When Li Luo reached the snowy mountains, his vigorous resonant power undulations were noticed by the crowd and chatter ensued.

"Li Luo was able to reach the upper second-grade?"

"It seems like this was his plan during those ten days of seclusion. However, didn't he already hand over all his Celestial Mirror Sand as part of the wager? Could it be that he achieved it by relying upon himself?”

"Hehe, this Li Luo kid is impressive. Improving a Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried is much harder than ordinary Duke Bergfrieds."

"It looks like there's a new variable in this Sand Seizing Battle!"

"I'm not sure if this is enough to change the situation. Li Luo's breakthrough just means that he's at the same point where he was previously with the help of his squadmate's bolstering buffs."

"Chi Li is not like Fang Xingyun, an outer divine continent vice principal. He has a lower ninth-grade Astral Tiger resonance and a quasi ninth-grade Poisonous Smog resonance. He also has seven Duke Bergfrieds, three of which are nine-pillars while the rest are all eight-pillars. His foundation and potential has led to the Chi family having high hopes in him. There is the possibility he will become the next family head."

"Indeed. Although Fang Xingyun does have three nine-pillar Duke Bergfrieds, the other four are of a lower grade and it seems that his potential has already been exhausted."

As the crowd gossipped amongst themselves, Chi Li and Lu Ruyan were standing together atop a separate mountain, looking at Li Luo with slight surprise.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"This brat is truly out to torment us," Lu Ruyan said with a raised eyebrow.

"It might be a little more troublesome now that he's an upper second-grade, but I still have confidence I'll beat him," Chi Li said. He had made a lot of preparations for this fight. So long as he could take precautions against Li Luo's curse art, he would be able to obtain the upper hand.

"You have to be careful not to suffer a defeat. We've invested so much Celestial Mirror Sand that if we were to lose, we won't be able to explain ourselves." Lu Ruyan was smiling, but her words carried a heavy warning.

Chi Li nodded. He didn't mind her words as she had Golden Dragon Mountain backing her and he still wished to forge a closer relationship.

Furthermore, even though she was a sixth-grade Duke, Chi Li knew he wasn't her opponent. There was not much choice in this matter. Lu Ruyan had a terrifying Duke Bergfried configuration—one Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried and five nine-pillars. With such a luxurious configuration, she was probably second only to Jiang Qing'e and Diwu Mingxuan in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. While Fang Xingyun was well aware of the gap between him and Chi Li, the latter was similarly cognizant of the gap between him and Lu Ruyan. Thus, in Chi Li's eyes, Lu Ruyan was truly deserving of her proud personality.

"This terrain benefits me. If we drag things out, I'll have a way to deal with Jiang Qing'e. At that point in time, I hope our little third-grade Transcendent won't lose terribly before everyone." Lu Ruyan looked at Jiang Qing'e with her peach blossom-like eyes, which were filled with an eagerness to challenge a legendary opponent.

"Everyone will see with their very eyes the glorious sight of Mentor Ruyan overcoming Jiang Qing'e." Chi Li smiled supportively.

Dong!

When they finished speaking, a loud and melodious sound rang from within the depths of the icy mountains. Three figures appeared high in the sky—Wang Xuanjin, Elder Bai Yu, and Elder Jin Xi. As they floated in the air, worldly natural energy condensed around them, forming lotus thrones.

The worldly natural energy around them seemed to have been infused with their will. If they allowed it to spread out, no Duke would be able to manifest their Duke Bergfrieds. The terrifying pressure emanating from a King radiated out intermittently, causing the heavens and the earth to roar whilst the mountains shuddered in their presence.

"Since everyone is here, we can begin."

Wang Xuanjin's deep gaze swept across the area before momentarily landing on Li Luo. Then his grand voice echoed throughout the world.

"The first round of the Sand Seizing Battles. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e. Lu Ruyan and Chi Li. Both sides can now enter the field."

As his loud proclamation reverberated throughout the area, vast amounts of energy descended, forming a barrier that enveloped the entirety of the mountain range. It stretched for tens of thousands of miles.

Without hesitation, Lu Ruyan and Chi Li flashed forward, piercing through the skies and landing amidst the mountains where snow storms raged.

Meanwhile, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e made their way in as well, both of them choosing to land atop the peak of a snow-capped mountain.

Deafening cheers erupted one after another and countless gazes filled with anticipation watched on closely. They all understood that this battle would be a true demonstration of the power of the elites who had entered the Celestial Mirror Pagoda.

The Domain Traversal Battles were just an appetizer compared to this.

Sheng Qiao'er, Zhou Jun, Little Jiang'e, Song Jing—all four eighth-grade Dukes—were looking on attentively. They were of a slightly higher grade, but if they were to compare their foundation and configuration of Duke Bergfrieds with the ones fighting now, they weren’t comparable to Jiang Qing'e nor Lu Ruyan. Thus, in their eyes, these two ladies posed quite a threat to them and they had to pay attention to their battle. Even the impressive-looking Diwu Mingxuan was no exception. His eyes were glued onto Jiang Qing'e with a look of appreciation. "Jiang Qing'e, let me see just what sort of skills you have!" ṘΆＮỌβĚș

Bang!

White snow danced amidst the battleground as four majestic energies rushed into the air, scattering the snowflakes.

The four who had entered the scene immediately summoned all of their Duke Bergfrieds and went all-out from the get-go! This sight caused numerous shocked gasps as this was the first time many had seen six Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfrieds in the same spot! Jiang Qing'e had three, Li Luo had two, and Lu Ruyan had one! The usually rare Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried seemed to be almost common here. An energy tempest raged through the mountains as Lu Ruyan smiled, her arrogant voice sounding out. "Jiang Qing'e, it's said that you have unparalleled talent. Today we will compete and see who is stronger!"

She then opened her mouth and spat out a white mote of light that quickly expanded, transforming into a snow-white spirit pearl the size of her fist. When the spirit pearl appeared, the temperature around them drastically fell and a bleak frost wave spread with the spirit pearl as the source.

The pearl immediately caused all of the mountains to show signs of freezing into gigantic blocks of ice!

Its sheer power meant that it was likely an upper Mythic Armament! As expected of a noble daughter of Golden Dragon Mountain. Lu Ruyan's trump cards were not inferior to Li Luo's in any way.

The snow pearl left behind a beam of light in its wake as it shot forward, inlaying itself atop Lu Ruyan's Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried, which looked as though it had been carved from ice and snow.

This immediately caused a cold current of air to descend, so cold that even worldly natural energy started to show signs of freezing.

Suddenly, light bloomed and a gigantic glazed sword hacked downwards, striking towards Lu Ruyan's head. The Blizzard Pearl atop the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried immediately caused frighteningly cold air to gush out, actually managing to freeze the entire glazed sword and shattering it, reducing it to a hail of icy fragments that rained down upon the battlefield.

Lu Ruyan's expression was cold as her fair hands quickly formed a series of seals, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

"Jiang Qing'e, don't think that I'm invincible. It’s just that being on advantageous terrain and being able to benefit from it is also a form of strength." Lu Ruyan's icy voice echoed throughout the snowy winds. When she finished forming seals, the howling wind suddenly paused, creating a strange stagnant zone.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's expressions turned solemn. They could sense a terrifying chill creeping up at this point in time.

The source was none other than that Blizzard Pearl that was embedded on the top of the Ten-Pillar Golden Duke Bergfried.

Icy blue frost spewed out from Lu Ruyan's lips like a torrent, and at the next moment, a voice that was so cold it was capable of chilling one's heart sounded out.

"Destiny-grade Duke Art: Primordial Frost Realm."