The Tenth Awakening

As the boy stepped forward, he summoned his level 16 water-element energy, forming a pair of water gloves around his hands. Without hesitation, he launched his attack, aiming straight for Arya's face.

Seeing the attack approach, Arya remained motionless, standing his ground. His lack of reaction made the crowd uneasy—even his mother couldn't help but voice her concern.

"Has he lost his mind from too much cultivation? Why isn't he dodging?" she muttered anxiously.

His father, however, simply chuckled. "He's proving a point," he said knowingly. "Arya wants to silence every doubter with just one match."

Just as the water-infused punch was about to connect, Arya calmly lifted his hand and caught his opponent's wrist in an instant. The water energy dissipated, vanishing into a thin mist the moment Arya's fingers touched it.

The entire arena fell into stunned silence. Every spectator stared at Arya, mouths agape, as if he were a ghost. Without wasting a moment, Arya shifted his stance, channeled his strength, and threw his opponent off the battle stage with a single motion.

The referee quickly regained his composure and announced, "The winner is Arya! You may step down."

Nodding slightly, Arya left the stage, returning to his seat. The crowd remained eerily quiet, still processing what had just happened. But as the next match began, the stunned silence gave way to excited murmurs, and soon, the arena was filled with chatter once more.

As the tournament progressed, stronger contestants emerged. One of the most anticipated battles was between Kane and a blue-shirted boy. Kane swiftly overpowered his opponent, securing his spot in the next round.

Arya watched from the sidelines, noting Kane's improvement. His cultivation had reached level 18 or 19, making him the strongest contestant in the competition. Though the tournament was for those under fifteen, Kane was only nine and a half, while Arya himself was just eight years old.

The first round ended with only eight competitors remaining out of seventeen. The weakest among them was eliminated, leaving the top nine rankings to be decided. The format changed—each of the remaining contestants would fight seven matches, and the rankings would be determined based on their victories.

Arya swiftly defeated his first two opponents, both of whom were at level 16. In his third match, he faced the girl with earth-element abilities. Though she had an impressive defense, Arya overpowered her without using any skills, relying solely on his raw strength and control.

Among the remaining competitors, two were weapon masters. Arya fought against them as well but continued to use only his seed master form, avoiding any advanced techniques.

Then came the match that everyone had been waiting for—Arya vs. Kane. The moment their names were called, the atmosphere in the arena shifted.

Despite Arya's impressive victories, most spectators believed this would be his loss. After all, Kane had the highest cultivation level. But Kane himself wasn't so confident.

Unlike the others, he had sparred with Arya multiple times in the past. Though their last match was five months ago, Kane knew firsthand that Arya's growth rate was terrifying.

As they stepped onto the stage, Kane smiled. "We meet again."

Arya nodded. "Are you ready for this?"

Kane's smile widened. "We'll finally see who the real champion is—the one who will lead our village's top seven in the Four Village Tournament."

The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"

Arya immediately summoned his level 17 elemental energy, then transformed his seed ring into a weapon, revealing himself as a weapon master.

Gasps echoed through the crowd. "Wait… he's not a seed master? He's a weapon master?"

Murmurs of shock spread. Up until now, everyone had assumed Arya was a talented seed master, but his transformation changed everything.

Arya raised his weapon and smiled at Kane. "Your move."

Among the spectators, a defeated contestant gritted his teeth. "He's so arrogant, acting like Kane isn't even a threat!"

Another nodded. "I hope Senior Kane crushes him so he finally learns some humility."

Everyone knew—this battle would decide the champion of the competition.

Kane's eyes narrowed as he studied Arya's stance. "You never used your ring skill… does that mean you've truly chosen the path of a weapon master?"

Arya smirked. "I haven't decided yet. But for the last six months, I've only trained with my weapon. Now, I want to see just how far I've come."

The crowd held its breath as the battle was about to begin.