Seven badges, signaling victory over sixty-six identical opponents within two hours—was he man or monster?

Everyone turned their gaze toward the youth by the scoreboard, only to see his expression unchanged, still radiating that chilling composure.

"Is that truly Lord Dragon God?" Long Yi swallowed hard, unable to trust his own eyes.

He had assumed Chen Feng was dead, surrounded and overwhelmed, but not only was he perfectly safe, he had amassed sixty-seven badges. This outcome was wildly beyond his expectations.

"It seems so!" The Second Elder nodded quickly, his eyes fixed intently on the distant figure, not daring to blink.

"Nonsense, who else could it be?" Little Hu suddenly appeared from nowhere, shaking his small fists in protest.

"..." Long Yi and the Second Elder fell silent.

"He's Chen Feng from the Dragon Domain—the one who won the championship in the first four rounds..." a sharp voice suddenly cried out.

As the shout echoed, pandemonium erupted. Everyone realized the champion of the Five Excellence Tournament had been decided: it was this very youth before them.

…………………………………………………………

"How... how did he win the championship?" Elder Hu stood rooted to the spot, feeling his mind buckle under the strain.

"Hmph. It wasn't some stroke of incredible luck. A group of people arrived and cornered us. He saved them! The wounded he rescued, out of gratitude, naturally gave him their badges!" Jin said fiercely.

"How can he be so kindhearted! He was suppressing his cultivation, yet he still managed to save people?" Elder Huben asked, bewildered.

"His cultivation was suppressed?" Jin Ling shivered upon hearing this, looking at Chen Feng with deepening dread. "He managed to slay forty-seven experts of the Saint Domain while suppressing his power..."

Even though she held no affection for Chen Feng, the shock within her was indescribable. After all, the man was terrifyingly powerful—so terrifying that it extinguished any impulse to resist.

"After five rounds of competition, we have determined the champion of this Five Excellence Tournament!" The Fist Emperor's voice rang out across the peak precisely at that moment.

The previously buzzing crowd finally quieted. When they looked at Chen Feng again, their eyes were filled with awe.

Humans were like this: they might envy a junior colleague who got promoted above them at the same company, but they would never envy a national leader.

Because when the gap between two people becomes irreversibly vast, no one is foolish enough to harbor jealousy. Just as they now admired the Fist Emperor, they saw only reverence for Chen Feng, devoid of envy.

Furthermore, many participants had recounted Chen Feng’s deeds on the island. It was safe to say that, apart from the Tiger Clan and a small fraction of others, Chen Feng had decisively established his prestige among the crowd. Otherwise, so many people would not have sincerely handed over their badges.

Of course, handing over the badges wasn't entirely without the motive of currying favor. Most who surrendered their badges were injured; their badges were going to be lost anyway, so gifting them to Chen Feng was a way to earn goodwill.

Immediately afterward, the Fist Emperor announced the remaining placements and distributed the rewards one by one.

The rankings were determined by a strict point system: the total accumulated score across all five competitions decided the final rating.

Chen Feng glanced at the rewards, which were astonishingly generous—even his heart fluttered. The First Place rewards were even better: countless high-grade crystal stones, heaps of magical artifacts, scrolls, and equipment. He received five spatial accessories, and even several free teleportation magic arrays!

Free magic arrays were very similar to the Gate of Nature; they were portable and exceptionally convenient. Their advantage was that they could be activated using crystal stones, requiring no meditation.

Chen Feng didn't actually need these items much. After defeating the heretics, he had already confiscated many Gates of Nature. His entire legion possessed over a dozen, and he carried one single gate personally, while the other was with White.

By storing a large supply of Meditation Fruits in his Perfect Crystal Stones, he could activate the Gate of Nature dozens of times.

This ensured Chen Feng could maintain contact with the Sweeping the Horizon legion no matter where he was.

No one in this world meditated. Even if danger arose, Chen Feng could simply toss out a Gate of Nature and instantly return to his legion, and the pursuers certainly wouldn't catch up. If they did, given the legion's strength, which side would truly benefit?

Even Jin Xuanhu would have a difficult time against the Sweeping the Horizon legion utilizing enough Thunderclap Arrows and the Fist Emperor's techniques! This was because Chen Feng had already adapted the methods used against high-level experts of the Nether Saint Realm to create a large quantity of specialized Thunderclap Arrows designed specifically to counter magic users, using Yellow Jade Crystal!

Yellow Jade Crystal's absorption of magical power, much like Perfect Crystal Stones absorbing meditation energy, had pros and cons. As long as the target possessed magical power, these Thunderclap Arrows would have a fatal impact.

Of course, this material consumed an astronomical amount of Yellow Jade Crystal. The single piece Austin had given Chen Feng could likely only produce one Thunderclap Arrow!

