"No way? No way?"

"Even though they’re out of the running for the ranks, these two fought so fiercely—if Xiao Ming ends up with fewer kills than Xu Yang, that’s pretty humiliating."

"Unbelievable, did Xu Yang actually beat Xiao Ming?"

"The ranking doesn’t matter, but clearly the one with greater strength just got shown up. Xiao Ming really lost major face here."

...

The crowd was murmuring, watching the spectacle unfold.

However, Men Long, Chen Xuanji, and the other prodigies looked extremely grim.

In their hearts, they were all furiously cursing Xiao Ming!

You just had to show off, didn’t you?

If you’d acted sooner and gone all-out, this would’ve been finished.

Now look—you can’t even save face!

Shi Hu suddenly burst out laughing: "Hahaha, the top ten spots are guaranteed for the ten legendary Immortal Soldiers of old! How can we ever match those elites? Slaying enemies now is just a number, is there really anything shameful about it?"

With one sentence, he put Xiao Ming right on the spot!

The Five Elements Celestial Realm powerhouses glared in rage, but didn’t utter a single word.

Either way, it’s a total embarrassment!

Xiao Ming’s face was dark as iron. He snorted coldly, then revealed his token: Four hundred ninety!

For a split second, the whole area fell utterly silent—then a commotion erupted.

"Only one person difference!"

"Just one kill apart!"

"Xiao Ming, you really did this to yourself."

"If you were clearly way behind, it’d be whatever. But it’s just one kill—if he’d gone all out from the start, he’d have had it."

"Sigh!"

"Can’t blame him too much—no one expected the trial to end so suddenly. Xiao Ming got the short end of the stick. If he’d brought that palm down, he’d have surpassed Xu Yang by dozens."

...

Xiao Ming ’lost,’ Xu Yang edged him out.

Everyone knew the real reason was the trial ended too abruptly, no time to prepare.

But a loss is a loss.

No matter how unfair, you’ve got to accept it!

The War King’s clan experts looked at Xiao Ming’s token, not hiding a thing, and roared with wild laughter.

It was pure satisfaction!

Xiao Ming’s foundation was known to all.

For Xu Yang to outdo him even once is nearly a miracle!

No one cared if it offended Xiao Ming or the Five Elements Celestial Realm!

Xu Yang grinned broadly, cupped his fists, and said, "I acknowledge it!"

Just those two words almost made Xiao Ming lose his mind.

"Xu Yang, you just got lucky! In terms of strength, even with one hand tied behind my back you’d still lose to me!"

"A measly one-point difference—you feel proud? Pfft. Just goes to show that’s all you’ve got."

Xiao Ming snapped back coldly, voice full of anger.

Xu Yang shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Luck counts as strength, too. If we were still in the rankings, I’d be number one!"

Number one!

Those words stabbed deep into Xiao Ming’s heart.

He admitted, Xu Yang wasn’t wrong!

But the fury in his gut churned wildly.

He really wanted to finish Xu Yang off with a single palm, just to relieve the hate!

At that moment, the world suddenly stirred.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!

Winds and clouds twisted, Immortal light spread everywhere.

A mottled scroll soaked in Immortal radiance gradually appeared before everyone’s eyes.

In an instant, all stray thoughts were dropped and the crowd focused intently on the scroll.

The rankings were about to be revealed!

Xu Yang stared at the scroll, his heart harboring an unrealistic sliver of hope.

Shua shua shua!!

The scroll glimmered with shifting light; countless names and kill numbers flickered, flowing like water—at first blurry, then quickly sharpening into clarity.

Each name and number gradually settled into place.

First place: Lu Fan, Second-class Immortal Soldier, nine hundred eighty-seven!

This number alone made the whole crowd explode!

987! Even as a second-class Immortal Soldier, his opponents were also second-class, and his total is double Xu Yang and Xiao Ming’s.

Second place: Shi Hong, Third-class Immortal Soldier, nine hundred thirty-six!

Third place, eight hundred seventy-seven!

...

"Wait, what about the tenth... Holy shit!"

"No way!"

