Almost everyone who made it into the top ten was at the 4th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. These elixirs were exactly what they needed.
Unfortunately, even if one secured sixth place, they would only receive two hundred and ten mid-grade Demon Spirit Pills. Such an amount was far from enough to break through to the 6th Layer.
Whether in a Three-Star Main Town or a full-fledged city, resources for the Demon Spirit Realm were always in short supply. This scarcity in cities was entirely due to the sheer number of clan members. With over a hundred thousand people in the Gongsun family, no amount of resources would ever be enough to go around.
Next, the defeated participants fought among themselves. Ye Xuan had little interest in such battles. An hour later, all matches concluded.
Then came the struggle for the top five. The five victors would now battle to determine their exact rankings.
"Disciples who made it into the top five, come up and draw lots," Gongsun Wenjin said as he took the bamboo cylinder from Gongsun Qingyue’s hands. "The rules are the same as before. Out of the five bamboo slips, one is blank. If you draw the blank slip, congratulations, you advance directly to the top three. Sometimes, luck is also a form of strength. I will personally oversee this round of drawing."
Previously, he could turn a blind eye to Gongsun Qingyue tampering with the lots, but the battles for the top five had to be absolutely fair and just. Whoever wanted the blank slip would have to rely purely on luck.
"Who will go first?" Gongsun Wenjin asked.
"I’ll do it." Gongsun Po was the first to step onto the stage.
Logically speaking, the first person to draw had the lowest chance of getting the blank slip—only a one-in-five probability. However, if he failed, the next person’s chances would increase to one-in-four. As the eldest brother, coupled with supreme confidence in his formidable skills, Gongsun Po boldly chose to go first.
"Don’t let it be a blank slip, don’t let it be a blank slip. Hocus pocus," Gongsun Yan muttered a spell from the side as Gongsun Po reached for his lot.
Perhaps her spell actually worked, because Gongsun Po drew slip number one.
"Who’s next?" Gongsun Wenjin asked again.
The remaining participants exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward.
Since they weren’t moving, Ye Xuan naturally stayed put as well.
It would save him a lot of trouble if he drew the blank slip. His only goal was reaching the top three. He could skip all the subsequent battles and just forfeit directly.
Although he didn’t know the exact rewards for the top three, he assumed they were also Demon Spirit Pills, just in greater quantities. It wasn’t that Ye Xuan didn’t need Demon Spirit Pills; rather, he had no use for mid-grade ones.
Although the Ye family members needed them, their cultivation levels were still too weak. For them to raise their cultivation to the Demon Spirit Realm, it would take a few months at the shortest, and up to half a year or longer at the most.
After all, not everyone was as insanely aggressive in clearing their Hidden Veins as he was. When attempting to break through the entry points of a Hidden Vein, almost all cultivators would opt for a steady, incremental approach, like constant dripping wearing away stone, rather than trying to force it open in one single, explosive surge like he did.
"Are you all that scared? Then I’ll go. I’m your elder, anyway." Gongsun Yan shrugged and was the second to walk up.
Those who drew lots early at a time like this were truly confident in their own strength.
"If I draw the blank slip, you can all go cry about it," Gongsun Yan chuckled. Though she wasn’t conventionally beautiful, her short hair gave her a heroic air. With that, she reached her hand into the bamboo cylinder.
"Let me draw the blank slip, hocus pocus!" Chanting her spell once more, Gongsun Yan picked out a bamboo slip.
Upon pulling it out, she saw the character for "two" written on it.
"Slip number two. It’s not blank..." she said, a little disappointed.
"Aunt Thirteen got number two..." someone murmured in the crowd. "That means, unless someone draws the blank slip next, they are guaranteed to face either Aunt Thirteen or Cousin Gongsun Po."
"You can tell they’re under a lot of pressure."
At this moment, the remaining three people, including Ye Xuan, all felt the pressure. This was especially true for Ye Xuan. If he ended up fighting Gongsun Po, he really wasn’t confident he could win. He would have much better odds if he went up against Gongsun Yan.
The only way to easily secure a spot in the top three was by drawing the blank slip. With three slips left, there was a one-in-three chance. It wasn’t particularly high, but it wasn’t low either. At this point, anyone could draw the blank slip.
Suddenly, Gongsun Hao’s eyes hardened. Just as he prepared to step forward, Gongsun Pojun beat him to it and was already standing beside Gongsun Wenjin. Clearly, he wanted to take the initiative into his own hands.
A one-in-three chance was already quite significant. Gongsun Pojun selected the bamboo slip right in the middle, roaring repeatedly in his heart, "Blank slip, it has to be the blank slip!"
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The character "two" was clearly written on the bamboo slip.
"Number two? Nephew Pojun, it seems your opponent is me. Don’t worry, Aunt Thirteen will go easy on you," Gongsun Yan said with a smile, quite confident in her own strength.
Gongsun Pojun smiled bitterly, then replied seriously, "Aunt Thirteen, you’d better not underestimate me. Otherwise, even if your cultivation is one layer higher than mine, you might still lose to me."
"Is that so?" Gongsun Yan chuckled, leaving it at that.
At this point, Gongsun Hao and Ye Xuan had already begun to vie for position.
Since Gongsun Pojun hadn’t drawn the blank slip, it meant one of the two remaining bamboo slips was definitely the blank one. Neither Gongsun Hao nor Ye Xuan wanted to surrender the right of first choice to the other.
Unfortunately, Ye Xuan was too slow. Since he wasn’t using his full strength, he was naturally no faster than Gongsun Hao. Gongsun Hao beat him to the punch, placing his hand on the left bamboo slip. At this moment, he felt a bit nervous.
With two bamboo slips left, if he didn’t draw the blank one, it meant he would have to fight Gongsun Po. He certainly didn’t consider himself a match for Gongsun Po. There was a gap of two whole layers between them! Moreover, rumors were flying that Gongsun Po had already mastered a high-tier Ghost-rank Martial Technique.
"A blank slip, it has to be the blank slip!" Heart pounding with anxiety, Gongsun Hao slowly pulled out the bamboo slip.
There were no characters on the exposed part of the slip just yet. His heart was racing. THUMP THUMP THUMP. Still no characters! And still no characters.
Hahaha! Was he the chosen one? A spot in the top three was securely in his grasp!
Just as Gongsun Hao was about to burst into laughter, a touch of red appeared on the slip. His smile froze instantly before it could even fully bloom.
It turned out the slip wasn’t blank after all; the character had simply been written a bit further down. The number "one" was glaringly clear.
"Slip number one. It seems your luck isn’t so great," Ye Xuan’s teasing voice rang out. As he spoke, he looked over at Gongsun Yan and the others. "There’s no need for me to draw the last slip, is there?"
"No need," Gongsun Yan said with a smile. "You’re quite lucky. You didn’t even draw, yet the blank slip was left for you. Hehehe."
Gongsun Hao, however, gritted his teeth and declared, "No, I have to see it for myself no matter what."
With that, he pulled out the bamboo slip on the right. Sure enough, the right slip had no writing on it whatsoever.
Gongsun Hao was devastated. Why had he chosen the left bamboo slip just now? Why hadn’t he picked the right one? If he had chosen the right side, he would have placed third at the very least. But in this world, luck was just that unpredictable. If one constantly obsessed over bad luck, they would certainly die of frustration.
"Alright, the drawing is over. Ye Xuan drew the blank slip and successfully advances to the top three," Gongsun Wenjin’s flat voice echoed.