"Someone else was underground?"
Sikong Xuan, who had just Slaying his opponent, gave a soft exclamation and glanced toward Shi Youbing. What he saw left him stunned.
"Shi Youbing of the Shi Family in the Primordial Domain? Why him?"
Sikong Xuan knew Shi Youbing, of course. The Spirit-Scolding Sect's Intelligence contained detailed information on him, and even across the True Martial Continent, he was considered extremely strong.
It was no exaggeration to say that if the Azure Flame Grand Tournament had been held solely on the True Martial Continent, Shi Youbing would have stood an excellent chance of reaching the Top Hundred.
Yet Sikong Xuan had Slaying him with a casual attack, without even sensing that he was there.
Sikong Xuan pondered briefly, then shook his head. "You were probably trying to ambush me and got caught by my attack instead. Just your bad luck."
He gave it no further thought. After Slaying the two of them, he immediately checked his point ranking.
"Eighty-ninth!"
Sikong Xuan raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly. "That rank still isn't safe enough."
"I don't need to reach the Top Ten. My place in the Elimination Round isn't my final ranking anyway. I just need to stay in the Top Hundred and advance to the next round."
His plan was simple: preserve as much strength as possible for now, then make his move in the Challenge Round and Advancement Round, aiming for the Top Ten or even first place.
But eighty-ninth...
It was within the Top Hundred, yet still too low for Sikong Xuan's liking.
"Nearly a month remains in the Elimination Round, and rankings will shift the most during that time. I need to reach at least the Top Fifty to be sure I'm still in the Top Hundred when it ends."
His expression