On the third day of Sky Cloud Sect Grand Tournament, the square was equally crowded but it was also a livelier scene compared to the previous two days.
It may seem like it was only a fight for the top one hundred spots, but these one hundred disciples would be able to reign supreme across Sky Cloud Sect. With this, many disciples had started to place their bets, waging on the person who could come out on top.
The person they picked was a Genius of great repute in Sky Cloud Sect. This person was also an extremely gifted Warrior Spirit at the height of Tier Five or Six.
The ranking of the top one hundred was a battle between disciples of all four stages but only the top ten disciples in the first, second and third stages were eligible to take part while the majority competing were disciples in the fourth stage.
Those who would rank in the top hundred would be the Warrior Spirit Powerhouses because no Warriors were capable of entering the ranking. Besides, Warrior Spirits numbered in hundreds and thousands so those who could place in the top hundred were top-notch Geniuses.
The sect had made a rule that only the top ten disciples in the three primary stages were eligible to participate, so that these low level disciples were not denied of their abilities. There was a lot of law in this world but there were also unexpected occurrences that rose above such laws.
"Rumble."
"Rumble."
"..."
Thundering drum rolls filled the air, marking the last day of the Grand Tournament. This was the day to decide the ranking of the top one hundred, as well as the ranking of the top ten among Sky Cloud Sect disciples.
"Today will be Sky Cloud Sect's last match. The battle for the ranking of the top hundred hereby begins. Let me announce the rules.
"The judges will arrange the battles for disciples in the fourth stage and decide on the ranking based on these battles. Those who refuse to accept the decision are allowed to challenge. Disciples of the remaining stages may challenge desired opponents after the ranking is decided."
Long Tian simply explained the rules and it was rather straightforward. The dozens of judges in the sect were either Warrior Spirit and Warrior King Powerhouses. They would decide the rank and respective opponents based on the disciples' combined strength in cultivation level, skills, abilities, as well as armed weapons.
Through this method, the judges would be able to gauge the disciples' abilities. However, if one thought that their ability did not tally with their placing after the ranking was decided, they could throw down the gauntlet to a disciple of higher ranking. The challenger who won would then claim the ranking of the loser.
Swoosh swoosh.
Swoosh swoosh.
The square suddenly turned silent after the announcement. Soon, a piercing sound broke through the air as a dozen or so figures flickered over. In the blink of an eye, the dozen-odd figures descended below the platform.
"Elders."
Thirteen exceptional figures bowed before the Warrior Kings above the platform with respect.
"It's Senior Brother Duanmu."
"That's Senior Brother Dongfang Qingyu."
"Senior Sister Lan Yuyan's there too."
"Murong Tianjiao is even more powerful now."
"Senior Brother Xiao Tianba's Blazing Metal Qi is compelling."
For a moment, the square rose to a clamor. These thirteen first-class gifted disciples had achieved Tier Five or Six Warrior Spirits before the age of thirty. Due to that, these Super-Geniuses were the idols of all disciples.
"Duanmu Qing, hehe."
Li Lingtian looked towards Duanmu Qing with a faint smile on his face before his gaze turned to Tang Zimeng. Her Sixth Grandfather had his reason for wanting to betroth her to Duanmu Qing.
"Brother Lingtian, what are you looking at me for? It's all Sixth Grandfather's doing. Mengmeng is your fiancée and I belong to Brother Lingtian for life," Tang Zimeng responded in a sweet voice.
She instantly knew what was in his mind the second Li Lingtian turned to look at her.
"Take a look, who do you think will finish first among them?"
With a gentle smile, Li Lingtian asked Tang Zimeng in a soft voice. He then turned to Xue Da and the rest. Li Lingtian had exceeded their expectations for the past few days.
A Genius who was capable of refining peerless pills, a madman who became a Tier Nine Warrior in mere months, a super gifted disciple who skyrocketed to the top ten; Li Lingtian's omnipotence had left quite an impression on them.
"I think that the odds are higher with Duanmu Qing and Murong Tianjiao."
"Lan Yuyan and Xiao Tianba are quite the competitors. They should place in the top three."
"Dongfang Qingyu seems powerful and mysterious. I would guess that he's one to look out for."
The trio, including Xue Da, had pondered for a while but still had a hard time deciding. These thirteen Elders were greatly nurtured by the sect and they had been provided with the best resources, pills, spiritual stones, weapons, techniques, as well as skills.
As their cultivation levels were roughly the same, trying to single out the victor was no easy feat.
"Hehe, I think that none of the thirteen has a chance to claim first," Tang Zimeng whispered. She kept her voice low within the group.
Xue Da and the two others were stunned and baffled. Who would reign supreme if not the one of the thirteen?
"Let the match begin."
When the hundred disciples were done preparing, they began to compete. In the end, thirteen disciples would be eliminated. If they could not accept defeat, these thirteen could ask for a challenge. After all, these thirteen spots were reserved for the thirteen newly-arrived Super-Geniuses.
"I am Ling Xiao, please enlighten me."
With a Tier Two Warrior Spirit and a Fire-path Warrior Soul, Ling Xiao had advanced into the top hundred with a mediocre Spiritual Equipment. All he had to do now was win this round and he would be able to gain a firm footing in the top one hundred.
