Chapter 107: Fishing

Roar!

After the dragon-shaped phantom on the geniuses listed on the Qianlong List had completely stabilized, the eight-zhang-two dragon-shaped phantom outside the body of Sikong Sheng, the eldest disciple of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain, instantly roared.

Subsequently, the dragon-shaped phantoms outside the bodies of Yan Chihuo, Lin Yun, Li Daoxuan, and others also roared one after another.

Immediately following were the other geniuses, and finally it was the turn of the dragon-shaped phantoms on the bodies of the many geniuses participating in the Genius Battle for the first time.

The larger the dragon-shaped phantom, the stronger the roar naturally was, and at the same time the Dragon Vein Qi was even more vigorous.

However, the final match had not yet begun; the remaining seventy-two geniuses all needed to fight one by one against the other seventy-one geniuses, and the process of fighting was simultaneously the process of plundering Dragon Vein Qi.

Only by defeating all opponents could one sit on the throne of the number one spot on the Qianlong List!

At this moment, the ranking match had not yet started; when the many listed geniuses looked at each other, endless battle intent had already surfaced in their eyes.

After all, no one would be willing to become a stepping stone for others; they each wanted to obtain a better ranking and more Dragon Vein Qi.

And the strongest among them, Lin Yun, Yan Chihuo, Li Daoxuan, and others, were even thinking of competing with Sikong Sheng, the number one on last year's Qianlong List, whose strength was unfathomable!

Tuoba Ku, who had finally been defeated by Pang Bo, glanced at Sikong Sheng, the eldest disciple of Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain, and then looked in the direction where Ye Chen and others were located.

In his eyes, Sikong Sheng's strength was absolutely terrifying; even he was unlikely to last a few moves under Sikong Sheng's hands.

According to reason, such a Sikong Sheng should have undoubtedly taken the first place in this year's Genius Battle.

But in Tuoba Ku's perception, he actually felt an immense threat, even not weaker than Sikong Sheng's, on Ye Chen and the others.

Yes!

Not one person, but several people!

Pang Bo, who had defeated him before, needless to say; he even felt that Pang Bo was still holding back a portion of his strength;

As for Ye Chen, who had fought him by chance originally, he was equally incredibly mysterious in his heart;

And Meng Huan, who had first emerged and stood alongside him; he even felt that the other party had treated this Qianlong List competition as a game;

Han Li, who had also defeated Mo Yan; although he had not fought the other party, he also felt an extremely strong threat on the other party;

As for the last one, Xiao Yan, although he looked utterly unremarkable, Tuoba Ku could feel an incredibly terrifying flame aura on the other party; once unleashed, it would even be enough to burn the sky and boil the seas!

"There are simply too many experts!"

Even though Tuoba Ku's personality was quite bold, he could not help but feel some pressure in his heart at this moment.

Not to mention those people he had just felt immense pressure from, even Yan Chihuo, Li Daoxuan, Lin Yun, and even Murong Qingcheng and the others, he did not have absolute confidence to win!

"But this is just how it should be!"

Tuoba Ku thought silently in his heart: "Even if there are more experts, I, Tuoba Ku, must carve out a bloody path!"

On another martial arts platform.

Bing Ling, who had already recovered to her peak state with the help of the Bingjue Sect and Dragon Vein Qi, looked at the other several powerful geniuses and could not help but frown slightly.

Before coming, her lowest goal was to enter the top three of the Qianlong List, and she even wanted to compete for first place.

But after being defeated by Ye Chen and seeing various geniuses emerge one after another, she now did not even have the confidence to compete for the top five.

And just as various thoughts flashed through the minds of the many geniuses, the chief referee, Luo Jiacheng, spoke again.

"I suppose after a whole day of fighting, everyone is already quite tired!"

Luo Jiacheng said loudly: "Next, you will have three days of rest; the final ranking match will begin three days later. I hope you can all adjust your state to the absolute peak by then!"

As soon as the words fell, the crowd of listed geniuses around them jumped down from the martial arts platform one after another and walked towards their respective sects; Pang Bo and others naturally returned to the place where the Liuyun Sect was located.

And the martial artists around, upon seeing Pang Bo and others all walking towards the direction of the Liuyun Sect, could not help but feel somewhat surprised.

