Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao

This was indeed the truth. In the previous tournament, Huai Jian had astonished everyone with his sword, carving through his opponents in an unstoppable surge to triumph. Not only had he achieved an easy victory for the Eternal Dragon Academy, but he had even suppressed nine powerful opponents without any trouble, winning the esteemed first place of the cultivators' ranking. No one could shake his firm standing as the most powerful competitor.

This time, it was rumored that Huai Jian had already reached the peak stage of the Eleventh Leaf of the Eighth Lotus. It was said that he would immediately advance to the Ninth Lotus, and become the disciple of a Heavenly Venerate after battling for the Eternal Dragon Academy.

Wu Ya and the others shook their heads in disappointment. Without You Yuan, where would they place this time?

Ling Han was very powerful, but he was only at the Third Leaf of the Eighth Lotus, after all. Moreover, he could only rely on his precious sword. However, the Thousand Academy Tournament prohibited the use of any external powers. Otherwise, if someone used an Ancestral King decree, and their opponent then did the same, what point would the tournament have?

Not only were competitors prohibited from drawing on external power, but they were even prohibited from wearing treasured armor. This was a competition that showcased cultivators' raw strength.

"Can we maintain our top-100 placing?" Qi Shuang asked in doubt.

There were only 100 or so monarch stars at the Eighth Lotus in the entire Foreign Realm. During the previous tournament, many of them had been at the Fifth Leaf or Sixth Leaf. Now, it was very likely that they had all reached the Tenth Leaf or Eleventh Leaf. Thus, Wu Ya and the others could only turn their attention to the academies without monarch stars. They could rely on their overall strength to defeat these academies.

"We'll try our best," Yuan said.

Who told them to lose You Yuan? With the loss of this supreme prodigy, they had also lost the core member of their team.

"What's the prize for the academy that comes first? What's the prize for the person who comes first?" Ling Han asked.

If it weren't for the prizes, why would he have come here? Of course, eating "chicken wings" was also a part of his motivation. Qi Shuang looked at him in astonishment. Didn't this person have ears? Or perhaps he had left his brain at home? He was still in the mood to ask about the prizes for coming first?

"It seems to be a Primordial Battle Beast," he replied. He still ended up answering Ling Han's question since the latter was a monarch star who was even more impressive than You Yuan. There would definitely come a moment where Ling Han astonished everyone else. In fact, he might even reach the same height as Huai Jian.

However, this thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Qi Shuang immediately shook his head. No one could compare to Huai Jian. The latter was a monarch star who had the greatest chance of becoming a Heavenly Venerate in the Foreign Realm in the past epoch. "As for the academy that comes first, their prize is more so that of pride and glory. They'll mainly receive points and Star Stones, and they'll also enjoy some Celestial medicines. Only the person who comes first in the individual rankings can obtain a Battle Beast," Yuan added. "According to rumors, that's indeed a Primordial Battle Beast. It was discovered by an Ancestral King in some mystery realm, and it still hasn't hatched yet."

This was Qi Shuang's first time hearing this news as well, and he couldn't help but be astonished as he said, "According to legends, Primordial Battle Beasts are all capable of becoming Ancestral Kings. Moreover, after a blood recognition ceremony, they'll never betray their master!"

"That's why it's so enticing!" Yuan shook his head with emotion. In this lifetime, they would never come close to becoming Ancestral Kings. However, someone would obtain an Ancestral-King-level beast pet. Sure enough, this was a painful comparison. "According to rumors, the Ancestral King didn't hatch this Battle Beast by himself, because he received an order from some Heavenly Venerate. The Heavenly Venerate wants to seize this opportunity to give Huai Jian a huge fortune," Yuan continued. His expression of envy grew even greater. Huai Jian was someone who possessed the great fortune of heaven and earth. He was superior to all monarch stars, and to belong to the same generation as he was nothing but misfortune.

Ling Han smiled upon hearing this. He wouldn't mind accepting such a powerful Battle Beast. If nothing else, it would at least appear impressive!

After all, had anyone ever witnessed a Celestial King or Ancestral King acting as a servant before?

