The Shining Star Above The Heaven

"Welcome to the day you have all been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen!" the man said. His booming voice echoed across the stadium, and even those outside could hear him.

"UWOO!" The spectators, already filled with excitement, roared with spirit in response to the man's greeting. The man kept his smile as he continued.

"I know that you already can't wait to see the greatest tournament ever held on the Barisan continent! You even came this early, before the schedule began. Your spirit is truly amazing. Your wait is almost over, as the event will be held shortly! The participants and preparations are nearly complete, so keep your excitement high, ladies and gentlemen!"

"UWOO!" the spectators shouted again. The shouts of millions of people, not only from inside the stadium but also from outside, echoed for kilometers away. Their voices reverberated through the entire space, creating a truly spirited atmosphere.

However, the loud voices of the crowd did not disturb those inside the VIP or VVIP rooms. The rooms were equipped with a soundproofing function that could be activated or deactivated at will. For most of them, the soundproofing was kept active whenever there was nothing interesting to hear.

At one of the VVIP rooms, the group from the central continent sat. Inside the room were only the three sect masters of the three great sects, the Sword Maiden, her friend, and the twin red-haired siblings. They had reserved one of these rooms after paying 1,000 peak-level energy stones—something far too excessive just for a place to watch entertainment.

They sat on the comfortable long sofas that circled a large table, with beverages and drinks placed in the middle. The room also had its own retainer outside attending to the guests's needs. In addition, it was equipped with a temperature regulator that could be adjusted manually. The temperature inside could be set as cold as a tundra or as hot as a desert, though for now it was adjusted to normal.

"This stadium is truly magnificent. It is much larger than the arena of the Proving Ground of the Celestial Demon in the central continent. The new technology embedded inside this stadium also makes it quite different from any other arena, even compared to those on other continents," Sect Master Han commented. His words were met with a nod from Sect Master Baek.

"Yes, even more amazingly, the arena itself can withstand a pseudo-immortal stage attack. Many say that His Majesty Aldrian himself created the formation. Did you also sense the complexity of the formation surrounding the arena? It is the kind of great formation that would normally require many people working with precision, and yet they say His Majesty created it by himself."

"Normally, this kind of defense is only reserved for important or strategic places. But for His Majesty to create it here, he truly spared nothing to build the most grand stadium ever constructed," Sect Master Jiang added.

"Still, I cannot wait to see what kind of talents this continent has. Although the average cultivation level of the entire population is low because of the protective barrier in the past, their potential might not be. I heard there are some exceptional figures participating this time," he continued.

The others agreed. The Sword Maiden simply looked at the central arena in a calm manner, while her friend seemed excited as well, influenced by the atmosphere outside.

In another room, the group from the Beast Continent also watched the arena with interest. This group consisted of the Dragon King, the Phoenix Queen, and the Spirit Ancestor with her two companions.

While gazing at the arena, the Dragon King could not help but sigh.

"If only there were still dragon race members on this continent, then I believe we would most likely come out as the winners," he said, which made the Phoenix Queen snort.

"How can you be so confident? The very fact that no dragons survived on this continent in this era is proof that humans are not to be underestimated."

The Dragon King frowned and snorted back. "That is because they were cunning and attacked in groups. I believe that in this kind of setting, the dragons would still emerge as the winners."

He already knew that no dragons had survived on this continent after he looked into their records here, as all of them had gone extinct long ago. The dragons had lost during the battles of territorial disputes between powers not long after the outsiders first arrived on this continent.

There were no phoenixes left either, and the beast race had been forced to scatter into small territories spread across many parts of the continent. All of this continued until Aldrian the Great granted the beast race their own land in the northernmost part of the continent, a territory that had once been ruled by the devils.

"What do you think, Elder Sariel?" the Dragon King suddenly asked the Spirit Ancestor as he turned his head to her, who was seated comfortably on the sofa.

The Spirit Ancestor only showed a gentle smile as she answered. "Just as the Phoenix Queen said, do not underestimate the potential of humans here. Even in a tournament like this, there might be a surprise—one that may surprise even you."

Hearing that, the Phoenix Queen kept her smile while glancing at the Dragon King, who only frowned and continued to look at the vast arena.

Outside, the atmosphere grew even more bustling until finally the lone man in the arena spoke again.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come for us to begin the greatest event ever held on the Barisan continent! We will witness the finest talents from across the land. With the participants numbering nearly two hundred thousand, only the very best can emerge as the shining stars who will engrave their names in this stadium's history for the future!"

The spectators grew even wilder as the time for the tournament's finally arrived.

"However, before we proceed, allow me to introduce myself as the one who will guide all of you throughout this event. My name is Orlav Lidovski, and it is my great honor to be entrusted with this task by the kings and by our beloved Great Emperor, His Majesty Aldrian the Great," the man declared.

"Now, for the opening ceremony, let us welcome the participants of this tournament. Behold the talents who may become the pride of this continent in the future, here they are, the future powerhouses of the continent!"

After Orlav said that, lines of participants began entering the arena from beneath the platform. They came from the lower floors located beside the arena, which separated the arena from the spectators' section. The lines of participants continued unbroken for a long time as more and more people filled the arena.

However, even then, it was still not enough to cover the vast space of the arena, not even half of it.

Only after more than twenty minutes had passed were all the participants finally gathered on top of the arena. They instantly became the center of attention, which made many of them feel nervous. The spectators also began discussing among themselves who might emerge as the winners of this grand tournament.

"If the maximum cultivation for this tournament is the Marquess stage, then I think the winner might be the young master of the Strader family. He is already famous for his powerful fire techniques and can even battle across two cultivation levels! Now that he has reached the peak of the Marquess stage, I believe his chances are great," one of the spectators said.

"No, it is not entirely certain," another replied. "There is also the personal disciple of Sword Sage Wang Weijian. I heard she is the most talented disciple he has ever had, and she already comprehended sword intent back at the Earl stage! A truly genius sword cultivator."

"Well, that's true. Then how about the rumor of His Majesty taking in a disciple from the Heavenly Path Academy? Who was he again? Ah, yes—the young man named Zander. I think he might have a great chance in the Earl stage category," another chimed in.

"I heard that too, but I also heard he is still only at the low Earl stage. I don't even know if he is participating in this tournament. I think it's still too early for him. Even if he does participate, he has to face many geniuses with much higher cultivation than him," the other replied.

This kind of discussion could be heard all across the spectators' section, as countless people tried to guess who might become the brightest star of the tournament.

"Alright! I think all participants are already in the arena. Now, next, let us officially open the event with the declaration from our beloved empire's great emperor, His Majesty Aldrian the Great!" Orlav announced.

The moment Orlav finished speaking, the entire bustling atmosphere instantly fell silent. It was as if everyone had become of one mind regarding this matter. The mood shifted from excitement and spirit to solemnity and sacred reverence. Their expressions also changed, from joy and thrill to piety and devotion.

The outsiders who witnessed this were truly amazed by the sudden change in demeanor. It clearly showed how the populace of this continent regarded Aldrian and how deeply they respected him as their ruler.

All eyes turned toward the balcony at the highest section of the stadium. After a few moments of waiting, several figures finally appeared.

Aldrian, clad in his imperial attire that elevated his charisma to the heavens, walked forward accompanied by his women and his parents. The instant his figure appeared and could be clearly seen, the populace shouted in unison,

"To the brightest star and eternal light, we greet Your Majesty, the Great Emperor!"

At once, all of them lowered themselves to their knees, many even prostrating before him.