Cullen looked at the ranking and smiled.

"Cedric is only fifth."

"Then the four participants above him must all be genuine monsters."

Morris shook his head.

"This tournament contains far too many variables."

"It may be the final Myriad Worlds Tournament of the current era. If that is true, perhaps it is only natural for mysterious dark horses to occupy the top four."

"Even so, this result is extraordinary."

Across countless universes, experts watched the golden projection with burning curiosity.

Everyone wanted to know the identities of the remaining four.

Before another name could be revealed, however, the voice of the will of the universe echoed throughout the tournament.

[The advancement-stage battlefields have been completed.]

[Transmission will begin when the countdown reaches zero.]

[The identities and positions of the top four participants will temporarily remain undisclosed.]

[Their ranking rewards have been delivered directly to their storage spaces.]

[Transmission countdown: 198.]

The entire tournament fell silent.

Then the public chat exploded.

"What kind of arrangement is this?"

"The will of the universe stopped at the most important moment!"

"It deliberately created suspense and then refused to reveal the answer!"

"Could there be a deeper reason for concealing the top four?"

"Think about it. Every recognized supreme powerhouse has a Sovereign or Peak Sovereign supporting them. They possess endless resources and supreme talents. In theory, independent cultivators should not be able to surpass all of them."

"Stop guessing. Even if the names remain hidden now, the final ranking after the finals will reveal everything."

"The four dark horses cannot remain hidden forever."

The seeded participants were equally frustrated.

Why had the announcement stopped at that exact moment?

The will of the universe had undoubtedly planned this from the beginning.

Kaine frowned as he considered the consequences.

"From now on, I must treat every unfamiliar opponent with extreme caution."

"No one can know whether a stranger is one of the hidden top four."

Morado was openly displeased.

"This decision makes preparation almost impossible."

"We cannot study or defend against the top four if we do not know who they are."

Cullen, however, seemed to understand part of the intention.

"This arrangement is clever."

"If their identities remain concealed, every participant must fight seriously against every opponent."

"No one will dare underestimate an unfamiliar cultivator, because anyone could secretly be among the top four."

Cedric also believed the will of the universe had acted deliberately.

"It is probably applying pressure to all of us."

"Among the innumerable entities connected to the Great Dao, the will of the universe is unmatched in planning and calculation."

"Most participants cannot understand its deeper intentions."

"Perhaps only beings who have transcended this universe can see the full design."

Although the ranking had already named Cedric fifth, speculation about the top four continued to spread.

Many participants were especially eager to learn John’s exact position.

Lyric released a slow breath.

"It seems we must wait until the advancement stage or the finals to confirm the true order."

Only now did he fully realize that this Myriad Worlds Tournament was more dangerous than he had imagined.

The Holy Spirit Sovereign looked at the ranking with an unchanged smile.

"The will of the universe has concealed John’s identity."

"That may actually benefit him."

"Revealing his position now would grant only temporary glory while causing every hostile faction to prepare against him."

"Concealing him until the final ranking appears is the better choice."

"Fortune and disaster always accompany one another. The will of the universe has considered everything."

The golden ranking suddenly shone with dazzling light.

Every name already revealed radiated an oppressive golden brilliance.

The voice of the will of the universe sounded once more.

[Current overall ranking:]

[1. Undisclosed.]

[2. Undisclosed.]

[3. Undisclosed.]

[4. Undisclosed.]

[5. Cedric, Shadow Divine Court.]

[6. Cullen, independent cultivator.]

[7. Morado, Evernight Palace.]

[8. Morris, Demon King Council.]

[9. Duran, Tower of Myriad Treasures.]

[10. Shirok, Eternal Summit.]

[11. Kaine, Skyvault Consortium.]

[12. Kelvin, Evernight Palace.]

[13. Alvin, Evernight Palace.]

[14. Morn, Demon King Council.]

[15. Leon, independent cultivator.]

[16. Gurok, Shadow Divine Court.]

[17. Soren, Evernight Palace.]

[18. Corwin, Tower of Myriad Treasures.]

[19. Oscar, Eternal Summit.]

[20. Aldric, Skyvault Consortium.]

[21. Harvian, independent cultivator.]

[22. Undisclosed participant.]

The ranking glowed for several breaths before the names began fading one by one.

The early-stage ranking was only a reference.

The advancement stage and the finals would determine the true order, as well as the ultimate fate of every participant.

At that moment, a personal system notification sounded beside John’s ears.

[Ding! Congratulations on achieving first place in the early-stage ranking of the Myriad Worlds Tournament.]

[Achievement reward obtained: Human Divine Art, Hand of the Saint.]

[This skill evolved from Hand of God, one of the Eight Divine Arts of Humanity.]

[Your skill list has been updated. Please review the new ability.]

[Continue maintaining first place during the later stages.]

[When the final ranking is completed, you will receive an even more valuable reward.]

[The advancement stage is about to begin. Please prepare yourself.]

John’s eyes brightened.

"I obtained another Human Divine Art."

"And it evolved from Hand of God into Hand of the Saint."

"With this, I have collected seven of the Eight Divine Arts of Humanity."

"Only Saint’s Insight remains."

The Eight Divine Arts of Humanity represented the highest inheritance of the human race.

Each art possessed power that surpassed ordinary Divine Abilities. When combined, they formed a complete system capable of supporting a cultivator from the weakest stage to the summit of the Great Dao.

John had obtained them one after another through inheritance, evolution, plundering, and tournament rewards.

Now only one remained.

The fact that the will of the universe had granted Hand of the Saint as the reward for first place proved how extraordinary the hidden ranking reward was.

While the transmission countdown continued, John immediately opened his skill panel.

[Hand of the Saint]

[Exclusive User: John]

[Type: Passive]

[Effect: Grants the user a pair of hands capable of perceiving and controlling the fundamental power of the Great Dao.]

[The left hand controls laws. The right hand controls Origins.]

[When both hands act together, they can suppress all things.]

[First Ability: Left Hand of Law.]

[The left hand can extract law power from any living being or item, provided that the target law does not exceed the user’s current law grade.]

[The extracted law power may also be forcibly transformed into another law required by the user.]

[Innate laws may only be transformed into other innate laws.]

[Acquired laws may only be transformed into other acquired laws.]

[A portion of the law power will inevitably be lost during transformation.]

John read the first portion carefully.

The power to extract laws from both living beings and treasures was already extraordinary.

Many supreme items contained complete law fragments, but ordinary cultivators could only comprehend those fragments slowly. Hand of the Saint allowed John to extract the power directly.

More importantly, he could transform unwanted law comprehension into something useful.

John possessed thousands of law fragments through his plundering talent. Many belonged to minor acquired laws that offered little improvement to his combat strength.

With this skill, those scattered gains could finally be consolidated.

Even if some power was lost during conversion, the remaining value would still be immense.

The golden countdown continued above the secret realm.

John ignored the surrounding commotion and focused entirely on the remaining description of his new Divine Art.