It had to be said that for this Glazed Pagoda Assembly, the Glazed Pagoda City had mobilized all of its resources.
What surprised people the most was that even with over a million participants, the organizers had everything running in perfect order without the slightest hint of chaos.
In this regard, even
Of course, the million-plus participants did place enormous pressure on the organizers.
"Brother, you really are something. You could've just competed in the Rising Star Ranking without any trouble. In my opinion, you wouldn't even need His Majesty to step in — my Panlong Great Clan could've gotten you a spot directly in the Genius Ranking." The one standing beside
He didn't need to participate in the Rising Star Ranking competition himself, but he considered
Instead, his deep gaze swept across the surroundings. "Over a million participants — how could I miss such a grand event?"
Young Master Ji laughed helplessly. "The very first stage is just the screening, to be honest. Most people are just here for the excitement. So, they have to filter everyone down first. After the screening, only a hundred thousand will remain. Then, from those hundred thousand, ten thousand will be selected to enter the Rising Star Ranking."
Although a million had signed up, everyone still had to pass through the first round of screening.
Only those who passed this first round would be considered official competitors. After this round, the million participants would be whittled down to a hundred thousand.
"Were there always this many people in the Pagoda Martial Competition before?"
"There have always been this many. I heard the Clan Lord say that at the peak, the Glazed Pagoda Assembly once attracted over a million five hundred thousand participants. But in the past thousand years, this edition has the highest turnout."
Opportunities like this were far too rare.
Everyone wanted to seize such a chance and become famous overnight.
Those independent cultivators from humble backgrounds especially hoped to use this opportunity to change their fate.
Unfortunately, a stage like this ultimately belonged to the geniuses. The vast majority came with beautiful dreams, but the final outcome for most would be disappointment and a return home in defeat.
Some, with even worse luck, would even lose their lives here.
And yet, none of that could dampen these people's enthusiasm. In the world of martial dao, risking one's life had already become the norm. Without that kind of mentality, how could anyone hope to stand out in such a cruel world?
The first round of screening was simple in process.
A peripheral formation array would be activated beneath the Glazed Pagoda.
The million participants would be divided into twenty batches of fifty thousand each. Each batch would enter the peripheral formation array. Under the pressure of the formation, the last five thousand to remain standing in each batch would advance successfully.
In other words, this first round of screening alone would eliminate ninety percent of the participants.
The remaining ten percent — a hundred thousand people — would then compete for ten thousand spots on the Rising Star Ranking.
There were a total of twenty batches.
But that was fine — he could first observe the overall quality of the participants.
At the summit of the Glazed Pagoda's main tower, rays of brilliant light shone downward. Seven-colored auspicious qi beamed toward the ground, giving the entire scene a profoundly sacred and solemn atmosphere.
"The formation has been activated. The first batch of participants has entered. All participants, please note: if you can no longer hold on, crush the jade slip in your hand immediately. The formation will automatically expel you. Remember, the formation shows no mercy — life and death are your own responsibility. Do not push beyond your limits. However, if your strength allows it, the longer you can endure, the better. Your performance now will affect the arrangements for subsequent selections."
A voice imbued with overwhelming pressure echoed throughout the Glazed Pagoda City. It served as both a reminder to the first batch of participants and a warning to all those in the remaining batches.
At this moment, the area around the main tower looked from the outside like a mysterious, independent space — a strange sense of spatial separation that made it seem as though that place had been completely cut off from the outside world.
Young Master Ji, meanwhile, was yawning with boredom. "Brother, this kind of screening is pretty pointless. With your strength, you don't need to worry about it at all."
Sure enough, before even a quarter of an hour had passed, large numbers of martial artists could no longer withstand the pressure and were continuously expelled from the formation.
After about half an hour, the results of the first batch's selection were in.
"The elimination quota for the first batch has now been met. Congratulations to the five thousand still inside — you have passed the first round of screening. Now, you may decide for yourselves how long to remain."
Young Master Ji nodded. "I heard the Clan Lord explain the specific rules. Apparently, the longer you stay, the more advantageous your arrangements will be in the following stages."
However, at this level of screening, while there were differences in strength between participants, those differences weren't overwhelmingly dramatic.
Before even an hour had passed, everyone from the first batch had emerged.
However, the detailed rankings for the first batch were immediately compiled.