The moment Leon’s name was announced, the expressions of many veteran powerhouses changed.

None of them had expected an independent cultivator to appear this high on the rankings.

Soren was especially shaken. Leon had placed two positions above him.

His gaze unconsciously shifted toward John as several thoughts raced through his mind.

"Leon possesses terrifying strength. I am not surprised that he entered the top fifteen. If anything, fifteenth place may be too low for him."

"But John’s name still hasn’t appeared."

"That is what makes this frightening."

"Could John truly have entered the top ten?"

Not far away, Cedric also recalled the intelligence he had gathered on Leon.

"If I remember correctly, Leon is the independent cultivator who once suppressed a peak God King from the Shadow Divine Court by himself."

The incident had occurred not long ago. A peak God King from the Shadow Divine Court had clashed with one of Leon’s friends. The dispute had escalated, and Leon had personally intervened. Despite being only a High God, he had defeated and suppressed the peak God King in public.

That battle had made Leon famous among a small circle of ancient experts, but because he had no powerful organization behind him, the news had never spread widely.

Within another secret realm, a broad-shouldered man watched the golden ranking with narrowed eyes.

He was Cullen.

"Fifteenth place, Leon?"

A faint smile appeared on Cullen’s face.

"You truly held back. We fought for countless years without either of us gaining a decisive advantage. How could you possibly rank only fifteenth?"

John was also considering Leon’s appearance on the ranking.

"So he has finally appeared."

"Leon is one of the strongest dark horses in this tournament. Aside from the members of Valhalla and the publicly recognized supreme powerhouses, there should be at least one more hidden expert."

"Who could that final person be?"

The Sovereigns and Peak Sovereigns observing from outside the battlefield were far less calm.

An independent cultivator had surpassed four heirs who had been raised by the greatest factions in existence. To the major powers, this was not merely surprising. It was embarrassing.

They had poured immeasurable resources, secret arts, rare treasures, and personal instruction into their chosen successors. Yet Leon, a man without a supreme faction behind him, had placed above several of them.

The voice of the will of the universe continued.

[Rank Fourteen: Morn of the Demon King Council.]

A pillar of golden light descended and enveloped Morn.

The reward entered his body and storage space instantly.

Morn’s expression, however, was difficult to interpret. His eyes alternated between excitement and gloom, as though he was pleased to receive the reward but dissatisfied with the position itself.

As the announcements advanced toward the highest ranks, every new name inspired countless theories.

Would a participant who had never been recognized as a supreme powerhouse enter the top ten?

Could one of the hidden experts go even further and claim a place among the top five?

Most importantly, who would occupy first place?

Morris watched the golden ranking with a complicated expression.

"Morn only placed fourteenth."

"Even so, entering the top fifteen and surpassing so many recognized supreme powerhouses is enough for him to be proud."

"As expected of someone I once personally guided."

Before the audience could finish discussing Morn’s result, the next announcement echoed throughout the tournament.

[Rank Thirteen: Alvin of Evernight Palace.]

The public chat erupted immediately.

"Something is wrong. Why are all the names being announced now recognized supreme powerhouses?"

"How many seeded experts have yet to appear?"

"Only seven remain: Kaine of the Skyvault Consortium, Shirok of the Eternal Summit, Duran of the Tower of Myriad Treasures, Cedric of the Shadow Divine Court, Morado of Evernight Palace, Kelvin of Evernight Palace, and Morris of the Demon King Council."

"That means five unseeded participants have entered the top twelve!"

"Wait. If five hidden experts are still unannounced, doesn’t that mean most of them are guaranteed to enter the top ten?"

"At this rate, some of them might even occupy the top five."

"This tournament is insane."

"Could the participant ranked first truly be someone outside the group of recognized supreme powerhouses?"

Once the remaining names were counted, the conclusion became obvious.

It was no longer only the participants who were following the ranking. Experts throughout the innumerable universes were watching as well.

The atmosphere inside the headquarters of the major factions grew increasingly tense.

They had spent ages cultivating their supreme heirs. If those heirs were ultimately suppressed by several unaffiliated dark horses, the reputations of the factions themselves would suffer.

The golden mist shifted again.

[Rank Twelve: Kelvin of Evernight Palace.]

Another recognized supreme powerhouse had appeared.

With Kelvin’s announcement, the chances of the five mysterious participants occupying the highest positions increased yet again.

Evernight Palace had already revealed several of its most celebrated heirs, yet none had entered the top eleven.

Kaine’s thoughts immediately returned to John.

"I am becoming more curious by the moment."

"Who are the five hidden experts who have surpassed so many seeded participants?"

"John must be one of them."

"The only question is how far he has gone. Has he entered the top ten, or even the top five?"

Many others had reached the same conclusion.

Soren stared at John from a distance, unable to conceal the shock in his eyes.

John’s name had still not appeared.

That alone meant he had almost certainly entered the top ten.

The Holy Spirit Sovereign watched in silence, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"John entering the top five should be almost certain."

The announcement continued.

[Rank Eleven: Kaine of the Skyvault Consortium.]

The entire tournament fell into stunned silence.

Kaine was the foremost heir of the Skyvault Consortium and a personal disciple of one of its vice leaders. He controlled part of the organization’s core authority and had always been treated as a future ruler.

Yet he had placed eleventh.

He had failed to enter the top ten.

Aldric was even more shocked than Kaine himself. His body trembled slightly as he muttered in disbelief.

"Impossible."

"How could Kaine be ranked only eleventh?"

"The strongest heir of the Skyvault Consortium failed to enter the top ten?"

"Who are the ten people above him?"

"How can so many participants surpass Kaine?"

It was not only Aldric who struggled to accept the result.

Even the Holy Spirit Sovereign’s expression became solemn.

"Kaine has placed lower than expected."

"It is unfortunate, but the judgment of the will of the universe cannot be false."

Across the countless territories controlled by the Skyvault Consortium, enormous golden projections displayed the ranking.

Sovereign-rank experts gathered in palaces, fortresses, merchant cities, and hidden worlds, all discussing the same result.

"Kaine is only eleventh."

"The ranking is based on overall performance during the early stages, but its reference value should still be extremely high."

"The differences cannot be meaningless."

"Does this mean Kaine would have only a small chance of defeating any of the top ten?"

No one could answer.

Kaine himself stood beneath the golden light with clenched fists.

He was the personal disciple of a vice leader. He had inherited supreme techniques, wielded priceless treasures, and possessed authority that ordinary Sovereigns could only dream of obtaining.

Eleventh place was not an honor to him.

It was humiliation.

Then he remembered John.

John’s name had not yet been announced.

That meant John had definitely entered the top ten.

Kaine’s fingers tightened until his knuckles turned white.

For the first time since the Myriad Worlds Tournament began, he felt that the young man he had once regarded as an interesting newcomer might truly stand above him.