After all, Han Xuanji had risen too quickly.
In a mere hundred years, from a nobody to an S-rank Talent of the Hun Family, from reaching the summit of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder to defeating Centurion Zhou Lie, he had accomplished things that many people could not achieve in a lifetime.
Because of him, the Hun Family's reputation soared as they rode the wave of momentum, leaving many forces in the city breathless under their pressure.
Han Xuanji was already the quintessential "child of another family" whom everyone was compared to.
Could the disciples of those forces feel comfortable with that?
Now, seeing Han Xuanji participate in this Law Conference with its drastically increased difficulty, far from feeling any sympathy, they actually felt a secret sense of schadenfreude.
Weren't you claimed to be the number one Prodigy of Qianhun City?
Weren't you highly regarded by numerous mighty figures?
Then let us see what kind of tricks you can pull off in this assembly where Prodigies gather.
This was the thought of many people.
They thought that if Han Xuanji had bad luck, he might draw a Heaven-Grade seed right away and be eliminated in the very first round.
"Heh, an Earth-Grade seed... If he draws a Heaven-Grade seed during the lottery later, there will be a good show to watch."
"I really want to see what kind of expression will be on his face when he is defeated."
No one would say these thoughts to his face.
But certain subtle actions honestly betrayed their thoughts. For instance, flickering gazes, slight curls of the lips, slightly raised chins...
Han Xuanji took in all these gazes, his expression remaining unchanged and his steps as composed as ever.
Such was human nature.
The so-called fame and fortune had always been bound together.
The greater one's fame, the greater the intangible benefits they received, which would inevitably affect others.
Those who benefited would naturally support you, bystanders would just watch the spectacle, while those with grudges or conflicts of interest wished nothing more than for you to fall from grace immediately.
Given Han Xuanji's current status, however, no one dared to gossip or criticize him to his face.
Many things were only thought of in their minds; they would never dare to utter them aloud.
Even if some hated him to the bone, they would still act as warm as a spring breeze upon meeting, behaving as enthusiastically as if they were old friends of many years.
When Han Xuanji stepped into the spectator area of the Hun Family, someone saw him, their eyes lighting up, and immediately stood up to cup their hands in greeting:
"Young Master Han! You've finally arrived!"
Others merely followed him with their eyes, their lips curving slightly upward, who knew what they were thinking.
Still more people whispered among themselves, discussing in hushed tones.
The gazes that landed on Han Xuanji contained curiosity, anticipation, scrutiny, and an indescribably complex mixture of emotions.
Those who could come to watch the Law Conference did not have poor backgrounds.
A large portion of them were Cultivators who themselves practiced the Way of Laws.
Those who chose this path either had decent talent or good backgrounds, and thus possessed a certain amount of arrogance.
As for those who did not practice the Way of Laws and only came to watch the spectacle, most of them were also of considerable strength; otherwise, how could they have the leisure to sit here and watch the battles?
"Han Xuanji is here! I thought he wasn't going to participate."
"How could he not participate? This is an assembly that the Holy Lord Jiuxuan is paying attention to. If he misses this time, who knows how long he'll have to wait for the next."
To be honest, not many people paid attention to the battles between the prior Cultivators. A few Heaven-Grade seeds had appeared, taken a glance, and left.
Only a few people watched the Earth-Grade seeds, so Han Xuanji's arrival actually attracted a lot of attention.
"That's true... However, it probably won't be that easy for him to steal the spotlight this time."
"More than just not easy. Look at those Heaven-Grade seeds—which one of them isn't a top Prodigy of Jiuxuan City or even other great provinces?"
"Although Han Xuanji is powerful, placed among these people, even making the top ten is highly unlikely!"
"Top ten? You think too highly of him."
"I think he'll be lucky just to make it into the top thirty-two."
"You can't say that. He defeated Centurion Zhou Lie head-on, and Centurion Zhou Lie was also an Earth-Grade seed, with no weak strength."
"Centurion Zhou Lie? Have you forgotten how he went to Jiuxuan City to challenge others back then and was easily defeated? Geniuses from Qianhun City really don't measure up when placed in the provincial city."
