"The rules for this preliminary round are simple," He continued, his voice echoing throughout every corner of the stadium."We have decided that this time, it'll be just combat strength," Drexel's eyes sweeping over the crowd as he spoke,The Azure Sky Academy didn't specifically say what exactly test each instructor had to carry out in each region leaving the instructors to decide themselves."The fight would take place for about three to seven days," Drexel carried on once more, his voice still sharp,"As you can see, I only have ten tokens here," He paused again, observing the expression on everyone's faces before adding,"Meaning only the top ten would be picked.""Anyone who fails to enter the top ten will be disqualified, regardless of your background or your clan's standing."Hearing this, gasp erupted from the crowd.Hundreds of geniuses had gathered from all over StromPeak. Those who felt they couldn't get a hand on the tokens in their regions even travelled over.Yet there

The bronze bell rang out, and the blood-red light around platform seven flared brighter, sealing the two of them inside."Kael Draven," Lucas said, his voice flat, his grip tightening around the hilt of his unsheathed sword."Alfred died because of you. Alex died by your hand. And you think you can just walk around like nothing happened?""I never touched Alfred," Kael answered, his eyes narrowing. "And Alex attacked me first. I only defended myself.""Lies don't matter here," Lucas cut him off, his expression cold. "Only blood does."Kael didn't waste his breath trying to convince him further. James had already poisoned this well long before the fight started. There was nothing left to say."Then let's begin," Kael muttered, unsheathing his sword.Lucas moved first, his large blade dragging against the stone floor before he swung it up in one motion."Heavy Sword: Mountain Crusher!"The strike came down, slow at first, but the weight behind it was suffocating. The air itself seemed t

The third round began without much fanfare, the crowd already worn out from two days of matches. But the air still carried the same tension as before, thick and watching.On platform two, a young cultivator from the Hayes Clan stumbled back, blood dripping from a cut along his brow. His opponent pressed forward, sword raised for another strike."I yield!" the boy shouted quickly, raising both hands.Instructor Owen was already moving before the words fully left his mouth, his figure flashing onto the platform in a blink. He caught the descending blade with two fingers, stopping it cold inches from the boy's neck."Match over," Owen said simply, his voice calm. "Get him to the healers."The crowd barely reacted, used to this kind of swift response by now. It was the same on platform five a moment later, where a girl from a smaller clan collapsed to her knees, completely drained of Qi. Drexel stepped in immediately, ending the match before her opponent could land another hit.This was h

The blade never reached him.A pale hand caught the flat of Garron's sword inches from Kael's face, stopping it cold. Owen stood there, his expression calm, as if he had simply reached out to catch a falling leaf."That's enough," Owen stated, his grip tightening until the blade groaned under the pressure.Garron's crimson eyes flickered, his body shaking violently from the strain of whatever was still burning through his veins. A second later, his legs gave out completely, and he collapsed onto the stone floor, unconscious, the borrowed strength finally running dry.Drexel rose from his seat, walking toward the platform without any hint of urgency, as though he had all the time in the world."Match over," he announced. "Kael Draven wins."The crowd stayed quiet, watching closely, waiting for something more. Waiting for some kind of explanation for what they had just seen."What about the pill?" someone finally called out from the stands, unable to hold the question in any longer.Dre

Jace didn't stay long after that.He lingered for another hour, the two of them talking through other things, the tournament, the remaining rounds, what the Ladeson clan's next move might look like.By the time he rose to leave, the candles along the wall had burned noticeably lower, and the estate had gone quiet around them."Get some rest," Jace told him at the door, pulling his outer robe straight. "And eat something that didn't come from this kitchen for once.""I'll manage," Kael replied.Jace gave him a long look, the kind that said he had more to add but was choosing not to. Then he turned and walked down the corridor, his footsteps fading as he went.Kael closed the door and stood in the quiet for a moment.Then he moved back toward the table and sat down, reaching for the cup of tea that had been left by one of the younger servants earlier. It had gone lukewarm already. He drank it anyway, his eyes on nothing in particular, his thoughts still turning over everything Jace had