Chapter 816: Spar

Li Pin looked at the two, their tension thick with the scent of gunpowder. "Me too?"

He honestly didn't get it.

What's there to fight over about being the lead commander?

The lead commander is supposed to go last. If the deputy is too strong and wipes out all the opponents beforehand, wouldn't the lead commander end up just standing around in the wind during the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, without even getting a match?

To him, the Supremes' earlier arrangement, having him go up first, actually made a lot of sense.

But... if those two really started fighting, with their strength so evenly matched, neither would walk away unscathed. Both would be drained. That would affect their condition when they had to face him later, and that wasn't ideal. So he spoke up.

"I'm not betting on anything. But since I'm only barely qualified to be part of this gamble..." Li Pin smiled. "Why don't you two clear the field first before your duel? You know how it goes in movies, two top experts fight to the death, both end up seriously hurt, and then some guy they never paid attention to swoop in to clean up and walk away with everything. So..."

He raised a hand invitingly. "Clear the field first. Like, say... by defeating me."

As soon as he said that, both Yao Ji and Emperor Ara turned their eyes toward him.

Among the surrounding Heavenly Emperors, two, who had studied him in detail, couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.

"All I can say is, no wonder he's considered a contender for the supreme prodigy title. Every one of them really does have a unique edge to them."

"Honestly, if you think about it, weren't we the same when we were young? Our ambition knew no bounds, we had eyes only for the summit, and we looked past our peers to the older generation, those standing at the peak of cultivation. Back then, our youthful arrogance was no less than what they're showing now."

"Arrogance is part of being young. If you aren't bold when you're young, then what's the point of youth? Looking back, maybe there's a little embarrassment... but I have no regrets about those years."

Most of the Heavenly Emperors looked at the three standing off against each other and smiled. After all, anyone who had reached the level of Heavenly Emperor had once been a supreme prodigy of their time. Even those who hadn't reached the absolute top had at least been capable of contending with the best.

In other words, they had all been through what Li Pin, Emperor Ara, and Yao Ji were experiencing now.

It was just like how almost every adult had gone through a phase of believing they were the center of the world.

"Interesting," Emperor Ara said plainly after hearing Li Pin's words.

"Clear the field?" Yao Ji tilted her head. "I've never heard of such a request before."

She turned her eyes toward Li Pin. "Or... do you really believe you can take the two of us down before we even have time to clear the field? So the world will see you as the one truly worthy of being the main commander?"

"No, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not interested in being the lead commander," Li Pin said, quickly waving his hands. "What I'm interested in is..."

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He took a step forward. Matter and energy surged around him as celestial phantoms emerged in the air. They crashed straight into the clash of aura between the two top-tier experts, forcefully breaking their momentum apart. "Is defeating you, or being defeated by you."

Seeing Li Pin intervene in their duel, Yao Ji frowned and said coldly, "How dare you!"

Emperor Ara let out a soft chuckle. "

Heh.

"

His Sword Intent surged even more powerfully. It condensed to the limit, evolving into an inner spirit secret art. A towering figure slowly formed in the air. Divine sword in hand, it seemed poised to cleave the heavens.

This was the secret art Divine Emperor Xi had created—The Nine Questions of Heaven and Man.

Refusing to be outshone, Yao Ji unleashed her own power. A pure white lotus bloomed in everyone's perception. Countless rays of white light burst forth, carrying an overwhelming purifying force. They spread unchecked in every direction. Wherever the light reached, all things would be purified into white and dissolve into nothingness.

Before Li Pin could reveal his Primordial Abyss True Demon Form, the Divine Martial Emperor, who had been watching in silence, finally snapped. "That's enough!"

The next moment, a wave of invisible ripples swept out, forming a sealed space that instantly enveloped the group.

Then, in an unquestionable tone, he said, "Each of you is among the most exceptional talents of this era. If it's just sparring, that's fine. But if you're determined to settle this, you'll fight with everything you've got. And if anyone gets hurt, it'll be a serious blow to our human race in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

"There are only ten years left until the tournament. Just getting to the alien battlefield will take several years. Adapting to that environment will take more time. If any of you get injured now and can't recover in time, it will affect your performance. If that happens, you'll be betraying the human race."

He gave a sharp wave of his hand. "If you're all set on competing, then go to the Supreme Ladder. Whoever ranks highest will be the lead commander. If you end up on the same level, the faster one wins."

Yao Ji frowned. "The Supreme Ladder..."

It wasn't a place that suited her strengths. The ladder lacked the power of Eternal Oblivion, which meant certain advantages would be magnified, while others would be completely suppressed. In many ways, it reflected potential more than true combat strength.

Still, Divine Martial Emperor was the Heavenly Emperor. She had to show respect. And besides... what he said made sense.

If she went too far and injured Emperor Ara or Li Pin, it could affect their performance in the upcoming tournament. If that led to a loss for the Human Race, she really would be a sinner of the human race.

