Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

On other arenas, fierce battles were also raging.

Zhang Tie noticed that several family cultivators were extremely ruthless. Even though their opponents had already admitted defeat and were preparing to leave, they were still severely injured and coughed up blood. One Qi Refining Level 10 cultivator even had his dantian destroyed and his aura weakened.

"I just inquired and found out that these are members of the Xie family, a family affiliated with Spirit Beast Mountain. It is said that the Xie family has sent three Great Perfection cultivators, each with a first-tier spirit beast, the Blood Lion. Facing them is equivalent to fighting two Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators, which is extremely troublesome!"

Zhang Tie frowned slightly. Having a spirit beast of the same level was indeed troublesome.

"Ordinary rogue cultivators can't afford to offend these family cultivators! And that one in black robes over there is also from a cultivation family, skilled in poison, and that rogue cultivator in blue robes possesses a top-tier magic weapon, a longsword..."

Han Li explained to Zhang Tie the methods of several cultivators that he had just observed to be relatively threatening.

The elimination rounds lasted all day, and dozens of people were seriously injured in the Spirit Beast Mountain area alone, while four rogue cultivators died on the arena.

As night fell, the Tianwu Terrace was brightly lit.

The two returned to the corner at the edge of the platform and sat down cross-legged.

Zhang Tie knew in his heart that the first round was just a minor skirmish.

The second round of ranking matches will be the real test. A score of ten means winning seven matches without losing a single one. At that time, many cultivators will use all means to get ten points as quickly as possible.

The safest way is to capture a ring and defend it. The advantage is that there will be a constant stream of people challenging you, but the disadvantage is that you have to be able to withstand a barrage of challenges!

Other cultivators won't talk to you about martial ethics. There are few weaklings who can enter the second round, so it's not easy to defend the arena!

"Brother Tie, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Han Li asked with a worried expression.

"Seize the arena, defend it!" Zhang Tie thought for a moment and then voiced his idea.

Han Li frowned immediately: "Defending the arena means a series of battles, which consumes a lot of spiritual energy and carries a high risk of injury..."

"I know, but this is the fastest way to get a spot. There are over 500 people competing for just 10 spots. If we go around challenging people one by one, it'll be too late!"

"You still don't trust me?"

Han Li didn't speak, but instead began to take out all the pills for restoring spiritual energy and healing from his storage bag.

He stuffed three bottles of Rejuvenation Pills and two bottles of Rejuvenation Pills into Zhang Tie's hands.

"Keep some!" Zhang Tie tried to refuse, but Han Li shook his head and had no choice but to accept the pill.

"Thanks, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

...

"The rules for the second round of the ranking competition have been explained: ten arenas will be used simultaneously, and only one person can defend each arena. Whoever steps onto the stage will challenge the other; the winner stays on the stage, and the loser leaves. The first ten cultivators to reach ten points will qualify for entry!"

"Now, let's begin the second round!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than 500 cultivators from the Spirit Beast Mountain area rushed to the arena, but very few dared to be the first to step onto the stage.

Zhang Tie didn't move, his gaze sweeping across the ten arenas.

Soon, some people couldn't hold back any longer. On the first arena, a family cultivator who had reached the peak of Qi Refining jumped up first and summoned a golden spear, which was clearly a top-level magic weapon. Several rogue cultivators who originally wanted to go up on the stage immediately stopped in their tracks!

On the second arena, two rogue cultivators at the eleventh level of Qi Refining simultaneously stepped onto the stage. Without exchanging words, they immediately began exchanging spells and clashing magical artifacts. After more than twenty exchanges, one of them was knocked off the stage with a single blow. However, the victor's joy was short-lived, as another challenger ascended the stage...

The other arenas were much the same, and Zhang Tie's gaze finally fell on arena number eight.

Two cultivators at the eleventh level of Qi Refining were engaged in fierce combat, one wielding a sword and the other a saber. Their swords flashed and the fight was evenly matched.

Zhang Tie squeezed near the number eight arena, waiting for the winner to be decided on the stage.

On the stage, the swordsman cleaved through the opponent's sword net with a single strike, knocking the swordsman off the stage. Before he could catch his breath, a figure had already leaped onto the stage.

Zhang Tie frowned slightly as he looked at the figure, and hesitated for a moment.

But there's no rush. Judging from the clan emblem on his clothes, he should be from the Wang family, a family of cultivators. Let's see what kind of person he is.

