The guardian puppet of the seventh trial had the strength of the Late True Qi Realm.
To those ranked within the top two hundred, this strength was nothing at all, since most of them were already in the Late True Qi Realm.
Even the few geniuses in the Mid True Qi Realm could handle it with ease.
Only those whose strength fell just short would find it somewhat difficult.
There were only three stone passageways here, so the more than four hundred people were divided into three groups.
The first to attempt the trial were naturally still those disciples in the Inner Sect's top ten. They defeated the puppets with the same ease as before, revealing very little of their true strength.
Thus, anyone hoping to learn their true capabilities in advance could forget about it.
The queues moved quickly. More than fifty people had already entered the three stone passages, and so far, no one had been eliminated.
That was until a Late True Qi Realm disciple, for some unknown reason, reacted half a beat too slowly and nearly got struck by a puppet.
Had the elder not acted in time, he would likely have died on the spot.
"That's Yuan Heng, ranked ninety-eighth. He's been in the Late True Qi Realm for so long—how could he not even defeat a single puppet this time?"
"I heard he was injured during his last mission. Could it be that he still hasn't recovered?"
"What is wrong with you?"
The elder in charge looked as though he hated iron for failing to become steel.
Yuan Heng lowered his head, his face burning red. "Reporting to Elder, I was careless."
"Sigh, go back first."
The elder knew he had something he could not speak of, so he did not press further.
As Yuan Heng hurried away, this brief interlude came to an end, and the trials continued.
Soon, they reached those beyond the two-hundredth place. More and more people were eliminated, including several Late True Qi Realm disciples.
There were even more from the Mid True Qi Realm. As for the few Early True Qi Realm disciples who had made it in, they too ultimately failed to continue.
However, the elders still gave them high evaluations.
When it was Chu Yunxiao's turn, his talent also seemed astonishing. Combining fist and sword, he successfully made it through.
Lu Ming naturally had even less trouble. He had not even used a fraction of his strength.
After all, a puppet was still a puppet. It could not compare to a person's agility, and its flaws could easily be seized upon.
And Lu Ming happened to possess both keen perception and great speed.
"So powerful! He's only in the Mid True Qi Realm, yet he defeated a Late True Qi Realm puppet so easily."
Perhaps those before him had struggled somewhat in battle, so when they suddenly saw Lu Ming pass the trial with such ease, their eyes could not help but light up.
Before long, the seventh trial had concluded completely, with three hundred and sixteen people remaining.
There were no more trials afterward, so the extra sixteen people could be selected out easily enough.
This was because everyone's performance during the trials had been recorded, such as the time they took to defeat the puppets.
Based on these conditions, sixteen people were ultimately removed.
Thus, the final three hundred participants for the arena battles one month later were decided.
There were two hundred and seven people in the Late True Qi Realm and ninety-three in the Mid True Qi Realm.
Lu Ming, Zhu Ningyun, and Chu Yunxiao were all among them.
As for the rest, they would be divided into several tiers according to their performances. Then, over the next month, they would engage in small-scale matches to determine their exact rankings within the Inner Sect.
In short, this was a time for a massive reshuffling of the rankings.
Therefore, the next few days would not grow quiet just because the preliminary trials had ended. On the contrary, they would become even livelier.
By the time Lu Ming left the plaza, the sky was nearing dusk. Before he knew it, an entire day had passed.
After parting with Zhu Ningyun and Chu Yunxiao, Lu Ming headed toward his courtyard, only to be stopped halfway there.
"Need something?"
Seeing Li Biehe, Lu Ming was not particularly surprised.
Li Biehe narrowed his eyes. "To be honest, I'm surprised you managed to break into the top three hundred. But I'm even more looking forward to meeting you in the arena battles."
"I'm not particularly looking forward to it." Lu Ming shook his head.
To be honest, it was not arrogance. Given his current strength, he was confident that only a small handful of people in the Inner Sect could truly be his opponents.
