"Fine, fine. The Eternal Summit still has Shirok," someone replied in the public channel. "But the Skyvault Consortium still has Kaine as well."

"This is unbelievable. Oscar is so powerful, yet he is only nineteenth. What kind of monsters occupy the eighteen positions above him?"

"Where did those eighteen people come from? How can so many experts stand above Oscar?"

A golden pillar descended around Oscar and delivered the reward of the will of the universe.

He showed no happiness.

Confusion and frustration filled his face.

"With my strength, I should have entered the top ten," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Even in the worst case, I should have ranked within the top fifteen. How did I fall to nineteenth?"

He forced himself to analyze the result.

"Shirok is somewhat stronger than me, so his higher position would be logical. But are there truly so many people from the other factions who surpass me?"

Before the ranking began, Oscar had believed that the top five might be difficult but the top ten was secure. He had never imagined failing to reach even the top fifteen.

The voice of the will of the universe sounded again.

[Rank 18: Corwin of the Tower of Myriad Treasures.]

Golden light enveloped Corwin.

The surrounding participants looked toward him with mixed emotions. Some were envious of the reward, while others enjoyed seeing a famous powerhouse receive a lower position than expected.

The result proved that even among recognized supreme powerhouses, the gap in strength could be enormous.

Corwin’s expression darkened.

"This ranking is based only on performance during the early stages," he told himself. "The Promotion Round and Grand Finals are what truly matter. The final rewards will certainly be far greater."

When Aldric had been announced at twentieth place, Corwin had secretly looked down on him. Now, only two positions higher, he experienced the same humiliation.

The public discussion continued without pause.

"Three recognized supreme powerhouses have already appeared. There are still many seeded experts waiting, yet the remaining positions are limited."

"That means several unknown participants must occupy places above the famous seeds."

"Those hidden monsters are terrifying. They suppressed disciples raised by the greatest factions in existence."

"I am certain this ranking will produce a black swan. Do you believe a participant who was not publicly recognized as a supreme powerhouse will enter the top ten?"

The will of the universe announced the next result.

[Rank 17: Soren of Evernight Palace.]

A golden reward pillar surrounded Soren.

Every nearby participant turned toward him.

Group One alone had produced several ranked experts. Lyric stood at twenty-first, Soren at seventeenth, and other advancing members had appeared at lower positions. With John still absent from the list, attention increasingly focused on the group that had initially seemed ordinary.

Soren ignored the reward.

"How can I be only seventeenth?"

Disbelief filled his eyes.

He began calculating the possible people above him.

Lyric and Cullen were both hidden experts with strength comparable to the recognized supreme tier. John was even more terrifying, and his early-stage performance had unquestionably surpassed Soren’s.

Soren’s peripheral vision shifted toward John.

Shock rose in his heart.

He was not the only person disturbed by the ranking.

The names announced one after another belonged primarily to seeded experts cultivated by supreme factions. If all the famous seeds appeared this early, did that mean the highest positions were occupied by unknown powerhouses?

Kaine frowned deeply. For the first time, he worried that the next name might be his own.

Cedric’s eyes flickered with cold light. The ranking confirmed that many participants had concealed their strength. However high they stood, anyone blocking the path of his revenge would become an enemy he was willing to fight to the death.

Outside the battlefield, Sovereign-rank powerhouses from the major factions also sensed that something was wrong.

A Sovereign of the Tower of Myriad Treasures stared at the golden screen in confusion.

"Why are the people announced first all disciples cultivated with the full resources of the supreme factions?"

"Did we spend limitless treasures raising them only for them to lose to wandering cultivators who trained alone?"

Throughout history, the overwhelming majority of Sovereigns had emerged from the greatest factions. Independent cultivators rarely possessed enough resources, inheritance, protection, and fortune to reach the Sovereign realm.

Yet the ranking now suggested that a large number of independent or previously unknown High Gods had outperformed the carefully nurtured heirs of those factions.

The next announcement came.

[Rank 16: Gudek of the Shadow Divine Court.]

Golden light descended and surrounded Gudek.

The participants inside the secret realm looked toward him in disbelief. Gudek’s strength was famous and terrifying. Few had expected him to fall outside the top fifteen.

Gudek himself remained calm.

He displayed no surprise, as though he had anticipated the result.

Cedric frowned when he heard the name of his fellow Shadow Divine Court cultivator.

"How is Gudek only sixteenth?"

"His strength is almost identical to mine. The difference between us is negligible. If he cannot enter the top fifteen..."

Cedric did not complete the thought.

At the headquarters of the Shadow Divine Court, the expressions of several Sovereigns darkened.

"What happened? Gudek is only ranked sixteenth?"

"Did he deliberately conceal his combat strength during the preliminary stages?"

The hall fell silent, but Divine Sense messages passed rapidly among the gathered experts.

"How many monsters appeared in this Myriad Worlds Tournament? Even someone as dangerous as Gudek failed to enter the top fifteen."

"Outsiders may not understand Gudek’s true strength, but we do. An ordinary peak High God could never be his opponent."

"I am becoming more curious about the top ten, especially first place. How powerful must those participants be to produce this ranking?"

The will of the universe continued into the top fifteen.

[Rank 15: Leon, wandering cultivator.]

Golden patterns flowed across the screen, forming Leon’s name.

A pillar of light descended around him, making him resemble a war god clad in golden armor.

The participants who had shared a secret realm with Leon were not surprised. They had personally witnessed his strength and knew that he could suppress Aldric, Oscar, Soren, and Gudek in direct battle.

During the elimination round, Leon had displayed power that exceeded everyone around him. He advanced with an invincible posture, crushing every obstacle in his path.

For those who had seen him fight, fifteenth place felt entirely reasonable.

However, several recognized supreme powerhouses reacted differently.

The moment they heard Leon’s name, their expressions changed.

Some had encountered information about him in hidden reports. Others had fought projections based on his abilities. A few had once dismissed him as an unaffiliated cultivator with no factional foundation.

Now the ranking had placed him above multiple famous seeds.

The golden screen remained suspended above the tournament space, and fourteen positions were still unannounced.

The atmosphere grew heavier with each passing breath.

Every participant who had not yet appeared understood that a higher rank brought greater glory and a more valuable reward. It also painted a larger target on their back for the Promotion Round.

The major factions watched in silence.

The wandering cultivators watched with growing excitement.

For countless eras, supreme factions had monopolized resources, inheritances, and the path to Sovereign rank. Yet this tournament was revealing independent geniuses capable of standing above their heirs.

John remained among the unannounced participants.

So did Holly, Hilt, Odelle, Kaine, Cedric, Duran, Shirok, and several other monsters whose true limits remained unknown.

Fourteen positions.

More than fourteen terrifying candidates.

The ranking had reached the point where every new name could overturn the expectations of the myriad worlds.

And the competition for first place had only just begun.