Chapter 235 - 234: Shift in Rankings

A swirling, sapphire-blue vortex materialized at the far end of the magma river, a staircase of starlight leading upward to the third floor.

Lin Yuan did not hesitate. He began his ascent.

Outside, in the absolute center of the Central Continent’s Grand Court, the atmosphere was spiraling into a state of sheer madness.

The colossal jade monolith hovered above the tens of thousands of cultivators, its script burning like a beacon.

A loud chime echoed across the amphitheater.

Every eye snapped toward the massive stone.

The name occupying the sixth slot—which had only recently vaulted into the thousands—shimmered and violently updated.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 2610 Merits

2. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 1100 Merits

3. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 830 Merits

4. Ye Ao (Ye Province) - 800 Merits

5. Feng Yao (Feng Province) - 700 Merits

...

... Chu Kuang (Chu Province) - 0 Merits

The amphitheater erupted.

"Two thousand six hundred and ten merits!"

"He cleared the second floor! He cleared a Resolute Guardian!"

"How much time has passed?! It hasn’t even been fifteen minutes since they entered the pagoda!"

"Is the Zhao Province hiding a monster?! How is an Early-Stage cultivator tearing through Resolute phantoms like wet paper?!"

In the Zhao Province pavilion, Lord Zhao Shenming slammed his hand down on the table, throwing his head back and letting out a roar of absolute, vindicated laughter. Beside him, Bai Chen was jumping up and down, grabbing the shoulders of the bewildered Zhao elders and shaking them in sheer joy.

Bai Qingyue sat calmly in her wheelchair, her serene smile never wavering. She looked at the top of the monolith, her heart swelling with an ocean of pride. Keep climbing, my husband, she whispered to the wind.

But the jubilation was abruptly cut short.

Another chime rang out. This one possessed a heavier, more resonant feel.

The script on the monolith flared violently.

The name at the number two spot—Xuan Mingzhe, the undisputed, tri-Dao legend of the Central Continent—suddenly blurred. The numbers beside his name began to spin with terrifying, blinding speed.

It did not stop at two thousand. It did not stop at three thousand.

It slammed into place with a heavy thud that seemed to vibrate the very tectonic plates of Sky Jade City.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 4100 Merits

2. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 2610 Merits

3. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 830 Merits

...

A collective gasp of absolute awe swept over the Upper Division pavilions.

"Four thousand one hundred!" a Xuan Province elder screamed, tears of zealous pride streaming down his face. "The Young Master has cleared the second, third, and fourth floors simultaneously!"

"He bypassed them!" another elder shouted, understanding the might of the tri-Dao legend. "Xuan Mingzhe’s spatial Dao Intent is so profound he must have shattered the spatial boundaries between the floors, engaging multiple Guardians at once!"

"That is the power of a Half-Step Soul Transformation expert!" the Xuan Patriarch boasted, his chest puffed out like a peacock. "Let the Zhao rat enjoy his momentary view of the peak! The true monarch has returned to his throne!"

The monolith chimed again, twice in rapid succession.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 4100 Merits

2. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 2830 Merits

3. Ye Ao (Ye Province) - 2800 Merits

4. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 2610 Merits

5. Feng Yao (Feng Province) - 1700 Merits

...

Jiang Wan, the sword genius of the Wan Jian Sword Sect, had cleared his second and third floors. Ye Ao, the savage beast-tamer, had done the same, crushing his way into third place. Feng Yao had casually dismissed the first floor, hovering quietly in fifth.

Lin Yuan had been pushed down to fourth place.

The Upper Division elites cheered, their fragile, shattered egos rapidly repairing themselves as the established hierarchy of the Six Peerless Geniuses reasserted its dominance over the board.

"Order is restored!" a Jiang Province sword-master laughed, raising a cup of wine to the sky. "The Lower Division cultivator got a head start, but he cannot maintain the pace! The third floor houses an Unshaken Guardian! An Early-Stage cultivator cannot bridge the gap to the Fifth Step! He will be walled there until the trial ends!"

But in the Chu Province pavilion, there was no cheering.

The Chu Patriarch, Chu Wuhai, was pacing like a caged tiger. He glared at the absolute bottom of the monolith, his eyes burning with a desperate rage.

"Where is he?!" Chu Wuhai snarled. "Why has he not cleared a floor?! He is Half-Step Transcendent! He should be tearing through the first five floors in a single breath!"

Finally, a faint, solitary chime rang out.

The name at the bottom section of the list flickered.

...

7. Chu Kuang (Chu Province) - 1000 Merits

A collective sigh of relief washed over the Chu delegation.

"He cleared the first floor," a cultivator breathed out.

But Chu Wuhai slammed his fist into a stone pillar, shattering it instantly. "One floor?! It took him this long to clear a pathetic Steadfast Guardian?! What is he doing in there?! He should be at three thousand merits by now! He is squandering his ascension!"

Unbeknownst to the screaming crowds outside, the pace of the Nine-Tiered Sky was entirely subjective. Some cultivators relied on brute force, shattering the Guardians in seconds. Others engaged in prolonged, tactical duels, testing their limits against the flawless martial programming of the ancient echoes.

And for Lin Yuan, the third floor was not a hurdle to be bypassed. It was an opportunity to finally test the absolute depth of his foundation against an equal.

Lin Yuan stepped through the sapphire-blue vortex and onto the third floor.

....

A/N: Thank you so much for reading this far! From now on, I’ll be increasing the number of Chapters released, so there will be more content coming your way.

I truly appreciate every Golden Ticket, Power Stone, and gift you’ve given the story. Your support means a lot to me.

Also, I’d love to hear your overall thoughts on the story so far. I know many of you are wondering how long it will take before Lin Yuan finishes the tournament and heals Bai Qingyue.

Don’t worry, it won’t take too long.

And yes, Bai Qingyue will be healed. Once this first phase of the story comes to an end, the story will move into a new stage, where Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue will begin making their presence known and shaking the entire cultivation world together.

We’re only getting started!