Nearly seven hours later, Arthur and Chen Yuze finally returned to the city after helping suppress the beast tide caused by the collapse of the Violet Heaven Secret Realm. The situation had been far worse than either of them initially expected. If not for the arrival of reinforcements an hour into the battle, the cleanup alone would have likely taken another day or two.
Those reinforcements belonged to the Crimson Hall and had arrived from a neighboring world under their jurisdiction after receiving emergency reports regarding the destruction of the secret realm and the appearance of large numbers of high-level beasts at least that's what they told them.
Their arrival greatly reduced the burden on the local cultivators and allowed the beast tide to be suppressed before it could spread across the planet. Even so, the aftermath left a bitter taste in many people's mouths.
During the cleanup process, Arthur learned from Chen that most of the powerful beast corpses were immediately claimed by the Crimson Hall representatives. The local sects that had fought from the beginning received only a small portion of the spoils despite suffering heavy casualties.
Many sect elders were visibly dissatisfied, but none dared challenge the Crimson Hall openly. Strength dictated authority in the Immortal Realm, and the Crimson Hall possessed both strength and influence. Fortunately, neither Arthur nor Chen suffered such treatment. As members of the Artifact Refiners Union, they possessed a status that even the Crimson Hall wasn't willing to casually provoke.
Every beast they personally killed was properly recorded, and their share of beast cores and corpses was handed over without argument. By the time Arthur returned to the city, his Sea of Consciousness contained enough monster materials to keep him occupied with research for quite some time.
Looking around at the bustling city, Arthur suddenly turned toward Chen and asked, "Union Head Chen, do you know the location of a world with powerful beasts that isn't under any organization's jurisdiction?"
Chen Yuze nearly stumbled after hearing the question. He looked at Arthur strangely, as though he had just been asked where the nearest active volcano was by someone planning to take a vacation there.
Most cultivators avoided dangerous worlds whenever possible. Arthur seemed to actively seek them out. "I know of a few," Chen eventually admitted. "They're usually called rogue worlds. But why exactly do you need their locations?"
Arthur didn't hesitate. "I need stronger opponents."
Chen stared at him for several moments before releasing a helpless sigh. Under normal circumstances he would have dismissed such a statement as arrogance, but after personally witnessing Arthur fight Malphas, that was no longer possible.
This was a man whose cultivation was significantly lower than his own, yet he had stood on the front lines against a weakened Infernal and repeatedly injured it. And more importantly, Arthur had saved his life.
Remembering the battle, Chen rubbed his forehead before explaining further. "Rogue worlds aren't controlled by any organization because most of them are more trouble than they're worth. They usually lack valuable resources, possess unstable environments, and are filled with extremely dangerous beasts. Many of those worlds are practically ecosystems dominated entirely by monsters. Once you enter one, leaving can become a problem. There are usually no permanent teleportation channels, and the beasts themselves can range from troublesome to downright terrifying. Even Immortal Kings don't casually wander into such places."
Arthur listened quietly before nodding. "Sounds useful."
Chen looked at him as if he were insane. "Useful? Most people would call that suicidal."
Arthur merely smiled. Seeing that the younger man wasn't joking, Chen shook his head and continued flying beside him in silence for several moments before another thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Actually," he said slowly, "if it's strong opponents you're looking for, there might be a better option."
Arthur looked toward him curiously. "A better option?"
Chen nodded. "The Grand Tournament of the Nine Heavens."
The moment he mentioned the tournament, his expression became noticeably more animated. Clearly this was something he held in high regard.
"What's that?" Arthur asked.
Chen immediately began explaining. "No one knows who created it or when it first began. As far as anyone can tell, the tournament has existed since before recorded history and continues to this day. It spans the entire Immortal Realm and includes participants from countless worlds. The tournament itself is divided into nine levels corresponding to the nine major cultivation realms. That allows cultivators of every level to compete fairly against opponents within their own realm."
Arthur became interested immediately. "And are there any rewards?"
Chen smiled. "That's the best part, the top thousand participants of every realm receive rewards. The higher your ranking, the better the rewards become. Cultivation resources, rare treasures, inheritance opportunities, ancient artifacts, and countless other benefits. Even major organizations pay close attention to the rankings."
He paused briefly before lowering his voice. "There are even rumors that the universe itself rewards the highest-ranked participants."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "The universe?"
Chen nodded seriously. "That's why the rankings are so valuable, even Immortal Emperors fight for better positions. For many powerhouses, reputation isn't the main attraction anymore. It's the rewards and blessings associated with the rankings. Some people spend thousands of years trying to improve their placement."