On top of that... it would ruin the momentum she needed to ride the wave of the Human Race's victory, gather fortune, and break through to lay her Supreme Foundation.

With that in mind, she gave a slight nod. "Alright. We'll settle it on the Supreme Ladder."

"The Supreme Ladder it is," Emperor Ara murmured, sounding a little dazed, maybe even sentimental. "Last time, I casually brought a Top-Tier Cosmic Radiance Divine Sword and made it all the way to the ninetieth step... This time, I'll take it seriously."

"How did it end up turning into a Supreme Ladder match?" Li Pin muttered, looking a little speechless.

The tension had already reached its peak... and now they weren't even going to fight?

Still, considering how well the Divine Martial Emperor had treated him, he decided not to push it.

Fine. The Supreme Ladder it is.

Besides, this wasn't a life-or-death battle against Yao Ji or Emperor Ara. Without that kind of edge, it already felt a little lacking. Might as well head to the ladder and kill some time.

Seeing the three of them withdraw their auras, the Divine Martial Emperor let out a soft breath of relief. "Good. Now, I'll take you all to the Supreme Ladder."

"I'm coming too," said Tai Yi with a cheerful smile.

He had hoped Yao Ji could dominate all the other participants, including Emperor Ara and Li Pin, but the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War was the real priority. If they got hurt before the tournament and couldn't perform at their peak, the Divine Race and Sky Clan would probably laugh in their sleep.

With that, the Divine Martial Emperor used spatial power to lead the contestants straight toward the Supreme Ladder of the Myriad Astral God Hall.

Naturally, the other Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors didn't want to miss the show and followed along.

Before long, nearly a hundred people had gathered outside the Supreme Ladder.

Compared to the Sacred Flame Hall and other factions, the Myriad Astral God Hall had a lot of cultivators just coasting along, so the area around the Supreme Ladder usually felt quiet.

Even so, this so-called "quiet" was only relative. After all, this projection was cast from at least a Supreme Divine Weapon. It constantly drew in cultivators from the Starshine, Solar Flare, even Cosmic Radiance, and Tyrant levels.

In truth, plenty of Astral Gods were already on the Ladder.

Now, with dozens of Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors arriving all at once, a wave of surprise swept through the crowd.

Once they learned why those top figures were here, the Astral Gods quickly got excited.

News spread fast, and more came rushing over, calling friends along the way. No one wanted to miss a showdown between such supreme prodigies.

After all... this battle could very well decide who among them would stand above all others in this era.

***

"With each step climbed on the Supreme Ladder, the difficulty rises accordingly. It's very likely that you'll get stuck at the same step. When that happens, whoever breaks through first becomes the winner."

The Divine Martial Emperor paused for a moment before continuing, "Also, I'm setting a time limit for this challenge: three years. Whether or not you feel confident about passing the next step, you must come out after three years. That's because by then, we need to head to the battlefield where the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War will take place. So, manage your time carefully."

Yao Ji nodded. "Understood."

She turned to Emperor Ara and Li Pin, but her gaze mostly stayed on Emperor Ara. She knew his true strength was definitely beyond the ninetieth step, but whether it was the ninety-first or the ninety-second step was uncertain, especially with only three years to break through.

"Remember, whoever wins this challenge will have their command followed in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War."

"Don't disappoint me by failing to get past the ninety-first step," Emperor Ara replied calmly, then flicked his sword.

It was the Supreme Unity Sword, a Sovereign Divine Weapon once wielded by Divine Emperor Xi.

By drawing this weapon, he made it clear that he was serious.

Without another word, he flew straight toward the Supreme Ladder, heading for the ninety-first step.

"I think you're the one who won't make it past," Yao Ji said with a soft snort. "In the end, there can only be one winner, and that's me."

She quickly caught up to Emperor Ara, landing near the ninety-first step.

"They're both aiming for the ninety-first step... that's some serious boldness," a Sacred Monarch remarked. "The five stages of Sacred Monarchs—Novice, Regular, Advanced, Top-Tier, and Pinnacle—match roughly with steps ninety through ninety-four. If they can get past the ninety-first, their strength rivals that of a standard Sacred Monarch."

"I doubt they'll stop there," a Heavenly Emperor said thoughtfully. "Remember, each of them not only has great power but also carries multiple Sovereign Divine Weapons. With those weapons, they have a good chance of clearing the ninety-second step."

"The deciding factor will be how long it takes to clear that ninety-second step," the Heavenly Emperor added. "The Divine Martial Emperor gave them only three years for the challenge, clearly based on that consideration."

As they spoke, many eyes shifted to Li Pin. He looked... hesitant.

The commander always goes last, huh,

Li Pin thought to himself.

But... whoever wins, the others will follow their orders, right?

With that in mind, under the watchful eyes of all the Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors, he rose and landed on the ninety-third step.