No one had high hopes for Lin Xuan. Even Elder Lei said, "I think that guy will be the first one eliminated."

The others nodded in agreement. "Exactly. He’s so weak that he’ll be killed instantly if he runs into a one-star Demon Beast."

Hardly had the words been spoken when a glow flashed at the foot of the mountain as someone was teleported out.

"Someone’s been eliminated!" the surrounding spectators cried out in surprise.

Elder Lei laughed heartily. "I told you so. That kid definitely couldn’t make it."

"He’s dreaming of becoming the Newcomer King? What a joke."

"He was the first one out, wasn’t he?"

The other elders also shook their heads and sighed. "That Ning Xue is still defending Lin Xuan. How incredibly foolish!"

But just then, someone exclaimed, "Hey, wait, that’s not right! The one eliminated isn’t Lin Xuan!"

"What?" The elders were stunned. They looked over quickly, their faces filled with astonishment.

Elder Lei was also taken aback. He realized that the person who had been eliminated was indeed not Lin Xuan.

But then again, so what? he thought, snorting coldly. "That kid will be eliminated soon enough. He won’t last a minute."

The others nodded, agreeing with Elder Lei’s judgment.

But a minute passed, then five, then ten.

Many new disciples were eliminated, but Lin Xuan was not among them.

Everyone was astonished. "What’s going on? How has that kid not been eliminated yet?"

"This is unbelievable."

"Could it be? Can he really fight across so many cultivation realms?"

"His combat strength... could it really be equivalent to a two-star Grandmaster?"

The mere thought of this possibility was enough to drive the crowd wild.

Ning Xue said, "I told you all before, Lin Xuan’s strength is beyond your imagination."

Beside her, Lu Jiu also chimed in, "That’s right. Junior Brother Lin’s combat power is immense. He won’t be eliminated."

Lin Xuan had saved them before, and they had witnessed his methods firsthand. He had even managed to drive away a two-star Grandmaster from the Wan Chu Holy Land, which was more than enough to prove how formidable his strength was.

Elder Lei’s expression was terribly grim. Just then, another of his disciples, a young man named Gu Xinghe, spoke up. He snorted coldly, "You’re all overthinking it. If you ask me, that kid must have found a place to hide. That’s the only reason he hasn’t been eliminated."

"As for having the combat power of a two-star Grandmaster, how is that possible?"

"That’s equivalent to fighting across seven cultivation realms! You actually believe something like that?"

"How ridiculous."

"Not even the Saint Heir can fight across seven realms!"

Upon hearing this, everyone had a sudden realization. So that was it; the kid was just hiding somewhere.

Elder Lei also snorted coldly. "That boy is nothing to fear. Just watch. The one who will become the Newcomer King will be my new disciple, Jin Ze."

While the crowd at the foot of the mountain was debating, the great battle on the mountain erupted. Numerous new disciples immediately charged up the mountain path, climbing relentlessly.

Soon, the Demon Beasts on the mountain spotted them.

The beasts charged, and a fierce battle broke out. A few unlucky disciples were instantly besieged by several Demon Beasts and eliminated. Others fought back frantically, while some relied on their speed to dodge and weave through the chaos. In short, the only goal was to reach the summit.

Everyone employed their own methods, but the number of Demon Beasts was far greater than imagined. Few could hope to evade all of them; combat was inevitable.

A sky-shattering roar rang out, accompanied by the howls of Demon Beasts. The Cloud Sea on the mountain churned, obscuring everything from view. The spectators could only see a portion of the mountain’s base and the situation at the summit. As for what was happening on the mountainside, it was completely hidden.

However, the fierce battle at the foot of the mountain was enough to make everyone exclaim in amazement.

"This year’s batch of new disciples is quite strong," someone commented.

"Yes, they’re all performing very well," another agreed, and many others nodded.

Someone else added, "I’ve looked all over but can’t find that Lin Xuan anywhere. He must be hiding."

"I knew it. With his level of strength, how could he possibly withstand the attacks of these Demon Beasts?"

