The Pagoda of Ascension. Beyond the thirty-first level. Four figures had initially been standing there. These were four peerless geniuses. Zhe Chong, refined and scholarly; Fu Chong, volatile and aggressive; Shen Yu, strikingly handsome; and Song Beifeng, steeped in sorrow. These four represented the finest blossoms of the Great Yong Kingdom in this generation. Their shared ambition for this trial had been the very top spot. Being from the Great Yong Kingdom, the strongest nation in the Southern Realm, they had fully expected—by established precedent—that one of them would claim first place, leaving other nations with no real contention. Yet, they had been brutally humbled, failing to even secure a spot in the top six. A deep, burning shame! They had, to a great extent, disgraced the reputation of the Great Yong Kingdom. Lu Yuan strode toward the staircase. The staircase leading from the thirty-first level. Zhe Chong fell silent; Fu Chong’s eyes widened; Shen Yu’s hand, which had been fanning, stilled. Only Song Beifeng remained, miserably taking deep draughts from his wine. Another outsider, not from the Great Yong Kingdom, had actually managed to push through to the thirty-first level. Lu Yuan reached this platform, letting out a quiet breath. Eleventh place. In front of the Pagoda of Ascension. The Lord of the Central Harmony Kingdom, Zhou Zhongyong, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the assembled crowd. His aura, that of a Void Realm expert, emanated powerfully before the ten thousand gathered talents. “Distinguished guests, the Southern Realm Assessment now concludes. While you may not yet know your precise rankings, we shall begin the announcement now. The top two hundred and forty-nine participants will advance to the final assessment.”

Hearing this, everyone became instantly attentive; this was the crucial juncture. The two phases of the Southern Realm Assessment were complete, yet no one knew their exact standing. Now, the moment had arrived where those destined to pass into the final assessment, and those destined for elimination, felt the extremes of either relief or unbearable tension. Zhou Zhongyong cleared his throat. “I shall announce the rankings starting from the first place. First place: The Hundred Poverty Kingdom, Xiao Fengxiong, score seventy-seven points.” Only seventy-seven points for the top spot—a significant distance from the perfect score of one hundred, indicating the difficulty of this trial was truly earth-shattering. “Second place: The Heaven-Reaching Kingdom, Yin Wuji, sixty-seven points.” Second place at sixty-seven points. “Tied for second: The God-Slaying Kingdom, Guo Kan, sixty-seven points.” “Fourth place: The Tomb-Guarding Kingdom, Liu Guo, sixty-five point five points.” “Fifth place: The Spirit Void Kingdom, Xu Kongzi, sixty-five point three points.” “Sixth place: The Murong Kingdom, Murong Huangfu, sixty-five point two points.” “Seventh place: The Great Yong Kingdom, Zhe Chong, sixty-three points.” “Eighth place: The Great Yong Kingdom, Fu Chong, sixty-two point nine points.” “Ninth place: The Great Yong Kingdom, Shen Yu, sixty-two point eight points.” “Tenth place: The Great Yong Kingdom, Song Beifeng, sixty-two point five points.” Clearly, places two through ten belonged to one distinct tier. “Eleventh place: The Jin Kingdom, Lu Yuan, fifty-three points.” The eleventh rank dropped nearly ten points from the tenth, yet when this result was announced, a massive stir erupted among the ten thousand talents. The Jin Kingdom? Where was that? And Lu Yuan? The top ten individuals were already renowned throughout the Southern Realm from prior assessments of magical prowess or even earlier eras. They already held the reputation of peerless geniuses. But no one had ever heard the name Lu Yuan of the Jin Kingdom; most didn't even know where the Jin Kingdom was situated. The sudden emergence of an unknown contender taking eleventh place caused an uproar. It wasn't dissent—securing eleventh place in such a rigorous competition spoke to genuine capability, bordering on peerless genius, so no one could truly argue. But everyone wanted to know who he was. Inquiries flew back and forth, yet after much searching, only a select few could recall any details about Lu Yuan’s name or origins. Mo Zihe was so infuriated he nearly combusted. He had never imagined Lu Yuan would achieve such a ranking. This descendant of the Celestial Splendor Peak dared to be so brazen! But it was fine; the final assessment remained, and later, within the Central Dynasty, they would clash again. He, the noble scion of the Ten Kings Peak, would surely triumph over him. Murong Huangfu merely cast a brief, appraising glance at Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan, is your sharpness already grazing the hem of my robes? He had underestimated him. Murong Huangfu looked away quickly, turning his attention to Xiao Fengxiong—that was the opponent worthy of a Murong Young Master. The Yuan Yang Venerable and the Purple Haze Venerable from the Jin Kingdom were overjoyed. They had privately doubted they would even break into the top two hundred and forty-nine. For their sect leader to secure eleventh place brought immense happiness. A sect leader is a sect leader; his profound power was clearly beyond ordinary comparison. The subsequent rankings continued. Mo Zihe was placed forty-seventh. In fact, Mo Zihe’s score was only one point behind Lu Yuan’s; Mo Zihe had scored slightly higher in the magical power assessment, but in an evaluation of ten thousand people, a single point difference shifting dozens of places was entirely normal. The two hundred and forty-ninth spot went to Yue Nu Xiao Qing, who passed by the narrowest of margins, just squeaking through. The person ranked two hundred and fiftieth cast a look of profound resentment toward Yue Nu Xiao Qing; being eliminated by a single position felt terrible. After announcing the top two hundred and forty-nine, there was a flurry of relationship-building and networking. Everyone wanted to connect with those advancing; reaching the Central Dynasty was a monumental honor, promising immense opportunities. Establishing ties with these individuals held significant advantages. Among this crowd, Lu Yuan attracted the most attention. Having possessed no fame before, his sudden leap to eleventh place amplified his reputation immensely, drawing numerous approaches. “Next, I shall distribute the rewards. As previously stated, the top twenty receive bonuses.” “For the first place, Xiao Fengxiong: You may utilize the Pavilion of Enlightenment continuously for the next six months, receive one hundred Today’s Enlightenment Stones, and you are awarded ten Dragon Ascension Pills.” Dragon Ascension Pills! These were elixirs that boosted magical power—pills that instilled dragon-like force. Such elixirs were only found in major nations like the Great Yong Kingdom; they were utterly unobtainable in remote places like the Jin Kingdom. Even a single Dragon Ascension Pill was priceless, and now he received ten. Zhou Zhongyong had initially expected these rewards to go to a citizen of the Great Yong Kingdom, but seeing them go to someone from another nation, he remained magnanimous. Befriending a figure as outstanding as Xiao Fengxiong could only benefit the Great Yong Kingdom. “For second through fifth place: Yin Wuji, Guo Kan, Liu Guo, Xu Kongzi, the four of you receive four months to use the Pavilion of Enlightenment, fifty Today’s Enlightenment Stones, and five Dragon Ascension Pills.” “For sixth through tenth place: Murong Huangfu, Zhe Chong, Fu Chong, Shen Yu, Song Beifeng, the five of you receive two months to use the Pavilion of Enlightenment, twenty Today’s Enlightenment Stones, and two Dragon Ascension Pills.” “For eleventh through twentieth place, Lu Yuan… Ye Ziling,” the two of you receive one month to use the Pavilion of Enlightenment, ten Today’s Enlightenment Stones, and one Dragon Ascension Pill.”

