WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

All the disciples in the arena stood frozen in disbelief.

Shock rippled through the crowd like a thunderclap. Their faces twisted with panic, confusion, and fury.

Then—

An explosion of murmurs burst out like wildfire, spreading fast across the arena.

"Th-They want us… to fight a Minor Elder?!"

"Are they insane?! Have they really lost their minds this time?!"

"This is complete madness! Who in their right mind would design such an absurd round?!"

"It's utterly unreasonable! How can they expect us to fight someone that strong?!"

"Exactly! Every single Minor Elder is at the Peak of the Foundation Realm. How are we supposed to fight them?!"

"And even if they were too talentless to reach the Golden Core stage, they still have years of combat experience and mastery over techniques!"

"There's no way we can win against them—especially in our current state!"

"Most of us are only at the Low or Mid-Stage Foundation Realm... this isn't a fair fight!"

Another disciple shouted, "Let's protest! If we all speak up together, maybe they'll change the rules!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

"Lower the difficulty of Round Two!!"

"Lower it! Lower it!!"

"This is unfair! Lower the difficulty!!"

Suddenly—

"SILENCE!!"

The Minor Elder's voice exploded like thunder, echoing across the arena.

His Spiritual Pressure crashed down upon the disciples, instantly quelling the outcry.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again—if any of you do not wish to proceed with Round Two, then get the hell out of this arena."

"And if anyone dares to make a sound again, you'll be forcefully expelled—not just from the arena, but from this year's Inner Disciple Selection entirely."

A heavy silence blanketed the field. Not a single soul dared to speak.

"Good. Now let me explain the rules."

"You will each face off against a Minor Elder in a one-on-one duel. But no one is expecting you to defeat them."

"You only need to demonstrate that your talent and potential exceed that of an ordinary disciple—by holding your ground for at least one minute."

Gasps spread through the crowd, but this time—there was relief in their eyes.

The Elder added, "And... the Minor Elders will not use any of their combat techniques. They'll rely only on their base cultivation."

A wave of hopeful whispers swept through the crowd.

"Ahh! If that's the case, then maybe we actually can do it!"

"Yeah! One minute without combat techniques? I can do that! I may even defeat a Minor Elder!"

"Phew! I thought we had to actually win!"

"Let's go! I'm getting into the Inner Sect for sure now!"

A few disciples even began clenching their fists in anticipation.

The Minor Elder gave a faint smirk as he added, eyes briefly locking on a few of the more exceptional disciples.

"And for those of you confident enough to defeat a Minor Elder... don't hold back."

"Your performance will be recorded and added to your total score, which will determine your final ranking in the Inner Disciple Selection."

Then, after a brief pause, he delivered the final announcement.

"And for the top ten disciples by the end of this competition…"

"…you'll earn the right to cultivate for one full day on the Second Floor of the Radiant Sky Pavilion—free of charge."

Hearing that, every single disciple in the arena was struck speechless.

"T-The Radiant Sky Pavilion?!"

"I-It's that place, right?!"

"Yeah! The place where the sect's densest Spiritual Energy is constantly gathered by a Grade-7 Energy Gathering Array..."

"…A sacred place where even Elders go to cultivate…"

"I heard it has seven colossal floors... and only Inner Disciples and above are allowed to enter."

"Even to cultivate for one hour on the First Floor, you need 5000 Sect Points!"

"A single day there is more valuable than an entire month of regular closed-door cultivation!"

"And the Second Floor is even more insane! It costs 10,000 Sect Points per hour—and the Spiritual Energy is three times denser than on the First!"

"One day there equals three months of regular cultivation! And with a high-grade Breathing Technique, it can be equivalent to six!"

"Damn… one day for free?! That's 240,000 Sect Points saved—and an enormous leap in strength!"

"What a terrifyingly good opportunity!"

"Yeah!"

"Definitely!!"

"Though it'll be nearly impossible for average cultivators like us to make the top ten... for the geniuses, this is a golden chance."

A few of the top disciples standing ahead couldn't help but smirk.

'I'll definitely make it into the top ten and step into the Radiant Sky Pavilion,' thought Shao Bing confidently.

'Hmph. No one can stop me from reaching the top top,' Min Xhen scoffed inwardly.

'Heh… cultivating there must be quite enjoyable,' Rou Jin thought with an inward grin.

