NOVEL NEXT Chapter 167: The Top Eight
Chapter 167: The Top Eight
“I never said that I was at the Ninth Transformation Rank. I had already reached the Grandmaster Rank a long time ago. I was just hiding my strength,” Xu Lian said deliberately. This was to make it easier for him to use his fourth-stage Grandmaster strength in the upcoming matches without drawing too much attention.
After all, breaking through four ranks in only twenty days would be too shocking.
The other geniuses suddenly understood this. No wonder he had defeated Ying Ming, a Ninth Transformation cultivator, in a single move earlier. It made sense now-a Grandmaster defeating a Ninth Transformation cultivator in a single move was completely normal.
However, Fu Ye felt extremely embarrassed. Previously, he had looked down on Xu Lian, thinking that he was just a showy Ninth Transformation cultivator. Little did he know that Xu Lian had already reached the level of a grandmaster. Had he been playing him for a fool?
“Being a grandmaster doesn’t mean much. There’s still a gap between grandmasters,” Fu Ye snorted, trying to save face.
Xu Lian replied, “You’re right. There are differences between Grandmasters. The gap between you and me is at least three pinecone heads.”
The other geniuses couldn’t help but laugh. The young master of the Ghost Soul Sect had become a unit of measurement?
The young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian, turned pale. He had only casually joined Fu Ye in mocking Xu Lian during the gathering, but he never expected Xu Lian to hold such a grudge, seizing every opportunity to humiliate him.
“Draw lots. Divide into teams.
Draw lots. Determine the matchups.”
The elimination round proceeded at a rapid pace. The Minister of Rites gave the geniuses no time to rest, moving from one round to the next without a break. After all, endurance was also a reflection of one’s strength.
Xu Lian no longer had time to engage in verbal sparring with Fu Ye and the young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian. He was completely focused on the competition.
From the top 128, they advanced to the top 64!
From the top 64, they advanced to the top 32!
The number of geniuses remaining in the competition was dwindling, and the strength of the opponents was becoming more and more formidable. Each match was a fierce battle.
From the top 32, they advanced to the top 16!
After this round, Xu Lian glanced at the remaining fifteen competitors and noticed that the young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian, was missing. Had he been eliminated?
“Where is Pinecone Head?” Xu Lian asked with a smile.
One of the geniuses pointed at the crowd.
Xu Lian looked over and saw the young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian, trying to slip away quietly, clearly embarrassed after losing his match.
Of course, Xu Lian couldn’t let him leave without a proper send-off. He shouted, “Pinecone Head, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”
Instantly, everyone’s attention turned to the young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian, and the crowd burst into laughter.
The young master of the Ghost Soul Sect froze, his plan to leave unnoticed completely ruined. Losing a match was normal, but being eliminated before Xu Lian was too humiliating to bear.
He glared at Xu Lian, then quickened his pace and hurried away.
Xu Lian felt a bit disappointed, but he turned his attention to Fu Ye. Although Fu Ye had advanced to the top 16, he was covered in injuries, and his wolf tooth bone club was riddled with cracks. It was clear that he wouldn’t last until the top eight.
“Isn’t this the young chief of the barbarian tribe? How did you get injured so badly?” Xu Lian said loudly.
Fu Ye remained silent, unable to understand how Xu Lian, who had struggled through every match, taking over a hundred moves to defeat his opponents, had managed to reach the top 16 without a single injury. Meanwhile, him, a second-stage Grandmaster, had barely made it this far.
Xu Lian decided not to push any further. He had made his point. Letting others know that he wasn’t to be trifled with which would save him a lot of trouble in the future.
In this world, being too quiet and too friendly wouldn’t get you far. You had to stand your ground.
Aside from the eliminated young master of the Ghost Soul Sect, Nian, and the heavily injured Fu Ye, many of the geniuses who had attended the gathering twenty days ago had also been eliminated. Among them were the sons of the Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister, as well as the heirs of the Black Crocodile King and the Green Python King from Yunmengze. The competition was fierce.
“Top 16 to Top 8.
Draw lots. Divide into teams.
Draw lots. Determine the matchups.”
The Minister of Rites wasted no time in starting the next round.
After the lottery, Xu Lian was delighted to find that he had drawn Fu Ye as his opponent. Finally, they would face each other.
Unfortunately, knowing that he was too injured to fight, Fu Ye conceded the match without a fight and quickly left, presumably to tend to his wounds.
Xu Lian entered the top eight without lifting a finger.
Since his match ended first, he had to wait while the other arenas continued their battles.
After more than half an hour, the matches in the other arenas were finished and the winners were determined.
The list of the top eight was finalized.
Of the geniuses who had attended the gathering twenty days ago, only Xu Lian, the Heir of the Prince of Jinnan, the Heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, the Heir of the Purple Flood Dragon King, and the Twin Stars of the Falling Star Palace remained.
It should be noted that the Twin Stars were a special case. The two brothers did everything together, including competing as a pair. If they won the competition, they would both become the royal son-in-law…
Perhaps the Yin Dynasty royal family took a liking to their dual elemental talents and allowed this unusual arrangement.
It was a bit unfair to the other geniuses, but no one complained. True geniuses wouldn’t mind fighting two opponents at the same time.
The remaining three in the top eight were relatively unknown. They hadn’t attended the gathering twenty days ago.
Perhaps they had recently arrived in the imperial capital and hadn’t had time to attend the meeting.
Or maybe they had chosen not to attend in order to avoid revealing their strength.
Now, these three had emerged victorious from the elimination rounds, attracting everyone’s attention.
Among the three, a female genius stood out the most. It was said that her elder brother was in seclusion and couldn’t participate, so she had taken his place. The Yin Dynasty certainly favored those with powerful backgrounds.
Another of the three was a demonic genius. It was hard to tell what kind of demon he was, as only his forehead and shoulders were covered in scales, making his race unclear.
The last one was the most mysterious. His entire body was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see his face. Only a tall, slender figure could be made out. However, his strength was undeniable. Every genius who drew him as an opponent had been defeated in less than three moves, even Grandmasters.
All the geniuses were wary of this mysterious figure, hoping to avoid him. Without a doubt, he was the top favorite to win the competition.
“Top eight to top four.
Draw lots. Divide into teams.
Draw lots. Determine the matchups.”
The Minister of Rites announced.
The eight geniuses began to draw lots.
Once the lottery was complete, Xu Lian glanced at the number on his slip – 4.
With so few people left, he immediately noticed that the female genius had also drawn the number 4, meaning that they were matched as opponents.
The female genius also noticed the number on Xu Lian’s slip and fixed her gaze on him.
In fact, not only Xu Lian and the female genius, but also the other geniuses quickly identified their opponents.
Match 1: The heir of the Prince of Zhennan vs. the demonic genius.
Match 2: The heir of the Prince of Zhenbei vs. the heir of the Purple Flood Dragon King.
Match 3: The Twin Stars of Falling Star Palace vs. the mysterious, mist-shrouded genius.
Match 4: Xu Lian vs. the female genius.