Seventy-fourth place seems low.
But on the Pagoda of a Hundred Saints, any ranking is absolutely an honor.
Besides, it's seventy-four...
With such a ranking, it can be said that as long as Gongsun Xie does not perish, his future will at least be that of a Half-Step Great Saint, and if he has the fortuitous opportunity, becoming Great Saint might not even be a pipe dream!
Gongsun Xie, who emerged from the Pagoda of a Hundred Saints, looked visibly tired, and his Spiritual Power was almost completely depleted. However, his demeanor was excellent, even vigorous.
His eyes held an almost palpable pride.
He has reason to be proud.
Gongsun Xie knew, of course, that he had succeeded.
Amidst the joy, there was also a hint of sighing.
If his Spiritual Power hadn't been almost completely depleted, he could have actually gone even further.
but...
Looking at the rankings displayed on the stone tablet beside him, Gongsun Xie slightly curled the corners of his lips, his eyes showing obvious satisfaction.
Although it fell just short in the end, he is quite satisfied with the result!
As soon as Gongsun Xie appeared, he was immediately surrounded by congratulations, praise, and compliments.
"Congratulations, Brother Gongsun, on entering the Stele of a Hundred Saints! From this day forward, your name will be remembered for eternity, and you will be ranked alongside many sages!"
"Excellent! From tonight onwards, our Great Cosmos Holy Academy will have another unparalleled genius. Everyone says that Xu Yan is invincible, but I believe that Gongsun is no less than him!"
"This child can become the pillar of our Great Cosmos Holy Academy hundreds of years from now, the backbone of our Taiyu Divine Dynasty!"
"You're amazing, Junior Brother Gongsun! We should all strive to be like you from now on."
"Senior Brother Gongsun is truly talented; I admire him greatly!"
All sorts of envious voices filled Gongsun Xie's ears.
His smile widened even more, "No, no, no!"
Thank you all for your kind words.
"How can Gongsun Xie compare himself to the sages of the past? I am truly ashamed."
Although Gongsun Xie vehemently denied it and spoke very modestly, everyone could see how beaming he was and how happy he was.
The dean of the Great Cosmos Holy Academy was standing right next to Lin Xuan at that moment.
After all, such a big thing happened, and it caused such a commotion, he couldn't possibly not come.
Now, he smiled and turned to ask Lin Xuan, "Fellow Daoist Lin, does my Great Cosmos Holy Academy have some promising talents?"
His tone carried a hint of smugness.
Before this, he had been shocked by Lin Xuan so many times. This time, the dean thought to himself that he had to show Lin Xuan that their Great Cosmos Holy Academy was also a place with extraordinary foundation and outstanding talents.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan did not deny it, but simply nodded in agreement with the dean, his tone still calm. "Indeed, not bad."
Upon hearing this, the dean gazed at Lin Xuan's profile and shook his head slightly.
He thought to himself that Lin Xuan's calm and composed demeanor was simply a way for him to save face.
His disciple was indeed talented, but how could he possibly compare to Gongsun Xie?
Gongsun Xie, who had already arrived to the side, smiled faintly upon hearing Lin Xuan's words, "Thank you for the compliment, senior. However, I am somewhat curious, in your opinion, how far can Brother Wang go?"
His question was not meant to be malicious towards Lin Xuan.
But for Wang Yan, who hasn't even appeared yet, there's only malice.
If one were to be rejected by their master while still climbing the tower... that would be a blow to anyone.
However, Lin Xuan seemed not to understand Gongsun Xie's meaning at all, and chuckled lightly, saying calmly, " Wang Yan?"
"He... deserves to be number one!"
Upon hearing this, there was a moment of silence. Everyone's faces twisted in disbelief, a mixture of suppressed laughter and shock, stemming from their awe and reverence for Lin Xuan.
Several holy teachers and the dean also felt strange.
How come I didn't notice that before?
This Senior Lin is actually quite proud of himself!
Reaching the top?
He thinks too highly of his disciple!
The first hundred on the Stele of a Hundred Saints were all renowned figures, and the first ten later became Great Saint!
If Wang Yan could get first place, wouldn't that mean his talent surpasses all the geniuses throughout the history of the entire Divine Dynasty?
After some thought, the dean finally couldn't hold back and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, your disciple is indeed good, but achieving first place is still somewhat difficult..."
He thought he had been tactful enough.
If Lin Xuan were sensible, he should at least accept the way out he was given.
To everyone's surprise, Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "Just wait. My disciple is known for his cautious nature and never acts rashly. He should have adapted to the environment by now; it's time."
Lin Xuan understood Wang Yan's personality and talent, so the slow progress was within his expectations.
It's likely that he was probing and trying to find the pattern of how the tower operates on the earlier floors.
Now, it's almost time for everything to fall into place and for things to explode.
The dean was somewhat speechless, but out of consideration for Lin Xuan's status as a powerful figure, he remained silent.
He assumed Lin Xuan was trying to save face for him; after all, Lin Xuan was a powerful figure from the Sword Domain, and it was bound to be embarrassing for his disciple to be weaker than a prodigy from the Great Cosmos Holy Academy in front of everyone...
Thinking this, the dean even began to ponder how he should Lin Xuan when Wang Yan came out, giving this Sword Domain expert a way out so that things wouldn't get too ugly for both sides.
However, although thinking about these things caused him some distress, a hint of pleasure still shone through his eyes.
After all, being able to outdo someone of such strength is incredibly satisfying!
However, to everyone's surprise, in everyone's sight, the white light that Gongsun Xie had just emerged from the Pagoda of a Hundred Saints suddenly turned into a bright black light, and at the same time, the aura inside the pagoda also surged dramatically.
In fact, many people could vaguely sense that Wang Yan's aura inside was even stronger than that of Gongsun Xie, who had already emerged!
What...
How is that possible!
Many people's eyes showed shock.
They exchanged a glance and both saw the color and horror in their own eyes.
Such a strong aura.
Has Wang Yan broken through to a higher level?
I've never seen such a powerful aura of the Thearch Realm expert!
"He's broken through! Senior Brother Wang has broken through to the twelfth level!"
Immediately afterwards, a somewhat expectant shout came from beside them.
Wu Qing didn't care about Gongsun Xie at all. She saw it clearly and understood perfectly well that Senior Lin was such a powerful Sword Domain expert, how could his disciple be inferior?
Therefore, from beginning to end, she had been looking forward to Senior Brother Wang's final trial results.
I've been observing this all along.
Before this, Wang Yan had been stuck on the twelfth floor for a full hour, and finally broke through!
Breaking through the twelfth floor was nothing noteworthy or alarming for Gongsun Xie, after all, he was already above the fiftieth floor. What he found unbelievable was Wang Yan's aura.
The opponent was clearly only at the Thearch Realm, yet the aura he had just unleashed was actually above that of a Great Emperor like himself?
Suddenly, a bad premonition arose in his heart...