One night passed, and it seemed like a lot had happened on this day.
Or perhaps, nothing had.
Zhang Ergou naturally stayed in his room, continuing his cultivation.
Because the feeling in that instant made him realize someone was definitely watching him.
Relying on others was naturally not as good as relying on oneself. The Heavenly Dao Elder had already noticed him.
If he interacted too much with the Heavenly Dao Elder, his secrets would be known without reservation.
This was absolutely not what Zhang Ergou wished for, after all, he was still very weak compared to the Heavenly Dao Elder.
Naturally, he could not contend with the Heavenly Dao Elder. Although the Heavenly Dao Elder had not shown anything unusual so far,
Zhang Ergou held the Black Iron Ball and the Ice Cold Snow Mountain, two rare treasures.
Even someone as powerful as the Heavenly Dao Elder, if he were certain that Zhang Ergou possessed these two treasures, would surely kill for them.
After all, wealth moved people, and cultivation was largely about plundering resources...
Zhang Ergou dared not bet his life on the Heavenly Dao Elder, whom he understood very little about.
The most practical solution was to improve his own strength and elevate his cultivation and power as quickly as possible.
Zhang Ergou had understood these principles when he was an outer disciple of the Misty Sect. Relying on anyone was not as good as relying on himself.
His unusual experiences from a young age had made Zhang Ergou lack confidence and trust in many people.
...
On the second day, Zhang Ergou followed the Misty Sect disciples to the competition venue. Today, the ranking matches, which were postponed from yesterday, were to be held.
Mainly, only disciples who had won their respective finals were eligible to participate.
The first-place winner would receive a Grade Four elixir and a Grade Four magical artifact.
The second-place reward was a Grade Three magical artifact and a Grade Three elixir.
The third-place reward was a Grade Three magical artifact.
The rewards were undeniably generous, and the ranking matches did not distinguish between the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment stages.
It was purely based on one's own strength, which gave Foundation Establishment disciples a chance to challenge Golden Core disciples. Su Dan Novel Network
Although there was a significant gap of one major realm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, there were still powerhouses capable of challenging across realms.
This was also a rule intentionally set by the two sects for this grand competition.
However, people did not have high hopes for the Foundation Establishment disciples, as the gap with Golden Core cultivators was too large.
Even if they could challenge across realms, they might have a certain chance against early-stage Golden Core cultivators, but what about middle-stage Golden Core cultivators?
"Hey, do you think the Flowing Sea Sect deliberately set the rules for the ranking matches like this to reduce the rewards?"
Xiao Qingyu said with a look of frustration.
If the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages were ranked separately, he might still have a chance.
After all, the five of them had just broken through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core. They had previously participated in the Foundation Establishment competition.
Now, due to the format of the ranking matches, their chances were completely slim.
"I think that's possible. This Flowing Sea Sect is too stingy."
Wang Teng also looked displeased. Because of the competition format, the five of them had practically no chance at all.
They had only recently broken through to the early Golden Core stage, and their cultivation and strength had not been fully consolidated.
Facing Golden Core disciples who had broken through long ago, they naturally had no chance of winning.
Moreover, the Golden Core disciples who had reached the finals were basically all in the middle stage of Golden Core, not comparable to them who had just broken through to the early Golden Core stage.
"What's the point of saying this now? We'll just be cannon fodder if we go up. We might as well surrender and preserve our strength."
Lin Yichen shook his hair. After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, he had regained his cool demeanor.
Zhang Ergou also agreed with Lin Yichen's statement; their chances were not very high given their current strength.
Although they had all won their respective Foundation Establishment finals, there were still many challenges ahead in entering the secret realm.
If they encountered ruthless opponents in the ranking matches and accidentally sustained injuries, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
"I think Brother Yichen's words are reasonable. Our main objective this time is to enter the secret realm. This so-called ranking match doesn't need to be taken too seriously."
Zhang Ergou nodded, echoing Lin Yichen.
"I agree with Er Gou and Lin Yichen." Lin Yueru was the first to express her agreement.
"I'll listen to them too. With my strength, it's better to surrender early."
Lu Xiaoyu followed closely behind.
Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Xiao Qingyu and Wang Teng naturally had no objections. They were just airing their grievances.
Now that the rules were set, even if they had opinions, they would be of no use.
It was better to listen to Lin Yichen and preserve their strength.
It was rumored that in the secret realm, it wasn't just about competing for resources with these rivals, but also guarding against the indigenous creatures within the realm.
They had heard that in the secret realm, every treasure was guarded by fierce beasts.
And the more precious the treasure, the stronger the guarding beast. This was no joke.
It would be a life-or-death struggle then, so being able to preserve strength beforehand was the best decision.
Zhang Ergou was also planning to play it safe, as this ranking match held little appeal for him.
With the small world of the Black Iron Ball, various rare medicinal herbs grew within it. As long as he had a pill recipe, Zhang Ergou could now refine the elixirs he needed.
Moreover, he had the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye, whose terrifying replication ability made his alchemy success rate close to one hundred percent.
Therefore, although the rewards for the top three in this ranking match were very attractive to other disciples, Zhang Ergou was simply not interested.
A Grade Four magical artifact was not as comfortable to use as the Ghost Spear Tianwen he currently held. Zhang Ergou had no intention of fighting to the death in the ranking matches.
In fact, there were quite a few people who shared the same mindset as Zhang Ergou.
After several rounds of competition, everyone had suffered some injuries. It was impossible to recover from their wounds in just a day or two.
And there were many who were set on entering the secret realm. They had also seen through the Flowing Sea Sect's malicious intentions.
They used extremely tempting rewards to stir the hearts of the disciples who had won their finals, and then in the ranking matches, they would wear down their opponents.
Furthermore, what was even more shameless about the ranking matches was that one had to persist until the very end to be considered the winner.
And so on and so forth. Therefore, to achieve a ranking in the ranking matches was not a simple matter.
It required enduring layers of challenges, and only those who persisted in the end would be considered the victors.
Although the rewards were extremely generous, compared to the opportunities and fortunes in the secret realm, they were far inferior.
Didn't you see how the elders all hoped for their disciples to enter the secret realm?
To achieve a ranking in the ranking matches and obtain the so-called rewards, unless one was extremely powerful, one would undoubtedly lose half their life.
Zhang Ergou had also seen through the Flowing Sea Sect's intentions, which was why he decided not to exert himself in the ranking matches and surrender directly.
However, Zhang Ergou wanted to surrender, but things did not develop as simply as he had imagined.
"The ranking matches must be fought with all one's might. If anyone tries to slack off or surrender voluntarily, they will be disqualified from entering the secret realm."
Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the entire competition venue.