In today's world, among the top ten Evolvers, the most likely to win is probably the one known as Fang Qing.
Fang Qing's origins are unknown, but rumor has it that he had a grand opportunity, receiving high-level Evolver inheritance, and cultivating the 'Ancient God' evolution path.
The 'Ancient God' evolution path is a remarkably powerful one and each type of it corresponds to an 'Ancient God' somewhere deep in the starry sky.
In terms of level, the 'Ancient God' evolution path surpasses the sixth tier.
Before Lin Yuan undertook his traversal, the person he was most wary of was also Fang Qing.
With the Taiji Domain, if he went all out, Lin Yuan was confident he could compete with the other eight Evolvers.
But as for Fang Qing, he wasn't so sure.
However, that was before his traversal.
After completing his third traversal, Lin Yuan transformed from the inside out.
His strength reached the fourth tier, ninth level.
In this situation, even though the Martial Path evolution path still doesn't match the potential ceiling of the 'Ancient God' evolution path, the overwhelming difference in realm put them on completely different levels.
Now, Lin Yuan watching the battle videos of the other nine Evolvers felt no interest, let alone pressure.
"Well, I'll be off then."
President Liao noticed Lin Yuan's lack of enthusiasm and immediately excused himself.
"It seems Mr. Lin has no confidence in the upcoming top ten competition," President Liao thought silently as he returned to his room.
This was hardly surprising, considering the caliber of the other nine Evolvers—the 'Thunder God' who could transform into lightning, the lucky one with a 'Falling Star Level' sixth-tier bloodline, and the one cultivating the 'Ancient God' evolution path, Fang Qing.
Such a lineup was extraordinary even in past tournaments.
In the virtual world of Azure Wave Star, in the Central Plaza area, due to the popularity of the tournament, this part felt rather deserted, with most citizens gathering in the Arena District.
At dawn, the Azure Wave Evolution Ranking began updating.
At first, not many paid attention to it, but soon people noticed something strange.
"What the heck, am I seeing things? How did the 'Purple Thunder' evolution path drop to second?"
"Seems like I'm seeing things too."
"My goodness, the Martial Path evolution path climbed to the top?"
In an instant, the Central Plaza was in an uproar.
Countless people were dumbstruck, staring at the word 'Martial' at the top of the evolution ranking.
The Martial Path evolution path was something everyone was familiar with, having risen from outside the top hundred to the top ten in just a year or two.
Initially, everyone thought it would calm down eventually.
After all, the top ten evolution paths on the ranking had all stood the test of hundreds of thousands of years.
Especially the 'Purple Thunder' evolution path, which had been at the top for half a million years.
One of the top contenders for the current tournament, the 'Thunder God,' was cultivating the 'Purple Thunder' evolution path.
But now, the myth of the 'Purple Thunder' evolution path had been broken.
"What on earth is the origin of the Martial Path evolution path, and which great figure developed it?"
"I speculate that this evolution path was deliberately placed on our Azure Wave Star by a great figure from another advanced planet."
"I agree. The rise of the Martial Path evolution path was too abrupt. I have elders working in the Evolvers Association of the Central Continent, and they have never seen anything like the Martial Path evolution path."
People speculated, voicing their theories, ultimately concluding that the Martial Path evolution path was likely introduced by a great figure from another advanced planet.
After all, the creation and perfection of an evolution path require not only the founder but also the participation of many practitioners over time.
For example, countless Evolvers devoted themselves to refining the 'Purple Thunder' evolution path over hundreds of thousands of years.
But the Martial Path evolution path? It emerged abruptly without any warning.
Those who had previously been pushed down the ranking by it felt a strange sense of comfort now that it had reached the top.
When the Martial Path evolution path first appeared, it quickly jumped into the top ninety-three of the evolution ranking.
Consequently, the original ninety-third and subsequent positions were each pushed back.
As it advanced to seventy-eight, those originally at that position and lower were similarly displaced.
By the time it reached the top ten, many more found their evolution paths relegated.
This caused dissatisfaction among many practitioners of these evolution paths.
