5th place: Shrek Academy · Tang San (Martial Souls: Blue Silver Grass/Clear Sky Hammer, Soul Power Level 34, Special Talent: "Innate Full Soul Power"), reward: 10,000 Points (redeemable for Second-grade Pills only)
6th place: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect · Ning Rongrong (Martial Soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Soul Power Level 33, Special Talent: "Doubled Support Enhancement"), reward: 50,000 Points
7th place: Spirit Hall · Hu Liena (Martial Soul: Demon Fox, Soul Power Level 41, Special Talent: "Charm Domain"), reward: 40,000 Points
8th place: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy · Yu Liuli (Martial Soul: Thunder Luan, Soul Power Level 40, Special Talent: "Lightning Acceleration"), reward: 35,000 Points
9th place: Shrek Academy · Xiao Wu (Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit, Soul Power Level 33, Special Talent: "Teleportation"), reward: 28,000 Points
10th place: Spirit Hall · Xie Yue (Martial Soul: Moon Blade, Soul Power Level 40, Special Talent: "Twin Moon Resonance"), reward: 30,000 Points
The following rankings were arranged in order: Shrek Academy's Dai Mubai (12th place, level 39, 25,000 Points), Oscar (18th place, level 32, 18,000 Points), Ma Hongjun (20th place, level 31, 15,000 Points), and Zhuqing (25th place, level 32, 12,000 Points); Spirit Hall's Yan (11th place, level 39, 28,000 Points); and disciples from Thunderclap Academy, Godwind Academy, and other schools also made the list. The top 50 included nearly all the top forces on the continent.
The square erupted into an uproar. The different factions' reactions were a riot of color—
In Spirit Hall's group, Hu Liena stared at her 7th-place ranking, her fingers digging hard into her palm. Her Soul Power was higher than Xie Yue's, and her Charm Domain could suppress Soul Masters of the same level, yet she was ranked below him—and had even been beaten by people from Sea God Island and the Clear Sky Sect. "Why? Is my Martial Soul Fusion Skill really inferior to their brute strength?"
Yan's expression was just as sour. His 11th-place ranking made him clench his fists, and the aura of his Flame Lord Martial Soul nearly slipped out of control. "Damn it! My Soul Power is clearly higher than Tang San's. How did he rank above me? Is there something wrong with this list?"
Xie Yue patted them both on the shoulder, though resentment was clear in his eyes, too. "Don't lose your tempers. It makes sense that Qian Renxue is first, but those people from Sea God Island and the Clear Sky Sect... Next time, we'll definitely surpass them!"
Among the Sea God Island group, Hai Mingyue looked at her 2nd-place ranking and bowed slightly toward the island. Her Deep Sea Spirit Whale Martial Soul could control seawater, and she had a chance at first place, but she had still lost to Qian Renxue's Angel Martial Soul. "It seems the foundation of the Angel Bloodline still surpasses the Power of the Ocean. With 120,000 Points, I can redeem quite a few ocean-related resources. I'll cultivate properly when I get back and try for first place next time."
Yu Tianxin of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan looked at the list with a satisfied smile. His Instantaneous Thunderstorm talent made him practically invincible among Soul Masters of the same level. He had enough Points to redeem a Lightning Attribute Third-grade Pill, and breaking through to Soul Ancestor was just around the corner. "Father will be thrilled when he hears I've made the rankings!"
Among the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect group, Ning Rongrong looked at her 6th-place ranking and suddenly jumped up, the hem of her pale-yellow skirt swinging in a cheerful arc. "Sixth place! Fifty thousand Points! Father, I can redeem so many support treasures!"
Ning Fengzhi stood beside her, his eyes full of pride. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a Support Spirit, to reach 6th place was a pleasant surprise, and the 50,000 Points would let the sect redeem plenty of resources to enhance its support abilities. "Rongrong, well done! Next time, aim for the top five!"
But the mood among the Shrek Academy group was as if someone had doused them with ice water.
Dai Mubai stared at his 12th-place ranking, his face flushed red. His Soul Power matched Hu Liena's and Xie Yue's, and his White Tiger Martial Soul was no weaker than theirs, yet he had only ranked 12th and received 25,000 Points. "Why? Is my White Tiger Vajra Transformation really inferior to their talents?"
Oscar scratched his head. His 18th-place ranking left him both relieved and disappointed. "At least I made the list, but 18,000 Points will only get me Second-grade Pills. I'm still a long way from the Soul Tool I want..."
Zhuqing bit her lip, her fists clenched at her 25th-place ranking. Her Nether Civet Martial Soul excelled at speed, but her slightly lower Soul Power had left her near the bottom. She silently resolved to train even harder.
The most humiliated of all was Tang San.
He stood there, staring fixedly at the words "5th place," his fingernails digging deep into his palm. He didn't even notice the blood welling up. Innate Full Soul Power, Twin Martial Souls—assets he had once been so proud of—had earned him only "5th place" and 10,000 Points on the list. And those Points could only be used for Second-grade Pills; he couldn't even afford the Thousand Year Soul Ring Purification Liquid that had been auctioned last time.
"Why?" Tang San's voice trembled. He turned to Yu Xiaogang beside him. "Teacher, I have Twin Martial Souls, and I also have the Purple Demon Eye and Hidden Weapon Techniques. Why am I only fifth? Why are my Points so low?"
Yu Xiaogang looked grim, too. He squeezed in beside Tang San, glanced at the list's evaluation criteria (Martial Soul quality, Soul Power Level, combat ability, and Special Talent, all assessed together), and gritted his teeth. "This list makes no sense! Theory comes first in Soul Master cultivation! Xiao San's theoretical knowledge far surpasses that of Soul Masters at the same level, and his Hidden Weapon Techniques are peerless. His Soul Power is only temporarily a little low. How can they rank him like this?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried just far enough for the Spirit Hall disciples nearby to hear. Hu Liena turned and sized Yu Xiaogang up, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. "Theory comes first? Sounds to me like you can't teach good students, so you're making excuses. Tang San is just a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power. What is Blue Silver Grass? A Waste Martial Soul! Making fifth place is already the Auction House doing him a favor. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even let him into the top ten!"
"What did you say?" Tang San jerked his head up, killing intent flashing in his eyes as Blue Silver Grass instinctively coiled around his arm.
Yan joined in, too. The aura of his Flame Lord Martial Soul spread, forcing the people around them to retreat. "A Waste Martial Soul is a Waste Martial Soul! So what if he has Twin Martial Souls? His Soul Power is only level 34, and he dares to challenge us? He thinks 10,000 Points is too little? Then raise your Soul Power above ours!"
Xie Yue folded his arms and sneered. "Yu Xiaogang's theories have been outdated for ages, and he's still deluding himself. Tang San, if you're really capable, stop relying on theory and prove yourself with your strength!"
The people around them joined in:
"Exactly. His Soul Power is only level 34. Fifth place is already lucky."
"So what if he has Twin Martial Souls? If he can't raise his Soul Power quickly, they're useless."
"Yu Xiaogang's theories might fool children, but when it comes to a real fight, Soul Power and talent are what matter."
Those words pricked Tang San like needles. His face flushed red, and he wanted to argue but couldn't think of what to say. He looked at the mocking faces around him, then at his name on the list, and felt utterly disgraced, as if all the blood in his body had frozen.
Before you continue