Chapter 240: Martial Arts Ceremony
"It's called the 'First Thunder Ceremony' instead of the 'Coming of Age Ceremony' for a reason."

Su Qian stroked his beard, a solemn look flashing in his eyes, "Perhaps it's because of the martial arts or the nature of the fighting spirit, the Thunder Clan is one of the more warlike clans among the many ancient clans, and of course, it is also the one that is more protective of its shortcomings."

"As the Thunder Clan's version of a coming-of-age ceremony, the 'First Thunder Ceremony' will naturally include the reserved part of combat!"

After a pause, he continued, "In the four characters 'Chu Lei Dian Yi', 'Chu Lei' represents the younger generation of the Thunder Clan, and 'Dian Yi' represents the 'Martial Arts Ceremony'."

"Martial Arts Ceremony?" Lin Yuan murmured in a low voice, wondering, "Is this the 'stage' that the Great Elder mentioned?"

"Exactly!" Su Qian nodded slightly and said with a smile: "The martial arts ceremony is similar to our strong ranking competition. It is used to inspire the fighting spirit of the young people of the Thunder Clan and determine the leaders of the younger generation of the Thunder Clan."

After a pause, he added a little more sigh in his voice: "The contestants are generally very strong, and the rewards are naturally extremely generous!"

"But I am not from ThunderClan."

Lin Yuan stroked his forehead, a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes, "Could it be that this martial arts ceremony allows people other than the Thunder Clan to participate?"

"That's right!" Su Qian confirmed Lin Yuan's guess and said in a deep voice: "Allowing geniuses from other forces to participate in the competition is the difference between the Thunder Clan's 'First Thunder Ceremony' and the Yan Clan's 'Fire Ceremony' and the coming-of-age ceremonies of other clans."

"If we win, we will show our strength to everyone; if we lose, we will broaden the horizons of our tribe and use humiliation to inspire the younger generation to grow."

At this point, Su Qian's tone was a little more emotional: "According to the dean, the concept of limited openness and encouragement of competition is the important reason why the Thunder Clan has been able to remain strong from ancient times to the present."

Lin Yuan did not doubt what Su Qian said.

We can see the big picture from the small details. The fact that the Thunder Clan can produce a person like Mang Tianchi and let him hold a high position in the clan shows that the Thunder Clan is at least more open-minded than the Ancient Clan in terms of external relations.

"So, what is the reward for the martial arts ceremony?" Lin Yuan asked with interest.

Seeing Lin Yuan's excited look, Su Qian smiled and said, "As far as I know, each session is different. But after all, it is a grand gathering of the Thunder Clan. As long as you rank in the top ten, you can get items that are no less valuable than high-level earth-level items."

"As for first place, there is even a chance to obtain an opportunity that is as valuable as a heavenly-level martial arts fighting technique."

When the word "heavenly level" was mentioned, even with Su Qian's state of mind, he couldn't help but become excited.

Heavenly-level skills and fighting techniques can be considered as shortcuts to becoming a strong person.

However, these heavenly items are extremely rare outside of the ancient clans, and every appearance of one of them can cause bloodshed...

Taking a deep breath, Su Qian looked at Lin Yuan solemnly and said in a deep voice: "Lin Yuan, the dean once told us that there is a tacit understanding among the top forces on the continent. Strict restrictions have been set on the circulation of heaven-level skills and fighting techniques."

"Therefore, the Heaven-level Fighting Skills are rarely circulated outside, and it is extremely difficult for people other than those from top-level forces to obtain them."

"Moreover, even if you manage to obtain it through unconventional means, once it is discovered by the forces involved in the technique or fighting skill, the result will be... death!"

Having said that, he stared at Lin Yuan with his eyes and his tone became more serious.

"The ability of a force that can produce a Heaven-level technique or Heaven-level fighting skill to recover something is definitely not comparable to that of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion."

"When you arrive in Zhongzhou later, if you are lucky enough to seize a Heaven-level martial arts technique, first investigate it carefully and do not practice it rashly, as that would be very risky. There are many ways to kill the enemy, and killing with a borrowed knife is an extremely simple yet extremely effective one."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan cupped his hands and said sincerely, "I understand. Thank you for your teachings, Great Elder!"

Su Qian calmly accepted the salute and chuckled, "However, the Heaven-level martial arts obtained through the martial arts ceremony are formal channels and protected by the Thunder Clan, so there is no such risk! This is also the reason why I gave you the jade sticker. After all, opportunities are rare!"

"Great Elder, do you think I have a chance of winning?" Lin Yuan looked at Su Qian doubtfully: "The strength of the people of the imperial family is not simple, plus the age gap..."

