This challenge had reached its conclusion, and the Spiritual Origin realm's imposing aura dissipated. Instantly, within a hundred meters of the arena, the violent, surging waves of air, like countless torrents, carried scorching heat and spread outward. The disciples on the field were flung away, tumbling over each other in a chorus of groans. Fortunately, most of the power had already faded. None of the disciples were seriously injured, merely a bit disheveled.
After a moment, the disciples stood up and steadied themselves, their hearts even more shaken. They hadn't expected that even after so long, the lingering aftershocks could still hold such force. It was unimaginable how powerful the original attack must have been. They couldn't even fathom it! The disciples were utterly horrified, unable to calm down for a long time.
Soon, the referee stepped out from the crowd and climbed onto the arena. With a complex expression, he glanced at Lin Xuan and announced loudly, "In this challenge, Lin Xuan wins! Lin Xuan advances to the top of the Elite Ranking. Chen Yu drops to second place on the Elite Ranking."
As the words fell, everyone on the field finally snapped back to reality. Immediately, another uproar erupted. The crowd looked at Lin Xuan, all sighing in amazement and shock. No one had expected such an outcome. Even Chen Yu, who had broken through to the Spiritual Opening realm, couldn't hold the top spot against the new disciple Lin Xuan. And Lin Xuan had become the fastest disciple in the sect's history to enter the ranking and reach the top, setting another record. It was likely to cause another major stir within the sect. The disciples sighed, their expressions complex.
Below, on the open ground near the arena, Chen Yu, covered in blood and dirt, also stood up. Hearing the referee announce the result, he finally came to his senses. Looking up at Lin Xuan, he shook his head slightly, a bitter smile in his eyes. "Junior Brother Lin Xuan—no, Senior Brother Lin Xuan—I've lost to you after all. As expected of the sect's top genius, far superior to me. I hope next time we meet, it'll be in the True Disciple zone." Chen Yu murmured to himself, his expression defeated.
In truth, he had known he would lose as soon as Lin Xuan revealed his two-percent sword intent. Yet he hadn't expected that as a Spiritual Opening realm cultivator, he would be utterly powerless against Lin Xuan, who was only at the Condensation Whirl realm. The gap was unimaginable, as if he were the Condensation Whirl realm and Lin Xuan the Spiritual Opening realm, not the other way around. With the same two-percent intent, plus two additional intents and a higher cultivation level, this was the result. It only highlighted the terrifying nature of Lin Xuan's sword talent, once again exceeding his expectations. He was deeply shaken, unable to recover for a long time. Only when the referee announced the result did he fully snap out of it. After witnessing Lin Xuan's combat prowess, he no longer had any thought of competing with him. Such a top-tier genius was far beyond his reach, utterly incomparable. Now, he just wanted to advance to True Disciple as soon as possible.
Originally, after breaking through to the Spiritual Opening realm, he had participated in the ranking tournament to enjoy one last moment of glory, to experience crushing his former rivals, and to take the tournament rewards before advancing to True Disciple. Instead, he had been defeated by the new disciple Lin Xuan. Not only did he fail to get what he wanted, but he also lost all face. He no longer wanted to linger in the Inner Sect. At the same time, he knew that with Lin Xuan's terrifying talent, he wouldn't stay in the Inner Sect long. In a month or two at most, Lin Xuan would likely advance to True Disciple, catching up or even surpassing him in cultivation. That was why he said what he did. Then, Chen Yu turned and walked toward the small platform. This time, he didn't go to the top but sat in the second-tier seat. Glancing at Bai Yunfei beside him, they exchanged looks, both seeing endless bitter smiles in each other's eyes.
On the arena, Lin Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this. The task for this ranking tournament was complete. Next, he would shake the sect and reap a large number of energy points. With that, Lin Xuan leaped off the arena. Under the gaze of everyone present, he walked straight to the small platform. He sat at the very top, overlooking the entire square and all the Inner Sect disciples. After a moment of commotion, the field gradually quieted down.
The ranking tournament continued. Elite disciples kept issuing challenges, engaging in fierce battles. But after witnessing Lin Xuan's earlier challenge, the disciples found these Elite disciples' fights mediocre and dull, losing all interest. They were still immersed in the shock Lin Xuan had brought, unable to calm down. In this Elite ranking tournament, Lin Xuan had only appeared three times, but each performance was more spectacular and stunning than the last. The disciples were deeply moved and filled with awe. They knew that after today, Lin Xuan's name would spread throughout the sect once more, perhaps even beyond it. They were even more astounded by him.
Time passed slowly. The matches proceeded in an orderly fashion. During this period, disciples at various ranking levels were mostly challenged, except for Lin Xuan, Chen Yu, Bai Yunfei, and Zhang Kuishan, who had fallen to twenty-eighth place—no one dared to challenge them. After the earlier battles, everyone had seen the combat prowess of these four. It seemed to transcend the Inner Sect level entirely, far beyond their reach. Challenging them would be like offering themselves up, so naturally, they avoided it. Especially Lin Xuan, who had even toppled the former Elite top-ranked Chen Yu, who had broken through to the Spiritual Opening realm. With such combat power, if judged solely by strength, he might be qualified to advance to True Disciple. He was far beyond their league. Even now, their hearts were still shaken, unable to settle. They certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge him.
Unknowingly, several hours passed. The third round of the ranking tournament was nearing its end. *Bang!* A loud crash rang out as a figure flew off the arena. The final challenge of the tournament had concluded. After the referee announced the result, an Inner Sect elder at the Spiritual Origin realm, who was overseeing the tournament, stood up and declared loudly, "This Elite ranking tournament is now coming to a close. The rankings have been decided. The top ten are: Lin Xuan, Chen Yu, Bai Yunfei, Zhang Kuishan... They will receive generous rewards and focused training from the sect. Congratulations to them!"
As the words fell, thunderous applause erupted across the field. Everyone's gaze converged on the small platform, filled with emotion. This time, the top ten of the Elite Ranking had seen significant changes. Even the top spot had changed hands. Then, the elder raised his hands, signaling for silence. The field quieted down. He continued, "Next, please invite the top three of the Elite Ranking to come on stage and receive their awards!"
After another round of applause, Lin Xuan stood up calmly from the small platform, his expression indifferent. He walked down, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Next, it was time for a massive replication.