The crowd cheered with passion as the thousand youths streamed through the sky, long, colorful banners streaming behind them. Some of the youths flared their aura's as well, adding to the colorful display as hundreds of different color auras filled the air above the arena.
Around a third of the banners were white, red, or purple; the colors of the Three Dao Sects, while the others were the colors of the strongest Tier Two Sect geniuses who had managed to make it this far.
The atmosphere was absolutely electric, as if ten million souls had gathered for a singular purpose of passionate celebration. Normally, John would have reveled in this atmosphere, which made just about everyone present burst with energy and vigor.
Instead, the cheering of the crowd and beauty of the colors in the sky was almost completely lost to him. His focus was on the woman standing on the stage behind the Sword-Saint. Right now, there was nothing else in his vision. Nothing else on his mind.
His mind raced with chaotic thoughts as he stared at her with narrowed eyes. Why was she here? Why was she behind the Sword-Saint? Who was she exactly? Was the Sword-Saint, or the entire Sword-Dao Sect, behind that woman's actions?
Countless questions raced in his mind, though he knew none of them would receive answers any time soon. He slowly fell down towards the center of the arena, where everyone was gathering, and landed softly a short distance away from the group of powerhouses.
The other youths landed nearby, grouping by their sects. The groups consisting of the Three Dao Sects were the largest by far, with about one hundred cultivators in each group. The rest of the youths gathered in smaller groups, some as large as fifty, others as small as two. In the sea of colorful groups, only John stood alone.
Most of the crowd's focus was on the Yang-Sovereign and the other powerhouses of the human race, who were more like mythical demi-gods than humans to the general populace. The natural presence of the Yang-Sovereign, the Mage-Sovereign, and the Sword-Saint were too brilliant to ignore.
Their auras were withdrawn, and they almost appeared like normal mortals if one didn't look close enough. But upon close inspection, one would feel as though they were staring at a world itself, too vast and powerful to comprehend.
The powerhouses, as well as those standing behind them, patiently waited for all the youths to land on the arena.
The crowd suddenly erupted in a loud cheer as a youth landed amongst the Sword-Dao Sect. Ji'Han landed on the arena with natural grace, his posture straight, his face calm, yet bearing a natural look of confidence.
Another cheer, even louder than Ji'Han's, erupted as Jaxus landed on the stage. With the tournament being hosted in the Yang-Dao Sect, the largest fanbase present was undoubtedly the Yang-Dao Sect. They cheered with wild jubilance at Jaxus' arrival.
Unlike Ji'Han's graceful arrival, Jaxus landed like a comet on the arena. His Yang Aura flared powerfully for a moment to signify his arrival, then withdrew as he turned to look at Ji'Han. His gaze narrowed as he saw Ji'Han not even giving him a single glance. Instead, Ji'Han's focus was on John, who stood off to the side some distance away.
Jaxus shifted his gaze to John, eyes igniting with battlelust as he spotted him. Jaxus frowned as John completely ignored him, while Ji'Han raised an eyebrow. Both knew John could definitely feel their gazes on him, and yet John had completely ignored them as if they didn't exist. Jaxus felt his blood go hot with the disrespect, while Ji'Han felt a rare tinge of displeasure at being ignored like this.
John felt both their gazes land on him, but he ignored them completely. Only the woman behind the Sword-Saint existed at the moment. His narrowed gaze simmered ever so softly with murderous bloodlust, as he wanted nothing more than to rush the woman and cut her down immediately.
Instead, he took a deep breath, and averted his gaze. He knew if he stared at the woman for too long, she would notice his murderous gaze, and become suspicious. Just as he averted his gaze, the woman behind the Sword-Saint looked over in his direction, a curious expression on her face. She scanned the arena around John, which contained him and a few other groups of youths nearby.
Her eyes narrowed for an instant, then returned to her original direction, towards the Yang-Sovereign who stood before the group of powerhouses.
The last Dao Transformation youth finally touched down on the arena, joining their group. The Yang-Sovereign raised his hand, asking for silence. The crowd silenced instantly.
"It is always an honor of mine and my sect to host the Tri-Annual Dao Tournament," the Yang-Sovereign said, his voice firm and powerful. "We have witnessed countless feats of heroism and genius thus far, and will most certainly witness countless more during the upcoming Dao Transformation tournament."
The crowd cheered loudly, while the Yang-Sovereign waited for the noise to die down.
"The Dao Transformation tournament is always the most anticipated, and most exciting of the brackets, and this year I believe will be no different," he continued after the crowd became silent. "The Mage-Sovereign, the Sword-Saint, and myself, will watch the fights to come with interest and excitement. Show to us, and the world itself, of your genius. Show to all your talent, your power, your resolve. This arena is your stage to prove yourself, and cement your name in the annals of history. I wish you all good luck in the fights to come."
The crowd erupted into applause once more. The Yang-Sovereign, as well as the rest of the group took to the sky, slowly soaring up towards the top of the stadium. They arrived at a viewing platform the very top of the arena, which was separated from the rest of the crowd by several miles. This arrangement allowed for relative peace and quiet for the powerhouses as they watched the tournament below, and also gave everyone in the arena, both crowd and fighters alike, an unobstructed view of the powerhouses of the world.
On the viewing platform were countless ornate seats and tables, each luxurious enough to be fit for the wealthiest of kings and sect leaders. It was almost as if each seat was a throne itself, luxurious beyond compare. There were dozens of them, some larger and more luxurious than the others, but each beyond valuable and grand.
Around one hundred servants and butlers stood on the edge of this viewing platform, patiently waiting for orders from those lofty enough to claim a seat here. The various tables on the platform already held exotic and delicious food and drink, most of it so expensive that only someone like the Yang-Sovereign could afford it in such quantities.
John's eyes, as well as the rest of the crowd, followed the group of powerhouses as they soared through the sky and landed on the platform. He watched as the powerhouses, the Sword-Dao Sect woman included, mingled for a while with the others, then took a seat to view the fights to come.
John's cold, simmering gaze shifted from the woman, then his eyes went wide. His anger and rage instantly melted away, replaced by relief and joy instead, as he locked eyes with a familiar person already sitting on one of the throne-like chairs. A face he had not seen for nearly a year.
He smiled and nodded at Lilian, who smiled and returned the brief nod.
Her expression then turned into an almost mischievous one, at which point she winked at him. John's smile widened as he instantly understood her meaning.
Her expression said, 'I'm fine, so let loose and cause havoc!'
John nodded his head again in understanding. "Gladly."
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