The Tarrasque quickly snapped out of his stupor upon hearing that. Indeed, waiting any longer was useless now. Without hesitation, he had the five of them taken outside, returning to the planet.
However, they didn’t return to where everyone else was. Suddenly, those young ones found themselves side by side, surrounded by a bubble of spatial runes. They then felt a rapid shift, being transported directly to the Crown Continent.
The primordial beast had mentioned before that as soon as the chosen ones appeared, he would take them directly to the location. Ruri looked at the space laws and was sure that the Tarrasque wasn’t very skilled in using them, so the journey would only take a few minutes, given the colossal size of the planet.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Ruri approached the young woman with a light smile on her face. Her master had approved of her, but the woman remained stunned in place. Ruri knew him well and knew he wouldn’t approach her directly. So, she took it upon herself to do so.
Alm and Bruno sometimes helped more than necessary, but at the same time, they hated being thanked or getting close to people. It was a tendency to isolate themselves and avoid too much contact, developed after years of being hated and persecuted. Ruri already understood this side of them well.
"Eat this, the faster you heal, the better," Ruri offered a pill to the woman, who took it and stared at it for a moment before looking at Carod and the round figure.
She understood that they had spared her and helped, but didn’t understand why. Her eyes trembled, and at that moment, it hit her.
"I... I passed? Is this real?" she murmured, still confused.
Ruri chuckled lightly. "Yes, yes. You made it on your own merits. You just didn’t have the right opportunities before, so master had to give you a little help. But don’t think too much about it."
A member of the Charming Eyes Race, even at the Fighter level, wasn’t much superior to a mutant warrior from the legions. They just received slightly better treatment, but were still considered disposable. They had to fight and work hard to earn resources; each victory was the result of great effort.
Alm and Bruno firmly believed that, precisely because of these adversities, those who were weaker had a much greater potential for the future than Divine-level individuals who had always had everything within reach.
"Are you the daughter of Elder Tuomun?" Emppu asked, watching the young woman who had just swallowed the pill.
She turned to him and nodded quickly. "Yes, my father died when I was young, but he left me many teachings. Thanks to your support, I... I actually did something he never could?"
"Indeed. Now you’ve officially surpassed him. We’re equals now, even I’m impressed with your abilities; you deserved to be here. I’m Emppu, what’s your name?" he replied kindly.
Although he hadn’t met Tuomun personally, Emppu’s master was a friend of his. Unfortunately, Tuomun had died on a mission, but his daughter had inherited his will and talent.
The three of them watched Emppu reassure the young woman. Even though he was at the Divine level—the elite of his race, with abundant resources for his cultivation—he was an exception. Though he had the arrogance and pride inherent to his position, he didn’t look down on others for being above them. If he saw someone talented, he just felt happy, there was no envy.
The woman, who was already recovering with the help of the pill, turned to the group. All her wounds were closed, and she quickly bowed to them.
"My name is Florien. Thank you so much for your help, but…"
"Yes, I know you would’ve fought to the end and died without regrets," Ruri naturally completed, looking at the young woman. "Don’t worry. We didn’t do this out of charity, and you’ll fight us equally in the tournament."
She heard that, still confused. Her social skills were quite limited, as was her knowledge of anything beyond fighting and cultivation. She was about thirty years old but had spent her entire life cultivating to the maximum and had never truly lived. But... she could sense that Ruri wasn’t lying, and she finally smiled like a flower finally blooming.
Alm and Bruno analyzed Florien and Emppu more carefully. Both had an assimilation of ’sacred power’ in their souls, but at very low levels. In fact, if it were removed, the damage to their souls wouldn’t be insignificant. Judging the two worthy, they had brought them along.
Ruri spoke to Florien in a calm and welcoming manner. Despite her stubborn and fierce nature, the young woman was also innocent and inexperienced, like Purimu. Ruri quickly took her under her wing.
The journey lasted less than ten minutes. The space distorted, and the five of them found themselves in an open field surrounded by golden light.
Soon, a three-meter-tall humanoid figure, with an aggressive look and an almost demonic appearance—without wings or horns—descended before them. It was the Tarrasque, now in his humanoid form.
He looked at the group and snorted lightly before turning and starting to walk ahead. They all followed him quickly, entering a gate in a nearby mountain.
A five-kilometer-long mountain road stretched out before them. At the end of it, they could see a massive city.
The place seemed at least ten times bigger than the imperial capital, radiating an immense pressure that left the three young ones speechless. The Tarrasque’s dry, guttural voice echoed:
"This is just a low-level village where the tournament will take place. Once you enter, you are forbidden to leave or even move around the city without permission. No matter the reason, if you disobey, you will be captured and killed. Inside, behave with absolute obedience. If you do something wrong, don’t expect my help. In fact, I’ll be the first to act and kill you without hesitation."