"I'm Mu Ming, please enlighten me too."
As Mu Ming was a Tier Two Warrior Spirit with a Metal-path Warrior Soul, it placed both of their abilities on par with one another. Hence, it was now up to their experience, mentality, and luck. Such an arrangement went to show the judges' good eye for detail.
"Flaming Slice."
A mediocre Spiritual Equipment, Blazing Metal Slice was suddenly struck and it overwhelmed the atmosphere with an explosive Flaming Qi. Aghast, the
"Purple Gold Shuttle, penetrate."
Not one to take it lying down, Mu Ming blasted a Purple Gold Shuttle with just a wave of his hand. Then, a golden radiance flickered as it sped towards the flames.
The destructive force of the golden attack was fearsome and it was much more overpowering than the drive of the Fire path. In an instant, these two attacks collided against one another.
"Wham."
In this battle between the strong, the duo could sense their own opponent's force through a single attack and they both knew that there was only a fifty-fifty chance to claim victory. In that split second, the duo decided to unleash their fullest potential.
"Wham."
Following a dull crash, Ling Xiao's body shook violently like a quivering leaf as he fell off the arena. Helplessness and regret were written all over his face.
"Mu Ming, wins."
Long Tian declared loudly before calling another two Warrior Spirit disciples to enter the arena. The rest of the judges then began their deliberations in analyzing the rankings of Ling Xiao and Mu Ming.
Li Lingtian no longer had his eyes peeled on the matches between these Warrior Spirit disciples. Instead, he turned his gaze to the thirteen Super-Geniuses because they were his opponents.
He had no clue about the Grand Tournament's rules at the start so he saw these disciples as his opponents. Yet now that he was in the know, he realized that these disciples were not worth his time as he could just challenge ten front runners right there and then.
Although this loophole existed, no one could take advantage of it. In other words, it was impossible for disciples of other stages to defeat the top ten masters.
Similarly, the thirteen Super-Geniuses had never bothered to observe the ongoing fights. Their huge prides naturally did not render these disciples as a threat.
By the time morning had passed, the top one hundred was determined. Thirteen Warrior Spirit disciples were knocked out and even after challenging the ranks, no one was able to change their fate. This was the foresight of Warrior Spirit and Warrior King Powerhouses — the ability to analyze abilities in every aspect.
"With eighty-seven positions in place, we will start from the first to thirteenth place. The thirteen places have been arranged and those who are unwilling to accept this decision can opt to challenge the system."
"Dongfang Qingyu, first place.
"Duanmu Qing, second place.
"Lan Yuyan, third place.
"Xiao Tianba, fourth place.
"Murong Tianjiao, fifth place.
"..."
Long Tian read out the ranking that was decided by the judges. This ranking was based on all the judges' analysis of the disciples' overall strength, but the actual ranking would still be determined by the matches between the disciples.
As Long Tian rambled on about the placing, the disciples remained emotionless because they knew the real battle was just about to begin.
"I, Huangfu Xin, cannot accept the thirteenth place and wish to challenge Senior Brother Cheng Hao who is placed sixth."
"I, Liu Tian, cannot accept the twelfth place and wish to challenge Senior Brother Bai Xiaozi who is placed seventh."
For a moment, those who placed sixth and below were either challenged or challenging others. No one dared to touch the top five disciples as they knew that the battle between the five was about to set off.
"Mengmeng, do you think I can compete with them?" Li Lingtian whispered in Tang Zimeng's ear.
He felt great pressure mounting over him. Out of the five super disciples, only Xiao Tianba was a Tier Five Warrior Spirit. The remaining four were Tier Six Warrior Spirits.
"I believe in Brother Lingtian. In fact, I will support Brother Lingtian no matter what you do."
Tang Zimeng answered under her breath. Although Li Lingtian had proved to be a force to be reckoned with, he was still a Warrior disciple. Competing with Warrior Spirit Powerhouses was simply out of the question.
Nevertheless, she did not want to put pressure on Li Lingtian. After all, it was dangerous to compete with a Warrior Spirit, and Tang Zimeng was concerned that Li Lingtian would be crippled by these Warrior Spirit Powerhouses.
"Cheng Hao, wins."
"Bai Xiaozi, wins."
"Zhou Feng, wins."
"Bai Mingyu, wins."
Of all five challengers, each of them suffered defeat in their battle. The disciples who failed in their attempt could only smile on bitterly. As such, no room was left to question the Elders' and judges' foresight.
Currently, the five Super-Geniuses in the top five remained unchallenged as they were all Tier Six Warrior Spirits apart from Xiao Tianba.
"Senior Brother Dongfang, I haven't seen you for five years. We should settle the score this time."
Murong Tianjiao stood up and walked towards the arena with his eyes fixed on Dongfang Qingyu. Dongfang Qingyu was placed first for the time being while Murong Tianjiao was placed last.
Their abilities were neck to neck, without much of a difference between them. He did not take the ranking to heart because he would still initiate a challenge either way.
Everyone in the top five was pinning for the number one spot. If someone else were to take the lead in challenging before he could throw down the gauntlet, he would be at a disadvantage.