The group led by John displayed the weakest cultivation, making them the prime target for the stronger competitors from various cities.
Ironically, this turned out to be beneficial for them as they managed to seize quite a number of magic cores.
Together, they managed to slay a seven-star magical beast, a Dragon Lion.
Sini immediately took out the magic core.
“How many magic cores do we have?” John asked.
Sini did some quick calculations and replied, “114 six-star magic cores, 298 seven-star magic cores, and 13 eight-star magic cores. That converts to 775 points. Each of us has about 190 points, which should be enough to place us in the top fifty.”
Based on previous assessments, around 140 points was usually enough to secure a position in the top fifty.
John nodded and said, “There’s still plenty of time. Let’s hunt some more magical beasts.”
The magic cores were simply used to tally up points, and they would eventually belong to them. It was still a decent haul.
The group continued to wander through the forest, searching for more magical beasts.
However, they soon encountered three familiar faces.
It was the three people from Thunderstrike City.
The bald man stared at John coldly and said, “Kid, we only want the magic cores. If you’re smart, hand over all the magic cores you have!”
He glanced at Ice Talker, who was standing by.
He didn’t consider the others much of a threat, but he was wary of Ice Talker’s identity as a representative from Forest City.
John sneered, his voice cold, “What if I don’t?”
“Then don’t blame us for being rude. Attack!” The bald man ordered, charging directly at John.
He had already made up his mind—he would kill the three of them and spare the woman from Forest City. Forest King would likely turn a blind eye to that.
The battle began, but Ice Talker wasn’t engaged in the fight.
She watched the skirmish with a look of boredom on her face. “Big Sister Sini, do you want me to help?” she asked.
“No need. He’s trash. I can handle him!” Sini’s aura surged with the powers of the underworld. While she couldn’t use the laws of Heaven, she was still more than capable of taking on this peak seven-star opponent.
“Arrogant!” The man was infuriated, and his attacks grew even more savage.
However, the strange powers of the underworld began to take a toll on him, especially with the added soul attacks that Sini unleashed.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of wind stirred, and an overwhelming pressure filled the air. A massive shadow loomed over them.
John immediately used his divine skill, Heaven and Earth Transformation, turning into a towering giant.
With a whoosh!
The enormous United Sword swung down with immense force toward the bald man.
“This is bad!” The bald man’s face changed slightly as he hastily raised his iron staff to block the blow.
Boom!
A thunderous sound rang out. Blood spewed from his mouth as he was sent flying backward. The iron staff in his hand was also knocked away by the force of the impact.
“You… what kind of monster are you?” The bald man struggled to suppress the roiling blood inside him, barely managing to get back to his feet. His eyes were filled with terror as he stared at John.
Facing the giant form John had transformed into, he was practically defenseless.
“Die!” John’s cold voice echoed, and the longsword once again slashed downward with devastating force.
The bald man’s face drained of color, and he hastily tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
Boom!
The sword came down with a resounding crash, causing the ground to tremble and a massive rift to open up, stretching halfway up the mountainside.
The bald man was obliterated, leaving only a few dozen magic cores behind.
The terrifying scene shocked the other two, planting the seeds of retreat in their hearts.
Roar!
A dragon’s roar echoed through the air. Cand-Dragon transformed into its true form and, like John, activated Heaven and Earth Transformation, slaying the enemy before it.
Sini, seeing this, was infuriated. She took a step back and a longbow appeared in her hands. She tapped into a portion of the Heaven’s power of laws, firing several arrows in quick succession.
Whoosh…
Blood splattered as the peak seven-star warrior was easily slain.
“I think I’ve become the weakest one now!” She put away the longbow, grumbling in dissatisfaction.
Ice Talker comforted her, “As long as you become The Overseer, your strength will definitely see a massive increase.”
“Really?” Sini’s mood brightened considerably.
“Damn, these guys are poor,” Cand-Dragon remarked, picking up all the fallen magic cores. The total barely reached 300 points.
No wonder they had been so frantic. With the points they had, they had no chance of making it into the top fifty.
“But our points should be more than enough!” Cand-Dragon happily pocketed the cores.
“John, what’s going on?” Sini noticed that John was still in his Heaven and Earth Transformation form, his gaze cold, staring ahead.
The group began to sense something was off.
A man appeared not far away.
It was the Sword Demon!
He slowly drew a black longsword and raised his head, locking eyes with John. A tremendous battle aura radiated from him.
Ice Talker immediately stood up, eyes fixed on the Sword Demon, her expression serious.
The two were of vastly different sizes, but the aura the Sword Demon emitted was in no way weaker than John’s.
“Human, do you dare to fight me?” He glanced at the massive chasm that stretched halfway up the mountainside, his powerful battle intent flaring. His words came slowly, each one deliberate.
“Hmph, what’s there to hesitate about?” John’s own battle intent surged. His United Sword hummed with power, and the mountains, trees, the sun, and the stardust reflected his overwhelming aura.
“Hm?” At this moment, the communication stone in the Sword Demon’s possession began to glow—it was Forest King.
His brows furrowed as he glanced at John, then took a step back, his voice cold. “Boy, we’ll fight again some other time.”
His expression showed disappointment as he looked at Ice Talker. Without a word, he tossed a pile of magic cores onto the ground, turned, and walked away.
The group was left utterly confused.
“Godslayer, what does this guy mean?” Cand-Dragon stared at the magic cores on the ground, bewildered.
