Calming his mind, Luan Hong continued to endure the Soul Power Storm. He refused to believe that Ye Xuan could last longer than him.

Everyone in the audience was on the edge of their seats.

As soon as one more person was eliminated, the last one remaining would become the champion of the first stage and earn two hundred points.

This was a crucial score for both of their kingdoms.

Yet, under the assault of the Third Grade Soul Power Storm, neither Ye Xuan nor Luan Hong showed any sign of being eliminated.

Time passed. Suddenly—

The intensity of the Soul Power Storm surged once more.

BOOM!

The crowd could feel the Soul Power before them practically solidify, forming a suffocating pressure.

A Fourth Grade Soul Power Storm.

The competition had progressed to the point where the Soul Power Storm’s intensity had risen to the Fourth Grade.

Expressions of shock appeared on every spectator’s face. They had never expected the first stage of the competition to be this thrilling.

Even the vice-chairmen of the various kingdoms’ Soul Master Towers might not be able to withstand a Fourth Grade Soul Power Storm, yet Luan Hong and Ye Xuan still showed no signs of being eliminated.

’When did the geniuses of the Thirteen Nations Alliance become this powerful? They’re already rivaling the older generation of experts.’ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Beyond the shock, what filled the crowd’s hearts was mostly disbelief.

SPURT!

At the last moment, Luan Hong could finally hold on no longer. He spat blood and fell from the stage.

Only Ye Xuan remained on the entire stage.

UPROAR!

The entire arena was in an uproar, watching the scene in utter shock.

To everyone’s astonishment, not only was Ye Xuan still standing, but his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

At this very moment, the Soul Power Storm’s assault had already intensified to the Mid-Fourth Grade. ’Could this boy be a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner? How old is he?!’

"Wait, look around him! There seems to be some kind of unique barrier."

"Huh, you’re right. How did we not notice that before?"

"The Soul Power Storm was weaker earlier, so the barrier wasn’t obvious. Now that it’s reached the Fourth Grade, it’s immediately become visible."

"What’s going on? Could he have some kind of treasure that can block the Soul Power assault? Is that how he’s lasted this long?"

"That kid! I was wondering how he managed to hold on for so long. So he has a treasure like that on him. This has to be cheating, right?"

The countless spectators in the arena could all see it now. There was an invisible barrier around Ye Xuan’s body. When the Soul Power Storm hit it, only a tiny fraction leaked through to affect Ye Xuan; the vast majority was blocked on the outside.

"Cheating! That kid is cheating!"

"Disqualify him!"

"How dare he cheat at the Floating Light Assembly! If he isn’t disqualified, it will be a mockery of the Assembly’s fairness!"

Countless spectators roared in anger. They had been skeptical that Ye Xuan could last to the end, and now, seeing the barrier around him, they thought they had found the truth. Their indignation erupted as they vented their feelings.

The host also turned his gaze toward the judges’ platform.

"Chairman Dongfang Yanyu, for your Liuyun Kingdom to resort to such dirty tricks at the Floating Light Assembly... you’d even stoop to cheating just to win first place. You’ve truly opened our eyes."

On the judges’ platform, Chairman Xuu Xin Hua of the Fire Crow Kingdom sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

The Soul Refiners from the other kingdoms nearby also cast suspicious glances over.

"Chairman Xuu, which of your eyes saw our Liuyun Kingdom cheat?" Before Chairman Dongfang Yanyu could speak, Elder Kuchen let out a disdainful laugh.

Xuu Xin Hua said coldly, "What, am I mistaken? Or is everyone here mistaken? What’s the deal with that barrier around your Liuyun Kingdom contestant? Don’t tell me you don’t know!"

The Fire Crow Kingdom and Liuyun Kingdom were longtime rivals. How could Xuu Xin Hua pass up such an opportunity to kick them while they were down?

"Hahaha, Chairman Xuu Xin Hua, and to think you’re the chairman of the Fire Crow Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower. Is this the level of all your kingdom’s Soul Refiners?" Kuchen’s smile widened in contempt. "Take a closer look. That barrier around Ye Xuan’s body was activated by his own Soul Power in conjunction with the stage’s Array. It’s a display of his true strength, not some hidden treasure. If you can’t even see that, I think you might as well resign from your post as chairman."

At Elder Kuchen’s prompting, Soul Refiner masters like Zhu Tianlan turned to carefully scrutinize the barrier around Ye Xuan’s body.

And indeed, it was just as he had said.

The barrier around Ye Xuan’s body was composed entirely of his own released Soul Power. It had also subtly resonated with the great Soul Power Storm Array, causing the impact of the powerful Soul Power released by the Array to naturally weaken as it passed through the barrier. Only the condensed will within the storm remained.

"What a kid! What kind of technique is this?"

"To merge his own Soul Power with the assessment Array... could this boy also be an Array Master?"

"Eye-opening. This is truly eye-opening."

"Incredible. To think the first stage of the assessment could be passed this way. Even if it were me up there, I doubt I could pull off such an ingenious idea. Chairman Dongfang Yanyu, I never imagined your Liuyun Kingdom could produce such a genius."

