2778
**Chapter 2778: Can't Be Too Strong, Can't Be Too Weak**
The second round ended, and everyone's seats were rearranged once again.
In the second round of tests, besides Lin Moyu, Lu Fengyao took the top spot, followed by the Holy Maiden of the Immortal Lotus. The rankings of the Holy Son of the Myriad Illusions and Dongfang Wuwen swapped, placing them in third and fourth, respectively.
The rankings of the others changed slightly, but overall, the differences were not significant.
Beams of light shone down, enveloping each prodigy and their followers.
Lin Moyu was surprised to find that there was no light on him, which meant his ranking did not need to change.
Lin Moyu understood Xiahou Yuan's intention: he wanted Lin Moyu to keep a low profile and not stand out too much.
Allowing Lin Moyu to participate in the Prodigy Gathering was already a significant display. In the history of the Prodigy Gathering, no Heavenly Sovereign had ever competed alongside Dao Sovereigns.
There had been astonishing Heavenly Sovereigns in history, and there were those who could compete with Dao Sovereigns.
There were even instances where Heavenly Sovereigns had defeated Dao Sovereigns, but those Heavenly Sovereigns were all at their peak, and the Dao Sovereigns they defeated were the weakest, not like the prodigies here.
In terms of combat power, the prodigies present were the best among Heavenly Sovereigns of the same realm.
When they were peak Heavenly Sovereigns, they already had the strength to defeat ordinary Dao Sovereigns.
For Lin Moyu, a mid-level Heavenly Sovereign, to compete with them was already groundbreaking and incredibly impressive. In Xiahou Yuan's view, this was more than enough, perhaps even too much.
Fortunately, what Lin Moyu had shown so far was only his comprehension and Dao heart, which represented his future potential rather than his current strength.
The potential for Lin Moyu to become a top-tier powerhouse in the future was different from having overwhelming combat power now. If Lin Moyu performed too strongly in actual combat, it would definitely arouse the jealousy of those old figures, who might even attack him.
Lin Moyu knew very well what he needed to do next.
"Hide my strength, but not too much."
"Even if I intentionally lose, I must lose beautifully; otherwise, it will seem fake."
Lin Moyu pondered how to fight in a way that would hide his strength without arousing suspicion.
The light beams shifted, and everyone's positions were rearranged.
The top ten positions changed slightly, with the Holy Maiden of the Immortal Lotus still holding the top spot, unchanged. Dongfang Wuwen moved to second place.
The two firmly occupied the top two spots, making it difficult to shake their positions.
However, the third place position changed. Originally, Wang Tianling, the direct heir of the Three Spirits Sect, held the second position on the left. Known as the young master of the Three Spirits Sect, his performance had always been mediocre, neither good nor bad.
Now, his position was taken by the Holy Son of the Myriad Illusions, dropping him to the second position on the right, placing him fourth overall.
The Holy Son of the Myriad Illusions, with his excellent performance, moved to the second position on the left, entering the top three and getting closer to the title of the strongest prodigy.
However, everyone knew that surpassing the Holy Maiden of the Immortal Lotus and Dongfang Wuwen would be very difficult.
From fifth to ninth place, the positions remained unchanged.
It wasn't until the tenth place, originally occupied by the fifth position on the right, that there was a change.
Lu Fengyao moved from the sixth position on the left to the fifth position on the right, advancing one place overall, from eleventh to tenth.
Although it was just a small advancement, it was a significant change for Lu Fengyao.
Among the top ten, all were second-realm Dao Sovereigns, except for her, a first-realm Dao Sovereign.
Her presence, while not as shocking as Lin Moyu's participation in the Prodigy Gathering, still attracted countless eyes.
It was Lu Fengyao's first time participating in the Prodigy Gathering, and she made it to the top ten with her first-realm Dao Sovereign cultivation, showing incredible strength.
If she could maintain this momentum, she had a high chance of claiming the title of the strongest prodigy in the next Prodigy Gathering.
As the heir of the Lu Feng Merchant Guild, Lu Fengyao also proved her talent and potential.
Lin Moyu noticed the changes in the rankings and observed Wang Tianling's expression. His eyes were calm, showing no regret for dropping from third to fourth place.
Wang Tianling had always been low-key. In Lu Fengyao's introduction, he was described as such.
In the previous Prodigy Gathering, he had also been low-key, ultimately securing fourth place.
At the beginning of this gathering, he was ranked third. Now, although he dropped to fourth, his expression remained unchanged.
It seemed he didn't care about his ranking.
However, the more indifferent he appeared, the more Lin Moyu felt he was not simple.
When someone can take victory and defeat lightly, it often means they have already transcended on some level.
With the positions rearranged, Xiahou Yuan's voice rang out, "The third round, competition!"
"In the first round, those ranked after the top ten will compete against their corresponding positions. The winners stay, and the losers are eliminated."
The rules remained simple. Those ranked after the top ten would compete against their corresponding positions.
For example, the seventh position on the left would compete against the seventh position on the right, and so on.
The winners would stay, and the losers would be eliminated.
Those ranked close to each other usually had similar strength, so the battles would be intense and exciting.
As for the top ten, they were the seeded players and didn't need to participate at the beginning. Their matches would be saved for the end.
The only exception was Lin Moyu, who was ranked 101st and had no opponent. Many people looked at Lin Moyu after hearing the rules, wondering how he would be arranged.
Xiahou Yuan pointed at Lin Moyu, "In this round of competition, he will not be ranked. After the main competition, anyone can challenge him, and he will choose ten opponents to fight."
Xiahou Yuan's arrangement kept Lin Moyu out of the Prodigy Gathering rankings while still allowing him to participate.
Lin Moyu naturally understood Xiahou Yuan's intention, which aligned with his own thoughts.
He couldn't be too weak, nor too strong; he needed to find a balance.
The choice of opponents was crucial; they couldn't be too weak or too strong.
The spells he could use also needed consideration.
Lin Moyu decided to watch others' battles first before making his decision.
With the rules announced, a light screen rose from the lake, connecting with the array in the sky.
The lake became the arena.
The space within the arena distorted, expanding enough for the prodigies to fully showcase their skills and engage in intense battles.
Two beams of light shot down from the sky, landing on the fiftieth positions on the left and right.
The two were instantly teleported into the arena.
They exchanged glances, gave a slight bow, and began their battle without any unnecessary words.
Both displayed their spells, and the space roared with the power of the Great Dao.
Spells collided wildly in the arena as they fought with all their might.
One had comprehended the Great Dao of Water, while the other had comprehended the Great Dao of Wind.
The interaction of wind and water formed a tornado that raged through the arena.
The light screen array of the arena was incredibly sturdy, remaining unmoved no matter how fiercely they fought.
The two were closely matched in position and strength, making the battle intense and exciting.
The spectators, especially the followers, watched in awe.
As Heavenly Sovereigns, being able to watch Dao Sovereigns fight up close without any danger was a rare opportunity.
They came here to watch the battles, hoping to gain valuable insights from the Dao Sovereigns' fights.