Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"Ah." Chu Hao and the others exclaimed in surprise; these were unexpectedly seniors from the Lower World.

"Seniors, why do you have such names?" Fu Xue asked curiously.

"We all married into the Ling Family and took new names," Ling Qi said.

It's not necessary to change one's surname and name after marrying in, right? However, this is their private matter, and it's not appropriate to ask. Only Chu Hao knew that this was to completely sever their ties with the Lower World.

"Seniors, why don't you go back to the Lower World for a visit?" Le Deqing asked.

Ling Er and the other two looked at each other and shook their heads, saying: "We have married and had children here and don't want to go back. We just want to ask, how is our hometown doing?"

Hearing their words, Fu Xue and the others showed angry expressions.

What do you mean you don't want to go back?

Seeing the prosperity here, you want to abandon your origins? What kind of people are you? Right, right, they even abandoned their names, their character is evident.

With such a mindset, Fu Xue and the others naturally lost enthusiasm, and after some idle talk, Ling Er and the others wisely took their leave.

Chu Hao looked at their departing backs and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

They probably had no choice but to do this.

Who can calmly choose to die when faced with life and death?

If Chu Hao hadn't seen Lin Cheng's farewell letter, perhaps in less than five years, they would also have to face the same decision.

Tang Xin and the others were still criticizing Ling Er and the others for forgetting their roots, but Chu Hao's spirit seemed to have flown away, unable to hear anything, only feeling an indescribable oppression.

"Chu Hao." He didn't know how long it had been when he felt a heavy pat on his shoulder from Tang Xin, "What are you thinking about, lost in thought? Is it some beauty? Let me tell you, Madam Yun is mine, Senior Sister Shi and Senior Sister Xue are also mine."

Chu Hao smiled and said, "My taste isn't that low."

"Haha, Chu Hao, your words include Madam Yun, be careful or I'll tell on you." Fu Xue laughed.

"The celebration is about to start, let's find a place to sit." Le Deqing said to Chu Hao to extricate him.

The five of them found a corner to sit, and soon, the ancestor worship ceremony began.

It was very grand; all the notable figures of the Ling Family appeared, each one bowing and worshipping before the ancestral tablets with utmost sincerity.

This lasted for over two hours, making Chu Hao and the others yawn repeatedly.

An important part of the ancestor worship was martial competition, a tradition in martial families to display their strength before the ancestors, proving the family's prosperity.

This was the glory of the younger generation, the true big figures naturally wouldn't participate. The competition was divided into two sessions: one for Martial Disciples and another for martial masters.

The first to start was the Martial Disciple level competition, with substantial rewards for the top three: 300 jin of Star Stone for the first place, 200 jin for the second place, and 100 jin for the third place.

This competition wasn't limited to Ling Family's descendants; even the children of the family's guards could participate. Chu Hao and Fu Xue, being martial masters, could only participate in the second session starting later.

Tang Xin, Yu Wenjing, and Le Deqing enthusiastically registered, as even the third place reward of 100 jin of Star Stone was a fortune for a Martial Disciple.

After half an hour, the groups were determined by draw, and over 1000 people started the group battles, eliminating round by round until only 32 remained, all at least Sixth Tier Martial Disciples.

Le Deqing was the first to be eliminated, unlucky to encounter a Ninth Tier Martial Disciple, followed by Yu Wenjing being eliminated in the round of 16. Only Tang Xin advanced to the top eight.

He needed to win two more matches to secure a reward.

At this moment, the sound of tinkling ornaments and a wafting fragrance announced the approach of a beautiful woman walking with lotus steps.

Madam Yun.

Chu Hao and Fu Xue quickly stood up and cupped their fists: "Greetings, Madam Yun." Regardless of the attitude of other members of the Ling Family, they held deep respect for Madam Yun.

Le Deqing and Yu Wenjing, though not familiar with Madam Yun, also stood up.

"Sit," Madam Yun said with a smile. A year had passed, and she looked even more voluptuous and enchanting. Wonder if Tang Xin would get a nosebleed upon seeing her.

"Chu Hao and Fu Xue have both broken through to martial master, and Tang Xin, Le Deqing, and Yu Wenjing have reached Seventh Tier Martial Disciples. Very good, really very good." Madam Yun looked at the four one by one, with a satisfied smile on her face.

She certainly couldn't see everyone's specific cultivation level at a glance; she had been keeping an eye on them.

"Thank you for the praise, Madam." The four said in unison.

"Madam." Tang Xin ran over and, seeing the mature and peach-like Madam Yun, couldn't help but stammer.

"Made it to the top four?" Chu Hao asked.

