When Shen Yuan and the others returned to the colosseum, the massive arena was already filling with disciples once more..
Some had arrived earlier and were waiting in clusters. Others were still teleporting in from the surrounding districts, their figures flashing into existence one after another.
The atmosphere was tense.
Shen Yuan's gaze swept across the crowd.
Most disciples wore nervous expressions. Some had already clasped their hands together and were silently praying toward the Heavens, as though their fate depended entirely on divine mercy. A few looked pale enough to collapse on the spot.
Only a small number remained composed.
Among them were Shen Yuan's group, Zhou Xiaosi's group and a few others.
The Storm Jade country's sky remained dark above the arena, with cold wind moving lazily through the colosseum. Yet the silence before the announcement felt heavier than the weather itself.
Steward Yan stood once again in the center of the arena.
He bowed respectfully toward the high energy platform.
"Our World Lord, Han Bolin," he said, "please announce the names of those who reached the top spots."
Above, on the floating platform woven from pure energy, Han Bolin nodded.
He held a parchment in one hand.
When he spoke, his voice carried clearly across the entire colosseum.
"I will only announce the names of the disciples who entered the top five spots."
A pause.
"The others are not worth my breath."
The effect was immediate.
Almost every disciple present paled.
Many had already guessed this, but hearing it spoken so plainly by the World Lord made the outcome feel far more crushing. Some visibly trembled. A few broke down, shoulders shaking as quiet sobs escaped them.
Han Bolin paid them no mind.
He lowered his gaze to the parchment.
"I will begin from the lowest spot and move upward."
The entire arena held its breath.
Even the mortals in the audience leaned forward, eyes wide and unblinking.
Then Han Bolin spoke.
"Fifth place. Ruo Xiulan, from the Sword God Sect."
A collective gasp spread through the colosseum.
Many disciples had expected her to place far higher than fifth.
Even some mortals who had watched the earlier battles looked stunned.
Ruo Xiulan herself remained expressionless, though her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Han Bolin continued.
"Fourth place. Yi An, from the Sword God Sect."
This time the reaction was stronger.
More gasps followed.
Many of the audience had assumed Yi An would rank within the top three, if not higher.
Whispers began to spread in all directions.
Then Han Bolin read the next name.
"Third place. Tang Jiyan, from the Twin Soul Sect."
The colosseum erupted into murmurs.
This outcome shocked almost everyone.
Even the mortals who had followed Tang Jiyan's battle closely had not expected him to place this high. Some considered it reasonable after seeing the battle, while others could not hide their surprise.
Then came the second name.
"Second place. Shen Yuan, from the Twin Soul Sect. The runner-up of the Sacred Sect Competition!"
For a moment, the crowd quieted.
A few disciples gasped.
The mortals, however, were less shocked this time. After everything they had witnessed, many had already come to expect that Shen Yuan would stand among the very best.
Finally—
Han Bolin's voice deepened slightly.
"First place. Zhou Xiaosi, of Fengyue. The winner of the Sacred Sect Competition!"
The arena instantly turned chaotic.
Cheers rang out from the Fengyue supporters.
Many nearby mortals began talking excitedly among themselves, saying it had been obvious from the very beginning that the youngest prince of Fengyue would take the crown.
Zhou Xiaosi stood calmly, as if the result had been natural all along.
Then Steward Yan's voice boomed across the colosseum.
"Top three—Zhou Xiaosi, Shen Yuan, and Tang Jiyan—step forward to receive your reward from the World Lord."
At once, countless disciples widened their eyes.
The top three would receive rewards directly from the World Lord himself.
That alone was enough to stir intense envy.
Even Ruo Xiulan and Yi An looked away, each shaking their head with obvious frustration.
Three figures moved.
Zhou Xiaosi. Shen Yuan. Tang Jiyan.
In a single step, they appeared in the middle of the arena.
Han Bolin looked at them with a faint smile of satisfaction.
"I am quite impressed with your performances," he said, his voice carrying through the colosseum. "You now have the opportunity to learn under whomever you wish within the Storm Jade Country."
He reached into his storage bag and produced three silver tokens.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent them toward the three.
Zhou Xiaosi, Shen Yuan, and Tang Jiyan each caught one.
Han Bolin continued, "These tokens are proof that you are now acknowledged by the World Lord as official disciples of this country."
The three bowed slightly.
Then Han Bolin's smile widened a little.
"Now, it is time for your true rewards."
Everyone leaned forward.
Even the sect leaders behind him shifted slightly in their seats.
First, Han Bolin produced a 20 foot long spear.
Lightning crackled around it.
Its body radiated thunder affinity so intensely that even from afar, the audience could feel the spiritual pressure vibrating through it the air.
He extended it toward Tang Jiyan.
Tang Jiyan took the spear, and the moment his hand closed around it, a deep resonance passed through his body.
