Ascending the Peak

Ascending the Peak...

Chen Wang, the towering flame giant, staggered back, his arm violently detonating in a fiery explosion. Qin Wentian remained steadfast, his body engulfed in blazing flames, his eyes blazing like beacons in the night, radiating unwavering determination.

"Do you think your strength can surpass mine?" Qin Wentian taunted, taking a defiant step forward. His aura surged like a monarchical force, staring down at Chen Wang as if he were a mere servant.

Facing the formidable Great Solar Chen Wang meant little to Qin Wentian. Among peers, he was unrivaled.

Chen Wang shot a venomous glare at Qin Wentian. As Qin Wentian unleashed a ferocious palm strike, Chen Wang, despite knowing that Qin Wentian could predict the Stellar Transposition, had no choice but to employ it.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Wang vanished from sight as he stomped the ground, unleashing a cascade of astral light. However, Qin Wentian, already anticipating Chen Wang's move, had pivoted and thrust his Heaven Breaking Finger at an empty space.

Simultaneously, Chen Wang's fiery left palm descended from the heavens, bearing enough power to reduce everything to ashes.

The two energies clashed fiercely in mid-air. Qin Wentian summoned ancient bells with his palm strikes, each resonating with a haunting echo, and bombarded Chen Wang's massive fiery form.

The lingering echoes of the ancient bell combined seamlessly with Qin Wentian's relentless external force attacks, creating a devastating synergy.

Despite his transformation into a flame giant and mastery of the Great Solar Universe Art, Chen Wang's core remained human. He still possessed a heart.

Qin Wentian's Heartbreak Echo was a precise heart-targeting technique.

Chen Wang felt his heart swell under the relentless bell echoes, its beats growing increasingly frantic. His heart seemed ready to burst.

With a burst of astral light, Chen Wang executed Stellar Transposition once more, vanishing. But this time, Qin Wentian unleashed Roc Flash, not to intercept Chen Wang but to create more ancient bells at the four corners of the arena, trapping Chen Wang within a cacophony of ringing sounds.

"Spew..." Chen Wang ejected a torrent of crimson flames resembling molten lava, his desperate attempt to escape the platform thwarted by Qin Wentian's relentless pursuit.

It was a decision Chen Wang and the others had made - in this ranking battle, life and death would be determined solely by combat prowess, and there were no rules against killing one's opponent.

Chen Wang roared, and at great personal cost, split his body into three again. Two of his fiery giant incarnations charged at Qin Wentian, buying him precious seconds to expend the last of his astral energy on yet another Stellar Transposition.

"Boom, boom..."

The two flame giant forms shattered into fragments, but Chen Wang succeeded. He stepped off the platform just in time, conceding defeat to Qin Wentian.

The coveted first place had slipped from his grasp, but he remained firmly in the number two spot. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Standing on the ground, Chen Wang could only look up at Qin Wentian on the platform with a heavy sense of shame flooding him. He had been beaten by someone he never thought he would lose to.

In the formation world, he had been imposing, chasing Qin Wentian to kill him. But in this one-on-one battle, he had been fairly and squarely defeated. The bitterness of defeat lingered in his mouth.

"Didn't you claim to be number one?" Qin Wentian taunted, disdain heavy in his gaze. "The Heavenly Fate Rankings haven't even concluded yet, and you and Si Qiong were so sure of your superiority. It seems like the frogs in the well are quite talkative."

Qin Wentian turned and walked back to the arena platform, no longer deigning to speak to Chen Wang.

Actions spoke louder than words.

Chen Wang had declared himself number one, and now his achievements would mock him to no end.

If it had been any other contender taking the second spot, it would have been a moment of glory. But for Chen Wang, it was the opposite.

Without Hua Taixu in the mix, Chen Wang had been the brightest sun in the sky. He had believed himself invincible in Yuanfu, but then Qin Wentian had appeared. Not only that, he had been defeated by someone he had failed to kill when they were merely at the seventh level of Yuanfu. The humiliation was crushing.

He had suppressed his cultivation for so long, refusing to advance to Heavenly Dipper, all for the singular goal of claiming the top spot in the Heavenly Fate Rankings.

The winner became the king, and the losers were vilified. Chen Wang was the loser.

The spectators' attention shifted to the arena platform.

When Qin Wentian had first entered the ranking battle, he was an unknown contender at the seventh level of Yuanfu.

In the first test, he had created the most echoes, shattering records.

In the second test, Duan Qingshan and others had tried to kill him above the Life and Death River, but Duan Qingshan had ended up losing his life instead.

In the third test, he had outshone Chen Wang and Shi Potian, earning the dazzling platinum battle robes and the privilege to be the first to enter the Vermilion Bird Formation. Then, he had defied Chen Wang's command to relinquish that privilege, completely disregarding him.

While he had started to gain attention, no one had truly believed in his potential. At most, they had thought he might make it into the top thirty-six.

And so, he ventured into the mystical formation world, where he laid claim to the Purgatory Vermilion Bird, commencing his journey to greatness.

With each painstaking step, he ascended, until now, he stood at the pinnacle of Yuanfu, the true zenith.

A gentle breeze toyed with his robes as the Purgatory Vermilion Bird soared above him, a sight that sent tremors through the spectators' hearts.

