Chapter 323: The Dagger Revealed

“Since their creation, the nine Disintegration Discs have been kept sealed, except for one that was taken out for research into its properties.”

“Their power was in absolute balance, so the brothers always lived in peace.”

“However, not long ago, I thought that these treasures would eventually be given to you juniors, and I would no longer be able to explore them myself.”

“Overcome by a sudden itch, I applied to take them out and play with them for a bit.”

“Unexpectedly, this mistake led to a fortunate discovery, revealing their true mystery ahead of time.”

Ji Hongdao said with some emotion.

As Ji Hongdao slowly recounted the full story, most of the Cultivators present showed no particular reaction.

At most, they, like Li Fan, simply marveled at the wonders of creation in this world, where even Magic Treasures needed to raise Gu.

Because these Disintegration Discs were originally rewards for top performers, they were not meant for them.

However, the Cultivators whose names shone brightly among the top nine on the Golden Ranking were not looking so good.

Anyone who had a treasure already in hand, only for it to potentially disappear at any moment, would certainly feel terrible.

Having grown accustomed to and marveled at the wonders of the Disintegration Disc, only to ultimately watch it helplessly fail in competition and gradually vanish from their grasp.

Just thinking about it felt utterly miserable.

If it really came to such an end, it would be better never to have possessed it in the first place.

Otherwise, it would surely become a mental demon, accompanying them for the rest of their lives, extremely difficult to dispel.

But from another perspective, the top nine on the list were all favored by heaven.

They all had their own pride, and asking them to admit defeat without a fight, to give up directly, was an impossible task.

“No wonder Ji Hongdao showed that expression. The accidental deaths of Tantai Tao and a dozen others before were already a painful loss for Ce Zhen Hall.”

“And these top nine Cultivators are all outstanding, all promising talents. Losing any more of them would be unacceptable.”

“Nine Discs vie for supremacy, winner takes all. The other eight losers will naturally be affected, and it’s highly possible they’ll never recover from this setback.”

“For the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, the greatest use for us students is to universally establish the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array.”

“Even if that winner might become a true grandmaster of the Formation Dao. But from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s perspective, it would be an immediate loss of eight high-end laborers.”

“The resolve to build the Tianxuan Locking Spirit Formation in this world is so strong, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance naturally won’t allow such a thing to happen.”

Li Fan’s thoughts raced, and in an instant, he had understood the whole story.

Sure enough, Ji Hongdao continued at this point: “All of you are indispensable talents to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Each one lost is an unbearable huge loss. We certainly will not allow such internal strife to occur.”

“Therefore, after careful discussion, we have decided to change the prize for this assessment.”

“From the Disintegration Disc, it will become the Array Breaker Jade Disk, specially crafted by Ce Zhen Hall and previously only provided to Formation Masters above the Soul Transformation stage.”

Ji Hongdao’s words, however, failed to cause much of a stir.

After all, the Disintegration Disc had set a high bar; even if it was a Formation Magic Treasure specifically for Soul Transformation Formation Masters, how could it compare to the secondary body of the tianxuan mirror?

Ji Hongdao then added: “The decision on this prize was a mistake in our work. To compensate, we have also decided to increase the number of Array Breaker Jade Disk awards from the top nine to the top one hundred.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd finally began to stir.

After all, they had nothing to do with it before, and now a prize had fallen from the sky for no reason, so of course, there would be some excitement.

Li Fan immediately scanned the Golden Ranking in the sky.

Exactly the one hundredth place.

His results were somewhat beyond his expectations, even better than he had anticipated.

“It seems that the slight shift of that Array Pivot had the effect of turning decay into wonder,” Li Fan thought to himself.

However, Li Fan was only slightly surprised and quickly calmed his emotions, staring at Ji Hongdao in the sky.

He must have more important things to announce.

And that, was the true main topic of today.

Otherwise, no one had known that the true prize was the Disintegration Disc beforehand.

Upon discovering an issue with the prize, they could have simply announced a substitute.

Why go through such twists and turns today, constantly manipulating everyone’s emotions?

Li Fan viewed the Disintegration Disc with an ordinary mindset, which allowed him to calmly analyze Ji Hongdao’s intentions, like an outsider.

Indeed, just as Li Fan expected.

After the crowd gradually quieted down, he finally announced again: “As for those nine Disintegration Discs…”

He paused slightly, drawing all the students’ attention, before Ji Hongdao slowly continued: “We have decided to use special means to directly accelerate their competitive devouring process.”

“Within ten years, the final and only Disintegration Disc will be cultivated.”

“And this true Disintegration Disc will not be taken back.”

“Its ownership still belongs to you.”

His voice was like thunder, startling Qi Chengcheng and others, who had been somewhat dejected, their eyes once again flashing with greedy light.

“I believe everyone understands that the reason this ordinary assessment could offer a treasure like the Disintegration Disc as a reward is because the Alliance places extreme importance on the construction of the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array.”

“Although there were some minor errors in the process, however!”

“Our original intention has not changed!”

Ji Hongdao’s tone deepened, and he said with a serious expression: “To reiterate the Alliance’s determination.”

“To encourage everyone to strive for excellence.”

“After our application, approved by headquarters. The ultimate winner of the Nine Discs Hegemony will be awarded as a prize to the Formation Master who contributes the most to the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Locking Array popularization plan!”

Li Fan narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

He took a sharp intake of breath, exclaiming in his heart, “What a tactic!”

“All these twists and turns today, all these reversals, were for this one outcome, weren’t they?”

“After several emotional rollercoasters, the allure is far greater than simply announcing the result directly.”

“Are they not afraid these students won’t fight for it with their lives?”

Li Fan could almost foresee the terrifying extent to which these Formation Masters would “inner roll” themselves in the upcoming construction boom, all for this Disintegration Disc, which “had the potential to grow into the next tianxuan mirror.”

It was likely that each of them would become more like oxen and horses than actual oxen and horses.

“It seems that in this world, the full popularization of Tianxuan Locking Spirit will definitely be much faster than I imagined.”

“Time is running out for me…”

“However, why do I always have a faint feeling. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance seems very anxious about this matter?”

“The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has been established for thousands of years, and its rule can be said to be as solid as a rock.”

“The Tianxuan Locking Spirit Formation is merely a step further. They could proceed slowly, there’s no need for so many extra measures.”

“What exactly are they anxious about?”

Li Fan fell into contemplation for a moment.