Of course, any set of rules always favors the strong and disadvantages the weak.
The Grand Tournament was no exception.
Different strength meant different rankings, and different rankings meant different treatment.
The elimination round primarily served to protect the interests of geniuses from fourth-rank sects. Disciples from sects below the fourth rank, no matter how talented, had no right to be called seeded contestants.
Even among fourth-rank sect disciples, there were hierarchies.
Geniuses at the Sacred Realm or above were all classified as first-tier seeds.
Those at the ninth level of the Origin Realm were classified as second-tier seeds; anyone below the ninth level of the Origin Realm was classified as a third-tier seed.
According to the rules, first-tier seeds would absolutely not encounter each other before the final twenty.
This rule indirectly protected the interests of all Sacred Realm geniuses, preventing them from clashing too early.
Such a rule might seem unfair, but it had endured for a long time, and there was clearly reason for that.
After all, in the martial world, everyone pursued strength. Those with superior strength and talent naturally deserved better treatment than others.
Jiang Chen's current identity was Mu Gaoqi. Naturally, he couldn't afford to be too conspicuous. Since he hadn't revealed his full strength, he'd been classified as a third-tier seed.
In the first round of matches, as a disciple of a fourth-rank sect, Jiang Chen didn't need to participate.
Hundreds of geniuses from sects outside the fourth rank clashed fiercely among themselves.
Jiang Chen observed the first round. Although the participating geniuses all came from second- and third-tier sects, even the fifth-rank and sixth-rank sects produced their share of talent.
Among the twenty or thirty fifth-rank sects, each had quite a few Heavenly Origin Realm powerhouses, and several had even reached the ninth level of the Origin Realm.
There were also twenty or thirty at the eighth level.
Those at the seventh level were everywhere.
Of course, most of these young cultivators from fifth-rank and sixth-rank sects were still around the sixth level of the Origin Realm.
After all, these second-rate sects of the Myriad Phenomena Territory were far inferior to fourth-rank sects in terms of resources and talent reserves.
By Jiang Chen's estimate, a decent number of these second- and third-tier sect geniuses likely had the qualifications to challenge the Myriad Phenomena Hidden Dragon Rankings.
The Myriad Phenomena Hidden Dragon Rankings only took the top one hundred from the Grand Tournament. Jiang Chen estimated that these second- and third-tier sects could claim roughly one-fifth of the spots.
"It seems Palace Master Dan Chi's analysis was spot on. Without reaching the seventh level of the Origin Realm, there's absolutely no hope of making the Myriad Phenomena Hidden Dragon Rankings."
When Palace Master Dan Chi had first allied with the Treasure Tree Sect, he'd mentioned the Myriad Phenomena Grand Tournament and the Myriad Phenomena Extreme Realm to Jiang Chen. He'd told him that reaching the seventh level of the Origin Realm was the minimum needed to secure a seat on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Jiang Chen did some mental calculations. Basically, as long as he survived three rounds, he could comfortably break into the top one hundred and secure a spot on the Myriad Phenomena Hidden Dragon Rankings.
He didn't need to fight in the first round. That meant as long as he won his matches in the second and third rounds, he'd be guaranteed a place.
On the Dan Qian Palace side, Shen Qinghong and Jun Mobai were Sacred Realm geniuses and naturally ranked as first-tier seeds.
Ling Bier and Nie Chong, both at the peak of the ninth level of the Origin Realm, were classified as second-tier seeds.
There was no suspense about any of these four making the Myriad Phenomena Hidden Dragon Rankings. The only question was how high they would rank.
As for Jiang Chen, everyone believed him to be Mu Gaoqi. So in their eyes, whether he could make the rankings was still an open question.
Disciples from the major fourth-rank sects were scattered across the seats.
The people from the Sacred Sword Palace were clearly targeting Dan Qian Palace. The Sacred Sword Palace geniuses led by Wang Han sat directly opposite the Dan Qian Palace disciples.
Every one of them radiated aggressive intent, brimming with killing aura, continuously projecting pressure toward Dan Qian Palace.
Wang Han in particular — having just been mocked and ridiculed by Jiang Chen, his hatred for "Mu Gaoqi" had grown to rival only his old grudge against Jiang Chen himself. Even Shen Qinghong had been relegated to second place.
"Mu Gaoqi…" Wang Han's cold gaze locked onto Jiang Chen from across the hall, making no effort to conceal his murderous intent.
Invisible killing pressure, sharp as the clash of steel and the thunder of warhorses, surged toward Jiang Chen wave after wave.
The intent to intimidate was unmistakable.
Yet no matter how frantically Wang Han pushed his Sacred Realm pressure, it always dissipated without a trace the moment it reached "Mu Gaoqi," as if swallowed by the sea.
This left Wang Han deeply alarmed.
As a rival sect, the Sacred Sword Palace knew Dan Qian Palace's disciples inside and out. Mu Gaoqi, possessing the Innate Wooden Spirit Body, had naturally been marked as a key subject of study.
The Sacred Sword Palace had evaluated Mu Gaoqi several times. Their final assessment — genius in alchemy, mediocre martial talent, timid disposition, and an unstable spiritual consciousness.
It was precisely because Wang Han held this view of Mu Gaoqi that he kept covertly pressing his Sacred Realm pressure against him.
His intention was self-evident: to destroy Mu Gaoqi's spiritual consciousness, utterly crush his fighting spirit, and perhaps even cause his mind to collapse.