Elizabeth scoffed.

"Learn?" she repeated flatly.

Neo didn't respond.

His Path allowed him to copy anyone connected to it. If he really wanted to "learn," he could just observe them passively and integrate their techniques. The competition was obviously an excuse.

An excuse to overpower everyone.

And to show off.

Elizabeth sighed.

Even so, she knew the competition would benefit others, even if Neo's motives were questionable at best.

"Fine. But don't go too far," she said.

"Of course." Neo nodded.

The first round of the competition was held in a battle arena, with rules designed to strip away advantages.

Everyone's strength was suppressed. No superior physical prowess. No Technique Spirits. No Authorities.

Only combat mastery, experience, and instinct.

Out of dozens, only ten would advance.

Neo watched calmly from the sidelines at first, his gaze flicking from one fight to another.

Some participants surprised him. Others fell exactly as he expected.

As the round neared its end, he noticed something odd.

Paul was still standing.

Out of the last twenty people remaining, Paul was one of them.

Neo narrowed his eyes.

'There's no way he should be here,' he thought.

As a good father, Neo knew Paul couldn't survive the monsters waiting in the second round. Those weren't fights that could be won with grit alone. So Neo decided to handle it himself.

He would eliminate Paul.

After giving him a thorough beating.

With everyone suppressed and limited to combat mastery, Neo knew he could defeat Paul with his eyes closed.

Paul seemed to have been itching to fight Neo too.

The two of them locked eyes across the arena.

Paul grinned.

Neo smiled.

They both rushed forward.

And stopped at the same time.

Hades was standing between them.

He looked relaxed, arms loosely folded, as if he were resting instead of participating in a competition. His presence alone warped the atmosphere around him.

Paul flinched.

He couldn't help remembering Hades' aura from the last time he had flirted with Persephone—his soon-to-be grandmother—just to annoy Neo.

That pressure had been suffocating, even without intent.

Neo also calmed his excitement.

His gaze sharpened.

He glanced around the arena.

'Everyone's staying away from Hades.'

'Well, that makes sense.'

Neo had heard countless stories about Hades. Absurd feats passed down as legends, exaggerated over time.

After seeing his memories, Neo knew the truth.

The stories weren't exaggerated.

If anything, they were incomplete.

A grin spread across Neo's face.

Although they entered the area, where Hades was resting by mistake, this was a good opportunity.

"Shall we dance?" he asked lightly.

Before anyone could react further, the three of them were engaged in combat.

Hades fought casually, his movements clean and efficient, but without force.

He had no real interest in the competition.

He was only there because Persephone had insisted, and he clearly intended to put in the bare minimum effort.

Paul moved cleverly.

He positioned himself in ways that forced Neo and Hades to clash, slipping out of danger whenever possible.

His timing was precise, and his footwork was at a level Neo would begrudgingly call decent.

Neo noticed what he was trying to do.

'He's making us fight each other,' Neo realized.

Meanwhile, Neo himself was no longer paying much attention to Paul.

His focus was on Hades.

He pushed harder, striking faster, trying to provoke him. He wanted Hades to take this seriously. To stop holding back.

Paul saw this and adapted quickly, retreating further and letting the pressure build between the two.

In the midst of it, Hades suddenly heard a voice.

He turned his head, seeing Persephone cheering with a banner.

Cheering for Neo.

To win against Hades.

He stopped for a moment.

His gaze met Persephone's gaze.

She smiled at him.

Hades looked towards Neo.

His gaze sharpened, and he had decided Neo was not entering the second round.

…

Zeus POV

Zeus and Mars were not participating in the tournament.

They were in a completely different location, far from the Sect, under the tutelage of the Martial King of the Righteous Martial Alliance.

After discovering Neo's ability to generate Qi without a Spirit Root, the Righteous Martial Alliance had made a decision.

They would help.

Not out of kindness, but necessity.

If the Cultivators managed to capture Neo and mass-produce Qi, they would no longer hold back.

They would wipe out all opposition, including Martial Artists.

Of course, the Righteous Martial Alliance couldn't help openly.

If they did, the Cultivators would send a Fourth Step Cultivator and annihilate the Alliance, even if it meant wasting their already depleted Qi reserves.

So the help had to be secret.

They agreed on three methods.

First, they would send Martial Artists to assist Neo and the others when the fight against Apollyon began.

Second, they would train talented Martial Artists from Neo's side and teach them the true secrets of Martial Arts.

That was how Zeus and Mars ended up here.

The Martial King stood before them.

He was massive, built like a fortress, every movement radiating pressure. His presence alone made breathing feel heavier.

He attacked.

Zeus and Mars moved together, instinctively coordinating.

They were beaten back.

Again.

And again.

"Hahaha!" the Martial King laughed loudly. "Good! Both of you have burning spirits!"

His fist slammed into Mars' guard, sending him skidding across the ground.

"Zeus! You have the heavenly talent to copy others, improve techniques, and create countermeasures!"

Zeus barely dodged the next strike, blood trickling down his forehead.

"Mars! You have the godly talent to push Martial Arts to their extreme limits and show power that shouldn't be possible!"

Mars staggered to his feet, teeth clenched.

"You were both born to be Martial Artists (Extreme Heavens)!"

The Martial King grinned as he struck again.

And again.

His fists landed with terrifying accuracy, each blow precise enough to avoid killing them while still leaving no room to breathe.

Zeus crashed into the ground, while Mars skidded backward, digging his heels in to stop himself.

They stood up anyway.

Despite being beaten daily, despite fighting until their bodies barely held together, neither Mars nor Zeus had given up.

If anything, the pressure had forced them to grow faster than either of them had expected.

Their movements were sharper now. Their reactions quicker. Their coordination smoother.

The Martial King noticed.

"Alright!" he shouted, stepping back for the first time that day. "Time to revise what you've learned!"

Even as he spoke, he moved forward again, striking Zeus across the ribs and forcing Mars to block another heavy blow.

"As you already know," the Martial King continued casually, "Martial Arts are divided into three realms. First Realm. Second Realm. Third Realm."

Mars spat blood to the side and snorted. "Yeah. We know that."

"The Fourth Realm exists," the Martial King went on, unfazed, "but anyone who reaches it dies without exception."

Zeus frowned slightly as he dodged another strike. "Then what's the point of even mentioning it?"

The Martial King laughed.

"So what does this mean?" he asked loudly. "Are we Martial Artists stuck at the Third Realm forever? Do we have no way to grow stronger?"

"Shut up, old man!" Mars roared.

Red flames burst from his body as he charged, punching with full power. The ground cracked beneath his feet.

The Martial King deflected the attack with a single palm.

"We can get stronger. The answer lies in Martial Arts themselves," the Martial King said calmly.

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