The quarterfinals.

Lin Chen drew the first group and was the first to take the stage.

To make it into the global top 28 were all the best of the best, and in the final competition, those who won two consecutive rounds and entered the top eight were basically at the pinnacle of the Seventh Level, infinitely close to Level 8.

Faced with such strong opponents, Lin Chen no longer hid his strength.

He controlled the Chaos World Suppression Stele with his Divine Sense for offense and used the Linglong Tower for close defense. He also summoned the Taotie Divine Tree, illustrating the Eight-Armed Arhat in mid-air. If it weren’t for the battle taking place in the sky, Zhao Qinggao might have also summoned a group of formidable Stone Men.

Lin Chen’s opponent was dumbfounded by the multitude of attacks in the sky.

You’re handling so many attacks by yourself—can you really manage it all?

If Lin Chen could hear his opponent’s thoughts, he would surely have replied enthusiastically, "You haven’t seen anything yet."

I haven’t even unleashed my thousands of flying swords.

You think I cultivated for nothing?

Despite the barrage of tactics, Lin Chen actually only controlled the Chaos World Suppression Stele. Xi Jie helped control the Linglong Tower, the Taotie Divine Tree automatically attacked opponents marked by his Divine Sense, and the Eight-Armed Arhat operated similarly, so there was no need for individual control.

Even with all these tactics employed, he still couldn’t completely trap his opponent, given the noticeable gap in their power. However, it was enough to fluster his opponent, and all the methods Lin Chen unleashed were indomitable. At most, if my spiritual power is shattered, I’ll just retreat back to Lin Chen’s consciousness sea.

Lin Chen struck twice and, taking advantage of his opponent’s chaos, launched a shock bomb from his shoulder armor, causing his opponent’s brain to lag for a moment. In this instant of pause, Lin Chen struck the decisive blow and settled the outcome.

This battle was won in a clean and efficient manner.

The reason behind using so many techniques was for Lin Chen to preserve his energy. After all, the upcoming battles would only get fiercer. If he exhausted too much and couldn’t recover, the next match would basically be an automatic forfeit.

Lin Chen’s array of tactics thoroughly excited the audience.

These techniques are too dazzling!

As Lin Chen retracted the Taotie Divine Tree, a thought struck him. The Taotie Divine Tree had the ability to devour and evolve. Previously, its power hit a bottleneck because it had already consumed everything it could, and after advancing to the Heaven Deity, he no longer had a use for it.

Now, upon arriving at the Federation, Lin Chen suddenly got an idea. If the Taotie Divine Tree devoured enough Seventh Level or Level 6 Warriors or sufficiently powerful foreign beasts, could it indeed continue to evolve?

It might be worth trying out sometime, but for now, it’s just a competition where victory or defeat is the only concern. You can’t just go around devouring opponents.

The second match was Zhuang Liqun’s.

After a day’s recovery, Zhuang Liqun was much better, but it was still obvious that he wasn’t in peak form. Clearly, even with the most advanced technological equipment, a day wasn’t enough for a full recovery.

This was one of the reasons why Lin Chen went all out today. Seeing Zhuang Liqun, he estimated that Zhuang Liqun would probably lose today.

As expected, when Zhuang Liqun took to the stage, though he fought desperately, his opponent was clearly in much better condition, and he lost the match without suspense.

Zhuang Liqun flew back to the waiting area and said with a bitter smile, "I did my best, but there’s nothing more I can do."

Lin Chen consoled, "You weren’t lucky yesterday and had to use your finishing move, so it’s normal not to recover today. Don’t feel too down."

Zhuang Liqun laughed, "I’m not down. I used to bear the name of being the best in Jinghai City, which was a big pressure. If I didn’t achieve good results, it would bring shame upon Jinghai City. Now, making it to the top eight is barely completing the task, and more importantly, you guys are still in the running, so I’m not worried at all."

"The task of defending Jinghai City’s honor is up to you all now, and I’ll just take a break."

Yao Xuanji smiled, "This task should definitely be left to him. Let him strive for first place; I’m not even sure if I can make it to the top four."

Having fought so many battles with the others, Lin Chen roughly understood everyone’s levels, and his confidence surged as he said with a smile, "Just go out there and do your best. If it doesn’t work out, just admit defeat, and it’d be fine."

Yao Xuanji nodded, "Don’t worry, I have no pressure at all."

Lin Chen laughed heartily, "Really now, when we first joined this tournament, wasn’t it to just get some exposure and show our presence? Now that we’ve already completed our goal, every step further is a new achievement."

Soon, the third match ended, and it was Yao Xuanji’s turn.

Once Yao Xuanji took the stage, she unleashed various tactics, throwing magic artifacts everywhere.

To Lin Chen’s surprise, Yao Xuanji managed to narrowly win!

The battle lasted a long time, and Yao Xuanji was utterly exhausted, her face pale as she came down.

If her opponent had been a bit more persistent and held on a bit longer, she might have lost.

With this, the third round of the quarterfinals ended, and Lin Chen and Yao Xuanji made it into the top four.

Mo Shuyan was thrilled, not only because they advanced but also due to Lin Chen’s extraordinarily dominant performance in the previous match.

He defeated his opponent with such ease; he seems highly likely to clinch the title.

In the afternoon, the semifinals, the final four matches commenced.

Due to the unwritten rules of drawing lots, Lin Chen and Yao Xuanji, being from the same city, would draw opponents from other groups, meaning they wouldn’t face each other.

Yao Xuanji drew the first group. As the match began, Yao Xuanji quickly fell behind, yet she didn’t immediately concede. Instead, she used all her strategies to deplete her opponent’s strength as much as possible.

She wasn’t trying to win but believed that Lin Chen would ultimately defeat the opponent in the finals. If she could deplete her current opponent’s strength, Lin Chen’s chances of victory would increase.

Lin Chen naturally discerned Yao Xuanji’s intentions and frowned.

Zhuang Liqun sighed lightly, "She’s willing to give up making it to the top three in order to help you exhaust the opponent a bit more."

Lin Chen responded with a hum, having made up his mind to not only defeat his opponent in his upcoming match but to also try to injure them severely.

Only if his opponent’s combat abilities significantly decreased or were injured to the point that they couldn’t recover overnight, would Yao Xuanji have a shot in the match the next day.

This afternoon features the two semifinal matches; tomorrow morning will also have two matches—the losers will contend for third place, and the winners will battle for first.

Yao Xuanji struggled for a long time but eventually couldn’t hold on any longer and had to concede.

Returning to the waiting area, Yao Xuanji shrugged her shoulders, "I did my best, couldn’t stand it anymore."

Lin Chen laughed, "You’ve worked hard, get some rest, and watch me get you a third-place title!"

A smile crossed Yao Xuanji’s face, "Third or fourth, it’s more or less the same. Just conserve your strength and aim for victory."

Lin Chen chuckled, "They’re not the same; the third-place rewards are abundant, while the fourth is merely a consolation prize. You’ve tried so hard, so I must give it a shot too..."