"I said you would pay the price for your words!"
Ling Xiao looked at Ling Ji, who had both arms broken and could not continue fighting, and spoke indifferently.
Ling Ji didn’t speak.
Because he still couldn’t understand what exactly had happened.
He felt as if he had run into a huge elephant, not a person.
Actually, it couldn’t even be considered a move!
Because Ling Xiao didn’t use any Martial Arts techniques.
In a battle between Martial Artists, using Martial Arts techniques counts as a move.
In this duel, it could be said that Ling Xiao won in an overwhelmingly crushing manner.
All the spectators were surprised and astonished.
Including Ling Feifan, who had never paid much attention to Ling Xiao, he took a few more glances at him.
Ling Xiao’s realm was higher than Ling Ji’s, and he might have had a sixty to seventy percent chance of winning.
But that would have definitely been a hard-fought, brutal victory.
However, no one expected Ling Xiao to win so easily without using any Martial Arts techniques, just casually swinging his fist.
"This Ling Xiao is really something, his strength is terrifying!"
"Mmm, facing him, one definitely can’t clash head-on, otherwise it’s certain to be a disadvantage!"
"The opponents I hate the most are those with frightening strength, oh no, oh no, I just hope he doesn’t challenge me next."
"Ling Xiao, by winning the challenge, you’ve earned the right to participate in the finals. Since you’ve defeated Ling Ji, take his place," said the judge. "Members of Pharmacy Hall, take Ling Ji for treatment."
Ordinary people couldn’t tell, but the judges had keen eyesight, and they clearly noticed that Ling Ji’s arms were broken and he was unable to continue the finals.
This Ling Xiao, he really did what he said, ruthless and decisive.
If anyone was feeling the most turmoil at this moment, it was probably Ling Shisan.
Ling Xiao’s decisiveness and ruthlessness were beyond his expectations. If Ling Xiao found out that he was the one who hired the thugs, it would be odd if Ling Shisan wasn’t retaliated against.
Defeating Ling Ji was merely a simple display for Ling Xiao.
He cast his gaze towards the place where Ling Feifan was sitting, and a cold smile spread across his lips.
You all think Ling Feifan is stronger than me, more talented, and therefore you grant him privileges, but I wonder what kind of faces you’ll make after I defeat him?
In the end, he was still treated unjustly today.
Because Ling Feifan didn’t go through this process, yet he still qualified for the finals.
He wasn’t feeling happy about it!
Yet he said nothing, for angry words were meaningless. Better to silence those people with his achievements.
With that thought, he walked towards the second row, fifth chair, and sat down.
Ling Xiao and Ling Feifan’s participation actually had no impact on the finals themselves.
It was originally a competition with one hundred and ten participants; now, it was merely a case of the numbers being complete.
Although there were rich rewards for the top one hundred, the closer to the top, the richer the rewards became.
Especially for the top three, there would be Gang Qi Pills and top-level Martial Arts techniques as rewards.
Therefore, these top three spots were inevitably the most fiercely contested in this final competition.
No doubt, aside from the unfathomable Ling Feifan, no one else would want to easily give up the chance to acquire top-level Martial Arts techniques.
Naturally, Ling Xiao was no exception.
And it was clear that the higher the ranking, the higher the status within the clan, and the more privileges one would obtain.
In Genius Hall, Ling Feifan, who ranked first, even held a higher status within the Ling Clan than most Elders.
Ling Xiao didn’t care much for status, but he believed that having privileges would be more helpful for his future cultivation.
"Because of Ling Xiao’s late arrival, the progress of the finals was affected. I will reiterate the rules here once more! Each person has five opportunities to challenge, and only five, use one and lose one! Additionally, if you succeed in two consecutive challenges, then you won’t be restricted by rankings anymore and can challenge anyone who is ranked above you!"
The referee stood up and announced loudly, "Did everyone hear that clearly?"
"We heard it clearly!"
"Good, if that’s the case, then let’s continue with the final competition."
Although Ling Xiao arrived a bit late, the rules of the final competition were not complex, and he understood them quite easily.
The contestants ranked lower were to challenge those ranked higher, with initial challengers limited to jumping no more than ten ranks. If they succeeded in two consecutive challenges, this limitation would be lifted.
Victory in a challenge meant automatically taking the rank of the challenged contestant.
The challenged contestant, on the other hand, would need to challenge someone else to regain a rank.
Each contestant had five opportunities to challenge, and whether they won or lost, each challenge would consume one opportunity.
Thus, this competition was testing the disciples’ fighting strength as well as their judgment.
The proverb goes, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster."
Rushing into a challenge without a clear understanding of one’s opponent was not acceptable.
This was a clan competition, so no one would die— at most, they would be seriously injured.
However, in the outside world, in the jianghu, a careless challenge could result in death.
Additionally, the ranking challenges began with those who advanced from the elimination rounds, but these did not count toward the five allotted challenges.
It was considered a simple ranking battle.
After all, they had advanced through the elimination rounds and their rankings needed to be integrated with those of the top one hundred disciples from Genius Hall.
Afterward, the challenges from back to front would commence.
By the time Ling Xiao arrived, the disciples who had advanced from the elimination rounds had finished their challenges, and the challenges from back to front had proceeded to the ninetieth rank.
There was also a choice to forfeit a challenge, which would cost a challenge opportunity, but it would save one from embarrassment. This was quite suitable for disciples without much ambition.
However, the ranks from one hundred to one hundred ten were particularly fiercely contested.
Those ten disciples would not waste any of their challenge opportunities for a chance to enter Genius Hall.
It was a pity that Ling Xiao arrived late and missed this thrilling stage.
During the stage from rank one hundred to fifty, many would choose to forfeit.
Especially the one ranked at one hundred, who would definitely not challenge without absolute confidence. They would rather preserve their rank, remain a disciple of Genius Hall, and not embarrass themselves if they weren’t confident in their own strength.
Thus, this stage proceeded very quickly.
Afterward, as the challenges approached the top fifty, they became increasingly intense.
In fact, the difference in strength between ranks fifty and eleven was not significant, so no one was willing to admit to being weaker, resulting in extremely fierce challenges.
From the original disciples who broke through the elimination rounds to the final competition, aside from Ling Yihang, Ling Xiao, and Ling Yixue, only Ling Tieshou had broken into the top fifty, ranking at forty-eight, which was neither high nor low.
The others were ranked after fifty.
Disciples of Genius Hall lived up to their name as geniuses. Even the top ten from Elite Hall found it difficult to break further ahead after arriving.
Only a few individuals managed to do so.
Ling Yihang at sixth, Ling Xiao at fifteenth, Ling Yixue at nineteenth.
These three were now the most anticipated among the top ten of the elimination rounds.
Generally speaking, the top twenty in Genius Hall were all at least at the Martial Veins Quadruple Layer initial stage.
The top ten were mostly at the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer intermediate stage.
The top five of Genius Hall were all above the Martial Meridians Fourth Level Peak in strength.
Of course, this was just a general statement, as strength can only be estimated approximately. It’s not uncommon for those with lower realms to defeat those higher through experience.
Genius Hall certainly deserved its name, teeming with prodigies, many of whom made breakthroughs during these seven days.
Although none was as formidable as Ling Xiao.
The top twenty were a milestone in themselves.
Everyone strived for a spot in the top ten.
Ling Yixue did not aim as high as Ling Xiao; her goal was just to be among the top ten.
Being nineteenth, her turn came up quickly.