The night the preliminaries ended, the World Center City official website announced the tournament bracket.
The seven human countries immediately spotted the name 'Jing Ming.'
"Lord Jing Ming has participated in the Myriad Species Tournament again after 5,000 years!"
"It's been five millennia. Apart from Lord Jing Ming, no other human warrior has reached the apex. At the end of the day, we still have to bank on Lord Jing Ming."
"Lord Jing Ming, who's over 5,000 years old, is already very advanced in his years. No matter how he fares in this tournament, I'll still admire and respect him. Just standing at the apex again is already an unparalleled feat."
"I'm touched to actually witness Lord Jing Ming in the Myriad Species Tournament in my lifetime."
"Even if Lord Jing Ming is eliminated in the first round, he'll still be the greatest warrior in my heart."
Countless humans were pumped. After all, no human warrior had entered the main event for several tournaments running.
While they enjoyed watching the tournament, the passion of the seven human countries became ten or a hundred times more intense when human warriors stepped into the arena. Countless people were so stoked that they shed tears!
"My father, grandfather, great grandfather… My ancestor from more than 5,000 years ago was Lord Jing Ming's fan. Our family has been his fans for generations!"
"Lord Jing Ming, I love you!"
Countless people celebrated wildly. They even stampeded to the Jing family headquarters to celebrate.
There were too many revelers, so the Jing family could only help keep order.
"Our ancestor is participating." The Jing family members were proud and antsy. They also worried their ancestor would bite the dust in the Myriad Species Tournament. After all, the glory of the Jing family hinged on their ancestor.
"He's already so old; why would he join in the tournament?" Many Jing family members were perplexed.
…
Amid the anticipation of all species, the Myriad Species Tournament finally kicked off officially.
At this moment, over 100 million spectators packed the arena floating 108,000 meters in the sky. Cheers swept the venue like a tsunami.
In the contestant room.
Xu Jingming stood alone in his private room, surveying the surroundings. He still clearly remembered his parents, younger siblings, assistant Ni Yun, bodyguards and servants gathered here 5,000 years ago. They had cheered for his battle amid their anxiety.
It's my destiny and also a curse for me to be here in the Myriad Species World, and I have to transcend this curse. Xu Jingming's eyes were calm, his will unshakable.
At this moment, the matches in the arena were underway.
The powerhouses clashed in pairs in the main event. The winner advanced, and the loser was eliminated.
"Next is the 35th match of the first round of the Myriad Species Tournament. Jing Ming from the human race will fight Qiyu from the Giant Celestials," the host, Panqiu, bellowed.
"Lord Jing Ming."
"Jing Ming."
"Lord Jing Ming will definitely win."
Countless people from the seven human countries and the human audience present shouted Xu Jingming's name. They eagerly anticipated the greatest human warrior's appearance.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures appeared in the arena.
Giant Celestial Qiyu towered at 37 meters. Xu Jingming was much smaller, but after the first few tournaments, the audience no longer dared underestimate the weaker species, especially the contestants in this tournament. Nearly 60% of them hailed from the weaker species.
It's him? Xu Jingming recognized the other party.
Back when he went to the registration point for the first competition, he had encountered two Giant Celestials. The opponent before him was one of the two Giant Celestials back then.
Giant Celestial Qiyu also had a high-dimensional lifeform clone in the outside world. His memory was extraordinary, and he clearly remembered the scene back then.
I couldn't enter the main event in the first competition, but with my Giant Celestial talent, I finally entered the main event in the fifth tournament. And I did so again for the sixth tournament. Qiyu wasn't willing to give up.
He didn't want to die. He wanted to survive this curse and leave the Myriad Species World alive.
It's getting harder and harder for me to level up, but these weaker species have risen one after another. Qiyu's eyes turned cold. However, defeating me depends on whether you have the strength.
Boom!
The Giant Celestial, Qi Yu, turned into a blur and stomped down with his huge foot.
Whoosh.
Xu Jingming moved extremely agilely, like a crane spreading its wings.
Bang!
At a speed exceeding 300,000 meters per second, Xu Jingming was like a stream of light as he kicked Qiyu's chest.
The Giant Celestial's eyes immediately bulged as he clutched his chest in pain.
"I admit defeat," Qiyu shouted with difficulty.
"Thank you," the Giant Celestial said to Xu Jingming.
He knew very well that if this human powerhouse hadn't kicked him in the chest but in the head, his skull would probably have been crushed, and he would've been dead.
Xu Jingming had indeed shown mercy.
Since he could easily win, why did he have to kill? High-dimensional lifeforms who couldn't leave the Myriad Species World were miserable enough as it was. Why did he have to rub salt into their wounds?
"The Human, Xu Jingming, wins!" Panqiu shouted ecstatically. "Xu Jingming defeats the Giant Celestial Qiyu in one blow!"
On the livestream, Xu Jingming's terrifying kick replayed on loop.
Just one kick!
A Giant Celestial powerhouse admitted defeat in agony.
"Is Lord Jing Ming really that strong?"
"Wh—"
Countless people from the seven human countries found it unbelievable. They were already elated that Lord Jing Ming had entered the arena, but he defeated his first opponent in one hit? This caught them off guard.
"Oh my god!"
