As the contestants sequentially completed the race, the fourth stage came to a definitive end.

With the combined times from the first four stages, the total scores for each team were arrayed.

Looking at their team’s scores, the expressions of those present ranged from worry to joy.

Everyone understood that the duration of the upcoming fifth stage would determine which six teams would ultimately qualify.

As the fifth stage officially began, a patch of dark clouds abruptly formed in the sky, then, like a drop of ink spilling into water, the clouds rapidly expanded, quickly enveloping everyone above.

Immediately, raindrops began to fall, swiftly escalating into a furious storm.

The objective of this fifth stage was to alter the weather, transforming the tempestuous storm back into clear skies.

The time each contestant took to achieve this would be their score for the stage.

Dao Qiankun ascended step by step, two bolts of black and white lightning in his hands violently colliding, forming a pillar of light that shot skyward, piercing the firmament and sweeping across the heavens and earth.

The blinding brilliance illuminated the entire world, as if a hundred thousand lightning bolts had detonated simultaneously in the sky.

As the incandescent light gradually subsided, the wind and rain in the sky had ceased at some unknown moment, and the dark clouds that had covered the entire area instantly vanished without a trace.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath watching this scene, his excitement from winning now cooled.

He glanced at the timer in his skeletal eye, thinking, “So fast.”

“Dao Qiankun’s overall strength is still greater than mine.”

“To catch up to him, to win first place in the Ten Great Leagues, I must continue to press forward…”

Next, one by one, the contestants for the fifth stage appeared, each employing their own methods to change the weather. Two of their performances particularly caught Zhang Yu’s attention, and he deeply committed their names to memory.

One of them, with a dragon’s head and a human body, was Ying Mingchi, the top student from Tianyao University. He and Ying Zhoufan were currently the only two remaining students from Tianyao University in the Ten Great Leagues.

Unlike Ying Zhoufan, Ying Mingchi did not merely transform into a dragon, but possessed genuine high-grade dragon bloodline.

He transformed into a white dragon, and a single roar caused the dark clouds to roll back, quickly ending the storm.

However, because his interference with the weather extended too far, even beyond the examination area, at the moment he finished… numerous weather fines descended, projected directly from the spirit realm before him, wrapping around him like layers of warning tape.

The other contestant was Xu Haixuan, the top student of the Talisman Department at Wanfa University. He set up an altar on the spot, unleashed talismans, and directly brought up a spirit realm interface called the “Weather Controller,” ending the storm moments later.

With the conclusion of the fifth stage, the final rankings of the entire relay race emerged.

Zhang Yu looked at the rankings projected in the sky, thinking, “First place is Dao Qiankun’s team and mine.”

“Second place is Ying Mingchi the dragon, and Ying Zhoufan, along with Di Lianzhong, the top student of Baigu University, and their team.”

“Third place is Zang Shenyu, Tian Shengong, my senior sister Ye Xingli, and Xu Haixuan, the top student of the Talisman Department, and their team.”

“Fourth place is Kuang Tianqing’s team.”

“Fifth place is Wen Wuya and A Zhen’s team.”

“Sixth place is Jiu Tianliu and those teams from the Finance Department…”

At this point, the list of thirty participants for the final competition was definitively set.

All students from Dandao University were eliminated.

Mu Qiansi, the top student from Hehuan University, was also eliminated, much to everyone’s surprise.

Seeing the thirty students in the rankings, Zhang Yu knew that the ultimate champion would emerge from these thirty. Each of them would be his opponent, his rival in the quest for first place in the Ten Great Leagues.

After the relay race.

In the lounge of Wanfa University, Zhenjun An Zhen looked at the qualifying students and said, “One week from now, the final competition will begin.”

“From the first team battle, to the second relay race, and then to the final competition… according to the school’s prediction, it should be a purely individual battle.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, feeling that the Ten Great Leagues’ events were gradually shifting from team-based to individual.

Zhenjun An Zhen continued, “The specific format of the final competition has not yet been announced. We probably won’t know until the day of the match.”

“However, no matter the content of the competition, it will test individual abilities, and the entire process will certainly not be short.”

“The next seven days are your chance to rest well and make a final sprint. If you have any assets, methods, or ideas, seize the time to use them. I won’t say any more unnecessary words.”

After Zhenjun An Zhen left, Ye Xingli looked at Zhang Yu and asked, “Junior brother, how do you plan to arrange this coming week?”

Zhang Yu said, “I’ll continue cultivating, and also adjust my magic treasures and magic skeleton.”

“The Seven Absolute Magic Skeleton suffered considerable wear and tear in this relay race, and it needs some repairs.”

Just then, Dao Qiankun’s voice rang out: “Want to eat together? It’s my treat.”

Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli simultaneously turned their heads to see Dao Qiankun walking over with a smile, followed by Li Shiwei, the second-ranked student in the Daoist Arts Department, and Yan Qianji, the first-ranked student in the Artifact Forging Department.

Seeing Li Shiwei’s hostile gaze, Zhang Yu wondered when he had offended her.

As for Dao Qiankun’s invitation, Zhang Yu readily accepted. Continuous battles, competitions, and cultivation, coupled with multiple severe injuries and self-healing, had taken a considerable toll on his body. High-quality food replenishment would be most welcome.

