Chapter 3808 - The Top 15 Participants

The next day.

If everything went according to plan, today would be the last day of the Latent Dragon Grand Contest where the top 15 participants would be determined. Hence, unlike the previous days, many inner disciples and elders of the Flying Dragon Sect gathered at the Flaming Dragon Arena to watch the show. Their number was almost as high as the various members of the lord-rank forces.

As Duan Ling Tian walked toward the Flaming Dragon Arena, Hou Qing Ning said with a smile, "Duan Ling Tian, you have to rank first so I can boast about it!"

Hou Qing Ning was so excited that it was as though Duan Ling Tian had already won first place.

Although Ding Yan did not speak, his eyes were also filled with anticipation when he looked at Duan Ling Tian.

When Duan Ling Tian arrived at the Flaming Dragon Arena, Linghu Huan's voice rang in his ears, "Ling Tian, if you're able to rank first in the contest, just as I've promised, that prominent divine sword will be yours."

Following that, Dongfang Yan Nian, who was with Lan Yu Shan, asked through Voice Transmission, "Little Tian, did the person who threatened you send you a message again?"

Duan Ling Tian shook his head slightly. "No."

Dongfang Yan Nian nodded. "I think the other party only wanted to intimidate you. Otherwise, he would've sent you another message after finding out you're ranked in the top 15."

Duan Ling Tian nodded. At this moment, he felt completely at ease. After thinking about it, he thought that for the other party to be able to kill Linghu Ren Jie while Linghu Ren Jie was in the Linghu clan's estate, the other party should be an advanced Lord of Gods. An intermediate Lord of Gods, who was slightly stronger than the White Dragon Elders of the Flying Dragon Sect, could hardly break the Linghu clan's Guarding Formation and have energy left to kill Linghu Ren Jie. He had also verified this with Xue Hai Chuan and Dongfang Yan Nian who were White Dragon Elders.

When Lan Yu Shan arrived at the Flaming Dragon Arena, those who were required to be present had already arrived. He did not waste time and explained the rules to determine the final top 15 participants. "We'll be deciding the ranks of the top 15 participants today. To be fair, we won't arrange the matches today. The 15 participants will draw lots to determine their opponents. Those who draw bigger numbers can challenge those who draw smaller numbers. After being challenged, you can rest for one round before others are able to challenge you again. If there's no one left to challenge, we'll have a quick break for the participants to recuperate."

After that, Lan Yu Shan raised his hand, and 15 black stones suddenly appeared in the air. There were clearly numbers etched on the stones, but they're now hidden by a cloud of mist.

"The 15 participants can now select one of the 15 mystic black stones. The numbers on the mystic black stones represent your temporary ranking. Like I said earlier, those with bigger numbers can challenge those with smaller numbers."

The mystic black stones were usually used to forge weapons like primitive divine artifacts, and they were not considered rare.

After Lan Yu Shan finished speaking, the 15 participants began to use their Divine Consciousnesses to claim their respective mystic black stones.

Duan Ling Tian was not in a hurry. When he was about to make his move, there were only two mystic black stones left. Only he and the 10,000 Flowers Valley's Lady Seven had yet to claim their mystic black stone. They instinctively looked at each other before they claimed their stones.

Duan Ling Tian looked down at the mystic black stone after it flew into his hand. 'Number six…"

Hou Qing Ning, who had leaned over to have a look, said teasingly, "How unlucky. You didn't get the number one."

"Number one? Everyone wants that number. I'm not in a hurry. If I want it, I can just challenge whoever possesses that number," Duan Ling Tian said nonchalantly.

Following that, a list of names appeared in the sky.

First: Peng Dong.

Second: Yuan Yuan Zheng.

Third: Hua Tian Du.

Fourth: Murong Luo Feng.

Fifth: Deng Jian Yi.

Sixth: Duan Ling Tian.

…

Eleventh: Du Po Jun.

…

Fifteenth: Ouyang Jian Chen.

"These are temporary rankings based on the mystic black stones you chose," Lan Yu Shan said again, "Those who want to climb up the ranks will have to challenge those in front of them. Those in first place will have to defend their ranking from their challengers if they want to maintain their ranking. The Latent Dragon Grand Contest will end once there are no more challengers."

After Lan Yu Shan's voice fell, Ouyang Jian Chen, who was now ranked 15th, suddenly flew into the battle ring.

The battle rings grew brighter than before. Clearly, they had been fortified since the battles today would be fiercer. Moreover, there were still a few participants who were still hiding their true strength. It would not be accurate to judge the participants' strength based on the speed of their victories alone.

Ouyang Jian Chen, the Third Young Master of the lord-rank Ouyang clan, was a famous prodigy in the areas around the Flying Dragon Sect. So far, he was the only person who showed strength comparable to Hua Tian Du and Lady Seven. He called out calmly, "I want to challenge Peng Dong who ranks first."

Peng Dong was an average-looking young man with a piercing gaze who was dressed in a long blue robe. He was a sectless cultivator. Upon hearing Ouyang Jian Chen's words, he flashed into the battle ring.

"A sectless cultivator who manages to come this far in the contest and be on par with Du Po Jun and Hua Tian Du must have had quite a few fortuitous encounters."

"Indeed. He's a rare gem."

"His elder, who's a rudimentary Lord of Gods, is here as well."

After Peng Dong was called out, a middle-aged man standing in the crowd became the focus of everyone's attention. Despite his appearance, he had a full head of white hair. Although he was not very tall, he looked as steady as a mountain. His feet glowed with a mustard light which was clearly from his Divine Energy and the law of earth.

"He's injured!"

When they saw the light glowing around the rudimentary Lord of Gods' feet, they knew it was injured. They thought that was the reason he sent Peng Dong to the Flying Dragon Sect. He was likely worried Peng Dong would be all alone if something were to happen to him. Needless to say, the best option was to join a strong force.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Jian Chen and Peng Dong had already made their moves in the battle ring. One was a swordsman, and the other wielded a saber.

Sword rays and saber rays flew in the battle ring, stirring up a terrifying storm.

Those with keen eyesight could tell the two opponents were injured, but Peng Dong's injuries seemed more serious.

After exchanging about 100 moves, Ouyang Jian Chen's sword pierced Peng Dong's shoulder. With that, Peng Dong did not hesitate to surrender. Moreover, he could tell the sword that was initially headed for his glabella changed direction at the last moment.

"Thank you for being merciful," Peng Dong said graciously even though he was defeated. After all, Ouyang Jian Chen was also gracious enough to use a mediocre divine artifact even though Ouyang Jian Chen possessed a prominent divine artifact. Since his father was only a sectless cultivator, he only possessed a mediocre divine artifact and had no time to borrow a prominent divine artifact with such short notice.

As Peng Dong left the battle ring, he turned to look at Duan Ling Tian meaningfully before he shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Soon enough, Duan Ling Tian's expression darkened when he realized the meaning behind Peng Dong's gaze. Peng Dong was comparing him to Ouyang Jian Chen.

Hou Qing Ning, who was standing next to Duan Ling Tian, also understood Peng Dong's meaning. He could not help but laugh.

At the same time, the ranking changed. Ouyang Jian Chen rose to first place while the others dropped a rank. With this, Duan Ling Tian, who was initially ranked sixth, was now in seventh place.