Chapter 203

“It seems that Princess Xiao might become the dark horse of this trial.”

“Not necessarily. Look at the top 100; there are many names we’ve rarely heard of. This year’s dark horses are indeed quite numerous.”

The crowd buzzed with discussions.

For the cultivators present, breaking into the top 100 was enough to be considered a genius dark horse.

The difficulty of the Trial Tower increased with each floor, becoming more dangerous as one progressed, with opponents growing stronger.

Inside the tower.

Xiao Minghuang had fought her way through, reaching the 89th floor.

She was oblivious to everything happening outside.

Not far from her stood a figure in a gray robe, exuding the aura of the peak Spirit Seed Realm. The sword intent around him resonated like a divine weapon about to be unsheathed, its sharpness palpable.

The opponents in the Trial Tower were not conjured out of thin air.

Each floor’s guardian was selected from the strongest of previous challengers.

The guardian of the 89th floor appeared to be a sword cultivator!

Clad in a gray robe, his slender frame exuded an overwhelming sense of invincibility.

Xiao Minghuang’s gaze burned as she stared at the figure before her.

“This feeling… Great Perfection Sword Intent!”

Involuntarily, her own Great Perfection Sword Intent seemed provoked, awakening on its own. Sword intent surged in her pupils, almost bursting forth.

With a thought, a pure white longsword appeared in her palm.

“Fight!”

Xiao Minghuang stepped forward, her sword swinging. Countless sword shadows flickered, numbering over five thousand, raining down like a storm of swords. Sword qi surged like a rainbow, enveloping the entire space.

Boom!

In an instant, the two clashed fiercely, sword light filling the sky.

Both were at the Great Perfection level of sword intent, evenly matched in sword dao.

However, the guardian’s sword intent was pure, and in terms of sword techniques, he might have been slightly superior. But when it came to sheer power, he fell short.

Xiao Minghuang’s sword intent, on the other hand, was more refined and profound. Each strike carried the force of stars and flames, every thrust imbued with terrifying destructive power.

Sword light and sword qi collided, shaking the space.

Deafening roars echoed, sending shivers down one’s spine.

Xiao Minghuang’s sword strikes came one after another, unrelenting.

The guardian could only defend passively, gradually falling into a disadvantage.

This wasn’t because the guardian was inferior in sword dao, but because Xiao Minghuang had employed abilities beyond just sword techniques.

“This match ends here!”

Xiao Minghuang’s eyes narrowed, a golden-red flame igniting between her brows. The tip of her sword trembled as flames surged, flowing into the blade.

Buzz…

In an instant, the sword hummed, its qi exploding. Surging flames, like a fiery dragon, swept in all directions.

Sword intent like an endless sea rolled forth, charging straight at the guardian.

The guardian’s eyes sharpened, not daring to be careless. With a fierce sweep of his sword, a razor-sharp sword light shattered the void, meeting the oncoming sword qi.

“Boom!”

Two sword intents collided mid-air, erupting with a deafening roar, akin to two meteors meeting, unleashing earth-shattering power.

A vast shockwave spread out, causing the surrounding stone walls to crack and crumble inch by inch.

Cracks extended into the distance, reaching as far as the horizon.

“Pfft…”

The guardian spat out blood, his face pale, staggering back several steps.

A residual wave of flame followed closely, clinging to his body. The fire rapidly spread, covering him entirely in an instant.

Sizzle…

The smell of burning filled the air.

Wispy green smoke drifted as the guardian’s clothes turned to ash.

His body became withered and charred, emitting a foul stench.

Clang!

The guardian’s longsword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

His dried, blackened face, with cloudy eyes filled with shock, stared at Xiao Minghuang. His mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out.

Thud!

He collapsed to the ground, thick smoke rising from his body.

The trial tower’s challenger had died under the sword intent empowered by innate fire.

Xiao Minghuang sheathed her sword, calmly looking at the guardian’s corpse on the ground, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

Meanwhile.

In another space within the trial tower.

A gray-robed man holding a longsword sensed something and was greatly startled.

“Who?”

“Who defeated me?”

The gray-robed man was the guardian of the 89th floor.

Jian Chen!

The trial tower’s rule was that the guardian of each floor was the fastest to clear that level.

If one couldn’t defeat the guardian, they would proceed in order until they cleared the floor.

But if one failed multiple times, it meant their strength had reached its limit, and there was no need to continue challenging.

Continuing would only be a waste of time.

Jian Chen had some trouble defeating the 89th-floor guardian, exerting his full strength but still falling short. Only after multiple failures and comprehending the Great Perfection of Sword Intent during battle did he finally succeed.

