Chapter 238 - 237: Rankings Shift Again

In the Central Continent’s Grand Court, the atmosphere had descended into a state of exhausted anticipation.

The Six Peerless Geniuses were violently exchanging positions on the Merit Rankings. Xuan Mingzhe had just cleared the fourth floor, his token count rocketing to an unbelievable 5100 merits. Jiang Wan and Ye Ao were locked in a desperate battle for second place, both sitting at 3830 and 3800 merits respectively, having just cleared their third floors.

Chu Kuang had finally found his rhythm, his Half-Step Transcendent aura carrying him through the first and second floors in rapid succession, pulling him out of the abyss and into the top ten with 2000 merits.

But the crowd’s eyes kept drifting back to the name that had stubbornly remained static for the past twenty minutes.

Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 2610 Merits.

"He is stuck," a Chu elder sneered loudly, pointing at the monolith. "I knew it! The Unshaken Guardian on the third floor has walled him! An Early-Stage cultivator simply does not have the Spiritual energy capacity to break a Fifth Step phantom. He will likely be expelled by the array soon to save his life."

"It was a good run for a Lower Division rat," a Jiang sword-master agreed, sipping his wine. "He provided a brief moment of entertainment. But the natural order of the heavens cannot be denied."

Lord Zhao Shenming stood at the railing of the Zhao pavilion, his knuckles white. He ignored the taunts of the surrounding pavilions. He knew Lin Yuan’s true cultivation. He knew Lin Yuan was at the Unshaken Stage. He knew the fight was a clash of equals.

Break it, Fellow Daoist, Lord Zhao prayed silently. Show them.

Bai Qingyue sat calmly, her eyes fixed entirely on the number four slot. She did not doubt him. Not for a single fraction of a second.

Suddenly, a resonant, crystal-clear chime shattered the ambient noise of the amphitheater.

It was a sound of unparalleled clarity, signifying a major floor conquest.

The massive jade monolith flared. The script burned with blinding intensity.

The names shifted violently. Ye Ao was pushed down. Jiang Wan was pushed down.

The crowd erupted in absolute pandemonium as the name locked into place, right beneath the tri-Dao legend.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 5100 Merits

2. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 3610 Merits

3. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 3830 Merits (Wait, array recalculating...)

A secondary chime rang out, correcting the descending order.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 5100 Merits

2. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 3610 Merits

3. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 3830...

The crowd collectively blinked as the monolith adjusted its layout. Lin Yuan had vaulted back into second place.

Wait. The math of the crowd short-circuited.

Jiang Wan had 3830. Ye Ao had 3800. Lin Yuan had 3610.

Lin Yuan was technically fourth in pure numbers. But the monolith temporarily highlighted his name, flashing it brightly in the second slot before settling it into its rightful position at number four.

MERIT RANKINGS (CURRENT)

1. Xuan Mingzhe (Xuan Province) - 5100 Merits

2. Jiang Wan (Jiang Province) - 3830 Merits

...

4. Lin Yuan (Zhao Province) - 3610....

But the brief visual glitch did not matter. What mattered was the number.

"Three thousand six hundred and ten!"

"He cleared the third floor! He killed an Unshaken Guardian!"

"An Early-Stage cultivator defeated a Fifth Step phantom! The disparity is literally impossible! He is breaking the tournament!"

The Upper Division elites were in a state of absolute denial. To accept that a Lower Division nobody could bridge a two-step gap in Dao Resolve and emerge victorious was to admit that their entire hierarchical supremacy was flawed.

"He must possess a supreme, heaven-defying artifact!" the Chu Patriarch roared, spittle flying from his lips. "It is the only logical explanation! He is relying on external tools to compensate for his pathetic foundation!"

Lord Zhao threw his head back and laughed, a booming, arrogant sound that carried easily over the Chu Patriarch’s rant.

"Are tools not part of a cultivator’s fortune?!" Lord Zhao shouted back, relishing the utter devastation of the Upper Division’s pride. "If your geniuses possess superior foundations, why are they allowing a man with ’pathetic’ roots to match their pace?! Face the truth, Central Continent! You are watching a true expert ascend!"

Bai Qingyue smiled, her heart swelling with an ocean of pride.

Inside the Nine-Tiered Sky, completely insulated from the screaming chaos of the outside world, Lin Yuan stepped through the portal.

He emerged onto the fourth floor.

The environment shifted drastically once again. He stood upon a massive, floating platform of pure, white marble, suspended in the center of an endless, swirling vortex of violent spatial energy. There were no walls, no ceiling, only the terrifying, boundless expanse of the void surrounding him.

The ambient atmospheric pressure here was staggering. It felt as though a physical mountain was pressing down upon his shoulders.

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Profound Stage, his mind analyzed, recognizing the fundamental shift in the realm’s laws. The Sixth Step of Dao Resolve.

This was the domain of the true elites. The gap between the Unshaken Stage (Fifth Step) and the Profound Stage (Sixth Step) was considered a major bottleneck in the cultivation world. It was the transition from a stable, unyielding foundation to a foundation that could actively manipulate and warp the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

At the far end of the floating marble platform, the golden spatial vortex began to funnel inward.

A figure slowly materialized.

It was an entity clad in ornate, flowing robes of liquid gold. It did not wield a physical weapon. Instead, it hovered a few inches above the marble floor, six glowing orbs of distinct, elemental Qi orbiting its body like minor moons.

Its eyes opened. They were not pitch-black voids, but glowing, intricate mandalas of profound complexity.

The fourth Phantom Guardian looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan did not draw his sword immediately. He stood at the edge of the platform, his robes whipping violently in the spatial winds.

He gazed at the Profound Stage entity, feeling the heavy, suffocating pressure of a higher realm pressing against his foundation. But his Dao Heart did not waver. The tri-colored Rebirth essence pulsed steadily within his chest, waiting to be unleashed.

Lin Yuan allowed a slow, chilling smile to spread across his face.

The warm-up was officially over. The true slaughter was about to begin.