However, this “Young Miss” with the terrifying aura did not erupt.

Gao Feiyang, perhaps accustomed to his Young Miss’s “tolerance” toward such scenes, or perhaps simply not taking that trace of killing intent to heart, instantly straightened his back another three degrees, as if the praise on the banner was also shining upon him.

He cleared his throat and flicked his cape.

“Fellow Daoists, quiet! Quiet!” Gao Feiyang raised a hand in a pressing gesture, his voice carrying across the entire arena.

“Now, I shall announce the first iron rule of the Dragon Gate Assembly—”

He deliberately drew out his tone, a smirk playing on his lips, then suddenly raised his voice. “All those over fifty years of age are eliminated!”

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves! The arena instantly erupted into chaos!

“We worked so hard to gather a hundred Spirit Stones just for this sliver of opportunity. Why wasn’t this said earlier?!”

“We haven’t even tested our Spirit Roots yet, haven’t even engaged in combat. Why are we being eliminated by a mere age barrier?”

“Return the Spirit Stones! You must return the Spirit Stones!”

For a moment, it seemed like mass indignation was brewing, with clamor and questioning voices mixing together.

Zhou Kai stood among the crowd. Hearing this rule, his heart also skipped a beat, followed immediately by a wave of relief. He counted on his fingers. He had crossed over at twenty years old, and now twenty-nine years and ten months had passed. He was just barely on the edge of this line.

If he had arrived just one year later, he would probably have to pack up and leave today.

“Husband, you…” Chen Ziyi clearly thought of this too, gently tugging at Zhou Kai’s sleeve.

Zhou Kai gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. I still have two months.”

On the high platform, facing the surging tide of protest from below, Gao Feiyang still wore that flashy expression of “how could you mere mortals understand the Young Miss’s profound intentions,” as if he had expected this all along.

And that Young Miss beside him, who had remained silent all this time, finally moved.

“Hmph!”

An extremely light and faint snort.

In that instant, an Aura Pressure swept across the entire arena. Truly terrifying.

This Aura Pressure was not merely spiritual power suppression; it was mixed with an aura of deathly stillness, as if it could freeze one’s thoughts and erode one’s will.

Zhou Kai felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. This was definitely not like Shen Hanyi’s kind of aloof personality; it was a tremor and Yin-cold originating from the depths of one’s soul.

So strong! This Yin-cold soul power… Zhou Kai’s heart shook violently. This Aura Pressure was far beyond what an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could compare to.

This woman… I’m afraid that “Soul Channeling Nether Grass” Gao Feiyang took out for trade back then was for her!

The Aura Pressure lasted only a few breaths before receding like a tide, disappearing without a trace.

Those who had been shouting protests most fiercely earlier now looked ashen-faced, their clothes soaked with cold sweat. Some even collapsed to the ground, trembling like sieves, not daring to utter another word.

The deterrence of a top-tier Foundation Establishment late-stage powerhouse! The Young Miss’s domineering presence!

“Now, does anyone still have objections to the first rule?” Gao Feiyang asked.

No one answered.

The previously extremely noisy square now fell into an eerie silence. You could hear a pin drop.

After a moment, commotion began to stir within the crowd. Some cultivators with desolate expressions silently turned and walked away. Clearly, they knew their age exceeded the limit. In the face of absolute strength, any argument seemed pale and powerless.

The number of people in the arena sharply decreased. The previously lively and crowded scene suddenly became much more spacious.

Of the dozen or so late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators originally present in the arena, at a glance now, they were almost all cleared out, leaving only one who looked relatively young.

The Young Miss’s gaze slowly swept over the remaining cultivators in the arena.

Wherever it passed, many cultivators subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes. Some even trembled all over when her gaze swept over them.

Fang Lizhe, this little rookie, obviously hadn’t experienced such a situation before. He stood beside Zhou Kai, his face pale, whispering, “Big brother, what’s going on? How do they know our ages? Are they going to interrogate everyone one by one?”

Zhou Kai whispered back, “No need for interrogation. There is an art called Qi Gazing and Bone Viewing that can see a cultivator’s bone age.”

At that moment, the Young Miss’s gaze fell upon Zhou Kai and seemed to linger for an instant.

Zhou Kai’s heart leaped into his throat!

He knew he was cutting it extremely close. This feeling of having one’s fate hang on another person’s whim was truly unpleasant. What if their secret technique had some margin of error? Or if they were in a bad mood and counted him as two months older? That would be an unjust death!

Immediately after, the Young Miss raised her fair hand and lightly pointed with her jade-like finger, pointing out over ten people in succession.

Gao Feiyang immediately understood and shouted loudly, “These dozen or so people! The Young Miss has eyes like torches! Your bone ages have exceeded the limit! Leave the arena immediately without delay!”

Zhou Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his back was already slightly damp with cold sweat.

Upon hearing this, those dozen or so people instantly looked deathly pale.

Among them was none other than that previously sole remaining late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator!

That person’s face turned ghastly pale, but he still forced himself to stand firm and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Senior! Please reconsider! This humble one just celebrated his fiftieth birthday last month! I’m only over by one month!”