In the Douqi Continent, leaving aside the Warcraft, according to human standards, the younger generation generally refers to people under the age of 40.

In the Imperial Clan, among the young generation in their thirties and forties, many can reach the level of Dou Zun or even high-level Dou Zun. Let the twenty-year-old Lin Yuan compete with them...

"Hehe!" Su Qian smiled faintly, patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder, and said: "Don't worry, the martial arts ceremony has been held so many times, and the Thunder Clan can naturally think of what you can think of. The problem has been solved long ago, and the solution is diversion."

"The First Thunder Ceremony is held every twenty years, and participants are people between the ages of twenty and forty."

"Therefore, the martial arts performance ceremony is divided into two categories, the Earth List and the Heaven List, with those aged 20 to 30 being the Earth List and those aged 30 to 40 being the Heaven List. The Heaven List and the Earth List decide the winner on their own."

"If you participate in the battle for the Earth Ranking, you may have a chance. It all depends on your own ideas..."

“Earth Ranking, Heaven Ranking, I see!” Hearing this, Lin Yuan pondered for a moment, a hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes, “Twenty to thirty years old? Although it’s very difficult, it’s not impossible. I can try to get on it…”

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan put the Zhou Zhongyu sticker into his storage ring.

Seeing this, Su Qian understood in his heart that if nothing unexpected happened, Lin Yuan should go to participate in the "First Thunder Ceremony", and that would be good...

For Canaan College, it is enough for Lin Yuan to participate.

Having students participate in the "Martial Arts Ceremony" is a big breakthrough; if they can get a place, that would be even better; as for winning the championship, although Su Qian has some expectations in his heart, that hope is too slim after all...

After all, although there is still more than a year left, when Lin Yuan goes to participate, he is still young and has practiced for a short time.

If there were a few more years, Su Qian would have been quite confident that Lin Yuan could win the championship... What a pity.

On the other side, after Lin Yuan put away the jade invitation, he thought of a key question, so he asked: "Grand Elder, with this special invitation letter left by the dean, how many people can I bring to the Thunder Realm to watch the ceremony?"

Hearing this, Su Qian collected his scattered thoughts, stretched out his hand to signal, and said, "Including you, it's best to have less than five people."

"Five people? Very good, I can bring everyone along!" Lin Yuan murmured to himself. The next moment, as if he thought of something, he gently hit his forehead with his hand and turned to look at a white figure.

At this time, Little Medical Fairy was not far from Lin Yuan, watching the next competition with great interest.

Feeling Lin Yuan's gaze, she looked back, revealing a charming and gentle smile, and then walked towards Lin Yuan.

"I almost fell into a misunderstanding... Aside from me, isn't there Xiao Yixian who can be a contestant?"

In terms of age, Little Medical Fairy is only one year older than Lin Yuan, so she is fully qualified to participate in the competition for the Earth Ranking.

As for her strength, her strength... is really worth looking forward to.

The Little Medical Fairy is currently a six-star Dou Zong, but Lin Yuan is confident that he can upgrade her to a seven-star or even eight-star Dou Zong within a month. With such strength, once the poison pill is successfully condensed, she can at least break into the three-star Dou Zun level. If she practices hard for another year...

“Hehehe, with Little Medical Immortal’s strength in one year, she can participate in the battle of the Earth Ranking. The children of the Emperor Clan below 30 years old can also…” Thinking of this, a gleam of brilliance flashed in Lin Yuan’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised, “As long as nothing unexpected happens in the middle, there is really a good chance to get the Heaven-level fighting skills and techniques from the Thunder Clan…”

At this time, the Little Medical Fairy had already walked to Lin Yuan's side.

She bowed slightly to Su Qian and asked softly, "You look so happy, is there anything good happening?"

“Haha!” Lin Yuan nodded and said, “It’s a good thing indeed. The Great Elder just gave me a good thing. Next year, maybe we’ll have the opportunity to go to an interesting place and have an interesting journey…”

Afterwards, after obtaining Su Qian’s consent, Lin Yuan informed Little Medical Fairy of matters related to the Chu Lei Ceremony.

"Thunder Realm, Thunder Clan, First Thunder Ceremony... Interesting!"

After listening to Lin Yuan's story, Xiao Yixian couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation. For such a powerful force at the top of the continent, even someone as elegant as her couldn't help but feel a little curious.

When Lin Yuan finished his story, Su Qian beside him seemed to remember something.

He looked at Lin Yuan and said quietly, "Lin Yuan, there is something we old guys have discussed. We don't know when you will leave the hospital, so I might as well take this opportunity to tell you!"

