Group One produced exactly ten advancing participants.

Not everyone had managed to collect ten identity badges. A considerable number had withdrawn midway through the battles, preferring elimination to death. Others had been killed before they could surrender, and their badges had passed into the hands of the victors.

When the final quota was filled, the voice of the will of the universe sounded beside every participant’s ears.

[Ding! The ten advancing participants of Group One have been confirmed.]

[Congratulations to John, a human powerhouse representing the Skyvault Consortium, for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to Soren of Evernight Palace for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to the wandering cultivator Lyric for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations...]

The announcement was broadcast throughout the entire tournament. Every remaining participant heard the names at the same time.

A private notification sounded for John immediately afterward.

[Ding! Congratulations. You have successfully advanced from the elimination round and obtained qualification for the promotion round.]

[Notice: The battlefield for the promotion round is currently being reconstructed.]

[Estimated waiting time: thirty minutes.]

John showed little reaction.

He used the waiting period to examine the treasures obtained from his recent kills. A few exceptional supreme treasures were stored separately. The ordinary items had little value to him, so he chose to refine and devour them immediately.

[Ding! You have devoured a large quantity of items.]

[Experience gained: +13,245,678.]

[Gold Coins gained: +1,345,674.]

[Fame gained: +12,939,337.]

[Potential Points gained: +132,712,984.]

[High God Sources gained: +13,142,383,837.]

[Additional rewards have been absorbed.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained 5,000 Free Attribute Points.]

John distributed the new points without hesitation.

Because of his current abilities, he needed to strengthen only one primary attribute. Every other attribute would rise in synchronization, making allocation exceptionally convenient.

His statistics had long surpassed one hundred million.

Among all tournament participants, the sum of every attribute belonging to every other person would not equal even a fraction of one of John’s individual attributes. The difference was no longer a matter of percentage. It was a gap between entirely different levels of existence.

After finishing the allocation, John began refining the talents he had plundered.

The greatest portion of his latest gains belonged to Extreme Dao-type Laws. The remaining talents covered so many categories that listing them individually would have been pointless.

John had always prioritized opponents with exceptional talents when selecting targets. Killing a powerful enemy provided resources, Law comprehension, and unique abilities at the same time.

[Ding! You have devoured 1,342 SSS-rank talents, 5,612 SS-rank talents, and 89,142 S-rank talents.]

[Additional A-rank and lower talents have been converted.]

[Notice: The duration of your Super Armor state has increased.]

[Current duration: sixty seconds.]

John did not waste a single trophy. By the time the refinement ended, every useful gain had been converted into permanent strength.

In truth, Super Armor was no longer particularly important to him. With the Spatial Law and his ability to maintain an invincible state through space-time reversal, most forms of control could not affect him. Still, any increase was better than leaving resources unused.

Just as he finished processing everything, another series of announcements began.

[Ding! The advancing participants of Group Ninety-Nine have been confirmed.]

[Congratulations to Aldric of the Skyvault Consortium for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to Oscar of the Eternal Summit for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to Duran of the Tower of Myriad Treasures for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to the wandering cultivator Leon for obtaining advancement qualification.]

The moment the notice appeared, the public tournament channel erupted.

"Hahaha! Group Ninety-Nine really contained so many supreme powerhouses. I cannot imagine the despair of the ordinary participants who were eliminated there."

"Three top experts in one group, yet seven other people still advanced. Those seven must have gone through hell."

"Of course. It was called the group of death for a reason."

One participant suddenly wrote, "I was actually a member of Group Ninety-Nine, and I secured one of the remaining advancement slots."

Questions immediately flooded the channel.

"Then tell us what happened! Did those three slaughter everyone?"

"Not exactly," the participant replied. "The supreme powerhouses were assigned to team battles early on. They obtained ten badges quickly, took control of arenas, and advanced without wasting time."

"Most of us ordinary participants never encountered them directly."

"What? Your group was that easy? I thought you would be killing each other until the entire secret realm collapsed."

"It sounds as though Group One was even more brutal."

"Group One? Wasn’t Soren the only supreme powerhouse there?"

A survivor from Group One responded with a cold laugh.

"That is what everyone believed before the battles began. In reality, Group One contained two other people whose strength was no weaker than Soren’s."

"One was John. His combat power was terrifying. Almost every opponent he faced died instantly."

"The other was Lyric. I have never seen anyone more cunning. He deliberately acted weak so that challengers would line up to fight him. I nearly fell for it myself."

Elsewhere, Aldric was silently reading the public channel.

The moment he saw John’s name, his eyes narrowed.

He had never expected to encounter that name in such a discussion.

"John’s strength is comparable to the recognized supreme powerhouses?"

Aldric began reconsidering his previous judgment. He had clearly underestimated the man.

Other experts were also examining the announced names.

"Lyric. As expected, you advanced as well."

The appearance of that name caused several hidden powerhouses to exchange meaningful looks. Those who knew Lyric understood that his public ranking had never reflected his true danger.

The will of the universe continued announcing groups one after another.

[Ding! The ten advancing participants of Group Four have been confirmed.]

[Congratulations to Holly of the Skyvault Consortium for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to the wandering cultivator Cullen for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations...]

Another announcement followed.

[Ding! The ten advancing participants of Group Eight have been confirmed.]

[Congratulations to Hilt of the Skyvault Consortium for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations to Cedric of the Shadow Divine Court for obtaining advancement qualification.]

[Congratulations...]

John listened as the names continued.

Holly, Hilt, and Odelle all appeared among their respective advancing groups. The other three members of Valhalla had passed without incident.

The recognized supreme powerhouses from every major faction also advanced. Not one of them suffered an unexpected elimination.

John considered the result.

"The elimination round removed twenty-seven hundred powerhouses. Only three hundred remain. None of those who survived can be considered weak."

The upcoming promotion round would reduce the number again, and the battles would inevitably become more violent. Sooner or later, the supreme powerhouses would be forced to meet directly. Reputation and factional protection would no longer matter.

They would have to determine superiority through life and death.

As the final advancement notices ended, the elimination round officially concluded.

Three thousand participants had entered it.

Only three hundred remained.

Every survivor was an elite among High Gods of the same stage. Anyone with even a slight weakness had already been eliminated, withdrawn, or killed.

The true tournament was only beginning.