Kaine had long suspected that John’s strength was comparable to that of the recognized supreme powerhouses.

For that reason, he accepted John’s temporary first-place position faster than most.

Cedric reacted differently.

The strongest participant of the Shadow Divine Court and the fifth-ranked expert from the early stage frowned when he heard John’s name.

"The Skyvault Consortium concealed someone like this?"

Cedric still had not found his own hunting target.

He was moving through the secret realm almost blindly, searching for clues while trying not to expose his badge number.

John, by contrast, had already completed his objective.

The difference between them was impossible to ignore.

Duran of the Tower of Myriad Treasures was also flying through his assigned secret realm, desperately searching for a method to identify his prey.

When the announcement sounded, his expression changed.

"The four highest positions in the early-stage ranking were concealed."

"John may have occupied one of them."

Soren was not surprised.

Lyric had already warned him that John possessed terrifying strength.

From the moment the will of the universe hid the top four names, Soren had been certain that John was among them.

"John, you have finally entered everyone’s field of vision."

At that moment, the golden ranking of the Myriad Worlds Tournament appeared again.

At first, the surface was empty.

Then golden lines gathered and formed a single name.

[1. John - Skyvault Consortium.]

The ranking was visible not only inside the three secret realms, but throughout the innumerable universes.

When experts saw John’s name at the top, they were stunned.

He was not one of the celebrated seeded heirs.

He was not a famous independent cultivator whose achievements had spread across the cosmos.

He belonged to the Skyvault Consortium, yet his presence within the faction had always seemed weaker than that of Kaine or Aldric.

Only a limited number of powerful figures understood his true value.

Now that supposedly obscure participant occupied first place.

The Holy Spirit Sovereign smiled with satisfaction.

"John, the final hope of the Skyvault Consortium rests on you."

Aldric and Kaine had disappointed him.

Neither had reached the top ten in the early-stage ranking.

For heirs who had consumed enormous quantities of the Consortium’s resources, those results were humiliating.

John’s rise changed everything.

As long as he remained at the top, the Skyvault Consortium would not lose face before the other supreme factions.

Somewhere in the depths of the universe, a wandering cultivator raised his head.

He stared at the golden name and smiled faintly.

His name was Sivin.

"John, I have waited a long time for this."

"I knew you would astonish the universe."

"Now that you have finally appeared, let me witness the moment you reach the summit."

"Become the champion of the Myriad Worlds Tournament."

Elsewhere, two ruined powerhouses looked at the ranking in silence.

They had once fought against John and suffered a devastating defeat.

Corwin of the Demon King Council released a bitter sigh.

"John is about to rise beyond our reach."

Garon stared at the shining name.

"Perhaps he truly is the owner of the mysterious mark."

"We were only guessing at the time."

"Yet by pure accident, we encountered a monster."

Regret was useless.

Both of them had been crippled.

Their foundations were shattered, and the possibility of rising again was almost nonexistent.

Inside Secret Realm No. 1, the power of the Chaos Space-Time Wheel gradually faded.

Time resumed.

Leaves continued falling.

Rivers flowed again.

The frozen participants recovered their thoughts without understanding that the entire world had stopped.

Far from John, Lyric stood motionless for a moment.

His eyes revealed far more shock than his calm face.

"That sound."

"It came from a supreme treasure."

"It must have been the Chaos Space-Time Wheel."

"So John possesses it."

Lyric had seen John appear behind Harvian.

From that moment, he had known Harvian would not survive.

The Ethelun Bone Core had never been within Lyric’s reach.

He had not deliberately deceived Harvian.

When the advancement stage began, Lyric had used his simulation talent.

However, he had not simulated his own target.

The concealed top four had made him uneasy, and he suspected that John occupied one of those positions.

Afraid of encountering John without preparation, Lyric had chosen to simulate John’s actions first.

The result revealed that John’s designated target was Harvian.

It also showed that Harvian would die.

That knowledge had allowed Lyric to leave before the battle began.

However, the simulation raised another concern.

John had found Harvian almost immediately.

That suggested he possessed a talent similar to simulation or deduction.

Otherwise, identifying the holder of Badge No. 2 so quickly would have been impossible.

Harvian was not weak.

His strength was close to the level of a recognized supreme powerhouse.

Yet he had failed to survive even one exchange against John.

Lyric silently warned himself.

"Never provoke John."

"At least not until I possess absolute confidence."

Before the participants could recover from the first announcement, another voice echoed across all three secret realms.

[Congratulations to Holly of the Skyvault Consortium for completing her advancement-stage objective.]

[Holly is the second participant to obtain advancement qualification.]

[Until the tournament ends, Holly temporarily occupies second place.]

A second name appeared on the golden ranking.

[2. Holly - Skyvault Consortium.]

John smiled.

Valhalla contained only four members, but none of them were weak.

Each could stand alone against the greatest geniuses of the universe.

Holly normally behaved as though eating was the most important matter in existence.

She laughed easily, complained freely, and rarely displayed the solemnity expected of a supreme expert.

But once she received a clear objective, she never disappointed.

John had given her Karen’s name.

That was enough.

A figure appeared in front of him.

It was Holly.

She raised two fingers in a victory gesture.

"Guild Leader, I completed my hunt too!"

"Victory!"

Her face was filled with excitement.

"Did my name appear on the ranking?"

John nodded.

"Yes."

"I am first, and you are second."

Holly clapped her hands.

"Excellent!"

"I knew the name Holly would eventually resound throughout the entire universe."

"From now on, when I visit restaurants, perhaps I only need to announce my name."

"Do you think people will ask me for an autograph?"

Her expression suddenly became serious.

"That could be a problem."

"My handwriting is terrible."

"I need to practice immediately."

In only a few breaths, Holly had imagined herself becoming a universally celebrated figure, surrounded by crowds of admirers waiting for signatures.

John looked at her and shook his head.

"This girl is beyond saving."

"Her imagination is far too active."

Holly ignored his criticism.

She was already considering what kind of signature would look most impressive.

Behind them, the golden ranking continued to shine.

Two positions had been filled.

Both belonged to members of Valhalla.

Both belonged to the Skyvault Consortium.

And the rest of the universe was only beginning to understand how terrifying this small guild truly was.