Newcomer Ranking: Ten Straight Wins! No Beast Spirit Students Dared Take the Stage!

Three days later.

The Spirit City Newcomer Ranking opened ahead of schedule.

Once the news spread, the entire younger generation erupted.

The Newcomer Ranking had originally been an internal ranking event.

It was held every so often to test the strength of young Spirit Masters.

But this time was different.

Everyone knew the ranking had been moved up because of Di Yao.

The Pope Palace had just taken in a direct disciple.

Then the Elder Palace opened the ranking.

On the surface, it was fair competition.

In truth, they wanted to curb Di Yao's momentum.

Outside the training grounds, the crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder.

Pope Palace students.

Elder Palace students.

Even quite a few Deacons and instructors had come.

Bibi Dong did not attend.

No important figures from the Elder Palace showed themselves either.

But everyone knew how many eyes were watching from the shadows.

When Di Yao entered the training grounds, the noise inside noticeably died down.

He wore fitted black-and-gold clothes, his face still somewhat pale.

But his eyes were steady.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan stood at the edge of the arena.

They had not registered.

At least, not yet.

They were not the main characters today.

The person in charge of the Newcomer Ranking was a middle-aged Spirit Master.

He glanced at Di Yao and asked, "Di Yao, are you sure you want to register?"

Di Yao said, "I'm sure."

The official nodded.

"The Newcomer Ranking challenge rules advance layer by layer according to rank."

"The winner may continue challenging."

"A loss ends the challenge."

Di Yao asked, "Is there a limit on the number of challenges?"

The official froze.

"In principle, no."

Di Yao said, "Good."

The official frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Di Yao stepped onto the arena.

"Don't waste time."

"Line up and come at me."

The entire crowd erupted.

"Has he gone mad?"

"He wants to fight continuously?"

"This isn't an ordinary sparring match. The Elder Palace definitely has people prepared."

"He actually dares!"

Yan's eyes lit up.

"Bold enough."

Xie Yue said indifferently, "Only boldness backed by strength deserves to be called boldness."

Hu Liena said nothing.

She knew Di Yao would not act recklessly just for show.

If he wanted to fight continuously, it meant he had already figured out how to do it.

The first challenger quickly stepped onto the stage.

Seventeen years old, a one-ring Spirit Master.

Beast Spirit: Wind Wolf.

He looked at Di Yao, his expression somewhat tense.

"I know your martial soul suppresses Beast Spirits."

"But I won't be afraid!"

Di Yao nodded.

"Begin."

The referee lowered his hand.

The Wind Wolf Spirit Master immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, and his speed soared.

But after taking just two steps, a Dark Gold Sun appeared behind Di Yao.

The Demon Emperor Golden Eyes opened.

The Wind Wolf martial soul instantly stiffened.

His speed immediately fell into disarray.

His foot slipped, and he nearly fell.

Di Yao did not use a soul skill.

He merely stepped forward and pressed a palm against his opponent's chest.

Dark gold Soul Power trembled lightly.

The Wind Wolf Spirit Master was sent flying off the stage.

The first match was over.

The entire arena fell silent for a moment.

Too fast.

So fast that many people had not even reacted.

The official's expression changed slightly.

"Second match."

The second person to step up had a Leopard Spirit.

An agility-attack type.

He had clearly learned from the previous challenger's lesson and tried to circle behind Di Yao from the start.

But the moment the Demon Emperor Manifestation emerged, his Leopard Spirit trembled instinctively.

He did not completely lose his speed, but he was visibly thrown off balance.

A streak of fire flashed beneath Di Yao's feet as he predicted where the opponent would land.

A Great Sun Golden Flame swept across the ground.

The Leopard Spirit Master was forced into view, and a moment later, Di Yao sent him off the stage with one palm.

Second match, victory.

Third match, Eagle Spirit.

The opponent wanted to fly.

His martial soul had barely unfolded, and before his iron feathers could fully condense, the Demon Emperor Golden Eyes swept over him. He actually did not dare take to the air immediately.

