The family clan competitors returned to the foot of Mount Buzhou, and the four directors took their places again at the top of the mountain.

Naturally, the competitors were most focused on the leaderboard.

By now, the scores had been fully tallied.

On the Talent Ranking, Qin Ruqing topped the list with a perfect score across all tests, plus an additional 30 points.

There was no dispute that she was in first place.

Among her additional scores, the first two items were unquestionable.

The additional points she received were well-deserved because the gap between her and the others was too great.

However, the last additional point for Destiny Island drew some questions from the family clan competitors.

They believed that the Destiny Island test should be entirely based on “luck.”

Giving extra points to someone like Rui Fenhua, who had good fortune, was acceptable.

But why did Qin Ruqing, who had such bad luck, receive additional points?

In response, the Destiny Island examiner explained:

“The final test measures luck, acknowledging that luck is also a part of strength. However, this does not mean that luck is everything. For cultivators and the cultivation world, strength is paramount. Qin Ruqing indeed had bad luck, but even when she drew the most difficult challenge, she managed to complete it on time. This proves that her strength can fully compensate for her bad luck.

Moreover, in the final test, additional points are awarded only in two cases: one for drawing the simplest, rarest challenge, and the other for drawing the most difficult one, as Qin Ruqing did.

Thus, receiving these additional ten points is entirely reasonable.”

With this explanation, all doubts were silenced.

The family clan competitors at the foot of Mount Buzhou, seeing Qin Ruqing’s score, had complex expressions but said nothing more.

Following Qin Ruqing was Dan Qing, who was the only other competitor besides her to achieve a perfect score.

However, he did not receive any additional points.

This showed that additional points were not common, and it was unusual for Qin Ruqing to receive them.

In third place was Guangyuan, the Buddha’s disciple.

His performance was steady throughout, showing no signs of stress or pursuit of ranking.

His calm demeanor exemplified the concept of relaxation.

Fourth was Ming Ying.

This beautiful contestant had declared grandly in the Soul Cave that she would secure fourth place and compete for second.

In the end, she managed to keep fourth place but did not reach second.

This highlighted the gap between ideals and reality.

Ming Ying couldn’t say she was disappointed; instead, she was relieved.

She had risen one place from the initial ranking and defeated Fang Zhiming.

This showed her considerable strength, and she was confident that her ranking among the top ten female cultivator in the Four Domains would remain intact—this was her primary concern.

Fifth place was somewhat surprising: Qirong.

After his stunning performance on Sandboat Island, it was known that Qin Ruqing’s brother also had impressive talent and the capability to compete in the top ten.

However, no one expected him to surpass Fang Zhiming, a hot favorite and a member of the gold-rank Fang family from the Eastern Domain.

This meant that the Qin family had secured two spots in the top ten.

Of course, many viewers felt that Fang Zhiming was not inferior to Qi Rong.

Qirong had followed Qin Ruqing during the Soul Cave challenge, and…

He had taken a significant advantage. It was his only perfect score in the test.

However, Fang Zhiming had performed poorly in the Soul Cave, resulting in his score being overtaken by Qi Rong.

The audience believed this ranking confirmed the strength of the top scorer, Qin Ruqing.

She was seen as a typical example of someone who could lead and uplift an entire team—according to the evaluations from the Huicui Tower’s top talents.

The subsequent contestants had somewhat weaker reputations, but one person surprised the audience.

A member from an obscure small family in the South of the Eastern Region managed to secure the tenth spot…

Rui Fenhua. The name sounded familiar.

After some thought, it dawned on them: this was the “chosen one” from Tianyun Island who had drawn the easiest challenge and also received an additional ten points.

She must have made it to the top ten thanks to those extra ten points.

It made sense, considering she was the chosen one with such luck.

With the martial arts track completed, it was time for the specialized tracks: Formation Symbols/Alchemical Path/Artifact Path.

In the first round of these specialized tracks, only the top three were necessary to watch, as each track only had one spot in the top ten.

It was observed that the first and second place in the Formation Symbols and Artifact Path tracks had a huge score gap.

Unless something unexpected happened, these two should secure a top ten position.

They were Shi Hanfei from the Western Region’s Shi family and Tang Zifeng from the Southern Region’s Xiling.

However, in the Alchemical Path, the score gaps among the top three were extremely tight.

First place was Leng Danqing.

Second place was Fang Yuanxin.

Third place was Qin Luwei.

Luwei stood next to Qin Ruqing, looking at her ranking with a somewhat shy smile. “It seems I’m a bit embarrassed; among the three of us, I seem to have the lowest rank.”

Qi Rong tilted her head and said, “Third sister, I’m only in fifth place, so isn’t my rank the lowest?”

