The method of selecting the fifty spots was decided, and then, the ninety people on the giant lotus leaf began to vie for those fifty spots.
Soon, the first fifty were designated.
The three fifth-rank sects—Moon Concealing Sect, Flame Sect, and Cloud Sky Sect—as well as the Loose Cultivators, chose people from their own teams.
As for Ye Chen, apart from selecting Jiang Yao and Jin Lieyang, he also designated several individuals with strong auras from the sixth-rank sects as initial selections.
After the fifty were designated, those who hadn't been selected began to challenge them.
It didn't take long for challengers to make their moves, attacking those they believed they could defeat.
The huge lotus leaf, spanning thousands of feet in area, could accommodate many people fighting at once—soon, seven or eight battles unfolded.
The clashes between the strong were over in a blink of an eye.
As the battles concluded, the forty to be eliminated from the ninety participants started to emerge.
Many fights were between Rotating Pill Realm's Half-Steps or were late-stage Spirit Sea against late-stage Spirit Sea, their outcomes decided by the slimmest margins.
However, there were a few major battles that once again made many witness the hidden strengths of some formidable individuals.
Xue Yue, who hid within Cloud Soaring Sect and claimed to be a disciple of a demonic sect, burst forth in power, defeating a Half-Step Rotating Pill and stepping into the fifty spots. Later, he faced the challenges of two more Half-Step Rotating Pills and still beat them, cementing his spot among the fifty with his overwhelming strength, to the point where no one else dared to challenge him!
Then there was Yun Luo from Cloud Sky Sect, the sect's leading figure. Numerous Loose Cultivators at Half-Step Rotating Pill simply would not acknowledge his late-stage Spirit Sea level and challenged him. As expected, Yun Luo proved the worth of his position, effortlessly sweeping away several Half-Step Rotating Pills!
Another shocking figure in the field was Jiang Yao.
Because of Ye Chen, many were apprehensive about challenging Jiang Yao, but after several rounds of combat, finally, some challenged her for those fifty spots to search for treasures in the lake.
After all, this was the universally accepted selection rule; they challenged Jiang Yao not because of some past grudge like the earlier incident with those from Flame Sect, and it seemed Ye Chen wouldn't intervene.
Indeed, Ye Chen didn't intervene this time. With a fair one-on-one challenge, he believed that Jiang Yao could make it into the selection of fifty.
Ye Chen was aware of Jiang Yao's strength, but many thought she was easy to deal with. The actual results of the combat, however, surprised many once again.
At the early stage of the Spirit Sea level, the combat power Jiang Yao unleashed was by no means weaker than a Half-Step Rotating Pill, and even more so when she activated a mysterious technique. When an ice-blue spiritual pattern flashed at her forehead and her waist-length hair surged in power, Jiang Yao's overall strength soared to an unparalleled level.
Jiang Yao also emerged as a dark horse, directly defeating five Half-Step Rotating Pill challengers and firmly securing one of the fifty spots!
With the display of strength from individuals like Jiang Yao, Yun Luo, and Xue Yue, along with recognized powerhouses such as Ye Chen, Fairy Nishang, and Liu Yan, the fifty candidates to enter Azure Blue Lake gradually came into clearer view.
When more than half an hour had passed, no more challenges were made, and the final fifty who would have the chance to search for relics were determined!
Among these fifty, Flame Sect had seven people, Moon Concealing Sect had eight, Cloud Sky Sect also had eight, Loose Cultivators had seven, and the rest were from other sects.
Jin Lieyang from Taixuan Sect, sadly, was eliminated in the process, falling into the group of forty who could only stay on the giant lotus leaf.
Once the outcome was confirmed, those forty were dispirited, but they had no choice but to accept the results—they simply couldn't match the strength of the other fifty present.
Meanwhile, the fifty about to enter Azure Blue Lake all sat on the giant lotus leaf, recuperating and waiting for the golden Demon Carp to appear again.
When an hour passed and the Azure Blue Lake waters once again churned with great splashes, all fifty stood up.
The golden Demon Carp has arrived!
This signaled that they could soon enter Azure Blue Lake to search for relics.
Azure Blue Lake was renowned within the central giant island realm for having relics of the Rotating Pill level!
Previously, on the outer ten islands, those who successfully made it to the central island had come upon many Spirit Sea level relics, reaping considerable rewards.
