349: Chapter 349 Ranking

After a brief silence, Qin Yan was the first to speak, breaking the stagnant atmosphere.

"Congratulations, Miss Ruyan. It seems you've gained an extraordinary opportunity from your journey to the Canglin Ancient Peak. Your strength has advanced to such a degree, it's truly admirable."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan turned her face towards him, her cool eyes resting on Qin Yan.

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Qin Yan, the 'Spear Demon,' slayer of the Eerie Ancient Tree, your fame has shaken the Northern World. Your gains must be astonishing as well."

She had clearly also heard the rumors about Qin Yan.

Liu Ruyan paused, then suddenly shifted the topic, a faint, almost imperceptible glint seeming to flash in her eyes. "Qin Yan, on the Martial Path, mutual exchange and verification are the ways to understand gains and losses, to foster growth.

I hope there will be a suitable opportunity in the future for you and I to have a match.

To verify each other's strength and advance together through mutual refinement."

Her tone was flat, as if she were merely stating an objective fact, proposing a reasonable suggestion.

Yet, for some reason, Qin Yan felt that beneath her calm demeanor, there seemed to be a faintly lurking... eagerness for battle?

Qin Yan gathered his thoughts, met Liu Ruyan's gaze, and responded with a hearty laugh. "It would be my honor to spar with a master like you, Miss Ruyan."

"It's settled then."

"It's settled."

Hearing Qin Yan's words, the corner of Liu Ruyan's mouth lifted ever so slightly, a movement almost impossible to detect.

Then, she returned to her usual cool composure.

The next day, July 11th.

The dawn's light dispelled the last vestiges of night over the Elf Clan's ancestral lands, but it could not dispel the tension and solemnity permeating the air.

Following Su Zhiming's instructions, Qin Yan and Liu Ruyan arrived early to wait outside Princess Anya's temporary palace.

Soon, Anya appeared, flanked by Jian Lu and a host of powerful elves.

Today, she had changed into a more solemn elven royal gown in emerald green and silver-white, wearing a simple headband. Her exquisitely beautiful face was calm and unreadable.

Without further inquiry, she gave Qin Yan and Liu Ruyan a slight nod, then signaled for them to join the core guard circle by her side.

The group departed from the palace area, heading towards the vastest, most open space at the heart of the ancestral lands, known as the 'Myriad Races Square.'

As Qin Yan and the others stepped to the edge of the square, even though they were mentally prepared, the sight before them delivered a massive visual and psychological impact.

As far as the eye could see, the view was filled with dense, myriad forms of various races!

On the ground stood countless teams from different races.

From towering Rock Giants as large as small hills, to beast-headed, human-bodied Demi-human Warriors, to Elemental Beings whose skin flowed with elemental radiance, to slender and elegant elves... the variety of races was beyond imagination.

They gathered according to designated zones, their banners, totems, and unique energy fields intertwining to form a dazzling, majestic sea of beings.

Not only the ground, but the sky was also occupied.

Further away, atop the towering, cloud-piercing ancient tree canopies and floating mountains at the edges of the ancestral lands, the shadowy figures of some powerful races could also be vaguely seen.

A cacophony of noise, a mix of energy fluctuations, curious or scrutinizing gazes, and an unspoken atmosphere of competition and confrontation formed the main theme of the square at this moment.

However, regardless of how numerous the races on the ground and in the sky were, or how boisterous their presence, their existence was utterly overshadowed by the sole protagonist at the very center of the square—the world tree.

It stood in the center of the square, its trunk as thick and imposing as a majestic mountain peak.

Its canopy blotted out the sky, extending to the limits of sight, casting endless emerald halos and an ocean-like aura of life.

Before it, even the largest races seemed as insignificant as dust;

even the most formidable auras of power felt like a trickling stream compared to a vast ocean.

Its very existence was a silent display of majesty and rule.

It compelled all clamor to subside involuntarily and calmed all restless hearts.

"Silence—!"

At that moment, an aged yet naturally authoritative female voice

clearly reached the ears of every being.

The source of the voice was on one of the world tree's lower, yet still mountain-thick, horizontal branches.

There, an elven elder woman had appeared at some unknown time.

Her figure was hunched, clad in a plain gray-green robe, her white hair sparse.

But her eyes were bright as stars, deep as an ancient well, opening and closing as if scenes of nature's cycle of life and decay flowed within.

No terrifying aura deliberately emanated from her, yet she gave a sense of being subtly connected to the world tree beneath her feet, unfathomably profound.

Clearly, this was a highly esteemed and powerful elder of the Elf Clan.

"The Hidden Dragon Assembly, lasting three months, has now concluded."

The elder woman's voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet carried indisputable authority. "The tallying and verification of points were completed last night.

Now, as per tradition, the final rankings of this Assembly's prodigies shall be announced!"

As her words fell, the ancient wooden staff in her hand gently waved.

"Hum—!"

The world tree trembled slightly, its vast life energy surging.

Countless emerald-green specks of light materialized in the air above the square, rapidly coalescing into clusters of green light.

Inside these light clusters, faint outlines of figures could be glimpsed—the aura imprints left by the participating prodigies within their purification rings.

Then, under the watchful eyes of all, one hundred light clusters, distinctly larger, brighter, and with clearer internal figures than the others, emerged from the sea of countless clusters, slowly floating to a higher position.

These one hundred clusters represented the top one hundred in points!

The elder looked up at the one-hundredth cluster—the smallest and dimmest—and pointed at it from a distance.

With a soft *pop*, the cluster burst apart, transforming into scattered, firefly-like green lights.

The green lights rapidly reassembled in the air, condensing into clear characters and a slightly illusory yet recognizable figure.

"One Hundredth Place—" "Feng Yan of the Phoenix Descendant Clan!"

As the characters appeared, the figure solidified—it was the phantom of a proud young male from the Phoenix Clan.

Although it was only the one-hundredth place, the moment his figure appeared, a wave of suppressed excitement, murmurs, and discussions erupted from the area where the Phoenix Descendants were gathered.

Unmoved, the elder shifted her gaze to the ninety-ninth cluster and shattered it again.

"Ninety-Ninth Place, Su Da of the Fox Clan!"

The phantom of a charming, alluring young girl with multiple fox tails swaying behind her manifested.