No!

To reach this cultivation level meant that their grasp of Regulations was already equal to heaven and earth. Which of them wasn't proud and ambitious? How could they accept the humiliation of becoming a servant?

However, Battle Beasts were different. Before hatching them, one could use a drop of their blood to form a master-slave relationship. By doing so, the hatched Battle Beast would never betray their owner.

Ling Han decided to take this Battle Beast.

"Huai Jian, huh?" Ling Han brimmed with fighting spirit. This was a supreme prodigy who had trod all other monarch stars underfoot. His Evolution Index was probably approaching 11, right?

Ling Han yearned for a battle.

Peng! Right at this moment, a huge racket traveled over from the door.

"Where's You Yuan? Come out and battle me!" someone roared.

Everyone walked out from the hall, only to see a young man standing in the courtyard. This was a demon whose skin was so red that it was almost black. He had a pair of horns on his head, and he was almost three meters tall. His arms were bare, and they were riddled with symbols. He didn't look like a person, and he instead looked like a War Soldier.

"Sen Ping!" Upon seeing this person, the pupils of the disciples from the Hundred Battles Academy contracted. Apprehension spread across their faces.

Sen Ping was a prodigy from the Magnificent Equal Academy. He was also a monarch star, and in the previous Thousand Academy Tournament, it was none other than him who had lost to You Yuan. It was due to that defeat that his academy had ranked beneath the Hundred Battles Academy.

He had been unreconciled to that loss, so he was now running over before the Thousand Academy Tournament even began. He was itching to have a rematch with You Yuan.

Sen Ping swept his gaze across everyone, and it was clear that he couldn't give a toss about them. Even the two elites at the Third Leaf of the Ninth Lotus couldn't attract his attention. He humphed, and said, "Since when did You Yuan become such a coward?" "Impudence!" Qi Shuang roared.

Boom!

His roar materialized, transforming into a wave that surged toward Sen Ping.

Peng!

Sen Ping threw a punch, instantly shattering the sound wave. He wore a haughty expression, saying, "Am I wrong?" "Eleventh Leaf!"

They all exclaimed in shock. Even though Qi Shuang hadn't unleashed his full power, how could an Eighth Lotus cultivator block the attack of a Ninth Lotus elite? Unless… they were at the Eleventh Leaf of the Eighth Lotus, shattering the barrier between the two tiers. They possessed the strength of Ninth Lotus elites, so they could naturally block the attacks of Ninth Lotus elites. Sure enough, the monarch stars from the previous tournament had all advanced in leaps and bounds, reaching the Eleventh Leaf. How could the other monarch tiers rival such powerful prodigies?

Even though Wu Ya, Xun Feng, and the others had reached the Seventh Leaf and Eighth Leaf, what did it matter? This was an insurmountable gulf.

Qi Shuang suppressed the anger in his mind, and he said, "You Yuan has already died."

"Impossible!" Sen Ping immediately roared, his expression also changing.

He was hellbent on avenging his defeat, and he was determined to surpass his rival. It was also because of this ambition and motivation that he had been able to soar from the Fourth Leaf to the Eleventh Leaf in just one million years. However, just as he was about to realize his dream, he was met with such shocking news?

You Yuan had died!

How was this possible?

"Yes, he's died," Yuan said with a shake of his head. He recounted how the five audacious Ninth Lotus elites had hunted and killed You Yuan, saying, "We've already reported this matter to all of the Ancestral Kings. I'm sure that they'll act swiftly to capture the culprits and punish them severely. They'll let the world know that monarch stars can't be touched."

Sen Ping was rendered speechless, his expression dazed and dispirited. He had endured for one million years, yet in the end, it was all for naught. It was as if he had lost all motivation.

He didn't know when he left. However, before long, news of You Yuan's death had already spread far and wide. Many teams were secretly delighted. That was one fewer competitor to worry about. At the same time, the odds for the Hundred Battles Academy also dropped off a cliff, reaching a staggering low of one to 17. This was a ranking of around 200.

After all, their team still had Wu Ya and Xun Feng. Thus, their drop wasn't severer.