The next day, accompanied by a buzzing sound, the Sky Book Ranking suddenly lit up with a brilliant radiance. A massive projection then instantly appeared in the main square of the Azure Hall's peak.
"It's finally starting! I wonder how many of the top hundred disciples from this session will be challenged and replaced."
"It's going to be tough. Based on past experience, it's rare to see a top hundred disciple from the previous session being overthrown."
"Not entirely. Although the success rate is low, there have always been a few exceptional individuals who succeeded in their challenges, becoming recognized as top hundred disciples."
"..."
As the light screen materialized, the leaders of various factions began to discuss amongst themselves. Soon, a scene appeared within the light screen, depicting the seven main peaks at the heart of the Azure Illusion Realm.
"It seems the Azure Hall has arranged for a team battle. However, looking at it, the recently risen Seventh Peak appears to be short-handed."
"Indeed. It's rumored that only four disciples from the Seventh Peak made it into the top hundred. I wonder if this number will increase this time."
"Let's wait and see. Perhaps the Seventh Peak will surprise us this time. After all, they only reopened their gates this year; they wouldn't perform worse than before, would they?"
"..."
Within the Azure Illusion Realm.
As a massive surge of spiritual light suddenly illuminated the sky, countless figures flickered across the seven peaks. Clearly, the contest for the Azure Light was about to officially commence.
"Senior Brother, is it starting?"
Li Xuan looked at the figures on the other six peaks and then turned to Su Yueze.
"Fifth Brother, it's all up to you now. However, since you managed to kill Shen Heigou and snatch an Azure Light, it shouldn't be too difficult for you. Though, the process might be much more challenging." Su Yueze nodded slightly, then his gaze shifted upwards.
Li Xuan followed his gaze. A colossal spiritual light descended from high above. This immense light then transformed into a hundred beams, plunging vertically downwards.
Seeing this, Li Xuan felt a surge of eagerness. Even the more than ten disciples from the Seventh Peak behind Su Yueze's had noticeably quickened their breaths.
"Senior Brother Su, we're going!"
As one disciple spoke, the more than ten disciples behind Su Yueze immediately darted towards the hundred light beams.
"Fifth Junior Brother, wait a moment." Seeing Li Xuan's impatience, Su Yueze pulled him back.
"Rushing over now will only deplete your spiritual energy unnecessarily, and it's not guaranteed you'll secure a beam. Look, none of them have made a move yet." Su Yueze said with a smile, noticing Li Xuan's bewildered expression.
Li Xuan turned his attention to the other six peaks.
Indeed, the figures on the other six peaks remained still. Those who had rushed towards the hundred light beams were almost exclusively disciples at the middle to late stages of the Virtual Realm. Among them, there were only about twenty individuals in the True Realm.
"Senior Brother, if they can't hold on until the end, why are they rushing like this?" Li Xuan asked thoughtfully, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Heh heh, Fifth Junior Brother, although they may not last, don't forget that Elder Duan mentioned before that excellent performances within the Azure Illusion Realm would still earn generous rewards."
"Besides that, the strength they display now can also attract the attention of their respective peak masters. If they are fortunate enough to be noticed, resource concerns will naturally be alleviated." Su Yueze explained patiently with a smile.
A flicker of understanding crossed Li Xuan's eyes. Although the other six peaks were considerably stronger than the Seventh Peak, the competition within each peak was also immense. With so many exceptional talents, the available resources were extremely limited.
To obtain more substantial resources, they could only rely on this competition.
Moreover, those truly qualified to contend for the final top hundred positions were only the initial nearly two hundred participants. These disciples who arrived later had already proven their strength by reaching this point.
Of course, arriving here also marked the end of their journey for many. The battle at hand was the final showdown of the Seven Sages and Ten Virtues Ranking Challenge.
Survival of the fittest and natural selection were essential laws.
Time passed, and the battles in the arena became increasingly fierce. At this moment, no one held back; fearsome techniques were unleashed.
For a time, the scene became chaotic, with countless casualties. xxs壹贰
After fifteen minutes, out of the nearly a thousand people who were initially present, fewer than fifty remained. Every surviving disciple bore wounds, and their auras were extremely disordered, clearly indicating they could not continue the competition.
"Now, we begin as well." Seeing that the battle in the arena was nearing its end, Su Yueze spoke slowly. As his voice fell, an astonishing aura erupted from him, revealing his peak of the Shore Realm cultivation.
Chai Jingyuan, He Xidong, and Song Wuwen stepped forward simultaneously, their three Shore Realm auras instantly soaring towards the heavens.
*Whoosh!*
Li Xuan took a deep breath, and with a thought, his entire aura surged upwards like a tangible force. Its intensity was comparable to that of Song Wuwen, Chai Jingyuan, and He Xidong.
Upon witnessing this, Chai Jingyuan and He Xidong's eyes flashed with surprise, but they quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a look of immense joy.
Su Yueze nodded slightly and then waved his hand, "Let's go!"
As his voice ended, Su Yueze moved first. Five figures, exuding powerful auras, instantly shot towards five beams of light in the arena.
Concurrently, the figures on the other six peaks, upon seeing Su Yueze's movement, also surged forward rapidly towards the beams of light in the center.
At this moment, the true competition officially began!
"Truly magnificent. The Seven Sages and Ten Virtues Grand Assembly is always incredibly exciting. The strength of these disciples is truly formidable, with some even surpassing us. With such powerful disciples, the Azure Hall naturally becomes even stronger. It is indeed worthy of its title as the strongest guardian of the Azure Firmament Continent."
"Watching these disciples battle always ignites my blood. And the upcoming battles will likely be even more spectacular, leading to the final determination of the top hundred."
"..."
In the main square of the Azure Hall's peak, the leaders of various factions offered their critiques, each with a glint of admiration in their eyes. They all recognized that the previous exchanges were merely appetizers, and the ensuing battles would be the true main event!
*Buzz.*
As Su Yueze and his group arrived, the nearly fifty remaining individuals in the arena let out helpless wry smiles and retreated. Clearly, they understood that they were no longer qualified for the subsequent competition.
After a brief sensation of the Azure Light's effects, Li Xuan looked up at the figure directly ahead.
A contestant at the advanced stage of the Shore Realm was slowly approaching the light beam where Li Xuan stood.
"Get lost. Or die!"