Whoosh!

High Immortal Dong Yang’s mana body followed behind his true self as he exerted all his strength. Seven lifebound flying swords circled around him, sword qi crisscrossing as his form flickered about unpredictably.

None of those who have survived until now are weak.

High Immortal Dong Yang's gaze was ice-cold as he gritted his teeth and endured.

Those who had survived until now would rank among the top thirty or even top twenty monstrous prodigies in any universe, with a ninety percent chance of becoming Sovereigns in the future. How could any of them be weak?

Yes, High Immortal Dong Yang was very strong, having received many opportunities in the Long Shan Universe and having grown extremely rapidly in the Divine Domain World. But among those he now competed against, how many were weaker than him?

Since the fight began, High Immortal Dong Yang had been constantly dodging attacks, unable to eliminate any other participants.

Fortunately, in terms of movement techniques, High Immortal Dong Yang ranked near the top among these hundreds of geniuses, and acting solo made him less noticeable, allowing him to repeatedly survive the chaotic attacks.

As for the other geniuses? As numbers dwindled, those still alive were either powerful or had strong self-preservation abilities, naturally making them harder to kill.

Finally, twenty breaths of time passed.

Hum~

An invisible force instantly enveloped the nearly sixty people remaining in the third grotto-heaven.

"The thirty-two with the highest number of kills shall advance!" the Heavenly Domain Emissary's indifferent voice echoed in their ears. "The rest are eliminated."

Nearly thirty people, including High Immortal Dong Yang, instantly vanished, transported out of the grotto-heaven world, but not appearing in the plaza.

High Immortal Dong Yang's kill count was zero. His journey ended at the first trial of the Heavenly Domain stage.

…

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thirty-two participants who were transported out from each grotto-heaven battlefield appeared on the plaza.

Among the ten grotto-heaven battlefields, only the one Zhu Shan had been assigned to concluded its battles.

As for the other grotto-heavens? With hundreds of participants of similar strength, each possessing powerful ether and mana bodies, the participants all fought until the final moment. The rankings were determined by kill count.

Master Dong Yang has failed to advance.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self sighed inwardly.

Bai Yi was also eliminated.

"Ming Jian. Dong Yang is indeed unfortunate, if he had achieved greater mastery of the Primordial Doctrine, he could have advanced directly to the second trial," Zhuo Haiyue's voice resonated in Wu Yuan's qi refiner self's mind: "His strength is relatively weak, so it isn’t surprising that he was eliminated in the battle royale.

“As for Bai Yi, her strength was actually quite decent. Being eliminated early in the melee clearly shows she was targeted, which is quite a pity."

Zhuo Haiyue wasn't very clear about the master-disciple relationship between High Immortal Dong Yang and Wu Yuan, but she knew they both were from the Dragon Star Immortal Sect.

As for Bai Yi? They all belonged to the Taiyuan Divine Court lineage, so they naturally felt closer even though they weren’t familiar with each other. Therefore, Zhuo Haiyue paid some attention to them.

"Only the two of us remain from the Taiyuan lineage," Wu Yuan transmitted to Zhuo Haiyue.

"I know my strength and condition, reaching the top ten is basically a pipe dream," Zhuo Haiyue smiled as she transmitted: "For me, entering the second trial counts as a victory.

“Whether ranked in the top 640, top 80, or top 40, the difference isn't great, as all will receive top-grade Dao Instruments. Only the top ten, those who enter the third trial, receive rewards that are fundamentally better," Zhuo Haiyue transmitted.

"Ming Jian, the fate of the Taiyuan Divine Court lineage having a participant in the top ten of the Megaverse Crossroads now rests in your hands."

As for the Saintcrest? Zhuo Haiyue didn't mention it. In her view, after Zhu Shan and Wu Yuan's successive explosive displays, Ming Jian's chances of claiming a Saintcrest were very low. Although there were occasionally three Saintcrest Prodigies per Megaverse Crossroads, most times there were only one or two.

"Top ten?" Wu Yuan's qi refiner self nodded slightly.

In the past dozens of Megaverse Crossroads openings, the best performer from the Taiyuan Divine Court's geniuses was Overlord Shan Jin who made it to the top ten.

As for other geniuses? Though some Taiyuan Divine Court geniuses throughout history could rival Overlord Shan Jin at the High Deity or High Immortal phase, they never had the chance to shine in the Megaverse Crossroads. After all, the Megaverse Crossroads only opened once every 5.5 billion years, so the vast majority of geniuses never had the chance to participate.

Saintcrest?

Wu Yuan silently pondered.

His body refiner self's desire for a Saintcrest was obvious to all. But no one questioned it. After the Primordial Steps Trial, Wu Yuan's body refiner self had already become one of the hot favorites for a Saintcrest.

But his qi refiner self was different; though his strength was amazing, he wasn't quite as eye-catching, so there was no need to show off for now.

…

"Out of 640 spots, our Eldritch Court secured just over seventy."

"The Immortal Court took less than seventy."

"We were targeted too brutally in the battle royale." The dozens of geniuses from the Eldritch Court communicated via transmission.

Logically speaking, given the overall caliber of geniuses from the Eldritch Court and Immortal Court, more should have advanced to the second trial. However, during the chaotic battle royale, these two greatest factions were targeted almost unanimously by other factions, resulting in many eliminations.

Of course, just looking at the statistics of participants who advanced to the second trial, the two greatest factions still made up a massive proportion. It was worth noting that more than a third of the Saintdoms in the megaverse had their participants completely eliminated without a single survivor.

