Chapter 820: Placement

"Space!"

On the Supreme Ladder, Li Pin sensed the spatial interference on his Eternal Swordlight diminishing, and he nodded slightly.

"This doesn't count as another breakthrough for the Eternal Swordlight, it's merely... becoming more adapted to the interference of spatial forces."

He smiled faintly.

It was like a person playing a racing game. Even if their skills hadn't improved, after playing the same map thousands or tens of thousands of times, they would naturally perform better on it.

This was how it was for Li Pin now.

Though the Eternal Swordlight hadn't advanced, its power against the Sacred Monarchs had clearly increased since he first arrived.

"Unknowingly, the agreed-upon three years are almost up. It's about time to end this," muttered Li Pin.

His gaze landed on the Canaan Clan's Sacred Monarch as he summoned the Sovereign Divine Weapon that sealed space, the Ring of No Bound.

At the moment the Ring of No Bound was activated, the Heavenly Fate Art unleashed Heavenly Fate Light. After exposing the Sacred Monarch's every flaw, the Eternal Swordlight pierced through space and time, launching a fatal strike.

The Canaan Sacred Monarch attempted once again to interfere using spatial power, but the moment he channeled spatial force, the Ring of No Bound's ripples spread out, instantly causing a slight disruption in his interference.

A dreadful realization dawned on the Canaan Sacred Monarch, and his pupils dilated sharply.

"This is bad!"

He retreated in haste, trying to escape Li Pin's attack range, only to realize that Li Pin was not pursuing him.

As confusion flickered across his face, he suddenly realized something and looked down at his body.

At some unknown point, his body had already been torn by invisible sword energy, and now it was collapsing inch by inch.

"Power of space and time..." The Canaan Sacred Monarch murmured softly.

In an instant, his body and consciousness were utterly crushed by the erupting sword energy.

As the Sacred Monarch perished, the world began to dissipate, and Li Pin's figure reappeared atop the Supreme Ladder.

***

"Hmm?"

As soon as he returned to the Supreme Ladder, Li Pin immediately sensed something.

It was very quiet. He could clearly feel that everyone's gaze had focused on him the moment he appeared.

But no one spoke. The atmosphere in the arena was unusually still.

However, the silence lasted only for a moment.

In the next moment, various waves, barely concealed, spread out from outside the Supreme Ladder. Even Li Pin, who stood within it, could feel them clearly.

"So close, it's really so close."

"What a pity, it wasn't you..."

"Three hundred years is too young. If he had been born ten thousand years earlier, with a deeper foundation, he might've become the lead general."

"Forget ten thousand years earlier. Even if the first one he encountered hadn't been the Black Abyss Highlord but a Supreme who granted him a Supreme Divine Weapon, he might not have narrowly lost to Yao Ji."

"There's no point in saying more. He was simply too late. I can only say that Li Pin lacked fortune and opportunity!"

Hearing the murmurs of the Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors, Li Pin immediately realized what they meant without needing to guess.

He turned his head and saw Yao Ji, who stood not far from him, also on the ninety-third step.

As he looked at Yao Ji, she was also scrutinizing him.

Upon sensing his gaze, the face of this Supreme's direct disciple, and fellow Supreme Seed, shifted slightly. However, the change lasted only for a moment before she composed herself.

With a calm expression, she said, "Li Pin, you're outstanding, extremely so. I even have to admit that when I was your age, I wasn't as good as you."

Yao Ji continued without pause, "But... taking the first step means taking every step ahead. With more years on my side, I started cultivating earlier and accumulated more advantages, which laid the foundation for my success today. Going forward, I will use this success to shine brightly in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, win glory for the human race, and ultimately gather fortune to solidify my Supreme foundation..."

She wore the smile of a victor. "In the Dominion War, the most important word is compete. Perhaps I'm not your equal in talent, but in this world, talent alone is never enough. Determination, ambition, and the drive to compete matter just as much. And in that regard, I believe I surpass all of you."

"Compete..." Li Pin muttered.

He looked at Yao Ji and said, "To be honest, I think that competing via the Supreme Ladder doesn't showcase a person's strength as well as an actual fight to the death. But the Divine Martial Emperor was right. We're among the top prodigies of this generation. If we were to truly fight for a victor, we'd have to go all out and end up severely wounded. And if anyone lost their momentum and couldn't return, it'd only make those foreign races laugh at us. So... I accepted this method of competition."

As he spoke, he smiled. "But hearing what you just said made me realize it's my mindset that was the problem. So... you really take this matter that seriously."

