The competition continued on to the second day. During this period of time, Yang Ye had fought 22 battles and won all of them. So, at this moment, he was one of the few who possessed the highest amount of points in group no.9. The reason he was only one of them and not the highest was because there were three more people in group no.9 who had 22 successive victories!

Wenren Yue and Leng Xinran had ascended the arena 22 times as well, and they’d won successively to obtain 22 points as well. Something worthy of mentioning was that since Qin Youran and Lin Xiuran fought each other, they hadn’t encountered each other again.

So, they both obtained 21 points.

After a few more days passed, not a single extraordinary dark horse like Lin Xiuran had appeared. The first phase of the second round of the Ascension Rankings was limited to three days of time, so it was the last day now!

At noon, along with Li Si’s appearance, the first phase of the second round had officially come to an end.

There were 30 people standing on the centermost arena on the square. As they gazed at these 30 people, the eyes of all the countless profounders below revealed expressions of envy. Because these 30 people were the top 3 participants with the most points in every single group. Simply speaking, so long as they didn’t die, then their names were bound to resound throughout the entire southern territory!

On the wall of the Imperial Palace, the Sword Sect’s Yu Heng was beyond delighted. Because both Yang Ye and Murong Yao had entered the top 30. Moreover, Lin Xiuran who Daoist Zui brought to participate in the Ascension Rankings had entered the top 30 as well. In other words, the Sword Sect had three disciples in the top 30 while the Ghost Sect had none. So, how could he not be happy?

“Yu Heng, you should hope your extreme joy doesn’t end in sorrow!” Right at this moment, Cai Feng from the Flower Palace had suddenly said in a cold voice, “After all, only those that remain alive in the top 30 are able to provide a share of the cities to the sect they represent. Can you guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen to Yang Ye and Murong Yao during the next phase of the second round?”

Yu Heng’s expression changed slightly when he heard this, and the smile on his face faded greatly. Because Cai Feng was right. If Yang Ye and Murong Yao perished during the ranking battles, then the Sword Sect would be no different than the Ghost Sect. Because the names of the dead would be removed from the Ascension Rankings….

The cold smile on Cai Feng’s face grew wider as she gazed at Yu Heng’s expression, and then she said, “Yu Heng, you ought to be clearly aware of how many powers don’t want the Sword Sect to rise once more. Do you think the members of those powers would give your Sword Sect a chance? So, if I were you, I would ask them to directly admit defeat as soon as the battle began, and then continue admitting defeat until the end. In this way, the rules of the Ascension Rankings would allow them to keep their lives. If they kept their lives, then they would naturally maintain a spot on the Ascension Rankings, and your Sword Sect would naturally have an opportunity to rise up once more!”

Yu Heng was slightly tempted when he heard this. Even though what Cai Feng said was slightly offensive, it made some sense. He naturally knew which powers Cai Feng was speaking of, and it was the Origin School and Grand Qin Empire. The Grand Qin Empire didn’t want any power to rise up and strengthen, whereas, the Origin School was naturally hostile towards the Sword Sect because of Daoist Zui….

If Yang Ye and Murong Yao encountered Qin Youran and Yuan Tong during the competition, then he had no doubt that Qin Youran and Yuan Tong would definitely not hold back. If that happened, then the results the Sword Sect had obtained with great difficulty would be lost in an instant! With the current situation that the Sword Sect was in, it truly couldn’t endure such a loss!

“Admit defeat continuously?” Meanwhile, Su Qingshi glanced at Cai Feng and said, “You want my Sword Sect to be the laughingstock of the world?”

“Becoming a laughingstock is better than allowing the Sword Sect to continue declining, right?” Cai Feng smiled coldly as she spoke.

Yu Heng suddenly said, “Cai Feng, what you said made sense, but if we do that, then it would be just as Junior Sister Su Qingshi said. My Sword Sect’s reputation would be completely destroyed. This just won’t do!”

Su Qingshi nodded when she heard Yu Heng. The disciples of the Sword Sect could lose, but they absolutely couldn’t act so shamefully. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be Yang Ye and Murong Yao who couldn’t hold their heads up high in public, all the disciples of the entire Sword Sect would be the same!

Cai Feng glanced at Yang Ye who stood on the arena right now, and then she pondered deeply for a short moment before she suddenly smiled strangely. After that, she continued. “Why don’t you can ask that fellow called Yang Ye to admit defeat while allowing Murong Yao to compete normally? Both of you should be aware of the enmity between my Flower Palace and him, and he’ll definitely die if he encounters Little Yue!”

Su Qingshi’s beautiful brows knit together when she heard this. She had a certain level of understanding of Yang Ye’s strength, but even she didn’t really believe that Yang Ye’s strength could surpass Wenren Yue. It wasn’t that she didn’t have confidence and trust in Yang Ye, it was truly because Yang Ye had become a profounder for too short a time. Coupled with the fact that Yang Ye hadn’t obtained the fostering of the Sword Sect, so, no matter if it was in terms of combat techniques or cultivation techniques, Yang Ye definitely couldn’t compare to Wenren Yue.

So, a wisp of worry appeared in Su Qingshi’s eyes when she heard Cai Feng’s straightforward words.

On the other hand, Yu Heng seemed as if he’d thought of something….

On the arena, Li Si glanced at Yang Ye and the others, and he sighed slightly in his heart as he gazed at these young geniuses. If there were no sects, then these young geniuses would become pillars of the Grand Qin Empire. Unfortunately, most of these extraordinary geniuses were disciples of the sects! In other words, it was very likely that they would become formidable enemies of the Grand Qin Empire in the future….

