Kaine’s expression changed repeatedly as he stared at the golden ranking.

He was a personal disciple of a vice leader of the Skyvault Consortium. He possessed access to the organization’s core inheritance and wielded authority far beyond that of most High Gods.

Yet he had placed only eleventh.

There was nothing glorious about such a result.

The thought that John had almost certainly entered the top ten only made the humiliation more difficult to endure. Kaine slowly clenched both hands, forcing himself to remain calm while his emotions churned beneath the surface.

At the same time, the Sovereigns of the Eternal Summit began speaking among themselves after seeing Kaine’s name.

"The Skyvault Consortium’s foundation is still somewhat lacking."

"Compared with them, the Eternal Summit possesses a far deeper inheritance."

"Shirok is also a personal disciple of a Saint Sovereign. His strength must exceed Kaine’s."

"I hope Shirok can enter the top three. Perhaps he may even take first place."

"The seeded participants have almost all appeared. The next names should belong to the hidden experts."

"Shirok may truly have a chance to reach the summit."

With the top twenty nearly complete, the ranking was about to enter its most anticipated stage.

The top ten.

Participants throughout the secret realms raised their heads.

The experts of every supreme faction stared at the projections hanging above their territories.

Those whose heirs had not yet appeared were filled with hope. They wished to see their own successors occupy the highest positions and bring unmatched glory to their organizations.

The voice of the will of the universe remained emotionless.

[Rank Ten: Shirok of the Eternal Summit.]

The headquarters of the Eternal Summit shook with disbelief.

Their Sovereigns stared at the name on the golden ranking, unable to hide their confusion.

"The strongest successor of the Eternal Summit placed only tenth?"

"Something is wrong. This ranking must contain some kind of anomaly."

"Do not speak recklessly. The will of the universe is a manifestation of the Great Dao itself. No one can manipulate its judgment, not even an existence who has transcended the ordinary heavens."

"But how can this be explained?"

"Five unseeded participants are still unannounced. Are all five of them truly superior to Shirok?"

Different secret realms were filled with completely different reactions.

Some factions celebrated because their heirs still had not appeared. Others felt their hopes collapse as each familiar name was announced.

Several seeded experts had believed they were guaranteed positions in the top ten. Now even they began to doubt themselves.

Shirok, however, remained calm.

"Tenth place is irrelevant."

"The advancement stage will determine who is truly stronger."

"Being allowed to challenge participants ranked above me is far more interesting."

"The previous stages were painfully dull. At last, this tournament may provide opponents worth fighting."

Kaine reached a different conclusion.

"John must be among the top ten."

"His name did not appear anywhere in the top twenty. There is no other possibility."

"The only uncertainty is his exact position."

Soren’s anticipation grew stronger.

"John, why has your name still not appeared?"

"Where has the will of the universe placed you?"

Messages flooded Valhalla’s private group channel.

Holly was the first to speak.

[Holly: Why haven’t our names appeared yet?]

[Odelle: Perhaps our performances were too good. The higher the ranking, the better the reward, so our names will naturally be announced later.]

[Holly: Are you already getting impatient?]

[Holly: Of course I am! I want to see my name appear. Just imagining everyone’s shocked expressions sounds fun.]

[Hilt: If all of us enter the top three, the reaction will be even greater.]

[Holly: You have a point. Fine, I will remain calm.]

[Odelle: Guild Leader, you must be ranked first, right? There shouldn’t be any suspense.]

[Hilt: Absolutely. I cannot imagine anyone surpassing him.]

[Holly: Exactly. Guild Leader must be first. No one here can compete with him.]

John smiled when he saw their messages.

[John: This is only a temporary ranking based on our performance in the early stages. It is not the final result.]

[John: Do not become too excited. Remain calm.]

[John: The rewards after the finals will be far more valuable.]

Outside the secret realms, Oscar and Sovereign Derek studied the golden list.

They knew part of John’s true strength.

Yet his name had not appeared.

There was only one explanation.

John occupied one of the highest positions.

The Holy Spirit Sovereign’s smile deepened.

"John, it seems I truly did not misjudge you."

Based on John’s performance in the trials, preliminaries, and elimination stage, first place would not be unreasonable.

The Holy Spirit Sovereign was already imagining the expressions of the other supreme factions when John’s position was revealed.

The temporary ranking had reached the top ten, and the rewards increased dramatically with every position.

The opportunities granted to the ten highest-ranked participants would undoubtedly be supreme treasures.

Before rank nine was announced, countless eyes focused on the golden projection.

Only a few seeded powerhouses remained unannounced: Duran of the Tower of Myriad Treasures, Cedric of the Shadow Divine Court, Morado of Evernight Palace, and Morris of the Demon King Council.

Alongside them were several mysterious participants whose identities were still unknown.

None of the seeded experts wanted to hear their own name too early.

The will of the universe continued.

[Rank Nine: Duran of the Tower of Myriad Treasures.]

Golden mist swirled across the screen, forming Duran’s name.

A trace of disappointment appeared on his face.

He had failed to reach a higher position.

After a moment, he gave a bitter smile.

"Ninth place."

"I suppose it is still acceptable."

Duran understood that placing ninth meant he had surpassed most recognized supreme powerhouses. The result was already better than many had expected.

He also knew that the gaps between the highest-ranked participants might be extremely small. The experts ranked tenth, eleventh, or twelfth were not necessarily much weaker than him.

Corwin, another participant from the Tower of Myriad Treasures, watched with mixed emotions.

"Duran only placed ninth?"

A Sovereign from their faction stared at the list with a deep frown.

"Is ninth place the best result the Tower of Myriad Treasures can achieve?"

He was clearly dissatisfied.

Before the discussion could spread further, another announcement sounded.

[Rank Eight: Morris of the Demon King Council.]