The referee's voice rang out from the stage. "After the previous rounds, the top three contestants have finally been decided—"
"Crimson Reed Domain—Jiang Lu."
"Ling Shuo Domain—Wen Rui."
"Xuancheng Domain—You Xi."
As the words fell, everyone below turned their eyes toward the viewing platform, awaiting the final ruling.
That voice did not keep them waiting long before it resounded in every direction again.
"By the unanimous decision of the elder referees, the top three will not need to fight again. Their rankings will remain undetermined."
The moment those words fell, an uproar broke out all around.
"Undetermined rankings? Why?"
"You don't know? Victory and defeat on the arena are decided only by a momentary clash. They may not fully reflect a cultivator's overall strength. If ranks were forcibly decided, someone would inevitably be unconvinced."
"That makes sense. Fellow Daoist, you are absolutely right."
Amid the crowd, another hushed voice quietly spread, carrying the mysterious air of insider gossip.
"Don't you know? The Heaven's Chosen Ranking doesn't assign fixed ranks to those who make the list. What one shows in the arena isn't their full strength—how could the rankings be set? Everyone else would refuse to accept it."
"That makes sense. Fellow Daoist, you are absolutely right."
"No, I heard from my maternal uncle's grandfather's niece's cousin's master that there are already arrangements among the various domains this time, which is why no rankings are being assigned."
"Arrangements? What arrangements?"
"I don't know the specifics, but it should be related to their talents. Rumor has it that their spirit-body talents are sights not seen in ten thousand years. This time, perhaps they may have a chance to open the Ascension Passage and learn of the Upper Realm."
"..."
As the referee's words fell, Jiang Lu's eyes widened with delight. She turned