The Golden Ranking for the top fifteen of the Myriad Worlds Tournament had now been announced.
Throughout the myriad universes, every powerhouse who saw the leaderboard immediately began discussing it.
"The Skyvault Consortium is far too powerful. They actually occupy five of the fifteen positions!"
"It seems those three or four people will dominate this tournament. There are far too many dark horses this time."
"Who could have imagined that two independent cultivators would directly enter the top ten?"
"That’s right. Many participants who were highly favored during the early stages failed to enter the top fifteen. What a pity."
"Will all fifteen participants still have to fight one another?"
"Surely not. Every one of them is an elite among elites. Any one of them could become a future Sovereign-rank powerhouse of their faction."
"Anyone who does not wish to continue can simply withdraw. Even if they leave now, they will still receive the corresponding top-fifteen reward."
"The rewards for reaching the top fifteen certainly will not be poor."
"The problem is that they have already come this far. One more step means entering the top ten."
"The rewards for the top ten will undoubtedly be far better, won’t they?"
"Who would willingly give up now?"
"If I were one of them, I definitely would not withdraw."
"They have to take the gamble. With enough luck, they might enter the top ten."
"Wouldn’t it be even better to withdraw after reaching the top ten?"
"I hope Oscar of Mount Crys does not encounter John."
"I cannot see through John at all. I only feel that he is extremely dangerous."
"Nonsense. If you could see through him, he would not have risen from the demigod grade to his current position."
"To be honest, even as a High God, I still could not understand what he did."
The numerous powerhouses of the Skyvault Consortium were grinning from ear to ear.
Who could have imagined this outcome?
Originally, the Skyvault Consortium had possessed only three officially recognized supreme prodigies.
The first had been eliminated during the preliminary stage.
The second had fallen during the top-thirty competition.
Only one of those original supreme prodigies had survived.
Yet four extraordinarily powerful participants had suddenly emerged.
In terms of combat strength, they were even more terrifying than many Sovereign-rank powerhouses.
The Skyvault Consortium had unquestionably become the greatest winner of this Myriad Worlds Tournament.
At the very least, one of its members was almost guaranteed to enter the top three.
There was even a possibility that the faction would seize all three of the highest positions among its five remaining contestants.
After witnessing John’s attack, Sovereign Laiser already believed the outcome was practically certain.
"John’s strength is absolutely sufficient to claim first place."
"He is clearly a level above the other participants."
When the Grand Sovereign of Mount Crys saw the top-fifteen ranking, he nearly erupted into curses.
"Oscar of Mount Crys is actually ranked last!"
However, he understood that this leaderboard had been arranged according to the participants’ performances during the top-thirty competition.
It was not determined solely by the original strength of their opponents.
Every aspect of their performance had been included in the evaluation.
As for the exact criteria, even a Grand Sovereign-rank powerhouse could not determine them with certainty.
The will of the universe must have had its reasons for arranging the rankings this way.
Even so, the Grand Sovereign remained unconvinced.
Oscar had not even been given an opportunity to fight.
His opponent, Ina, had surrendered immediately.
Oscar had therefore been unable to demonstrate any of his true strength.
Meanwhile, the Grand Sovereign of the Eternal Divine Palace nodded in satisfaction.
"Both supreme prodigies of the Eternal Divine Palace have survived until this stage. That is already an excellent result."
"Most of the other major factions, including Mount Crys, the Treasure-Rich Mountains, and the Demon King Council, have only a single remaining representative."
"Only the Eternal Divine Palace and the Skyvault Consortium still have multiple participants in the competition."
The Grand Sovereign of the Demon King Council stared at the ranking with an extremely displeased expression.
"Five of the top fifteen participants belong to the Skyvault Consortium."
"Edmund is clearly not weak. Why was he unable to enter the top ten?"
Inside the secret realm prepared for the top-fifteen competition, the voice of the will of the universe continued to resound.
[Before the top-fifteen competition officially begins, every participant has the right to withdraw from the remaining matches.]
[Those who leave now will still receive the corresponding reward for their current ranking.]
[However, once a participant chooses to continue, they will no longer be permitted to surrender during the competition.]
[Even if they die during the following round, they will not receive a ranking reward.]
[Each participant will be given time to make their decision.]
[The competition format for the top-fifteen stage will now be announced.]
[The rules of the top-fifteen competition are as follows:]
[One: Seven participants will be eliminated during this round. Eight advancement positions are available.]
[Two: The will of the universe will randomly generate a great world to serve as the battlefield. All fifteen participants will enter this world.]
[Three: The world will be divided into fifteen interconnected kingdom maps. The highest level of combat power permitted on every map will be that of an ordinary mortal.]
[The strength of every participant will be suppressed by the will of the universe and will be unable to surpass the mortal level.]
[Four: To advance into the top eight, participants must obtain an Overlord’s Token.]
[Each of the fifteen kingdoms possesses one Overlord’s Token.]
[The first eight participants to obtain an Overlord’s Token will successfully advance.]
[The moment eight Overlord’s Tokens have been claimed, the competition will immediately end.]
[Every remaining participant will be eliminated.]
[Five: Before entering the battlefield, participants will make their selections in the order of their rankings.]
[Five categories of privileges will be available.]
[The first privilege allows a participant to freely select their kingdom map.]
[The second privilege allows a participant to select their corresponding wealth and social standing.]
[The third privilege grants an exclusive skill.]
[The fourth privilege grants a unique identity and position.]
[The fifth privilege grants various ordinary companions.]
[The first-ranked participant will possess three selections.]
[Participants ranked second through tenth will possess two selections.]
[Participants ranked eleventh through fifteenth will possess only one selection.]
[Once a selection has been made, it cannot be changed.]
[Six: The fifteen maps correspond to fifteen kingdoms, all of which are entirely populated by NPCs.]
[The Overlord’s Token of each kingdom is held by its king NPC.]
[Defeating the king or conquering the entire kingdom will allow a participant to obtain its Overlord’s Token.]
[There is no fixed time limit for this round.]
[However, any participant killed by a kingdom’s NPCs will be immediately eliminated.]
John listened carefully to the numerous announcements.
He quickly understood the rules.
The top-fifteen competition would not be a straightforward battle between powerful cultivators.
Instead, it would be a comprehensive trial.
It resembled a real-time strategy game focused on management, warfare, and conquest.
The will of the universe would create a great world in which everyone possessed only mortal strength.
This world would contain fifteen kingdoms, corresponding to the fifteen remaining participants.
Each participant could select a kingdom map according to the privileges granted by their ranking.
The kings of those fifteen kingdoms held the items required for advancement—the Overlord’s Tokens.
According to the rules, the maximum level of combat power within this world was restricted to that of mortals.
The cultivations of all fifteen participants would also be suppressed by the will of the universe, reducing them to the same mortal level.
Although the competition had no time limit, the participants could not afford to move slowly.
Only the first eight to obtain an Overlord’s Token would advance.
Anyone who failed to secure one before eight tokens had been claimed would be eliminated.
At the same time, there was another danger.
Even though the competitors were normally High Gods capable of destroying universes, their strength would be reduced to that of ordinary people inside this world.
If one of them was killed by an NPC, they would also be immediately eliminated from the tournament.