Early that morning, the area around Thunder City’s Royal Palace Square was already packed to the brim.
According to the latest official betting odds, Lan Ge was at 3-to-1, while No. 58 stood at 0.85-to-1.
The disparity spoke for itself.
The assessment came from multiple sources—performance in earlier matches, post-match interviews, and broader investigation.
For instance, Grand Commander of the Five Thunder Legion, Lei Mingyang, had stated in an interview that No. 58 was already on the verge of the God Realm.
There were even reports that the Blue Domain’s Grand Elder—the only God-level expert—had remarked that Lan Ge had only recently reached the Ninth Rank.
Multi-Element Control was often called Heaven’s Favor. In truth, that term was more honorary than literal. The title originated from the highest tiers of the Blue Domain—only those from Tenth to Twelfth Rank could truly be called Blessed Ones. Those were the genuine Heaven’s Favored.
Using it to describe multi-element users was simply a way of praising exceptional talent.
Unsurprisingly, most bets were placed on No. 58.
Of the five Ninth-Rank experts in the tournament, No. 58 was among them. The other three—including Lei Mingyang—had all been defeated by him, each match ending swiftly.
Lan Ge, by contrast, had advanced without ever facing another Ninth-Rank opponent.
The conclusion was obvious: No. 58 had already proven he could defeat peers at his level. Lan Ge had not.
“My odds are seriously that bad?” Lan Ge scoffed. “What, no one’s expecting an upset?”
“Then bet on yourself,” Fa Hua said.
“With what money?” Lan Ge shot back.
Fa Hua let out a quiet sigh.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lan Ge narrowed his eyes.
“I’m broke too,” Fa Hua said calmly. “Otherwise, I’d put my money on No. 58.”
“You—are you even my brother?” Lan Ge snapped.
“Being brothers doesn’t mean I have to lose money,” Fa Hua replied.
“Just you wait,” Lan Ge said, turning on his heel. “I’ll win—and when I do, I’m going to slap every one of you in the face.” As he spoke, he didn’t even wait for the referee to call him, heading straight for the arena.
A faint smile tugged at Fa Hua’s lips. This fiercely competitive Lan Ge was the strongest version of him. Fa Hua understood his true strength better than anyone—throughout the earlier matches, Lan Ge had been far from going all out. Even Fa Hua found himself anticipating this final battle. He wanted to see just how far Lan Ge could go.
Even now, as the Divine Envoy of Wisdom, Fa Hua knew that without using the Wisdom Codex, he would not be a match for Lan Ge one-on-one. A Ninth-Rank Lan Ge was a Lan Ge who had fully integrated everything he had learned.
“Lan Ge! Lan Ge! Lan Ge!” As he stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted. He had always been popular in Thunder City—but now, as a Ninth-Rank expert, that popularity had only grown. In fact, he was likely the youngest Ninth-Rank in the city’s history.
From Seventh to Ninth Rank, cultivators were known as Adjudicators—no longer merely manipulating elements, but exerting real influence over the elemental state of an entire area.
Unlike before, Lan Ge didn’t respond to the cheers. He simply stood there, arms relaxed at his sides, quietly sensing the elements around him.
His awareness sank inward. The roar of the crowd faded from his mind. Only the elements remained. They gathered around him, drawn in naturally, as if returning to their source. He was like an ocean—an elemental ocean—vast, all-encompassing, drawing everything into himself.
Then, suddenly, something changed.
At the edge of that ocean, a silent void appeared—a black hole. The moment it formed, the lightning element around him was violently pulled away, surging toward it.
Lan Ge immediately strengthened his control, trying to reclaim it—but the pull was overwhelming. The lightning being drawn in felt as though it would never return.
His eyes snapped open.
No. 58 was already on the stage, standing just ahead. He hadn’t even noticed when he arrived.
The mask on his face reflected the sunlight, cold and expressionless. Invisible currents of lightning converged around him—fierce, relentless. It wasn’t just the arena. Lan Ge could feel it.
The lightning of the entire city seemed to be flowing toward him.
This guy…
Lan Ge’s expression hardened.
He was even more dangerous than expected.
Fa Hua had been right—this was no ordinary control. No. 58 had already touched the level of Laws. Otherwise, the lightning element would never respond to him so completely.
Since when had Thunder City gained someone like this?
Lan Ge knew every notable expert in the city.
But this man—his build, his presence—there was nothing familiar about him. And the mask only made things worse.
An outsider?
But if so, how could he wield lightning with such mastery?
“The final match of the Thunder City Grand Competition—Number 67 versus Number 58. Begin!” The referee’s voice rang out.
Despite the overwhelming bets placed on No. 58, the crowd’s cheers were almost entirely for Lan Ge. He was their prince. Their pride. Even if he lost, it wouldn’t matter. At his age, reaching the Ninth Rank was already enough to make him a legend among the younger generation.
Lan Ge’s eyes flared to life—burning, fierce.
He moved.
In a flash, he surged forward. Like a peacock fanning its tail, dozens of fireballs burst into existence, sweeping toward No. 58.
No. 58 didn’t move. He simply raised his right hand.
It turned translucent—like blue crystal.
At that instant, the devouring force paused—and a surge of danger flooded Lan Ge’s senses.
He didn’t hesitate.
His body dissolved into wind and shot skyward.
A silent shockwave rippled across the arena. Every fireball vanished.
Fa Hua’s voice echoed in his mind. It’s confirmed. That’s Law. Be careful.
Fa Hua’s expression darkened. This was already beyond anything No. 58 had shown before.
Midair, Lan Ge’s gaze sharpened.
His body ignited, transforming into pure fire as he plunged downward like a meteor.
Below him, No. 58 raised his hand once more. He didn’t even look up. The Law activated—silent, formless.
But this time, Lan Ge didn’t dodge.
Flames burst outward from his body, forming a second figure in the air—another Lan Ge, entirely composed of fire.
The flames compressed inward. Wind fed the blaze—but instead of spreading, it condensed tighter and tighter.
In an instant, the fiery figure shrank to the size of a palm.
The tiny fire figure shot forward and slammed into empty air—and met resistance.
A pale blue barrier snapped into view at the point of impact, rippling outward as it buckled under the force of the blow.
Lan Ge’s eyes flashed.
His body flickered out of sight for a split second.
The fire figure flashed gold—then detonated.
A violent surge of energy erupted, and the barrier shattered under the blast.
Lan Ge reappeared high above, flipping through the air as he rose.
From a nearby rooftop, the Grand Elder watched in silence. His eyes widened slightly.
“Elemental Disassembly… This boy—has he fully integrated the Elemental Heart already?”
The crowd erupted in shock.
Even No. 58 seemed taken aback, finally looking up.
Lan Ge hovered above, gaze steady.
Then—he vanished again.
This time, the fire vanished with him.
In its place, a soft green light descended like a curtain, spreading across the entire arena.
No. 58 swung his hand.
Six orbs of violet light shot outward, anchoring themselves around him.
In an instant, six pillars of lightning rose into the sky—forming a cage around his body.