The Heaven Tribulation tournament continued for the next two weeks, with geniuses from the top sects of the world vying for fame, glory, and most importantly, heavenly rewards. The crowd roared and cheered for every fight, as each and every one was a battle between pinnacle geniuses of the world.
The finals came down to a battle between two Yang-Dao Sect youths, shutting out the Sword-Dao Sect and Mage-Dao Sect completely. For the Mage-Dao Sect this was fine, as they focused primarily on Mage Arts, which were incredibly potent when used in group battle, but much less efficient when used in one-on-one battle.
As for the Sword-Dao Sect, this was an utter embarrassment, as it had been decades since they had last not had a participant in any of the finals. Their youths had won the Core Formation and Meridian Forging tournaments, keeping them from being completely embarrassed, but with the Heaven Tribulation and Dao Transformation tournaments considered to be the most prestigious, it was still quite a blow to their pride.
As such, the weight of the Dao Transformation tournament grew even heavier, as the Sword-Dao Sect was no doubt looking to restore that pride with Ji'Han's performance. The Dao Transformation bracket was the most prestigious and entertaining by far, and a win there overshadowed all other failures.
After the Heaven-Tribulation tournament award ceremony was a day of rest, in which the tournament spectators could relax and recover, while the tournament hosts prepared the stages for the next bracket. Many of the existing spectators were ushered out of the arena and Yang-Dao Sect, their tickets valid only for the tournament through the Heaven Tribulation Bracket.
The Dao Transformation bracket was the most anticipated bracket in recent memory, perhaps ever. It had the absolute pinnacle genius in Ji'Han, who would display his heaven-defying talent to the world one last time, cementing his place in history. There was Jaxus, his long-time rival, who sought to prevent Ji'Han's victory, cementing his legacy instead, as well as many other talented geniuses, each potentially capable of claiming the throne of victory for their own.
As such, the most important and powerful cultivators of the world arrived for this bracket alone, filling much of the crowd with the most important people of the human race. It was an event for the ages, and none dared to miss it.
…
The door to the training ground was pushed open, the light from beyond flooding into the Prime Shadow's temporary room. John stepped out a moment later, with Zuri close behind. Both were breathing heavily, their minds and souls exhausted from two weeks of rigorous training and combat.
John breathed in deeply, sucking in the thick Qi of this land. His body greedily drank the Qi which replenished and invigorated his mind and body. Zuri walked by, her clothes somewhat tattered from the fierce combat and training they had been in over the last two weeks.
"You have fifteen hours before the first trial starts," she said, walking to a door on the opposite side of the luxurious room. She opened the door, which revealed a small pool filled with wondrously refreshing water within, then peered over her shoulder at John. "Make sure to rest up fully before the tournament starts. I won't have the Prime Shadow berate and punish me for not having you fresh and ready when the tournament starts."
She then closed the door, leaving John alone in the room. He continued to breathe in Qi for a short while, then moved to another door next to the one Zuri had entered. The room was the exact same as Zuri's, containing a small pool filled with a Qi infused water, which was refreshing, healing, and invigorating.
John removed his clothes and stepped into the pool, feeling a rare, relaxing calm for the first time in weeks.
…
Hours later, John left the room, cleaned, and completely refreshed. Both his soul and body were brimming with vigor, making him feel antsy to expend his Qi in combat once more. He resisted the urge to train some more, and instead sat on a comfortable sofa in the room, overlooking the arena below.
The massive one-hundred mile arena was filled with Yang-Dao Sect cultivators, who were going about constructing the stage for the first trial. He watched them work for a short while, using formations and other methods to build a sprawling land of cliffs, valleys, castles and more. After watching them for a while, he closed eyes, mind returning to his Art creation.
…
A formation disk appeared in John's hands, which he sent his divine sense into to inspect. Information regarding his betting pool entered his mind, including details such as the odds, the total amounts bet on either side, and more. A wide smile appeared on his face as he read the staggeringly large number he would receive upon his win.
"The odds will lock in at the start of the preliminary elimination trial," he read, nodding his head with satisfaction. Once his scores were revealed, the odds would no doubt shift greatly towards his position, which would reduce his winnings.
"Checking your future winnings, huh?" Zuri asked. She stood next to him, a small smile on her face as she also had recently inspected the expected winnings of the bet. John nodded, satisfied by what he saw. He put the disk away, then opened the door before him.
Naelia was standing on the other side, patiently waiting for them.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, sighing with relief. "You're cutting it far too close!"
"We still have an hour until the trial starts. We'll be fine," John shrugged unconcerned, stepping out of the room.
Naelia pouted at him, her hands placed firmly on her hips, then smiled as Zuri stepped out a moment later. She hugged Zuri excitedly, like a puppy that hadn't seen their master for days.
"Alight, let's get going," Zuri said, to which Naelia nodded, then led the way forward.
The group left the restricted hallway a short while later, stepping back into the main hallways of the arena. A loud, buzzing, almost deafening cacophony met them, as countless people moved through the hallway. Some walked, others ran, and all were talking loudly, their discussions regarding one thing; the Dao Transformation tournament about to start.
"The first trial is about to start, and the testing scores are about to be released," John heard someone in a group of youths say as they walked by.
"Who do you think will be first?" another asked.
"Ji"Han obviously," a different voice replied.
"No, its going to be Jaxus this year," another argued.
"Regardless of who wins, do you think we'll see a record-setting score this year? If anyone can do it, its those two," another chimed in.
The group walked by John, blending into the thick and boisterous crowd, their discussion drowned out by the other discussions nearby.
"Heh," Naelia sneered, then smiled, giving John a sideways glance. "They don't even know how. I can't wait to see the shock on everyone's face when they find out."
"Shouldn't you be cheering for Jaxus, instead of me?" John asked curiously. "After all, he's representing your sect."
"Ah!" Naelia's face lit up with realization, as if she had forgotten which sect she belonged to. She smiled, giving John one more quick glance, then walked forward to lead the way. "I'll cheer for both of you," she said softly, her voice drowned out by the loud discussions nearby as the group walked through the hallway, towards the first trial that was about to commence.
John felt a growing excitement rise up within him as he followed behind. A small smile appeared on his face.
'It's almost time to let loose. It's been a while since I've last enjoyed the taste of true combat.'
