With roughly one hour left, even if Lin Xiao recovered from whatever issue he faced, killing illusion beasts would likely not get him into the top seventy-four.
Unless Lin Xiao killed other competitors and plundered their points.
However, Zihui and Pan Zihao from the Ling family team had already been eliminated.
According to them, the later it got, the more illusion beasts appeared, leaving little time to seek out other opponents.
If Lin Xiao encountered someone ranked within the top seventy-four, killing one would secure his advancement.
But if he met someone lower-ranked, he would need to kill several.
Whether he could encounter anyone, and how many points they had, depended entirely on luck.
The biggest issue was that, up to now, Lin Xiao’s points hadn’t changed. Forget whether he could find others; it was uncertain if he could even escape his predicament.
This was the greatest concern for Zihuang and the others.
Especially for Shi Jindou, who had even prepared a Jade Clear Pill for Lin Xiao. If he was eliminated in the first round, all those preparations would be for naught.
At the same time, they saw Linghu, Ziling, and others fighting fiercely to reduce the number of competitors to within seventy-four.
As long as more than half the total participants were eliminated, meaning seventy-four remained, the first round’s illusion array would end automatically, even if time remained. Then, even with only two points, Lin Xiao could advance to the next round.
But with eighty-five still remaining, at least eleven more needed to be eliminated for Lin Xiao to advance.
Killing eleven in one hour was too difficult. Not only was killing them a challenge, but encountering them was an issue.
Of course, Linghu’s performance drew widespread attention. With a seventh-level Martial Venerable cultivation, he had reached the top ten.
This made everyone reassess the Martial Emperor’s heir.
Li Renchou, who rose to third, also drew countless gazes.
On the first day, Li Renchou was at the bottom of the rankings. Who could have predicted that after the first day, his points would skyrocket, ultimately landing him in the top three?
Of course, among those outside the top ten, there were many strong contenders, some repeatedly entering the top ten.
Lin Xiao’s name also became memorable, a topic of constant discussion over the three days.
Another half hour passed, and the point rankings shifted again.
First place, Duan Tianya, unchanged from half an hour ago, with four hundred thirty points.
Second place, Ping Tianhao, who killed five more fifth-tier primary illusion beasts, reaching four hundred twenty-five points.
Third place, Li Renchou, with four hundred fifteen points.
Fourth place, Huyan Ziru, with three hundred eighty-five points.
Fifth place, Yu Dandan, with three hundred seventy-five points.
Sixth place, Qu Yuan, with three hundred fifty-eight points.
Seventh place, Linghu, who killed one person, surging to three hundred fifty points.
Eighth place, Xing Feng, with three hundred forty-three points.
Ninth place, Fan Chen, who killed one person, rising to three hundred thirty points.
Tenth place, Ziling, who killed two people, jumping from mid-rankings to three hundred twenty-seven points.
In total, six were eliminated: four killed by other youths, two by illusion beasts.
The total number of competitors left was seventy-nine.
Zihuang, Shi Jindou, and the others were extremely anxious. With only half an hour left, Lin Xiao’s points still hadn’t changed, leaving them to hope for more eliminations.
If five more were eliminated, Lin Xiao could advance.
But in half an hour, five eliminations seemed unlikely.
The remaining competitors were increasingly strong, with more life-preserving techniques.
Unless they encountered someone ranked very low, even if Linghu or Ziling faced a strong opponent, killing them within half an hour was uncertain.
Of course, there was also the chance of elimination by illusion beasts.
But that relied purely on luck.
Another three-quarters of an hour passed, and with only the final quarter-hour remaining, Lin Xiao’s points still hadn’t changed.
The number of competitors in the illusion array was down to seventy-six.
Among them, two strong contenders who had briefly entered the top ten, Fan Chen and Zhen Wenzhuo, were eliminated.
Neither was killed by others; both were defeated by powerful sixth-tier primary illusion beasts.
Another person was also eliminated by a strong illusion beast.
First place, Duan Tianya, with four hundred thirty points.
Second place, Ping Tianhao, with four hundred twenty-five points.
Third place, Li Renchou, with four hundred fifteen points.
Fourth place, Huyan Ziru, with three hundred ninety-five points.
Fifth place, Yu Dandan, with three hundred seventy-five points.
Sixth place, Qu Yuan, with three hundred fifty-eight points.
Seventh place, Linghu, with three hundred fifty points.
Eighth place, Xing Feng, with three hundred forty-three points.
Ninth place, Ziling, with three hundred twenty-seven points.
Tenth place, Wen Mochan, with three hundred twenty-five points.
In the top ten, aside from Fan Chen’s elimination and Wen Mochan rising to tenth, only Huyan Ziru’s points changed, jumping by ten.
It could be inferred that Huyan Ziru had killed a sixth-tier primary illusion beast.
Others either faced strong beasts or opponents or found no opponents, leaving their points unchanged.
With only the final quarter-hour remaining, the top ten rankings were nearly set.
“Two more!” Shi Jindou’s heart clenched, his palms sweaty.
Lin Xiao was too “calm.” His points hadn’t changed from start to finish, making a last-minute shift nearly impossible.
They could only hope for two more eliminations.
But the points on the illusion array gate were mostly static, and whether two would be eliminated in the final moments was highly uncertain.
“Deputy Pavilion Master Shi… this candidate you mentioned…” the Wansiang Pavilion master couldn’t help but sigh.
Before he could finish, Shi Jindou snapped, “Don’t talk to me!”
“…” The Wansiang Pavilion master fell silent.
Seeing Shi Jindou’s tense demeanor, the pavilion master said no more, merely shaking his head inwardly.
Zihuang and the others were also anxiously frustrated.
“Exceptional talent or not, in the end, he’ll still be eliminated?” Zihuan thought bitterly.
Eliminated in the first round, he felt unbalanced. He had always been at odds with Lin Xiao.
Zihui, seated with the Ling family team, shared similar thoughts.
“If you don’t make it to the next round, there’s no chance to teach you a lesson. Lin Xiao, aren’t you supposed to be great? How are you getting eliminated in the first round?”
In the Jianzong Sect’s seating, Jian Wuque sighed coldly to himself.
In the first round’s illusion array, even killing didn’t result in true death. Injuries healed upon exiting the gate, making it impossible to truly punish someone.
He had hoped Lin Xiao would reach the fifth round, where the eight super sects could challenge, allowing him to personally exact revenge. But that was nearly impossible; Lin Xiao couldn’t reach the fifth round.
He only hoped Lin Xiao would make it to the second round, where someone could be sent to heavily injure him.
But that hope seemed unlikely to be realized.
Lin Xiao, for some reason, had stayed at two points since entering, never changing.
Of course, he also hoped that in the final moments, two more could be eliminated, allowing Lin Xiao to advance. Thus, Jian Wuque’s heart was also gripped with tension.
