The five entered the building, and the Tarrasque sealed all the exits. It snorted in annoyance and vanished.
Emppu moved quickly, checking that each room had a spatial formation inside, each one extending hundreds of meters. However, he stopped and turned, confused.
The three were still standing at the entrance, staring at the round golem and waiting for him to say something. The golem, in turn, was calmly analyzing the robe and the primordial runes within the spatial ring.
Even Florien stood by Ruri’s side, relaxed, seeming to have already accepted following whatever the golem decided. ’He managed to get people to follow him that easily?’ Emppu thought for a moment, then returned to the entrance and decided to wait with the others.
He had observed all the actions of that golem. Both during the trial and the Tarrasque’s evaluation, he had shown himself to be reliable and extremely unusual. Emppu’s curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to stick around and see what would happen.
It only took a few minutes for Alm and Bruno to analyze the work of the God of the Forge. When they were done, they turned to Ruri, who nodded and spoke through the array:
’Don’t worry, Master. Yinou and Huying said they could help me. They’re primordial beasts and know how to teach us to use the bloodline and primordial runes.’
Alm nodded, then addressed everyone. Noticing that even Emppu was present, he seemed satisfied and announced, "Hand me your robes. I’ll make some adjustments, but this should stay between us."
The adjustment was simply to improve the level of the enchantment seal. Even if someone discovered it, who would believe he made such an enhancement? Most likely, they’d assume the God of the Forge had done a more refined job for some unknown reason.
Perhaps even the God of the Forge himself wouldn’t believe the seals were a level higher than what he usually crafted. He might dismiss it as a random variation that occurred unnoticed during their creation.
"In the meantime, the four of you will receive instructions from Ruri on how to better use the runes. In two days, I’ll return the robes, and you can train with everything," Alm concluded.
Everyone nodded, though Florien and Emppu still seemed confused. Even so, they decided to watch and judge for themselves.
Over the course of one day, both were utterly stunned after receiving so much information and guidance from Ruri.
By the second day, they simultaneously felt like all their muscles had been torn and their bones shattered.
Ruri’s teaching was intense, and there was no time for lengthy meditations. Instead, she grabbed a club and made everyone fight her using what they’d learned. At first, Emppu laughed, thinking it was ridiculous, but he quickly realized he was like an innocent, fragile child facing a gigantic, terrifying adult.
Curiously, the golem was quite small and wore a mocking smile, as if she genuinely enjoyed disciplining and beating them in such a manner.
***
Seven days later, in the massive Arena at the center of the city, all the young cultivators had gathered inside.
At the heart of the arena was the main stage, but spatial laws had created twenty-four smaller circular arenas around it. At first glance, they seemed tiny, but when two participants entered, the space distorted and expanded to nearly two hundred meters within.
This was the Sacred Tournament, held every generation. The seats surrounding the main stage were already packed with spectators. In front of each row was a plaque indicating the continent being represented.
About a hundred young cultivators, give or take, sat behind each plaque. However, for the Tarrasque continent, there was a pathetic number: only five.
Suddenly, a loud, sharp sound of swords, sabers, spears, and other bizarre weapons — some doubtful for combat — filled the air. Everyone instinctively raised their heads and saw countless objects floating three hundred meters above.
The floating weapons seemed alive, dancing in the sky. Their sharp noises broke the silence, producing a piercing sound. After circling the main stage a few times, they descended into the surrounding arenas, arranging themselves in an orderly fashion.
"Heavens... are those all Emperor-level immortal weapons?" a young man asked, staring at the Caipora in front.
She snorted. "Yes. You can’t use your personal weapons. Did you think you’d fight unarmed? They’re all identical in power, and you’ll be able to use them."
Suddenly, the space at the center of the main stage distorted. An elder of the Charming Eyes Race, with a white beard and eyes like blades, emerged slowly. He gazed at everyone and declared in a clear voice:
"This old man will oversee this year’s Sacred Tournament. It’s a pleasure to meet all the exceptional young talents of this generation."
He briefly explained the rules. The tournament would be divided into three phases. In the first, participants would be organized into groups of five or fewer and fight among themselves. Only one cultivator — the one with the most victories — would advance.
In total, there were about 500 participants, and only 100 would move on. Those disqualified would still have the chance to fight for 200 more slots, determining who would be allowed to remain on the continent.
