"As expected of him, the Young Master of the Qin family..."
Following that, Chen Ping continued, "The first stage has concluded. Next, the forty individuals will be randomly paired in head-to-head combat upon the high platform, narrowing down from forty to twenty, to officially begin the Throne Ranking Battle.
The final rankings will determine corresponding changes to the thrones, symbolizing the hierarchy of positions. At the same time, the cultivation and transcendental resources allocated to each rank will naturally differ vastly.
The very first rank is the head of the thrones, the contemporary Dao Seat of the Dao Academy! The Dao Son of Daxia!
Of course, the rankings are not entirely set in stone. Every year, following the once-every-five-years Dao Academy sessions, there is a single opportunity to issue a challenge to another. The victor's rank will be directly swapped..."
The next moment, he raised his hand and swept it across the sky. The Dao Academy tokens belonging to the forty prodigies on the thrones materialized, resembling forty brilliant streaks of light flashing across the ancient firmament.
The forty tokens were branded with the names of their respective owners, intertwining to form a scattered array of stars. Finally, a mighty surge of energy swept across the boundless firmament as the forty tokens paired up, colliding and confronting one another.
"What mysterious power! Is this the work of King Ping?"
Everyone gazed at the forty stream-like tokens in the sky, their hearts filled with anticipation and brimming with admiration for King Ping.
As for why there were forty-five prodigies in total, yet only forty tokens were being distributed—
That was because the remaining five prodigies were those from the Daxia Martial Examination who possessed strong support and high utility, leaning heavily toward logistics.
Since their combat prowess was relatively weak, they had no need to contend. Thus, they were exempt from participating in the Throne Ranking Battle, and the Dao Academy would grant them corresponding transcendental resources for specialized cultivation.
"Whoosh!"
At last, the stream of light burst forth, and the battle pairings were finalized.
"This is thrilling! A battle between the aristocratic families right from the start!"
The pairings that immediately drew the most attention were Qin Feng versus Xiao Yinger... and Qin Xuan versus Li Yang...
After all, they were all scions of Capital aristocratic families and leading figures of the younger generation. Some were champions of the Daxia Martial Examination, others were hailed as children favored by speed, revered as young lords, or known as the Son of Light.
With such a dazzling array of halos gathered together, it was inevitable that they would attract extraordinary attention.
Yet, none of them had anticipated that the successors of these aristocratic families would clash right at the outset. It was simply too cruel, too fierce.
"Yet, once defeated, no matter what, one will inevitably fall to a ranking past the twentieth. For any transcendental aristocratic family in the Capital, that will be a history of shame."
They deeply understood that to reach the pinnacle in this Throne Ranking Battle, one had to keep winning.
An elder of the Li Family present wore an unsightly expression. "Hmph, 'random' indeed! Is King Ping perhaps trying to use the might of the Qin family to suppress the likes of us?"
His heart was filled with discontent, but here, he dared not voice such thoughts directly in front of King Ping.
Among the Six Great Aristocratic Families, there were naturally some that maintained close ties and shared hardships together.
Beside him, an elder of the Xiao Family noticed his unusual demeanor and spoke softly, "Indeed. Is he truly not afraid of a backlash from the Qin family? Besides, who wins and who loses remains to be seen."
"Indeed..."
...
"This... why is my luck so rotten? I was hoping to let someone else be the vanguard, but it turned out to be me instead..."
Upon the high platform, Li Yang, Young Master of the Li Family, wore an extremely complex expression as chaotic thoughts swirled in his mind.
"Ah, whatever. The struggle of a great era has always been like this. With my abilities, why shouldn't I give it a fight!"
However, Li Yang quickly adjusted his mindset. A surging wave of fighting spirit welled up from within—the pride and conviction belonging to a peerless prodigy of a generation.
In an instant, Chen Ping stepped back and left the high platform, for this was now the battlefield of the prodigies.
"Boom!"
At that moment, countless array domain symbols emerged across the high platform, and a mighty force swept outward, enveloping the entire platform and isolating it within an independent space.