However, now, seeing the Martial Path evolution path reach the top, they inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction.
In short, it could be summed up as: if everyone moves back, it's like no one moved back.
Thunder Rain Star Domain.
In the virtual world, Loulan He sat cross-legged, recalling Lin Yuan's teachings.
"The Way of Taiji takes the moon and sun as its foundation, transcending all limits..."
The more Loulan He pondered, the more he felt muddled, yet the faint Taiji force left by Lin Yuan inside him gave him some insight.
At that moment, a deep voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Loulan He."
"Father."
Loulan He jumped, quickly standing up and respectfully addressing the presence.
Unlike his gentle mother, Loulan He feared his father more.
His father was not only the sky over the Loulan family but also a powerful figure in the Thunder Rain Star Domain, whose word could determine the fate of hundreds or thousands of life-bearing planets.
"The evolution path you're cultivating now has too low a chance of ascending to the sixth tier. Change to another one."
"A change?" Loulan He was reluctant.
"But father, I really enjoy the Martial Path, and the founder's guidance has been immensely helpful..."
He mustered his courage to protest.
"I said the chance of reaching the sixth tier is only ten percent. Switch to a higher probability one."
Loulan Yu replied impatiently.
Before coming, Loulan Yu naturally reviewed the Martial Path evolution path.
In his eyes, it had its merits, like accommodating the extreme energies of the moon and sun.
But that was about it.
Moreover, it currently only had the first and second chapters available, and despite having sixth-tier potential, it was only ten percent likely to succeed, which was far from sufficient for Loulan Yu.
"Okay then."
"However, the Martial Path evolution path just released its third chapter this morning. I haven't finished understanding it."
Loulan He was somewhat aggrieved, yet he couldn't defy his father's will.
"The third chapter?"
Loulan Yu was caught off guard.
He quickly checked, discovering the newly released contents of the third chapter of the Martial Path evolution path.
He decided to purchase it and swiftly skimmed through its contents.
"What?"
"The third chapter already involves the power of Origin Rules?" "A sixty percent chance of reaching the sixth tier?"
Loulan Yu's expression turned serious.
He glanced at the release times of the first, second, and third chapters of the Martial Path evolution path, noting that each was less than a year apart.
"It might not be impossible to cultivate."
After some contemplation, he gazed at the despondent Loulan He and said, "Since you like this evolution path so much, continue with it."
"Really?" Loulan He’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was the first time he had seen his father change his mind.
As the outside world buzzed over the Martial Path evolution path topping the evolution ranking, Lin Yuan received the two cosmic spiritual items he had purchased: Yin and Yang attribute cosmic treasures valued at twelve billion each.
"So, these are the 'Zhu Fruit' and 'Cold Jade'?" Lin Yuan opened the alloy box, feeling a surge of excitement.
The large box was divided into two levels, the upper level containing a crimson fruit the size of an infant’s fist, radiating intense heat like a miniature fireball.
Lin Yuan understood that this 'Zhu Fruit' was the result of certain rare plants from the depths of the cosmos, categorized by age into hundred-year, thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and hundred-thousand-year Zhu Fruits.
The one Lin Yuan acquired was a hundred-year Zhu Fruit worth seven billion, requiring a fourth-class citizen privilege for an additional purchase.
Carefully setting the Zhu Fruit aside, Lin Yuan turned to the other item in the alloy box—the Cold Jade.
Although not as costly as the Zhu Fruit, it was still a five-billion-value cosmic treasure.
After thoroughly inspecting both treasures to ensure no issues, Lin Yuan began the refining process.
Starting with the Zhu Fruit, Lin Yuan carefully picked it up.
Under the light, he could vaguely see magma-like liquid flowing within the fruit.
"What kind of rare plant could produce such a fruit?" he mused.
Crossing his legs, he slowly began absorbing the energy from the Zhu Fruit.
There are two ways to use a Zhu Fruit: direct consumption, provided the user is at least fourth-tier in strength to withstand the terrifying energy burst upon ingestion.
Below fourth-tier, the only way to refine a Zhu Fruit is through slow absorption like Lin Yuan.
