Boom~~~ The stone door of the meditation chamber swung open, and Dongbo Xueying rushed out. In the courtyard of the cave abode, the deities of the Xia Clan were all looking up. Yu Jingqiu was waiting outside for Dongbo Xueying. “Xueying, look.”
Dongbo Xueying raised his head and saw a massive crimson scroll unfurling in the sky. As it slowly opened, names began to appear from the very bottom, starting with the lowest rank.
“Rank 1,000: Cujiao Star Domain, Yan Feng.”
“…”
One name after another appeared. The rankings and star domain names were written in smaller characters, while the names themselves were larger!
The deities of the Xia Clan, Yu Jingqiu, and even Dongbo Xueying all watched nervously. Their names had to appear on that list—if not, their journey at the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet would come to an end!
“Hahaha, Father, Father, it’s your name!” Dongbo Xueying clearly heard the joyful voice from a cave abode dozens of miles away. Since all the divine-level experts participating in the banquet were gathered in this vast area, some were only a few miles apart, while the farthest were no more than a million miles away. A typical cave abode itself spanned several miles.
“Congratulations!”
“Brother Yuan.”
Voices echoed from all directions.
As the rankings were announced, those who saw their names were overjoyed.
From the distant cave abodes, faint sounds of celebration could be heard. Yet, the area where Dongbo Xueying resided—home to the experts of the Wushan Star Domain—remained eerily silent. Three hundred names had been announced, and not a single one belonged to their star domain.
“All of you, come to me,” the voice of Patrol Officer Guan rang out.
“Patrol Officer Guan is summoning us. Let’s go,” Dongbo Xueying said, steadying his emotions. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly—despite being a Paragon who had comprehended a first-grade True Intent, he was still nervous about the rankings!
“Brother Dongbo’s strength is extraordinary. He must be ranked near the top.”
“Definitely.”
“I’d say within the top hundred.”
The deities of the Xia Clan exchanged words as they left the cave abode. Though they walked, their eyes remained fixed on the slowly unfurling scroll in the sky, watching as new names appeared.
…
The cave abode of Patrol Officer Guan was far more luxurious. By now, even the second-level Heaven’s Warden, Madam Sang, General Tu, and several other Heaven’s Wardens had gathered there. Divine-level experts from all over had also arrived.
Of the sixteen divine-level experts from the Wushan Star Domain who had participated in the battle, only eight remained alive after the sorting battles.
Whether the fallen had cultivated clone techniques was unknown—but of those who had come to fight, only eight remained.
“Brother Dongbo.”
“Brother Dongbo.”
“His Highness, the Seventh Plum Rain.”
As everyone arrived, they exchanged brief greetings before instinctively looking up again.
The red-haired man with half a mask, his aura thick with killing intent, gripped the hilt of his blade tightly as he stared at the names appearing on the scroll. None, none! Still none!
“How is this possible?” Patrol Officer Guan frowned as he watched.
“Six hundred names have been announced,” General Tu added. They had been confident in their star domain this time, as it had produced two exceptionally strong contenders—His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain and Dongbo! Both were capable of easily slaying the Savage Witch Soldiers. They had believed that while securing a spot in the top hundred for the Divine Court’s battle might be uncertain, making the top thousand in the sorting battles should have been guaranteed.
But as the rankings climbed higher, their confidence wavered.
The higher the rank, the more difficult it became.
“Eight hundred!”
“Nine hundred!”
Time seemed to crawl. When the nine-hundredth name was announced, the top hundred began to be revealed. The names on the scroll grew larger, their characters more prominent.
“His Highness should be fine,” Madam Sang murmured, though even she felt a hint of tension. She had full confidence in her lord, and with the Snowpeak Monarch himself present to observe, she suspected he already knew the final rankings. But since the monarch hadn’t spoken, she dared not ask.
“I must make it, I must, I must!” The red-haired man’s eyes beneath his mask burned with determination.
This was his chance to soar!