Li Si shook his head lightly before he restrained his thoughts, and then he said, “Everyone, congratulations on entering the rankings. So long as you survive the battles tomorrow, then the clan or sect you represent will obtain the resources from a few cities, and the Grand Qin Empire will announce your names to all the nine states. In short, so long as all of you survive the ranking battle that’s about to begin, then both reputation and rewards will be right before all of you, and all of you will rise to success for real!”

Li Si wasn’t exaggerating. Entering the top 30 of the Ascension Ranking itself was proof of their natural talent and potential. So long as they survived, then it would be difficult for them to join the Sword Sect, Ghost Sect, Brightmoon Sect, or even the two palaces. As for the Origin Sect and the Imperial Academy of the Grand Qin Empire, the top 30 was still slightly insufficient. Perhaps only those in the top 20 would possess potential that aroused the interests of the Origin School and Imperial Academy!

After that, Li Si spoke about the rules of the ranking battles.

The rules of the ranking battles were even crueler that the first phase of the second round. Opponents would be selected by way of drawing lots as well. However, there was a slight difference when compared to the first phase. Because they couldn’t lose in this phase! Once they lost, they would immediately lose the qualification to continue striving for a higher position!

Because they’d been fighting continuously for three days, the second phase was pushed back to the next day so that all the participants had some time to rest.

In the end, Li Si said, “For your safety, please don’t leave the Imperial Capital. After all, numerous profounders have vanished mysteriously during the Ascension Rankings of the past. So, it’s best if you try your best not to leave the Imperial Capital. So long as you don’t leave the Imperial Capital, then my Grand Qin Empire can guarantee your safety. But if you leave the capital, then my Empire is powerless to help!” As soon as he finished speaking, Li Si’s figure flashed and vanished on the spot.

When they saw Li Si leave, the figures of some profounders on the arena had flashed down the arena because they weren’t willing to waste any time they could utilize to cultivate.

On the arena, Qin Youran gazed at Lin Xiuran and said, “I’ll make you pay for yesterday’s humiliation with your life!”

He’d been heavily injured by Lin Xiuran yesterday. That was an extraordinary humiliation to him, and if he wanted to wash this humiliation away, then he had to use Lin Xiuran’s life to do so!

After he finished speaking, Qin Youran didn’t wait for Lin Xiuran’s reply before he leaped down to the ground, and then his figure flickered a few times and vanished from their vision.

Lin Xiuran laughed coldly as he gazed at the direction where Qin Youran vanished. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and he turned around to gaze at Yang Ye who was walking down the arena. He said, “Stop right there!”

However, Yang Ye didn’t even stop at all, and he continued walking down the arena.

Lin Xiuran’s gaze suddenly turned cold when he saw this scene, and then his figure flashed and arrived in front of Yang Ye to block Yang Ye’s path. After that, he said coldly, “I didn’t have any other intentions when I asked you to stop. I merely wanted to see how the person who passed through the 22nd level of the Sword Servant Pagoda is like. Unfortunately, I’m slightly disappointed!”

Yang Ye glanced at Lin Xiuran, and then he said, “Are you finished?”

Lin Xiuran’s eyes narrowed slightly while killing intent flashed through them. He said, “Looks like you’re even more arrogant than Qin Youran. You’ve probably witnessed the consequences of his arrogance. He has a mid-grade Earth Rank armor, but you probably don’t, right?”

Yang Ye pondered deeply for a moment before he said, “Actually, I’m very curious. We seem to have never met, right? So, why are you targeting me like this?”

Lin Xiuran laughed coldly and said, “Looks like you don’t know about my true identity. Allow me to tell you. My Master is Daoist Zui, and I’ll be taking responsibility for the Sword Sect’s future, not you. Understand?”

Yang Ye came to a sudden understanding. No wonder his sword technique was so sharp. So, he’s Daoist Zui’s disciple. But if he’s Daoist Zui’s disciple, then why didn’t he represent the Sword Sect when he participated in the Ascension Rankings?

Yang Ye shook his head and stopped thinking about all of this because it wasn’t related to him at all. Moreover, this fellow’s intention to take responsibility for the Sword Sect’s future was similarly not related to him at all.

Yang Ye said, “If you want to take responsibility for the Sword Sect’s future, then go ahead. Don’t worry, I have no intention of fighting you for that.”

“But I can’t stand the sight of you!” Lin Xiuran suddenly spoke in a cold voice.

Yang Ye chuckled when he heard this, and then he said, “What’re you going to do about it? Bite me!?”

Lin Xiuran’s eyes narrowed slightly while a sword howl resounded from the black iron sword in his hand. However, right at this moment, Yu Heng and Su Qingshi suddenly appeared in between the two of them.

Yu Heng frowned as he gazed at the two of them who were about to attack each other. He glanced at Yang Ye and said, “Yang Ye, you were once an outer court disciple of my Sword Sect. So, according to seniority, you should address Xiuran as Martial Uncle!”

Yang Ye shook his head when he heard this, and he said, “Senior Yu, even you’ve said that I was a disciple of the Sword Sect, but I’m not one anymore. Moreover, if you don’t want this disciple who’s going to take responsibility for the Sword Sect’s future to die a premature death, then it’s best that you advise him to keep a low profile.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ye nodded to Su Qingshi, and then he didn’t stay here any longer and walked down the arena!

On the arena, Lin Xiuran gazed at Yang Ye’s figure with killing intent that wasn’t concealed at all!