Even many eighth-rank and seventh-rank sects began to find ways to inquire about Pang Bo and others' information.

Two days later, outside the gate of the courtyard where the Liuyun Sect group was located.

"Brother, I really didn't lie to you!"

Pang Bo put his arm around the shoulder of a young genius, appearing to get along extremely well with the other party, and then said with a smile: "We really are all from the Liuyun Sect; if you don't believe it, just go check the information we filled out before the match!"

"What? You say it's impossible for the Liuyun Sect to have so many geniuses?"

"You just don't know this, do you!"

Pang Bo continued: "Actually, the reason we are so powerful is entirely because when we previously left the sect to wander, we accidentally entered an ancient inheritance place; there were many precious techniques and treasures there. No, look!"

Saying this, Pang Bo quickly took out a copy of the Tai Xuan Gong he had borrowed from Ye Chen earlier from his bosom.

"See?"

Pang Bo flipped open a page of the technique for the other party to glance at: "Tai Xuan Gong, a Grade Earth intermediate technique, divided into eleven layers; after cultivating to the highest realm, one can even refine a supreme true yuan in the Baoyuan realm that only a Xingji realm expert can possess!"

"Techniques like this are everywhere in that inheritance place; there are even many Grade Earth top-tier techniques! We all cultivated those Grade Earth top-tier techniques, which is why we have such powerful strength now!"

"To tell you the truth, many people have come to inquire about our information these past few days. I have never mentioned this before; it is only because I feel a kinship with you, brother, and you supported me with so many spirit stones, that I am willing to tell you this news!"

"You ask if I still remember that ancient inheritance place? Of course I remember; there are still several spirit fruits that have not fully grown there; how could I forget?"

Watching Pang Bo deceive people outside the courtyard gate, Xiao Yan and others also began to chat idly in the chat group.

【Xiao Yan: Brother Pang is fishing again!】

【Han Li: This is already the third one today; Brother Pang got quite a few spirit stones this time. We'll have to make him pay up heavily later!】

【Yue Buqun: Brother Pang Bo's idea is truly... unique!】

Originally, after the elimination round ended, many people noticed that Pang Bo and others were familiar with each other, so someone soon came to inquire about information indirectly.

Originally, under Han Li's suggestion, everyone planned to be slightly low-key.

But Pang Bo suddenly asked Lu Qingshan if he could go fishing.

Lu Qingshan had come across this Secondary inter-realm travel originally to relax a bit, and then gather with a few group members.

Moreover, after Pang Bo and others finished the final ranking match, it would surely attract the attention of those Liupin Sects; at that time, they naturally could not just pack up and leave, leaving all the trouble for Ye Chen.

So Lu Qingshan agreed to Pang Bo's idea, and thus the scene just now happened.

【Xiao Yan: I wonder how many people will attack us this time?】

【Pang Bo: I hope a few experts of the Spirit Sea realm come; if only a few Life-and-Death realm kings would appear!】

Anyway, the group leader already said they could handle any trouble with a wave of their hand, so naturally, they were enjoying the spectacle and hoping for more chaos.

……

Meanwhile, in another room within the courtyard, a disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect named Luo Hanshan had already appeared before the sect master, Luo Xinglie.

"Father!"

Luo Hanshan said with considerable worry: "Ye Chen's junior brother, that friend named Pang Bo, is telling others again about the few of them discovering the location of an ancient inheritance!"

Hearing Luo Hanshan's words, Luo Xinglie could not help but show a trace of helplessness on his face.

In fact, when he first learned that Pang Bo and the others had written the sect's information as the Flowing Cloud Sect, Luo Xinglie was naturally extremely delighted at first.

After all, so many super geniuses appearing within the Flowing Cloud Sect, even if only as nominal members, were enough to raise the sect's fortune by a large margin.

However, as Pang Bo and the others performed more and more brilliantly in the elimination tournament, his heart began to become incredibly worried.

After all, the Flowing Cloud Sect is currently only a ninth-grade sect, and within the sect there is only one Supreme Elder of the Star Extreme realm.

If Pang Bo and the others merely performed well and managed to enter the Hidden Dragon List, even if they all ranked around thirtieth, the Flowing Cloud Sect would have the ability to protect them.