"Hiss, it’s not an illusion!"

"It’s actually Xu Yang!"

"Xu Yang actually took tenth place!"

...

Every Martial Artist in the Spirit Realm was dumbstruck, staring at the last name on the scroll as if they’d seen a ghost.

It stung all the more!

Xu Yang was frozen, mind entirely blank.

This was literally a windfall from the heavens—a miracle!

He’d hoped a little deep down, but never dared to expect anything.

And yet—out of the blue, a twist of fate!

Even tenth place came with prize treasures, not just Immortal Qi!

Xu Yang’s lips curled up; he finally couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

The onlookers wore strange expressions, watching Xu Yang laugh, but couldn’t find any words.

Tenth place!

Last among the top ten, yet it drew endless envy.

Immortal Elixir, damn it!

Every gaze turned to Xiao Ming.

"Xiao Ming must regret it so much he’s turning green."

"One kill, one point—otherwise he’d be tenth and get the Immortal Elixir and treasures!"

"That’s the legendary Immortal Elixir; just the Immortal Qi makes our roots soar toward ascension. Even the weakest elixir is dozens of times stronger than Immortal Qi. With it, Xu Yang might even surpass Xiao Ming."

...

Xiao Ming was trembling all over, face flushed red.

Mad fire blazed in his eyes.

He was like an ancient volcano, pressure building to the limit, on the verge of erupting any second.

"Xu Yang!"

Xiao Ming was grinding his teeth to bits with hate.

The Immortal Elixir should have been his!

If only he’d gone all-out from the start, left Xu Yang no chance—just casually killed two more people, he’d have surpassed him!

Tenth place, the elixir would be his!

Damn, damn it all!

Xiao Ming’s mentality shattered.

The worst part is, it was just one kill!

Just one!

"Mr. Xiao must be above such Immortal Elixirs—he let him win on purpose."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao!"

Xu Yang cupped his fists again, expressing heartfelt gratitude.

The crowd tried their best not to laugh.

This was literally rubbing salt in the wound!

Xiao Ming trembled, eyes brimming with killing intent locked on Xu Yang, then abruptly turned and walked into the Five Elements Celestial Realm crowd.

"Mr. Xiao, don’t stoop to the level of a bastard like that."

"Even if he got the Immortal Elixir, he’ll never have a chance to catch up!"

"That sonofabitch really should die!"

"It’s just an Immortal Elixir, let him have it—he’ll never catch up in this life!"

The crowd did their best to comfort Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming ignored them, went straight to the edge, turning his back to everyone.

His lips quivered; he forced down the taste of blood in his throat, eyes twisting with unprecedented ferocity and coldness.

"Xu Yang, I swear—the next time I get a chance, I will not hold back!"

...

Swoosh!

The Immortal scroll hovering in the sky shattered without warning.

And then, beams of Immortal light conjured Immortal Elixirs out of thin air.

But they looked entirely illusory, like bubbles.

As they appeared, they quickly fractured and vanished into the world.

The rankings belonged to fallen Immortal Soldiers; these elixirs too seemed just vestiges of the past.

Witnessing this, everyone was startled.

"Don’t tell me these Immortal Elixirs are fake?"

"So Xu Yang got happy for nothing?"

"Hard to say. What if he gets a real elixir?"

...

The Five Elements Celestial Realm experts all had a breath caught in their throats, staring hard at the shifting scene above, desperate for the tenth-place elixir to be just a mirage.

Even Xiao Ming couldn’t help turning around, watching nervously.

The War King’s clan, meanwhile, tensed up.

"Please, don’t let it be fake!"

"Please, please!"

Shi Hu clasped his hands, muttering non-stop.

Even Xu Yang felt nervous now.

If you’re not going to give it, just don’t! But if you are—just do it!

This in-between torture is unbearable.

In a moment, it was the tenth name’s turn.

Xu Yang’s name and number shattered together, transforming into dazzling immortal light!

Shua!

A ball of Immortal light swirled around the Immortal Elixir, slowly surfacing—still just as illusory as the previous nine!