Following the host's announcement, the atmosphere on the arena instantly grew taut with tension.
Each faction formed their own defensive clusters, while independent cultivators banded together with their allies, casting wary glances at one another.
With only fifty spots available for advancement among hundreds of participants, the impending elimination promised nothing short of ruthless competition.
Though the Li family harbored deep animosity toward Gu Qingli, none dared make her their first target—not with her fearsome reputation of having defeated a Martial King.
Moreover, her alliance with Sikong Ran of the City Lord's estate rendered her utterly untouchable.
Yet this stalemate could not last. Sooner or later, the weaker participants would inevitably become prey.
Gu Qingli's group, formidable in both strength and backing, naturally occupied the very center of the arena. But along the vast platform's periphery, skirmishes soon erupted.
A thunderous explosion erupted from the left flank, followed by surges of combat energy. When Gu Qingli turned to look, she witnessed the first clash—bodies already being flung from the platform.
This ignited a chain reaction.
Like sparks to dry tinder, battles erupted across the arena. Cries of pain and furious shouts melded into a cacophony of violence.
Only the central zone remained eerily calm.
Here stood the most powerful contenders, each backed by influential families. None were reckless enough to strike first—though the air itself seemed charged with impending conflict.
But the arena, vast as it was, could not contain the chaos forever. Soon, the turmoil reached even the center.
A streak of pale cyan combat energy hurtled toward a nearby family's formation. Yet their defenses held—a young man at their core swept his hand outward, his deeper emerald glow effortlessly dissolving the attack.
Gu Qingli's brow arched.
The youth appeared eighteen or nineteen, yet her spiritual sense revealed him as an eight-star Great Warrior—a truly formidable cultivation level that placed him among this arena's elite.
"That's He Yutao, the He family's eldest young master—one of Loulan City's six great clans," Gu Qingli whispered to Gu Qingli, noticing her gaze. "He's virtually guaranteed a top placement in this tournament."
Gu Qingli nodded. At eight-star Great Warrior, his strength was undeniable. Even Sikong Ran, were it not for his spirit beast, would struggle against him.
Clad in deep violet robes, He Yutao carried an air of quiet composure.
But the dam had broken.
Attacks now rained upon the central zone from all directions. Those on the periphery knew their only chance lay in disrupting these powerhouses—only amidst chaos could the weak find opportunity.
Thus, even the center's occupants could no longer remain passive observers.
Sikong Ran and Gu Qingche positioned themselves at Gu Qingli's flanks like sentinels—an ironic reversal, given her superior strength. But in such crowds, ambushes lurked everywhere.
As the melee escalated, any unattended combatant became fair game. Bodies tumbled from the platform in relentless succession, while the City Lord's medics hurried to retrieve the injured below.
Even scions of great families began falling now—yet neither Li Ke'er nor Sikong Ran summoned their spirit beasts.
For a Spiritual Illusionist to fight without their contracted beast was to forfeit their greatest advantage. Thus, their entourages became their shields.
Li Ke'er stood encircled by her clansmen, who desperately intercepted incoming attacks.
Time flowed like spilled blood across the stones.
The platform's population dwindled rapidly.
Remarkably, Gu Qingli's group had yet to lift a finger—no one dared directly challenge them.
When the dust settled, three dominant factions remained: Gu Qingli's alliance, Li Ke'er's diminished retinue, and He Yutao's impeccably preserved squad.
Li Ke'er's forces had been halved, her own appearance disheveled, robes and hair ornaments in disarray. Her stormy expression betrayed fury at such undignified treatment.
Two of Sikong Ran's guards had been lost in the fray—though when Gu Qingli moved to assist, he restrained her.
"Conserve your strength," he murmured. "Their purpose was always to clear the path."
He Yutao's group, however, remained virtually untouched. With only five retainers—one lightly wounded—their disciplined formation spoke volumes of their leader's command.
Gu Qingli recognized the bearing of a true strategist in him.
The remaining combatants—mostly scions of Loulan's six great clans—numbered around seventy. Twenty more eliminations were required to conclude this round.
How swiftly hundreds had fallen already.
The survivors reassessed their positions.
Noticing their vulnerability, the remaining independents began coalescing into a forty-strong makeshift alliance.
Thus, the battlefield now divided into four major factions.
All eyes turned calculating.
Consensus swiftly emerged—Li Ke'er's battered contingent appeared the weakest link. Without summoning her spirit beast, the Spiritual Illusionist's combat potential remained shackled.
By contrast, He Yutao's eight-star Great Warrior prowess and Gu Qingli's nine-star supremacy—bolstered by Sikong Ran and Gu Qingche—formed an indomitable core.
Watching the predatory gazes converge upon her faction, Li Ke'er's already ashen face darkened further.
She was no fool. She knew precisely what came next.