https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-424-Fifth-Place-on-the-Overall-Rankings/13508275/
Chapter 425: Reward Settlement
Chapter 425: Reward Settlement (Requesting Monthly Vote)
[During the 15th floor trial in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower, you engaged in life-or-death combat with 1000 Disaster Beasts. Your Spear Techniques, long honed through rigorous practice, experienced a breakthrough in mastery. Your understanding of the River and Mountain Spear Techniques has deepened. Spear Techniques +1%]
[In your battle against 1000 Disaster Beasts, your Body Techniques reached a critical threshold. Your comprehension of the Thunderclap Nine Flashes Body Technique has advanced. Body Techniques +1%]
[Spear Techniques: Fourth-Circle 45% → 46%]
[Body Techniques: Fourth-Circle 42% → 43%]
...
Lin Qi stared at the messages on his Status Panel. The 15th floor trial had been incredibly challenging.
Generally speaking, according to his calculations, even an ordinary prodigy would require at least Fourth-Circle 50% mastery in both martial techniques and physical cultivation to pass this floor.
But he was different. His Combat Innate Talent compensated for any shortcomings in his Spear Techniques.
He then turned his attention to the newly popped-up information, particularly his overall ranking.
He had successfully climbed from 9th place to 5th.
Only four people remained ahead of him: Shen Heng, Zhang Tianyang, Lei Shuang, and another.
Thinking about this, he decided to proceed to the 16th floor's Disaster Beast trial.
He was intensely curious about what kind of difficulty had even caused Shen Heng, an Sss-Rank Genius at the peak of the Sixth Realm, to become stuck.
"Buzz!!"
In the span of a single breath, everything around him seemed to reverse through time. The corpses of Disaster Beasts vanished, returning to the starting point.
[16th Floor Trial: Within 100 minutes, eliminate 1000 Disaster Beasts - 300 Fourth-Rank Disaster Beast Bronze Wild Oxen]
[300 Fourth-Rank Disaster Beast Silver Rank Direwolves, 200 Fourth-Rank Disaster Beast Steelwing Hawks, 150 Fifth-Rank Disaster Beast Clawrend Apes, and 50 Sixth-Rank Ironspine Warbears]
[Your Vital Energy stat will reset completely. Failure to eliminate all Disaster Beasts within the time limit results in failure...]
...
After reading the trial description, Lin Qi instantly furrowed his brows.
Feeling the continuous surge of power within his body, his Vital Energy was rapidly recovering to 1900.
It quickly restored him to the peak of the Sixth Realm, significantly enhancing his combat strength.
While his Vital Energy had risen substantially, the difficulty of the 16th floor had increased even more drastically.
Third-Rank Disaster Beasts were completely eliminated from this floor. The weakest opponents here were all Fourth-Rank.
Of course, these were just appetizers - 150 Clawrend Apes and 50 Ironspine Warbears.
Back when he was at the Fifth Realm, even with his Special Ability Golden Edge, he'd struggled to kill a single Ironspine Warbear.
But now was different. He'd advanced to the Sixth Realm, and his body constitution had improved dramatically.
However, within the Disaster Beast Trial Tower, neither Special Abilities nor Minor Divine Abilities could be used.
He could only rely on his Spear Techniques and Body Techniques to defeat 150 Clawrend Apes and 50 Ironspine Warbears.
No wonder Shen Heng had become stuck here - it was truly asking the impossible.
[Countdown Sequence: ...3, 2, 1]
[16th Floor Trial officially begins!]
...
As Lin Qi considered how to handle this swarm of Disaster Beasts, the trial commenced.
"Ao wu~"
"Moo~"
The ground beneath his feet violently shook as waves of Disaster Beasts surged toward him.
Leading the charge were the Silver Rank Direwolves, standing four meters tall. Their lithe, muscular frames were covered in thick, silver-white fur that gleamed in the sunlight.
Alongside them charged the bronze-furred Bronze Wild Oxen.
