Beside the stone table at the judges' station.
Several elders from the Main Peak conferred in low voices, occasionally tapping the tabletop with their fingertips. Their gazes swept over the competing disciples below, clearly weighing their rankings against their first-round performances.
After roughly half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the white-bearded elder at their head slowly nodded. The others followed suit, evidently having reached a decision.
Soon, a Main Peak steward dressed in fitted gray clothes strode onto the Azure Qilin Platform.
He stood tall, his gaze blazing as he surveyed the crowd below, who held their breath in concentration. In a ringing voice, he announced, "The rankings of the top eighteen in this Azure Qilin Battle are as follows-"
The crowd instantly fell silent. Everyone watched the steward on the platform, waiting for the rankings of the top eighteen.
"First place, Yunxi Peak, Yuwen Mingjue!"
"Second place, Heavenly Evolution Peak, Zhao Chong!"
"Third place, Thunder Firmament Peak, Qin Wenbao!"
"Fourth place, Main Peak, Lin Chunyu!"
"Fifth place, Blazing Sun Peak, Wang Lie!"
"Sixth place, Mountain-Suppressing Peak, Zhou Tong!"
"Seventh place, Lingxi Peak, Yang Jing!"
When Yang Jing's name rang out, a low stir rippled through the crowd. Surprise appeared on many disciples' faces.
The other highly ranked disciples were all familiar faces. Only Yang Jing was a newcomer participating in his first Azure Qilin Battle. Such a performance on his debut had truly caught many people off guard.
On the Azure Qilin Platform, the Main Peak steward continued reading without pause:
"Eighth place, Main Peak, Wei Dongting!"
"Ninth place, Heavenly Evolution Peak, Jiang Lin!"
"Tenth place, Blazing Sun Peak, Chu Liang!"
"Eleventh place, Yunxi Peak, Shen Yurong!"
"Twelfth place, Thunder Firmament Peak, Li Mao!"
"Thirteenth place, Mountain-Suppressing Peak, Wu Kun!"
"Fourteenth place, Lingxi Peak,