Those who had been defeated by Chu Feng were all eliminated.
And Chu Feng, as he had wished, obtained a key.
After that, the remaining contestants entered through the barrier gate.
Roughly two hours later, people began emerging from the barrier gate one after another.
After the first person walked out, the second and third followed quickly.
Before long, a full one hundred people had exited through the barrier gate.
Once the hundredth person had stepped out, Wuming Ken formed hand seals and softly shouted, "Open!"
In an instant, a torrent of energy surged outward from the barrier gate, and within that torrent were countless silhouettes.
In a matter of moments, all the entrants were carried out along with the wave of energy.
However, these people too had been eliminated.
Wuming Ken stored the massive gate away in his pouch, and the real show was about to begin.
The one hundred people who had walked out of the gate, combined with the ten who stood atop the Peak Pillar, made a total of one hundred and ten — these were the ones qualified to enter Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge.
"As for Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge, I'm sure many of you have heard of it. It is a legendary place — legend has it that it leads straight down into the depths of the Nine Dragons Upper Realm."
"Whether this legend is true or false, we do not know. All we know is that countless people have entered Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge throughout history, yet not a single one has ever truly reached the depths of the Nine Dragons Upper Realm."
"The reason for this is that within Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge, there are thirty hidden paths."
"It is said that ten of these hidden paths are paths of life, while the remaining twenty are paths of death."
"The method to reach the depths of the Nine Dragons Upper Realm lies within the paths of life. Even if you fail to find the way into the depths, you can still exit safely through a path of life."
"But should you be unfortunate enough to enter a path of death, it is a matter of life and death — and the twenty paths of death are all different from one another. If nineteen of them offer a one-in-ten chance of survival, then there is one more path of death that is a guaranteed death."
"What is most unsettling is that the paths of life and paths of death are not fixed."
"Even if today you enter through a particular entrance and it is a path of life, tomorrow you could enter through the same entrance and find it to be a path of death."
"That is the wondrous nature of Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge."
"It is precisely this wonder of Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge that led us to place this round of the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection here."
"Look over there." With those words, Wuming Ken pointed deep into Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge.
Rumble—
Without warning, the earth began to tremble, and at the spot Wuming Ken had indicated, ten mounds rose up from the previously flat ground.
"Ten positions, each one capable of holding a single person. The first to stand upon them will become the new Ancestral Martial Ten Stars."
"After the new Ancestral Martial Ten Stars have been selected, a tournament will be held, and the results will determine their rankings," Wuming Ken announced.
"Of course, you may choose to take the hidden paths, or you may choose to go over the top directly. Two routes — the choice is yours," Wuming Ken added.
"The hidden paths are fraught with danger. If you're unlucky enough to end up in a path of death, it's a near-certain death sentence. Who would choose the hidden paths? Obviously, you'd take the open route above."
"Exactly — any fool would choose the top. Who would willingly choose a hidden path?"
Hearing Wuming Ken's words, people felt this was entirely unnecessary. After all, the hidden paths were perilous, but the surface of Nine Dragon Manifestation Ridge showed nothing unusual — it was simply ordinary ground.