Though he was fourth-tier, ninth-level and could barely manage direct consumption, there was no need for such a risk.
Time passed.
A little over a day later, only a thin layer of peel remained of the Zhu Fruit, its essence fully absorbed by Lin Yuan.
Next was the 'Cold Jade.' Refining the Cold Jade was more relaxing, especially having already absorbed the Zhu Fruit, his strength barely breaking into the fourth tier, making the process much easier.
Half a day later, the whole Cold Jade vanished.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his aura like a black hole, the power of the moon and sun turning into black and white, connecting with the heavens.
"Finally back to the fourth-tier, ninth-level."
Lin Yuan opened his eyes, exhaling slowly.
Deep within his dantian’s Qi sea, the power of the moon and sun formed a Taiji diagram, resembling a miniature galaxy, continually spinning and intertwining.
"The current Taiji Domain should truly be considered a Domain now."
With a flick of thought, Lin Yuan’s Taiji Domain effortlessly covered the entirety of Eastern Peace City.
Moreover, if he was willing, it could expand further.
Domain power is something only fourth and fifth-tier Evolvers can hope to grasp.
However, merely hoping to grasp it isn't sufficient since the majority of fourth and fifth-tier Evolvers fail to master Domains.
This has less to do with combat strength and more to do with individual evolution systems and innate talent.
Take Lin Yuan, for instance.
Founded on the Way of Taiji, perfectly blending the moon and sun, evolving into a Domain.
During the second tier, he already mastered the Taiji Domain, which was the prototype of the Domain.
Other Martial Path Evolvers, even without Lin Yuan’s heaven-defying comprehension, as long as they follow the Martial Path evolution path, mastering the moon and sun to form the Taiji Way, even if they don’t consolidate the Taiji Domain at the second tier, naturally do so by the fourth or fifth tier.
That’s the advantage of the evolution system.
"Back to training."
Having restored his full strength, Lin Yuan delved into training and enlightenment once more.
With his heaven-defying comprehension, Lin Yuan wasn’t just training in traversal worlds but could also do so in the main world.
However, compared to the years, decades, or even centuries spent in traversal worlds, his stay in the main world was short, leading to the misconception that his strength mostly came from traversal realms.
In truth, if Lin Yuan could spend decades or centuries in the main world, he could equally achieve terrifying feats.
As time drew near, the tournament's heat continued to skyrocket.
The global top ten tournament especially captivated the attention of most citizens on Azure Wave Star.
Whether Evolvers or ordinary citizens, everyone wanted to know which Evolver would eventually take the championship.
"In my view, Thunder God has a great chance of winning. His evolution path was originally Azure Wave Star’s number one path, well, now it's the second..."
"Regardless, there's nothing wrong with his evolution method. Thunder God himself has undergone lightning and not perished, able to become lightning itself. Such an ability alone is more than enough..."
A famous 'streamer' began analyzing and releasing videos to prove his point.
"Thunder God is only at the third tier."
"The one with the awakened sixth-tier bloodline, Yang Wei, has the best chance of winning."
"Do you know what a sixth-tier bloodline means? Not only does it have a sixth-tier cap, but even at lower tiers, they can awaken some of the innate abilities within their bloodline. Thunder God, no matter how strong, can't compare to a sixth-tier Falling Star."
A well-known content creator countered and stated his points.
"Ha, what’s Thunder God compared to Fang Qing? Do you understand the weight of the 'Ancient God' evolution path?"
"It's famous even in the Crimson Leviathan Star Domain. If not for so many cultivation constraints, there wouldn’t even be talk about the 'Purple Thunder' method."
"And what about Yang Wei? Just because he awakened a sixth-tier bloodline, what does it matter? With thin bloodline concentration, what talents can he expect to get?"
Another expert in popular science retorted mockingly.
The internet was filled with heated debates, with countless individuals backing their preferred contenders.
Finally, one streamer ranked the ten Evolvers based on supporter tally and popularity.
1. Thunder God
2. Fang Qing
3. Yang Wei
9. Lin Yuan
10. Ruan Du
(The chapter ends here.)