They all nodded silently and continued walking slowly toward the city. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, it seemed that flying or moving quickly would be considered disrespectful. Even the Tarrasque didn’t dare to maintain his true form or be remotely arrogant there.
The three young ones gulped, feeling even more nervous after realizing that. The two golems just heard it, as if it wasn’t even worth remembering later.
After two hours of slow walking, they finally reached the entrance. There, they saw a group of exactly one hundred members of the Charming Eyes Race, all gathered. In front of them, a small figure was talking to some guards.
It looked like a very tiny elven girl, no more than a meter and a half tall. Thin, with long reddish hair that reached the ground, her skin was also slightly reddish, with grayish runic markings scattered across her body. She wore only a white cloth to cover her bust and waist down.
But... when they felt the aura coming from her, they all realized she was as terrifying and powerful as the Tarrasque himself.
"Is that... a metamorphosis?" Emppu murmured, confused.
"In a way, yes, but her true body isn’t physical." The Tarrasque answered flatly, giving a look of disgust at the figure. "She’s an immortal cultivator. She’s also considered a type of primordial entity found in many universes. Normally, she’s called ’Caipora.’ Don’t let her appearance fool you. She’s a little b..."
"You’re the one! You bastard!" The figure suddenly turned toward the Tarrasque, spitting the words with fury.
Her voice was that of a young girl, and her appearance matched that as well. However, her aura and gaze made it clear that she was an ancient and sinister creature.
’Master, she...’ Ruri spoke through the array, surprised to recognize something.
’Yes, she’s a Primordial Elemental Spirit, but a mutant type.’ Alm and Bruno were also equally surprised. It was yet another name they recognized, from Earth’s legends.
Caipora was known on Earth as a guardian spirit of the forests. Yet, the entity before them, though a kind of Primordial Elemental Spirit, had no connection to any of the five natural elements. In fact, there was a balance of all five within her true body.
At the same time, she exuded a natural aura, as though she belonged to a race of nature. It was a mutation combining various aspects, and therefore, calling her a forest guardian didn’t seem entirely wrong.
From the Tarrasque’s words, the Caipora was also a type of entity that naturally appeared across multiple universes. The heavenly laws were enigmatic; even such abnormal mutations were foreseen and deliberately repeated in various places. However, there must be some purpose behind it.
"What the hell is this? Have you finally accepted you’re mediocre and useless? Why only bring this?" The Caipora spoke with half-closed eyes. "I never thought this day would come..."
After a few seconds, her mocking expression changed, and her eyes grew concerned. "You could’ve sent me a message. I’m still an old friend, right? I could’ve helped with a loan, then you could make more powerful young ones on your continent."
"Fuck that! You tricked me before with your sweet words, you little bitch!" The Tarrasque replied loudly and angrily.
"Hehehe, that was your fault. You lost the bet, don’t try to slander me!" She retorted with an amused smile, clearly back to mocking him. It was obvious they knew each other well and didn’t truly hate each other. "But... this time you’ll embarrass yourself bringing only these."
She carefully assessed the five, shocked by their mediocrity. "Listen, I’m not joking." The Caipora stared at the Tarrasque with a much more serious expression. "I haven’t registered mine yet, and I have about ten who are good with Yin laws, like you. I can lend them to you; I don’t want you to humiliate yourself in front of others."
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"Hmph, no need. I’m too old to care about little things like that. You’re the one who shouldn’t care about such trivialities. Besides... I have some expectation in them. If you look down on them, you’ll regret it." He answered coldly, staring at her.
A small, peculiar-looking redhead and a tall, dark figure completely opposite to her exchanged intense glances. Her round eyes sparkled, then she sighed:
"Really? Stop being so stubborn. Look, I thought it over: I won’t charge you anything later. It’ll be free. I’ll reward those I lend out on my own."
"I knew it, you still wanted to trick me and profit again!" The Tarrasque spat, even angrier.
She smiled awkwardly but replied honestly: "Are you deaf? I said I won’t charge anything now. Look, all five of these are in the ’Elemental Will.’ No matter how talented they are, they won’t compete beyond the upper half of the ranking. Even if one of them gets there, it’ll already be an indescribable miracle. Also... these two Celestial Golems are still realms below the Divine Sovereign Realm."
The Tarrasque sighed before speaking: "I know, but I don’t care. Fate wants it this way. I made a regular selection, and they were the only winners. Just go away and stop blocking the path, damn it!"
The Caipora heard that, and her face twisted. Although the Tarrasque showed disinterest, it was clear she cared about his reputation and didn’t want to see him go through this. The two, powerful ancient entities, shared a bond and mutual trust, despite the harsh exchanges.
With no choice, she waved, casting one last look at the five. Then, she moved on with her group ahead.
A male member of the Charming Eyes Race handed over the authorization and registered the young ones beside her. After that, she led them into the city.
When it was the Tarrasque’s and his "great" group’s turn, the same member of the Charming Eyes Race looked at them with a strange and contained expression, as though struggling not to mock the situation.
