High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 538: Chapter 333: The End and the Final Rankings

In the monitoring room of the Alka District Headquarters, within the Virtual Cosmos.

A middle-aged man with purple hair gazed with great interest at the summary data for Giant Tree World No. 13 on the light screen before him.

His eyes were particularly drawn to the name ”Li Wen,” which was leagues ahead of the rest, and its outrageous score, making him click his tongue in wonder.

’Bone age of fifty-seven, physical body at the Early-stage Saint Realm, an elementary grasp of the Time Law, yet his Primordial Spirit is already that of a Tier One Star Lord...’

’A profile like that would make him a top-tier prodigy, even among the core members of the division. What a pity, he’s just too young!’

The purple-haired man, Flame Ashes, spoke with a tone of admiration mixed with regret.

”If we gave him another hundred years to mature, deepen his comprehension of the Laws, and let his Primordial Spirit and physical body advance in sync, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to break into the top one thousand in the entire universe.”

”His talent is certainly dazzling,” a white-haired elder at his side slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the information on the top contenders from other worlds.

”But his killing intent... isn’t it a bit excessive? His score has been in a league of its own for a while now, yet he showed no restraint over the last twenty-odd days, hunting others everywhere, practically clearing the field. Such a disposition...”

”Disposition?” The purple-haired man, Flame Ashes, chuckled dismissively. ”Bing Po, you’re too strait-laced.

On the front lines, where the myriad races battle for supremacy, that’s the exact kind of ruthlessness we need—decisive, and willing to pull the problem out by the roots!

To expand our people’s territory and suppress other races, a talented prospect with this much drive and strength is the rarest treasure of all! I’m bullish on his future potential.”

”Let’s just hope he can channel that murderous intent toward the right causes...”

The white-haired elder called Bing Po still held his reservations. His gaze finally settled on another name, his tone tinged with a mix of resignation and relief.

”It looks like for this tournament, our Alka District’s only real hope is still ’Blood Butcher’ Barton.

It’s a good thing we have him. Otherwise, if we go several tournaments in a row with no one breaking into the top one thousand in the universe, the Sovereign will be enraged, and I’m afraid we’ll be sent to guard the ’Black Prison’ for the next ten thousand years.”

At the mention of the supreme Sovereign of the Alka Empire, a flicker of profound awe flashed through the eyes of the two immortal powerhouses.

A single displeased glance from a being of that echelon was, for them, a world-ending catastrophe.

For that very reason, even though it was only a group of juniors at the Star Lord and Saint Realms competing in the arena, they had to remain on high alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

...

Time ticked by. Only a few hours remained before the end of the first stage of the preliminaries in Giant Tree World No. 13.

The surface world, which had been silent for over twenty days, began to stir once more as the countdown neared its end.

Hesitant and resolute figures alike began to emerge cautiously from their various hiding spots.

Most of them were ranked outside the top one hundred, but the point gap wasn’t insurmountable.

Clinging to a final, desperate hope, they sought to kill one or two higher-ranked contestants before time ran out and force their way into the top one hundred.

Deep beneath the surface, within the lower rock layers, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Brandon, ranked second on the leaderboard, had merged himself with the solid rock, suppressing his aura to the absolute limit until he was like a lifeless piece of ore.

Deep within the cavern where he hid, there was nothing but his own frantic heartbeat and the light screen, its countdown timer steadily refreshing.

Every flicker of the numbers on the screen frayed his nerves.

’Steady... Brandon, steady!’ He clenched his fists and muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the sealed cavern, revealing an anxiety he couldn’t hide.

’Three hours left... no, two and a half! As long as that ’God of Slaughter’ Li Wen doesn’t show up, as long as no one else finds me... second place is in the bag! I have to... I have to hold on!’

His eyes flickered uncontrollably toward the glaring name at the top of the leaderboard—”Li Wen”—and the astronomical score that followed. Each heartbeat was a tremor of fear.

Meanwhile, in another direction, deep underground in an even narrower, damper crevice...

The contestant in 100th place—Caroline—was ten times more nervous than Brandon.

She not only had to guard against hunters who might appear at any moment, but she also had to keep a close watch on the score of the contestant in 101st place. ℯ𝓵.

’Damn it! He got another kill! His score just jumped by fifty thousand!’ Caroline’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat as she watched the score bar for the 101st-place contestant lurch upward, closing the gap between them.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, sweat soaking the hair on her forehead. ’Don’t move... Please, just stop moving! Stay put... I just have to hold on for a few more hours!’

She remained curled up in the shadows, her spiritual sense stretched to its absolute limit. She didn’t dare probe the outside world for fear of exposing herself, yet she couldn’t stop her attention from being drawn to the ranking changes that would decide her fate.

...

Meanwhile, in the spectator space, the atmosphere was a study in contrasts.

In the spectator area for Brandon’s home world, the atmosphere was as heavy and silent as the air before a thunderstorm.

Tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, their eyes locked on the simulated projection of Brandon’s hiding place and the ever-present countdown. In the silence, their prayers converged into an invisible tide:

”Stay hidden... Don’t let Li Wen find him... Hold on, Brandon! There’s only a little time left!”

In the spectator space for Caroline’s home world, the air was thick with a strange, desperate mix of anxiety and prayer.

Her supporters watched as the score of the 101st-place contestant continued its slow but steady climb.

With the gap to Caroline now less than ten thousand points, they all had bloodshot eyes, praying themselves hoarse:

”Stop climbing! Please, just stop climbing! Hang on, Caroline!”

Their gazes switched frantically between Caroline’s hiding spot and the 101st-place contestant’s score bar, with every change in points triggering a fresh wave of gasps or curses.

In stark contrast to all this was the spectator space for the Lain Empire.