Arriving in the reception hall of Dao Qiankun’s flying ship, after a satisfying meal, Zhang Yu lay back contentedly, feeling his entire body—flesh, meridians, and dantian—nourished.

Just then, he heard Yan Qianji ask, “Brother Dao, Kuang Tianqing’s team ranked a bit low this time. Are the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities not going to protect her anymore?”

Dao Qiankun calmly said, “They’re just trying to secure other spots while ensuring Kuang Tianqing qualifies.”

“The Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities have reached a unified consensus, determined to push Kuang Tianqing to win first place.”

At this point, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel curious and asked, “Brother Dao, why can the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities act in unison and jointly support Kuang Tianqing alone? And why can’t the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators from our Wanfa, Jingang, Xianbing, and Tianjian unite to support you in winning the championship?”

Li Shiwei couldn’t help but glare at Zhang Yu again, secretly cursing him as a sycophant for saying what she wanted to say.

Although everyone present was a top student at Wanfa University, and some, like Yan Qianji, were disciples of Soul Transformation Stage cultivators, they still knew little about the cultivators’ actual plans.

But if there was anyone present who might know the cultivators’ schemes, for some reason, everyone, including Zhang Yu, had a feeling… Dao Qiankun probably knew.

Feeling their curious gazes, Dao Qiankun smiled slightly and said, “Because the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities… are old.”

“Their average age is older than the average age of the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators from Wanfa, Jingang, Xianbing, and Tianjian.”

“So, the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities are more likely to reach a consensus, sharing the same idea and goal, which is… extending their lifespan.”

“Unlike the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators on the Wanfa side, who have different immortal sect cultivation methods as their goals, as far as I know, the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities have already determined the immortal sect cultivation method Kuang Tianqing will choose after winning the championship.”

“That cultivation method is called ‘Wan Gu Chang Chun Jing’, and it can extend one’s lifespan by ten thousand years.”

Dao Qiankun sighed, “Once the Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities obtain this cultivation method and extend their lifespans, then the next few hundred or even thousands of years will be their era. The Nascent Soul cultivators below the tenth layer of Kunxu will probably have no chance to rise.”

“For the next ten thousand years, the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities will be in a completely dominant position.”

“Wealth will also continue to concentrate, and the assets of these Soul Transformation Stage lords will thoroughly permeate every inch of the universities’ space.”

Zhang Yu’s heart tightened upon hearing this, as if he could already see a dozen Soul Transformation Stage cultivators outliving generation after generation of prodigies, draining generation after generation of people.

But a question arose in his mind: “Immortal sect cultivation methods are bestowed solely upon the champion. How would the Soul Transformation Stage lords obtain them?”

Dao Qiankun calmly said, “If military-grade cultivation methods are something many cultivators can access but are not qualified to cultivate or use.”

“Then immortal sect cultivation methods are knowledge that one cannot even come into contact with; even attempting to cultivate them without proper authorization is impossible.”

“However, for Soul Transformation Stage cultivators, as long as Kuang Tianqing can master ‘Wan Gu Chang Chun Jing’, they will have plenty of ways to continue investing resources in Kuang Tianqing, allowing her to create her own copyright-protected lifespan extension technology.”

“After all, ‘Wan Gu Chang Chun Jing’ was specifically chosen; it’s not a top-tier lifespan extension technique among immortal sects, so its relative difficulty isn’t that high.”

Yan Qianji frowned and asked, “Would Heaven and the sects tolerate such a thing? The Soul Transformation Stage cultivators of the Four Demonic Cultivation Universities controlling the lower realm for tens of thousands of years?”

Dao Qiankun glanced at him and said, “How do you know this isn’t the idea of someone from the upper realm?”

“Do you think everyone above is satisfied with the current state of Kunxu?”

“Of course not. They simply have different ideas and thoughts about the future direction of Kunxu’s development, wanting to transform Kunxu onto different paths.”

“Different ideas lead to different choices, which then create contradictions and conflicts, ultimately extending to the lower realm.”

Back in his flying ship, Zhang Yu’s mind replayed Dao Qiankun’s words, and he thought, “If I win the championship, what kind of immortal sect cultivation method should I choose?”

“If Soul Transformation Stage cultivators want to obtain immortal techniques from me, can I stop them?”

Zhang Yu shook his head, feeling that he probably couldn’t stop them, or perhaps there was no reason to stop them?

“So, the immortal sect cultivation method I choose will also change Kunxu, right?”

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu felt it was too early to think about these things. He suppressed his distractions and began contacting his company to prepare for recruiting demonics.

“Find a group of demonics, draw their blood under the guise of physical examinations, and see if I can complete the ‘Yao Sheng Wan Bian Shen Jing’ through their blood.”

“However, this method can only yield blood from lower-grade demonics at most. For higher-grade demonics…”

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and sent a message to Ying Zhoufan: Are you there?

After waiting ten minutes with no reply, Zhang Yu sent another message: I want to buy high-grade demonic blood.

Ying Zhoufan immediately replied: Only blood? Do you want essence? And meat, soul, reproduction? Buy them all together for a discount. Contact me anytime for guidance on how to eat and raise them.