Arthur also learned from Chen that one can participate and represent that planet in the tournament thus improving the reputation of the planet. So every organisation in the immortal realm actually encourages cultivators to participate from a planet under their jurisdiction.
He found himself becoming increasingly interested. The tournament would provide a constant supply of strong opponents without requiring months of searching. More importantly, every battle would be against someone actively seeking combat. It sounded perfect for testing his growth.
"How does one participate?" Arthur asked.
Chen immediately answered. "Simple, every inhabited world within the Immortal Realm possesses a Tournament Stele. All you need to do is inject spiritual energy into it and register. After that, you'll be connected to the tournament system. You can challenge other participants or receive challenges yourself. Every battle takes place inside the Heavenly Martial Plaza."
Arthur tilted his head slightly. "The Heavenly Martial Plaza?"
"It is a special battlefield existing outside ordinary worlds," Chen explained. "All official tournament battles occur there. It prevents participants from destroying planets every time they fight. Of course, just because it's safer than a rogue world doesn't mean it's completely safe. Deaths still happen occasionally, some participants push themselves too hard, while others encounter opponents far stronger than them."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully, the risks didn't bother him. If anything, they made the tournament more appealing, real growth rarely happens without involving danger at least for him. Even so, he still asked for the coordinates of the rogue worlds.
Chen stared at him for several seconds before sighing heavily. He had honestly hoped the tournament would distract Arthur from the idea entirely. Unfortunately, it seemed Arthur was far more stubborn than he expected. "Fine." Taking out several jade slips, Chen copied the coordinates of multiple rogue worlds and handed them over. "If you decide to visit one, try not to die."
Arthur smiled. "I'll do my best." Somehow that answer worried Chen even more.
A short time later, Chen led Arthur toward a large-scale teleportation formation. The nearest Tournament Stele wasn't located in their current city, so they needed to travel to another major population center several tens of thousand kilometers away.
The teleportation process only lasted a few moments, and when Arthur stepped out of the formation platform, he immediately noticed the difference. This city was significantly larger and far more prosperous than the previous one. Towering pagodas stretched toward the sky while countless cultivators filled the streets below.
Discussions regarding the recent Violet Heaven Secret realm exploration could be heard almost everywhere. Most people usually come to this city to register their name in the tournament. Cultivators walked through the city with excited expressions, while others appeared nervous. Some clearly dreamed of becoming famous through the tournament, while others hoped to obtain valuable rewards.
The atmosphere of the city remains almost always festive. Following Chen through the crowded streets, Arthur eventually arrived at the center of the city. There, standing atop a massive stone platform, was an enormous black stele stretching hundreds of meters into the sky. Ancient symbols covered its surface, and a profound aura radiated from it continuously.
Arthur immediately understood why Chen held the tournament in such high regard. Even the registration monument felt extraordinary. Surrounding the platform were numerous Crimson Hall representatives responsible for maintaining order and assisting newcomers. Long lines had already formed in front of the stele as cultivators patiently waited their turn.
Arthur joined one of the lines and quietly waited. Several cultivators around him discussed their future opponents excitedly, while others appeared focused and determined. A few clearly underestimated the competition and spoke confidently about reaching the top ranks. He simply listened without commenting.
Eventually, after several minutes, his turn arrived. One of the guards barely glanced at him before speaking in a bored tone like he had been doing this his whole life. "Place your hand on the stele and inject a small amount of spiritual energy, that's all you need to do."
Arthur nodded before stepping forward. The surface of the ancient stone felt surprisingly warm when his palm touched it. He slowly injected a small amount of spiritual energy into the monument. For several moments nothing happened, then suddenly he felt something connect to him. It was subtle, almost impossible to notice, yet he clearly sensed it.
An invisible thread seemed to form between himself and something unimaginably distant. The sensation only lasted a moment before fading into the background. Arthur instinctively wanted to investigate further, but before he could do so, an impatient voice interrupted him. "Next."
Looking behind him, Arthur noticed dozens of cultivators still waiting. Since there was nothing immediately unusual about the connection, he stepped aside and left the platform. The subtle feeling remained somewhere in the back of his mind, it was faint but undeniably present.
'Interesting, very interesting.' Returning to Chen's side, he remained thoughtful while observing the enormous stele towering above them.
Somewhere beyond countless worlds and endless distances, a system older than civilizations had just acknowledged his existence. Whether it would become another opportunity or another challenge remained to be seen.
But for the first time since arriving in this universe, Arthur felt he had discovered something capable of connecting him to the broader Immortal Realm. And as he stared toward the ancient monument, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of monsters awaited him inside the Grand Tournament of the Nine Heavens.
***
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