"Boom!!"
The roaring Clawrend Apes followed close behind. Standing six meters tall, the 150 of them running together created powerful gusts of wind.
Even more formidable were the towering Ironspine Warbears over ten meters tall, their massive forms like living hills. Their spinal ridges gleamed like razor-edged blades, and their limbs brimmed with terrifying strength.
By comparison, Lin Qi appeared pitifully small.
"Whoosh~"
Facing the onslaught of 1000 ferocious Disaster Beasts, Lin Qi dashed forward like a black lightning bolt, plunging into the heart of the beast tide.
He couldn't escape the time limit anyway - he might as well kill as many as possible.
"Hmph!"
Aninvisible martial intent spread outward as Grand Scenic Aesthetic flowed through his Long Spear, manifesting as piercing spear intent.
"Puh~ puh~ puh!"
"Boom boom boom!!"
In an instant, several Silver Rank Direwolves had their throats slashed open, collapsing lifelessly.
Now at full strength, his combat power soared. To him, Fourth-Rank Disaster Beasts were nothing more than living targets.
...
Half an hour later
"Roar~"
"Bang!"
Lin Qi felt his body take a heavy blow and go flying, dissipating into nothingness midair.
[Student Lin Qi, we regret to inform you that you have died.]
[Grade Ranking: 1]
[Overall Leaderboard Rank: 5]
...
Lin Qi reappeared, shaking his head at the message.
Faced with swarms of Fifth-Rank Clawrend Apes and Sixth-Rank Ironspine Warbears, his current strength proved completely inadequate.
He estimated he would need to breakthrough to the late Fourth-Circle stage - the level of a Seventh Realm martial artist - to pass the 16th floor.
Reaching that level would mean he could graduate and head to the battlefield.
But he still had a long way to go. He hadn't even reached Fourth-Circle 50% yet, let alone the 60% threshold.
Looking at his overall ranking, it hadn't changed much either, remaining firmly at fifth place.
This was likely the limit of his current capabilities.
With that realization, he chose to exit the trial and focus on further cultivation before attempting it again.
...
At that moment, within the 16th floor of the Disaster Beast Trial Tower.
A towering martial artist wielding a sharp war axe split the skull of a Silver Rank Direwolf before him with a mighty swing.
Boom!
Yet behind him, a massive shadow blotted out the sky, engulfing him in darkness.
With a deafening roar, the muscular man vanished into nothingness, only to reappear at his original spot moments later.
All the surrounding Disaster Beasts instantly dissipated.
"Too bad. The Trial Tower's 16th level is just too tough—I might get stuck here for a year or two, just like Shen Heng and the others."
"At my current level, I can probably maintain fifth place—no progress, no regression."
He was Fang Wu, a senior from Shanyu Martial Academy, an SS-Rank Genius.
Usually, he ranked fifth in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower.
He was also one of the six finalists in the Azure Firmament Grand Tournament, having lost to Zhang Tianyang.
He glanced at the message popping up.
[Ranking Update: 5→6]
He froze at the sight. He'd passed the 15th level—why had his rank dropped?
"Who surpassed me?"
Several figures flashed through his mind—all top ten competitors.
He immediately exited the Trial Tower.
Outside the towering Trial Tower stood dozens of people who had just finished their trials.
"Lin Qi actually made it to fifth place! That's insane!" someone exclaimed.
Lin Qi? Fang Wu immediately looked up at the leaderboard.
[Fifth Place: Lin Qi (Sophomore), Floor: 16]
There it was—Lin Qi's name in fifth place, while he himself had dropped to sixth.
"Lin Qi's too strong. I heard he's about to become an Sss-Rank Genius."
"Even Du Shanyan, an Sss-Rank Genius from their cohort, is only twelfth, and Chu Yu is tenth."
"Lin Qi's pulled way ahead."
Fang Wu shook his head with a bitter smile. Just like that, he'd been overtaken.
This was the power of an Sss-Rank Genius? One monster after another.