This dark horse had triumphed against all odds.

No one could have foreseen that Qin Wentian would emerge as the top-ranked contender in the Heavenly Fate Rankings this time.

Up in the sky, Old Man Tianji stroked his beard as he watched. In his mind, there was no doubt anymore about the identity represented by the demon star.

If they hoped to alter the destiny of Grand Xia, which had already embarked on a new course, their only hope was to eliminate the one associated with the demon star.

Yet, the very fact that the demon star had already appeared meant that destiny was, in some measure, set. Any action they took now would be like throwing a pebble into the ocean, incapable of changing the direction of the currents or the intensity of the tides. Killing him wouldn't be so simple.

From this day forth, calamity might descend upon Qin Wentian. But as for the outcome of this calamity, even Old Man Tianji couldn't predict.

The members of the Pill Emperor Hall wore complex expressions. Although Luo He appeared calm, her heart trembled within.

The Hua Clan members, on the other hand, wore icy expressions. They never expected Qin Wentian to be the top-ranked contender.

The Chen Clan, Shi Clan, and Wang Clan representatives were similarly at a loss for words.

For the first time, the Heavenly Fate Rankings had a top-ranked contender not affiliated with any of the Grand Xia's transcendent powers.

The Ouyang Aristocrat Clan had a different perspective on this. Given Ouyang Kuangsheng's relationship with Qin Wentian, as long as Qin Wentian continued to grow, it would benefit their clan.

Shu Ruanyu, Xuan Yan, and Xuan Xin watched in stunned silence.

Only Mo Qingcheng and Bai Qing couldn't contain their radiant smiles.

Chu Mang and Fan Le pumped their fists in the air, roaring with pride and laughter.

The students of the White Deer Institute felt a profound sense of vindication, knowing they had chosen wisely.

Their anticipation for Qin Wentian's future performance was accompanied by a surreal sense of disbelief and immense gratification.

Mustang, overwhelmed by emotions, involuntarily trembled. But never had he smiled so broadly.

"Teacher, Junior Brother now stands at the pinnacle of all Yuanfu cultivators in Grand Xia. At just twenty years old, he's achieved what most can only dream of in a lifetime," Luo Huan said, deeply moved.

Mustang gazed at Qin Wentian with pride. "Indeed. I never could have imagined that my disciple would accomplish such an extraordinary feat."

"Teacher, it's a bit too early to break out the champagne, don't you think? I mean, the guy's just twenty. Who knows what's going to happen when he takes that Heavenly Dipper step? So, let's not get all mushy just yet, alright?" Luo Huan teased, a sly glint in her eyes betraying her emotional turmoil.

When she first ventured into the vast world, everything she heard pointed to the transcendent powers as the uncontested pinnacle of Grand Xia.

The Pill Emperor Hall, Hua Clan, Ouyang Aristocrat Clan, Great Solar Chen Clan, and the rest—they were all revered to an almost god-like status, with their Heaven's Chosen treated as legends throughout Grand Xia. Yet today, all those legendary figures had fallen before her junior martial brother.

She wondered what the people in Chu would think if they knew of Qin Wentian's current achievements.

"Let's make the rankings official," Old Man Tianji declared, directing the crowd's attention to the shimmering scoreboard.

With Zhan Chen's defeat, the contenders below him in the rankings moved up by one spot.

The top three rankings remained the same:

Si Qiong, ranked #3.

Chen Wang, ranked #2.

Qin Wentian, ranked #1!

As the three characters of "Qin Wentian" were etched onto the board, the spectators collectively gasped. They knew that from this moment forth, Qin Wentian's name would become a symbol in Grand Xia. A symbol of his generation that would echo throughout Grand Xia, much like Hua Taixu before him.

He would become the idol of countless young aspirants, a standard they'd look up to and strive to surpass.

Starting today, countless conversations would revolve around him, filled with reverence, as they recounted his legendary feats.

He had unapologetically crushed all the Heaven's Chosen and stood proudly alongside the number one beauty of the Moon Continent, Mo Qingcheng. Their symbolic act of holding hands to announce their relationship to the world painted them as an immortal couple. Their story would become the stuff of legends.

Rumors began to circulate, with one particularly romanticized version claiming that Qin Wentian had entered the Heavenly Fate Rankings solely for the sake of Mo Qingcheng. Embellishments were added to make the tale even more captivating.

"Qin Wentian," Old Man Tianji began, catching Qin Wentian's attention. "You've secured first place in this ranking battle, a priceless experience on your journey to becoming stronger. I hope you remember the determination in your heart and continue to strive for greater heights in the future."

"Thank you, Senior," Qin Wentian replied with a respectful nod. This experience had been invaluable to everyone who had participated and survived.

"From this moment onward, in the Ancient Kingdom, the Heavenly Fate Rankings for this season are officially concluded. The marks left behind by your battles shall be etched into the annals of history," Old Man Tianji announced.

The Heavenly Fate Rankings had drawn to a close.

The battles among this group of contenders, who could potentially shape the future destiny of Grand Xia, had been nothing short of thrilling. Undoubtedly, these extraordinary individuals had left an indelible mark on the hearts of all who had witnessed their exploits!