After refining several pills that had been gifted to him, the sun slowly rose, its light filtering through the window of Wu Tian's room. He opened his eyes and immediately rose from his bed.
Today was the day the rankings of the new disciples would be decided.
Without wasting any time, Wu Tian flew toward the sect arena. As he descended from the sky, several pairs of eyes instantly locked onto him. Whispers spread through the surroundings.
He ignored them all and walked straight into the arena.
Along the way, a woman greeted him and guided him to the waiting area. There, Wu Tian saw many participants—some looked nervous, while others had already gotten into small scuffles, even beating fellow competitors.
This ranking battle was limited to cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage, its purpose being to give them a chance to display their abilities, attract the attention of the elders, and obtain rewards. For cultivators of this level, starting as outer disciples was clearly unreasonable—it would only waste valuable cultivation time.
Wu Tian stepped forward and surveyed the arena, which was filled with disciples clad in white, yellow, and orange robes. Above the arena, ten name plaques were arranged neatly in a row.
At the center of the arena, a man hovered in midair and began to speak.
"Honored guests, perhaps all of you have already heard. This time, our sect has obtained a heaven-defying genius. His flames can incinerate the world, his appearance rivals that of a god, and most of you surely believe he will take first place in this tournament."
The host smiled as the crowd held its breath.
"However—do not be mistaken. This time, Song Tianmo is also participating."
The crowd instantly exploded.
"What?! Song Tianmo—the one rumored to have burned a genius alive?!"
"Burned alive? I only heard that he killed a demon beast comparable to an early-stage Golden Core cultivator!"
The entire arena descended into chaos, debating who would claim victory—Wu Tian, the favored dark horse, or Song Tianmo, the true black horse who had already made a name for himself.
Wu Tian curled his lips slightly as he watched the divided opinions.
"Song Tianmo… interesting."
A faintly sinister smile appeared on his face.
The tournament finally began.
Wu Tian stepped forward as the first contestant. His opponent was a young man he recognized—the same person who had been beaten when Wu Tian first entered the waiting room.
"On the left is Wu Tian, a peak-stage Qi Condensation cultivator! On the right, Yao Bufan, a seventh-stage Qi Condensation cultivator! Will Yao Bufan manage to withstand the number one genius, or will he fall in utter humiliation? Without further delay—begin!"
The green light flashed.
Yao Bufan charged forward, swinging his sword straight at Wu Tian's chest.
Wu Tian merely stepped back once, then drove his fist directly into his opponent's chest.
BAM!
Yao Bufan was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth—yet a smile curved his lips.
"So… you're not as strong as everyone says."
Those words ignited Wu Tian's fury.
He lunged forward brutally, blazing flames erupting from his palm as he struck again. This time, Yao Bufan blocked with his sword.
The exchange lasted several breaths, until Wu Tian landed a vicious uppercut that sent Yao Bufan soaring into the air, followed by a crushing kick to his abdomen.
Yao Bufan's body was flung straight out of the arena.
Wu Tian wiped the blood from his hand—the result of clashing with Yao Bufan's sword—then stepped down from the arena.
The crowd erupted once more. Some mocked him, while others began to suspect that Wu Tian was deliberately concealing his true strength.
"Well, well, well… who would've thought Yao Bufan could last so long and even put up a fierce fight, though he ultimately still fell to the number one genius," the host sighed theatrically.
"Very well, let us proceed to the next match!"
The tournament continued.
Wu Tian watched from the waiting area until it was finally Song Tianmo's turn.
The moment his name was called, the arena exploded once again.
A handsome youth with black hair and blue eyes stepped forward confidently. A spear was strapped to his back, and the aura of peak Qi Condensation radiated from him without restraint—his opponent was no weaker.
As the match began, Song Tianmo immediately fired three qi spears.
His opponent leapt high into the air to evade—but Song Tianmo gave him no chance. He drew his spear, leapt upward, and flames coiled around his body, forming the phantom image of a dragon.
In the next instant, the spear thrust downward.
BOOM!
His opponent was smashed into the ground.
The arena erupted in uproar.
"What was that just now?! He turned into a dragon!"
"Idiot! He merely cloaked himself in dragon-shaped flames!"
"That fire is terrifying… he might be the true winner of this tournament."
The host was utterly captivated. Song Tianmo had defeated his opponent with a single strike. Medical disciples rushed in to check on the fallen contestant, thankfully finding no serious injuries.
Wu Tian observed Song Tianmo and briefly asked Soul Reaver whether he, too, was a Child of Destiny—but the notion was immediately dismissed.
The matches continued until only five contestants remained.
Whether by luck or arrangement, Wu Tian advanced one round without fighting—despite the arena being filled with scornful jeers directed at him. Meanwhile, Song Tianmo once again secured victory with a single clean strike.
In the next round, Song Tianmo was the one who advanced without a match, and not a single complaint arose—everyone acknowledged that he truly deserved it.
This time, Wu Tian's opponent was Yang Fei—a sword cultivator with a lightning spiritual root. His attacks combined speed and power perfectly, making him an exceptionally dangerous opponent.
As the fight began, Wu Tian swung his arm, releasing a flaming slash.
Yang Fei responded with a lightning-infused blade.
CRASH!
Wu Tian's attack was instantly neutralized, and Yang Fei shot forward.
Wu Tian retreated swiftly to maintain distance. The moment Yang Fei reached the spot where Wu Tian had just stood—
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet, halting his momentum.
Wu Tian seized the opening, detonating the ground once more as he lunged forward, palm aimed straight at Yang Fei's chest.
From within the smoke, Yang Fei swung his sword. A blade of lightning shot forth, colliding with Wu Tian's palm.
Wu Tian was blasted backward, using a burst of flame to keep himself from being knocked out of the arena.
"I never thought the number one genius would be this weak," Yang Fei mocked, emerging from the smoke with a disdainful smile.
The crowd's jeers followed.
Wu Tian heard them. His expression hardened.
"Shut up, trash! I'm far more talented than you!"
He charged recklessly, unleashing hundreds of flaming palm strikes.
Yang Fei remained calm. He closed his eyes and raised his sword.
Ten lightning swords materialized behind him, obliterating every single flaming palm.
Yang Fei lunged forward.
Wu Tian dodged while counterattacking, but was gradually cornered. Three lightning swords locked down three sides of the arena, leaving him with nowhere to escape.
Annoyed, Yang Fei thrust his sword forward.
Wu Tian blocked the blade, but the lightning swords behind him pierced and slashed his body.
At that moment—
Wu Tian grabbed Yang Fei's wrist, yanked him close, and twisted his body.
In an instant, the entire arena lit up with orange runes.
The symbols embedded themselves into Wu Tian's back and Yang Fei's lightning swords.
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
Both figures were hurled out of the arena.
The crowd fell silent—then burst into laughter and chaos.
The host paused briefly before announcing, "According to the rules, anyone who leaves the arena is deemed defeated. Since Yang Fei exited first—the winner of this round is Wu Tian!"
The arena filled once more with insults and ridicule.
Yang Fei rose to his feet, glaring at Wu Tian with undisguised hatred before leaving without a word.
Wu Tian ignored it all and walked back toward the waiting area.
Halfway there, a young woman stopped him and guided him toward the medical room.
Wu Tian smiled and nodded in agreement.