Nearby, Chu Yu, wearing a red robe and strikingly handsome, stared at the projected rankings, his expression grim.
"How could this happen..."
"Why is the gap widening so rapidly?"
...
"Brother Qi, you're truly incredible!" Jiang Tao called from afar, giving Lin Qi a thumbs-up as he looked at the Trial Tower's leaderboard.
Jiang Tao had just entered the Trial Tower, ranking 181st.
At Azure Firmament Martial Academy, he was the top student of his grade—even surpassing many juniors and seniors.
But at Heavenly Dome Institute, he was dead last.
And Lin Qi, his contemporary, had already cracked the top five.
Jiang Tao was still Fourth Realm Bone Tempering, while Brother Qi had already reached Sixth Realm Train Marrow. The gap was enormous.
Pressure and determination burned in his chest.
Lin Qi merely smiled. "You'll make the top ten someday too."
...
As time passed, it neared 11 PM.
The Disaster Beast Trial Tower's overall rankings had mostly settled, with all 182 students viewing their final placements.
Shen Heng, his figure lean and tall, sat cross-legged in the Martial Arts Training Hall. He hadn't entered the Trial Tower, confident no one could surpass him.
When he checked the projected rankings on his phone, he barely raised an eyebrow at Lin Qi's fifth-place position.
"Not bad for a genius. He's superior in innate talent."
"But as long as I remain at Heavenly Dome Institute, I'll keep him under control."
He closed his phone screen. This winter break, he wouldn't go home—instead, he'd have his parents come to Heavenly Dome Institute for the new year.
He planned to retreat into cultivation, breaking through to Seventh Realm and making a stunning debut.
Memories of last year's Global Martial Arts Championship surfaced.
Though powerful, he'd still lost to those freaks. This year, that wouldn't happen—he'd sweep all opponents and claim the championship.
With this goal set, he resumed his Train Marrow cultivation.
...
Meanwhile, the top-ranked Zhang Tianyang, Lei Shuang, and Meng Yu all felt growing pressure after seeing Lin Qi's position.
Lin Qi was coming on strong. One misstep, and they'd be overtaken. No one could afford complacency.
...
At Xingxiu Residence, a luxurious villa's study, Dean Liu in white robes watched the projection screen displaying Xue Zhou's face.
Despite his blood-stained battle armor, Xue Zhou exuded his usual effortless charm.
"The Steel Great Wall's situation is stable for now, but Disaster Beasts in the area are gathering—they're planning a larger assault."
"There's a Level 9 Disaster Beast orchestrating this, and not just one."
"If they attack the base simultaneously, it'll be a brutal battle. Countless lives will be lost."
"Don't worry about me—I'll be fine. Just a shame I can't go home for the Spring Festival this year."
"Poor my two boys. I'll have to make it up to them later."
...
After ending the call, Dean Liu rose from his smart chair, gazing through the window at Otherworld's sky.
"These are turbulent times. The situation will only worsen. Perhaps I'll have to step onto the battlefront myself someday."
With a sigh, he pulled out his phone again, checking the rankings.
Seeing Lin Qi's position, he couldn't help but smile.
"Lin Qi's progress rate is getting more absurd by the day."
"I can't wait to see him break through to the Nine Realms."
...
At midnight, Heavenly Dome Institute's Disaster Beast Trial Tower began distributing rewards.
The 182 students virtually simultaneously opened their reward notifications.
In Star Cultivation Mansion No. 36's spacious bedroom, Lin Qi in black pajamas stared at the green screen projected before him.
[Student Lin Qi, due to your outstanding performance in the Disaster Beast Trial Tower (Grade First, Overall Fifth), Heavenly Dome Institute awards you 240 million Xia Kingdom Currency.]
[Additionally: 9,000 kg of Grade 7 Disaster Beast Flesh (selectable species), 500 kg of Grade 8 Disaster Beast Flesh (non-selectable)]
...
(End of Chapter)
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