“But you’re in the martial arts track. Theoretically, in the final top ten ranking, you only need to be in the top seven to secure a spot. But in the Alchemical Path, I need to be first…”

Qin Ruqing chimed in with a relaxed tone, “This is just the beginning. I’ve been paying attention to the Alchemical Path tests. The first stage tests basic skills, which is fine, but the later stages focus on knowledge, elixirs, and elixir improvements—these require the foundation and support of a family.”

“That Leng Danqing, I heard he comes from a renowned Alchemical family in the Eastern Region. His name even has ‘Dan’ in it, so it’s clear he’s born for this field. It’s normal for Third Sister to be behind him for now.”

“As for Fang Yuanxin… just by looking at his surname, I can tell he’s not a match for Third Sister.”

Qin Ruqing’s initial analysis was logical, but towards the end, she started adding her personal opinions.

Luwei laughed and responded, “After hearing Fifth Sister, I also think I might have a chance at winning.”

On the high platform, Director Feng began announcing the passing line.

Those who understood knew that this line was the so-called “genius line.”

Feng Qinxue made a hand seal, then pointed, sending a golden light into the Golden List.

The list seemed to inflate as if blown by the wind, and the names on it began to flicker.

Suddenly, it was as if someone used a ruler to mark a boundary, then swept it, erasing all names below that boundary.

The Golden List was now half empty.

Originally with around three hundred names, now less than a hundred remained.

The family contestants at the foot of Mount Buzhou erupted in excitement.

The competition had eliminated nearly 70% of the participants! The standard was set so high, it seemed impossible to meet!

Faced with a barrage of questions and doubts, Director Feng responded with a single sentence:

“Before the tournament began, we made it clear that the Hundred Clans Tournament only selects true geniuses. Only true geniuses can stand at the top of Mount Buzhou.”

“The remaining participants on the leaderboard will be guided to designated residences by the Celestial Bureau’s staff. You will have ten days to rest and adjust. After ten days, we will meet you again at the top of Mount Buzhou.”

With that, the four directors vanished, and the once brilliant leaderboard seemed to have settled into silence, leaving only the engraved names as if frozen in time.

Seeing the directors disappear, Qin Ruqing was too exhausted to stay longer. “Let’s go. They even assigned residences in the second round; that’s quite refined.”

Qin Ruqing spoke without much clarity.

“Refined?” Qi Rong said, “I actually think they are too elitist. They didn’t assign residences earlier, but now they do it based on rankings. Isn’t this just using rankings to pick people?”

Upon hearing this, Qin Ruqing smirked but didn’t confirm or deny it.

Tang Zifeng, who was nearby, spoke up, “Assigning residences after the first round results are announced is to protect us. The four directors and other Celestial Bureau’s staff will likely stay with us to ensure the safety of the participants.”

Qi Rong understood, “I didn’t think of that. After the first round, with rankings fixed, it’s possible someone might target the top-ranked geniuses.”

“Actually, what you said isn’t wrong. From a certain perspective, the Celestial Bureau is quite ‘elitist.’ Talent is somewhat subjective, but they emphasize the leaderboard and rankings. Clearly, they want us to care about the rankings and compete accordingly,” Qin Ruqing said.

Qi Rong exclaimed, “So, it sounds like there’s a conspiracy behind it!”

Qin Ruqing observed her surroundings, and casually said, “It might not be a conspiracy. It’s possible they just want to find the true geniuses.”

Luwei, with her keen observation, quickly noticed Qin Ruqing’s wandering gaze. “Xiao Wu, what are you looking at?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

Suddenly, Qin Ruqing’s eyes fixed on a pink figure.

With a purposeful intent, she was about to show a businesslike smile.

However, the head of the family was even more adept at business and immediately waved, leading her two clan members over quickly.

“Fairy Ruqing!” The person Qin Ruqing was looking for was Xiao Fenhua, the head of the Rui family.

Xiao Fenhua displayed a sweet and harmless smile. “Congratulations, Fairy Ruqing, on achieving a perfect score and securing first place on the leaderboard.”

“Well, it’s mutual praise,” Qin Ruqing said, taking Xiao Fenhua’s hand seriously. “Head Rui, could you do me a small favor?”

To be honest, Xiao Fenhua was surprised by Qin Ruqing’s warmth.

Given the persona Qin Ruqing usually portrayed as very aloof, this was unexpected.

“Fairy Ruqing, if you have any requests, please let me know!” Xiao Fenhua said nervously.

Qin Ruqing held Xiao Fenhua’s hand and said earnestly, “Could you say, ‘I wish you good luck’?”

“Ah?”