NOVEL NEXT Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Talent Ranking, Sky Ladder
Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Talent Ranking, Sky Ladder
"Is it my turn already?" Tony felt a bit anxious. Although he had gained three SSS-level talents and improved his comprehension of the Water Element Rule by 2%, he wasn't entirely confident about passing the trial.
"Don't worry, it's going to be fine," Cand-Dragon reassured him.
Tony nodded and, under everyone's gaze, walked toward the Heavenly Stele.
"Hmph, a demigod dares to compete with us for the treasure? You're as good as dead!" A few Shadow Clan elites seized the opportunity to taunt with smug expressions.
Tony ignored them, took a deep breath, and reached out to touch the Heavenly Stele.
John and the others watched the stele nervously.
According to Nine-Tails, Tony, with his three SSS-level talents, should be able to pass the trial.
But his cultivation was only at the demigod level, and his power wasn't as monstrous as John's, so they weren't entirely sure.
Buzz!
The Heavenly Stele lit up, and a message appeared.
[Tony, Passed the Trial]
John and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Tony was also overjoyed as he stepped away from the stele.
"Hmph, you got lucky this time. Old man, let's see if you make it to the final round!" Blood Moon glared at Tony, making a throat-slitting gesture as he coldly threatened him.
"Don't worry, your grandpa's got this!" Tony smirked, unafraid. Then he added, "Wait, Lao- Tzu doesn't have unworthy descendants like you. Ugh, what trash!"
With that, he spat in Blood Moon's direction.
The insult wasn't physically damaging, but it stung.
"Dammit, I swear I'll tear you to pieces!" Blood Moon raged again, but his fellow Shadow Clan members, accustomed to his temper, quickly pinned him to the ground.
The testing continued.
One after another, people stepped forward to test their talents. Some were killed instantly, turning into nothing but a cloud of blood.
For every five or six participants, there was always one unlucky person who got obliterated. The odds were quite high.
It was important to note that those who had made it this far, entering the final stage of the Secret Area, were all god-level experts with extraordinary talent.
The conditions for the Heavenly Stele's talent assessment were incredibly strict.
Among the seventy-something remaining Shadow Clan elites, only three were killed. Clearly, their talent was far superior to that of other races.
John knew that with the Talent Copy Stone, the remaining Shadow Clan members had likely copied a lot of powerful talents.
[Shadow Clan, Blood Moon]
The Heavenly Stele flashed again, signaling that it was Blood Moon's turn.
Unfazed, Blood Moon shot John and the others a fierce look before stepping up to the stele, placing his hand on it.
Buzz!
The light from the stele grew even more intense this time, and Blood Moon smoothly passed the test.
John was curious about what kind of talent that guy had, but unfortunately, the Heavenly Stele wouldn't reveal that information.
Beside him, Cand-Dragon, Nine-Tails, and Jolyne had all passed the test as well.
Especially Jolyne-when she was being tested, the light emitted from the Heavenly Stele was on par with Blood Moon's.
John speculated that her talent ranked just below Blood Moon of the Shadow Clan.
One by one, the information on the Heavenly Stele flickered, and everyone nervously stepped forward for their test. The thick stench of blood filled the air around them.
Soon, everyone had completed their test, leaving only John.
[The Immortals (Human), Godslayer]
The Heavenly Stele displayed his name, placing him last in line.
John looked at the flashing information, a bit puzzled. He had fused with the treasure of The Immortals, and his race was now listed as The Immortals, so why was there still a note indicating that he was human?
Could there be other cultivation races in the vast universe?
All the cultivators he had encountered were from Earth, and this was a question no one could
answer.
He didn't dwell on it too long. Walking up to the Heavenly Stele, he reached out to touch it. None of the others were worried in the slightest. They had already witnessed John's immense power, but they were curious whether he would make it onto the ranking list.
Buzz!
The light from the Heavenly Stele flared even brighter than it had during Blood Moon and Jolyne's tests.
[Godslayer, Passed the Test]
The notification flashed, and John wasn't surprised as he calmly stepped down from the platform.
However, the surrounding elites of several major races stared at him with hostile gazes.
Especially the Shadow Clan.
[The third trial is complete. The top ten talents will receive additional rewards.]
[Rank 10: Beast Clan Tony, awarded one elemental essence of wind, fire, water, and earth.]
The notification flickered, and Tony stood there stunned, while the elites from other races looked on in disbelief.
"Impossible! A mere demigod, how could he rank in the top ten?"
"Does this guy have some sort of secret?"
"I thought the strongest from the Beast Clan were Jolyne and Cand-Dragon, but it seems none
of them are simple."
"He's just a demigod-he shouldn't cause much of a stir."
...
The crowd erupted into murmurs, with many casting unfriendly glances toward Tony.
They suspected he was hiding some sort of treasure, and since his cultivation was only at the demigod level, they figured they could easily kill him.
Especially the members of the Shadow Clan- the murderous intent in their eyes was
unmistakable.
"I actually made the ranking?" Tony was equally shocked, his face full of disbelief.
Nine-Tails, curious, asked, "Tony, do you have some kind of secret?"
"Secret?" Tony frowned. The only special thing about him was his recent comprehension of The Immortals' inheritance and the Immortal Art he had just learned.
