The crowd stared at the thick stack of Divine Runes Yi Tianyun had inscribed, still reeling in shock. It was the first time they had ever seen a Divine Rune Master who could work so quickly. His speed was simply too fast to be believed!

At first, Yi Tianyun wasn’t quite proficient. After all, he had previously focused on Third-Grade Divine Runes, so he was a bit out of practice when inscribing First-Grade ones. He could succeed, but his pace was slower.

After warming up a bit, his speed immediately picked up. The same was true for the Triple First-Grade Divine Runes. If not for his initial lack of practice, the time he took would have been remarkably short.

"Ahem, let’s begin tallying the scores!" Li Tianlong announced, recovering from his shock. He motioned for the other deacons to go down and check the quantities to assess the points.

The deacons then went down and began tallying the scores. They started from the top, and it was soon Lin Li’s turn. After counting, a deacon nodded and announced, "A total of three Third-Grade Divine Runes, fifteen points!"

"A total of two Third-Grade Divine Runes and two Second-Grade Divine Runes, for fourteen points! Not bad." This was the score of another contestant.

"A total of two Third-Grade Divine Runes, two Second-Grade Divine Runes, plus one First-Grade Divine Rune, for fifteen points! Huh, your results are quite good." This was yet another contestant’s score.

This score was actually about the same as Lin Li’s. In reality, if Lin Li hadn’t failed, he would have had twenty points, and no one else would have even come close.

Lin Li felt utterly humiliated. ’Isn’t this a disgrace? I am a disciple of the Divine Rune Mansion; how can my status be compared to theirs?’

One by one, the scores were announced. Most were around ten points; no other high scores appeared. Finally, it was time to count Yi Tianyun’s work. The deacon picked up the thick stack, and after a brief count, announced in a trembling voice, "Thirty-two First-Grade Divine Runes, for a total of thirty-two points..."

When this score was announced, everyone trembled violently. It was more than double the score of the person in second place. Even if Lin Li hadn’t failed and had gotten his full twenty points, Yi Tianyun’s score was still twelve points higher—a gap equivalent to two Third-Grade Divine Runes!

How was Lin Li supposed to close a gap like that?

Upon hearing the news, everyone gasped. ’This is just insane, isn’t it?’ Although First-Grade Divine Runes were easier to inscribe, creating thirty-two of them in such a short time was a feat of incredible skill.

"Patriarch Wang, thank you for letting us win! It seems the Zhu Family has won this round as well," Zhu Tianhong said, not missing the chance to taunt the Wang Family. After all, they had been mocking him just moments before.

He finally felt a sense of relief. ’This Yi Tianyun is truly terrifying,’ he thought. ’And completely unexpected. First he drags you down to the depths of despair, then he throws you to the highest heavens. He’s an absolute genius!’

"There’s still one more round! Don’t celebrate too early!" Patriarch Wang retorted, though he had no confidence in his own words. Yi Tianyun’s score was already twelve points ahead of second place. ’How can anyone catch up?’

"Is that so? Even if there were two more rounds, let alone one, the Zhu Family would still win!" Zhu Tianhong replied with a faint smile.

The other patriarchs standing nearby muttered to themselves. ’I wonder whose face was so grim when he saw Yi Tianyun inscribing First-Grade Divine Runes earlier.’

"If the next round tests high-grade Divine Runes, let’s see if he still tries to use First-Grade ones! If he has the guts to produce a Quadruple Divine Pattern, then I’ll concede!" Patriarch Wang snorted, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.

A First-Grade Quadruple Divine Pattern was extremely difficult to create—even harder than a standard Fourth-Grade Divine Rune! It was a thankless and arduous task that no one would willingly attempt. To put the difficulty in perspective, not even a Fifth-Grade Divine Rune Master would dare try something like that.

The more layers one added, the higher the chance of failure. It was far more straightforward to just inscribe a Fourth-Grade Divine Rune.

"He can definitely inscribe high-grade Divine Runes too. Who said he has to stick with First-Grade ones?" Zhu Tianhong immediately retorted. He refused to believe that Yi Tianyun only knew how to make First-Grade Divine Runes.

"Is that so? We’ll just have to wait and see!" Patriarch Wang was unconvinced. ’Even if he does know high-grade Divine Runes, so does Lin Li!’

While the patriarchs continued to bicker, the mood around Yi Tianyun was jubilant. Zhu Yuwei and Zhu Yuxuan were thrilled. Their Elder Yi was just that amazing.

"Elder Yi won again! And he’s so far ahead of second place. First place is ours for sure this time!"

"Yeah, Elder Yi is incredible! I never thought he’d be such a powerful Divine Rune Master!"

The eyes of the two sisters, Zhu Yuwei and Zhu Yuxuan, sparkled as they watched Yi Tianyun on the stage, the light within them growing brighter and brighter. Who wouldn’t be drawn to such an outstanding genius?

"Impossible... You... How can you inscribe them so fast?!" Lin Li, standing nearby, was completely stunned. He simply couldn’t believe this speed. ’A Divine Rune Master who isn’t even from the Divine Rune Mansion managed to defeat me!’

He felt an immense sense of shame. ’I, who carry the honor of the Divine Rune Mansion, lost just like that to a Divine Rune Master so much younger than myself?’

"Didn’t you say I was only focused on First-Grade Divine Runes?" Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "Well, you were right. So what if I only focus on First-Grade Divine Runes? I still beat you, didn’t I? Go crawl back into your mother’s womb and cultivate for a few more years!"

Yi Tianyun’s retort almost made Lin Li cough up blood. Who would have thought that Yi Tianyun could actually suppress him using nothing but First-Grade Divine Runes? It was like a sharp stab, a perfect counter to his earlier taunts.

Yi Tianyun was the type of person who, if provoked, would pay it back tenfold!

After all the scores were tallied, Li Tianlong finally nodded in satisfaction. "The results this time are quite a surprise. To inscribe First-Grade Divine Runes at such a speed is impossible without immense precision. A single wrong stroke would lead to failure. If it were me, my speed would likely be about the same."

Li Tianlong’s words sent the crowd into an uproar. He was a Divine Rune Master, yet he claimed his speed was only comparable to Yi Tianyun’s. This was truly shocking.

"But this has indeed exceeded my expectations. It proves that even with low-point runes, high speed can certainly turn the tables." Li Tianlong’s smile quickly faded, replaced by a serious expression. "However, this next round is when your true abilities will be tested. Use your full strength, display your highest level of skill, and inscribe the most powerful Divine Rune you can. Scores will be judged based on the grade and complexity of the Divine Rune. This time, there is no upper limit to the score!"

"This is your real chance to make a comeback. Only the truly skilled will remain until the end. Those without strength are destined for elimination!" Li Tianlong declared in a somber tone.

The time to test true strength had finally arrived. The higher the grade, the higher the score. Within the same grade, there were also low, medium, and high difficulty levels. For example, a Divine Rune that amplified a weapon’s power would be considered medium difficulty, and its score would naturally be high. Everything would be judged on the rarity of the Divine Rune.

This tested not only one’s personal cultivation level but also their background and resources! Just because a Divine Rune was Rare didn’t mean others knew how to inscribe it. This was the key to surpassing the competition.

Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Lin Li’s grim face. He possessed a background that Yi Tianyun couldn’t possibly compare to—the Divine Rune Mansion!