Then the Minor Elder's voice boomed again, filled with amusement:

"Aaaand... the Top Three will gain the right to enter the Third Floor of the Radiant Sky Pavilion!"

"Third place gets one day, second place two, and first place will cultivate there for three entire days!"

The announcement struck like a thunderclap, shaking the arena with another surge of gasps and murmurs.

"T-T-The Third Floor?!"

"Isn't that the place only the top ten Inner Disciples and Core Disciples dream of accessing?!"

"A place where one hour costs 30,000 Sect Points... and the Spiritual Energy is five times denser than the Second Floor?!"

"One day there equals fifteen months of cultivation!!!"

"This… This is unreal!!!"

"Damn... whoever reaches the top three is basically soaring into heaven!"

"Yeah! They'll save over a million Sect Points and gain an absurd power boost."

"Damn lucky bastards!"

"Yeah! Though it's impossible for most of us to even dream of that…"

From the front of the crowd, Yang Lie's lips curled into a confident grin.

"Hmph… Despite all the unfortunate things that've happened to me lately, I, Yang Lie, really am the Son of Destiny."

"After getting randomly flung into some bizarre place by that damn Automatic Transportation Talisman… I even lost my system and had to struggle like hell for weeks just to survive."

"But in the end, fortune finally smiled on me. I stumbled upon a heavenly opportunity—one of the secret sword techniques of the Nine Direction Sword Saint."

"Though the sword art is still incomplete… it's insanely powerful. With it, I'll crush everyone in my way."

He clenched his fists tightly.

"Today… I'll finally complete my main quest—heh."

"And then, I'll take first place… and enjoy three full days on the Third Floor of the Radiant Sky Pavilion!"

Elsewhere, Yi Ran watched quietly, the faintest smile touching her lips.

"The Third Floor of the Radiant Sky Pavilion... It would be the perfect place to advance further. I must claim it."

Meanwhile, even Reon's calm gaze flickered slightly with interest.

'These rewards... for the top ten, and especially the top three... are insane.'

'Which one should I aim for?'

Then, the Minor Elder's voice echoed once more, this time filled with finality:

"Only one hundred of you will pass this second round. This is essentially the final test."

"The third round will only serve to determine final rankings."

"So give it everything you've got."

"Now... let the Second Round begin!"

And so, the Second Round finally began.

From all sides, the Minor Elders calmly stepped forward and took their positions across the arena.

Ten battles erupted simultaneously across ten designated fighting platforms—each surrounded by a formation to isolate the combatants and protect the spectators.

"AGHHH! I'll definitely make it into the Inner Sect!"

A determined disciple roared, charging recklessly toward the composed Minor Elder standing ahead.

But—

Swoosh!

With just a few swift movements, the disciple was effortlessly knocked unconscious, his body sliding across the ground.

'T-This is insane… I thought fighting without them using techniques would make it easier… but they're still terrifying!'

Another disciple gritted his teeth, barely able to hold his stance under the Minor Elder's overwhelming pressure.

"AGHHH!! Just ten more seconds—hold on!!"

Another desperate scream echoed from a nearby platform, teeth clenched as the disciple was battered back with every exchange.

Elsewhere, a voice laced with arrogance rang out.

"Hah! What trash. And here I thought a Minor Elder would at least put up a fight!"

Shou Bing declared proudly, standing tall over the defeated Minot Elder—having won his bout well before the one-minute mark.

One by one, disciples stepped forward as their names were called.

Some gritted their teeth and survived just long enough to pass.

Others were crushed without mercy, falling in seconds.

The cries of failure echoed across the arena—but so too did the triumphant roars of those who prevailed.

But those at the peak of the Outer Disciple Rankings were in a league of their own.

"Cloud-Slashing Sword Technique...

Fourth Form: Phantom Veil Slash!"

Yang Lie's figure blurred.

In a flash of motion, he appeared behind the Minor Elder—his opponent collapsing in defeat without even understanding what had struck him.

On another platform—

Whoooosh!

Yi Ran moved like a streak of lightning.

She didn't even use a combat technique—only her refined movement and precise control. One step, one strike, one instant—and the Minor Elder was down.

One by one, the strongest Outer Disciples—Yang Mi, Ma Shen, Zi Chen, Rou Jin, Min Xhen—stepped forward.

Each of them overpowered their opponents with overwhelming superiority, sailing through the round effortlessly.

And then—

A clear voice echoed through the arena.

"Disciple Xue Taiyang, step forward to Platform Number Six."