Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1901 Chapter 510: Ten Thousand Clans Await, Reverse Order Challenge
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
The leadership trial's end arrived in a flash.
One by one, the participants withdrew from the illusory domain, as Li Hao gradually lifted his eyelids. Mere instants earlier, he had been pursuing the Great Dream Master, joining forces with the Great Dream Nine Abysses to defeat the Ancient Demon. Once the Ancient Demon perished, the illusion realm swiftly dissolved soon afterward.
"Leadership evaluations consider casualties, kills of foes, length of the conflict..."
A glint passed through Li Hao's eyes. Even without ever directing troops in war, the lessons ingrained in him from youth offered a firm grasp on strategies of the battlefield.
Traversing this journey, facing ordeals, and harvesting rewards along the way, during this specific test, scarcely any setbacks occurred for him in the Great Dream Nine Abysses. He had undoubtedly secured at least a passing mark.
"All four trials have wrapped up, yet I'm left wondering about my total standing?"
"To vie for True King status, one must place in the top twenty across every one of the four tests, which knocks out eighty contenders outright!"
Surrounding him, the assembly's stares grew intense; numerous individuals who lagged in the initial phases now brimmed with remorse, aware that their path to progression was sealed shut.
Refusing to extend the tension, the Star Empress promptly disclosed the outcome of the ultimate pick.
The roster for the top twenty emerged, drawing the throng's eyes skyward as they hunted for their own entries.
Li Hao spotted his name holding the fourth slot, a flicker in his gaze; aligning with his earlier displays, this position matched his forecasts closely. Clearly, his talents in command hadn't pulled him down.
Moments later, his vision scanned further below, uncovering Shi Miao's name in the twentieth position.
Precisely on the brink.
"That was close..."
Relief washed over Li Hao with a deep exhale. Before, Shi Miao had plummeted too far in the good and evil assessment, but she had barely clawed her way into the top twenty this time—a formidable task, much like botching one exam and dominating the remaining three with exceptional prowess.
"My name isn't there..."
"Ninth? Humph!"
Within the gathering, countless voices released heavy sighs. The final trace of expectation vanished from their looks.
The golden-armored Divine Venerable displayed a icy demeanor, noting his spot lingering beneath Li Hao's. Flames of wrath ignited in his stare, though he kept them leashed.
In the prior combat evaluation, Li Hao's placement had astonishingly eclipsed his own, a fact he viewed as implausible, despite holding back his maximum effort. However... that person was just at the Seventh Level of Immortal King Realm!
"Junior Sister barely avoided the bottom in the good and evil test; something must have swayed her. Perhaps the Master, or..."
Envy began to infiltrate the Divine Venerable's eyes as he turned toward Li Hao. Though harboring no romantic sentiment for Shi Miao, she served as his sect's Junior Sister and the Master's prized apprentice. He had harbored esteem for her once, but she had bestowed her affections on another, sidelining him as her Senior Brother and stoking his fury.
"I didn't make it..."
Su Wanyi examined the rankings, her features draining of color upon realizing her name's omission. Yet, considering her past efforts, this result fell within anticipated bounds; even so, its formal proclamation carried a sharp sting of letdown.
"I placed 19th; apart from scraping near the bottom like Shi Miao in the good and evil test, I almost missed 20th too, but I pulled through and got in!"
Joy and thrill surged through Luo Ningshuang, who felt shock that amid heirs from vast factions and reborn Quasi-Emperors in abundance, she had still claimed a shot at the concluding trial!
A mere opportunity it might be, yet securing a top twenty berth stood as an unquestionable mark of prestige!
And should defeat come her way, eyes might still fall upon her, leading to recruitment as a subordinate!
Her battle might hadn't cracked the top forty, but directing forces marked her specialty; in the good and evil and Tao Heart trials, she had earned middling standings. It was exclusively in leadership where she eradicated the Ancient Demon and mended its aftermath with minimal toll.
"I wonder what the ultimate True King showdown will gauge? Most likely clashes of true might!"
Luo Ningshuang pondered inwardly.
Immortal Kings from various grand factions hunted for their names as well, while many ancestral figures from lineages discovered their exclusion from the top twenty, offering sighs of resignation.
Pitting against descendants of the premier ten clans alongside hordes of reincarnated Quasi-Emperors proved overwhelmingly arduous!
With the exception of... that cultivator at the Seventh Level of Immortal King Realm.
Li Hao's fourth ranking sparked twitches at many observers' eye edges; they had endured grueling cultivation at Immortal King Realm's peak for endless years, only to find themselves bested by a cultivator shy of that realm's completion.
That individual hadn't just qualified—he held fourth place, poised on the verge of ascending as True King!
"Very well, regarding this concluding selection..."
The Star Empress's voice cut through the myriad murmurs, yet her face suddenly creased in a scowl, her gaze sparking with piercing frost.
The assembly caught her altered visage, curiosity stirring in each heart; whatever provoked an Emperor's feelings had to carry immense weight.
"Ancient Demons are gnawing away at the Heavenly Source throughout the True Realm. Assemblies of the Ten Thousand Clans have commenced. The wrap-up for True King picks was set for lot-based Heavenly Dao confrontations. But now, we're shifting to a different approach: duels from lower to higher ranks!"
With icy tones, the Star Empress continued, "The current top ten shall provisionally hold True King status. Each receives three chances to issue upward challenges!"
"Challenges limited to the very next rank up—no leaping ahead!"
"Success in a challenge renews the chance, counting as no loss, allowing further assaults!"
"Failure demands waiting for a shift in the superior spot before deploying the next attempt. Absent that, it seals your ultimate position."
"Time presses onward; duels may unfold at once. Ten battlegrounds stand ready, linked to the domains of the Ten Thousand Clans. All within the True Realm's myriad races shall witness your displays. Unleash your full fury!"
The Star Empress's declaration left the crowd stunned, exchanging bewildered looks at the raw directness and ferocity baked into the final trial's design.
An ascent-from-below gauntlet, where sufficient strength lets one claw toward the lead, potentially claiming the crown of first!