Outside the arena, because time flowed differently inside it, less than an hour had passed in the outside world.
In that brief span, everyone had witnessed an exceptionally exciting competition.
Although it wasn't a fight, watching the contestants rapidly master one martial skill and cultivation method after another was thrilling in its own right.
The only thing everyone regretted was that, starting with the eighth checkpoint, neither the cultivation methods nor the martial skills were shown to the audience.
In fact, no one even knew what kind of cultivation methods and martial skills the six contestants at the ninth checkpoint were facing.
Naturally, everything that appeared from the eighth checkpoint onward was at the eight-star level, whether it was a martial skill or a cultivation method.
Methods and skills of that caliber weren't suited to widespread circulation.
Still, although no one knew what martial skills and cultivation methods awaited at the ninth checkpoint, everyone could tell from the current situation that the one most likely to win was the Spirit Clan's prodigy, Young Master Ling.
After all, Young Master Ling had reached the ninth checkpoint nearly a year before the second contestant.
That was an enormous head start!
Below Young Master Ling was the Demon Prince, one of the three royal clans of the Ancient Demon Race.
The Demon Prince was also highly perceptive. When it came to comprehending and cultivating methods and skills, he was only a little slower than Young Master Ling at most.
Though they couldn't see the stone tablet at the ninth checkpoint clearly, everyone knew that it must bear either a nine-star martial skill or a nine-star cultivation method.
And cultivating a nine-star martial skill or method was sure to take a long time.
So being a year ahead wasn't necessarily a decisive advantage.
Given