Chapter 147: Chapter 147: The End Of The First Round
Damon settled into his seat as the last echoes of applause faded from the arena.
The first round was over.
Sixteen fighters remained.
He watched Sect Leader Hector rise from the main platform and step forward, his robes catching the light as he addressed the gathered disciples.
"The first round of the sect tournament is complete," Hector announced, his voice carrying across the arena without effort.
"Thirty-two entered. Sixteen remain. Tomorrow will be the top sixteen will face off to determine the top eight."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Hector raised his hand, silencing them.
"Before we conclude today’s proceedings, I will announce the rewards."
The arena went quiet.
"Any disciple who reaches the top eight will receive a Heaven-Grade Spirit Gathering Pill."
Gasps echoed through the stands.
Spirit Gathering Pill Heaven-Grade.
That was the kind of pill that could help a cultivator rise a level of their cultivation or even breakthrough a major realm.
Damon’s brow lifted slightly.
’Not bad.’
But Sect Leader Hector wasn’t finished.
"Furthermore," Hector continued, "any disciple who reaches the top four will be granted one hour inside the Sect Treasury to select any single item of their choosing."
The arena erupted.
Any item.
The Azure Dragon Sect’s treasury held treasures accumulated over thousands of years.
Spirit weapons. Cultivation manuals. Rare materials. Ancient artifacts.
The value of that single hour was immeasurable.
Kai Reventon stood on the far side of the arena, his lips curling into a smirk.
He didn’t care about the pill.
He cared about the treasury.
’Grandfather always said the sect keeps a fragment of the Solaris family’s original inheritance locked away. If I can claim it...’
His eyes drifted toward Damon.
’But first, I need to end him.’
Damon felt the weight of Kai’s gaze but didn’t turn.
Instead, he focused on Hector, who was speaking again.
"The matches for tomorrow have been set. The bracket will be displayed at the main hall by sunset. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, the real battle begins."
Hector stepped back, and the arena began to empty.
Disciples filed out, their voices buzzing with excitement and speculation.
"The treasury? Do you know what’s in there?"
"Rumors say there’s a King Grade sword hidden in the deepest vault."
"King Grade? That’s enough to fight across realms!"
"Top four is going to be a bloodbath."
Damon rose from his seat.
Ariel moved beside him, her hand brushing his arm.
"The treasury. That’s a serious reward."
"It is."
"Are you going for it?"
Damon smiled. "Nope, but I will get it anyway since i plan to win the whole thing."
Mio stretched her arms above her head. "Well, I’m definitely getting that pill. My body could use the upgrade."
Mia nodded. "Same. But the treasury... that’s tempting."
"You’ll have to beat me first," Mio teased.
"In your dreams."
Damon listened to them banter, his mind already turning.
The pill was useful. But the treasury was the real prize.
Although the pill and item from the his system will be better, but it always good getting a free things.
The Azure Dragon Sect had existed for over ten thousand years. Its vaults held secrets that even the elders didn’t fully understand.
If he could find something related to the Chaos Devourer Sword, or something that could make him stronger...
’I need to get into that treasury.’
He glanced toward the main hall where the bracket would be posted.
Tomorrow’s matches would determine everything.
As the group walked toward the exit, a figure stepped into their path.
Lark.
She stood with her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
"Impressive showing today," she said, her voice flat.
"You too," Damon replied. "That Dragon Sundering Strike was something else."
Lark’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You were watching."
"I was."
A beat of silence passed between them.
"I’ll see you at the final," Lark said finally. "Try not to lose before then."
She turned and walked away without waiting for a response.
Ariel raised an eyebrow. "Was that a threat or a promise?"
"Both, Maybe." Damon said.
He watched Lark disappear into the crowd, his Incubus Celestial Eyes catching the faint shimmer of her disguise artifact.
Lumina Solaris.
The princess of the Solaris family.
And she was watching him just as closely as he was watching her.
’This tournament just got more interesting.’
Mio tugged his sleeve. "Come on. Let’s go check the bracket before the crowd gets there."
Damon nodded and followed.
The main hall was already packed when they arrived.
Disciples crowded around the large jade board mounted on the wall, where the bracket for tomorrow’s matches was displayed in glowing characters.
Damon pushed through the crowd, his gaze scanning the board.
Damon’s golden eyes swept across the glowing jade board, parsing the bracket in a single pass.
Ariel held the first match. Lark the second.
The third slot belonged to a name he didn’t recognize, since he didn’t really focus other that his girls, Alena and Lark.
Alena had drawn the fourth.
Mio and Mia were slotted fifth and sixth respectively.
And then, at the very bottom of the board, framed by the cold luminescence of the carved jade characters.
Damon Arcknight versus Kai Reventon.
Final match of the round.
He stared at it for a long moment.
A slow, quiet smile crept across his face.
Ariel stood beside him, her dark blue hair brushing his shoulder as she leaned in to read the pairings.
Her vivid blue eyes moved quietly down the list until they settled on the final entry.
A small furrow appeared between her brows.
"You are fighting Kai," she said softly, her voice carrying the careful weight of someone choosing their words with care.
"That cruel man." She turned to look up at him. "Are you going to be alright?"
Damon glanced down at her, taking in the genuine concern written plainly across her round, graceful face, and felt something warm in his chest.
He reached out and rested a hand briefly on the top of her head.
"Don’t worry about me," he said, carrying the absolute confidence of someone who had already decided how things would end.
"Just focus for your own match. You’re up first."
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