On the eastern side of Lantai City was a vast square, large enough to accommodate over a hundred thousand people.
At the center of the square, a broad stage about four or five meters high rose from the ground, exuding an imposing pressure.
At the moment, the square was already packed with young martial artists who had hurried over from various parts of the Eastern Barrens.
"Who do you think will take the top three spots on this edition of the Freak Minor Ranking?"
"The top three is hard to say, but I know for sure first place must be Mo Qingxuan! That's beyond doubt."
"So certain? I heard the Third Prince of the Heavenly Dragon Ancient Country, the Sword Realm's Ximen Yijian, the Four Directions Trading House's Miss Lü, the Gan Family's Gan Chi, and other geniuses are all planning to challenge Mo Qingxuan for the top ranking."
"Heh heh... So what if they challenge him? You didn't come to watch the last Lesser Lantai Gathering, did you? Mo Qingxuan alone dominated the entire event. That aura of his was unforgettable. His strength is simply not on the same level as the other young freaks—it's far higher!"
"I heard that with Mo Qingxuan's talent, he should have long since broken through to the Celestial Sea Realm. The reason he suppresses his cultivation is mainly to compete for the top spot on the Freak Minor Ranking again to obtain that wisp of Heaven and Earth Fortune!"
"Most likely so!"
Before the Lesser Lantai Gathering officially began, the crowd in the square was already abuzz, speculating about who would claim the top position this time.
"Look! That's the Third Prince of the Heavenly Dragon Ancient Country. Truly a dragon among men!" someone suddenly called out.
A group of soldiers and officers were seen surrounding an imposing man clad in imperial robes, wisps of dragon qi faintly winding around his figure, striding forward. The crowd quickly parted, clearing an open space.
"Look, another genius is arriving. What a terrifying aura! It's the Great Thunderclap Monastery's Monk Wunian!" someone exclaimed in alarm.
A tall monk standing over two meters, his body like an iron pagoda, approached with heavy strides. Every step caused the ground to rumble and quake as if from an earthquake. Wherever he passed, people scattered in fright.
"They say Monk Wunian has cultivated his Indestructible Diamond Vajra Body to the fourth layer, becoming impervious to swords and spears. Truly fearsome!" many discussed.
"Ximen Yijian is here!" The crowd stirred once more.
A young man in snow-white robes was seen striding across the air. His body was as straight and sharp as a sword, surrounded by faint, shimmering strands of sword aura that sliced through the air with hissing sounds. Ximen Yijian's expression was cold, appearing unapproachable, and his entire being exuded a sharp sword aura. As he landed in the square, the area around him instantly cleared.
Following this, one young genius after another ranked high on the Freak Minor Ranking arrived, descending into the square and eliciting waves of admiration.
"Cousin, these top-ranking geniuses on the Freak Minor Ranking truly have extraordinary bearing!" Ji Yue's beautiful eyes were fixed on those attention-grabbing young freaks as she exclaimed repeatedly to Ji Yan.
"Of course. Think about it. The Eastern Barrens is boundless, with countless living beings—their numbers are simply incalculable. And among them, the number of beings at the Fate Realignment Realm and below is terrifyingly vast. Yet the Freak Minor Ranking only lists three hundred individuals. Being able to rank on it is already an extremely difficult feat. And those freaks who occupy the top spots are all one in a million, practically freaks among freaks!" Ji Yan nodded.
"It's just that... I reckon for this Lesser Lantai Gathering, barring any surprises, the top spot will still be Mo Qingxuan's. At the last gathering, he alone overwhelmed the entire field—too frightening. That kind of peerless, unrivaled aura is unforgettable even now!" Ji Yan continued, her gaze revealing reverence and longing, mixed with a touch of admiration.
"Cousin, you're no slouch either. I believe you can achieve a better ranking in this gathering than last time," Ji Yue said.
"Hard to say. Right now, I just hope I can maintain my ranking from last time," Ji Yan said, appearing somewhat nervous. "It seems the strength of these highly-ranked young geniuses has all improved somewhat." She nodded, her tension showing. Initially, she thought that after her seclusion and advancement, she would have a chance to compete for a higher ranking at this gathering. But upon arriving, she realized that many known young geniuses had also improved! She wasn't the only one progressing—the other young talents were advancing too!
"Cousin, give yourself some confidence! I'm rooting for you!" Ji Yue encouraged Ji Yan.
"Don't worry. No matter what, I will give it my all!" Ji Yan nodded.
"Su Fei, what do you think of these top-ranking young geniuses from our Eastern Barrens on the Freak Minor Ranking? Why don't you share your opinion?" Ji Yue suddenly turned and asked Ye Yunfei.
Her primary purpose in bringing Ye Yunfei to the Lesser Lantai Gathering was to let him witness these true young freaks of the Eastern Barrens and realize his own shortcomings.
Who would have thought that after arriving at the square, Ye Yunfei had been absent-minded the whole time, appearing utterly uninterested in those attention-drawing prodigies.
Ji Yan's gaze also turned towards Ye Yunfei.
"So-so," Ye Yunfei responded indifferently after hearing Ji Yue's question, casting only a casual glance towards those young freaks standing out from the crowd in the distance like cranes among chickens.
"So-so?" Ji Yue and Ji Yan were rendered speechless by his answer.
"Hahaha... Everyone, listen! There's a kid here who actually says the top-ranked freaks on the Freak Minor Ranking are just 'so-so'!" Ji Yue and Ji Yan were both beauties. Standing here had long attracted the attention of many men nearby, so quite a few people were listening to the conversation among Ji Yue, Ji Yan, and Ye Yunfei. Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, someone immediately shouted.
"What? Who is so arrogant as to look down upon even the top-ranked freaks on the Freak Minor Ranking?!" Immediately, even more people turned their gazes in this direction.
"So it's him! That kid from Ziwei Sect of Yan Country, called Su Fei!"
"He had a stone gambling contest at the Four Directions Trading House against Lu Feng, descendant of Stone Appraiser Lu. He won big. That old monk from the Heavenly Dragon Temple was cut out from the stone by him. The kid has some skill in stone gambling."
"Even so, does that qualify him to look down on the top-ranked freaks on the ranking list?"
... Immediately, many people recognized Ye Yunfei, discussing fervently.
"Hmph! A puny ant of a character, yet so conceited and arrogant! Truly courting death!" A cold laugh sounded from the distance as a young man stared at Ye Yunfei.
It was Zhao Tianyu.
"Since you, this trash, look down on the top-ranked freaks on the Freak Minor Ranking, then why don't you go challenge them later? Dare you?" Zhao Tianyu fixed his gaze on Ye Yunfei, raising his voice.
"Right! What's the use of empty boasts? If you have real skill, go challenge those freaks later! Let everyone see just how much weight you, this garbage, actually carry!"
"Bah! That kid is just blowing hot air. With his meager strength, how dare he challenge those freaks? They could poke him to death with one finger!"
... The people around Zhao Tianyu pointed at Ye Yunfei, shouting loudly. All of them were scions of the Eastern Barrens' Zhao Family.
Ye Yunfei's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a flicker of killing intent.
With his current strength, killing these Zhao Family members would be no different from swatting a few flies.