Those who advanced would proceed to the second phase, facing two battles. Anyone who lost would be eliminated, reducing the group to just 25.
The third phase wouldn’t be an individual battle. Everyone would be sent to a separate world, where they’d compete for something until only the top ten remained. There wouldn’t be a first place; all ten would be honored... or not.
The Tarrasque hadn’t chosen the participants for the earlier selection by chance. It was a preparation for this phase, which almost always repeated itself. In the third phase, you either won or lost. There could be up to ten winners, but the number could be smaller, and the rewards would be divided among the victors.
Years went by, and ’accidental’ deaths continued to happen in this phase. Despite the rule prohibiting killing, in the cultivation world, rules were relative, especially if the person involved was powerful enough.
The old man continued, "The rewards for those ranked between 101 and 300 are the possibility of staying on the continent and working in a city. As for those ranked 11th to 100th, they’ll get to keep one of these weapons and also remain on the continent."
"As for the top ten, they’ll receive a custom-made weapon from the God of the Forge and will be allowed to go to the Sacred Castle and live there. In that place, they’ll be able to choose a master and learn their Dao."
The old man finished calmly, and all the young cultivators clenched their fists, excited. Hundreds of supreme figures, with all sorts of abilities, lived there. It was an opportunity that could change everything for anyone.
Alm and Bruno’s eyes gleamed — this was perfect. Choose any master? Of course, they’d go after the God of the Forge to see what he had to offer. As for Ruri...
’The Fey Goddess. They mentioned any master, no restrictions. She’ll be a key player in this.’ Bruno thought to himself.
The old man spoke again, loudly and clearly, capturing everyone’s attention: "The age of each participant must not exceed a thousand years. Anyone outside this age range will be immediately expelled. Now, the evaluation begins; we will test each person’s age, cultivation, and the level of their Sacred Power. This will allow us to fairly organize the groups for the first phase. Even if you’re unlucky, only one high-level figure will be in your group. You’ll still be able to fight against others with similar power and reach the top half."
"Now, each continent will present its supreme talents! Everyone will know the names of the standout individuals from this younger generation. In the future, their names will be remembered forever and marked in the history books of generations!"
All the young cultivators felt their blood boiling in their veins, their gazes becoming filled with excitement.
"Fenrir Continent!"
The old man called out, and a figure leaped forward, revealing its true form. It was a gray wolf almost ten meters tall, covered in black runes that looked like chains across its body. An ancestral aura, pure Yin, enveloped it.
The 95 cultivators from Fenrir took a deep breath and made their way to the main stage. There, several runes surrounded them, assessing them. Soon, the runes organized themselves in the air, displaying their information for the entire arena to see.
They were all at the peak of divine cultivation. As the Tarrasque had said, about 90% were at the Earthly Will level of Sacred Power assimilation. Alm and Bruno analyzed them and noticed the damage to their souls was severe; even if they were removed from the process, without restoration, they would never reincarnate normally.
But...
"Heavens! Ten at the Sky Will level! Fenrir has produced many powerful ones this time."
Someone murmured, surprised. That was the fourth level. At such a young age, they were the elite of the elite.
Next came the Caipora continent. The leader didn’t transform into anything, only leaped forward onto the main stage, wearing a wide, excited smile, as though presenting her eager followers. Then...
"ELEVEN! Eleven at the Sky Will level, they’ve surpassed Fenrir this time!"
Emppu murmured about the continent rankings. Fifth was Caipora; fourth was Thunderbird; third was Fenrir; second was Qilin; and the most powerful, Djinn.
That’s why there was general surprise and excitement from the Caipora. Fifth place had surpassed third in talented youths, a noteworthy achievement. Rankings would change after this competition.
Among the six figures that controlled the continents, the Tarrasque, Djinn, Qilin, and Thunderbird were primordial beasts. Caipora and Fenrir were common immortal entities across many universes.
Of course, just like the primordial beasts, there were variations in power among them. Those present, under the queen’s command, were the most powerful of their kind.
Next was the Djinn. He didn’t assume his true form, unlike Fenrir, who did so to draw attention. Despite the rivalry between the six entities, the Djinn didn’t need to exaggerate his presence.
When his exact 90 cultivators were assessed, everyone read the information and was stunned.
"Fifty at the Sky Will level... and ten at the Sacred Will level... heavens..."