Ning Xue, however, retorted, "What do you mean, hiding? Lin Xuan took the lead. He’s probably already at the very front of the pack."

"Just you watch. It won’t be long before he reaches the summit."

"That’s right," Lu Jiu echoed from the side. "These Demon Beasts won’t even be able to touch the hem of Junior Brother Lin’s clothes."

"Hahaha!" The crowd erupted in laughter.

Gu Xinghe shook his head and said, "Alright, you two can stop bragging. How much did that kid pay you to hype him up so much?"

"We’re telling the truth!" Ning Xue stomped her foot in anger.

Lu Jiu also said seriously, "I’m not bragging."

"Hahaha!" The crowd’s laughter only grew louder.

「On the other side.」

Lin Xuan was leading the charge, his speed incredibly fast. The moment he set foot on the mountain path, he activated his Void Technique, instantly vanishing from sight. With just a few flashes, he arrived directly at the mountainside. The Demon Beasts below never even had a chance to intercept him.

The mountainside was shrouded in the Cloud Sea, so the others couldn’t see him. However, upon arriving, he found that the Demon Beasts here were much stronger.

A two-star Demon Beast charged toward him.

Lin Xuan snorted coldly and threw a punch.

Serpent Fist!

His fist directly blasted the two-star Demon Beast into pieces. A scream rang out as Demon Blood splattered everywhere. The shattered remains of its body littered the ground.

Lin Xuan continued forward.

Just like that, every two-star Demon Beast he encountered was annihilated with a single punch.

Before long, some of the top-tier geniuses among the newcomers also reached the mountainside. Upon their arrival, they gasped at the scene before them. The path was soaked in Demon Blood and littered with the shattered bones of slain beasts.

Judging by the lingering aura, they were two-star Demon Beasts.

"Damn, who was that? They blew a two-star Demon Beast to bits!" one of the newcomer geniuses exclaimed.

"Such ferocious combat power!"

Another newcomer said, "It must have been Jin Ze! Only his physique could possess such formidable power!"

"Is this the power of a Pre-Saint Body? It’s terrifyingly strong."

Many of the newcomers drew in a cold breath, their eyes filled with dread. They swore to themselves that they would never make an enemy of Jin Ze.

「At the foot of the mountain.」

The crowd also heard the wails of the Demon Beasts.

An elder said, "That’s the cry of a two-star Demon Beast. One of them was just killed."

The other newcomers were shocked to hear this. A two-star Demon Beast had already been killed? So quickly? It was unbelievable.

"I wonder who did it."

Gu Xinghe declared, "It must have been Junior Brother Jin Ze! His physique is a Pre-Saint Body, so killing a two-star Demon Beast is effortless for him."

As soon as he said this, the others nodded in agreement. Even the elders nodded continuously, acknowledging the incredible power of Jin Ze’s physique. Judging from the roar and subsequent scream of the two-star Demon Beast, it seemed it was killed instantly.

A Pre-Saint Body was truly heaven-defying.

One of the elders commented, "As long as Jin Ze’s luck isn’t too bad and he doesn’t run into a three-star Demon Beast, he should be the first to reach the summit and become the Newcomer King."

Elder Lei, however, said, "Don’t worry. Even if Jin Ze does encounter a three-star Demon Beast, he can handle it."

"Because I gave him a trump card."

"What?" At these words, the other elders were all surprised.

"What kind of trump card?" they asked, their curiosity piqued.

Elder Lei, however, just gave a mysterious smile. "That’s a secret."

The other elders rolled their eyes. But seeing Elder Lei’s confident expression, they figured the trump card could probably withstand even a three-star Demon Beast.

That meant Jin Ze was definitely going to be the Newcomer King.

「On the mountain.」

Jin Ze’s brows were furrowed tightly. Staring at the Demon Blood and shattered bones on the mountainside, he too was utterly astonished.

Who did this? Someone was able to blast a two-star Demon Beast to pieces... That’s unbelievable. The power behind this attack was immense. Could there really be someone with a Pre-Saint Body hidden among the newcomers? Who is it?