“It seems the top spot in this trial will be hard to achieve…”

Jian Chen sighed lightly, continuing to adjust his state. He had already failed three times on the 90th floor, each time being instantly killed by the guardian. If he failed again, there would be no point in continuing.

Meanwhile.

Outside the tower.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the name Xiao Minghuang rose to the top of the rankings!

“Xiao Minghuang! She’s the Ninth Princess of the Xia Kingdom from the Southern Region. I know her! She bought something from my stall before!”

“The absolute dark horse of this year! She surpassed Qi Mingdao of the Ziwei Holy Land and Lin Tianyang of the Yangzhou Lin Clan to take first place in the trial tower!”

“A prodigy! I can already see the rise of a forbidden genius, peerless and unrivaled among the younger generation!”

Countless people buzzed with excitement, their eyes filled with astonishment.

In the crowd, an unremarkable young man’s face turned extremely grim.

This was Han Li.

“Damn it! Princess Xiao actually won!”

Previously, the opportunity he encountered in the market had been mostly snatched away by Xiao Minghuang. What he managed to obtain were mostly mediocre magical artifacts and some low-grade spiritual herbs.

If it weren’t for the Little Green Bottle’s ability to accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs and enhance the quality of magical treasures, he would have found it extremely difficult to even reach the Spirit Seed Realm!

Having missed numerous opportunities, he didn’t stay within the top 100 for long before falling out.

“Princess Xiao! Stealing someone’s opportunities is an unforgivable act. Just you wait!”

Han Li cursed with resentment, then turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Given his personality, he wouldn’t act unless he was certain of success. Once he decided to act, he would ensure there were no mistakes.

Until he possessed enough strength to completely eliminate Xiao Minghuang, his formidable enemy, he wouldn’t reveal any extraordinary abilities in front of her.

He wouldn’t even expose his whereabouts easily.

Caution was the foremost principle of his cultivation path!

The rankings in the Trial Tower had stabilized, and many people began to emerge from the tower.

Some were beaming with joy, having achieved good results, while others were disheartened, realizing they were far from being top-tier.

The top 100 geniuses also gradually emerged from the tower.

These individuals were the core disciples of various sacred lands, noble families, and imperial dynasties, the cream of the crop among the younger generation, and the hope for the future.

This trial not only made them aware of their own shortcomings but also filled them with confidence about their future.

They looked back at the ranking monument on the Trial Tower, seeing their positions without showing excessive surprise.

These people had a clear understanding of their own strength. As long as there were no major mistakes, entering the top 100 was no problem at all.

As for the rankings within the top 100, they were mostly predictable.

Disciples from these major factions often competed and sparred with each other, so they knew exactly who was truly strong and who was merely putting up a front.

“Huh? Why is True Disciple Wang only ranked eleventh?!”

Everyone was shocked when they saw the rankings on the monument.

Wang Ao!

A natural-born Chi Dragon Spirit Body! He had inherited the legacy of a supreme saint-level expert and was highly regarded by the elders within his sect. Among the younger generation, he was second only to the first True Disciple, Qi Mingdao!

Given Wang Yan’s talent, he should have no problem breaking into the top five. How could he now fail to even make the top ten?

Was there something wrong with this ranking?

At this moment, Wang Ao had just emerged from the Trial Tower. He had fought his way through, reaching the ninetieth floor!

Although he had failed over twenty times on the ninetieth floor, he had finally managed to defeat the guardian with all his might.

But this was a genuine success in breaking through the level!

However, he was well aware that with his current half-baked strength, challenging the next level was out of the question, so he had left early on his own initiative.

Still, he was very familiar with the younger generation of the various sacred lands and noble families!

There were only a handful of people who could surpass him.

His senior brother Qi Mingdao, Lin Tianyang from the Lin family, the reserve disciple from the Boundless Sacred Land, Su Changge from the Su family, and the reserve disciple from the Primordial Sacred Land, who had originally been on par with him in strength.

But he had previously spent a fortune at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion to purchase a Heaven-grade magical treasure, which had significantly boosted his strength. Therefore, surpassing the reserve disciple from the Primordial Sacred Land was no problem at all!

Based on his predictions, his ranking in this trial should have been fifth!

The rankings in the Trial Tower could roughly predict the results of the second and third trials, so this trial had been a great opportunity for him to shine!

Thinking about the rewards from the sacred land, Wang Yan couldn’t help but almost laugh out loud.

“Hehe…”

At that moment.

A voice suddenly rang out.

“Senior Brother Wang! How come you’re only in eleventh place?”