Noticing Su Qian's serious expression, Lin Yuan straightened his face and said, "Grand Elder, please speak!"

Su Qian organized his words a little, and said in a deep voice: "You will go to Zhongzhou soon. With your talent and temperament, you will definitely be involved in disputes. But the academy's power in Zhongzhou is limited, and we can't protect you."

"After discussing with each other, we old guys made a unanimous decision to make an exception..."

After a pause, he let out a long breath and said, "The academy allows you to join other forces while retaining your status as the next great elder."

At this point, Su Qian sighed in his heart. He actually let his future leader join another force, but there was nothing he could do about it...

As an old hand, Su Qian is very good at judging people.

He understood that Lin Yuan was definitely not the type to practice peacefully. Making trouble was his style. Coupled with his terrifying cultivation and alchemy talent, it was almost foreseeable that he would become the center of the storm in Zhongzhou.

With this level of talent, if there is no strong enough force to protect it from behind, it is only a matter of time before someone targets it...

Once someone is targeted and there is no one to protect him, Master Yao is a lesson for us.

As for the protector, although Canaan College has a president, Mang Tianchi, a powerful god, everyone knows his temper and he cannot be relied upon.

In order to allow Lin Yuan, the strongest talent in the academy, to grow smoothly, Su Qian and other senior executives finally made a choice.

Rather than letting Lin Yuan belong to Canaan College, it is more important to prioritize his safety and growth. After all, even if Lin Yuan joins other forces, his emotional connection with Canaan College cannot be severed.

Lin Yuan is a man who values ​​affection. As long as the affection is there, the form is not that important...

Thinking of this, Su Qian's eyes narrowed slightly, and he warned: "When you are outside, act in a way that best suits your situation. Don't let the identity of the next great elder become an obstacle for you to travel the continent and obtain opportunities."

"And we will always keep the identity of the next great elder for you!"

After listening to Su Qian's words, Lin Yuan fell into a brief contemplation. He could roughly guess what the college's top management was thinking, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved...

Taking a deep breath, he slightly bent his body and bowed to Su Qian, "Thank you, Academy! Thank you, Great Elder!"

Su Qian waved his hand casually and chuckled, "Haha, we're one family, so the word 'thank you' is superfluous. 'Martial Arts Ceremony' is a very good stage, and getting good grades there should make your future smoother..."

"Also, the dean of the Thunder Clan should be there at the ceremony. You should have a chance to meet him and give him this letter when the time comes..."

"After reading this letter, he should take good care of you!"

As he spoke, he took out a thick letter from his ring and handed it to Lin Yuan.

"The elusive Dean?" Lin Yuan took the letter and said with emotion, "Such a perfect plan, you are worthy of being the Great Elder. I thank you..."

"You deserve it!" Su Qian said with a smile.

At this moment, a fiery cry came from the stadium below, followed by an announcement.

"Xiao Yan wins this round!"

When the verdict was pronounced, loud applause resounded throughout the venue. Those who looked at Xiao Yan in the field had a bit more undisguised awe and respect in their eyes. Strong strength is always the most important bargaining chip to gain popularity.

Lin Yuan looked at the fiery atmosphere below, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes: "It's really full of vitality. I'm also looking forward to the trip to the Thunder Clan..."
-
Zhongzhou.

Ten days after Elder Mu Gu set out, the updated intelligence from Guardian Xuan finally arrived at the place it was supposed to be...

This is a huge black area, existing in a slightly distorted space. Occasionally, a bit of white appears on the surface of the land, which is actually some broken bones, revealing a bit of weirdness and coldness.

And in the center of this area, a huge, dark and cold black palace stands silently.

Deep in the hall is a cold skull throne.

Suddenly, the space around the throne twisted, and several dark cracks appeared in the space. Thick black fog seeped out from it. At the same time, an indifferent voice without any emotion resounded in the hall.

"Lin Yuan, 19 years old, 8th-rank alchemist... Interesting! Zhaixing, you go to the Black Horn Region and make sure to bring the person back intact!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man in gray and white clothes knelt down respectfully towards the black fog on the throne.

"Yes, Lord Deputy Palace Master, I will obey your orders!"

"Go ahead, set off immediately." The black mist rippled slightly, and an indifferent voice came out from it, "Failure is not allowed in this matter."

"Yes, I will complete the task."

After saying this, the old ghost Zhaixing bowed respectfully, then stood up and flew out of the hall without hesitation.

After Zhaixing left, the black mist on the throne slowly dissipated, leaving only a faint remnant voice: "Lin Yuan, such a young eighth-grade pharmacist, I hope you can meet the requirements of Master Hunxuzi, otherwise, hehehe..."

(End of this chapter)