His expression changed faintly.
It was a perfect match.
He bowed and thanked the World Lord.
Next, Han Bolin took out a scroll.
He pushed it toward Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan caught it and glanced at the surface.
Han Bolin said, "This scroll contains a very advanced method of spiritual energy refining. It should serve you well in the future."
Shen Yuan bowed slightly.
"Many thanks to the World Lord."
Finally, Han Bolin turned to Zhou Xiaosi with an amused smile and took out a pill.
The moment it appeared, several cultivators in the audience inhaled sharply.
Han Bolin said, "This is the Sky Advancing Pill. It can significantly increase the chance of advancing to the Mid-stage of the Elysian Realm."
The colosseum exploded into murmurs.
Even mortals could tell this was an extraordinary treasure by the reaction of the cultivators around them.
A rare pill of such caliber for the first-place winner was both logical and astonishing.
Some mortals began cheering Zhou Xiaosi's name with genuine excitement, even calling him a prodigy.
Han Bolin watched calmly as Zhou Xiaosi accepted the pill and bowed.
Then Steward Yan coughed softly and addressed the audience.
"The competition has officially ended. Leave the colosseum respectfully."
He turned toward the disciples.
"Return to your respective sects and factions."
The audience obeyed.
One by one, cultivators and mortals bowed toward the World Lord and began departing.
The sect leaders seated behind Han Bolin followed shortly after. They bowed to both the World Lord and his envoy, asked for their leave, and vanished one after another through teleportation.
True Elysian cultivators could perform long-distance teleportation with ease, compared to Quasi-Elysian cultivators.
Soon, only a few remained on the arena floor.
Zhou Xiaosi, Shen Yuan, and Tang Jiyan slowly stepped down from the platform.
Before they parted ways, Shen Yuan looked at Zhou Xiaosi.
"The next time we meet," he said calmly, "I will be a true Elysian cultivator."
Zhou Xiaosi only nodded.
Then he turned and left with his group.
The Fengyue disciples used teleportation arrays to return home.
Others around the arena used flying powers or sect transport methods.
Shen Yuan and his group were among those using a teleportation array.
Together, Shen Yuan, Tang Jiyan, Guo Bohai, Dong Chen, Shi Meixiu, and Xiang Xiaoli stood in a circle.
Shen Yuan formed several seals.
Then he pressed his palm against the ground.
A star-like pattern lit up beneath them.
Blue light flashed.
And all six disappeared.
The World Lord and his envoy had already left.
Only Steward Yan remained in the colosseum.
He stood there alone for a while, looking toward the place where Shen Yuan had vanished.
A faint expression of pity touched his face.
Quietly, to the empty air, he said, "Do you know Shen Yuan that the future will bring you far greater dangers than the Fengyue royal family could ever imagine to be?"
No one answered him.
After a moment, Steward Yan too left the colosseum.
Outside the Twin Soul Sect, a teleportation array shimmered into existence.
Shen Yuan and the others appeared in a flash of blue light.
Xiang Xiaoli stretched her arms and sighed contentedly.
"Finally, I can take a bath after so many days."
The others began chatting among themselves, already sounding more relaxed.
Shen Yuan, however, remained plain-faced.
"We can talk inside the sect," he said. "First, we report to the sect masters."
He started walking toward the sect gates.
The gates of the Twin Soul Sect stood tall ahead of them.
Half black. Half white.
A strange contrast that fit the sect's name perfectly.
Tang Jiyan, Xiang Xiaoli, Shi Meixiu, Guo Bohai, and Dong Chen exchanged glances and sighed lightly before following him.
As they approached, two guards stepped forward.
Both were around the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm.
Their appearance suggested they were in their mid-thirties.
One of them held out a hand.
"Disciple tokens."
All six took out black jade tokens engraved with their names in white.
The guards looked at them.
Then both of their expressions changed.
Their eyes widened slightly.
They stumbled back half a step and quickly opened the gates.
"Please enter."
The group walked through.
Immediately, they felt countless gazes falling on them.
All around the sect grounds, other disciples—new and old—were staring.
Some looked at them with awe.
Others with admiration.
A few even spoke aloud, saying they wanted to become like Shen Yuan and his group one day.
Xiang Xiaoli waved awkwardly.
Shi Meixiu smiled wryly and waved as well.
Tang Jiyan nodded at a few disciples.
Guo Bohai and Dong Chen gave polite gestures.
Only Shen Yuan remained deadpan, continuing forward without reacting.
Once they had moved out of sight of the surrounding disciples, Shen Yuan spoke.
"You can all rest first. Tang Jiyan and I will report to the sect masters and return shortly."
The others nodded.
One by one, they separated.
Shen Yuan and Tang Jiyan headed toward the sect masters' hall.
The path before them was quiet.