But with the strength displayed by Pang Bo and the others, even several of them possessed the capability to contend for the top ten, or even the top three; such talent was truly too unfathomable, which also made Luo Xinglie very worried about the safety of Ye Chen and his few friends after the Hidden Dragon List competition ended.

After all, they are currently only talented geniuses; encountering true Star Extreme realm experts who ambush them would definitely be very dangerous.

Therefore, before the elimination tournament had even ended, Luo Xinglie had already sent a message to the Flowing Cloud Sect's Supreme Elder, hoping the sect could dispatch experts to protect them and ensure their safe return to the sect.

But what he did not expect was that as soon as the elimination tournament ended, people quickly came to Pang Bo and the others to inquire about information, and Pang Bo, with no guard in his heart at all, spoke out about their entering a certain ancient inheritance location.

To be honest, when he first heard this news, Luo Xinglie's heart was also extremely tempted by that mysterious ancient inheritance location.

However, after considering it repeatedly, he still found Lu Qingshan and his group, reminding them to absolutely never speak of the ancient inheritance location again.

Besides that, Luo Xinglie had also proposed to Ye Fan that he wanted to trade a top-grade Earth-grade cultivation technique for the Flowing Cloud Sect, promising that the sect could pay any price.

But after hearing his words at that time, Ye Chen's friends all suddenly burst out laughing.

That one named Pang Bo even said he was a good person and had promised to give him one or two top-grade Earth-grade cultivation techniques in a while.

He was naturally somewhat stunned at the time, but only after Pang Bo mentioned the ancient inheritance location again to the person inquiring about information did he realize that Ye Chen's friends were absolutely not people who understood nothing; on the contrary, they had other plans.

As for the 'fishing' and 'group leader' and such terms they occasionally mentioned while chatting, although he did not understand them, he guessed that Lu Qingshan, the leader wearing the purple-gold long robe, was absolutely a super expert of immense strength, and perhaps had even crossed into the Spirit Sea realm!

With a super expert like Lu Qingshan present, he naturally had no need to worry about the safety of Ye Chen and the others anymore.

Thinking of this, Luo Xinglie quickly said: "Hanshan, you need not mind these matters; when you have free time, you can go along with Ye Chen and his friends to broaden your horizons; this will definitely be beneficial for you!"

"Yes, Father!" Luo Xinglie quickly nodded and said.

……

Time quickly arrived at the morning of the fourth day.

At this time, the spectator stands were already packed with a sea of people, with waves of sound reaching the sky.

And the six fighting platforms on the platform ahead had now completely merged into one, forming a massive fighting platform three hundred meters long and two hundred meters wide, and the surroundings were still covered by dark blue light curtains.

Just under the anticipation of the masses, the young generation who had broken into the Hidden Dragon List quickly walked in from the nine entrances around the fighting platform.

"The atmosphere is different!"

Ye Chen looked around and thought silently in his heart: "I wonder if I can still obtain the first place this time?"

For Sikong Sheng and others who had already been defeated by him in the original plot, Ye Chen naturally paid them no mind; what he truly cared about were Xiao Yan and the other group members.

Although Xiao Yan and the others had already suppressed their cultivation to a realm equivalent to the peak of the Embrace Origin realm, he still did not have absolute confidence to defeat each of the few group members one by one.

A moment later, the chief referee, Luo Jiacheng, quickly announced the competition rules.

The upcoming competition will be divided into seventy-one rounds, with thirty-six matches per round; every genius on the Hidden Dragon List must fight every other one of the seventy-one geniuses once, and then the final rankings will be selected.

Even for two geniuses who had already fought each other in the elimination tournament, they will fight again in this ranking competition, which also gives them a chance to turn defeat into victory.

As for the losing side in each battle, they will have a portion of their Dragon Vein Qi stolen by the victor!

And before the finals begin, the chief referee and the other twelve referees will vote together to select ten seed players with the strongest strength; these ten seed players will not fight each other in the initial battles, only meeting each other in the final nine rounds.

"Sikong Sheng must enter; in the previous Hidden Dragon List competition, no one was his opponent; it is hard to say if anyone can pose a threat to him this time!"

"Yan Chihuo and Lin Yun must also be selected; the aura on both of them is very strong, they have absolutely cultivated their main cultivation technique to a very deep realm!"

