The next day.
As the sun rose over the horizon, a new day began.
Today was the day to decide the final four.
Even those who had already been eliminated still had a chance: if they were dissatisfied with any of the current top four, they could issue a challenge.
If they won, they would replace that person in the final four.
On the dueling platform.
Elder Hun Dun looked over the remaining twenty-five participants with a satisfied nod.
He waved his hand, and in each of the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—a small floating platform, each one square meter in size, materialized in the air above the main stage.
These platforms hovered, elevated above the arena.
Hun Dun spoke:
"See those four platforms?""Those are the four positions for today's finalists.""Use your strength. Whoever is still standing on one by nightfall will become one of the final four."
Whoosh!
Before Hun Dun's words had even finished echoing, Hun Xiu soared toward the eastern platform, landing gracefully upon it.
Seeing Hun Xiu take the initiative, the crowd was momentarily stunned—but only for a second.
The remaining twenty-four competitors quickly moved, each rushing toward one of the remaining platforms.
No one dared to challenge Hun Xiu.
No one had the guts to try.
Hun Feng landed on the western platform.Given his strength, the others tacitly accepted him as one of the final four as well.
That left the southern and northern platforms, which sparked fierce competition.
Hun Huan'er secured the southern platform, while Hun Fengxin claimed the northern one—but they weren't left in peace.
Multiple challengers targeted them immediately.
Why?Because compared to Hun Xiu and Hun Feng, these two were considered the "softer persimmons"—the easier targets to squeeze.
If you wanted to earn your spot in the final four, you had to take it—and these two seemed like the best chances.
After all, being in the top four meant gaining access to rare cultivation resources—far beyond what ordinary clan members could obtain.
In the Hun Clan, only those with extraordinary Dou Emperor bloodlines or those who proved themselves could earn such treasures.
The clan tournament was the perfect chance to prove one's worth.
Even if you didn't make it into the top four, being in the top ten could still earn you generous rewards.
But…
Who wouldn't want to climb higher?Given the opportunity, anyone would try to rise—so long as it didn't mean throwing themselves into a hopeless fight.
By noon.
Though Hun Huan'er and Hun Fengxin managed to hold their positions and defeat all challengers, the price was steep.
Their Dou Qi was heavily depleted, and fatigue had clearly set in.
Hun Huan'er was lucky—she only had to deal with three challengers.
But Hun Fengxin?He was the unluckiest of them all.
Despite only being a Seven-Star Dou King, he had to fend off eighteen challengers.
One by one, he defeated them all—but at the cost of nearly all his Dou Qi.
He had less than ten percent left in his body.
And this was just the beginning.
Next would come the challenges from those already eliminated.
Looking at the looming threat of incoming battles, Hun Fengxin couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He knew that holding onto his spot in the top four was next to impossible.
Especially since Hun Yu—a major threat—was among those previously eliminated.
If Hun Yu came for his spot, all he could do was surrender it.
As twenty-one participants lay defeated, Elder Hun Dun spoke calmly:
"One-hour rest. Use this time to recover your Dou Qi."
"Next will be the challenge round from previously eliminated contestants. Winners claim the final four spots. Losers… are truly out."
"Understood?"
"Understood." ×4
The four on the platforms sat cross-legged and began recovering their strength.
Among them, the one who needed rest the most was Hun Fengxin.
For Hun Xiu and Hun Feng, who had barely spent any Dou Qi at all, this hour was completely unnecessary.
While the others meditated to recover, Hun Xiu and the rest simply closed their eyes to rest.
Even when the hour passed, they remained calm and confident.
They believed—no one would be foolish enough to challenge them.
Meanwhile, in the square below…
All the previously eliminated young elites had gathered.
They all acknowledged the strength of Hun Xiu, Hun Feng, and even Hun Huan'er.
But Hun Fengxin?That one they couldn't accept.
A mere Seven-Star Dou King holding a top-four spot? That had to be a joke.
If not for a stroke of luck, how could he be standing up there now?
But luck always runs out.
Real strength is what counts.
At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to the black-robed figure—Hun Yu.
To them, he was the one most worthy of claiming the fourth spot.
Hun Yu noticed their gazes.He calmly summoned his Dou Wings and rose into the air, flying steadily toward the sky-floating dueling platform.
He landed slowly, scanning over the four finalists:
Hun Xiu…Hun Feng…Hun Huan'er…And finally—Hun Fengxin.
His eyes settled on the last.
Then he spoke:
"Hun Fengxin, will you step down yourself, or shall I come and remove you?"
Hun Fengxin looked at Hun Yu's dominant presence and smiled bitterly.
"I'll go on my own. No need to trouble you."
With that—
He leapt off the platform.
Hun Fengxin understood well: as a Seven-Star Dou King, he had no chance against a Five-Star Dou Emperor like Hun Yu.
The fact that he'd been able to sit among the top four for half a day was, in his eyes, already a stroke of great fortune.
It had been all luck.
Because honestly, with his strength, he had no business being there.
But now that Hun Yu had arrived, he knew the seat rightfully belonged to him.
So he gave it up.
Still…
Hun Fengxin wasn't discouraged.
He would work harder.He would grow stronger in secret.And one day, he would return to shock them all.
That was the vow in his heart.
Back on the platform, Hun Yu looked down at him and said coldly:
"At least you know your place."
"Is that so?" Hun Fengxin gave a weak smile, then turned and left.
He disappeared into the crowd, blending in and vanishing from sight.
Hun Yu didn't care.
He had gotten what he wanted: a place in the top four.
In his eyes, no one else in the younger generation of the Hun Clan was more qualified than him to hold this position.
Hun Yu then sat cross-legged on the platform and waited for any potential challengers.
Time ticked by.
But no one came forward.
No one dared.
Because in everyone's eyes, these four—Hun Xiu, Hun Feng, Hun Huan'er, and Hun Yu—were the true pillars of the Hun Clan's younger generation.
They were the ceiling—the unreachable summit.
No one wanted to walk up there just to be humiliated.
As the sun set and dusk gave way to nightfall, no further challenges were made.
And so, the day's events came to a close.
The top four finalists were officially determined.