That instant was enough.

Di Yao's First Soul Ring lit up.

The Great Sun Golden Flame transformed into golden trails of fire, sealing off his angle of ascent.

The Eagle Spirit Master's face went pale.

Before he could truly make a move, he was forced to the edge of the arena.

Third match, victory.

The arena began to stir.

"Beast Spirits can't fight him at all!"

"The moment they release their martial souls, they get suppressed."

"How are they supposed to take the stage?"

"It's not even a huge gap in level. Any Beast Spirit that faces him is just throwing the match."

Several young Spirit Masters from the Elder Palace looked increasingly grim.

They had originally believed Di Yao's suppression was only obvious against low-level soul beasts.

But now it seemed just as terrifying against Beast Spirit Masters.

Especially for those whose levels were not high enough—they could not even perform normally.

Fourth match.

Fifth match.

Sixth match.

Three more Beast Spirit students stepped onto the stage in succession.

Wolf, Bear, Snake.

Each suffered worse than the last.

The Wolf Spirit's legs went weak at the start.

The Bear Spirit's charge lagged by half a beat, and the Great Sun Golden Flame directly burned away the Soul Power protecting his body.

The Snake Spirit was even more ridiculous. It was suppressed for an instant by the Ten Thousand Demon Edict, leaving him frozen in place, unable to even fully release his soul skill.

Six straight victories.

Di Yao stood in the center of the arena, his breathing still steady.

He had not wasted Soul Power.

If he could resolve it with the rank of his martial soul, he would not use a soul skill.

If one strike could knock someone down, he would never throw a second punch.

Watching him, Hu Liena suddenly murmured, "He isn't competing."

Xie Yue nodded.

"He's conserving Soul Power."

Yan understood as well.

"He wants to fight a lot of matches."

Xie Yue said, "Not just a lot of matches."

"He wants Beast Spirit students to be too afraid to take the stage."

Sure enough.

Before the seventh match began, a brief silence fell over the registration area.

Several Beast Spirit students looked at one another, yet none was willing to go up first.

It was too humiliating.

They would step onto the stage, and before they even fought, their martial souls would already be scared.

This was not merely a matter of winning or losing.

It would shatter their confidence.

The official's expression turned ugly.

"No challengers?"

The Elder Palace side finally sent out a Tool Spirit Master.

A sixteen-year-old Tool Spirit Master walked onto the stage.

His martial soul was an Iron Rod.

There was a faint sneer on his face.

"Your martial soul suppresses Beast Spirits, but it's useless against me."

Di Yao nodded.

"Mm."

The Iron Rod Spirit Master was somewhat displeased by his calm reaction.

"You're not afraid?"

Di Yao said, "Start."

The Iron Rod Spirit Master snorted angrily. His martial soul surged, and his First Soul Ring lit up.

The Iron Rod smashed toward Di Yao with a fierce gust of wind.

This time, the Demon Emperor Pressure truly did not directly suppress his opponent's martial soul.

The watching students perked up.

"Tool Spirits have a chance!"

But in the next instant, they saw golden flames spread beneath Di Yao's feet.

It was not a wide-area blaze.

It was three thin lines.

One forced his steps.

One sealed off his retreat.

One pressured his angle of attack.

The Iron Rod Spirit Master brought his rod down with tremendous force.

But the fireline forced the strike to miss by half an inch.

Half an inch was enough for Di Yao to evade.

He turned sideways and raised a hand, pressing the Great Sun Golden Flame directly against the iron rod.

Dark Gold Flame burned along the Tool Spirit.

The Iron Rod Spirit Master's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly pulled back his Soul Power to defend.

Di Yao seized that instant and kicked the side of his knee.

The Iron Rod Spirit Master lost his balance.

The next palm strike sent him out of bounds.

Seventh match, victory.

Another Tool Spirit had lost.

And lost even more miserably.

Di Yao had not won through suppression.

He had won through prediction, firelines, and rhythm.

The eighth match. The ninth match.

