Chapter 684: We Still Have To Decide On The Specific Rankings?
The Emperor had a certain level of understanding of Zi Shang.
He knew that even though the personal disciple of his Imperial Uncle had not bad natural talent, yet it was merely not bad.
In the entire Darkhan Dynasty, young geniuses with equal natural talent to Zi Shang could be seen everywhere.
Sometimes, even the Emperor was unable to wrap his head around the reason why his Imperial Uncle didn't choose the group of young geniuses in the entire Darkhan Dynasty, but had instead chosen Zi Shang who came from a remote Imperial Kingdom, to be his personal disciple.
But now, he suddenly realized that his previous thinking was undoubtedly mistaken.
At this moment, Zi Shang revealed a cultivation that wasn't inferior to his son or nephew. "Ninth level of the Void Initiation Stage... Zi Shang has actually broken though to the ninth level of the Void Initiation Stage as well!"
"Imperial Uncle, what exactly is going on? How did Zi Shang's cultivation catch up to Bei He and Bei Hao in such a short period of time?" The Emperor looked at the black clothed old man as he took a deep breath and asked with slight curiosity.
"I don't know either." The old man shook his head, yet slight excitement seemed to have emerged in the depths of his gaze.
Truthfully speaking, it was even unexpected to him when Zi Shang revealed such a strong cultivation, and he felt pleasantly surprised from the bottom of his heart.
"Looks like the prediction of the Lord Oracle all those years ago was right... My personal disciple is from the faraway Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom! Zi Shang is my fated personal disciple." The old man's feeling surged.
All those years ago, the Feng Clan's Lord Oracle, the Ancestor of the Feng Clan's Eldest Master and Patriarch, had once made a prediction of his fate, and during this process, she'd given him a prediction.
According to what that prediction indicated, he headed to the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom at a specially appointed time and just happened to encounter Zi Shang... It was precisely because of this that he'd taken Zi Shang as personal disciple long ago.
Even if Zi Shang's later display couldn't be considered to be outstanding, but so long as he recalled the prediction of the Lord Oracle, he would once again put his entire heart and soul into teaching Zi Shang.
He believed that the Lord Oracle's prediction wouldn't be nonsense.
Now it would seem that the prediction had come true, as the personal disciple he'd taken from his trip to the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom was extremely outstanding. "The Lord Oracle is truly a divine being! Perhaps she knew long ago that Zi Shang would have this future."
Truthfully speaking, he was slightly perturbed in his heart when he took Zi Shang as his personal disciple in the beginning.
Especially the doubtful gazes from the people surrounding him had caused him to doubt the soundness of his decision on many occasions.
But he persisted in the end.
The facts proved that his persistence wasn't wrong.
"Even Imperial Uncle doesn't know?" The Emperor was slightly surprised, and then he guessed. "Looks like Zi Shang should have obtained some fortuitous encounter recently... Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to chase up to Bai He and Bei Hao in such a short amount of time."
"Perhaps." The black clothed old man nodded and neither agreed nor disagreed.
His gaze slowly descended onto the violet clothed young man, and then his eyes slightly narrowed. "Duan Ling Tian is the youngest amongst the young geniuses present... He seems to have already broken through to the ninth level of the Void Initiation Stage." In the end, the old man's brows slightly frowned, and he felt slightly afraid.
"Ninth level of the Void Initiation Stage? This kid has really concealed his strength deeply!" On the first-class spectating area that belonged to the Feng Clan, Feng Wu Dao shook his head and had a complicated gaze.
The nearby Elder Kong had a slightly dumbstruck expression at this moment.
As for the Feng Clan's Patriarch, he was completely stunned instead. "This... Duan Ling Tian is a ninth level Void Initiation Stage martial artist? He's stronger than Yun Xiang? He... He's still so young!"
Unknowingly, the gazes of most of the people in the surroundings of the Cage Battle Arena had descended in unison onto the violet clothed figure in the sky above the Cage Battle Arena.
That figure was a violet clothed young man sword shaped brows and starry eyes, and a handsome appearance.
Of course, if it was only an outstanding appearance, it wouldn't be sufficient for him to become the center of attention...
After all, he wasn't the only handsome young man in the sky above the Cage Battle Arena.
The part of him that attracted the gazes of everyone was his composed expression and that face that was shockingly young in the current occasion.
"In terms of age, amongst the over 100 young geniuses in the sky above the Cage Battle Arena, it seems that only Lord Wu Dao's daughter is younger than this young man of the Darkstone Empire." Someone couldn't refrain from speaking out in surprise.
"Now, including him, there are less than 10 people that are able to maintain their composure, and it's even to the extent that he hasn't even utilized his Origin Energy... He's undoubtedly the youngest amongst these people that are able to maintain their composure."
"His natural talent in the Martial Dao is truly too terrifying!"
"I originally thought that within the younger generation of our Darkhan Dynasty, people like the Second Prince, the Zhang Clan's Eldest Master, and the Ye Clan's Eldest Master were already the most outstanding figures... Now it would seem that we were looking at the sky from within a well."
"Yeah. Besides these people, there are many black horses this time... Firstly, it's this young man from the Darkstone Empire. The second is the white clothed young man that presided over the first phase of the Dynasty Martial Competition yesterday, and he ought to be a Young Prince... The last person who's also wearing white clothed seems to be a member of the Imperial Family as well."