Even if he lost in the arena battles, making the top thousand would grant him easy entry into powerful factions. Joining the Bloodblade Divine Court and obtaining a rank would be effortless—even a high rank at that! Generally, passing the star domain preliminaries alone was enough to secure a rank. After all, in a million years, a star domain might only produce a dozen or so such talents, making ranks easily attainable.
Ninety.
Eighty.
The names appeared more slowly now, each one eliciting cheers from distant cave abodes.
Seventy.
Sixty… fifty… forty… thirty… twenty…
“This can’t be. There must be someone,” Madam Sang, the second-level Heaven’s Warden, frowned, her eyes filled with anxiety.
The Seventh Plum Rain, a handsome youth in white robes, watched calmly, though a faint crease appeared between his brows, betraying a trace of worry.
“We’re in the top twenty now,” Yu Jingqiu murmured, her gaze scanning each name anxiously. “Where is Xueying? He can’t possibly have missed the top thousand.”
“Name, name…”
The Xia Clan’s Purple Thunder Emperor, Cloudsea Emperor, and Dragon Mountain Great Emperor all watched with bated breath.
Everyone was on edge.
Even Patrol Officer Guan and General Tu grew restless. The higher the rank, the slimmer the hope. Guan shook his head. “This shouldn’t be happening. With His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain and Dongbo, at least one should have made it.” By now, 985 names had been announced—and not a single one belonged to the Wushan Star Domain.
Then…
Twelfth… eleventh.
Tenth.
“Rank 10: Sanquan Star Domain, Duo He.” The name was significantly larger, occupying an entire column on the scroll, far more prominent than the previous entries.
“Duo He!”
“Hahaha, Master Duo He, you’re incredible!”
“Ancestor Duo He!”
Distant cheers echoed faintly.
Yet, within Patrol Officer Guan’s courtyard, silence reigned. Everyone stared intently at the scroll, their hearts yearning. As it continued to unfurl, another column appeared—
“Rank 9: Wushan Star Domain, the Seventh Plum Rain.”
For a moment, everyone in the courtyard froze.
“Hahaha!” Patrol Officer Guan suddenly burst into laughter. “It’s our Wushan Star Domain! Hahaha!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” Madam Sang immediately bowed.
The Seventh Plum Rain, clad in white, relaxed his brow and softly remarked, “The Anhai Prefecture truly has no shortage of experts.”
“Your Highness is truly remarkable! Ninth place—within the top ten!”
“With Your Highness’s strength, the subsequent rounds will be a breeze. You’ll undoubtedly make it to the Divine Court’s battle.”
“Respect.”
The crowd around them, including the Heaven’s Wardens, offered their heartfelt congratulations.
If one ranked between 80th and 90th in the sorting battles, surviving the arena battles to stay within the top hundred would be uncertain. But for someone ranked ninth, even with two more rounds of eliminations, maintaining a top-hundred position was almost guaranteed. This meant a ticket to the Divine Court’s grand battle!
Amidst the jubilation, the ancestors of the Xia Clan grew increasingly anxious.
“Why hasn’t it appeared yet? Still nothing!”
They watched with mounting desperation.
Amidst the celebrations for the Seventh Plum Rain, the rankings swiftly progressed to fifth, then fourth.
“Rank 3: Dongya Star Domain, Jiu She.” The characters were even larger, now shimmering with light.
At this moment, countless beings across Anhai Prefecture City watched, memorizing this name. To rank third in the sorting battles was an extraordinary feat.
“Rank 2: Gongshu Star Domain, Zui Guke.” The name was even grander, its radiance dazzling.
The entire city seemed to hold its breath.
All waited…
For the final name.
“I will be there. I must, I must,” the red-haired man with the half-mask whispered to himself, his grip on his blade tightening.
“Last one.”
Yu Jingqiu and the ancestors of the Xia Clan tensed as they looked up.
Dongbo Xueying, too, felt a pang of nervousness as he watched for the final name.
“Rank 1…” The last name blazed with golden light, its characters appearing one by one, agonizingly slow.
“Wushan…”
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