Dark clouds gathered, and monstrous waves surged.
Bolts of lightning struck the swirling sea surface.
At this moment, above the vortex, amidst the extreme distortion of space, figures emerged one after another.
The leaders on each academy's seagoing vessel stared intently at the scene, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
When Ding Xuan and the other Cangxuan Academy students came out first, the elders of the Cangxuan Academy breathed a sigh of relief and then nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Not bad, Ding Xuan. There will be further rewards for you when you return to the academy."
People from other colleges weren't surprised.
It's reasonable that Cangxuan Academy, as the strongest academy in the Chaos Realm, achieved first place. Only the elders of the Divine Miracle Academy looked rather grim.
Ding Xuan remained indifferent, while the other students exchanged bewildered glances.
Before they could explain anything...
Immediately afterwards, Bifang and other members of the Devil Beast Academy appeared.
"Second? Okay, that's acceptable." The elder from the Devil Beast Academy nodded with a cold snort.
The elders of the Divine Miracle Academy looked even more grim.
Others were also discussing it animatedly.
" The Divine Realm didn't even make the top two this time? It seems a truly huge change has occurred."
"Top two? Didn't you see on the Cangxuan Academy's ship that the soul tablets of the students from the Divine Miracle Academy were all shattered?"
"Huh? I really didn't notice. So... Divine Miracle Academy came in last place this time?"
"It's not just that they're at the bottom; all the students have died. I'm afraid the Divine Miracle Academy will go crazy this time... no, the entire Divine Realm will be shaken."
Following closely behind, Qingming Academy, Immortal Realm Academy, and Demon Realm Academy all emerged one after another.
Only the Azure Firmament Academy in the Mortal Realm and the Chaotic Spirit Academy in the Heavenly Mystery Continent have not yet emerged. Of course, there are also miracles... well, those are all dead, so let's not talk about them.
The other leaders on the academy's ships all nodded in approval upon seeing this.
Clearly, this result was not significantly different from their previous guesses.
The Chaotic Spirit Academy might have some inaccuracies.
However, it was expected that Azure Firmament Academy would ultimately emerge victorious.
On the ship of the Azure Firmament Academy.
Vice Dean Lin frowned slightly and looked at Hong Ying Ning Chenxin, saying, "Given their abilities, even if they don't get into the top two, their overall ranking shouldn't be this low, right?"
Hong Ying asked, "Are the rankings based on who came out first?"
Vice Dean Lin was taken aback, paused, and shook his head, saying, "Not necessarily. The rankings are all recorded on the tokens. Of course, each year's rankings are basically based on the order in which they were announced."
Upon hearing this, Hong Ying and Ning Chenxin exchanged a smile.
Mu Wan'er patted her chest confidently and said, "Then there's no problem."
Seeing this, Vice Dean Lin shook his head and chuckled.
Meanwhile, these same matters were being discussed on the ships of other academies.
" The Mortal Realm has only been rebuilt for a few years. It's already good enough that they can participate. To dream of winning a prize is just overestimating themselves." The elder of the Qingming Academy shook his head with a smile.
An elder from the Cangxuan Academy echoed, "The foundation is still lacking; let's try harder next time."
Those trainees who had already come out hesitated upon hearing these words, or gave a helpless, bitter smile.
It wasn't until Ding Xuan and Bi Yan spoke up, saying, "Elders, you're mistaken. Azure Firmament Academy ranked first this time, and we ranked second."
Upon hearing these words...
The entire space fell silent for a moment.
Only the roar of the surging waves could be heard.
"What did you say?" The elder leading the Qingming Academy stared at the student before him, his pupils constricted in shock. "The number one in the Mortal Realm? Are you kidding me?"
The elder of the Cangxuan Academy stared at Ding Xuan with a solemn expression, "Is this true?"
Ding Xuan nodded calmly, then took out his token and said, " On the God Ascension Platform, the top seven spots are occupied by students from the Azure Firmament Academy, and I..."
The elder of the Cangxuan Academy hurriedly looked down and found it hard to accept when he saw the number "eight" on it.
It was already hard for Ding Xuan to accept that he got eighth place, after all, with Ding Xuan's strength, only Shen Han from the Divine Miracle Academy could rival him on the surface.
What's even harder to accept is that the top seven are all from the Azure Firmament Academy?
Weren't they contradicting themselves by saying those things just now?
And... why does it feel so unreal?
A place that has only been rebuilt from ruin and the loss of its heritage for a few years has already reached this level. Even novels wouldn't dare to write something like this!
The leaders of the other academies also learned of this news, and they all had the same expression as the elders of the Cangxuan Academy.
Only the elder of the Divine Miracle Academy had a grim expression, his brows furrowed, and his pupils darting left and right as if he were thinking about something. Then he beckoned, and a man walked over. The elder's lips moved, the man nodded, and then disappeared from the spot.
On the Azure Firmament Academy's sea ship.
Vice Dean Lin did not show an excited smile; instead, his face was full of worry.
"If that's the case, the Divine Realm might have to take action."
People from the Immortal Realm Academy and the Demon Realm Academy also approached, all looking at Hong Ying and Ning Chenxin.
Hong Ying transmitted her voice to everyone, saying, "Gather on our ship when the time comes. The talisman array is ready. Once the others come out, leave immediately if anything seems amiss."
Everyone nodded.
Meanwhile, within the God Ascension Ruins.
Ye Qiubai and the others were still waiting, but their expressions grew increasingly anxious.
If something happens to Ji Qianyao, they won't know how to explain it to their master!
"Why don't we go look for it?" Fang Qiong suggested.
Ye Qiubai shook his head. "This God Ascension Ruins are so vast, and they have three sections. What if we're in one of the other sections and don't even know how to get down?"
When they entered the Divine Realm through the teleportation arrays, those arrays were mostly one-way channels.
"There's no use in rushing, just wait."
Somewhere in the Divine Realm.
This is a void, unlike the pitch-black depths of other spaces, where spatial turbulence and storms abound. Here, however, it is filled with a flowing purple aura.
now.
Ji Qianyao then sat cross-legged amidst the flowing purple light.
These wisps of purple light, like transparent silk, were swirling around Ji Qianyao.
A voice that only Ji Qianyao could hear lingered in her mind.
" The Hongmeng Heaven-Imprisoning Art uses Hongmeng Purple Qi as a guide to imprison heaven and earth."
" The purple qi transforms into Sanqian paths, imprisoning all the gods and spirits of the heavens."
That's right.
The Ji Qianyao entered the God Ascension Ruins and appeared on the Divine Realm section, the Hongmeng Purple Qi within her body guided her here.
After passing the test, this Cultivation Method will be passed down here.
However, there is an extremely demanding condition for practicing this Cultivation Method.
Only those who possess the Hongmeng Purple Qi can cultivate it.
This single condition alone is something that probably very few people in the world could meet.
At this moment, the purple aura completely merged into Ji Qianyao's body, and a powerful aura erupted.
His cultivation level actually broke through directly to the Mid-Stage Demigod Realm!
The moment Ji Qianyao opened her eyes, her pupils turned purple...
As she rose, Ji Qianyao bowed upwards and said, "I will fulfill your request, Senior."
"But now it's time to go and meet up with them..."
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P. S.: I've been stuck on writer's block for ages, and it took me all night to finish it. One chapter left, I'll go to sleep after I finish this!