After the golden tiger, there wasn't any champions crossing a bridge for some time. And then, it was only cultivators from the snowy area that reached a bridge. There were in total three areas and thirty-two bridges. Two areas had eleven bridges while the last one had ten. It was the desert area which had only ten.

After the first one safely escaped the snowy area and crossed a bridge, more and more began to pour out and do so. Jin was part of that group. From the very start, he maintained a calm, quick and steady pace. He wasn't slowed down by fights and not much more than others by the hurdles of the climb. As such, he managed to rather safely achieve a small success in getting through a bridge and entering a cavern. Unlike others, however, he didn't go sit facing the entrance. Instead, he went to the left side of it and waited there. This way, he would be the one to detect anyone trying to get in first. Most champions might remain in their own cavern but there could always be exceptions... He needed to be prepared for that.

Others from the other two areas were in worse shape. Many were still stuck fighting one of those spiritual beasts. Min-Su was part of that group unfortunately. Those people had no choice but to work together in order to confront the opponent. That being said, how could they do so? None of them dared to show off and in the end, it became a stalemate between everyone. They tied each other there, aware that they were losing precious time but unable to do anything else. If one tried to escape alone, he would be shot down by all the others. If one gave it his all against the spiritual beast, he would be easy pickings for the others.

they had no choice but to wait for a chance. Either the others would exhaust themselves first and they would be able to escape or they would find the right moment to backstab others. Regardless, the biggest threat was still the other champions. Min-Su was having a tough time. The armor he wore was rather heavy on consumption. He believed he would have been able to cross over quickly and didn't expect to be tied like this. He didn't much options either and could only wait for a chance like the others. Who it would belong to was up to the heavens but it was them who would have to grasp it. Everyone was on guard and focused to their utmost. At the very first opportunity, they would dash ahead.

...

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In the desert area, there was an old man who was walking at a steady pace. Surrounding him wasn't the chaotic elements of earth and wind, no, there wasn't a sandstorm in a meter radius next to him. Instead, there was only the sound of repetitive slicing. He was using his soul sword to slice the elements as they came near him and walked forward in such a way.

That's right. This was someone else who, like Jin, broke a certain taboo. Except that this man was much more familiar with the techniques related to it. He was able to manifest the soul sword as a surrounding will. He was the sword and the surroundings were being constantly sliced by his will. That is how he moved in relaxed manner, exerting his will instead of his spiritual energy.

Unfortunately for him, not everything can be that simple. He ended up stumbling into a bunch of rival champions facing a giant spiritual elemental beast. They all noticed him just like he noticed them. However, he didn't seem to care as he proceeded forward. As he got close to the giant, the monster sent his fist made of sand at him in a powerful swing. The old man drew his sword rapidly, slashing forward towards the arm before sheathing it. The arm stopped going down and crumbled into many slices. The old man, on the other hand, moved forward unhindered.

A few champions thought this war their chance. They grabbed the opportunity and tried to rush away, all picking different directions, with the only goal to escape the giant. Two of them ended up going in the same direction as the old man. They were unfortunate to have made such a choice.

This wasn't your kind grandpa next door.

His sword was drawn once more, creating an arc. Then, two bodies turned into four. The two champions who went the same way had been bisected. And the old man continued to walk forward without glancing back at either of them or even the raging spiritual beast that was taking its anger on the few cultivators that failed to seize the opportunity.

...

In the magma area, things were slightly different. The champions were being hindered by the giant spiritual beasts but it wasn't the main reason they were dying in droves. It was due to someone taking them down while the beast was attracting their attention. There was a second hunter in the area.

It was the sentient black tiger.

He wasn't that much in a rush. As he encountered the giant and saw how it was stopping others, he decided to wait and use it to his advantage. He proceeded to remain there, in the vicinity, and slaughtered whoever he could. He did so until no one was left but the elemental giant.

As the giant looked at him, as if finding a new target, the sentient black tiger left. He had killed fourteen weaklings there, it was more than enough. He would kill more at the next area. While he was fast, he wasn't stupid enough to believe the others were incredibly slow. A few had most likely already crossed over and regardless of anything else, he had to cross a bridge as well. It would be humiliating to go back home if he didn't even manage to do this much.