After leaving his courtyard and informing the elders of the Martial Ascension Gate, Li Yun set out alone and soon arrived before a gigantic mountain range.

The moment it entered his sight, even he could not help but feel inwardly shaken.

Compared to this vast range, every mountain chain he had encountered in the past seemed insignificant. Those former peaks now felt like children standing before an ancient giant. The difference in scale was simply too great.

This mountain range stretched endlessly across the land, standing upon the earth with an eternal and immovable presence.

From high above, its full shape became even more astonishing.

The countless peaks, ridges, cliffs, and winding stone lines connected together in a form that resembled an ancient dragon crouching across the world. It was as though a primordial beast had chosen to rest there countless ages ago and had become one with the land itself.

An indescribable aura spread from the entire range.

There was magnificence that inspired awe.

There was vastness that made one feel small.

There was an archaic wildness that seemed to belong to a forgotten age.

There was majesty that naturally shook the human spirit.

Because the entire mountain range resembled a hidden dragon lying in wait, it had long been named Hidden Dragon Mountain Range.

The place where Li Yun currently stood was near what many referred to as the tail of the dragon. This was the outermost end of the mountain range.

As for the legendary Hidden Dragon City, it had been established at the head of the range, where the dragon’s skull would be located.

Li Yun did not linger.

He circulated qi through his body and sped forward across the mountain paths.

His figure moved like lightning through the air, crossing valleys, cliffs, forests, and rivers at astonishing speed. Time passed swiftly, and in little more than the span of a stick of incense, he had crossed an immense distance.

Soon, Li Yun finally reached the end of the mountain range.

What entered his sight caused even him to pause.

At the far edge of the vast land, a huge and ancient city rose from the earth itself.

Its walls were towering and dark, carrying the marks of age and countless years. Massive gates stood like jaws, while the surrounding outer structure curved upward and outward in a shape so deliberate that the entire city resembled the head of a dragon roaring toward the heavens.

It was not merely built beside the mountain range. It had been designed as the final completion of the dragon’s form.

The mountain range was the body.

The city was the head.

The sight was grand beyond words.

Li Yun’s eyes brightened as admiration rose in his heart.

"What a magnificent Hidden Dragon City."

As he gazed upon the ancient city, he could not help but recall one of the most famous legends surrounding this place.

Rumor stated that a very long time ago, several great experts from the Eastern Martial Domain had coincidentally descended into the Southern Martial Domain.

When they passed through this land, they discovered the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range and sensed something extraordinary beneath it.

Deep underground, hidden beneath countless layers of stone and earth, flowed an incomparably vigorous and vast source of earth vein energy.

That energy was known as Dragon Qi.

Recognizing the immense value of such a natural treasure, those great experts decided to establish Hidden Dragon City at the dragon head position of the mountain range.

Afterward, they used heaven-defying means to draw out the Dragon Qi buried deep beneath the earth and gather it within the city.

Rather than releasing it immediately, they sealed and nurtured it, waiting for the proper time for it to erupt.

When that moment came, those present would have the chance to absorb the Dragon Qi and receive tremendous benefits.

As for what benefits Dragon Qi truly granted, many different claims existed.

Some said absorbing Dragon Qi could greatly enhance one’s comprehension and allow deeper insight into martial arts.

Some claimed it could directly improve cultivation and strengthen one’s realm.

Others believed it increased fortune and opportunity, causing hidden chances to naturally gather around the user.

There were also those who insisted it improved potential itself, allowing one to reach heights previously impossible.

Many more rumors existed, and no two stories were exactly the same.

Yet despite the countless different claims, one point remained universally accepted.

Dragon Qi was an extraordinary blessing.

Anyone who successfully absorbed it would receive immense benefits that could alter their future path.

The method of obtaining Dragon Qi was actually quite simple in theory, though far from easy in practice.

Whenever the Dragon Qi beneath Hidden Dragon City reached the proper cycle and began to erupt, a special Hidden Dragon Secret Realm would appear within the city.

This Secret Realm had been jointly established long ago by the great experts who first discovered the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range. It only manifested when the buried Dragon Qi became active, and every qualified participant who entered would receive its blessing.

However, merely entering the Secret Realm did not guarantee meaningful rewards.

The natural blessing granted to each person was only a small amount of Dragon Qi. Such a quantity was useful, but limited. Anyone who wished to obtain greater benefits had to seize more Dragon Qi through competition.

And that was where the true purpose of the tournament began.

Inside the Secret Realm, participants could challenge one another and plunder Dragon Qi from defeated opponents. The victor would seize the loser’s accumulated share, increasing their own fortune while stripping the other side of opportunity.

This struggle for Dragon Qi was what the world called the Hidden Dragon Tournament.

It was not merely a competition of strength.

It was a battle for destiny.

After descending from the sky, Li Yun landed outside the enormous gates of Hidden Dragon City and joined the line waiting to enter.

The city gate was vast and imposing, tall enough for giant war beasts and large caravans to pass through side by side. Ancient stone pillars stood on both sides, each carved with dragon patterns that gave off a faint oppressive aura.

The queue stretched far into the distance.

Young geniuses from different regions stood among older spectators, merchants, servants, and escorts. Some wore sect robes, some dressed like wandering cultivators, and others carried the noble bearing of great clans.

Li Yun stood calmly and waited.

Roughly the time of a stick of incense later, it was finally his turn.

Guarding the entrance was an old man dressed in black robes.

His appearance seemed ordinary, yet the aura around him was unfathomable. It was so deep and steady that one could not sense its limits. A single glance was enough to tell Li Yun that this was an expert far beyond the level of ordinary cultivators.

The old man looked at Li Yun and spoke in a stiff, emotionless tone.

"Are you here to participate in the Hidden Dragon Tournament, or are you here to watch the battles?"