That level was like an explosion, impacting the eyes and hearts of everyone in the arena, leaving them completely dazed. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing, taking a while to recover.
For them, it was almost an incomprehensible reality. Usually, one or two figures of that level appeared per generation, and it wasn’t uncommon for there to be none. Now... ten in a single continent? It was almost a mythical tale.
The Djinn proudly walked away with the results, while all his cultivators displayed expressions full of arrogance and pride. Alm and Bruno noticed a heavy dark karma flowing over almost all of them. They certainly hadn’t reached that level cleanly.
"Tarrasque Continent." The old man announced. Many heard, but chose to ignore it, still discussing the incredible results from the previous participants.
Everyone there already knew it was only five, so before that, countless mockeries had been thrown in their direction. However, the Tarrasque and his cultivators simply ignored it or didn’t care.
They walked onto the stage behind the Tarrasque, still in human form, with a cold and empty look, as if they were walking to their slaughter. The Caipora watched and sighed deeply. That primordial beast could say otherwise, but it also seemed to feel the weight of this unprecedented humiliation.
To make matters worse… the Djinn would be remembered throughout history after this tournament. So, everyone would read about this event and forever laugh at how ridiculous and opposite the Tarrasque continent’s performance was.
As soon as the result was announced, the entire audience hissed in disgust. Soon after, sounds of chuckling began filling the air, coming from all directions. And although they started as restrained giggles, they quickly evolved into loud, uncontrollable laughter.
The audience was flooded with all kinds of warm laughter and mockery. Even some prestigious elders who lived in the city couldn’t resist and laughed involuntarily when they saw the result.
"Wait, is this for real? Only five? All of them at the Elemental Will level? NO! Hahaha! Two of them weren’t even marked! What the hell is this? Have they never cultivated Sacred Power? These two aren’t even in the Divine Sovereign Realm!"
"Pfft… Elemental Will! Even five of them! Are they really brave enough to participate in this tournament? HAHAHAHA…"
"Did the Tarrasque come here to be the comic relief this year? He really doesn’t care about his own face anymore?"
"Looks like we don’t need to worry about who’s going to take first place anymore! From bottom to top! Hahahaha!"
The five, along with the Tarrasque, heard it all in silence. In all the sacred tournaments up until now, there had always been people at this level, but they were few in the middle of a hundred, and their talents were usually extreme. So, participating in the tournament to gain experience was something everyone understood.
But now, the Tarrasque had brought only five participants, and they were all this ridiculous? This had never happened before. Indeed, they would be remembered forever in history because of this. Everyone imagined, amidst their tears and laughter, that this was the Tarrasque’s plan.
The beast itself kept a cold expression, while the Caipora clenched her fists so tightly that blood began to spill.
On the other hand, the golem couple seemed as calm and unshakable as always. The sounds of mockery, scorn, and ridicule around them were entirely within their expectations. Alm and Bruno seemed even more energized by it all. As for Ruri... she cultivated the utmost confidence in herself next to them. What the others said and thought couldn’t cause a ripple in her.
After everything, the couple moved back without any change in their expressions, their gazes remaining incomparably calm and composed, as if nothing that had happened had anything to do with them.
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But… for the other three, everything was clearly different. They seemed unable to lift their eyes, the weight of the humiliation too heavy.
After returning to their places, another continent was called. That’s when Carod raised his gaze and took a deep breath.
Ruri smiled, satisfied. He had already faced so much humiliation in his life. This was just another painful episode, one he overcame alone and quickly.
He had learned from everything he had lived through and, above all, learned the way to rise again. He could never bow or cower. What did their opinions matter? He knew that, if he fought most of the participants, he could easily defeat almost all of them.
As for the other two... the situation felt like a blade was lodged in their hearts.
Emppu was proud, he knew his power and responsibilities; he never imagined having to go through something like this. Florien, on the other hand, was very inexperienced and had always lived in isolation, and training; this was something new to her.
Minutes passed, and all the continents were evaluated.
There were twenty-five arenas for a hundred groups to fight, most groups having five cultivators; only the first place would advance to the next phase.
So, first, 25 groups would compete, and once all fought and the winners were decided, the next 25 would go up, in four total cycles.
The groups and names in each group appeared. Ruri, Carod, Florien, and Emppu searched for their names, but couldn’t find them.
"Master’s name is there!" Ruri pointed to the name Denil written.