417: Final rankings

Once the Disciples of the seven Sects had all made their appearances, a Law Enforcement Elder from the Burning Heaven Palace responsible for presiding over the competition stepped forward, channeled his Spiritual Qi, and let his voice carry through the entire arena:

"Silence!"

The noisy Martial Arts Arena gradually quieted down.

Everyone knew that the main event was about to begin.

The Elder looked around and said loudly, "The rules for this Seven Sects Competition are as follows: each Sect will send six Core Disciples, totaling forty-two participants."

"Opponents will be decided by drawing lots for one-on-one combat; the winner advances, and the loser is eliminated. Those who draw a bye will advance directly to the next round until the final rankings are determined."

The rules were simple and direct, cruel yet efficient. Everything depended on strength.

"Now, let the drawing of lots begin!"

The drawing ceremony took place under the gaze of countless eyes. The lead Disciples of each Sect stepped forward in turn to draw jade plaques engraved with numbers from the lot container.

"Let the competition begin!"

At the Law Enforcement Elder's command, several arenas shrouded in protective light barriers rose from the center of the Fentian Martial Arts Arena. The intense competition officially commenced.

Battle after battle took place. The roar of Spiritual Qi collisions, the crisp clashing of weapons, and the gasps and cheers of the audience were constant.

The lead Disciple of Myriad Law Pavilion, Liu Chengfeng, fully revealed his Purple Mansion Realm cultivation.

His opponents, regardless of which Sect they came from, often failed to last ten moves before being defeated by him.

That effortless, crushing posture firmly established his position as the favorite to win, drawing constant gasps of surprise.

Lin Lie of Burning Heaven Palace was also unstoppable.

His fighting style was violent and fierce, pushing his Peak Core Formation Realm cultivation to the limit with overwhelming flames. He resolved his battles quickly with overwhelming dominance, but any keen observer could see he hadn't yet given his all.

Disciples from Cold Moon Valley, Tianyan Sect, and other Sects also had their moments of brilliance, and the battles were exceptionally fierce.

Meanwhile, the performance of the Azure Profound Sect Disciples appeared quite mediocre.

Senior Brother Li Xuanfeng's first battle was against the lead Disciple of Jade Clarity Sect, a Genius who had also reached the Late Stage of the Core Formation Realm. The two fought fiercely for nearly a hundred rounds, and the situation was deadlocked for a time.

Li Xuanfeng finally managed to seize a tiny flaw in his opponent's defense at a critical moment, winning narrowly with a seemingly exhausting ultimate move.

When he stepped down from the stage, his face was pale, his aura was erratic, and his arms seemed to tremble slightly as he cupped his fists toward his opponent.

The battles of Mu Chenyu, Lin Xiaowan, and the others were similar. Every victory was hard-won, often requiring a bitter struggle, leaving them more or less injured and appearing significantly drained.

As the tournament progressed, the strong remained strong.

The Disciples of Myriad Law Pavilion and Burning Heaven Palace advanced triumphantly, demonstrating strength far beyond their peers and meeting in the finals without suspense.

Azure Profound Sect, however, stumbled along. Li Xuanfeng eventually suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of the Cold Moon Valley's lead Disciple, stopping at the top four.

Mu Chenyu, Lin Xiaowan, and the others were also defeated by powerful foes one after another. In the end, not a single one of the six Azure Profound Sect Disciples entered the top three.

When the finals arrived, the atmosphere reached an unprecedented high.

On the arena, Liu Chengfeng stood in his fluttering green robes with a calm expression. However, the majestic aura unique to a Purple Mansion Realm Cultivator, which faintly resonated with the world's Spiritual Qi, had already firmly locked onto Lin Lie opposite him.

He was the acknowledged number one of the younger generation in Xuan Province; this battle was to defend Myriad Law Pavilion's title.

Lin Lie's red hair danced wildly, and he was surrounded by raging flames. His Peak Core Formation Realm aura was also pushed to the limit, but what burned in his eyes was a nearly crazed Battle Intent and a deeply hidden absolute confidence.

"Lin Lie, it wasn't easy for you to reach this stage. Surrender. The difference between Purple Mansion and Core Formation is like heaven and earth," Liu Chengfeng spoke, his voice clear but carrying an unquestionable authority.

Lin Lie grinned, revealing pearly white teeth. "Liu Chengfeng, save those words until after we fight!"

Before his voice finished echoing, the aura around him suddenly surged! The bottleneck of the Peak Core Formation Realm was completely shattered with an invisible cracking sound!

Purple Mansion Realm!

"What?!"

"Purple Mansion! Lin Lie has also broken through to the Purple Mansion?!"

