Chapter 151: Chapter 151: The Top Sixteen
Morning light filtered softly through the heavy curtains, casting the room in a warm, amber glow as Damon stirred awake.
Mia was still curled against his chest, her breathing slow and deeply peaceful, her deep purple hair splayed across his arm like a silken curtain.
Her naked body was warm and soft against his, her pale skin flushed from sleep, her voluptuous figure rising and falling with each quiet breath.
The red marks from last night’s punishment still bloomed across the curve of her ass, vivid against her paleness.
That sight drew a quiet, satisfied smile from him.
He lingered a moment, studying her sleeping face.
Even now, with her shy nature stripped away in slumber, she looked utterly serene, her lips slightly parted and her cheeks still carrying that permanent blush of hers.
Then he gently disentangled himself, careful not to disturb her, and rose from the bed with quiet, unhurried steps.
Time to get ready.
Damon rolled his shoulders, stretched the sleep from his limbs, and stepped out of the bedroom into the main hall.
Ariel, Mio, and Neko were already awake.
Ariel sat near the window in her inner disciple robes, her long dark blue hair neatly combed and gleaming in the morning light, hands folded elegantly in her lap.
Mio was pacing restlessly near the table, her ponytail bouncing with barely contained energy, clearly eager for the day ahead.
Neko, in her small white tiger cub form, was curled atop a cushion on the floor, lazily batting at the fringe of a decorative throw with one silver-striped paw.
"Where’s Selene?" Damon asked, glancing toward her room.
Ariel shook her head gently. "She didn’t come back last night. It must be a meeting with the other elders."
Damon nodded.
’That made sense.’
The tournament was a significant event, and the sect’s elders would have spent the night coordinating the finer details.
"Let’s eat and head to the arena," he said simply, settling into his chair at the head of the table.
****
The group arrived at the arena an hour later, the sounds of the gathering crowd reaching them long before the arena itself came into view.
The arena itself was immense.
Thousands of disciples packed every tier of the stands, shoulder to shoulder, their cultivator robes a sea of white, azure, and gold rippling like waves beneath the morning sun.
The sheer scale of it was something else entirely.
The voices overlapping and rebounding off the high stone walls, the scent of spiritual energy thick in the air, the restless shuffling of feet and the crackling excitement of a crowd that had been waiting for this moment.
Today marked the start of the top sixteen. Everyone knew it.
The top 32 rounds had been a spectacle, but what came now would be something different.
It’s matches between the sect’s finest young talents, battles where every clash of spiritual energy could shake the earth and every technique displayed had been honed through years of cultivation.
The crowd’s hunger for it was palpable, vibrating through the very stone beneath their feet.
Damon led his group through the press of bodies toward their designated seating area near the front, close enough that the elevated main platform loomed large above them.
Mio dropped into the seat to his right, her ponytail swinging as she settled, eyes already bright and scanning the arena with barely restrained enthusiasm.
Mia took the seat on his left, quieter, her deep purple hair falling softly around her face as her sharp eyes swept the surroundings with characteristic attentiveness.
Ariel settled gracefully beside Mio, folding her hands neatly in her lap, her dark blue hair catching the light as she gazed out over the packed stands with quiet composure.
Neko, still in her small white tiger cub form, leapt lightly from Ariel’s shoulder onto Damon’s, curling herself around the back of his neck with practiced ease, her silver-striped tail swishing in a slow, lazy arc.
One small paw rested against his collarbone. She seemed entirely unbothered by the noise.
The crowd’s roar intensified, surging upward in a fresh wave of sound.
Damon looked up and saw Sect Leader Hector descending from the sky onto the main platform.
Behind him followed the elders of the sect, their robes flowing with authority.
Lady Mei walked among them, her deep purple hair catching the light.
She was dressed in a tight-fitting qipao that accentuated every curve, her red lips curved in a seductive smile.
And beside her flew Selene.
Selene’s platinum-white hair was tied back in a ponytail, her eyes scanning the crowd before landing on Damon.
Their eyes met.
She gave him a subtle nod before turning away, her expression returning to its usual cold mask.
Damon smiled internally.
But then he noticed something else.
Flying beside Sect Leader Hector was a man Damon hadn’t seen before.
The man wore luxurious robes of gold and white, embroidered with intricate patterns that shimmered in the light.
A crown of silver sat upon his head, and his bearing was regal and commanding.
He was young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with sharp features and eyes that held the confidence of someone born to power.
Sect Leader Hector raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent.
"Disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect," Hector’s voice boomed across the arena.
"Today marks the beginning of the top sixteen matches. But before we begin, we have a special guest."
He gestured to the young man beside him.
"Allow me to introduce the Second Prince of the Solaris Kingdom, Prince Alex Solaris."
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
Prince Alex stepped forward, his smile warm and practiced.
"Thank you, Sect Leader Hector. I am honored to be here today. The Azure Dragon Sect has long been a pillar of strength in the Eastern Continent, and I look forward to witnessing the talent you have cultivated."
His voice was smooth and charismatic, the voice of a natural leader.
Damon’s eyes narrowed.
’Why is a prince here?’
He had a feeling this wasn’t just a casual visit.
Prince Alex continued, "I have come to observe the tournament and see the candidate of the Azure Dragon Sect who will fight in Easter Continent Tournament."
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