The Wang family cultivator glanced at the panting victor on the stage, a disdainful smile playing on his lips: "Get down there yourself, save me the trouble!"

The victor's expression hardened, his eyes blazing with fury, and he directly drew his sword to slash at the Wang family cultivator.

Both of them were at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, but the difference between them in terms of both cultivation techniques and magical artifacts was enormous!

The Wang family cultivator snorted coldly and thrust out his sword. The sword light was sharp and extremely fast, directly shattering the incoming blade light and piercing straight into the opponent's chest.

The victor raised his sword to parry, and with a clang of metal against metal, the sword broke and the man flew away. The rogue cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining was already exhausted, and fell off the stage, immediately losing consciousness.

The rogue cultivators below the stage, who had been eager to try, suddenly gasped in shock.

The Wang family cultivator stood on the platform, looked around, and said coldly, "Who else dares to come up..."

Before the Wang family cultivator could finish speaking, everyone saw a figure leap onto the arena.

It was Zhang Tie!

The Wang family cultivator glanced at him, but seeing that he couldn't discern the man's cultivation level and that the man didn't bear any clan insignia, he frowned slightly: "A rogue cultivator?"

Zhang Tie did not answer, and the Mountain-Slicing Blade appeared in his hand.

Although the Mountain-Slicing Blade is a low-grade magic weapon, Zhang Tie uses it quite well, and it's more than enough to deal with this guy at the eleventh level of Qi Refining!

The Wang family cultivators sensed something was wrong and took the initiative to attack, their swords aimed straight for Zhang Tie's throat.

Zhang Tie dodged the attack, then with a flick of his wrist, slashed horizontally with his sword!

"clang!"

Swords clashed, sparks flew, and the Wang family cultivator's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that a rogue cultivator like himself would possess such great strength.

Even if someone's cultivation level is one level higher than his, he is still a cultivator from a family!

Zhang Tie gave him no chance to breathe, raising his sword and slashing repeatedly. Cultivators from powerful families were indeed more troublesome than rogue cultivators of the same level, but not by much!

The Wang family cultivators retreated repeatedly, leaving the rogue cultivators below the stage dumbfounded.

A rogue cultivator is overwhelming a clan cultivator?

The Wang family cultivator gritted his teeth, took out a talisman from his robes, and slapped it onto the sword. The sword instantly burst into flames, transforming into a flaming longsword.

"Go to hell!"

The flaming longsword pierced straight into Zhang Tie's chest!

Instead of retreating, Zhang Tie advanced, slashing his blade at the flaming longsword. With a crack, the longsword was knocked away, and the Wang family cultivator was also blasted away, falling off the arena.

The whole process takes no more than five moves!

Meanwhile, in a floating water mirror on the arena, [Number 331, winner, 4 points; ranking: 19] was displayed.

Zhang Tie glanced at the first place and saw that the first place was number 23, the cultivator with the gun on the first arena. He had five points, which meant that he had already won two matches in such a short time. He was incredibly strong!

Zhang Tie then stopped paying attention, because the longer the time went on, the harder it would be to defend the arena, and the more difficult it would be to score a point!

The way some of the independent cultivators looked at Zhang Tie changed immediately. This guy was not only at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, but he had also defeated a family cultivator. However, not everyone was afraid of him.

Not long after, a figure leaped onto the arena.

"Hiss! The Great Perfection of Qi Refining, the Blood Lion Xie family, rogue cultivators are ultimately just a flash in the pan!" A rogue cultivator in the audience sighed inwardly.

Zhang Tie looked at the newcomer, his gaze slightly narrowed.

This guy is one of the ruthless cultivators from the Blood Lion Xie family who fought ruthlessly in yesterday's elimination rounds!

The Xie family cultivator didn't waste any words after stepping onto the stage. He directly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist and summoned a blood-red spirit beast with crimson eyes and protruding fangs—the Blood Lion!

A level one demon beast is equivalent to a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining. However, spirit beasts are usually different from cultivators. Their physical strength far exceeds that of cultivators of the same level. They are also tough and difficult to deal with.

"Go down there yourself, my Blood Lion has been starving for days and is just looking for a man to eat!" The Xie family cultivator sneered at Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie glanced at the blood lion, then at the Xie family cultivator with a fierce expression.

"You talk too much nonsense!"

The Xie family cultivator's face immediately darkened. How dare a mere rogue cultivator speak to him like that? He waved his hand and shouted, "Blood Lion, attack! Devour him!"