John showed no surprise when he heard that Hilt and Odelle had successfully advanced.

Before long, 270 of the 300 participants in the Advancement Round had been eliminated, and the complete list of the top thirty was finally decided.

Across the entire universe, countless factions, independent cultivators, and supreme powerhouses who had been following the Myriad Worlds Tournament stared at the newly released list with intense anticipation.

The finals were drawing closer.

It would not be long before the ultimate champion of this tournament emerged.

Among the hundreds of thousands of elite High Gods who had entered the tournament, only thirty had managed to reach this stage.

Which one of them would ultimately rise above all others and claim the summit?

Countless independent cultivators secretly hoped that this tournament would produce an upset.

They wanted someone without the support of a supreme faction to seize the glory of first place and prove that independent cultivators could stand at the peak as well.

Powerhouses such as Leon possessed strength that was nearly equal to that of any recognized supreme prodigy. He unquestionably had the qualifications to contend for the crown.

In previous editions of the Myriad Worlds Tournament, the championship had almost always been claimed by one of the major factions.

This time, however, far too many dark horses had emerged.

Unexpected upsets had occurred again and again throughout the competition.

Moreover, this was likely to be the final Myriad Worlds Tournament of the current era.

The entire universe had already been affected by the approaching universal calamity, so countless independent cultivators hoped that one of their own would create a miracle.

At that moment, the Holy Spirit Sovereign placed all his hopes on John.

He silently prayed,

"John, you must reach the summit!"

After successfully entering the top thirty, Morris also encouraged himself in silence.

"Mother, I will enter the top three and bring you back to life."

Cedric’s gaze burned with determination.

"I, Cedric, will not lose to anyone."

"The hope of reviving my family is right in front of me."

Infinite courage surged through Auric’s heart.

He took a deep breath and silently declared,

"My wife, I will avenge you."

"Wait for me."

"For her sake, I am willing to pay any price."

Meanwhile, the contestants who had qualified began appearing one after another inside a new secret space.

At that moment, an enormous quantity of Law power suddenly surged throughout the tournament realm.

John and the other participants were initially startled.

Then they saw thirty stone platforms materialize in midair.

Each platform was approximately one hundred meters across and shaped like an oval.

The numbers one through thirty appeared high above them.

The platforms had been arranged in an orderly hierarchy.

Platform No. 1 occupied the highest position.

Anyone standing upon it could look down upon every other contestant below.

The meaning behind this arrangement was obvious.

The highest-ranked participant would stand above all others, overlooking the masses and suppressing the entire generation from the summit.

Slightly below Platform No. 1 were two platforms prepared for second and third place.

Below them were the platforms for fourth and fifth place, continuing all the way down to tenth.

The remaining platforms, numbered eleven through thirty, occupied the lowest level.

The hierarchy was extremely clear.

Platform No. 1 stood at the absolute peak, while Platforms No. 11 through No. 30 remained at the bottom, forcing their occupants to look upward at those ranked above them.

The contestants immediately formed a guess as they studied the scene.

"These must be the seats assigned according to our current rankings."

"These stone platforms are meant for the thirty participants who advanced."

At that moment, the announcement of the will of the universe sounded in every contestant’s ears.

[All thirty qualifying participants have gathered.]

[The tournament arenas will now be generated, and the round of thirty to fifteen will soon begin.]

[The seating order for the current top thirty has been finalized.]

[All contestants are requested to enter the platform corresponding to their temporary ranking.]

[Participant ranked thirtieth, please take your seat.]

Under the guidance of the will of the universe, the participants who had fought their way from the preliminary rounds into the top thirty began moving toward their respective platforms.

Every time one of them took a seat, projections appeared beside the golden rankings scattered throughout the universe.

The image of that contestant seated upon their stone platform was displayed across the heavens.

The round of thirty would be broadcast live throughout the entire universe.

Every living being would be able to witness the tournament in detail.

In a certain spacetime universe located nine million years in the future, the figure of the thirtieth-ranked participant appeared upon the projection.

Every living being within that plane immediately erupted into cheers.

"Look! Look!"

"That is Warren, the strongest High God in our world!"

"Warren is incredible!"

"He fought his way from one of the most insignificant corners of the universe all the way into the top thirty!"

"He truly deserves to be the only hope of our world!"

"Do your best, Warren!"

"Fight your way into the top ten!"

"No, enter the top three!"

"Go even further and create a miracle!"

"Reach the summit and become the number one powerhouse!"

Back inside the top-thirty tournament realm, the voice of the will of the universe continued to announce the rankings.

The twentieth-ranked Morris transformed into a streak of light and landed upon Platform No. 20.

His expression was perfectly calm.

There was neither joy nor sorrow on his face as he quietly looked toward the participants who had yet to take their seats.

His gaze swept over them one by one before pausing briefly.

The announcement continued.

[Ranked nineteenth, Oscar of Mount Crys. Please take your seat.]

Oscar landed upon his platform, and his image was immediately projected throughout the universe.

The powerhouses of Mount Crys focused their attention on him, silently anticipating his performance.

Although Oscar’s current ranking was not particularly high, his true strength was by no means weak.

They hoped that he would gradually improve his position during the upcoming rounds.

"That’s right. In the end, Mount Crys will still have to rely on Oscar."

However, other powerhouses immediately expressed a different opinion.

"No, no. I think we should place our hopes on Shirok."

"That’s right. Shirok has yet to reveal his full strength."

"He will definitely astonish the entire universe in the upcoming battles."

Within the tournament realm, the will of the universe continued its announcements.

[Ranked eighteenth, Lashir of the Treasure-Rich Mountains. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked seventeenth, Aldric of the Skyvault Consortium. Please take your seat.]

Aldric’s figure appeared upon Platform No. 17.

The supreme powerhouses of the Skyvault Consortium witnessed the scene as well.

They immediately began discussing his placement in low voices.

"Aldric’s ranking is rather low."

"Whether it was the preliminary ranking or his current temporary position, he has never placed particularly high."

"That’s true."

"John and the members under him have ranked much higher."

"And when I say higher, I mean extraordinarily high."

"One of them directly claimed first place, while another took second."

"Hmph. These are only temporary rankings."

"Just wait."

"Aldric is the true prodigy of the Skyvault Consortium."

"He will rise eventually."

At that moment, the will of the universe continued announcing the remaining participants in order.

[Ranked sixteenth, Soren of Evernight Palace. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked fifteenth, Kelvin of Evernight Palace. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked fourteenth, Alvin of the Eternal Summit. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked thirteenth, Gurok of the Eternal Divine Palace. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked twelfth, Shirok of Mount Crys. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked eleventh, Kaine of the Skyvault Consortium. Please take your seat.]

[Ranked second, Holly of the Skyvault Consortium. Please take your seat!]