With their keen eyes, Zhu Tianlan and the others immediately saw that the barrier around Ye Xuan was, just as Elder Kuchen had said, a natural shield formed by his own Soul Power combined with the Array, and definitely not a Soul Power barrier created by some treasure.

This discovery left them both greatly shocked and dumbfounded.

The Floating Light Assembly had been held many times over the years, but never in its history had anyone passed the assessment this way—by using the assessment’s own Array to weaken the Soul Power assault they had to endure.

"Chairman Zhu Tianlan, while this Ye Xuan may not have cheated, such an opportunistic tactic is beneath us. After all, the first stage’s Soul Power Storm is meant to test everyone’s Soul Power cultivation. If people do things like this, how can it serve its purpose? Therefore, I personally recommend that his score for this assessment be nullified."

Chairman Xuu’s eyes darted about as he spoke up again.

"Ridiculous." Dongfang Yanyu scoffed at Chairman Xuu’s words. "The Soul Power Storm assessment tests a Soul Refiner’s ability to resist a Soul Power assault, not just their raw Soul Power strength. Otherwise, what would be the point of this assessment? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just test everyone’s Soul Power levels directly? Ye Xuan’s skill in Arrays is part of his own strength. Are you telling me your Fire Crow Kingdom contestants didn’t use any soul techniques while resisting the Soul Power Storm? Why are soul techniques allowed, but leveraging an Array isn’t? Simply ridiculous."

"I disagree. Soul techniques are a skill every Soul Refiner must master, but the path of Arrays has no fundamental connection to the study of Soul Refining. Therefore, I believe Ye Xuan’s score is debatable. Otherwise, if all future Soul Refiners learn from Ye Xuan and use such ’little tricks’ to boost their scores, it will have a major impact on the future of our Thirteen Nations Alliance."

Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance of the Dongsheng Kingdom suddenly spoke up calmly.

His Dongsheng Kingdom’s Ye Fanxing was the contestant ranked just behind Luan Hong. If Ye Xuan were to be disqualified, Ye Fanxing would become second place in this assessment. This was critically important for the Dongsheng Kingdom to achieve a better overall ranking, so he was naturally happy to see Ye Xuan’s score for this stage nullified.

"’Little tricks’?" Chairman Wei Guang of the Shizhen Kingdom sneered. "Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance, if you’re so capable, why don’t you have one of your disciples try and use a ’little trick’ like that? The fact that Ye Xuan was able to analyze part of the Soul Power Storm Array’s structure is enough to prove he fully deserves first place in this first assessment. Therefore, I do not agree with nullifying Ye Xuan’s score. There is absolutely no precedent for such a thing."

"Alright, that’s enough arguing," Chairman Zhu Tianlan of the Celestial Gold Kingdom said coldly after a moment of thought. "I believe we are all clear on the rules set before the competition. Although Ye Xuan’s actions deviate from the assessment’s original purpose, since he used no external treasures, we cannot nullify his score based on our own whims. However, starting from this year’s assembly, this method will be strictly forbidden. If it happens again in the future, the score will not be counted."

Chairman Zhu Tianlan of the Celestial Gold Kingdom had set the tone.

Chairman Zhu Tianlan’s words were final. And so, after the first Soul Power Storm competition, Ye Xuan’s name was ranked firmly in first place.

The stage’s Array was deactivated, and the endless Soul Power assault vanished. Ye Xuan remained cross-legged in meditation for a while longer before finally exhaling a turbid breath and standing up.

This first assessment had been greatly beneficial to his strength. Not only had he glimpsed a profound Array, but he had also used the condensing power of the Soul Power Storm to refine his somewhat unstable Fourth Grade Soul Power. Although his Soul Power grade hadn’t changed at all, its intensity had increased dramatically.

Feeling the stable Fourth Grade Soul Power in his mind, Ye Xuan was secretly amazed. His anticipation for the Floating Light Secret Realm grew even stronger.

Thus, with a high score of two hundred points, Ye Xuan won the championship for the first assessment.

Ranked second was the white-robed youth from Wushang Kingdom, Luan Hong, who was just behind Ye Xuan with one hundred and eighty points.

The aquiline-nosed youth, Ye Fanxing, placed third with one hundred and seventy points.

Following them were Xia Qixi, Zhou Liang, and Bai Qi.

Sixth through tenth place were, respectively: Xuu Zhengqing of Shizhen Kingdom, Ding Lan of Dongsheng Kingdom, He Xuting of Liuyun Kingdom, Chen Jueming of Fire Crow Kingdom, and Xu Bomming of Celestial Gold Kingdom.

As for contestants like Yun Aoxue and Xie Jintang, they were ranked between eleventh and twentieth place.

With the first assessment concluded, the Celestial Gold Kingdom, Dongsheng Kingdom, and Liuyun Kingdom emerged as the biggest winners, each having two contestants in the top ten. Among them, Liuyun Kingdom’s performance was the best; thanks to Ye Xuan’s sudden rise, their score was currently far ahead of the other kingdoms.

Besides Ye Xuan, the crowd was also shocked by the rise of three smaller nations: Mu Zhen Country, Black Forest Kingdom, and Wushang Kingdom. These three nations were relatively obscure within the Thirteen Nations Alliance, but now, with the appearance of Luan Hong and two others, they had streaked across the sky like comets, appearing before everyone’s eyes.