At every stage of the Spirit Formation, the number of spirit beasts increased.
The first stage had ten spirit beasts, while the tenth stage had one hundred.
Of course, the tenth stage was more difficult than the previous nine stages combined!
That was because the cultivation level of the spirit beasts in the tenth stage would rise dramatically.
This was meant to test just how far a disciple's combat strength had reached within the same realm.
How could it not be shocking that Lin Feng had cleared the tenth stage so quickly?
One had to know that the other three prodigies, such as Chen Yunjing, who had Venerable Realm elders backing them, had not yet emerged!
Yet Lin Feng had come out first.
This made the Cultivation Arts Pavilion elder immensely curious. What method had Lin Feng used to accomplish this?
After all, if the Cultivation Arts Pavilion elder entered, he too would encounter spirit beasts of the same level. Though he had cultivated for many years and possessed countless methods, he might not have been able to emerge as quickly as Lin Feng.
"This brat..." The Cultivation Arts Pavilion elder secretly marveled, anticipating how many spirit beasts Lin Feng had ultimately slain.
The specific circumstances within the Spirit Formation could only be examined after every challenger had emerged.
Thus, Elder Zhu was still waiting.
Waiting for everyone inside the Spirit Formation to come out.
After emerging, Lin Feng stood leisurely to one side. Around him came many sighs and unwilling voices.
There were also words of despondency.
Listening to the voices around him, Lin Feng remained impassive.
Many people had not even made it through the first five stages.
These people accounted for half!
At least five hundred thousand Outer Disciples had been eliminated!
Had it been Lin Feng from a few days ago, he would surely have become one of those unwilling people...
But times had changed. The current Lin Feng had few rivals within the same realm. At the very least, among these Outer Disciples, no opponent should be able to appear.
Lin Feng gazed calmly at the Spirit Formation. He merely wondered what results those three well-connected prodigies had achieved.
More disciples were kicked out of the Spirit Formation. Some barely met the standard after bitter battles, while others were eliminated despite exhausting every trick up their sleeves.
In the end.
Boom!
A sharp, imposing figure emerged from within!
The onlookers stirred in commotion, their gazes all falling upon him.
"It's Xu Jun! A prodigy on the same level as Chen Yunjing, with Venerable Realm backing. It seems he made it through, but I wonder what his result is!"
"Does that even need saying? A prodigy like him must have cleared it!"
Quite a few people looked on with envy.
Soon, another domineering aura surfaced.
This was another prodigy on the same level as Chen Yunjing and Xu Jun—the Wei Clan's favored son!
His expression was calm, and endless confidence shone from his eyes. The first round's top rank ought to be his.
Finally.
The ninth-grade flying artifact, the Azurecloud Wings, carried Chen Yunjing out like a gust of wind.
Absolute arrogance covered his face, as though first place in this Spirit Formation assessment already belonged to him!
The three great prodigies with powerful backing stood to one side, their bearing standing apart from the dust of the world. Their bodies bore many traces of battle, making it clear that they had gone through fierce fighting inside.
All three great prodigies were in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, and the spirit beasts they encountered were naturally in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm as well. It could be called perilous in the extreme.
"Xu Jun, I wonder how many spirit beasts you slew inside?" Chen Yunjing's eyes flashed as he asked.
Xu Jun gave a mysterious smile. "What's the rush? The results will be announced soon enough! This time, I'm confident I'll take first place!"
"First place? Xu Jun, your confidence is a little too excessive. Where do you put me?" the other prodigy surnamed Wei said as well.
The three great prodigies confronted one another, as though no one but the three of them could possibly lay a hand on first place.
The other disciples all sighed inwardly.
The Sword Tempering Pool and the other generous rewards had made their eyes burn with envy, but unfortunately, three 'extraterritorial demons' had arrived this time, crushing their hopes of taking first place!
In the distance, Elder Zhu's divine abilities were heaven-defying. His divine sense entered the Spirit Formation to inspect it, and after only three seconds, Elder Zhu's eyes flickered.
He now knew the rankings of the Spirit Formation challenge.
He had not expected first place to be someone other than the three great prodigies with Venerable Realm backing!
Everyone looked toward Elder Zhu, waiting for him to announce the results.
The Cultivation Arts Pavilion elder also watched curiously.
Elder Zhu slowly spoke. "Tenth place, Fang Zhengyang, Ninth Stage of the Blood-Shifting Realm, thirty-seven spirit beasts slain."
"Ninth place..."
"Eighth place..."
One ranking after another was announced, drawing ever closer to the top three!
Brilliant light burst from the eyes of Chen Yunjing and the other two prodigies! They could not help feeling somewhat anxious!
The rankings were announced from last to first, and no one wanted to hear their own name too early!
Elder Zhu announced them one by one. Very soon, he finished announcing fifth place, while the Cultivation Arts Pavilion elder grew increasingly astonished. Lin Feng had not been mentioned yet. Could it be that he had not entered the top ten?
He had at least cleared the tenth stage. If he had not entered the top ten, could it be that he had slain very few spirit beasts?
At this moment, Elder Zhu spoke again. "Fourth place, Wei Changfeng, Second Stage of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, two hundred and forty-three spirit beasts slain!"
Upon hearing that name.
Wei Changfeng's mind shook violently!
He was none other than the prodigy who possessed the same level of backing as Chen Yunjing and Xu Jun, with a Venerable Realm elder behind him!
Yet hearing his own name now meant that first place was not his!
Wait!
Why was he in fourth place?
Amid his unwillingness, Wei Changfeng suddenly froze. That should not be possible. He should at least have been third, shouldn't he?
Other than Chen Yunjing and Xu Jun, who else stood ahead of him?
Elder Zhu continued, "Third place, Chen Yunjing! Third Stage of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, two hundred and sixty-four spirit beasts slain!"
Chen Yunjing's expression changed slightly.
He was only third place?
Who were the first two?!
The atmosphere in the arena became slightly strange, because everyone knew that the top three of this assessment had seemed predetermined. No matter the assessment, no one should have been able to shake their positions.
Yet judging by the rankings Elder Zhu had announced, it was clear that an unexpected person had slipped among them!
Who was this person?
Then everyone heard Elder Zhu say, "Second place, Xu Jun! Third Stage of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm! Two hundred and seventy-one spirit beasts slain!"
Boom!
In that instant, the entire arena erupted. Not only had Xu Jun himself never expected it, everyone else was even more stunned!
Xu Jun stood there with his mouth open, unable to say anything for a moment. But how was he only second?!
Chen Yunjing and Wei Changfeng were no match for him and ranked below him, yet he, Xu Jun, was second!
Could there have been some powerful prodigy hiding his strength among those present, playing the pig to eat the tiger?
But if someone had such powerful backing, they would surely recognize him.
"First place, Lin Feng."
Elder Zhu finally announced the first-place winner. In an instant, the gaze of a Venerable Realm expert locked onto Lin Feng!
"Eighth Stage of the Blood-Shifting Realm, five hundred and fifty spirit beasts slain!"
"You have set the highest kill count since the Spirit Formation challenge assessment began. Congratulations, Lin Feng—you broke the record!"
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