Just moments ago, they were on the verge of a showdown, and now it seemed the Sword Demon was helping them?
John furrowed his brows, also feeling perplexed.
He dispelled his Heaven and Earth Transformation state and looked up at the sky, speaking faintly. “It looks like Forest King has been monitoring us.”
This was the only reasonable explanation: it was Forest King who had instructed the Sword Demon to act this way.
“Monitoring us?” Sini frowned deeply, worried. “What about my identity?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go,” John replied without a hint of concern. He wasn’t a match for Forest King, but the guy wouldn’t be able to deal with them easily either.
Not to mention, there was still Thunderstrike to consider.
Forest City, City Lord’s Manor.
Great Bear silently watched the screen before him.
“A The Heaven enforcer, huh? You’re more interesting than I thought,” he murmured, his gaze fixed on John.
“A transformation skill… It seems even more powerful than Spoorate’s Three-Headed and Six-Armed form. You must be The Rebel Against Heaven!” He stroked the bracelet in his palm, a smile creeping onto his face.
“You little brat, this is the reward for taking care of Spoorate. Whether you can hold on, well… that’s up to you.” He spoke these words as his figure flashed, vanishing and reappearing at the foot of the mountain outside the city.
As evening approached, the first stage of the trial was about to end, and the Lords of the Advanced Cities gathered.
“Greetings, Lord!” Several individuals bowed respectfully.
Forest King nodded, his gaze lingering on Thunderstrike for a moment.
He spoke in a neutral tone, “The trial is over. Notify them to assemble.”
“Yes, Lord.” A soldier stepped forward and signaled for the assembly.
Figures began to appear throughout the forest.
In the first stage of the King Selection, there had been more than three hundred participants, but now fewer than two hundred remained.
The casualties were heavy.
The Lords of the various cities weren’t surprised. At the final stage of the trial, fighting amongst participants was tacitly accepted, and even Forest City had lost two people.
Next came the calculation of the points.
John, Sini, Cand-Dragon, and Ice Talker had all made it into the top ten.
This was thanks to the Sword Demon, who had given them over a hundred eight-star magic cores.
“John, that Sword Demon is in fiftieth place,” Sini whispered.
John noticed this too, but he was puzzled.
It seemed like the Sword Demon was helping them.
At that moment, Forest King stepped forward, and everyone immediately fell silent.
He spoke softly, “The top fifty in points will enter the second stage of the trial. The content of the second stage has changed. The top ten will be rewarded with the Heart of the Continent. Anyone who disagrees can challenge this decision.”
His words sparked immediate discussions among the crowd.
Thunderstrike’s face shifted slightly, and he couldn’t help but speak out. “Lord, this doesn’t seem to follow the rules.”
The Heart of the Continent was the core of Forest King’s World-in-Hand, crucial to his future plans.
With this change in the second stage, Thunderstrike could no longer destroy Forest King’s World-in-Hand.
“Well?” Forest King glared at him, his voice ice-cold.
“I-I don’t dare.” Thunderstrike’s expression flickered, and he silently retreated into the crowd.
Thankfully, he still had a contingency plan. It was just a shame for John—his plans had forced him to destroy his own World-in-Hand.
Thunderstrike’s eyes turned to John, his mind filled with confusion.
To his surprise, John and his group had made it into the top ten in points, something he never could have anticipated.
“John, it looks like we’ve become the target of everyone,” Sini whispered, noticing the hostile gazes directed at them from all around.
The three of them were arguably the weakest among the participants, and now they had even received the Heart of the Continent. It was obvious they were being targeted by the stronger individuals who hadn’t made it into the top ten in points.
Ice Talker’s cultivation wasn’t particularly strong either, but she was from Forest City, and more importantly, she was The Overseer. Since she couldn’t receive the Heart of the Continent, no one would challenge her.
John remained calm, his expression indifferent, and said, “It’s fine. There’s no need to hide our strength in the upcoming challenges.”
He felt that Thunderstrike would likely make his move soon. Once he obtained the Heart of the Continent, he would no longer involve himself with their matters.
Among the top ten in points, six of them were not The Overseers.
Forest King summoned six Hearts of the Continent and casually waved them over. They landed in John and his companions’ hands.
These Hearts of the Continent were different from the ones he had previously obtained by killing The Overseers.
The new ones were wrapped in a special energy, resembling a complete world. Once refined, they would allow the user to become The Overseer.
John did not refine the Heart of the Continent immediately. His World-in-Hand hadn’t been destroyed, and he was still The Overseer. He intended to give this Heart of the Continent to Tracy.
Whoosh!
A surge of The power of laws rippled through the air, and a massive arena appeared in the center of the field.
Forest King stood at the edge of the arena and spoke in a cool, detached tone, “The second stage of the trial begins now. Only the top fifty can challenge. Life and death are irrelevant.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man with a goat-like beard leapt onto the arena, bowing deeply.”Lord, Lageland of Flame City challenges!”
The crowd below reacted with discontent, murmuring among themselves.
“Damn it, this old man beat us to it.”
“It’s fine. We still have a chance. The ranking in points clearly has little to do with actual strength.”
“Lageland is a Seven-Star Peak Awakened One. Looks like someone’s about to be unlucky.”
The group sneered, their gazes shifting toward John and his companions.
Lageland was ranked thirty-fourth in points. His strength could only be considered average, but his ambitions were far from small. He seemed intent on becoming the Lord of Advanced City.