“Huh?!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan sharply turned his head.

Seeing it was his junior brother, he frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

“What’s going on?”

The junior brother pointed at the ranking stone tablet.

Wang Yan’s gaze shifted, and when he saw the rankings displayed on it, he was instantly shocked.

“What?!”

“Eleventh place: Wang Yan! Ninetieth floor!”

“Tenth place: Ning Weiwei! Ninetieth floor!”

“Ninth place: Ru Lu! Ninetieth floor!”

“Eighth place: Ye Ruoshui! Ninetieth floor!”

“Seventh place: Lin Wanqiu! Ninetieth floor!”

“Sixth place: Qi Wangshu! Ninetieth floor!”

“Fifth place: Lin Tianyang! Ninetieth floor!”

“Fourth place: Su Changge! Ninetieth floor!”

“Third place: Qi Mingdao! Ninetieth floor!”

“Second place: Jian Chen! Ninetieth floor!”

“First place… Xiao Minghuang! Ninetieth floor!!!”

One name after another leaped out from the trial stone tablet.

These rankings caused Wang Yan’s pupils to instantly dilate, and an expression of utter astonishment spread across his face.

His expected fifth place was completely gone!

He hadn’t even made it into the top ten!

Moreover, among the top ten, only half of the names were familiar to him!

“Ru Lu, Ye Ruoshui, Lin Wanqiu, Jian Chen… Xiao Minghuang! Who are these four people?!”

Wang Yan was so shocked that he blurted out the question.

Not just him, most of the cultivators present had never heard these names before.

Although every trial would produce a few dark horses, this year’s batch seemed particularly numerous.

Just in the top ten, five spots had been taken by unknowns!

Beyond the top ten, within the top hundred, there were many more names that were completely unheard of.

People like Tang Bei, Lin Fan, Fang Wen, and Li Xuan, who all seemed unremarkable, had each secured a place within the top hundred, thoroughly overshadowing the reputations of these major factions!

“Xiao Minghuang, she is the Ninth Princess of the Xia Kingdom in the Southern Region. It’s said that a year ago, a demon crossed over from another realm in the Southern Region, and the Holy Academy even sent elders to deal with it,” someone explained.

Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

“So that’s it. This Princess Xiao must have been cultivated by the elders of the Holy Academy… But if she’s already favored by the elders, why would she still challenge the Trial Tower?”

After all, if one was favored by an elder within the Holy Academy and granted the Hidden Dragon Token, they could directly skip the first trial.

This Hidden Dragon Token wasn’t something just any genius could obtain.

Only those with exceptional talent, who had the potential to compete for the position of the Eastern Pole Saint, could receive it.

“You’re all mistaken. Princess Xiao probably just got some opportunities. The Hidden Dragon Token isn’t so easily granted!”

It must be known that even among the top one hundred geniuses from the various sacred lands present, not a single one had been granted the Hidden Dragon Token.

Not even Qi Mingdao, who was renowned as the number one among the younger generation, had this qualification!

“But have you all considered that if Princess Xiao rose to prominence due to the guidance of the elders from the Holy Academy, how did she grow to such a level in just a year, even surpassing the geniuses of our Hundred Sacred States?”

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

At this moment, the top ten geniuses also emerged from the Trial Tower one after another.

When they saw the rankings on the stone tablet, they all showed expressions of surprise.

“Xiao Minghuang, is she the genius from the Southern Region that Master mentioned a year ago?”

“Jian Chen, this name sounds somewhat familiar.”

“Ye Ruoshui, Lin Wanqiu…”

“Ru Lu, seems to have some connection with the Western Lands…”

The top ten geniuses had broader knowledge, and upon seeing these names, they immediately voiced some conjectures.

“Hehe… Deputy Qi, it seems the first place this time is out of your reach.”

Lin Tianyang, dressed in white, looked like a refined young master, a faint smile on his lips, but his words carried a sarcastic tone.

“It has nothing to do with you either!”

Qi Mingdao said indifferently. Dressed in a purple robe, his face was solemn, exuding an imposing aura without anger, like a monarch of a kingdom, standing above everyone else.

Lin Tianyang snorted coldly and ignored Qi Mingdao, turning his gaze to the gray-robed youth who had just emerged from the Trial Tower.

“So you’re Jian Chen? I’ve heard my uncle mention you. It’s said you have some achievements in the sword path. Dare to spar with me?”

As soon as Jian Chen stepped out of the Trial Tower, he felt a playful gaze fall upon him.

“My sword is too weak; I still need more training.”

After saying this, he left without looking back, leaving everyone dumbfounded.