established in the Xuan Yang Realm for over a thousand years and has held numerous grand competitions. This was the first time a heaven-reaching spirit treasure was offered as the top prize. This move served dual purposes: to further motivate clansmen in their cultivation and to showcase the Wang family's formidable strength. Large families and major sects typically hold minor competitions every century and grand competitions every millennium. With their vast numbers of cultivators and immense financial resources, they consistently offer heaven-reaching spirit treasures as grand competition prizes. In contrast, the Wang family, having developed for a shorter period and possessing fewer masters, could only manage minor competitions every decade and grand competitions every century.

As the number of cultivators within the clan grew, so did the calls from clansmen for a heaven-reaching spirit treasure as a grand competition prize. Taking into account the family's overall development, Wang Qingcheng finally decided to offer it as a reward. The Liu family, for instance, holds minor competitions every century and grand competitions every millennium, with the top prize for their grand competition also being a heaven-reaching spirit treasure. Wang Qingcheng planned to revise the rules: in the future, minor competitions would be held every century, and grand competitions every millennium, with the first-place prize for grand competitions being a heaven-reaching spirit treasure. With tens of thousands of cultivators now in the clan, the old rules were simply no longer suitable. Beyond the clan competitions, many other regulations were also outdated and needed to be updated to keep pace with the times. Clansmen's welfare and benefits also required revision, which was undoubtedly a positive development.

"Yes, Ancestor," Wang Liangyan and the others replied in unison, their faces alight with excitement.

They lined up and entered the Li Fire Demon Refining Pagoda one after another to undertake the challenges. Soon, the first level of the Li Fire Demon Refining Pagoda lit up, and the clansmen began their challenges.

Inside a spacious, brightly lit red hall, Wang Liangyan found herself surrounded by a massive silver tiger and a colossal blue eagle. Both were illusory fourth-tier demonic beasts, and she had to clear the challenge as quickly as possible. Rankings were determined by the number of levels cleared and the time taken. The higher the level achieved and the shorter the time spent, the higher the ranking, and vice-versa.

Wang Liangyan flicked her sleeve, and two metallic orbs, one red and one gold, flew out. Chanting an incantation, the orbs instantly shone with dazzling spiritual light. After a momentary blur, they transformed into a yellow giant ape over thirty feet tall and a red giant eagle over three hundred feet wide. Their eyes were dull, and their bodies gleamed with a metallic luster, clearly indicating they were puppet beasts. With a further incantation, Wang Liangyan urged the yellow giant ape to charge towards the silver giant tiger, while the red giant eagle moved to intercept the blue giant eagle.

The yellow giant ape opened its mouth and unleashed waves of yellow sonic attacks. The silver giant tiger, completely unfazed, manifested countless silver electric arcs on its body, from which thick bolts of silver lightning shot forth. The red giant eagle flapped its wings, unleashing crimson fireballs. In response, the blue giant eagle flapped its own wings, sending countless blue wind blades hurtling forth. These blades shattered the incoming fireballs and then struck the red giant eagle's body, producing muffled 'clang' sounds and scattering sparks.

At the top of the Li Fire Demon Refining Pagoda, a handsome, tall, and slender young man in blue robes was conversing with a graceful young woman in a blue dress. The blue-robed young man was Wang Yanhong, a descendant of Wang Qingfeng, currently at the mid Divine Transformation stage and a fifth-tier formation master. The young woman in the blue dress was his Dao companion, Song Ziyao. Hailing from a cultivation family, Song Ziyao met Wang Yanhong by chance. Both shared a keen interest in formations, and over time, their shared passion blossomed into affection, leading them to become dual cultivation partners. Both were formation masters, with Song Ziyao currently at the early Divine Transformation stage. On the stone wall, an image of Wang Liangyan's challenge was displayed. If she encountered any danger, he could intervene at any moment.

"'When we last met, Liangyan was merely at the mid Nascent Soul stage,' Wang Yanhong said with a smile, his face full of admiration. 'After hundreds of years, she's actually reached Nascent Soul Great Perfection. Observing her increasingly skilled control of puppet beasts in combat, she would undoubtedly become a significant combat force for the family if she were to advance to the Divine Transformation stage.'"

Song Ziyao nodded, smiling as she added, "Qinglei is also quite good. I hope he can achieve a respectable ranking." As Wang Qinglei was their descendant, they naturally hoped for their juniors to excel.

Outside the Li Fire Demon Refining Pagoda, numerous clansmen watched intently, discussing animatedly, with some even placing bets on the rankings.

"'If you ask me, Ancestor Liangyan will definitely take first place in this grand competition,' one commented. 'She's master of puppet techniques, and it's said she can control five fourth-tier puppet beasts simultaneously.' Another countered, 'I'm more optimistic about Ancestor Qinglong. He practices both magic and body cultivation; even a fourth-tier Iron-backed Ape is no match for him.' A third chimed in, 'I believe first place should go to Qinglei. His natal magic treasure is a high-grade spirit treasure.' The clansmen chattered away, each with their own favored candidate."

On the observation platform, Wang Qingcheng sat in the main seat, a wide smile on his face, accompanied by more than ten guests. Though not numerous, Divine Transformation cultivators had begun to emerge in the Wang family's affiliated forces. This grand competition was an opportunity to showcase the Wang family's younger generation, so Wang Qingcheng had specifically invited Divine Transformation cultivators from these affiliated powers to observe the event. While these Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't discern much specific detail, they still offered polite words of praise.

"'Fellow Daoist Wang, the major beast tide isn't far off,' a plump young woman in a gold dress asked politely, her face full of anticipation. 'Could you perhaps sell us one or two fifth-tier puppet beasts? They would greatly enhance our strength and help us better resist the demonic beasts.'"

With the major beast tide's outbreak drawing ever closer, all major forces were scrambling to bolster their strength and fortify their defenses. The Wang family's puppet beasts, especially their fifth-tier ones, had performed exceptionally well in the last major beast tide. However, the Wang family rarely sold fifth-tier puppet beasts to outsiders.

"'Fifth-tier puppet beasts?' Wang Qingcheng responded, a troubled expression on his face. 'Our family doesn't have many either, and they are incredibly difficult to refine!' Due to their rarity and the complexity of their creation, the Wang family barely had enough for their own use and rarely sold them externally. Typically, they would offer one or two fifth-tier puppet beasts as highlight items during major auctions.

He seemed to sense something, for he pulled out a shimmering green magic plate from his robe. Runes flickered across its surface, radiating a soft spiritual light. He cast an incantation into it, and a line of small characters appeared on its surface. Wang Qingcheng's expression shifted, a mix of surprise and delight washing over his face.

"'Madam Lin, I have an urgent matter to attend to,' Wang Qingcheng announced. Giving a quick nod, he swiftly departed."

The guests exchanged confused glances, completely baffled as to what urgent matter had arisen.

Outside Qinglian Island, Wang Zonglang stood high in the sky, an anxious expression on his face. After leaving Xuanguang Island, he had headed straight for Qinglian Island. However, without an identity token, he was naturally unable to enter.