"He's been hiding his strength all along?!"

The entire venue instantly erupted into chaos, with exclamations like a mountain tsunami.

Even the high-level officials of each Sect on the high platform changed their expressions.

Lie Tianxiong suddenly gripped the armrest of his chair, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light—it was the long-suppressed wild joy and pride! He had waited for this moment for too long!

For the first time, a clear ripple appeared on Yun Canghai's always confident face. His pupils constricted, and his expression suddenly darkened.

A trace of shock also crossed Liu Chengfeng's eyes, but it immediately turned into even greater Battle Intent: "Good! Only like this does it become interesting!"

"Fight!"

Two Purple Mansion Realm auras collided violently, causing the entire Fentian Martial Arts Arena to shake fiercely.

This was no longer a crushing defeat, but a truly evenly matched Peak duel!

Lin Lie's attacks were as violent as fire, each strike carrying the heat and power to boil the sea and burn the heavens, bringing the Burning Heaven Palace's secret techniques to their full potential.

Liu Chengfeng, on the other hand, was as steady as a mountain. The Myriad Law Pavilion's Legacy was vast and profound, its Daoist arts exquisite, integrating offense and defense, neutralizing Lin Lie's wild attacks one by one while waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

Both sides revealed all their trump cards, clashing with Divine Abilities and competing with Magic Treasures. The arena floor had long since turned into scorched earth and deep pits, with violent Spiritual Qi turbulence sweeping in all directions.

This battle was fought until the sky grew dark, lasting for a full half-hour!

Finally, amidst a deafening explosion, the blood-soaked Lin Lie, with his battle robes shredded, made a valiant charge that almost bordered on mutual destruction.

He forcibly broke through Liu Chengfeng's final defense, and a fist containing the Fentian Absolute Flame stopped three inches from his opponent's chest.

Liu Chengfeng's face was pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He took a deep look at Lin Lie, slowly withdrew his finger, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "I lost."

"The winner! Lin Lie of Burning Heaven Palace has taken the top spot!" the Law Enforcement Elder announced loudly with an excited voice.

"ROAR—!!!"

The Burning Heaven Palace camp erupted into earth-shaking cheers and roars. All the Disciples and Elders were red-faced with excitement. After so many years, they had finally stepped over Myriad Law Pavilion and reached the Peak of Xuan Province!

Lie Tianxiong could no longer restrain himself. He stood up abruptly and laughed toward the sky, his laughter like rolling thunder spreading in all directions, filled with the satisfaction of vindication and the pride of looking down upon the world!

He suddenly turned his head, his gaze like lightning shooting toward the now ashen-faced Sect Master of Myriad Law Pavilion, Yun Canghai. His voice, carrying undisguised mockery and pride, rang through the arena:

"Sect Master Yun! Thank you for letting us win! Hahahahaha!"

"It seems the title of the number one Genius in Xuan Province should change hands! Along with it, some things should also return to their original owner!"

Lie Tianxiong's voice suddenly turned sharp, carrying a piercing edge.

"According to our agreement, since my palace won first in the competition, shouldn't your Myriad Law Pavilion gracefully hand over that High Grade Spiritual Vein in the Lianyun Mountain Range?!"

Yun Canghai's face was livid, his chest heaving slightly, clearly enraged. That Spiritual Vein in the Lianyun Mountain Range was rich in resources and was one of Myriad Law Pavilion's important assets.

He never expected that not only had Lie Tianxiong broken through to become a King, but even the lead Disciple of their Sect had hidden his Purple Mansion Realm cultivation! This scheme had ended in utter defeat!

In the battle for the final rankings, Cold Moon Valley defeated Tianyan Sect to take third place.

In the battle for fourth place, Li Xuanfeng of the Azure Profound Sect fought a bloody battle and finally managed to defeat his opponent with great difficulty, securing the fourth position for the Sect.

This ranking was neither high nor low, right in the middle. It didn't attract any extra attention, as if it were just an insignificant footnote in this competition where the two giants clashed and Cold Moon Valley picked up the scraps.

Meanwhile, the Formation Breaking Sect, whose foundation had been damaged, unfortunately placed seventh.

As the competition concluded, the rankings were finalized:

First: Burning Heaven Palace

Second: Myriad Law Pavilion

Third: Cold Moon Valley

Fourth: Azure Profound Sect

Fifth: Tianyan Sect

Sixth: Jade Clarity Sect

Seventh: Formation Breaking Sect!

The writing of the competition was a bit rushed; there isn't much to write about Core Formation and Purple Mansion battles yet!

In the next chapter, a new plot begins!