And a Rotating Pill Realm treasure, that's a treasure that even the strong figures of the Rotating Pill Realm would covet, of course they would want it even more!
The golden Demon Carp flew up from the Azure Blue Lake, observed the fifty people who stood up, and then glanced at the other forty people behind who appeared somewhat dejected. With a turn of its eyes, it understood, the fifty who would enter the Azure Blue Lake with it were determined.
The Demon Carp chuckled, turned to the fifty people and without further words, directly said, "Let's go, the fifty confirmed to enter the lake, come out one by one, follow me into the Azure Blue Lake!"
As the Demon Carp spoke, a blue Dao Talisman spouted from its mouth. As the talisman flickered with light, the barrier confining the giant lotus leaf opened a gap. Everyone on the giant lotus leaf smelled the inexplicable scent of the lake water coming from outside the leaf.
This lake water scent, filled with the essence of water spirits, made one feel extremely refreshed. As this essence wafted in, Ye Chen, Jiang Yao, Fairy Nishang, Liu Yan, Xue Yue, and the other fifty people all flew out through the gap.
After that, the Demon Carp swallowed the blue Dao Talisman, and the confining barrier of the giant lotus leaf was restored, enclosing the forty people who still remained on the leaf.
Then, with a roll, the Demon Carp plunged back into the Azure Blue Lake. After bidding farewell to those who remained on the lotus leaf, Ye Chen and the others stimulated their true qi and formed a barrier of true qi around themselves. They followed the golden Demon Carp, diving into the Azure Blue Lake.
At last, the surface of the lake returned to quietness, leaving only the giant lotus leaves floating atop the water.
Only the forty competitors, who had failed to secure a slot, were still trapped on that initial giant lotus leaf.
The golden Demon Carp continually flew downwards in the water, and Ye Chen, along with the other fifty people, followed behind the golden Demon Carp, diving deeper.
After flying for almost half an hour, with no idea how deep they had gone, they finally saw a mansion appearing in the depths of the water.
This underwater mansion was black, and as they got closer, Ye Chen and the others realized that what seemed to be a modestly sized mansion from afar had a front gate hundreds of feet tall!
Moreover, the gate was open, revealing a deep, ominous cavity reminiscent of the maw of a massive beast, leading into the interior of the mansion, where no one knew what lay inside.
But, everyone knew that the mansion was anything but ordinary!
For on the gate and walls of the mansion were carved countless exotic symbols, emanating an inexplicable azure blue glow that illuminated the boundless and deeply enigmatic waters of the Azure Blue Lake!
As Ye Chen and the others drew nearer, they could feel a terrifying aura emanating from the entire mansion. This aura weighed so heavily on them, some of the strongest among those who had entered the tomb, that their breaths became stifled and their speed of flight unconsciously slowed.
They also saw a large plaque above the entrance of the mansion, inscribed with three ancient characters—Azure Blue Mansion!
These three ancient characters contained an unfathomable charm, and upon seeing them, everyone felt as if their minds were struck by a vast and ancient atmosphere!
Clearly, Azure Blue Mansion was the name of this dwelling, and this Azure Blue Mansion was the secret realm of treasures beneath the Azure Blue Lake!
"Why do I feel like, there's something inside Azure Blue Mansion calling out to me?"
As everyone was scrutinizing the three characters of Azure Blue Mansion, Jiang Yao experienced a peculiar sensation.
This feeling was even linked to the bloodline secret technique she had been born with, which she had never quite understood. It seemed that something mysterious within Azure Blue Mansion was attracting her bloodline secret technique!
"Ye Chen, this Azure Blue Mansion is so strange!"
Finally, Jiang Yao transmitted her voice to Ye Chen, "I always feel like there's something inside, summoning me."
"Summoning?" Ye Chen looked at Jiang Yao with a hint of surprise.
This was the Heavenly Saint Ancient Tomb after all, and a very mysterious Heavenly Saint Ancient Tomb—how could something inside be summoning Jiang Yao?
Ye Chen took Jiang Yao's hand.
No matter what it was, he would accompany Jiang Yao into the Azure Blue Mansion and explore together!
The group continued to observe the enormous mansion as they flew towards the Water Mansion. When the golden Demon Carp leading the way stopped a hundred meters from the mansion, everyone else also came to a halt.