Chapter 512 - 176: Preliminary Performance and Initial Ranking (Part 2)

Lin Ziheng’s performance, however, surprised Yang Jing a little.

He remembered that Lin Ziheng hadn’t been ranked on the Spirit Tide Dragon and Tiger List, had rarely participated in the Cyan Qilin Battle, and usually kept a low profile on the peak. He hadn’t expected him to last so long under this kind of pressure.

Yang Jing glanced to the side and saw that Lin Ziheng’s face was slightly flushed, with fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Yet his breathing was still steady and his posture ramrod straight. He looked surprisingly composed; holding on for a while longer shouldn’t be a problem for him.

Although Yang Jing was somewhat surprised by Lin Ziheng’s performance, upon further reflection, it also made sense.

After all, Lin Ziheng hailed from a top-tier family in Jintai Prefecture City, one whose power and influence surpassed even the Yuwen Family’s.

Coming from a great family with such a profound heritage, as long as he wasn’t completely useless himself, his foundational strength was bound to be decent, built up by a steady stream of resources.

Moreover, Yang Jing had noticed that Fang He, Ma Qiang, and Yan Chenglong usually treated Lin Ziheng with great importance. Their attitude when interacting with him was far more serious than with other Inner Strength Realm disciples, completely devoid of any carelessness.

This showed that Lin Ziheng was no good-for-nothing scion who relied on his family’s power to coast through life. He definitely had some extraordinary skills of his own.

Yang Jing withdrew his gaze and turned toward Fang He and Yan Chenglong, who were not far to his side.

He saw the two of them still standing as steady as pine trees, their expressions as calm as ever. There wasn’t a hint of anxiety in their eyes; in fact, they looked quite relaxed.

But this was to be expected. After all, for experts at the Qi Eating Realm, the pressure Ouyang Jingxuan was currently releasing was nothing to speak of.

Their Inner Qi was far denser than that of the Inner Strength Realm disciples, and their bodies had been tempered to a deeper level, so naturally, they could handle it with ease.

Time ticked by, second by second. Ouyang Jingxuan’s palm continued to press down, slowly but visibly, and the worldly pressure blanketing the clearing grew heavier with it.

In the clearing, more and more disciples could no longer hold on. Their legs gave out, and they collapsed heavily onto the bluestone ground. Their bodies rolled uncontrollably out of their squares, marking their complete elimination from the preliminary round.

These eliminated disciples were all as pale as paper. Some even had faint traces of blood at the corners of their mouths, their eyes filled with indignation and disappointment.

Most of them had never dreamed of making it into the top twenty. They had entered this competition mainly to use the opportunity of the grand tournament to perform well, hoping to be noticed by the Elders of the Main Peak and be selected for the sect’s list of disciples to be specially cultivated.

But now, they hadn’t even made it into the top two hundred. They were eliminated without even reaching the threshold of the main competition, so how could they possibly catch the Elders’ eyes? It was safe to say that all the various benefits of the Fushan Grand Tournament were now completely out of their reach. How could anyone be content with such an outcome?

Of course, a few disciples collapsed to the ground, let out a long sigh, and showed expressions of immense relief.

The overwhelming pressure just now had made it difficult for them to even breathe. It felt as if a giant boulder was crushing their chests, nearly suffocating them.

Now that they were eliminated, the pressure vanished in an instant. It was like they were on the verge of drowning, only to suddenly break the surface and gulp down fresh air. A feeling of pure relief washed over their entire bodies.

Yang Jing’s gaze slowly swept across the clearing. He looked at the figures still gritting their teeth and holding on, then at the disciples being continuously eliminated. He now had a general understanding of the situation.

By now, he estimated that only about two hundred disciples were still standing steadily within their squares.

To have lasted this long under such terrifying worldly pressure, these disciples could all be considered quite outstanding among the Inner Sect disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect.

After a dozen or so breaths, another disciple fell.

At that moment, the number of disciples standing in the clearing dwindled to exactly two hundred. Several Main Peak Stewards scattered throughout the area immediately sprang into action. They took out their prepared rosters, and with the rustling sound of pen nibs gliding across paper, they quickly recorded the names of the top two hundred disciples.

But the preliminary round did not stop there. Ouyang Jingxuan’s palm continued its slow descent, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi seemed to be twisted by an unseen force into even heavier shackles.

The immense pressure did not weaken. Instead, it grew even more violent, clearly intended to test the limits of these qualifying disciples.

On the high platform, Cao Zhen, the Sect Leader of Xuanzhen Sect, sat in the main seat, flanked by the Seven Vein Peak Masters. All their gazes were focused on the preliminary competition grounds below.

Their attention did not linger on all the disciples, but instead locked onto the twenty-seven disciples who were in the Qi Eating Realm.

To break through to the Qi Eating Realm at such a young age signified a talent and potential that far surpassed their peers. Naturally, they were the future focus of the sect’s cultivation efforts. One could even say that these individuals were directly tied to the future rise and fall of the Xuanzhen Sect.

And because of the high-stakes wager just made between Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, and Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang, the gazes of the Xuanzhen Sect’s upper echelons held an extra degree of focus on Yang Jing.

They carefully observed the handsome, upright figure in the white robe. They saw that his expression remained serious, his back was as straight as a pine, and his breathing was even and steady. The aura around him showed no sign of disorder; he was completely free of the distress one would expect from being under such pressure.

This, too, was within their expectations.

After all, for experts in the Qi Eating Realm, while the pressure Ouyang Jingxuan was currently releasing from the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was enough to make Inner Strength Realm disciples collapse, it was far from enough to faze them. It was only natural that they could withstand it with ease.