The preliminaries of the First Samsara Tournament took place inside the Inner Universe of one of the mightiest life forms in the known multiverse, the Revenge Thearch.
At simple sight, it seemed like a ferocious battle royale with the uniqueness that none of the participants truly perished, but it was much more than that.
The Revenge Thearch divided the preliminaries into stages, and the main goal was to harvest as much Raw Eternal Flame as possible. There were many ways to do it, with the most accessible being defeating the Flame Elementals spread around the Inner Universe.
Those Flame Elementals were incarnations made by the Revenge Thearch using creatures he captured in the Emptiness along with his Eternal Flame of Revenge. The strength of those beings had a wide range, but at the first stage, they were pretty weak, and most geniuses could easily defeat them with little effort.
Of course, since they were weak, the amount of Raw Eternal Flame you obtained from them was also little. Luckily, there was another way to get it, and that was stealing it from others. Every time a contestant defeated someone, they would get half of the Raw Eternal Flame reaped from that person.
That was why the geniuses entered such a savage fight among themselves. They all gave everything they had to obtain as much Raw Eternal Flame as possible since only those at the top 300 would pass the preliminaries.
The first stage of the preliminaries lasted three months, and only the top 1% passed to the next stage. Those expelled from the Inner Universe of the Revenge Thearch did it with gloomy expressions on their faces, but the ones that remained could not hide their thrill.
After the first stage was over and before the second would start, all the Raw Eternal Flame that the geniuses had obtained merged into their souls, improving their foundation and talent.
Geniuses that came from Great Powers did not have to participate in the preliminaries not because of favoritism, but so they would not take away this chance from others.
The moment the second stage began, the geniuses found out that not only the other participants had grown stronger, but the Flame Elementals also did it. It did not end there, as the space in which they fought was reduced by 99%, making the carnage grow exponentially.
Neo-Demon, Depravitas, and Eldars from all over the Daybreak Universe saw those fights, and there were even virtual screens in the Nightmare Inferno Realm. It was truly a sight to behold.
Finally, after another twelve months and four stages, each more brutal than the previous one, the preliminaries were over, and the top 300 rose from the initial hundred of millions of geniuses.
Those 300 might not have come from Great Powers or have teachers at the level of the legends Sacred Kings, but their powers were top tier. Each and every single one showed potential and destiny to reach Extreme Rank 9, becoming a powerhouse of the Daybreak Universe.
After the preliminaries were over, all the geniuses had three months to rest and spend with their loved ones before the semi-final began.
Although a journey to the Daybreak Sector was not easy, the Sacred Kings took the job of bringing the family of those top 300 geniuses. There was nothing wrong with taking a moment to rest, and there was no better place to do it than with family.
Noah and Sirik unleashed a barrage of spear strikes and sword attacks showing an extraordinary level of martial skill and domain over the laws.
However, while their teamwork could push a Rank 9 life form to the edge, the man they were fighting could easily counter everything that they launched at him.
Ezequiel's avatar would push the swords and spear away, using his body to counter their strength and his lightning to nullify the energy in those attacks.
Despite the immense difference between their powers, Noah and Sirik's eyes showed absolute focus and resolution as they continued fighting with everything they had.
The avatar had already destroyed the duo's bodies and souls countless times, but they returned stronger each time. All their hesitation and apprehension had vanished, and the fact they faced one of the strongest life forms in the multiverse no longer affected their state of mind.
"¡BOOOM!"
Noah and Sirik crashed against a flaming heavenly body after Ezequiel's avatar sent them flying away. Still, they immediately emerged from it, bathed in flames, and flashed toward their opponent with all their power.
Ezequiel's avatar's eyes showed a meaningful light as he saw the growth of the duo, especially in Noah, who had shed away his naivety.
Suddenly, the avatar's eyes narrowed, and before the duo could do anything, they were teleported out of the dimension.
Noah and Sirik were still full of battle intent when they appeared back in the room, but it did not last as they faced the full aura of the Emptiness Thearch.
One thing was to face an avatar made from a drop of his blood, but another entirely different was to challenge the True Rank 10 life form when they were still at Rank 7.
"The preliminaries are over, and the resting period is also about to end. The semi-final is about to start, and you two must participate. Remain with your father and mother in the meantime."
Ezequiel did not say anything else before waving his hand, sending Noah to Zitra, and Sirik to Roku. After the duo was gone, he took a deep breath before his energy exploded.
Black-white lightning that could sunder an entire super universe emerged from the Emptiness Thearch's body and began to gather on top of the Dream Tower.
It did not take long for another equally powerful force to emerge from the Dream Tower. It came in the form of dark red flames that could reduce everything beneath the Fourth Realm to ashes.
The black-white lightning and the dark red flames began to fuse in the sky, and soon they formed a massive colosseum that unleashed a shockingly powerful aura.
All life forms in the Daybreak Sector turned toward the colosseum made with the Truth of the Emptiness Thearch and the Eternal Flame of the Revenge Thearch.
That would be where the semi-final of the First Samsara Tournament would take place.