Lu Yuan received a jade pendant, which emitted a faint, soft glow. Inscribed upon it was an arcane and profound character embodying boundless middle harmony: the word “Yong.” With this jade pendant, he could directly access the Pavilion of Enlightenment within the Great Yong Imperial Palace. The twenty Today’s Enlightenment Stones and one Dragon Ascension Pill were also conferred. The ten Today’s Enlightenment Stones were contained within a crystal sphere, subtly dazzling and strikingly beautiful. The Dragon Ascension Pill rested within an exquisitely crafted sandalwood box. By this point, Zhou Zhongyong had distributed all the awards. Indeed, there was much joy and much sorrow; only a tiny fraction had qualified for the final assessment. Zhou Zhongyong announced, “Following this, there will be a six-month pause. Six months from now, the final assessment will commence. Under normal circumstances, the Southern Realm sends two hundred and forty-nine participants, while the other three realms each send two hundred and fifty. Then, one hundred will compete for the four hundred slots to enter the Central Dynasty.” “In that scenario, the ratio is ten to four—for every ten people, four can enter the Central Dynasty. This ratio appears quite generous.” “However,” he paused, “that is only the normal situation.” “In reality,” Zhou Zhongyong continued, “there are numerous unforeseen circumstances. For example, certain Lost Lands may choose to participate in the final assessment.”

This sentence immediately drew murmurs of discontent. Everyone had struggled desperately to qualify for the final assessment, believing they had secured a relatively easy passage into the Central Dynasty to learn greater skills, only to have that expectation dashed by this single statement. “Why should the Lost Lands participate?” “Yes! They are merely the Lost Lands. We here in the Four Realms struggled fiercely, and they come to join the fray?” “We risked our lives, and the Lost Lands get to join directly?”

Hearing the rising clamor, Zhou Zhongyong coughed lightly. His immense Void Realm aura spread out, instantly silencing the myriad voices. Zhou Zhongyong spoke calmly, “I understand your strong sense of unfairness. However, the Central Dynasty is the nexus of this entire era—it embraces all things, possessing great capacity. It is natural that the Central Dynasty would permit this.” “And once the Central Dynasty agrees, it is not something we can alter.” “Furthermore, do not underestimate the people from the Lost Lands. The environments there are generally extremely harsh, and the cultivators they produce are often exceptionally powerful.” “The number of Lost Lands is unknown, the number of participants is unknown. The competition will be fierce; be vigilant.” “Therefore, use this coming half-year diligently to strive and enhance your strength. This is the only shortcut to entering the Central Dynasty.” “No matter how many competitors appear, as long as your own strength is sufficient, you will succeed!” With a sweeping gesture, Zhou Zhongyong concluded, “Strive hard, young people!”

Lu Yuan took out his wine gourd and took a sip. The wine tasted somewhat flat; it was liquor brewed in the Central Harmony Kingdom, not particularly potent. Whatever tomorrow brings, tomorrow will handle it. For today, there was only drinking.