Chapter 489 - 487: Top 3

The overwhelming speed and power made Mu Junjie’s expression darken. He hadn’t expected Lin Xuan to possess such terrifying strength and astonishing speed.

He hadn’t used his full strength, but he had used most of it. Who would have thought it wouldn’t injure Lin Xuan in the slightest? Instead, he was the one who got hurt. If it weren’t for the Divine Artifact Clothing he was wearing, he really would have been severely wounded. The overwhelming force of that punch still left a dull ache in his chest.

"How does it feel?" Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "But that clothing of yours is really tough. If it weren’t for that, you probably wouldn’t be able to get back up."

"Ridiculous!" Mu Junjie, naturally unwilling to admit defeat, retorted with a sneer, "I only used half my strength just now. You won’t be so lucky next time!"

His aura surged, rapidly climbing to its peak. He was indeed much stronger than before. An astonishing power erupted from within him, and from the aura he emanated, one could sense the Essence Blood of an Ape King. The Ape King was also a type of Divine Beast, possessing infinite strength. Although it was inferior to Dragon Blood, the difference wasn’t too great overall.

Judging from this astonishing display, Mu Junjie’s power was incredibly formidable. He could unleash over a million jin of force at any moment—enough to shatter the heavens and sunder the earth.

"Next time?" Lin Xuan shook his head and smiled. "You won’t get another chance..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he immediately unleashed the Spirit God Technique. An incomparably potent Soul Power enveloped Mu Junjie. The formless energy was completely invisible. Before Mu Junjie could even react, he felt a powerful and unmatched Soul Power invade him, bombarding his mind in a frenzy.

He only felt a deafening roar in his mind as his consciousness instantly vanished. All awareness was gone; his mind was a complete blank.

And in that state of utter senselessness, he truly fell into an eternal slumber, never to awaken again.

At the same moment his consciousness vanished, Lin Xuan had already charged forward, smashing a fist toward his head. Like a watermelon, his head exploded from the punch. It was effortless.

The Divine Artifact Clothing protected his body, but it couldn’t protect his head. Thus, his greatest weakness was his exposed head.

After defeating Mu Junjie, Lin Xuan took all the valuables from his body; they were all treasures. ’No wonder killing and looting is the most profitable way to get rich.’ He had instantly acquired two Divine Artifacts, both of high quality.

Items that were rare in the outside world could be found everywhere here—provided, of course, that one could defeat their opponents. If you couldn’t even beat them, how could you even think of acquiring anything?

’Not bad. I’ve gained a ton of Tokens now, enough to break into the top three!’ A glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. He moved all the Tokens from the Storage Ring into his own. The moment they made contact with his original Token, the rankings on the crystal immediately changed!

「In Soaring Dragon City.」

Zi Yanqian was still brooding over the fact that his father had struck him. Elder De was even more pessimistic about Lin Xuan’s chances, believing his defeat was only a matter of time. However, only a short while had passed when, just as they were about to discuss something, the rankings on the crystal underwent a drastic change—

Lin Xuan, who had been in sixteenth place, shot up to third in one fell swoop! That’s right, third place. It stunned them all into silence; no one could utter a word.

Thankfully, Qing Deyun and the others had believed Lin Xuan could defeat Mu Junjie, but they were still profoundly shaken. This was the best result the Soaring Dragon Empire had ever achieved in its history! To be ranked third among so many empires full of geniuses—how could they not be both shocked and overjoyed?

This was an absolute surprise, a massive one, causing their faces to flush red as they grew excited all over again.

"Lin Xuan really broke into the top three! Heavens, the top three! Forget the quarterfinals, he’ll probably have no problem getting into the finals!" Qing Deyun said in shock.

"Yes! I knew Brother Lin could make it into the top ten! If there were more time, he might have even taken first place!" Lin Xue was ecstatic. She knew her man was no ordinary person.

In the Soaring Dragon Empire, Lin Xuan was a living legend, but this achievement was a direct result of his hard work. If he hadn’t faced countless life-and-death situations and various crises, how could he possibly have climbed to such heights?

In contrast, Zi Yanyun’s expression turned ugly. If his own son had just shown a little more spine, he could have made it to the quarterfinals. He wouldn’t dare dream of the finals, but reaching the quarterfinals should have been effortless. As long as they entered the quarterfinals, the Bu Family would have bestowed rewards upon them. Divine Artifacts and Elixir Pills would have flowed like water.

Zi Yanqian’s face turned just as ugly. He muttered, "This... how is this possible...? He really defeated the one from the Celestial Successor Empire. For years, no one has been able to beat their champion; they always take the top spot... Lin Xuan really defeated him!?"

"Look at how pathetic you are!" Zi Yanyun snorted coldly, his expression grim. Deserting in the face of the enemy was the most loathsome act of all.

If everyone had fled back, it would be one thing. But now, with only Zi Yanqian having run away while Lin Xuan emerged victorious, how could they not feel awkward?

When Lin Xuan returned, how could they possibly face him? Right now, they were too ashamed to even look at Qing Deyun and his group.

"He really won, and even broke into the top three..." A look of joy spread across Elder De’s face, and he completely forgot his previous pessimistic words. He exclaimed excitedly, "At this rate, he can really make it into the finals!"

Why make such a judgment? The reasoning was simple. Anyone capable of breaking into the top three couldn’t be weak, especially someone who could win against the Celestial Successor Empire. What reason was there to think he couldn’t make it to the finals?

Unless his luck was catastrophically bad, he was guaranteed to enter the finals.

...

"What? Mu Junjie was defeated!?" The Great Emperor of the Celestial Successor Empire slammed his hand on his chair, shattering it to pieces. He stared in shock at the name displayed on the crystal. "This... Who in the world is this person from the Soaring Dragon Empire!?"

Everyone in the Celestial Successor Empire was in an uproar. Who would have ever thought the Soaring Dragon Empire could actually climb so high?

It wasn’t just the Celestial Successor Empire; the Yan Family—a top family that had been guaranteed a spot in the top four of the preliminaries—was also stunned.

"Our man was taken out just like that?" Elder Yan Jingyun of the Yan Family wore an ugly expression. They had spent so many resources, only for their candidate to be defeated in the preliminaries—and killed, no less. How could they not be furious? "Find out everything about this person from the Soaring Dragon Empire, now!"

It wasn’t just them. The Su Family was also in an uproar, and all the Super Races were stunned. In fact, every Empire was stunned. An empire that hadn’t even broken into the top fifty for so many years had now surged into the top three. How could they not be shocked?

This time, Lin Xuan was destined to attract attention. Which meant that the quarterfinals would be fraught with danger!