The second round of ranking matches came to an end. After a fierce bloodbath, only fifty of the hundred advancing disciples successfully squeezed into the next round. Shen Hao, having narrowly defeated Zhou Peng, became the biggest dark horse of the round. Zhang Shan also advanced into the Top Fifty through his own efforts. Their names were written onto the rankings by the stewards, drawing many disciples to stop and watch.
Next came the Third Round. The Top Fifty disciples would draw lots once more and face off, with the winners advancing into the Top Twenty-Five. Two consecutive high-intensity battles had drained Shen Hao greatly. Not only was his spiritual energy depleted, but his mind was exhausted to the limit. He declined Zhang Shan's invitation to celebrate and returned alone to his residence on Qingyun Peak.
The moment he entered his room, Shen Hao sat cross-legged atop the Jade Bed, took out the Companion Jade Pendant, and injected a faint thread of spiritual energy into it. In an instant, the jade pendant erupted with a pale azure glow, and the Spirit Devouring Vortex slowly began to turn, swallowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around it. The spiritual energy of the inner sect was already richer than that of the outer sect, and after being purified by the Companion Jade Pendant, dense spiritual energy streamed endlessly into Shen Hao's body, repairing his weary meridians and replenishing his depleted spiritual energy.
The night slipped away quietly. When the first ray of dawn filtered through the window lattice and spilled into the room, Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes. He exhaled a breath of foul air and felt utterly refreshed. The exhaustion from before had been swept clean away, and more than half of his spiritual energy had recovered. Moreover, because