This makes no sense, absolutely no sense at all.
Those who failed were left seething with anger—could it be that their combat prowess didn’t meet the standard?
But how exactly is this "combat prowess" evaluated?
"Tell me, is there a possibility that each realm has its own combat prowess assessment?"
"Only those who reach a certain level of prowess qualify?"
"For example, two cultivators might both be in the Divine Transformation Realm, but if one’s combat prowess doesn’t reach three stars, they fail?"
"Earlier, those two who passed had different cultivation levels, but both had three-star combat prowess, meeting the standard?"
Suddenly, someone’s analysis caught everyone’s attention. After some thought, it did seem plausible.
"Holy shit! Seven stars? Combat prowess seven stars?"
Huh?
What?
Seven-star combat prowess?
Just as the crowd was pondering whether this theory held water, another exclamation erupted nearby.
Everyone rushed over to see.
"Age: 55, Cultivation: Void Comprehension Realm, Eighth Layer, Combat Prowess: Seven Stars—Qualified."
Holy shit!
A 55-year-old at the eighth layer of the Void Comprehension Realm? Who is this guy?
"I recognize him—he’s from the Hu family, extremely strong."
"Look over there, another guy passed too. He’s also in the Void Comprehension Realm, but his combat prowess is only three stars."
"So it seems different realms really do have their own combat prowess benchmarks."
"No matter your age or cultivation level, if your combat prowess doesn’t meet the standard for your realm, you fail?"
"Damn, that’s humiliating! Doesn’t that mean those who failed are the weakest in their realm?"
"The weakest batch among their peers? This…"
Realizing this, all those who had failed earlier lost any interest in spectating further.
They’d been publicly branded as the weakest—how mortifying!
"Has anyone noticed something? Every person who passed the test seems… different somehow?"
"Huh? How so?"
"Look at their foreheads—don’t they have some kind of mark?"
"Foreheads?"
The crowd turned their attention to the successful candidates and indeed spotted something unusual.
Those in the Divine Transformation Realm had a faint green flame-like mark on their foreheads.
Those in the Void Comprehension Realm bore a blue mark. Since no Supreme Realm or Immortal Realm cultivators had appeared yet, no one knew what color their marks would be.
Over the past month, the number of failures far exceeded the successes. Millions had already left in disappointment.
"Figures the Earth Ranking wouldn’t let just anyone participate. Otherwise, Mount Taihua’s peak couldn’t possibly hold so many people."
"Even so, the number of qualifiers is staggering—probably in the millions by now."
"This definitely isn’t the final count. The battle for the Earth Ranking will be fiercer than the Human Ranking."
"True. With so many participants, how long will it take to determine the final victors?"
"Hard to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if over ten million eventually qualify."
"Hey, none of the Human Ranking’s top ten have shown up yet."
"Maybe they’re not in a hurry, or still on their way."
When Chen Chang'an arrived at the foot of Mount Taihua with Da Huang, the place was already packed.
He found a quiet spot to sit, drawing no attention.
"We might’ve come a bit early. Wanna try the testing stele?" Da Huang asked curiously.
"I’m not joining the Earth Ranking. Why bother?" Chen Chang'an replied flatly.
"But I heard it measures combat prowess. Aren’t you curious about yours?"
Combat prowess?
Did he even need to test?
Of course he was ridiculously strong!
"More than prowess, I’m curious how the Earth Ranking battles will handle such numbers."
"Mount Taihua’s peak can’t accommodate this many people."
"Something tells me this won’t be a simple tournament."
Chen Chang'an gazed at the barrier-enclosed peak, sensing that crossing it would mark the start of the real competition.
The summit would host only the final showdown.
"Look! The three great families are here!"
"And the three major sects!"
"They’re coming—all the top factions have arrived!"
Shortly after Chen Chang'an’s arrival, elite forces began appearing at the mountain’s base.
Given the Earth Ranking’s significance, every major power had sent experts for protection.
"Wait, we still need to test?"
"Let me go first. This should be no problem for me. Hahaha!"
"…What? I failed?"
"What the hell?"
A disciple from the Carefree Sect strode forward confidently, only to be stunned by the result.
Failed?
How could he fail?
"This… this thing must be broken! There’s no way I’d fail!"
"Stop making excuses. The Earth Ranking is a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao—its testing stele can’t malfunction."
"Move aside. My turn."
"Age: 78, Cultivation: Supreme Realm, Third Layer, Combat Prowess: Four Stars—Qualified."
"Hah! I passed! But… what does ‘four-star prowess’ mean?"
"I passed too—Supreme Realm, Fifth Layer, yet also four stars?"
"Does anyone know what these stars signify?"
As elite disciples tested, many grew uneasy about their ratings.
Four stars? Sounded disappointingly mediocre.
"Enough! Your combat prowess reflects your true strength. Within the same realm, your star rating determines how much of a genius you are."
"A true genius—even at the first layer of the Supreme Realm—could surpass four stars because they can challenge those above their level."
"Let a real genius test, and we’ll see the difference."
"Who’s willing?"
Who’d step up? Everyone wanted to believe they were exceptional, but failing here would be humiliating.
The stele didn’t lie.
"I’ll do it!"
Nie Haotian stepped forward. He’d never accepted being inferior, though the Human Ranking had taught him a harsh lesson.
After three years of relentless training, it was time to reclaim his pride.
"Hmph. Think you’re the only genius here?"
"I’ll join too." Ye Beiming snorted, heading toward another testing stele.