The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Despite Lin Qian's astonishing performance, the grand tournament of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe proceeded in an orderly manner.

When Lin Qian returned to the viewing platform, the crowd gathered around him, marveling at his earlier display. His performance had been truly remarkable.

"Lin Qian, how did you manage to break through four levels in such a short time? It's almost terrifying," Zhang Zide eagerly asked as he approached, unable to contain his curiosity.

"The situation was simple," Lin Qian explained. "My physical strength is quite formidable, as you both know. Before I broke through, I had already accumulated a lot of soul force, just waiting for the right moment to make the breakthrough. Kill happened to be the perfect whetstone, helping me reach my next level."

After hearing Lin Qian's explanation, Zhang Zide could only shake his head in disbelief.

Breaking through from the sixth level of the Void-breaking Realm to the Soaring Sky Stage required an immense amount of soul force. Containing such a vast amount of soul force within oneself, accumulating it, seemed impossible—unless one possessed a terrifyingly strong body, like Lin Qian.

"With your current strength, you should be able to breeze through the tournament, Lin Qian. I'm looking forward to our match," Li Yunfeng said, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Seeing Li Yunfeng's eagerness, Lin Qian could only smile wryly and nod.

"But Lin Qian, you might have made some enemies," Zhang Qi suddenly interjected, gesturing toward a particular direction.

Following Zhang Qi's gaze, Lin Qian noticed a group of blood-robed individuals carrying Kill away toward one of the smaller clan's viewing platforms. It was evident that these blood-robed figures were from the Bloodthirsty Palace. Not only were they glaring at Lin Qian with hostility, but the small clan allied with the Bloodthirsty Palace also bore similar expressions of displeasure.

Indeed, having such a powerful ally as the Bloodthirsty Palace would have bolstered their standing in this tournament. After all, the results of the human allies also contributed to the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe's overall performance. Lin Qian had disrupted their plans, and it was no wonder they were upset.

Meanwhile, Wu Chunshan's expression grew darker. He hadn't expected that Wei Wushuang's disciple would possess such extraordinary talent and strength.

As the tournament continued, Wu Chunshan made several attempts to approach Lin Qian and speak with him, hoping to seek forgiveness. However, each time he was rebuffed, as Lin Qian refused to grant him an audience.

On the viewing platform of the East Branch, things eventually returned to normal as one match followed another. Lin Qian and his companions resumed watching, with Li Yunfeng and Zhang Zide engaging in lively debates, and Zhang Qi and Zhang Wenshan, who had grown closer, discussing the matches together.

As for Lin Qian and Ye Xin, they continued their own discussions, analyzing each match in detail.

Half a month later, the second round of the tournament concluded. Out of the 447 participants, one had a bye, and 223 advanced to the next round.

In the third round, another participant had a bye, leaving 111 victors, with one additional winner from the two with byes, bringing the total to 112.

In the fourth round, 56 emerged victorious.

In the fifth round, 28 remained.

In the sixth round, 14 advanced.

In the seventh round, only seven were left standing.

The final round would involve a round-robin competition among these seven participants. Each would face six matches, and the rankings would be determined based on the number of wins.

However, the final matches were held in secret, with only Zhang Zide and Li Yunfeng acting as referees. No one else was allowed to watch.

These seven were the strongest participants in the tournament and would represent the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe in the exploration of the ancient human ruins.

The seven participants were:

 Zhang Zide, the heir of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe's main clan, at the Life and Death Realm, Soul Stage.

 Zhang Qi of the East Branch, Life and Death Realm, Strength Stage.

 Zhang Wenshan of the West Branch, Life and Death Realm, Strength Stage.

 Zhang Ziqi of the South Branch, Life and Death Realm, Strength Stage.

 Zhang Zhan of the North Branch, Life and Death Realm, Strength Stage.

 Li Yunfeng of the Xiaoyao Sect, Life and Death Realm, Soul Stage.

 Lin Qian of the Huaxia Empire, Void-breaking Realm, Soaring Sky Stage.

The specific results of the final matches were kept secret as a precaution. These seven participants, along with Ye Xin, would be the ones venturing into the ancient human ruins. Keeping their true strengths and abilities hidden was a strategic move.

After all, with so many people watching the tournament, including various human allies, there was no guarantee that information wouldn't leak to other factions.

Knowing oneself and one's enemy is key to victory, and keeping one's cards close to the chest is a crucial part of that strategy.

Following the final round, the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe announced the results:

Li Yunfeng and Zhang Zide tied for first place with four wins and one loss each.

Zhang Qi took third place, Zhang Wenshan fourth, Zhang Ziqi fifth, Zhang Zhan sixth, and Lin Qian came in seventh.

Upon seeing the rankings, many were puzzled. How could Lin Qian, who had defeated Kill, only rank seventh?

They could only conclude that the others must have been even stronger than Kill, which explained Lin Qian's placement. This explanation gradually spread among the participants, though it still felt somewhat off.

After the tournament, leaders like Zhang Korin of the North Branch tried to pry information about the final matches from Zhang Zhan, but they learned that all seven participants had sworn an oath of secrecy and could not reveal what had transpired.

However, Zhang Korin noticed that when he asked about the final matches, Zhang Zhan's eyes reflected a mixture of fear, shock, and awe.

Later, Zhang Tianxin announced that the collaboration between the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe and the human allies had been canceled, and the participants for the ancient human ruins exploration had been finalized: the seven finalists and Ye Xin.

With the tournament still ongoing, the next events—alchemy, weapon crafting, and formation competitions—were about to begin.

Returning to his temporary residence, Zhang Tianxin was soon joined by Zhou Yi'an.

"Finished sending the messages?" Zhang Tianxin asked with a smile.

Zhou Yi'an nodded, then sighed. "Lin Qian's talent and combat strength are terrifying. I had to notify the boss immediately."

Zhang Tianxin agreed. "Indeed. If it weren't for the need to conceal his true strength, Lin Qian wouldn't have ended up ranked seventh."