Sacred Arts

10. The Tournament Begins

Amon dedicated the past twenty-four hours to cultivating, determined to increase his strength, even if it was just by a little. As the day finally arrived, Amon finished cultivating and opened his eyes with a broad grin. "It's showtime," he declared, excitedly, as he left his house to head to the training field. As he entered the training field, located at the center of the academy, Amon couldn't help but notice the changes that were made. "This is amazing," Amon thought.

The training field held a grand stage that was divided into four smaller stages, with seats encircling the entire stage for the spectators. All five hundred students who embarked on their cultivation journey at the academy stood around this magnificent stage waiting patiently for instructions. Standing up on a high platform, looking down on the stage were Headmaster Edward, Master Jacob, and Master Shawn. "Attention everyone!" Headmaster Edward yelled authoritatively. "The tournament has officially begun," he continued, with a smile on his face.

The crowd erupted into applause and joyful chants, as the warriors eagerly waited to test their might against one another. The spectators were excited too, because every tournament has been a wonderful experience to watch, as each year is different from the last. After waiting for the commotion to die down, Headmaster Edward cleared his throat and proceeded to explain the rules. "This is just a disclaimer, but each part of the tournament will be explained right before it begins instead of everything being mentioned ahead of time," Headmaster Edward informed. "In the first phase of the tournament, you will all draw lots with numbers ranging from one to four on them," Headmaster Edward continued.

"Once you have your number, proceed to the platform that has the exact same number carved into its center". "Moving on to the specifics of the first test." "On each platform, your cultivation's power will be measured." "If you fail to light up the orbs to level three or higher, it indicates that the power of your cultivation isn't enough to continue," Headmaster Edward explained. "It's not just about the level of cultivation, but also the power within it that matters," he emphasized.

"Now when everyone has had a chance to have their cultivation's power measured, the first test will come to an end" Headmaster Edward finished, wishing the warriors good luck as he bowed and sat down with the other two masters. One by one, the five hundred warriors drew their lots and made their way to their matching platforms. Amon noticed Matthew on platform four and Jess on platform three. "I wonder which platform I'll be on," Amon thought to himself as he got closer and closer to the box filled with slips of paper. Finally, Amon drew his lot and ended up with a piece of paper that had the number one written on it, which meant he had to make his way to the first platform.

The last of the warriors had drawn their lots and made their way to the corresponding platforms. "Now that you are all separated, the testing will now begin," announced Headmaster Edward. Hours passed as warrior after warrior underwent their tests. Many succeeded, but there were occasional failures. Amon watched Jess on her platform, as it was her turn to take the test.

"Here goes nothing," Jess muttered to herself. When she placed her hand on the orb and channeled her power into it, it lit up brightly. Glowing balls of light emanated from the orb, one after another, until there were a total of six orbs glowing. "Wow, that's amazing!" exclaimed some of the spectators. "This was the highest number of orbs seen so far on my platform out of all the first time testers," Jess thought happily.

Most warriors were able to produce three to four orbs, occasionally five, but six was exceptional. "She's not just beautiful but powerful as well," someone in the crowd remarked aloud. More hours passed, and Amon glanced over to Matthew's platform as it was his turn to take the test. "If Jess got six, I'll go beyond that," Matthew thought confidently. As he placed his hand on the orb, seven balls of light emerged.

"Who is this guy?" someone in the crowd asked curiously. Seven was the highest number of orbs they had ever witnessed someone so young generate. The crowd was left speechless. "We have some promising young warriors this year," Headmaster Edward stated to Master Shawn and Master Jacob. "We do indeed," Master Jacob agreed.

Many of the top fifty warriors from the previous year had already taken the test and passed. The top ten warriors had all achieved scores of seven, eight, or nine orbs. The strength they all possessed did not come as a surprise. Everyone praised the top ten and even went so far as to say that they were all in a league of their own. Finally, it was Amon's turn. "I don't want to reveal all of my power," he thought.

Intentionally holding back some of his power, he placed his hand on the orb. It shone brightly, but only five orbs of light emerged. "I know he has to be stronger than what his test results displayed, so why hide his strength?" Matthew wondered, frowning. "After all, he defeated me, and if I got seven orbs, then I know he's at my level or slightly higher," Matthew thought. "Did Amon purposely hold back his power to lower his test score?" Jess wondered to herself, surprised at Amon's score.

After another hour, all the warriors had completed their tests, and one hundred of them had been eliminated, leaving four hundred warriors remaining in the tournament. "Now, it's time for the next part of the tournament," announced Master Jacob as he stood up. "You all will be tested on your physical strength," he continued. One huge boulder over eight feet high and seven feet wide was placed on each platform, totaling four of these gigantic boulders. "Everyone will punch the boulders, and your strength will be measured."

"Those who score five orbs or higher will proceed to the third phase of the tournament, and those who don't will not continue forward." "Good luck to you all, you all may begin," Master Jacob said, sitting back down. With one hundred warriors remaining on each platform, the first four began their tests. Hours passed, and more warriors failed this test when compared to the previous one. For every few warriors that failed, only one would pass, and this pattern continued for some time.

The top fifty had completed their tests, and they had once again achieved scores ranging from seven to nine. The top three warriors achieved perfect scores, which was a score of nine, as everyone had expected from them. Jess passed with a score of seven, while Matthew scored eight. Amon, once again holding back his strength, achieved a score of six, which would have been higher if he had utilized his full power. The last of the warriors took their turns, and part two of the tournament came to an end.

The number of warriors still participating in the tournament decreased from four hundred to two hundred. Each platform had about fifty individuals remaining on it. "Phase two of the tournament has now ended," Master Jacob declared. "Great work everyone, you all performed excellently." "You all will be given a twenty-four-hour period of rest to prepare for the next phase," he announced.

"Luckily we got a break," Amon thought as he looked around at all the remaining warriors. The remaining warriors took the opportunity to rest and replenish their energy through cultivation. They formed plans to maximize their strength during the brief rest period provided. Amon spent half of the rest period recovering his energy and the other half focusing on stronger warriors. "I want to see how I compare to the top ten warriors," Amon thought, using his divine sense to inspect them closely.

"As expected, the top ten are insanely powerful," Amon whispered to himself. "I wonder if I could actually hold my own or even defeat one of them in a battle," he wondered, with a grin on his face. "I guess I'll find out soon enough," he whispered excitedly.