The Shining Star Above The Heaven

The two participants finally met each other as they stood on the top of a tree branch, not far from one another. One of them was a blonde-haired young man with a sword at his waist, at the peak of the beginner stage, while the other was a brown-haired young man with a spear on his back at the same cultivation stage.

"That kid with the sword is Irvan Herlion, the youngest son of Grand Duke Herlion of the Doria Kingdom. The other one is the rising genius of Raklis Dukedom from the Vindas Kingdom, Oliver Raklis," a spectator explained to the one beside him, who seemed clueless about the identities of the two youths.

"This will be a good show. I believe there is no rule against fighting in the secret realm, and they can take crystals from other participants," another spectator said.

Inside the secret realm, the two youths looked at each other warily. They seemed reluctant to fight, as neither felt confident about securing victory.

"Let's just take different paths. It's too soon for us to fight at this moment. There is still plenty of time, and you don't want us to drain our energy too early in such a dangerous place, right?" Oliver said.

"Agree," Irvan replied, and without another word they moved in opposite directions. The spectators, who had expected confrontation and action, felt disappointed, but they understood that the reasoning made sense. It was too early for them to fight each other when there was still more than an hour and a half left.

It was much better to use their energy to search for the scattered crystals in the secret realm. That was the wisest choice, especially when there were many hidden dangers in the secret realm. They did not want to run out of energy when danger came upon them.

That kind of thinking also seemed to be in the minds of the other participants. They preferred not to fight and simply continued on their way. Some unfortunate ones, however, encountered beasts and were eliminated. Others were trapped by nature's dangers, such as swamps that swallowed anyone who stepped into them.

As time passed, the number of participants actually dropped below fifty, though those inside the secret realm were unaware of it. They continued searching for crystals in many places without having to fight one another.

This made the spectators grow quite bored with the lack of action. Only a few participants drew attention, those who managed to collect many crystals while also escaping from the beasts. These were the geniuses showing sharp instincts and quick decision-making, making them not only geniuses in their foundation but also in real battle experience.

But after the time reached an hour and forty-five minutes, the spectators finally saw action. When the time was almost up, it was the moment for a more radical approach. Since they did not know how many participants were left in the secret realm, the quickest way to ensure a spot in the top twenty was to take crystals from others if they crossed paths.

That was exactly what happened when one participant attacked another with his sword. The other blocked with his blade, and the two fought fiercely. Since they were still at the beginner stage, they did not possess many techniques and mostly depended on martial skills.

Still, this kind of action had its own appeal, drawing the spectators' full attention to the fight. The battle might not have been as intricate as that of high-level cultivators, but it still provided entertainment. It was also a chance to gauge the battle sense of these youths in real combat.

Fights broke out in several places, growing more intense as the time drew closer to the end. The families of the participants, watching through the projectors, shouted their support from afar, even though their voices could not be heard inside the secret realm.

Some of them lost to their opponents and had to let their crystals be taken. A few were even eliminated as they were "killed" in battle. Although their crystals could not be taken, since the bracelet teleported them outside along with their belongings, their elimination still reduced the number of competitors.

The most important thing was still entering the top twenty, not who held the greatest quantity of crystals. Collecting more was one way to pass this phase, but if many competitors were eliminated, then in the end quantity meant nothing and the top twenty would be secured.

However, there were also those who chose to leave with what they had gathered, teleporting outside on their own. They wanted to make sure not to fight until the last phase of the tournament, as some of them preferred not to reveal their battle prowess at this stage.

After a while, the time was finally up. The bracelets on their arms blinked several times, signaling the end of the competition. The participants understood the meaning of the sign, and one by one they were teleported outside.

The moment they came out, the portal of the secret realm closed, and the staff approached to collect the bracelets. The participants would not know the results until the officials announced who would continue to the next phase of the tournament.

After all the bracelets were gathered, they were handed to Orlav, who stood at the side of the arena with a table already prepared in front of him, several staff also at his side. Together, they began counting the crystals stored inside each bracelet, which already carried the identity of its owner.

As the counting went on, the participants could only wait nervously for the results. They could only hope that what they had gathered was enough to secure a place in the top twenty.

After a while, the staff finished counting and handed Orlav a scroll containing the list of participants who would move on to the next phase.

"Alright," Orlav announced, "from this phase, thirty-three participants came out of the secret realm without being eliminated. All of them either teleported out on their own or remained until the time was up. As I said earlier, we only need twenty. After counting the crystals of each participant, we have determined the top twenty who will advance to the next phase of the tournament."

He then opened the scroll and began to read, his voice carrying clearly for all to hear.

"I will start with the one who gathered the most crystals. The first position is achieved by Alexi Bourbon, with a total of one thousand crystal points."

The other participants instantly turned to look at the first-ranked, a black-haired teen with twin swords on his back. He was the son of a noble family in the Atria Kingdom, which in the past had stood in the opposing faction to Prince Wilmar. Although his family suffered heavily during the civil war, this youth seemed unaffected. Instead, he had grown stronger because of it.

"The second place is Aelther Sylvaris, with a total of eight hundred and eighty crystal points."

This one was a male elf. The spectators were not surprised at his performance. As an elf, the forest was essentially his domain. Elves were more sensitive and more adaptable to such environments, which greatly helped them survive many dangers. His abilities also helped him locate many crystals.

"The third place is…"

Orlav continued to announce the names of those who had passed the third phase. When the twentieth participant was finally called, disappointment and regret spread across the faces of those who had failed.

"Alright, that's the top twenty. Congratulations to those who passed this phase. The next phase, which is the final phase, will be held tomorrow morning, when the sun is as high as an incense stick above the horizon. Please gather at that time, because if you are late, you will be eliminated," Orlav announced.

"Now, for the next category, the Disciple Stage. Please be ready, as the competition will begin in a few moments," he added.

Suddenly, a portal appeared once again. The projectors connected to the ceiling of the stadium had already disappeared, as the connection to the earlier secret realm was cut off to make room for the new one.

"Alright, participants, the same rules apply. You may now enter the secret realm. I wish you success!" Orlav said.

The participants at the Disciple Stage stepped into the portal. Once they entered, the projectors lit up again, revealing the new environment. This time, the terrain was quite different from the earlier one.

In this secret realm, there was still an area of dense jungle, but there was also a body of water, such as a river, that split the terrain. There was also a mountain range, with some of its peaks reaching the clouds. Once again, it amazed many people because of the complexity of the secret realm. Some outsiders were even tempted to request Aldrian to create a secret realm for their own territories.

What was stored inside this secret realm was not much different from the beginner stage, except the beasts were slightly stronger and the number of natural traps scattered throughout the area was much greater than in the beginner stage secret realm.

As for the other participants who were still waiting for their categories, many simply decided to use their time to cultivate. After watching the first category's competition, they more or less knew what to expect, so it was better to take advantage of the time before their turn to strengthen themselves.

This was also the case for Zander, who chose to cultivate as well. After observing the earlier competition, he had a clearer idea of what to expect and what to do inside the secret realm. He would use the waiting time until his category was called to stabilize his cultivation, since he had not had the chance to do so earlier.