He speculated that it might be related to that Immortal Art.
The ranking information on the Heavenly Stele continued to flash.
[Ninth place, Shadow Clan, Blood Butcher, awarded one elemental essence of wind, fire,
water, and earth each.]
...
The top ten talents were dominated by Shadow Clan elites.
Neither Cand-Dragon, Lincoln from the Angel Race, nor the gods or demon race warriors
appeared on the leaderboard.
[Third place, Feather Race, Jolyne, awarded two elemental essences of wind, fire, water, and
earth each.]
At this point, Jolyne also made it onto the leaderboard, ranking third in talent and receiving
an additional reward.
[Second place, Shadow Clan, Blood Moon; awarded five elemental essences of wind, fire,
water, and earth each.]
Blood Moon was also ranked, his talent just slightly stronger than Jolyne's.
However, he wasn't pleased and instead glared coldly at John.
[First place, The Immortals (Human), Godslayer; awarded ten elemental essences of wind,
fire, water, and earth each.]
As expected, John claimed the top spot, a result everyone had already anticipated.
When he was tested, the light emitted by the Heavenly Stele had been the strongest. "Godslayer, Jolyne! Both of you are dead!" Blood Moon stared at the two of them, issuing a
cold threat.
"Master, you might want to hold your tongue," one of the Shadow Clan elites cautiously
reminded him.
This guy was both weak and always looking for trouble, ready to snap at the slightest
provocation.
If not for the rules of The Secret Area, they wouldn't have bothered to hold Blood Moon back.
Blood Moon shot a cold glare at the speaker but said nothing more.
[The fourth trial begins: Ultimate Challenge-Sky Ladder]
The notification flashed as the Heavenly Stele transformed, turning into a long staircase that
stretched into the clouds, its end completely out of sight.
[Rules: Climb the Sky Ladder within seven days. The top 33 will proceed to the next round.
Those ranked below 33 will be eliminated.]
The crowd's faces darkened upon seeing the system rules.
There were 109 people left, meaning that 76 would be eliminated in this round.
This was particularly troubling for the Shadow Clan. With 77 members remaining, even if all
of them made it into the top 33, 44 of them would still perish. Moreover, the Sky Ladder tested one's personal limits, not their combat prowess, so it was impossible for all of them to rank. The casualties would undoubtedly be high. "What's going on? I remember the Sky Ladder trial required just making it into the top fifty to
pass," Nine-Tails asked, puzzled.
"It's because of us," Jolyne explained. "The number of spots available for the final round is linked to the number of Elemental Essences. The Secret Area on Skyline Continent is likely to generate a total of 100 basic Elemental Essences. During the second trial, we tied for second place, which gave us an extra 15 essences, so they reduced the available spots by 15 in this round."
"That makes sense now," Nine-Tails said, finally understanding.
This trial wouldn't have any additional rewards; each person who passes will receive one Elemental Essence and proceed to the final round.
There were 33 spots remaining, and when combined with the extra Elemental Essences rewarded in the second and third trials, it added up to exactly 100 basic Elemental Essences. Moreover, the Elemental Essences rewarded to each participant would drop upon their death, regardless of whether they had refined them or not.
Cand-Dragon then asked, "What are the exact rules for this trial? Will Tony be able to pass?" "This trial tests one's limits, including strength, defense, speed, soul power, and more," Jolyne explained the rules, though she wasn't entirely sure if Tony could make it into the top
33.
"Let's focus on strengthening ourselves first," John said, pulling out a few Basic Talent Stones and talent upgrade stones.
Physical Damage Talent Stone, Magical Damage Talent Stone, Defense Talent Stone, Health
Talent Stone, Speed Talent Stone...
All of them were rated as A-class.
Unfortunately, he had already refined all of his Soul Essences.
"Aren't you going to use these?" Tony asked, feeling touched as he looked at John, hesitating
to take the stones.
"I don't need them. Besides, I don't want to watch you die here. Refine all these Basic Talent
Stones and upgrade them to SSS-level. It should give your strength a significant boost," John
said, shoving the Talent Stones and talent upgrade stones into Tony's hands. He continued, "And later, I'll copy a Lifesaver talent for you."
John never held back when it came to helping those around him.
Especially Tony and Ben, who had supported him from the beginning. Even when the Beast Clan had fallen out with him, Tony had secretly helped him a great deal.
"Alright," Tony said, grateful, and stopped refusing the help-it was, after all, a matter of
life and death.
Soon, he had refined the Basic Talent Stones and upgraded them all to SSS-level. Then, John used a Talent Copy Stone to give Tony the Lifesaver talent.
John had wanted to copy his Undying and Immortal talent, but he had already used that talent
five times. Three times for himself, and twice more to ensure the safety of Sini and Tracy. He had also copied the Plunder talent for Sini.
However, the Undying and Immortal talent had already been upgraded to SSS-level, allowing
for five activations a day, with each resurrection granting ten seconds of invincibility. This should be enough to help Tony make it into the top 33.
"Hmph, stop wasting your time. Even if you pass this trial, you're all doomed in the next one!" Blood Moon sneered as he watched John help Tony grow stronger.