The fact that Taiyuan Divine Court still had Wu Yuan's qi refiner self and Zhuo Haiyue in the running already counted them among the Saintdoms with relatively more survivors.

…

Rumble~

Within the vast plaza, jade platforms numbering in the thousands materialized in mid-air. Then, figures appeared on them one after another.

Among them, some still maintained normal vital auras, while others were in extremely wretched states.

"Hmm?"

"What's that?" Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan, Zhuo Haiyue and others immediately noticed that those previously eliminated, like Bai Yi and High Immortal Dong Yang, had appeared on these jade platforms. Many had weak vital auras, as if they had just suffered serious injuries.

"Though eliminated, reaching the Heavenly Domain stage proves that you have extraordinary talent," the white-robed middle-aged man's voice echoed ethereally as he gazed down below: "Therefore, you are permitted to observe the battles to gain potential insights, and shall depart together once the final Saintcrest Prodigies are determined.

“These jade platforms support cultivation, providing an even better environment than the Divine Domain Worlds."

Wu Yuan, Inconstance and the other geniuses nodded in agreement

Observe the battles? Watching powerhouses clash could indeed provide insights - the Heavenly Domain Emissary was indeed thorough in his considerations.

"Those eliminated have already received their corresponding rewards," the white-robed middle-aged man looked down at the 640 people in the plaza below: "Any of you who get eliminated can similarly observe from the side and receive corresponding top-grade Dao Instruments. Only the top ten will receive Xiantian artifacts.

“Want Xiantian artifacts?" the white-robed middle-aged man's gaze swept across each genius, feeling their burning gazes: "Then fight for it! Reach the top ten, and they'll naturally be yours."

Whoosh!

The white-robed middle-aged man waved his hand, and the ten grotto-heavens in the distant void swiftly vanished. In their place, a newly created grotto-heaven appeared.

This grotto-heaven had a maximum diameter of about a million li, with a spherical internal space that looked as if it existed in another spacetime dimension.

"The rules for the second trial are simple - one-on-one battles!" the white-robed middle-aged man spoke slowly: "Of the 640 participants, 320 victors will advance to the next round.

“After a second round of battles, 160 will advance to the third round.

“Finally, after six rounds of battles, the top ten will be determined," the white-robed middle-aged man said: "Only the top ten can enter the third trial.

“Each battle will be conducted separately."

Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan, Lie Jin, Zhuo Haiyue and many other geniuses frowned. They understood the advantages and disadvantages of the rules.

The biggest drawback was that the final top ten lineup might not truly be made up of the ten strongest participants. If one met another top-tier genius early, for example, if Wu Yuan encountered Zhu Shan during the round of eighty to forty, one of them would definitely be eliminated.

Unless one's strength was truly unrivaled, reaching the top ten would largely depend on who one's opponents were. Before reaching the top ten, each person would face at most six opponents.

"Everyone, don't worry too much," Wu Yuan's voice resonated in the minds of Bai Lian and several dozen other Eldritch Court geniuses: "From the earlier melee, it's clear the Heavenly Domain Emissary values fairness, and won't deliberately arrange for top-tier geniuses to be eliminated early."

"Mm."

"Wu Yuan is right, but there's one thing to note," Zhu Shan's voice followed: "These one-on-one battles might pit fighters from the same faction against each other, and if that happens, we should fight with full power, without holding back.

“Though we're from the same faction, when opportunities arise, we must compete for them," Zhu Shan's voice drifted.

Zhu Shan's words were simple but resonated deeply with the many Eldritch Court geniuses. Let alone these competitive matches without any risk of death, when it truly came to crucial moments or great opportunities, they would fight even if it meant potential death.

"The battles will begin in a quarter hour, prepare yourselves," the white-robed middle-aged man in the void said calmly, waving his hand again.

Hum~ Hum~

Jade platforms appeared simultaneously beneath Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan and the others, and these 640 people seemed guided by an invisible force to sit.

The moment they sat down, everyone felt a mysterious substance seeping up from the jade platforms and entering their bodies, rapidly restoring their depleted mana and vital ether.

"It can replenish mana?"

"What a peculiar substance."

"It’s even washing away the fatigue of my Yuan Soul and spirit," Wu Yuan, Inconstance and others marveled.

Though most carried spiritual pills and treasures, ones with such potent effects were extremely rare.

…

On the observation platform.

"Dong Yang? I heard the Overlord mention you before. You're truly extraordinary, almost making it to the second trial," white-robed Bai Yi smiled.

"My strength is inferior to yours," High Immortal Dong Yang also smiled.

The two were both from the Taiyuan Divine Court lineage, naturally sharing a feeling of closeness.

"But your comprehension of the Primordial Doctrine is remarkable," Bai Yi sighed: "Without Supreme Genius strength, trying to force your way into the second trial through raw power was always going to be a matter of luck."

High Immortal Dong Yang nodded in deep agreement.

"Oh? The battles are about to begin," Bai Yi suddenly pointed to a participant in the distance, surprised: "Ming Jian is up for the first battle?"

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Ming Jian?" High Immortal Dong Yang narrowed his eyes, also looking toward the grotto-heaven battlefield in the distant void.

…

"Ming Jian has taken the stage."

"A Supreme Genius in the very first match?"

"There are only about three hundred matches in the first round, but nearly a hundred Supreme Geniuses, isn't it normal for one to appear?" Not only were thousands of eliminated geniuses discussing among themselves, the hundreds of geniuses waiting for their turn to fight were also paying attention.

All eyes were focused on Ming Jian. Though Ming Jian's fame didn't match Zhu Shan or Wu Yuan, he had similarly become a hot candidate for the top twenty after the Primordial Steps Trial.