“My aptitude is still decent; I reached late-stage Qi Condensation less than ten years ago. Previously, I suffered from having no connections to join your esteemed sect! I beg Senior to consider how difficult cultivation is and grant me an opportunity! Please make an exception!”

However, the Young Miss on the high platform remained unmoved. She didn’t even cast a single glance downward.

Seeing this, Gao Feiyang immediately scurried forward eagerly. He grabbed that person by the collar and bowed towards the high platform with an ingratiating smile plastered on his face.

“Young Miss has eyes like torches! Perceives every detail! Eliminating redundancy is an example for us all!”

After saying that, he shot a glance at several Calamity Abyss Valley disciples behind him and shouted, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and ‘politely’ escort this fellow Daoist out! Remember—be polite!”

Several people acknowledged and pounced forward. In name, it was “politely,” but in reality, they hoisted that late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator up and dragged him outwards.

Gao Feiyang didn’t forget to add another loud flattering remark from behind: “The harder Young Miss slaps faces, the more radiant her glory shines! Young Miss’s decisions are wise and mighty; you can’t help but submit!”

That dragged-away cultivator ultimately left behind only a string of despairing wails and curses before quickly disappearing from everyone’s sight.

The atmosphere in the square grew increasingly oppressive.

Zhou Kai glanced towards Fu Sheng’s trio not far away; they were all within the crowd and hadn’t been eliminated either.

Fu Sheng seemed to notice Zhou Kai’s gaze as well; he turned his head and gave Zhou Kai a smile.

Zhou Kai responded by raising an eyebrow expressionlessly at him.

Hu Yongyu on another side also stood safely in place; clearly, his age met the requirements too.

Once things had completely settled down again, Gao Feiyang cleared his throat once more. “First screening complete! Fellow Daoists possess extraordinary bone structure indeed!”

“Next comes the second round of screening! This time we won’t test Spirit Roots because—let’s face it—those with good Spirit Roots already have their own paths lined up; why would they need to come here to try their luck?”

Though harsh-sounding, the words indeed held an undeniable truth, making many feel sympathetic inside their hearts.

“This round is called—Flying Colors Flowing Light Compete For Spiritual Birds!” announced Gao Feiyang loudly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, someone within the crowd couldn’t hold back anymore, raising their voice to ask:

“Our cultivation levels vary greatly here. Present alone, there are over twenty Fellow Daoists at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation. How can us early-stage Qi Condensation practitioners compete against them? Isn’t this bullying the weak and unfair?”

Hearing the question stirred something inside Zhou Kai’s mind too… He practiced both body refinement and mana cultivation, both reaching the mid-stage. His comprehensive strength far surpassed peers at the same level. If truly no restrictions were placed upon cultivation level, then obtaining a spiritual bird would be like reaching into a bag and taking something out—an easy task indeed.

Upon the high platform, the Young Miss lightly raised her jade hand and casually waved.

The sky suddenly changed color as thirty-six massive stone pillars, pitch-black throughout and covered in profound mysterious runes, descended from the heavens!

Boom! Boom! Boom…

The stone pillars plunged consecutively into the ground surrounding the square, deeply embedding themselves underground, leaving only portions several zhang tall standing erect. They formed a circular formation, enveloping all participating cultivators completely within its bounds.

Zhou Kai felt the mana and vitality within his body suddenly stagnate. His realm was actually suppressed and plummeted within the blink of an eye, barely maintained at the first-layer level!

His heart tightened inwardly, exclaiming: What a domineering formation!

Not just him, but every single cultivator upon the square, regardless of their previous Qi Condensation stage, was now horrified to discover their own cultivation forcibly suppressed down to the first layer of Qi Condensation!

Gao Feiyang proclaimed loudly, “Everyone please remain calm! This is the ‘Pressure Aura Formation’! Within this formation, regardless of previous cultivation level, the dragon must coil and the tiger must crouch! Now everyone’s cultivation is exactly first-layer—a fair, square, and honest deal!”

“But remember, this round is only to compete to seize the spiritual birds. You cannot harm human lives. If anyone violates this rule, don’t blame our Calamity Abyss Valley for being merciless—consequences, bear yourself!”

He flicked his wrist, and fifteen tiny peculiar birds, their whole bodies flowing with light and radiant colors, only thumb-sized, flew forth!

These small birds chirped crisply and flapped their wings, scattering and flying about wildly within the confines of the light screen.

Their speed was astonishingly fast. To the naked eye, it was almost impossible to capture their trajectory; one could only see multicolored afterimages crisscrossing and flashing midair, dazzling the eyes.

“These are ‘Flowing Light Sparrows’,” Gao Feiyang’s voice rang out again. “Fifteen total. Three incense sticks of time. Whoever can seize a Flowing Light Sparrow and hold it safely within their hand is considered to pass the round and becomes our Calamity Abyss Valley Outer Sect Disciple!”

“Remember, you must hold it within your hand. If the Flowing Light Sparrow dies, it doesn’t count.”

“Begin!”

With Gao Feiyang’s command, nearly two hundred remaining cultivators in the arena instantly erupted into action.