With the elimination trial completed, there was one day of rest between it and the start of the true tournament.
For the approximately ten thousand Dao Transformation geniuses that did not place top nine hundred in the elimination trial, their tournament journey was officially over. However, just making it this far had already established them as a top one percent genius.
For those from tier two and tier three sects, this alone was something that would bring pride and honor to both the genius as well as their sect. For the three tier one sects, this was only the beginning.
While the three Dao Sects had countless youths, more than enough to completely dominate the tournament's top ten thousand, they each only sent their top one hundred youths, so as to give their subsects an opportunity to prove their worth.
With both the illusory test scores and the preliminary trial done, the Three Dao Sects released the official seedings going into the official tournament.
The main consideration for the seedlings was the illusory test scores. Those scores were used first and foremost, with the elimination trial results considered last. In the case where a top one thousand illusory test scorer did not qualify during the elimination trial, those who had a lower ranking and did qualified were moved up one slot.
Thus, there was a small difference in the end between illusory test rankings and actual seedings, but to John, it made no difference.
He ranked first in the illusory tests, and had also qualified successfully. As such, his official seeding for the tournament was the number one seed, with Ji'Han in second and Jaxus in third.
…
The door to the Prime Shadows room opened. John and Zuri stepped inside, followed by Naelia a moment later.
"Phew!" Naelia exclaimed with a relieved sigh. "We were completely surrounded the entire way back. All those shouting people. I thought they were going to attack us at any moment!"
"They wouldn't do something so brazen within the Yang-Dao Sect," Zuri said, patting Naelia on the shoulder.
"Quite a performance you put on for the crowd," the Prime Shadow said as he turned around from his window seat, looking at John.
Job shrugged, then smiled as he walked over. "I figured if I'm going to be treated like the villain, I might as well play the part."
The Prime Shadow nodded in understanding. "Just try to be a bit more…lenient…with the Yang-Dao sect youths. Their yangly cultivations make them quite hot headed, so most won't back down to you even if they know theyre outmatched."
John could read between the lines. This had most likely been a request from the Yang-Sovereign, who had left the room earlier to attend to tournament matters.
John nodded in understanding, then walked towards the training room and opened the door.
"Training immediately after the trial? You don't want to rest?" Zuri asked from afar.
"When I fought Kaynen, his simple yet effective Sword Art gave me some inspirations, so I want to try out some new ideas for my self-created Battle Arts."
Zuri nodded approvingly, then walked over to John. "Then let me help you create this Art of yours."
…
As the day passed by, a storm of frenzied commotion grew both inside and outside the Yang-Dao Sect. The discussions and predictions about the tournament had never been so heated, as John's appearance had thrown a wrench into everything.
As for the gambling halls, they were nearly overwhelmed with gamblers trying to take advantage of this developing situation. Some believed in the illusory results and placed massive wagers supporting John, while most still considered Ji'Han and Jaxus to be the favorites, and sought to win easy money from those foolish enough to believe in a nobody like John.
The rising sun the next day stirred the city and sect into a frenzy once more. It meant that the tournament was starting today. Those who were wealthy enough or lucky enough to have tickets flooded towards the martial stadium with haste, while everyone else flooded the bars, taverns and gambling venues that had formation screens showing the fights.
Hundreds of millions of eyes fell upon the arena or the formation screens revealing it, while billions both near and afar listened with eager ears and read with eager eyes the most recent news regarding the tournament.
In the entire Human Continent, it was almost impossible to find someone not focused on the tournament; a testament to its prestige and intrigue amongst the human race.
…
The door to John's training room opened up. A bloody and sweat covered John and Zuri stepped out, both looking worn and wounded. However, the smiles on both their faces betrayed their true emotions.
"It seems like your training went well?" The Prime Shadow asked. He was sitting at the large window overlooking the arena, sipping a cup of delicious, steaming tea.
"You could say that," John replied.
"Oh? No hints at all as to what you accomplished?" The Prime Shadow asked.
"Let's just say that I was too focused on creating complicated and flashy Arts, as I mistook complexity and flashiness for power. Kaynen's Sword Art showed me that simple looking arts can still be dangerous, which inspired me to try something similar. What I've come up with is still developing, but it's quite powerful."
"That's an understatement," Zuri said, then walked across the room to one of the washrooms, then closed the door behind her.
John exchanged a few more words with the Prime Shadow, then washed up himself. After putting on a fresh and durable robe provided by the Prime Shadow, John and Zuri left the room, finding a waiting Naelia outside.
Her eyes lingered on John for a moment too long, which she realized, blushed, and then averted her gaze. John felt a tinge of pity for her, as he did not share her feelings.
Naelia recovered her wits and then led John and Zuri through several hallways, then out into the stadium itself. The roaring crowd came into view, not a single seat unoccupied. It was like an ocean of endless humans, more in once place than John had ever seen.
The arena below was cleared of the preliminary trial
obstacles, with a single, almost perimeter spanning arena there instead.
"We're not going to the tunnel below like before?" John asked Naelia, his voice almost drowned out by the roaring crowd.
She smiled at him and shook her head. "No. Those who have proven themselves and qualified are given a different privilege."
"What privilege?" John asked curiously.
"You'll see," Naelia said with a teasing smile.
John didn't press the matter, and instead soaked in the electric atmosphere. Those in the crowd near him finally spotted and recognized him, resulting in taunts, boos, and cheers to be leveled at him.
Suddenly, about a dozen people appeared in the center of the arena below. Their appearance silenced the crowd, who dared not speak over them.
The group consisted of the Yang-Sovereign, the Mage-Sovereign, the Sword-Saint, and about ten other powerhouses wearing the colors of those three sects.
John studied the group curiously, his expression going cold and even slightly murderous a moment later. Zuri noticed his change in expression and looked about for any danger, but found nothing. Before she could ask what was going on, the Yang-Sovereign spoke.
"Those who have proven themselves worthy may now step forward and enter the arena," he said, his powerful voice filling every corner of the stadium.
A moment later, a thousand youths took the the sky, appearing over the arena. Many held long banners behind them, proudly waving the flags of their sects. It was quite a beautiful sight. A thousand geniuses soaring through the air towards the arena below, colorful banners waving behind them in the wind. The crowd roared wildly, cheers and cries of support flooding the arena.
John followed their lead and took to the sky, slowly moving towards the arena below. The roaring of the crowd and beauty of the scene was lost to him. His focus was on something else…someone else.
There, in the middle of the arena, wearing pure white robes and standing behind the Sword-Saint was a face John would never forget.
The face of the woman who had slaughtered Furi, Suri, and Luri.
