A moment later, a large, black stele appeared in the sky above the Elder. It was dozens of yards long and wide, and emanated an ancient aura. Countless names were etched into the stele, which at the top read 'Three Dao Tournament - Meridian Forging Victors'. The Elder waved his hand, at which point a new name was etched into the stele.
The Sword-Dao Sect girl looked emotionally at her name appearing, while John narrowed his eyes as the long, countless list of names. Two names prior was a name he recognized.
Ji'Han.
The stele hovered over the arena for a moment, while the crowd cheered again. After the wave of applause, the stele disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
A short moment later, another cultivator, a middle-aged woman in the Late World Expansion Realm appeared. She wore the Yang-Dao Sect clothing, although instead of a robe, it was a flowing dress of red and orange, the skirt which seemed to dance like real flames.
She appeared next to the Elder, holding in her two hands an object which she seemed to hold with reverence. She handed the object to the Elder, who nodded his thanks, then turned and waved his hand outwards.
An object of pure jade appeared before them, glowing with an emerald-green brilliance. It was a ten-staged podium, the highest platform in the very center, the other nine platforms tapering to either side. A number was carved below each of the ten platforms, from one at the top platform, to ten at the lowest. The podium was quite large to be made out of what appeared to be pure jade, with each of the ten platforms large enough for a person to comfortably stand on.
As the podium appeared, John noticed eight other youths move towards it, appearing from a tunnel on the side of the arena. The crowd cheered as the youths appeared, roaring with another round of celebration.
The youths moved towards the podium, while the Sword-Dao Sect Girl and Yang-Dao Sect boy did so as well. Both had received a quick dose of healing energy from a skilled healer, returning them to a relatively healed condition.
The youths said some words to the Elder and the woman, then each hopped on one of the ten platforms, with the girl and the boy occupying the one and two numbered podiums.
'Their ranks, no doubt. So, these were the top ten Meridian Forging youths, huh?' John mused, noticing that only one of the youths did not wear the clothing of the Three Dao Sects.
There were four Sword-Dao Sect youths, three Yang-Dao Sect youths, and two Mage-Dao Sect youths. Only one of the youths, the tenth-place youth, wore different clothing, no doubt belonging to a strong tier two sect.
Each youth was handed a spatial ring, most likely filled with the rewards of the tournament. They graciously accepted them, then stood tall, as if waiting for something. After all the rings had been handed out, the Elder placed his hand against a portion of the jade podium, which suddenly flared to life with vibrant formation runes.
The runes lit up and covered the entire podium, which began to emulate with a marvelous and profound energy a moment later. The energy enveloped the youths, making them appear like they were glowing. The youths seemed to embrace the energy, some closing their eyes as if a state of enlightenment.
"The Jade Podium," Naelia said, standing to John's side, eyes filled with envy.
"What is it doing exactly?" John asked curiously. He figured it was a cultivation aid of sorts, due to the nature of the energy, but figured he'd ask regardless.
"You don't know?" Naelia asked, tilting her head to the side, face scrunched with surprised confusion. "Everyone knows about the Jade Podium."
"I guess not everyone," John said flatly, not caring about revealing his lack of knowledge.
Naelia looked at him oddly. "The Jade Podium is the ultimate reward for the top ten Meridian Forging Youths. It bathes them with an incredible energy, raising their cultivation by one minor realm, guaranteed."
"It's that impressive?" John asked with slight surprise. For a formation to do something like that, it was no doubt incredibly impressive, and also incredibly expensive to not only build, but activate.
"Of course," Naelia said. "It's the ultimate reward for the best Meridian Forging youths."
"Is there something like this for the Dao Transformation winners?" John asked curiously.
Naelia gave him another odd look, as if saying 'how could you not know all this? It's common knowledge.'
Instead, she kept that comment to herself, instead opting to explain in detail what awaited the Dao Transformation victors.
"No, the Dao Transformation cultivators aren't given such an opportunity," she said. "After all, using a formation to raise the cultivation of a Dao Transformation cultivator is much harder. Instead, the Dao Transformation top rankers are given individual rewards, with the best given to the winner. I'm not exactly sure what's given, as it seems to change each year. But the only certainty is that the rewards are no doubt amazing."
John nodded his head, thanking Naelia for her explanation. A distant rumble of thunder blanketed the arena, while the familiar feeling of an approaching heaven tribulation appeared as well.
"That fast, huh?" John said, surprised that some of the youths on the podiums were already starting to break through to their heavenly tribulation. "Do…do they undergo tribulation here?"
"No," Naelia shook her head. "They'll absorb as much of the podium's energy as possible, and then will be taken by their elders to other parts of the Yang-Sphere lands to undergo their tribulation. We won't be able to watch.
John nodded again, then told Naelia he was ready to follow her again. She happily led them back into the hallways, through some more formations, up some stairs, and through more hallways until they arrived in a rather empty, yet quite luxurious hallway.
Compared to the other hallways, this one was quite decorated, with carpets of the highest quality, intricate statues carved from various gemstones, paintings of incomparable beauty and more. Only a few other people could be seen moving about the hallway, which was restricted to be used by only certain people with the correct access.
Naelia led them down the hallway for a bit more, eventually stopping before a closed doorway. She handed John and Zuri a formation disk, which was shaped like a thin rectangle.
"You use these to enter this room," she said, then handed both another, different formation. "You can use this formation disk to contact me if you need any help or assistance. I have been assigned to be your guide for this tournament, so reach out as soon as you need something."
John and Zuri thanked Naelia, who said some parting words, then moved down the hallway, skipping with the excited energy of a child.
"I like her," Zuri said, watching Naelia as Naelia disappeared from sight.
John grunted, voicing neither his approval or disapproval of Naelia. Zuri then smiled and nudged him with her arm, as if teasing him.
"And she thinks you're quite handsome. Seems like she has a crush on you," Zuri said teasingly.
John ignored the comment and entered his formation disk into the thin slot in the doorway before him, which parted for them a moment later. A large, luxurious room came into view, one decorated with lavish furniture. A large window on the opposite side of the room overlooked the arena, giving a magnificent vantage point from the top of the stadium.
Sitting on a couch near the window was the Prime Shadow, who looked over his shoulder to John and Zuri.
"So, what do you think of the Three Dao Tournament? Impressive, isn't it?"
John walked in and nodded his head, looking around the room for a moment. Zuri stepped into the room after him. John turned to her as he instinctively noticed a nervous energy emanate from her, which was something he had never felt from her.
He looked at her, noticing her wide-eyed expression of nervousness, looking directly at the smiling Prime Shadow. She had never met the Prime Shadow, nor even heard of his confirmed existence. However, the Prime Shadow's cultivation and demeanor instantly told her who he was.
"I….I humbly greet the first Guildmaster," Zuri said, bowing her head with reverence.
"There's no need for that," the Prime Shadow said, waving his hand dismissively, then gestured for both of them to sit by him. "Come, both of you take a seat. We have much to discuss."
