"Your Majesty should be aware of the reason for this bet duel with the younger generation of the human race; it’s what we fought for!" Feng Yue Demon Emperor glanced at him mockingly, "Fought for a fair competition opportunity? Ancestor, your words truly open my eyes." Before Emperor Tian could speak, Feng Yue Demon Emperor interrupted him with her alabaster hand. Even sitting on the throne, her dress fluttered despite no wind, surrounded by an aura that made other Great Demon Kings shudder. "In my eyes, if that secret realm is so significant to the Demon Court, it should be fought for at all costs, rather than establishing some bet." "Have you considered, what if you lose the bet duel later? Are you going to hand it over to the human race willingly?" Emperor Tian Ancestor focused intently on the demon energy surrounding her and said, grinning: "If Your Majesty handles it this way, it’s not impossible, but who will be responsible for such a massive loss?" Feng Yue Demon Emperor sneered, "I will take responsibility!" Emperor Tian Ancestor cursed internally, surprised that after all the precautions, he still fell into Feng Yue Demon Emperor’s trap. At this time, the Snake Tribe Great Demon King who spoke earlier asked, "Then here on the Tianyuan Continent, what does Your Majesty plan to do?" Feng Yue Demon Emperor glanced at him, saying, "With your cultivation and prestige, you should be able to secure the Ten Thousand Mountains. Of course, if due to your incompetence, the demon clans suffer great losses... hehe." The Snake Tribe Great Demon King flicked his tongue, looking extremely displeased, "Your Majesty, are you serious?" "In my words, they are not idle chatter," Feng Yue Demon Emperor glanced at the others, snorted: "From the time I ascended to the position of Demon Emperor, it’s been forty years now. I never planned to head to Taizhou Mountain so early, but I’ve discovered that given another hundred years, my Demon Court will likely become an appendage of the human race." The Great Demon Kings exchanged looks, unsure of how to persuade. "As for the ’Little Sword Immortal’ Chen Yi you mentioned earlier... as far as I know, he’s more eager to go to Taizhou Mountain than I am. Don’t forget, the Buddhist Great Power threatened him before." "Such a threat, to a human with his talent, is far more significant than a threat from my Demon Court." Feng Yue Demon Emperor’s expression softened slightly, and her aura receded as she continued: "Therefore, I will not depart immediately but will wait for confirmation that Chen Yi has left before heading to Taizhou Mountain." Without the need for the Great Demon Kings to speak, she too worried Chen Yi would head north again. If at that time the Demon Court doesn’t have someone capable of threatening Chen Yi, various demon clans might indeed be exterminated by him one by one. Upon hearing this, Emperor Tian Ancestor’s expression relaxed as he glanced at the other Great Demon Kings and nodded, saying: "Since Your Majesty has already decided, I will not persuade further. Soon, I will head to Taizhou Mountain ahead of time and inform the others to prepare for Your Majesty’s arrival." The Snake Demon nearly rolled his eyes, but seeing things come to this, could only agree: "I have no objections." Seeing them all agree, Feng Yue Demon Emperor rose, waving her sleeve, and said indifferently: "Let’s call it a day, if you have time, you may continue to watch the human race gathering, since most candidates for that duel are chosen from there." As Feng Yue Demon Emperor vanished from the grand hall, Emperor Tian Ancestor suppressed his anger and slammed the chair’s back next to him. The remaining Great Demon Kings sighed, leaning back in their chairs. "Her Majesty must have some deeper meaning behind this decision." "Perhaps it relates to the Buddhist Great Power from a few days ago; although he was atop Taizhou Mountain that day, his imposing presence cannot be denied, sparking Her Majesty’s desire to contest is understandable." Emperor Tian Ancestor cast them a glance, snorted coldly, and left. "You should consider how to safeguard the Ten Thousand Mountains!" After the Great Demon Kings left the Demon Imperial Palace, Feng Yue Demon Emperor emerged from a corner, coldly watching their departing figures. Despite her success in forcing these Great Demon Kings to bow, she knew all too well the stubborn nature of those elders on Taizhou Mountain. To completely control the Demon Court there, it would take some maneuvering. "Your Majesty, everything is ready." At that moment, a Shadow Guard appeared behind her, kneeling with one knee in salute. Feng Yue Demon Emperor turned to glance at her but didn’t follow immediately; instead, she asked: "Is Xiao Lan still in seclusion?" "Yes, Princess has been in seclusion ever since human Chen Yi escaped the Ten Thousand Mountains." Feng Yue Demon Emperor frowned slightly, her gaze directed towards the west side of the Demon Imperial Palace as if inspecting something. Feng Yue Demon Emperor waved her sleeve, heading straight east, "These days, you all keep an eye on the human gathering, and report the outcome to me as soon as I return." As expected by the Great Master, the first bout of the gathering lasted five full days before the talented young individuals eligible for the second round were selected. A total of 143 talented individuals passed, eliminating over eighty percent, with most failing at the second test of talent potential. After all, those who became standouts among their peers usually possessed a mindset far beyond their age group. Although they didn’t perform as well as Lin Xueru or Xie Dongan, passing the mindset test was not difficult. Only those pampered from a young age, whose cultivation was built on a foundation of elixirs and treasures, had poor mindsets and failed there. "Now you all know, don’t you? Heirs of prestigious families and sects have few weak spots; even if their cultivation varies, their mindset and talent far exceed ours." "Not mentioning Fairy Lin and Scholar Xie, even the Fifteenth Prince and Sword Saint’s disciple among those who passed performed admirably." "Only because of Lord Heroic Marquis in this generation that their performances were overshadowed, they seem a bit mundane." "Were Lord Heroic Marquis excluded, purely judging this gathering’s various talents’ performances, most are notable." "I wonder how they will perform in the next two rounds of assessments, I’m very much looking forward to it..." Over time, everyone’s excitement for the gathering didn’t diminish but grew more fervent. Many who heard about the performance of the three chief examiners on the first day set out for Kyoto Prefecture overnight, resulting in an overwhelming crowd that forced Emperor Wei and court ministers to temporarily set up accommodations outside the prefecture. Moreover, the location for the next two tests was moved from Dakong Temple to Qu Pond to allow more people to witness the gathering. "It’s such a pity I missed the first day of the gathering, I missed the blessings from Lord Heroic Marquis and the Great Master." "Haha... Mr. Liu, I told you to join us earlier, now you regret it?" "Speaking of regrets, yesterday, Brother Lin broke through in Vast Energy due to Saint’s Words from the Great Master and several saints; he’s now a fifth-grade scholar-level scholar." Many are beating their chests in regret, quickly expressing their hope for a repeat of the first-day blessing from the Great Master and Chen Yi. Chen Yi waved off Liu Gao like swatting a fly, saying, "Report to the Holy Emperor that my divine skill is too taxing on mental and cultivation power; it cannot be used frequently, let him... let those people put this idea to rest!" Liu Gao showed a bitter smile, "Marquis, you... you make it hard for me." Chen Yi was unmoved by persuasion, nor would he be bound by morality. Though deploying Divine Skills like Summoning Wind and Rain wasn’t difficult, he wouldn’t do it again simply because some missed out. What do they take him for, a blessing machine? "If it’s hard for you, shall I personally go to the Imperial City to discuss it with the Holy Emperor?" Liu Gao dared not trouble him, quickly begged for mercy and left. Lin Xueru seeing his manner, couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, "Brother Yi, you scared him." Chen Yi shook his head, "They can’t be pampered." After all, he was heading to Taizhou Mountain later; if he set a precedent now, there will only be more such demands in the future. "By the way, how is your preparation for the second test?"