Jiang Chen’s team took first ce by an undeniable margin.


    ording to the rules, Jiang Chen would receive an additional fifty points as the team captain, and Wu You and Gan Ning thirty and twenty points respectively.


    In addition, every orb counted as a point. Jiang Chen had 226 orbs. When the fifty bonus points were added to it, his score after the first round was a staggering 276 points.


    That was vastly more than what the organizers had expected. Never in their wildest dreams had they anticipated that the orbs would be so concentrated. Jiang Chen had acquired more than a third of the total orbs avable!


    Meanwhile, Lu Mingye had gotten more than a hundred himself. With the bonus for the captain of the second-ce team ranked, Lu Mingye’s total score was 150, which put him at second ce in individual ranking.


    But his score was only roughly half of Jiang Chen’s.


    The rest of the contestants were much more clustered together. The ck horses were Wu You and Gan Ning. They weren’t one of the best geniuses by far, but their score was among the top.


    The first round ended with Jiang Chen possessing an absolute advantage and overwhelming lead.


    Those who considered Jiang Chen their mainpetition were vastly behind him in points. Most incredulously, Shi Qinglu, the mysterious genius every youth idolized, ended the first round with an eye-popping poor performance.


    Nevertheless, it was only the first round. Nothing more than a warm-up, so to speak.


    The next round began without giving the candidates any time to rest. The main part of the grandpetition was tomence.


    “Sandin Ind has always been the most highly restricted location under the ten sacrednds’ rule. Around Sandin are ten forbidden inds. The second part of the grandpetition will be held on the ten inds.


    “There is a mission on every ind. Completing the mission on the first ind gives you ten points. The second ind gives you twenty. The third ind gives you thirty. Following that pattern, the ten ind gives you a hundred points. The points will umte. In other words, if youplete the missions on all ten inds, you’ll get five hundred and fifty points in total.


    “This is a test of individual strength. We again offer additional rewards for the top three contestants. First ces an additional a hundred points. Second ce gains fifty. Third ce receives twenty.


    “The sum of your points from the two rounds of thepetition is your total score, which will determine your ranking.”


    The second round gave many more points inparison. Those who hadn’t done well during the first round perked up. This was their opportunity to turn the tide!


    If they stood out in the second round, they could make up for their low score from the first.


    “What if many geniuses pass the trials of all ten inds?” someone asked. “How will the ranking be decided then?”


    “Simple enough. If more than one contestant passes the same number of inds, they’ll be ranked ording to the time it takes them toplete the missions.”


    No one had any objections to the ranking method. Lu Mingye was itching to spring into action. His goal had been to nab first ce in the first round, but that damned Jiang Chen had overtaken him instead! Thankfully, he had a very good chance ofing back in the second round as long as he did well.


    Personal strength was all that mattered in this part of thepetition. It was no longer about teamwork, which would pose a challenge to Wu You and Gan Ning.


    Gan Ning, especially, would have a difficult time. Nheless, he wasn’t too concerned. He knew he was one of the weakest among the sixty geniuses. He didn’t have anything to lose even if he did terribly in the next round.


    “Alright, make your preparations, candidates. Tomorrow morning will be the start of the second round. You’ll enter the first ind at different times and locations. Remember, every ind has a time limit. If you fail toplete the mission within the time limit, it counts as a failure and your elimination. You’ll all be given a jade slip for keeping time, which will also disy the mission on every ind.”


    After an exnation of the rules, some geniuses were excited, while others had a grave look on their face. Many of them still wanted to win.


    Jiang Chen wasn’t too concerned. Even if he hadn’t done that well in the first part of thepetition, it wouldn’t have affected his mindset at all.


    “All of you, look sharp!” encouraged Ziju Min. “We aren’t demanding you to get a good score, but at least do your best. Show us your true ability.”


    In contrast, the first prime turned to Jiang Chen expectantly. “This seat has high hopes for you. You must take the crown. Don’t let anyone from Flora win.”


    Jiang Chen smiled. “I’ll try my best.”


    That reassured the first prime. She believed not even the two top geniuses of Flora would be able to threaten Jiang Chen, given his superior abilities.


    Obviously, Lu Mingye didn’t agree yet. He was wholeheartedly focused on winning and using this opportunity to rise up in the world. This would have an incalcble effect on his future.


    It’d be so perfect if he could defeat Jiang Chen and rise to the top.


    The next morning, all the geniuses were ready to face the second round in their best condition.


    They each received a jade slip; Jiang Chen considered his curiously.


    “Ready yourselves! You’re entering the first forbidden ind. Now, a word of advice. The inds are dangerous and each is more dangerous than the previous. Take on the challenges at your own discretion.”


    In other words, they might get hurt, or even worse.


    Jiang Chen smiled. He didn’t ignore the warning, but he wasn’t going to overthink it. There was a confidence in his calmposure.


    He was soon deployed to the first forbidden ind - the Ind of Fog, ording to the jade slip.


    As the name suggested, the ind was enveloped in thick, boundless fog. Jiang Chen was to find the Door of Silver Chains. Once he did, he’d havepleted the first challenge.