"Does Lord Jing Ming stand a chance of coming in first?"
"I think everyone should calm down and not burden Lord Jing Ming with unrealistic expectations. No matter how many rounds Lord Jing Ming can advance to or what rank he achieves, we should always support him."
"We will always stand by Lord Jing Ming."
…
The Myriad Species Tournament proceeded on.
The seven human countries were stunned repeatedly. Their greatest warrior, Lord Jing Ming, crushed opponents one after another in an unstoppable fashion.
Powerhouses such as the Giant Celestials, the Five-Colored Dragons, the Sea Tigers, and the Dwarves—all kinds of formidable opponents were demolished before Xu Jingming. None of the opponents survived more than ten seconds, and Xu Jingming received a bye for one round.
After five rounds of the competition, Xu Jingming formally entered the top ten!
******
"The sixth round of this tournament will proceed today. The top five will be selected from the ten powerhouses." Panqiu's voice reverberated throughout the arena and was also heard by the audience through the live stream.
"There will be a total of five matches, and every match will be extremely thrilling."
Panqiu proclaimed, "The first match will be between Jing Ming from the Humans and Benoen from the Demon Rats."
The spectators cheered, especially the Humans and Demon Rats.
The Demon Rats were typically under half a meter tall and relatively small. All of them stood in their seats and bounced up and down as they cheered.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures appeared in the arena.
Xu Jingming's expression turned much graver as he gazed at the short creature standing thousands of meters away—the Demon Rat powerhouse, Benoen.
I've finally encountered a tiny opponent. Xu Jingming didn't dare be careless at all. Although the Dwarf he encountered in the last round was shorter than him, the two parties were relatively close in size.
He's only about half a meter tall, about the height of my knees. To be able to enter the top ten at such a small size, his body's toughness is probably above mine. Xu Jingming observed his opponent.
Human Jing Ming. Demon Rat Benoen didn't dare be careless either. He entered the second round of the main competition at the inaugural tournament. He breezed through this tournament and has never been forced to reveal his true strength.
That's ideal, I can let this Human Jing Ming verify the results of my 5,000-year cultivation. Benoen moved.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two of them turned into two afterimages and instantly clashed.
"Wow."
"They're already exceeding 400,000 meters per second."
"To think they can maintain speeds over 400,000 meters per second in an arena only ten kilometers wide. Whether speed or agility, those two are insanely dangerous."
The slow-motion replay showed the fight clearly.
Xu Jingming moved like a ghost, each movement terrifying. Some strikes had immense penetrating power, some had shockwaves that could level buildings, some could slice through anything.
After ten seconds of fighting, Xu Jingming stopped.
The Demon Rat superhuman stopped as well, staring at Xu Jingming.
This Demon Rat's body is too tough. Xu Jingming scrutinized his opponent.
Thick fur covered the Demon Rat's body, forming spikes of its own. The dense fur negated most of the force from Xu Jingming's strikes.
I have to prevent him from deflecting the impact. Xu Jingming's muscles bulged as he grew to over eight feet tall, becoming far more muscular.
He had relied on this state to clear the first round of the first tournament years ago.
Gigantification? The Demon Rat superhuman, Benoen, grew wary. So what if you get bigger? Even if you're stronger and faster than me, you can't do anything. As for mental attacks? Your mind powers can't affect me either.
Any strike on the Demon Rats would transmit to their bodies through the deflective force of their fur. The Demon Rats would fly like bullets, their strength dissipating, but the actual damage to their bodies was only a fraction.
The Demon Rat powerhouse was also at the half-step third realm in the outside world, with extraordinary mental strength.
Boom!
Xu Jingming attacked again. His speed advantage prevented escape, and running was beneath him, so the Demon Rat met him head-on.
Bang!!!
Demon Bear Heaven Cleave—Heaven Cleave!!! Xu Jingming struck with terrifying strength. Though the Demon Rat narrowly dodged, the palm caught his shoulders, slamming him into the ground.
The arena floor was indestructible, undamaged after countless tournaments.
Now, that palm strike drove the Demon Rat into the floor. The impact raging through his body left him reeling.
There's no escaping the ground's force. The Demon Rat powerhouse panicked.
Xu Jingming had used Demon Bear Heaven Cleave before. After one strike, he needed time to accumulate power for the next back then.
5,000 years of cultivation had matured his Heart Divine Weapon. Xu Jingming struck repeatedly with no pause.
His palms were sledgehammers pounding the Demon Rat into the floor.
Each strike was hard to deflect, transmitting a terrifying force within the Demon Rat. The intense vibrations rattled his brain and shook his blood, tendons, and bones.
Three strikes left the Demon Rat writhing in agony, blood from his mouth, nose, and ears.
"I admit defeat," the Demon Rat powerhouse shouted.
Xu Jingming stopped.
This body is really sturdy. Xu Jingming eyed the Demon Rat superhuman and sighed. I have to win this year's tournament. In the future, these creatures will be tough to beat. No matter how I hit them, they won't die.
If that continued, I'd have died. There's still a huge gap between me and Human Jing Ming. The Demon Rat powerhouse knew his limits.
"Today's first round is over. Human Jing Ming is the first to advance to the top five." Panqiu's voice echoed in the spectators' ears.