Amidst the discussions, various attitudes intertwined. Some genuinely cheered and rooted for Han Xuanji.
Most of these people were local Cultivators from Qianhun City. In their eyes, Han Xuanji was "one of their own."
If one of their own stood out, they would also share in the glory.
"Go, Young Master Han! Show them the strength of our Qianhun City!"
"Exactly! What 'Young Master Jian' or whatever—once they come to Qianhun City, they have to follow our rules!"
Others sighed on his behalf.
They felt that if things had developed normally, Han Xuanji would have surely taken first place in Qianhun City, becoming the undisputed number one. But now, with the sudden change in circumstances, the attention of the Holy Lord Jiuxuan, and the gathering of Prodigies from all sides, Han Xuanji—this former "number one Prodigy of Qianhun City"—could not be considered a favorite at all in front of the true provincial-level Prodigies.
"What a pity. If this assembly hadn't suddenly upgraded, Han Xuanji should have been a shoo-in for first place."
"Yeah, now look at this. With so many people coming, even making the top ten is unlikely for him. If he has bad luck, he might even be eliminated in the top sixty-four."
"You can't blame anyone else either. The Law Conference has always been about letting strength do the talking."
"If he truly has the ability to stand out among these people, only then would he be a true Prodigy."
Han Xuanji had long since grown accustomed to this.
He would neither be angered by the cold shoulders of these people, nor would he be carried away by their praise. Cultivation was his own business; what did it have to do with others?
"Brother Guanshan, I will go find a few friends first."
Han Xuanji cupped his hands to Commander He Guanshan.
Commander He Guanshan nodded, his gaze sweeping over those faces with various expressions:
"Go on, don't let others affect you."
"Naturally."
Han Xuanji smiled, entirely unconcerned, and turned to walk toward a section of the spectator stands.
Wang Ping sat in the middle section of the stands, surrounded by a dense crowd.
He had been closely watching Han Xuanji's every move since his arrival. At this moment, his eyes met Han Xuanji's, and his eyes lit up as he hurriedly waved:
"Brother Han! Over here! Over here!"
Han Xuanji threaded through the crowd and sat down beside him.
Wang Ping squeezed to the side to make room for him, the smile on his face impossible to suppress.
"Brother Han, you've finally arrived! I thought you weren't going to participate!"
Wang Ping's tone was excited, his eyes practically shining.
Han Xuanji shook his head:
"I was in closed-door cultivation and lost track of time, almost missing it."
"Almost means you didn't miss it."
Wang Ping chuckled. "It's great that you're here. We'll get to see you show off your prowess again in this assembly."
Unlike the others, Wang Ping and his companions were extremely optimistic, believing that even if Han Xuanji could not win the championship, he could still make it into the top ten, or even the top three...
Listening to his animated description, Han Xuanji's lips curved slightly upward, but his gaze searched the projections in the air above the square for images while he pondered the tournament rules.
There was no mortal danger in this tournament because of the special rules of the Mirror World; when on the verge of death, one would be teleported to a safe space. One could also surrender directly to avoid physical suffering.
However, unless they encountered an impossible-to-defeat, formidable enemy, the vast majority of people would try to fight to the very end. After each round of competition, a day of rest would be granted.
During the rest period, taking Medicinal Pills was permitted, and healers would be arranged, so as long as the injuries were not too severe, it would not affect the subsequent battles.
Furthermore, using eternal dao artifacts exceeding the fifth rank was not allowed in battle, nor could they use external items like Talismanic Incantations or Combat Secret Treasures. These restrictions basically returned the matches of the Law Conference to the Cultivators' own laws, cultivation, and combat experience.
In a sense, it was actually quite fair.
"How are they doing?"
Han Xuanji asked.
"Their luck is quite good."
Wang Ping smiled and said:
"Their opponents in the first two rounds weren't any formidable characters, so they should all be able to pass.
But as they get further in, there will be no weaklings left. Making it into the top hundred won't be easy."
"Mhm."
Han Xuanji nodded.
Being able to pass two rounds was already decent, but trying to secure a spot in the top sixty-four among a thousand people was still considerably difficult—ninety percent depended on strength, and ten percent on luck.
Soon, several days passed.