The Elder Palace continued sending Tool Spirits and Support-type Spirit Masters to test him.

Not one of them lasted more than ten breaths.

Di Yao's fighting style was far too clear.

He did not pursue flashiness.

He did not waste Soul Power.

Every strike landed where it hurt the most.

If his opponent wanted to advance, he sealed their footing.

If they wanted to retreat, he burned off their escape route.

If they wanted to erupt, he used the Ten Thousand Demon Edict to disrupt their rhythm.

Even those without Beast Spirits were forced into greater and greater disorder by him.

Before the tenth match, the person in charge finally could not help speaking.

"Di Yao, you have already won nine matches in a row."

"According to the rules, you may pause and rest."

Di Yao looked at him.

"I still have enough Soul Power."

The person in charge frowned.

"Consecutive battles will affect your judgment."

Di Yao said, "Real competition for resources will not wait for me to rest."

The arena fell silent.

His words were not loud.

Yet they struck every young Spirit Master across the face like a slap.

They treated the Newcomer Ranking as a ranking.

Di Yao treated the Newcomer Ranking as a battlefield.

The one who stepped onto the stage for the tenth match was a Two-Ring Great Spirit Master.

His martial soul was the Black Horned Rhino.

A Power Attack System Beast Spirit.

He was clearly much stronger than those before him.

After taking the stage, he did not waste words and directly released two Soul Rings.

"I know you suppress Beast Spirits."

"But my Soul Power is higher than yours!"

Di Yao glanced at him.

"You talk more than they did too."

The Black Horned Rhino Spirit Master's face darkened in anger, and he charged forward.

His martial soul was indeed more stable.

When the Demon Emperor Pressure descended, his movements merely grew heavier. He did not collapse outright.

Di Yao's gaze shifted slightly.

Finally, someone with a little value.

The Black Horned Rhino charged before him, activating his first soul skill as thick black armor surfaced across his skin.

Di Yao did not meet him head-on.

Firelines curved around his flank.

The Black Horned Rhino ignored them and kept charging.

Just as he entered within three steps, Di Yao's Second Soul Ring lit up.

"Ten Thousand Demon Edict."

The Black Horned Rhino Beast Spirit stalled.

His charge did not come to a complete stop.

But a crack appeared in his Soul Power armor for an instant.

The Great Sun Golden Flame pierced precisely into that gap.

"Boom!"

The Black Horned Rhino Spirit Master grunted, and his charging path veered away.

Di Yao stepped aside and pressed a palm against his back.

Golden flames erupted.

The Black Horned Rhino Spirit Master flew straight off the arena and crashed heavily to the ground.

Tenth match.

Victory.

The entire arena fell completely silent.

Ten consecutive victories.

And Di Yao was still standing.

He was not bedraggled.

He was not exhausted.

He had not even suffered any truly serious injuries.

The Elder Palace side finally could no longer maintain their composure.

The person in charge of the Newcomer Ranking was silent for a moment before asking, "Di Yao, will you continue?"

Di Yao said, "Continue."

Just then, a low voice rang out from the direction of the Elder Palace.

"I'll go."

The crowd parted.

A tall young man slowly walked out.

He was clearly older than the others before him.

The aura around him was completely different as well.

Three Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple.

Soul Elder!

His martial soul was the Tiger King.

The young man stepped onto the arena, his eyes fixed firmly on Di Yao.

"Emperor of Beast Martial Souls?"

"I'd like to see whether you can suppress the Tiger King."

The atmosphere in the arena instantly exploded.

A three-ring Soul Elder had entered the match!

This was no longer an ordinary Newcomer Ranking challenge.

This was the blade the Elder Palace had truly prepared.

Hu Liena's expression changed.

Yan cursed.

"Shameless."

Xie Yue's gaze turned cold as well.

Di Yao stood in the center of the arena, looking at that Tiger King Soul Venerable.

Dark Gold Firelight slowly ignited in his eyes.

Finally.

Someone who could fight had arrived.