After speaking, he retracted his smile and gave Yao Ji a slight nod. "Because of what you said, and out of respect for you, I will give this match my absolute all."

Yao Ji frowned. "Give it your absolute all? Isn't the match over? Even though you passed the ninety-third step too, I still did it faster than you. I'm the final victor."

"Who said I am calling it quits at the ninety-third step?" Li Pin glanced upward. "This isn't some paper graded out of a hundred. The Supreme Ladder has ninety-nine steps."

With that, he stepped forward and headed directly toward the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step.

Yao Ji's pupils dilated.

She had only reached the ninety-third step because she was lucky enough to encounter a relatively restrained opponent. It had taken her over two years of grueling battle before she finally seized a rare opportunity to land a decisive blow and pass the ninety-third step.

But the ninety-fourth was the domain of Peak Sacred Monarchs! Even if she were lucky again and faced a restrained opponent, unless she utterly destroyed them, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Li Pin... he....

Yao Ji looked at Li Pin stepping onto the ninety-fourth step and gritted her teeth. "You're just gambling!"

Li Pin glanced back at her, slightly puzzled, but still replied, "No, this is out of respect for you."

With those words, his foot descended, and his figure vanished at the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step.

The moment he disappeared into the ninety-fourth step, a stir erupted among the crowd outside the Supreme Ladder.

"Could it be that he can't accept the defeat?"

"He struggled with the ninety-third step for over two years, and there's only a month or so left. He still wants to try the ninety-fourth?"

"Wow, what kind of move is this? He is just brute-forcing it?"

"He is way too overconfident."

Amidst the chatter, many Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors secretly shook their heads.

Even Emperor Ara furrowed his brow. He had been surprised when Li Pin passed the ninety-third step, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, the fact that Li Pin dared to step onto the ninety-third step proved he at least had some measure of confidence. But the ninety-fourth was a totally different level overall. If Li Pin passed the ninety-third step, Emperor Ara could still come up with all kinds of justifications for it, such as saying that he is good at offense, or faced with a restricted Sacred Monarch opponent.

But if he truly passed the ninety-fourth, all excuses and reasons would collapse. It would all point to one conclusion—he, Emperor Ara, truly wasn't as good as Li Pin.

"That's impossible," Emperor Ara said calmly.

However, he was far from as calm as he appeared inside.

***

On the Supreme Ladder's ninety-third step, Yao Ji gritted her teeth and glared at the spot where Li Pin had vanished. "Li Pin!"

She had thought that Emperor Ara, the Divine Emperor's personal disciple, was her true rival. As for Li Pin... No matter how famous or battle-proven he was, he had only cultivated for a few hundred years. How could he possibly compete with her?

But now, just when victory was within her grasp, another twist had been thrown into the mix.

After she barely beat the ninety-third step with her strength and some luck, he still refused to give up.

"Refusing to give up, huh?" Yao Ji's expression turned frosty. "Then I'll make you give up for good!"

In that moment, she, who had just cleared the ninety-third step and was about to claim the title of this generation's Supreme Prodigy, reignited her fighting spirit. A blazing will to fight blazed within her.

"Isn't it just the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step?"

Yao Ji rose into the air and, under the odd and even admiring gazes of many Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors, resolutely took that step forward.

"You really think I, Yao Ji, can't beat it?!"

***

Dozens of breaths later.

A flash of light appeared outside the Supreme Ladder.

With vacant eyes and a trace of lingering fear, Yao Ji was teleported directly out of the Supreme Ladder.

Judging from her appearance, there was a high chance she'd been instantly killed by the Peak Sacred Monarch simulated by the ninety-fourth step.

This outcome made the Sacred Monarchs, Heavenly Emperors, Cosmic Radiances, and Tyrants, who had just been admiring her, all reveal awkward expressions.

Wasn't this... too quick a loss? It had barely been a few dozen breaths since she went inside.

She had to have encountered a Peak Sacred Monarch that countered her. Her luck was really dismal. Still, it was the ninety-fourth step after all. For a Tyrant to get that far was already impressive.

The ninety-fourth step had stumped many of the Sacred Monarchs present. It was nothing to laugh at. Failure was perfectly normal.

It was all up to Li Pin now. However, since Yao Ji, who passed the ninety-third step before him, lost so quickly, it was unlikely he could last much longer.

Besides, with the three-year deadline down to just over a month, there wasn't much time left.

Many Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors quietly shook their heads.

However, things turned out far beyond anyone's expectations.

In just three days, at a moment no one anticipated, a figure suddenly reappeared on the Supreme Ladder.

It was Li Pin.