This was the power of King Ping—a mighty force pertaining to the Dao of Array Domains, seemingly carving out an independent battlefield right here.
It could both insulate the outside from the overwhelming pressure generated by fierce clashes and, due to its special nature, allow onlookers outside to observe and witness everything without hindrance.
Because of this array domain, it could even facilitate a battle to the death, bearing a striking resemblance to the battle arenas of the Daxia Martial Examination.
After all, both creations originated from the hands of King Ping.
The high platform transformed, and the power of the array domain rose. From this moment on, the Throne Ranking Battle of the Dao Academy officially began...
The next moment, two tokens descended, and the opening match of the ranking battle pitted Qin Feng against Xiao Yinger.
"People of the Qin family..."
Before she could finish speaking, a figure dressed in women's combat gear stepped forward.
Clad in tight-fitting attire that accentuated her slender waist and graceful curves, with her jet-black hair coiled up, her peerless and magnificent demeanor was ultimately impossible to conceal. She looked like an unrivaled female war god—cold, ruthless, and domineering.
The person was none other than Xiao Yinger, young lady of the Xiao Family.
The next moment, she vanished from her throne. When the various prodigies recovered their senses, they realized she had already arrived upon the high platform.
"This... yet another prodigy capable of traversing the void?"
"No, her speed is simply too fast—fast to the absolute limit, completely imperceptible to the naked eye of ordinary transcendents."
One of the prodigies on the thrones explained, his eyes glowing as mysterious symbols vaguely flickered within them, seeming to perceive something.
"The God of Speed? Divine Sequence 030, a decent ability. However, under his sword, all things will ultimately be obliterated, leaving nowhere to hide..."
Within the Gilded Throne, the eyes of Qin Xuan seemed suffused with the power of passing time.
With a single soft utterance, he laid bare the entire situation, appearing to strip away all illusions before him and expose the truth.
Before long, Qin Feng, dressed in flowing white robes and looking exceptionally debonair, also departed his throne. With a single leap, he stepped onto the high platform to meet the challenge.
"Boom!"
A terrifying clash erupted instantly as two completely distinct auras swept outward and collided violently.
One wielded a short blade, striking with peerless sharpness. Her movements were so swift that only afterimages remained, executing thousands of offensive maneuvers within the span of a single breath.
The other brandished a long sword formed from Sword Intent, ringing out with a metallic chime. The sword light blazed brilliantly, illuminating the firmament as a terrifying, immeasurable wave of might rolled inward, threatening to cleave the universe.
The moment the two clashed, they pushed their power to the limit. This was a might that transcended their actual Tier 4 Shen Realm, reaching an extreme level of terror—though Xiao Yinger was currently even stronger, standing at Tier 4, Level 5.
"Is this the strength of aristocratic family scions?!"
Such a grand battle left the various prodigies on the thrones pale and trembling with awe.
Onlookers outside the high platform cried out in astonishment, and many youths of the same generation felt an insurmountable gap between themselves and the combatants.
The prodigies of aristocratic families and ordinary transcendents were fundamentally two different concepts. They focused more on accumulating their own foundations, possessed extraordinary combat prowess, and were capable of fighting opponents across major realms.
Even so, their cultivation realms naturally remained ahead of their ordinary peers. They were truly heaven-favored children deserving of the title.
"A peerless prodigy of the Qin family, yet you actually had to take the path of the Martial Examination to enter? Are you truly resigned to having that person from your family continually suppress you?!"
Xiao Yinger exchanged rapid blows with her blade against his sword, sparks flying in all directions as she continued to speak beside Qin Feng.
"What are you babbling on about? How could the relationship between the young lord and myself ever tolerate your attempts at discord!"
Qin Feng's face was as dark as water, cold light flashing in his eyes. He spoke with icy detachment, the long sword in his hand erupting with frigid radiance. A terrifying aura surged relentlessly from him at every moment, chilling to the bone.
"Since that's the case, my opponent is destined to be him, and not..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a stern shout echoed from afar, forcefully interrupting her: "Ridiculous, what qualifications do you have?! Are you even worthy?"