"The Second Prince and these two white clothed young men were all recommended by the Imperial Family!"
"The Imperial Family is going to gain great honor this time."
...
The entire Cage Battle Arena was in an uproar, and it seemed like a market.
Right at this moment, the two old men that stood in the sky above all the young geniuses looked at each other before nodded, and then they exerted strength once more.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, two extremely formidable Origin Energy flames skyrocketed on the bodies of the two old men once more, and they seemed to transform into circle after circle of white colored ripples that swept out towards the surroundings with the two old men as the center.
For a time, a fierce gale sprang up above the Cage Battle Arena, and some cultivators with low cultivations were even forced to close their eyes.
Bang!
With the two old men as the center, the Origin Energy ripples that spread out ceaselessly finally collided with each other to form an exceedingly strong pressure that swept down and enveloped all the young geniuses.
Instantly, the pressure endured by the young geniuses present increased greatly.
"Ah!"
"No!"
...
Instantly, waves of shrill cries sounded out as another ten plus young geniuses were pressed down from the sky and suffered the tragic fate of elimination.
At this moment, even Duan Ling Tian's expression went slightly serious, whereas, Zhang Shou Yong and the others were the same as well.
Even up till now, all the ninth level Void Initiation Stage young geniuses including Duan Ling Tian hadn't utilized their Origin Energy to resist the pressure that came from the two old men.
But everyone's nerves had tensed up as they became serious, and they were no longer as carefree as before.
Obviously, they felt a certain level of pressure.
On the other hand, Su Li, Feng Yun Xiang, the other eighth level Void Initiation Stage young geniuses, and the top figures amongst the seventh level Void Initiation Stage martial artists like Feng Tian Wu and Long Yun, had already increased the strength of their mobilized Origin Energy to resist the pressure that descended down upon them.
Based on their actions, they seemed to be at extreme ease, and it was as if they didn't feel much pressure.
"Amongst the 20 people that advance in the end... Besides ninth level Void Initiation Stage and eighth level Void Initiation Stage martial artists, there should be some seventh level Void Initiation Stage martial artists that can advance." Duan Ling Tian's eyes flashed as he looked at Feng Tian Wu and said via voice transmission, "Tian Wu, you can do it!"
Feng Tian Wu looked at Duan Ling Tian and nodded lightly, and extreme firmness could be seen within her pair of bright and beautiful eyes.
Duan Ling Tian smiled, and he was extremely confident of Tian Wu.
Even though Tian Wu's cultivation was only at the seventh level of the Void Initiation Stage, the Concept she'd comprehend far exceeded something ordinary seventh level Void Initiation Stage martial artists could compare to.
Tian Wu was a possessor of the Fire Spirit Body, and she possessed an innate affinity towards Fire Concept, causing her to comprehend it extremely swiftly.
Bang!
Another enormous bang sounded out, and it came from the second ripple emitted from the roiling Origin Energy on the two old men colliding with each other.
For a time, waves of air once again covered the heavens and the earth as they swept out in the sky, and another later of extremely strong pressure fiercely pressed onto the group of young geniuses.
Subsequently, many people were eliminated.
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian's body was suffused with Origin Energy, and it formed into an Origin Energy barrier that enveloped him within.
No matter how the pressure from the two old men increased, Duan Ling Tian remained unmoving like a mountain.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
...
At the same time, Zhang Shou Yong, Zi Shang, Ye Xiao, Bai Hao, and Bai He formed an Origin Energy barrier to resist the enormous pressure that descended from above.
Instantly, 12 ancient horned dragon silhouettes appeared above each of them...
72 ancient horned dragon silhouettes appeared at the same time was a magnificent sight.
"Six ninth level Void Initiation Stage martial artist!" A portion of the people present had already guessed the cultivations of Duan Ling Tian and the others, yet there was a portion of people that were completely ignorant. At this moment, all of them were shocked when they saw Duan Ling Tian and the others reveal their cultivations.
"Looks like the Dynasty Martial Competition today will surely be extremely interesting... Supposedly, besides competing for the qualification to participate in the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties, the group of young geniuses of our Darkhan Dynasty also have to decide on the specific rankings and win the various rewards distributed by the Imperial Family." Some well informed people couldn't help but speak out.
For a time, the atmosphere in the entire Cage Battle Arena was in an uproar once again, and sharp cries of excitement rose and fell without end.
In this way, it would also mean that every single one of them would have the opportunity to witness the battles amongst the top young geniuses of the Darkhan Dynasty!
How could they not be excited?
"We still have to decide on the specific rankings?" Duan Ling Tian clearly heard the discussion of the spectators in the Cage Battle Arena, and he couldn't help but be slightly shocked.
He originally thought that the Darkhan Dynasty's Martial Competition would be similar to the Darkstone Empire's Young Genius Competition and the Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom's Genius Competition, only the strongest young genius had to be decided upon and there was no need to decide on specific rankings.
Now it would seem that he'd guessed wrongly.
Besides deciding on the people who'll acquire the qualifications to participate in the Martial Competition of the Ten Dynasties, the Dynasty Martial Competition of the Darkhan Dynasty that was held today would also go a step further and decide on the rankings of the young geniuses in the Darkhan Dynasty.