As for the person before him, he was not enough.
"Are you afraid?" Li Biehe misunderstood him.
"You'll find out when the time comes." Lu Ming could not be bothered to pay him any more attention and left directly.
"Fine. When the time comes, you'll understand that a Late True Qi Realm genius and a Late True Qi Realm puppet cannot be mentioned in the same breath."
Li Biehe finally understood what Lu Ming meant and felt that he was so arrogant he did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth.
He had thought defeating a Late True Qi Realm puppet had given Lu Ming such confidence.
Over the next few days, amid all the bustle, the Inner Sect finally finalized the rankings beyond the top three hundred.
Compared with the original ranking list, this one had changed beyond recognition.
Some had high realms yet were squeezed farther back.
Others had lower realms but rose abruptly like a strange army, surging many places forward.
Those who stood out naturally received rewards, while those who fell too far behind were expelled from the Inner Sect.
For example, Cui Bai had risen to seven hundred and sixty-fourth place, earning a bottle of healing pills and one hundred contribution points.
Then there was Yuan Heng, originally ranked ninety-eighth. Because he failed the final trial, he had been pushed beyond the top three hundred.
Coupled with several other unknown reasons, he was expelled from the Inner Sect.
In short, some rejoiced while others worried.
However, their attention was soon drawn to another ranking list.
That was right. Although the top three hundred had not yet been ranked, the list of names had already been announced beside the original ranking Jade Tablet.
When everyone compared them, those who had originally ranked high were nothing much to speak of, but those who had ranked low were extraordinarily conspicuous.
"This Chu Yunxiao was originally ranked six hundred and seventh, yet he's actually entered the top three hundred now."
"There's also a Zhou Ji here. He was originally ranked five hundred and sixty-third, and now he's entered the top three hundred too."
"That's nothing. Look at this Lu Ming. His original ranking was even lower—only nine hundred and sixty-ninth—and he's also among the top three hundred."
"What? Let me see."
"Damn, it's true. That ranking should mean he only entered the Inner Sect not long ago. Where did this fierce fellow come from?"
"Who knows? Anyway, I've never heard of him before."
To most people, Lu Ming was completely a dark horse—and one so black it gleamed, utterly eclipsing the radiance of every other rising star.
Take Zhu Ningyun, for instance. Though she also drew much attention, she had already made a name for herself. The Inner Sect disciples basically all knew of her.
So the shock she brought could not compare to Lu Ming's at all.
"How high do you think this fierce fellow will ultimately rank?"
"It says he's in the Mid True Qi Realm, while there are already two hundred and seven Late True Qi Realm cultivators on the list. I don't think he can make it into the top two hundred."
"What's the problem with the Mid True Qi Realm? Are there few Mid True Qi Realm cultivators in the current top hundred?" someone immediately retorted.
That person smiled confidently. "That's true, but look at his previous ranking. He obviously only joined the Inner Sect recently. In such a short time, how far could he possibly have cultivated Human-grade High Stage martial arts and above?"
"His foundation is clearly inferior to others'. Even if he can fight above his realm, how far above can he go?"
"That makes sense."
Everyone was convinced, and the topic then shifted to the candidates for the Inner Sect's top ten.
Compared to guessing Lu Ming's rank, speculating about the top ten was far more enticing.
"These people will definitely be in for a huge shock then."
Cui Bai, who had come to see his own ranking, happened to overhear everyone discussing Lu Ming and could not help shaking his head.
Though he did not know the full extent of Lu Ming's martial arts attainments, he understood a little of them.
They were definitely not low.
To say nothing else, Lu Ming had completed many missions despite having been in the Inner Sect for less than a year.
If it were someone else, they would not even have left their protection period yet.
So Cui Bai felt that these people would surely have their jaws drop when the time came. Forget the top two hundred—Lu Ming might even make it into the top fifty.
Without lingering any longer, he left at once.
Before you continue