The Heavenly Selection ceremony was the most important event of the Demi-human race, but the related sacrificial ceremony was extremely simple, very much in line with the demi-human race's usual temperament. The morning light had just driven away some of the fog when the sacrificial ceremony came to an end, and the truly important and attention-grabbing formal process began. The formal process was similarly simple, divided into three stages. The first was the selection of nine people with the right to enter the Celestial Tree through the fighting arena. After that, the nine candidates would enter the ground through the trunk of the Celestial Tree. They would be bathed in Wildfire and undergo the ancestral spirit's test. If more than one candidate passed this test, then they would have to fight again until the final victor was chosen. This would be the so-called Heaven's Chosen One.
If one carefully analyzed the entire process, one could see the painstaking efforts of the ancestors of the Demi-human race from countless years ago. If it was just to simplify matters, when the rules of the Heavenly Selection were established, the second stage, the trial of the ancestral spirits, could have been placed at the last stage. The current sequence showed that the Heavenly Selection ultimately depended on one's own strength. For the Demi-human race to survive in such a savage and dangerous environment and gradually grow stronger, they had never relied on the protection of their ancestors or the mercy of the heavens, but on their will to overcome the heavens.
Based on these ideals, even though they knew that they had no chance of becoming the final victor, many young tribal experts had still participated in today's Heavenly Selection ceremony.
Several dozen fighting platforms were scattered across the different districts and tribal settlements of White Emperor City, awaiting the arrival of these warriors.
The Carp Tribe, which was the best at counting and the most impartial among the demi-humans, sent many experienced and prudent members to judge the outcome. The imperial court of the demi-humans and the Council of Elders sent supervising officials to record the entire process of what happened in each arena and could raise questions at any time.
All the demi-human commoners of White Emperor City had already left their houses and were making their way to the fighting platforms, preparing to witness this once-in-a-century spectacle.
The fighting platforms that received the most attention were near the Imperial Palace and Heavensguard Pavilion. They were so packed that not even a drop of water could trickle through.
These fighting platforms received the most attention because they were closest to the Imperial Palace's observation platform, so they were most easily noticed by the Empress and the important figures of the Council of Elders. Those who dared to ascend these platforms were naturally not mediocre people. They were assuredly able to see many famous figures, like Xiaode.
The crowd parted like the tide. Escorted by the tribal elders and experts, Xiao De made his way to the fighting platform. Along the way, many people loudly cheered for him.
The Demi-human race worshipped the strong. As the publicly acknowledged supreme expert of the middle generation, Xiaode enjoyed great prestige on the two shores of the Red River, and his tribe was also extremely powerful. He had many supporters in the Demi-human Court and the Council of Elders. In the view of many demi-human commoners, even if the Empress selfishly favored her nephew, the ultimate victor of this Heavenly Selection ceremony would still be him. Only a person like him had the right to marry Princess Luoluo, had the right to become the next sovereign of the Demi-human race.
Xiao De walked onto the platform, glanced at his opponent, and expressionlessly said, "You're not my match."
His temperament had always been cold and arrogant. Moreover, he was somewhat cruel and ruthless. Naturally, he would not be polite with his words.
And this was because his temperament had changed a lot. Otherwise, he wouldn't even bother to talk to him.
His opponent was a middle-aged expert of the Meng tribe. In any other fighting platform, he might have been able to go very far, but this middle-aged Meng tribe expert's luck was truly terrible. In his first match, he had actually encountered the legendary Xiao De. It was hard to avoid some regret and unwillingness in the depths of his solemn eyes.
Logically speaking, he should have conceded and retreated when he knew he was no match, but this middle-aged Meng tribe expert did not do this. This was because the Demi-human race possessed an extremely valiant will to fight and valued their reputation above all else, even more than their lives. He said to Xiao De, "If you retreat because you are not my match, then Sir will regret that you will not encounter any more challenges today."
The Meng tribe expert's words expressed his respect for Xiao De, as well as his attitude.
The apathetic yellow luster in Xiao De's eyes faded and a satisfied expression appeared on his face. "You're not bad. I will use my full strength."
The Meng tribe expert was not alarmed by these words. On the contrary, he felt honored and said, "Thank you."
Xiao De took off his cloak and threw it outside the fighting platform. Looking at the Meng tribe expert, he said, "You first."
Thus, the first match of the Heavenly Selection ceremony began without any novelty.
The Demi-human race did everything very directly, very simply, and also very violently, whether it was eating, doing business, engaging in political struggles, or truly fighting.
Just like the countless battles that took place on the two shores of the Red River every day, today's match was also completely without novelty.
Deafening collisions rang out incessantly, dust flew, the earth quaked, and the winds howled.
The result of this match was also completely without novelty. Xiao De naturally obtained victory, and he fulfilled the promise he had made before the match. His fists and legs did not hold back at all, his style berserk to the extreme. He only used three moves to heavily injure the Meng tribe expert.
The blood on the sand-covered fighting platform was a ghastly sight. Many of the Meng tribe expert's bones had been broken. His eyes were closed, and he seemed like he could die at any moment.
A Demi-human Court medical official hurried to the platform with several military doctors and medicine chests, but the Meng tribe expert's injuries were so severe that he could not stop the bleeding even after a long while.
If this were any other sacrificial ceremony or match, the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes would naturally send priests. The Sacred Light technique had a miraculous effect in treating injuries like this and could presumably save the Meng tribe expert's life. However, today was the Heavenly Selection ceremony. The Orthodoxy was already considering the greater picture by not making trouble, so how could they send priests to help?
Seeing that the Meng tribe expert was on the verge of death, the cheers around the fighting platform gradually died down and became rather quiet. The Demi-human race respected experts the most and loved fighting the most, so they had seen this sort of scene many times. But when they thought about how this Meng tribe expert of clearly extraordinary strength was about to die, the crowd couldn't help but feel rather strange.
"After you cure him, remember to tell him that he still has to pay for his medicine."
Xiao De suddenly threw an earthen-yellow pill into the hands of the Demi-human Court medical official and expressionlessly said, then walked off the fighting platform.
The Demi-human Court medical official froze at the sight of the earthen-yellow pill, and then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
The crowd around the fighting platform began to whisper to each other, and then to shout in shock.
"Could that be a Yellow Tree Thorn?"
"It can't be, right?"
The Yellow Tree Thorn was a pill brewed from the sap of a rare plant in the south of the Demi-human domain. It had the miraculous effect of staunching blood and reviving the soul. It was produced in very small quantities and was extremely precious.
Other than the few pills sent to the Imperial Palace and the Council of Elders every year, the vast majority of the world's Yellow Tree Thorns were under the control of the landowning households.
As an expert that had been raised and supported by the entire Shi clan, Xiaode naturally carried Yellow Tree Thorns on him. However, no one could have imagined that after heavily injuring the Meng clan expert, he would so generously use such a precious pill to save his life.
The crowd was stunned to the extreme as Xiao De walked out of the fighting platform. They felt that his figure was even larger than the rumors made it out to be.
No matter how scorching the gazes from the crowd were, no matter how much reverence there was in the discussions, Xiao De's expression did not change. It was still indifferent.
The fighting platform continued. There was still some time before his next match. He passed through the crowd and returned to his carriage, escorted by the experts of his tribe.
The clan leader had been sitting in the carriage the entire time.
As he gazed at Xiao De, the expression on the clan leader's face was rather strange, gratified and indifferent, but also somewhat confused. "You've changed a lot in these last few years."
Xiao De fell quiet for a while, then replied, "Change is because there is a reason for change."
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