Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

"Truly worthy of being a disciple of Laoshan."

On the high platform, the elder's eyes suddenly brightened, his gaze settling heavily on the battle stage below. His deep, resonant voice pierced through the entire Taishan Imperial Ruins, echoing clearly in every inch of the world: "In this battle, Shen Yue of Laoshan wins!"

This fierce battle, a resounding victory against all odds, completely overturned the previous perceptions of all the cultivators present. No one underestimated the strength and resilience of the new generation of disciples from Laoshan. The various prodigies who had been eager to try and seize a place all fell silent, and no one stepped onto the stage to provoke them. The spectacular second round of challenges had thus officially come to an end.

A total of ten people successfully completed the challenge or emerged victorious, making these spots truly prestigious and without any room for error. Laoshan Sect secured three spots: Shen Yue, who bravely turned the tide of battle in a desperate situation, and another elite Laoshan disciple, who, through steady and experienced tactics and solid combat foundation, steadily fought his way through several encounters, firmly securing his qualification and upholding the sect's honor. Two members of the Wang Clan also emerged victorious in their challenges. The remaining five qualification spots were scattered among various smaller sects and lone cultivators. Some earned their advancement through fierce battles, while others displayed composure through precise defense; all earned their places through their own strength.

The Jade Mirror Stele at the very center of the Imperial Ruins shone brilliantly, and a brand-new ranking list slowly appeared. All the cultivators in the audience looked up and gazed at it, their eyes darting back and forth between the names of the various forces. Members of the various sects and families secretly reviewed their gains and losses. Some were delighted to have secured a place, some regretted the defeat of their disciples, and some were wary of the newly promoted powerhouses. A myriad of emotions were brewing beneath the surface.

Lin Yan stood at the front of the Laoshan team, looking at the names of the three Laoshan members on the stone tablet. His expression was calm as he whispered to his fellow disciples beside him, "Shen Yue's great victory in this battle has thoroughly enhanced the prestige of Laoshan, but it has also firmly drawn the Hao family's hostility onto us."

His gaze swept over the gloomy-faced Hao family camp not far away, and his tone became increasingly solemn: "In the upcoming one-on-one elimination matches, there will be no room for avoiding the melee. All forces will shed all pretenses and fight to the death with all their strength. We must not be complacent or underestimate our opponents."

As soon as he finished speaking, the majestic voice of the elder guarding the competition on the high platform resounded throughout the Imperial Ruins once again, instantly captivating the attention of everyone present and setting the stage for the second round of the competition.

"The second phase, the one-on-one elimination competition, has officially begun!"

The solemn and orderly competition rules followed immediately, each word clear and distinct: "One hundred advancing cultivators will be randomly paired by drawing lots, strictly adhering to the same-level combat rules, competing against each other in pairs. The winners will remain and advance, while the losers will be eliminated, until the final sixty spots are determined!"

A few words were enough to ignite the war that had been dormant in the Imperial Ruins for a moment, and the boiling fighting spirit swept across the entire plateau.

Compared to the chaotic and disorganized first round, where players could maneuver and seize opportunities across the entire arena, the one-on-one elimination tournament is the most brutal and fairest. There are no numerical advantages, no loopholes to exploit, and no room for opportunism. Only genuine cultivation, on-the-spot tactics, offensive and defensive maneuvering, and Daoist spirit and character—a head-on clash. Every duel is a life-or-death gamble, with success or failure entirely dependent on individual strength; there is no room for luck.

As soon as the words were spoken, the Mo family's mechanical barrier in the center of the arena began to operate with a roar. Thousands of clear spiritual lights flowed, intertwined, and swirled in the sky, and hundreds of translucent jade tokens floated in the air. Each jade token was engraved with the name, sect, and cultivation level of the participating cultivators. Driven by the mechanical spells, they rotated rapidly and started a fully automatic random pairing.

One hundred cultivators stepped forward in turn, raising their hands to draw jade slips by drawing spiritual light. In an instant, they were paired up, and dozens of small, independent barrier arenas opened simultaneously, spreading across the entire Imperial Ruins Plateau, where countless peak duels unfolded at the same time.

In an instant, the silent battle arena erupted once more into a deafening roar. The chilling war drums thundered incessantly, bursts of spiritual light rose and fell, and the clanging of metal against metal, the explosive roar of colliding spells, and the piercing sounds of spiritual energy reverberating through the air intertwined and echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

The second round of duels was orderly, a complete departure from the chaotic first round. The battles were fought among cultivators of the same level, with clear distinctions between ranks, making each match highly entertaining and strategically valuable. Lower-level Qi Refining cultivators focused on dissecting techniques and clashing their fundamentals, each move solid and measured, testing the strength of their basic cultivation. Higher-level Qi Refining cultivators demonstrated exquisite control of spiritual energy and masterful transitions between offense and defense, their skill revealed in the subtle nuances of their moves. The few Foundation Establishment cultivators, on the other hand, showcased their profound magical foundations and understanding of the Great Dao, their moves magnificent and awe-inspiring.

The fierce battle lasted for a full hour. Countless prodigies took turns ascending the stage; some rose against all odds and became famous in a single battle, while others suffered regrettable defeats and left the stage in despair. On the arena, fragments of blood and brilliant spiritual energy intertwined, revealing the cruel nature of the Mountain and Sea Alliance Grand Competition in its extreme struggle for victory.

As the last spiritual energy barrier dissipated, the entire battle came to an end, and the bustling Imperial Ruins slowly returned to calm. The results of the second round of eliminations were finalized, the number of survivors in each faction was determined, and the strength distribution among the various parties was clearly defined.

The Laoshan sect ultimately had twelve members who survived, maintaining their record and achieving an outstanding overall performance.

The four siblings of the Hao clan stabilized the battle and all advanced to the top 60; the Mo clan, which has always been neutral and low-key, had two young disciples who successfully broke through with their superb mechanical skills and exquisite magic, and both survived; the Hao clan, which has always been powerful, has a deep foundation and survived many tough battles, with 14 people remaining in the end, and its strength should not be underestimated.

The biggest winner of this round is the Wang clan. With the help of recruiting elites from various sects and factions in the early stage, the disciples' considerable combat power and precise tactical layout, a total of 18 people successfully advanced, making them the force with the most people in the top 60.

The smoke of battle slowly dissipated, and the protective light barrier covering the platform completely disappeared. Sixty top talents who had fought their way out of two rounds of brutal competition stood below the various arenas. Each of them had fluctuating auras and slightly disheveled clothes, but each had an upright posture and sharp eyes. They were all top experts among the younger generation of Qilu.

With the two rounds of competition concluded, the next round will determine the final candidates to enter the secret realm, and will be the ultimate battlefield where all forces will truly unleash their full potential and fight to the death.

Beneath the calm surface of the Imperial Ruins, undercurrents were already surging. Suppressed killing intent, burning ambition for supremacy, meticulous factional maneuvering, and hidden schemes and plots all lay dormant in the silence, waiting to erupt completely when the final battle began.

The fifteen disciples of Laoshan stood side by side, their figures as upright as pine trees. Their gazes swept across the various powerful clans arrayed before them, their eyes concealing a sharp yet powerful edge, awaiting the final battle. Their ultimate showdown was about to begin.