The Ember Clan Capital City was blossoming. What once was a city made purely of elites suddenly gained several more in just the span of a few days. Just for this occasion, the city had pushed past its usual occupancy cap, allowing several more thousand in.
The tournament arena looked nothing like it had for the Wild Card Tournament. There was not a single seat that wasn't filled. In fact, even that wasn't entirely correct because there wasn't a single person who actually sat down. From end to end, thousands of individuals were on their feet, looking down toward the numerous platforms with gazes filled with excitement.
At the forefront of it all, thirty-two youths stood with the backs straight and smiles full of pride. Of all the geniuses of the entire Pedestal Plane, only these thirty-two were worthy to stand here, they were the absolute best of the best.
Well, that was the case for the twenty who stood at their front. As for the twelve who were lined up behind them, their auras were relatively lacking, with the exception of two individuals. One was a beauty with gentle eyes and a calming aura, while the latter was a young man with an indifferent appearance.
These two were none other than Melody and Matheus.
Ryu had never expected to run into Matheus as well after their complicated history of a year ago, but it seemed that while Melody was one of the four participants from the Outer Ring, he was one of the eight from the Inner Ring.
This reality made Ryu more curious. As the Throne of what should be a true Eighth Order Sect or Clan, Matheus should have all the resources he could ever want at his fingertips. If that was the case, why would he bother to participate in this tournament?
Ryu knew Matheus' real strength. He should be quite strong even amongst Half-Step Immortal Ring Realm experts.
Of course, his own personal strength was only at the Lower Connecting Heaven Realm, but his corpse puppets were a different matter entirely. As long as he was willing to use them, sweeping through these geniuses was as easy as breathing. Well, aside from Ryu and Melody, that is.
Yet, he chose to come here anyway…
There was another thing that was curious. There was no Eighth Order Sect or Clan on the Pedestal Plane. And, if Matheus was from the Blossom Plane, he would have participated in their Selections, not the Pedestal Plane Selections.
One might think that maybe Matheus was looking for an easy way in, but this wasn't the case. Not only would the Apostles not allow this kind of loophole for the sake of protecting their pristine image, but as a Peak Eighth Order Throne, Matheus should be nearly unmatched even on the Blossom Plane. So, he would have no need to use such underhanded means.
This left Ryu with only one conclusion. Matheus' backers weren't from this Realm at all. On top of that, Ryu had very clearly underestimated the value of this Ice Devil Legacy World… If it wasn't extremely valuable, why would Matheus travel all the way back?
Suddenly several things began to make sense… Maybe it wasn't a coincidence Matheus came back home…
'Ailsa, have you really heard nothing about the Ice Devil Legacy World? Before I met you, I simply ignored it because I had never heard of an expert who went by that name, and nine hundred million years wasn't enough time for such a character to appear… Could I be wrong?'
Ailsa sighed. 'I really didn't pay much attention to the world while I was waiting for you, I don't know… But, with your speed of cultivation, could you not also reach such a level in nine hundred million years? Maybe there's someone just as talented as you out there. The cosmos is vast.'
'Didn't you say that there was no one with my level of talent back then while you were scolding me?'
Ailsa was stunned for a moment. Was Little Ryu… teasing her? What an occasion this was!
Her bell-like laughter sounded in his ears. Ryu was completely befuddled by Ailsa's sudden weird reaction. But, the pomp and circumstance of the Final Selection Tournament's over the top fanfare was finally coming to a close, so he could only turn his attention forward.
'Why do they always insist on wasting my time with these grandiose speeches…'
"… I won't say anymore. I believe you all understand the magnitude of this opportunity. Of you thirty-two, ten will rise above the others and ascend to the Blossom Plane!
"Now, let us all give our respects to the esteemed guests of our Pedestal Plane…"
In those moments, the air seemed to turn solid.
A man with hair blazing like the sun walked through the air no differently than one would a dirt path. His gaze was indifferent, his posture impeccable, and his aura without equal.
The sound of faint gulping spread through the arena. This man was a legend that never appeared in the public eye, one didn't need to think to understand who he was… Ancestor Ember…
Ancestor Ember calmly took his seat. However, one couldn't miss the obvious. Of the thrones that took the head, there were two… And Ancestor Ember was actually sharing the right to these two center thrones with some unknown entity. On top of this, this individual actually dared to arrive after Ancestor Ember.
Soon, everyone received the answer to their burning question. Not even a few seconds after Ancestor Ember sat, space warped above the arena, revealing a beautiful silver Immortal Cave in the shape of boat. The air itself seemed to slice apart beneath its slow, smooth movement.
The silver boat Immortal Cave retracted, revealing an entourage of three, led by a beauty that made one's heart palpitate.
Just as slowly as Ancestor Ember, they made their way to the final throne.
The beauty took her seat with an indifferent expression, her two followers standing to her back on her right and left. The fact she felt no need to greet Ancestor Ember with anything other than a nod and slight smile made her status clear.
"Pay you respects." The announcer took the lead, kneeling respectfully to these two individuals. Soon, the entire arena followed suit.
However, among them all, there were four individuals who seemed to have no intention of doing so.