In the second round of selections, Jin Duyi came first!

This reality was like a heavy blow to Lu Dubu and Wu Huang, leaving them stunned and speechless.

When Lu Dubu remembered how he thought his appearance would be met with applause and cheers, his face suddenly became red and hot.

Likewise, Wu Huang felt a suffocating feeling in his chest. He had just been laughing loudly and mocking Lu Dubu, but he had become the joke in the end...

At this moment, both of them wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground.

So embarrassing!

Furthermore, it happened in front of everyone. If word got out, wouldn’t their reputation be destroyed?

“It’s only the second round of selections. Don’t be dispirited. When the third round comes, you can defeat Jin Duyi then,” Daoist Lan comforted them in a gentle voice.

Heng Xiao immediately looked displeased. “Defeat Jin Duyi? Daoist Lan, why are you so forgetful?”

The two were about to bicker again when a commotion broke out.

Lin Xun walked out of the Great Void Dao Refining Pagoda, drawing everyone’s attention right away.

Every influential figure donned a complicated expression.

Some exclaimed with curiosity, some showed heartfelt admiration, some gasped in amazement, and some sighed…

The seemingly ordinary-looking youngster had achieved too many earthshaking feats.

In the first round of selections, he was a dark horse that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and became the champion of Fierce Wind City.

He set a record of ninety-nine consecutive wins!

He was in a class by himself!

And now, he was the first to pass the ninth floor of the Great Void Dao Refining Pagoda, becoming the number one of the second round of selections.

Even the amazing Xie Yuhua, Wang Tu, Su Muhan and others were all left behind by him.

Even peerless characters like Lu Dubu and Wu Huang were reduced to supporting roles in the end!

It could be predicted that when the results of the second round of selections were announced to the world, it would shake the entire Cloud State!

After all, compared to Lu Dubu, Jin Duyi...was a nobody in the past, so the sensation that his name would cause was bound to be tremendous.

“Young man, your performance was indeed extraordinary and impressed us all. But you have to be careful because the third round of selections is a one-on-one battle. There are a lot of variables that can affect whether or not you will make it into the top ten,” Guan Xu said with a smile, making no disguise of his admiration at all.

“In my opinion, it shouldn’t be difficult for this youngster to make it into the top ten.”

“Yes, I am looking forward to his performance in the one-on-one battles. I believe he won’t let us down.”

The other influential figures also spoke up, most of whom had good intentions.

Lin Xun bowed with a cupped fist salute, “Elders, thank you for your advice.”

Seeing this, Lu Dubu and Wu Huang only felt more and more upset. This was the treatment that the number one person received.

Unfortunately, it was not them.

As time went by, more and more experts came out of the Great Void Dao Refining Pagoda.

Xie Yuhua, Wang Tu, Su Muhan, Yuan He…

Followed closely by You Tianxing, Helian Qi, Lan Yunke, Jintian Xuanyue...

When they learned that the first to pass the second round of selections was neither Lu Dubu nor Wu Huang, they all gasped in shock.

When they learned that Lin Xun won first place, they were in even more shocked disbelief.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Especially Helian Qi, who had a grudge against Lin Xun. His eyes almost popped out of his sockets and the color was drained from his face.

Jintian Xuanyue was the calmest of them all. After all, she knew best how terrifying strong Lin Xun was.

When the incense stick finished burning, a total of forty-nine people had successfully passed the second round of selections.

Among them, the majority were core disciples from the seven major factions, and a much smaller percentage was from the ten participating zones.

Gu Jianxing, who was selected from the participating zone Fierce Wind City together with Lin Xun, was considered as a talented sword genius, but he was also eliminated!

Many people couldn’t help but sigh audibly when they saw that strong cultivators such as Gu Jianxing progressed no further than the second round of selections.

This was the fight for the great dao. However strong one was, there would always be someone stronger. In the end, only ten people would be selected from the Dao Debate of Cloud State to attend the Dao Debate Assembly jointly held by the Great Six Courts as representatives of Cloud State.

The competition was brutal.

Among those who had passed the second round of selections, thirty-nine of them would be eliminated in the next round!

Lin Xun was not worried about this at all. Ever since he came out of the Great Void Dao Refining Pagoda, his mind had been completely focused on comprehending and studying the wonders of the Red Flame Dao Body. He was completely uninterested in what was happening around him.

Clang!

A deep clanging of bells resounded from the cloud platform above Immortal Martial Peak, announcing the end of the second round of selections.

Out of the nine hundred odd participants, only forty-nine passed and the rest were all eliminated. Their paths came to a bleak end.

On the cloud platform, Lin Xun and forty-eight others were lined up in order. Far away from them, Guan Xu and other bigwigs fixed their gazes on them.

The area was permeated with a solemn atmosphere.

“The third round of selections will be conducted in a one-on-one tournament format.” Guan Xu announced in a deep voice. “Before it starts, lots will be drawn. One lucky person will be able to advance to the next round without having to compete.”

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve and a bronze box emerged.

“Jade sticks are inside, each one corresponding to the name of an opponent. Now, Jin Duyi will be the first to draw.”

After he finished speaking, amidst countless gazes, Lin Xun walked forward and began to draw lots.

The bronze box was covered with mysterious restriction arrays that blocked spirit sense, thus

preventing any cheating.

Lin Xun chose a jade stick without much thought, glanced at it, and a strange smile curved the corner of his lips.

Helian Qi!

What a coincidence!

He handed the jade stick to Guan Xu, and when Guan Xu announced that the first match was between Jin Duyi and Helian Qi, many people couldn’t help shaking their heads.

Helian Qi?

How would he be a match for Jin Duyi?

It was worth noting that just last night in the Contention House, Helian Qi was defeated by Jin Duyi in one move. Who in the city did not know about this?

Some people cast sympathetic gazes towards Helian Qi.

Helian Qi’s face was darker than the bottom of a pot. He just stood there, stunned, feeling as if ten thousand wild horses were galloping across his heart. He almost coughed up blood from the suffocating feeling.

Damn it…

I’m so unlucky!

“Brother Helian, I look forward to our match.” Lin Xun smiled.

Helian Qi almost crushed his own teeth as he uttered coldly, “Jin Duyi, don’t look so triumphant yet. You don’t know the outcome until we fight!”

However, his heart was running around his chest and he had no confidence in the match at all...

Next, everyone came forward and drew lots one by one.

The results were announced one by one, sparking a lot of discussion and excitement.

Unexpectedly, Jintian Xuanyue actually drew the lucky jade stick and it automatically granted her to advance into the second round of matches without a duel.

When good fortunes came, even heaven and earth would be on your side. Once it faded, even the wisest heroes would fail.

Luck was always a kind of strength!

“Rise!”

Guan Xu folded his hands together in a hand seal, and with a deafening rumble, an ancient battlefield emerged above the massive cloud platform!

The suspended battlefield was constructed from some sort of ancient gray-brown stone material that had been stained badly with blood and produced an overwhelming austere aura.

“After the first set of matches in the third round, there will be twenty-four winners advancing to the next round, plus the lucky person who received a bye.”

Guan Xu announced solemnly, “And now, the first match begins!”