Chapter 50: Talent-Level, Hero-Level, and Dragon-Shocking-Level.

“Old Zhang, what’s the news? What’s got you so shaken?”

“Yeah, you’re making me itch with curiosity!”

“Is there some top genius in the Canglan Domain that we don’t know about?”

“All right, all right, stop with the suspense. We get it, your rules are well-known to us. Don’t worry, if it’s shocking enough, there’s a reward for you!”

At this point, everyone began urging him impatiently.

Old Zhang didn’t get angry; instead, he chuckled.

“Hehe, everyone, it’s not that I’m keeping you all in suspense. As you all know, the new Hidden Dragon Tournament is about to begin, right?”

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

The Hidden Dragon Tournament, known as a grand event held once every thirty years, was something everyone had heard of.

It was essentially a genius exchange event organized by the major powers of the Canglan Domain.

The reason for hosting it was because of a mysterious secret realm.

The Ascendant Dragon Secret Realm!

This secret realm opened once every thirty years, and it was rumored to house countless astonishing treasures.

Cultivation techniques, martial arts, secret methods, rare herbs and treasures, even the inheritance of powerful experts, and more.

Any genius who entered and came out of this realm, as long as they didn’t die, would almost always become a towering figure in some powerful faction, like a pillar supporting the heavens.

Thus, every time the Ascendant Dragon Secret Realm opened, it signified a bloody battle.

Only one hundred and eight spots were available, and no more than fifty people from the Canglan Domain were allowed to enter.

The bloody battles were so terrifying that, over time, all the major factions reached an agreement.

They would host a martial arts exchange event and list the Top Thirty Demonic Prodigies and Top Seventy-Two Elite Geniuses.

Those ranked on these lists would directly enter the secret realm.

After all, those with too weak cultivation would die inside—there was no need for such needless bloodshed.

The secret realm could only be accessed by the strongest.

Thus, the Hidden Dragon Tournament came into being.

It was jointly hosted by the major factions, fair and just, and anyone from the Canglan Domain could participate.

Of course, there were preliminary selections, and anyone who failed would be eliminated immediately.

Those who caused trouble would be executed on the spot, no mercy given.

Additionally, to prevent someone from secretly replacing others after obtaining a spot, the entire event would be observed by countless eyes.

After the event ended, the participants would be directly transported into the secret realm.

If anyone dared to play dirty, the major factions would join forces to crush them.

Since its inception, the Hidden Dragon Tournament has been highly praised and supported.

After all, it wasn’t just the major factions, but also smaller factions and even solo cultivators, who had the chance to rise dramatically.

That’s why the event was called the Hidden Dragon Tournament.

People who liked to gossip would use the event to describe the level of geniuses in the Canglan Domain.

So, every time the Hidden Dragon Tournament approached, everyone would secretly speculate about who would rise to the top and who would be ranked where.

Gambling houses would also open across the Canglan Domain, allowing people to place their bets.

This created a huge industry, with many gambling houses soaring to success because of it.

“Old Zhang, we already know about this. Get to the point! What news did Tianji Pavilion release that shook you so much?”

“Yeah, I want to know who this Dragon-Shocking expert is, who’s got you this shaken!”

“It wouldn’t be one of the many top geniuses from the major factions, would it? That wouldn’t be surprising to us!”

Hearing this, Old Zhang smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry, everyone. This Dragon-Shocking expert, I’m sure, ninety percent—no, a hundred percent—of you have never heard of him. Let me explain in detail!”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent in anticipation.

“This time, Tianji Pavilion has ranked the top geniuses of the Canglan Domain for the upcoming Hidden Dragon Tournament!”

“Among them, there are ten Talent-level Geniuses, ten Hero-level Geniuses, and four Dragon-Shocking-level Geniuses!”

“As for the Talent-level geniuses, Tianji Pavilion has said that they have a high chance of making it into the Top Thirty-six in the Heavenly Rankings!”

“The Hero-level geniuses, on the other hand, are expected to break into the Top Ten!”

“As for the Dragon-Shocking-level geniuses, they are guaranteed to be in the Top Ten, and they even can compete for first place in the grand tournament!”

When these words were spoken, everyone’s faces showed a hint of surprise.

They trusted Tianji Pavilion’s rankings, after all.

Tianji Pavilion had been established for countless years and was known for being infallible, knowing everything, and leaving no detail undiscovered.

Additionally, they had branches on every continent and domain in the Eternal World.

Any genius recognized by Tianji Pavilion was surely no ordinary talent.

Curiosity immediately filled the room as they wondered who these ranked geniuses were.

Old Zhang, seeing the rising interest, continued.

“First, let’s talk about the Talent-level Geniuses. They are: Zhang Yifan from Jiang Hai Dao Sect, Zhang Yibie from Bishu Mountain Villa, and Yang Wuxin from Wuyou Sword Valley…”

Old Zhang listed off the names one by one.

Upon hearing these names, the crowd was first shocked, then deeply amazed.

“These are all top geniuses whose names echo throughout the Canglan Domain! Every single one has extraordinary achievements and, in the past, could have competed for the title of Number One Genius of the Canglan Domain. Now, they’re only expected to make it into the Top Thirty-six—this is truly astonishing!”

“Zhang Yifan even has a Spirit Body, one of the top innate talents—how could he have fallen to this point?”

“Indeed! Each of these experts has impressive talent, most of them have mastered multiple Heaven-level martial techniques, and some have even perfected one or two!”

“No wonder. Over a decade ago, Tianji Pavilion predicted that a great era was coming, and countless geniuses would emerge like rain!”

“Now this is getting interesting. If even the Talent-level geniuses are so terrifying, I can’t imagine how powerful the Hero-level and Dragon-Shocking-level geniuses will be!”

“I’m looking forward to it too!”

As the crowd chattered excitedly, Old Zhang took a sip of tea and continued.

“Next, let’s talk about the Top Ten Heroes. They are: Chen Tiancheng from Cangyuan Ancient City, Jiang Bieli, the Gunslinger of Canghai Dock, and Wang Wudao, the rogue Swordmaster…”

This announcement stunned everyone once again.

“Jiang Bieli has only reached the Hero-level? I thought he’d be one of the four Dragon-Shocking experts!”

“Chen Tiancheng is the senior brother of Cangyuan Ancient City, and he and Mu Xiyao are considered the peerless duo of this generation in the city! How could he not make it to the Dragon-Shocking-level?”

“And that mysterious rogue Wang Wudao, a born swordmaster—he once defeated three experts in the Faxiang Realm alone and left without a scratch!”

“Yet, none of these extraordinary figures made it to the Dragon-Shocking-level—I never expected that!”

“Yeah, based on their past performances, any one of them could have easily topped the Hidden Dragon Rankings!”

The voices of the crowd grew louder as their excitement grew.

Just then, Old Zhang’s voice sounded once again.

“Now, let’s talk about the Four Dragon-Shocking-level experts. I can assure you, after hearing their stories, you’ll understand exactly why they’ve been ranked as Dragon-Shocking-level by Tianji Pavilion!”