Even he thought it was ridiculous. Only five? And all at this mediocre level?
The Tarrasque gave him a cold stare, and he quickly handed over five badges to the youths, registering their names on a tablet.
"You’ll have a week to prepare. After that, you’ll go through a check-up on the first day, along with everyone else. Then, the tournament will start immediately. The rules haven’t changed much, but they will be explained in detail by the higher-ups, along with the rewards of this tournament."
The Tarrasque nodded, then led the group into the city through a spatial distortion, which took them directly in front of a huge building.
"This whole place is reserved for our use. Pick a room and isolate yourselves to prepare." The Tarrasque ordered quickly.
Soon, he conjured five brown robes that floated toward them. As they held the robes, they noticed they weren’t made of fabric, but of tiny metal plates. Then, an energy flowed through them, and everyone almost jumped when they realized the connection to the Tarrasque.
"Yes, this holds my pure bloodline. These robes were created by the God of the Forge, and all participants get something similar. They’ll adapt to your body like a second skin. Since you were born and cultivated on my continent, you’ll be able to use part of my power through these robes."
Alm, Bruno, and Ruri recognized it. It was the runic seal of enchantment, used with Tarrasque’s primordial bloodline in a strange type of metal. It was extremely tough yet flexible, like fabric.
"You’ll have only a week to learn how to use them. Since everyone... well, since everyone is supposed to be in the same cultivation realm, using this efficiently will make all the difference. But the main factor in maximizing the use of this power, as you might guess, is the sacred power."
Alm and Bruno were surprised. This runic seal, combined with the Queen’s power, could allow a cultivator to use part of the power of a primordial beast? This should only be possible if the bloodline was in the body, and even then, it depended heavily on the cultivator’s understanding.
Ruri asked curiously, "What was that thing the Caipora mentioned, Elemental Will?"
The Tarrasque snorted, "It’s the level of sacred power assimilation in the cultivator. The Charming Eyes Race is extreme among mortals because they can cultivate it faster. There are five levels, from lowest to highest: Elemental Will, Nascent Will, Earthly Will, Sky Will, Sacred Will."
"The difference between an Elemental Will and a Sacred Will is like the difference between heaven and earth. You’re all at the first level, or almost that. The last level is very rare; there are tournaments where no one at that level shows up."
"But the tournament is made to be as fair as possible. Everyone is assessed, and their level is measured beforehand, so the weaker ones get a chance to fight among themselves. Killing is prohibited, and even using personal weapons is forbidden."
Ruri asked again, "Are we at the first level because our continent is the weakest?"
"No. All the Divine Charming Eyes Race are usually at Earthly Will. That selection from the continent was no different, they were all at that level... but Emppu seems to have cultivated differently from the norm and didn’t develop much in that area. I dare say, in that selection, he would have ranked among the last compared to others of his race. As for you... I’m not sure if you’re very talented or if you played dirty to eliminate all the others. But you didn’t break the rules I set."
Ruri smiled, almost mocking. They hadn’t even acted for real yet.
"Anyway, stop worrying about others." The Tarrasque continued impatiently, waving his hand. Five spatial rings appeared in front of them. "I said there would be a reward for the top one hundred. Here it is, divided into five parts. Aside from the primordial robe, this is the only help you’ll get. Inside the rings are information on how to better use my bloodline and laws, along with large amounts of my primordial runes."
"All six governing entities can only provide this amount of their primordial runes. You five have a slight advantage since you’re sharing it only among yourselves. With these runes and my bloodline in the robe, you’ll be able to unleash my powers without spending your own energy. But, obviously, once you burn these runes, they’ll be gone. So, you must use them at the right moment."
"My advice is to burn everything in the first phase of the test. That way, with some luck, you can win the fights and reach the second phase. That will already guarantee you a spot in the top half of the participants. Even though you’re just five, it’ll be a source of pride for the continent, as it’ll bring your land more resources than the last generation."
"How many from the last generation made it to the top half? Did they stay on the Crown Continent?" Emppu asked, curious.
"Only three. They were very lucky, and even I thought the results were good for their power. And yes, anyone who reaches the second phase guarantees an opportunity to stay on the continent. But they can still be expelled and placed in the lowest tier. Only the top ten earn the chance to go to the Sacred Castle. That’s the ultimate prize."
The number of participants reached a maximum of 600 cultivators, from six different continents. In the last tournament, only three from the Tarrasque continent made it into the top 300 and managed to stay, and that was considered a stroke of luck.
This only highlighted how pathetically weak the entire continent was. Emppu heard this reality and couldn’t believe it. No one talked about it there; all the young people knew they were the last, but they thought the difference wasn’t that big.
"I’ve said everything, now go isolate yourselves and study what I’ve given you. Don’t leave the building under any circumstances. In seven days, the tournament will begin." The Tarrasque spoke dryly. They all took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.