Chapter 514 - 176: Preliminary Performance, Initial Ranking

Among them, the twenty-odd disciples of the Qi Eating Realm mostly remained calm, their auras steady.

This was especially true for top experts like Chu Yunhai, Bai Ziyu, and Lu Shaohua, who ranked high on the Hidden Dragon List. Their expressions were nonchalant, without a hint of disturbance, as if the pressure that felt like it would shatter the bones of others was nothing more than a gentle breeze to them.

However, the Inner Strength Realm disciples who had lasted this long all had strained expressions. Their faces were flushed red, and veins bulged on their foreheads like winding serpents. Their legs trembled uncontrollably; it was clear they were exerting all their effort.

Even Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang, two experts considered to be at the peak of the Inner Strength Realm, had exceptionally grim expressions, their teeth clenched and their jawlines taut.

Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads like pearls from a broken string, splattering on the bluestone squares before them and creating small, dark patches.

Nearby, several Main Peak Stewards held registers and brushes, their sharp eyes fixed on every figure on the field.

Whenever a disciple collapsed, unable to endure, or staggered out of their square, the stewards would immediately step forward to record their name and elimination order in the register.

This would serve as the initial ranking for the Fushan Grand Competition, making it easier to arrange the top-versus-bottom matchups for the main tournament.

The preliminary competition pressed on, with one wave of eliminations after another.

First, Lin Ziheng’s face flushed red and his legs gave way. He collapsed heavily to his knees and was helped off the field by a Steward.

Shortly after, Zhao Xuexiang, Zhang Hengyi, Zhou Tong, Wei Dongting, Zhao Chong, and others also failed to hold on. They collapsed outside their squares and were led away, their faces etched with frustration.

Not long after, Xu Ziqiang could no longer withstand the mountain-like pressure. His vision went black, and he collapsed.

A moment later, Gao Yang let out a muffled groan. His body swayed, and he ultimately stepped across the three-foot boundary, his run ending there.

With Gao Yang’s elimination, the twenty-seven disciples still standing firmly on the field were now all from the Qi Eating Realm, representing the Main Peak and the Seven Veins.

Gao Yang slowly got to his feet with a Steward’s help. His face was pale, his lips were chapped, and a bitter mix of frustration and resentment churned within him.

He had just given it his all, pushing his Inner Strength to its absolute limit. He had wanted to fight for it, to see if he could outlast any of the Qi Eating Realm disciples, even if just for a moment longer.

However, the final result was cruel.

The gulf between realms was like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how he dominated the Inner Strength Realm or swept aside his peers, he was faced with an unbridgeable gap when compared to the disciples of the Qi Eating Realm.

...

At that moment, the eyes of the several thousand spectating disciples in Fushan Square were all focused on the twenty-seven steadfast figures in the preliminary competition area.

Although they couldn’t truly feel the terrifying pressure of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, they could guess at its intensity from the expressions and postures of the competitors.

Every one of them held their breath, hardly daring to make a sound as they stared intently at the twenty-seven remaining competitors.

In the preliminary competition area, the space grew wider as most of the disciples were eliminated.

With fewer targets to spread out over, the Primordial Qi permeating the air became even more concentrated.

It was as if the Qi had transformed into heavy boulders, pressing down on the remaining twenty-seven Qi Eating Realm disciples and causing the pressure to increase severalfold.

After all, when hundreds of disciples had been gathered there, it would have been difficult even for Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan, a mighty expert of the Pill Realm, to control the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi with such intensity over such a large area.

Only Sect Leader Cao Zhen or the Seven Vein Peak Masters could have possibly managed it.

But now, with only twenty-some people left on the field, the area was much smaller. Ouyang Jingxuan could handle it with ease, allowing him to concentrate the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to a greater degree and apply it evenly across the remaining Qi Eating Realm disciples.

This was far easier than suppressing hundreds of disciples at once.

As the pressure mounted, another six Qi Eating Realm disciples failed to hold on, retreating from their squares with deathly pale faces.

In the end, only twenty-one figures remained standing on the field.

Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as lightning. It swept across the faces of the twenty-one disciples still standing before he gently lowered his arm.

The terrifying Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that had enveloped the area receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace.

Freed from the oppressive Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, the remaining Qi Eating Realm disciples all let out a long sigh of relief. Their tense bodies relaxed slightly, and many subconsciously raised a hand to wipe the sweat from their brow.

Then, Ouyang Jingxuan turned and walked to the side, beginning a quiet discussion with several Main Peak Stewards who were waiting there.

The initial ranking for the preliminary round, the order of the top twenty-one disciples, was to be determined by Ouyang Jingxuan’s comprehensive assessment of their performance during the test, based on their ability to resist pressure and the stability of their auras.

After all, at this level, the strength of these Qi Eating Realm disciples was already considerable; they were all talented disciples hand-picked by the Xuanzhen Sect.

In a one-on-one fight, any one of them was capable of crushing a Loose Cultivator expert of the same Qi Eating Realm.

For these future pillars of the sect, simply eliminating all of them with the pressure of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi would not only be exceedingly difficult, but it would also be very easy to lose control of the power and accidentally injure them.

Therefore, once a certain limit was reached, Ouyang Jingxuan had decisively stopped the pressure test. The final ranking would be determined entirely by his observations during the ordeal.

Before long, the dust settled on the ranking results.

Ouyang Jingxuan took the register from a Steward and carefully reviewed it.

After confirming it was correct, he took the list and strode toward the high platform to the north, preparing to present it to the Sect Leader and the Seven Vein Peak Masters for review before its official announcement to the entire sect.