Nie Yun and Nie Tong, the two brothers, had surpassed him—he could say that was because he did not know their true strength, since they had only just arrived at Guixu Sea. But Shang Quan was different. He knew Shang Quan extremely well. They had competed in the Core 72 Peaks ranking matches many times and fought countless times, yet Shang Quan had never defeated him. How had he moved ahead of him after merely exchanging a few words with that brat called Nie Yun?
His head swam in waves as a blaze of fury burned within Ji Xuan's heart, as though it were about to explode.
"No, I refuse to accept this! I, Ji Xuan, a peerless figure who has dominated first place in the Core 72 Peaks for hundreds of thousands of years, can never lose to three people in a row!"
"Something must have gone wrong somewhere. I will not become fourth place..."
"No, if I take fourth place in the ranking match, I may very well not get to fight Nie Yun. If that happens, fourth place will be set in stone. I must fight him and reclaim what belongs to me!"
Roaring inwardly, Ji Xuan's face twisted savagely, his cheeks twitching without end.
Ranking Peak arranged the matches itself, and no one could interfere by human means. It was entirely possible that first and fourth place would not need to fight before their rankings were decided. If so, he would never again have the chance to seize back the throne of first place.
Clenching his fists, Ji Xuan seemed to make a momentous decision. Suddenly gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet and let out a long howl toward the heavens.
"Sect Master, elders, I have decided to initiate a Heaven-Seizing Battle and challenge