"No." Tang Xin shook his head dejectedly.

"That's okay; considering you're only a Seventh Tier Martial Disciple, getting into the top eight is already impressive." Madam Yun comforted him.

Tang Xin immediately cheered up; nothing compared to praise from a beloved woman.

As for who would win the first, second, and third places, Chu Hao and the others didn't care. They chatted with Madam Yun about the past year's events but found that Madam Yun seemed perpetually melancholy, as if harboring some concern.

When they asked, Madam Yun always dismissed it, so they eventually stopped asking.

At this point, the first session had ended, and the second session's registration began.

"Chu Hao, let's go." Fu Xue, the battle fanatic, immediately called out to Chu Hao.

Chu Hao informed Madam Yun, then ran off with Fu Xue to register.

The rewards for the martial master level competition were much more substantial.

The first place received 3000 jin of Star Stone, the second 2000 jin, and the third 1000 jin, ten times the overall prize of the Martial Disciple level competition.

Though the first-place reward wasn't excessively astounding, considering it was decided in a day, it was quite significant. In other words, with enough strength, one could earn 3000 jin of Star Stone in a day, which was considerable.

Moreover, it was a matter of honor and recognition.

The Ling Family, along with its retinue, had a population around 13,000, with a significant number of young people aged 15 to 30 but only around 200 martial masters.

After all, only one in ten Martial Disciples could sense Star Force.

For forces like the Yunliu Sect, the probability of outer sect disciples entering the inner sect was 50% or even higher because those outer sect disciples were carefully selected and talented, increasing their chances of sensing Star Force.

This New Year Festival aimed to demonstrate the potential of the younger generation, so only those under 30 could participate in the competition.

Chu Hao and Fu Xue followed the crowd to draw lots, determining their groups, while people around them chatted away.

"This year's first place will surely be Clan Brother Tianhe."

"Of course, he was last year's first and the year before's fourth. I'd be satisfied with second or third."

"Peh, shameless. With your mid-Five Meridians strength, you think you can get second or third?"

"It's not certain, haven't you heard? Clan Brother Tianyun is back this year."

"Who's Clan Brother Tianyun?"

"He left seven years ago with the Old One-armed Blade Man for training. Now he's at Eight Meridians Peak and has killed many renowned Eight Meridians martial masters, surely a match for Clan Brother Tianhe."

"And Clan Sister Yueying."

"What, Clan Sister Yueying is back? The one who was taken to Upper Three Counties by her aunt to cultivate at Dharma Lotus Hall?"

"That's right."

"Clan Sister Yueying's talent is on par with Clan Brother Tianhe; otherwise, she wouldn't have been accepted by a Fourth Grade Sect."

"Damn, so many strong competitors this year, not even the third place can be won."

"We're just the green leaves to make the flowers stand out."

"But if we can make it to the top eight, or even just the top sixteen, the family will definitely value us more, providing more cultivation resources."

"So we must strive hard."

Chu Hao and Fu Xue listened, their competitive spirit ignited.

"Haha, I was worried one Ling Tianhe wasn't enough competition. With three strong opponents now, no fear of lacking worthy competition," Fu Xue said excitedly.

Chu Hao rolled his eyes; even as a Five Meridians Peak, he wasn't confident in defeating Ling Tianhe. Where did Fu Xue get her confidence? This Female Tyrannosaurus was born for battle, not knowing fear or retreat.

With so many participants, the initial rounds weren't held one-on-one but with six or seven individuals on the same stage, and the last one standing in each group would win.

There were 32 groups, facilitating the upcoming elimination matches.

Chu Hao and Fu Xue weren't in the same group. They high-fived each other before heading to their respective stages.

"No intentional injuries, stepping out of bounds or inability to fight means stop. Remember, you're all family." On stage, a middle-aged man in his forties said solemnly.

This was a Martial Sect.

Chu Hao glanced around. Their group had seven people, five men and two women, but it was impossible to tell their tier from appearance alone. Still, Chu Hao didn't mind; he was at the Five Meridians Peak and could easily defeat even a Seven Meridians Peak.

Only Ling Tianhe could be his true opponent. If Ling Tianyun and Ling Yueying were as formidable as people said, they would also be worthy adversaries.

Chu Hao never underestimated anyone but was confident in himself.

He cultivated an Earth Level Middle-Grade Technique, making his Star Force more potent than most martial artists in Tianhe County. The Sky Wind Eight Styles and Jade Wall Technique were both Earth Level Martial Techniques, and he possessed Gu Clan blood, allowing partial elemental transformation.

With these combined, he could definitely battle experts like Ling Tianhe.