If the Nature Realm wasn't finding the yellow ore, Chen Feng wouldn't have dared to be so extravagantly wasteful.

Chen Feng placed all the rewards for being champion into his water flask. He quickly decided the use for the free magic arrays: placing one with the Dragon Clan, one at the Fist Emperor's location, making travel convenient for himself.

As for the magic scrolls, items, equipment, and spatial accessories, the Dragon Domain had no use for them; they would be given to White and the others. Less baggage would significantly increase the army's mobility.

The most envied reward, naturally, was the nomination slot—but even though the slot was precious, for Chen Feng, it was somewhat optional.

The only reason to seek a slot was the desire to achieve godhood. If he activated his Flame Dragon Bloodline, relying on his god-level physique, crossing the heavenly tribulation and condensing a Divine Spark would be effortless. Moreover, he already possessed the Profound Heaven Atlas; having too many means was pointless.

Once the rewards were distributed, the Fist Emperor abruptly shifted his tone.

"...The conclusion of the Five Excellence Tournament signifies the beginning of something else. I have a mission here, and I hope to receive your support. Let me state clearly first: there is no compensation for undertaking this endeavor, no glory, and the danger involves constant risk to life. However, it is undeniably meaningful, profoundly so, concerning the very survival of the continent! If anyone is willing to go, please raise your hand!" When the Fist Emperor finished speaking, silence descended upon the assembly.

These young talents had no idea what the Fist Emperor's true objective was or what he intended to ask them to do—a meaningful task?

"I will participate!" Chen Feng was the first to raise his hand in agreement. These actions were part of the commitment he made to the Fist Emperor, so he naturally had to be the first to act.

Although the others didn't know the specifics, the solemnity with which the Fist Emperor described it as "concerning the survival of the continent" stirred something in them. Did not every young man harbor a hero's dream? Especially these young contestants who had just finished the Five Excellence Tournament.

"I will participate..." Ling Feng stated calmly. It wasn't superior conviction; it was simply because Chen Feng was going that she would go.

"I will participate..."

Following her lead, arms rose higher and higher until the floor became a sea of raised hands.

The Fist Emperor smiled, saying, "I did not expect everyone to be so eager and active, knowing the danger. However, this task is quite perilous; sending too many people is useless. Therefore, I will now set requirements. Those who meet the following criteria, please step forward."

"Those under the age of 25, please step forward!"

"Swish..." A flurry of hurried footsteps followed. Out of over a hundred people, only about thirty advanced.

The Fist Emperor nodded and continued, "Those who placed in the top thirty of this Five Excellence Tournament, please step forward!"

Hearing this, the thirty looked at each other. Finally, only eight people walked forward. Ling Feng, Jin Ling, and Lei Di were among the eight.

In truth, before the competition even began, the Fist Emperor had a rough idea—it would be these eight, perhaps nine including Chen Feng.

By announcing it this way and acting like this, he intended to instill a greater sense of superiority in these eight, making them more unified, thus increasing the likelihood of mission success!

The Fist Emperor, having lived for over ten thousand years and nearly becoming an ancient monster, had long since mastered these rudimentary psychological tactics.

"Very well, it is just the eight of you. I will now give you time to bid farewell to your families. Those who wish to back out may still step forward. Those willing to complete this mission, prepared for sacrifice, assemble at Lian Zhu Peak precisely at eight this evening. I will be waiting for you!" With that, the Fist Emperor turned and flew away, leaving behind a group of somewhat bewildered youths.

…………………………………………………………

"With how you phrased it, it’s likely those eight won't even all show up!"

Inside the Fist Emperor's chambers on Lian Zhu Peak, several old men sat in a circle, their faces etched with helplessness.

These elders represented the leaders of the three great territories and four domains of the overseas continent. The First Elder, Elder Huben, and others were all present.

The Fist Emperor had summoned them to explain the matter of the Seven Temples and the Heart of Heaven Stone. Since this issue held immense importance and broad implications, failing to give these factions a clear explanation would leave them unwilling to comply.

"Whether they come or not is their freedom, because we must succeed. If their resolve is weak, even if they come, there is only one outcome: death!" the Fist Emperor stated flatly, his tone filled with unwavering determination.

"It seems the Fist Emperor has a plan. Our Golden Crow Demon Territory will uphold its stance and forever support this endeavor!" one elder declared publicly.

"I support it too!" another affirmed.

Immediately, a chorus of agreement rose from the surroundings.

The Fist Emperor surveyed the room, seeing the support in everyone’s eyes, and smiled contentedly. "Since everyone agrees, when danger finally arrives, I hope we can stand united!"

The others didn't know what danger he referred to, but seeing his solemnity, they all responded in unison.

The Fist Emperor gazed at the determined looks surrounding him, suddenly clenching his fist, his thoughts seemingly traveling back ten thousand years... (To be continued. For further developments, please visit www**, more chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)