"Li Daoxuan must also be elected; he is a sword path genius who has raised his sword intent to sixty percent of the realm!"

"Ye Chen, Tuoba Ku, Pang Bo, Han Li, Meng Huan, these five should also be selected, right? Although they are all newcomers, they either defeated Mo Yan, the eldest disciple of the Flying Demon Sect, or defeated Bing Ling, a disciple of the Ice Absolute Sect!"

"Then there are too many newcomers among the top ten seed players this time!"

"What can be done? Who else but their five have strength that is extremely terrifying?"

"Then who is the tenth person? Should we select Bing Ling, the eldest disciple of the Ice Absolute Sect, or Mo Yan, the eldest disciple of the Flying Demon Sect?"

"Uh, actually, what I want to recommend is Murong Qingcheng, the second disciple of the Flying Demon Sect; in my opinion, her strength is only stronger than Mo Yan's, not weaker!"

"Then it will be even more chaotic! Choosing one among these three is truly difficult to decide!"

"Who else but this year's Hidden Dragon List competition suddenly sprouted so many experts? Otherwise, with the strength of these three, let alone being elected as one of the top ten seed players, even breaking into the top three would be very hopeful!"

"How about we select Murong Qingcheng? After all, Mo Yan and Bing Ling have already been defeated by others!"

"That is not appropriate! After all, Murong Qingcheng's ranking in the previous Hidden Dragon List competition was far inferior to Bing Ling and Mo Yan!"

"What does that matter? Ye Chen, Tuoba Ku and the others hadn't even participated in the previous Hidden Dragon List before!"

"Here is the plan: everyone votes directly; whoever gets the most votes becomes a seed player; as for other matters, they have nothing to do with us!"

"Very well! I choose Murong Qingcheng!"

"I choose Mo Yan!"

"I choose Bing Ling!"

Finally, among the thirteen votes including the chief referee, Murong Qingcheng received six votes, Bing Ling received four votes, and Mo Yan received only three votes!

Finally, the ten seed players were successfully selected: Sikong Sheng, Yan Chihuo, Li Daoxuan, Lin Yun, Murong Qingcheng, Tuoba Ku, Ye Chen, Pang Bo, Han Li, and Meng Huan.

Notably, disciples of the Liupin Sect, who in past years had claimed eight or nine of the Top Ten Seed Candidates, now accounted for only half of the Top Ten, and among these Top Ten Seed Candidates, four hailed from a single Nine-Pin Sect—a fact that was simply too bizarre.

Among those selected, Sikong Sheng and the others showed little reaction, since all of them had been chosen.

Meanwhile, Bing Ling, Mo Yan, and Qian Yun, the Second Disciple of the Lady Luoxia Sect, who had not been selected, all wore expressions of bitter resentment.

Especially Qian Yun!

He had achieved a perfect record in the earlier elimination rounds, so for him, not being named a Top Ten Seed Candidate was an outright disgrace.

"Even Seed Candidates aren't guaranteed to rank in the top ten!"

Qian Yun's expression turned dark, and he silently vowed within: "Wait and see—I'll make all of you regret not choosing me as a Top Ten Seed Candidate! And those disciples from the Nine-Pin Sects—what's so special about them? They just happened to stumble into an ancient inheritance site. How could their foundation compare to mine, the Lady Luoxia Sect?"

"They defeated Mo Yan only because Mo Yan is utterly worthless. When I face them, I'll crush them one by one!"

On the other side, the Ice Absolute Sect's Sect Master and its core elders were deeply dissatisfied upon learning that Bing Ling had not been selected as a Top Ten Seed Candidate.

After all, among the current Top Ten Seed Candidates, only Ye Chen had defeated Bing Ling; aside from Sikong Sheng, everyone else's outcome against her remained uncertain.

Of course, no matter how displeased they were, they would not interfere with the judges' decisions, since the judges had been jointly chosen by the Yugeda Sects.

Thus, the Ice Absolute Sect's Sect Master could only turn to Bing Ling and urge: "Bing Ling, you must bring honor to our sect and restore our Ice Absolute Sect's dignity!"

"Rest assured, Sect Master!"

Though she had little confidence within, Bing Ling spoke with great seriousness: "I will give it my all!"

(End of Chapter)