Chapter 406 - 149: Ranking
Yang Jing’s expression grew solemn as he fell into thought.
’This Yuwen Mingjue is certainly a strong contender for first place in the Cyan Qilin Battle.’
’His strength is truly not to be underestimated.’
’If I were to face him, what would the outcome be?’
He shook his head. There was no way to know the answer to that question right now.
After all, he had only used sixty to seventy percent of his power in the strength assessment. Yuwen Mingjue had clearly held back as well. Only a real fight on the platform could determine who was superior.
’But if Yuwen Mingjue is already this powerful, just how monstrously strong are Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang, who are said to be even stronger?’
A shiver of apprehension went through Yang Jing.
He remembered Lin Ziheng telling him that those two were the undisputed champions of the Cyan Qilin Battle. Their strength far surpassed other disciples of the same rank, putting them in a league entirely of their own compared to the other contestants.
At this thought, Yang Jing couldn’t help but breathe a secret sigh of relief.
Thankfully, those two had accepted a sect mission that took them away, so they couldn’t participate in this Cyan Qilin Battle. Otherwise, with his current foundation, he likely wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
Yang Jing had never considered himself a battle-crazed martial arts fanatic. He wasn’t a fool; he would never regret missing the chance to fight top masters. On the contrary, he was grateful to have avoided those two insurmountable obstacles.
He was participating in the Cyan Qilin Battle for the sect’s rewards, for the resources that would let him improve his strength faster, and to maximize his own gains—not simply to pick fights and act tough.
As Yuwen Mingjue descended from the Cyan Qilin Platform, his gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Yang Jing. The corner of his mouth curled into a slight, contemptuous smirk.
That condescending air, as if victory were already in his grasp, caused Yang Jing’s brow to furrow almost imperceptibly.
He couldn’t be bothered with the other man’s provocation and simply turned his gaze back to the Cyan Qilin Platform.
The strength assessment continued. After all the disciples from Yunxi Peak had finished, it was the turn of the final peak: Fen Yang Peak.
Fen Yang Peak had sent five disciples to compete, each one impressively strong. One of them even snapped a giant python’s spine with a kick, earning rousing cheers from the audience below.
As the final disciple from Fen Yang Peak knocked down the black bear beast with a Heavy Fist, the clamor around the Cyan Qilin Platform gradually died down.
With that, the strength assessment phase of the Cyan Qilin Battle was officially over.
The eyes of every competing and spectating disciple turned in unison toward the judging area at the side of the Cyan Qilin Platform.
There, several white-haired Main Peak Elders sat in the center, flanked by the Stewards of the various peaks. They were huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, clearly deliberating on the rankings of the thirty-six competitors based on their performances in the assessment.
After only a few moments, the hushed discussion at the judges’ table came to a halt.
The Main Peak Elders exchanged glances and nodded slightly. The final rankings had clearly been decided.
Soon, the rankings were ready.
A solemn-faced Main Peak Steward dressed in blue martial attire strode onto the Cyan Qilin Platform.
His posture was as straight as a pine tree. As soon as he stood in the center of the platform, he exuded an imposing aura of natural authority.
All eyes fell upon the Main Peak Steward.
The area around the Cyan Qilin Platform instantly fell silent.
The competing disciples wore varied expressions; some were nervous, others calm.
The spectators held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on the Steward on the platform.
The Main Peak Steward cleared his throat. His sharp gaze slowly swept over the competitors from each peak below. Channeling his Inner Strength, he announced the rankings of the strength assessment in a booming voice:
"The rankings for the strength assessment of this Cyan Qilin Battle are as follows—"
"First place, Yunxi Peak, Yuwen Mingjue!"
"Second place, Celestial Derivation Peak, Zhao Chong!"
"Third place, Thunder Peak, Qin Wenbao!"
"Fourth place, Main Peak, Lin Chunyu!"
"Fifth place, Zhenyue Peak, Zhou Tong!"
"Sixth place, Fen Yang Peak, Wang Lie!"
The Steward announced one name after another. As the top ten names were called out, cheers would erupt from the disciples of the corresponding peak each time.
Soon, the announcer moved past the top ten.
"Eleventh place, Lingxi Peak, Chen Xuexiang!"
...
"Thirteenth place, Lingxi Peak, Zhang Hengyi!"
...
"Seventeenth place, Lingxi Peak, Yang Jing!"
Yang Jing’s heart stirred when he heard his ranking. The position wasn’t high, but it wasn’t low either.
The Steward’s voice continued, reading one name after another until the very end—
"Thirty-sixth place, Qingxu Peak, Li Shi Yu!"
Li Shi Yu, whose name had just been called, flushed beet-red. Although the ranking in the strength assessment phase wasn’t crucial, being dead last was still mortifying. Worse still, he was now slated to fight the first-place ranker, Yuwen Mingjue.
No matter how conceited he was, he knew he was no match for Yuwen Mingjue. His elimination was all but certain.