Minor Fame

The guardian puppet for the seventh stage had a late-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivation.

For those ranked within the top two hundred, this level of strength was nothing, as most of them were already at the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm.

Even a few geniuses at the mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm could handle it with ease.

Only those whose strength was slightly inferior would find it somewhat difficult.

There were only three stone passageways, so the more than four hundred participants were divided into three teams.

Naturally, the disciples in the top ten of the Inner Sect went first. They defeated the puppets with great ease, not revealing much of their strength.

Therefore, if anyone wanted to know their true capabilities beforehand, they could forget about it.

The teams advanced quickly. More than fifty people had entered the three stone passageways, and so far, no one had been eliminated.

It wasn't until a disciple at the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm, for some unknown reason, reacted half a beat too slow and was almost hit by the puppet.

If the Elder hadn't intervened in time, he would have likely lost his life on the spot.

"That's Yuan Heng, ranked ninety-eighth. He's been at the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm for so long, how can he not even defeat a puppet this time?"

"I heard he was injured on his last mission. Hasn't he recovered yet?"

"What's wrong with you?"

The Elder in charge was also frustrated, wishing he could turn iron into steel.

Yuan Heng lowered his head, his face flushed red. "Reporting to the Elder, I was careless."

"Sigh, you should go back first."

The Elder knew he had a hidden reason and didn't press further.

As Yuan Heng quickly departed, this interlude came to an end, and the trials continued.

Soon, it was beyond the two-hundred-person mark, and more people were eliminated. Several more at the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm fell.

There were even more at the mid-stage. As for the few who had entered at the early-stage Zhen Qi Realm, they ultimately couldn't continue.

However, the Elders still gave them high praise.

When it was Chu Yunxiao's turn, his talent seemed astonishing as well. Combining fist and sword techniques, he also passed through.

Lu Ming, of course, had no problem, not even using a fraction of his strength.

After all, puppets were still puppets; they weren't as agile as humans and could easily have their flaws exploited.

And Lu Ming happened to have high perception and high speed.

"So strong! This person is only at the mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm, yet he defeated a late-stage Zhen Qi Realm puppet so easily."

Perhaps because the people before him had struggled a bit, seeing Lu Ming pass so effortlessly, their eyes lit up.

Soon, the seventh stage concluded, with a total of three hundred and sixteen people remaining.

There were no more stages after this, so the extra sixteen people were easy to select.

This was because their performance during the trials was recorded, such as the time it took to defeat the puppet.

Based on these criteria, sixteen people were ultimately eliminated.

Thus, the three hundred participants for the arena battle a month later were finalized.

There were two hundred and seven at the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm and ninety-three at the mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm.

Lu Ming, Zhu Ningyun, and Chu Yunxiao were all among them.

As for the rest, they would be divided into several tiers based on their performance and would engage in small-scale competitions over the next month to determine their specific rankings within the Inner Sect.

In short, this was a time for a major reshuffling of rankings.

Therefore, the next few days would not be quiet despite the preliminary rounds ending; on the contrary, they would be even more lively.

Walking out of the plaza, the sky was already approaching dusk. Unknowingly, a day had passed.

After parting ways with Zhu Ningyun and Chu Yunxiao, Lu Ming headed towards his own courtyard, only to be stopped halfway.

"Something wrong?"

Seeing Li Biehe, Lu Ming wasn't too surprised.

Li Biehe narrowed his eyes and said, "To be honest, I'm surprised you made it into the top three hundred. However, I'm even more looking forward to meeting you in the arena battle."

"I don't have much expectation," Lu Ming replied, shaking his head.

To be honest, it wasn't arrogance, but with his current strength, he was confident that only a few people at the very top of the Inner Sect could be his true opponents.

The person in front of him was not enough.

"Are you scared?" Li Biehe misinterpreted his words.

"We'll see then," Lu Ming said, too lazy to bother with him further, and left directly.

"Very good. You'll know then that a late-stage Zhen Qi Realm genius and a late-stage Zhen Qi Realm puppet are not the same thing."

Li Biehe finally understood Lu Ming's meaning and thought he was being somewhat arrogant and ignorant of his own limitations.

He thought it was the confidence he gained from defeating a late-stage Zhen Qi Realm puppet.

In the following days, the Inner Sect buzzed with excitement, finally finalizing the rankings from 300th place onwards.

Compared to the original ranking list, this one was a complete overhaul.

Some people, despite having higher cultivation realms, were pushed further down the list.

Others, with lower cultivation realms, surged forward, climbing many ranks.

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 already reached 764th place and was rewarded with a bottle of healing pills and 100 Contribution Points.

And then there was Yuan Heng, originally ranked 98th, who was pushed beyond 300th place due to failing the final trial.

Coupled with other unknown reasons, he was expelled from the Inner Sect.

In short, some rejoiced while others lamented.

However, their attention was soon captured by another list.

That's right, although the top 300 hadn't been ranked yet, their names had been released and were displayed next to the original ranking Jade Tablet.

As everyone compared the lists, those who were already highly ranked were fine, but those with low original rankings stood out remarkably.

"Chu Yunxiao was originally ranked 607th, and now he's in the top 300."

"And look at Zhou Ji, originally ranked 563rd, he's also in the top 300 now."

"That's nothing compared to this Lu Ming. His original ranking was even lower, only 969th, and he's now among the top 300."

"What? Let me see."

"Damn, it's true. This ranking suggests he only joined the Inner Sect not long ago. Where did this powerhouse come from?"

"Who knows? I've never heard of him before."

For most people, Lu Ming was a complete dark horse, a brilliantly dark one at that, completely overshadowing other rising stars.

Take Zhu Ningyun for example. Although she was also noteworthy, she had already made a name for herself, and most Inner Sect Disciples knew of her existence.

Therefore, the level of shock she brought was nowhere near that of Lu Ming.

"What do you think his final rank will be?"

"The notice says he's at the mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm, and there are 207 people in the late-stage Zhen Qi Realm in this list. I don't think he can get into the top 200."

"What's the problem with mid-stage? Aren't there many mid-stage Zhen Qi Realm cultivators in the top 100?" someone immediately retorted.

The person smiled confidently, "That's true, but look at his previous ranking. He clearly only joined the Inner Sect not long ago. In this short time, how much progress could he have made in his Human-grade, high stage and above martial arts?"

"His foundation is clearly inferior to others. Even if he can fight above his level, how much can he achieve?"

"That makes sense."

Everyone nodded in agreement and then shifted the topic to the candidates for the top ten in the Inner Sect.

Compared to guessing Lu Ming's rank, guessing the top ten candidates was more engaging.

"These people will definitely be greatly surprised then."

Cui Bai, who had come to check his own ranking, happened to overhear the crowd's discussion about Lu Ming and couldn't help but shake his head.

While he didn't know the full extent of Lu Ming's martial arts level, he understood a fair bit.

It was definitely not low.

Not to mention anything else, he had already completed many missions in less than a year since joining the Inner Sect.

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even be out of the protection period yet.

Therefore, he believed these people would be stunned when the time came. Not only could he get into the top 200, but he might even break into the top 50.

Without lingering, he left directly.