"Everyone, we are now at the semifinals!" the elder announced loudly. "From this point, all the champions will fight—and the winner among these four will be granted the powerful Star-rank beast core at the peak of the Heaven Core cultivation stage!"

He raised a glowing core in his hand. "This warm-colored item is not just any core—it's an Essence Core. If a beast consumes it, there's a high chance it will evolve and even gain part of the bloodline abilities of the Seven-Star Radiant Lion!"

The crowd murmured in excitement as the elder continued, "But that's not all. The winner will also earn the right to choose any one of the four great sects of our Eastern Continent to join. The champion will have the first pick, while the remaining three will be evaluated by the other sect leaders present."

He smiled faintly. "Getting into one of the four great sects is already a great fortune on its own."

He lifted a small crystal tablet, glowing with faint symbols. "Now, let's draw the lots!"

As the names appeared one by one on the tablet, Tian Lei saw his match appear on the silver-blue arena crystal. He smiled slightly, a faint spark of anticipation flickering in his eyes.

"So, this is how it's going to be," Tian Lei muttered under his breath, his tone calm but edged with iron.

Wu Long glanced toward the Golden Arena where Tian Lei stood. Their gazes met across the distance—two sharp wills locking for an instant before both looked away, silent acknowledgment passing between them.

At the same time, the Bronze and Iron Arenas had their matches decided as well. The chosen fighters exchanged confident, competitive looks, sparks of fighting spirit lighting up their eyes.

"Participants, step forward!" the elder's voice boomed across the square. "May your strength and bond with your spirit beasts determine your fate!"

The ground beneath each arena flared with runic light. The crowd roared in excitement as the barriers rose, encasing each platform in shimmering gold, bronze, and iron hues.

Tian Lei and Wu Long stepped onto the gleaming platform, the air between them crackling with pressure.

Behind Tian Lei, golden flames burst forth as a magnificent Golden Sun Bird spread its radiant wings. Its cry echoed through the arena, filling the sky with rippling heat waves that shimmered like molten gold.

Opposite him, Wu Long's aura surged—a powerful Azure Dragon coiled behind him, its scales glinting with the hues of sky and sea. The moment its eyes opened, a gust of sharp, spiraling wind swept across the ground, scattering dust and rippling the arena's barrier.

The spectators held their breath as both stood motionless in the center of the Golden-Silver Yin-Yang Arena, the symbol of balance and dominance glowing beneath their feet.

From the stands, the elder announcer's voice boomed across the Grand Arena.

"In the Golden Arena—Tian Lei, a lone cultivator, with his awakened beast, the Golden Sun Bird—versus Wu Long of the Azure Stream Sect, master of the Azure Dragon Spirit!"

A ripple of murmurs swept through the crowd. The Azure Stream Sect, though respected, was known as a mid-tier sect—far beneath the Four Great Sects. Yet Wu Long's aura was anything but ordinary. The air itself seemed to hum with draconic pressure, as if the heavens acknowledged his bloodline.

"It's surprising," one of the observing elders muttered. "That dragon's aura… it's far purer than anything an Azure Stream disciple should possess."

"Hmph, Azure Stream Sect," another elder scoffed. "They're a nest of diluted dragon-blood cultivators. But this one—this Wu Long—his beast carries the mark of a true dragon, not some weak descendant."

Sect Leader Ye of the Tyrant Dragon Sect leaned forward, his lips curling into a grin. "I want him. That kind of bloodline belongs with us."

The others rolled their eyes, until Sect Leader Mu—a beautiful woman with eyes like polished amethyst—laughed softly. "Now, now, Ye. Don't be greedy. He'd do far better under my Moonlit Blossom Sect. We'd refine his draconic essence beautifully." She smiled like a fox savoring a secret.

Across from her, Sect Leader Hei of the Sapphire Ocean Sect, an older man with a calm but sharp demeanor, interjected. "You're all getting ahead of yourselves. Don't forget the other boy—Tian Lei. His beast may not be dragon-blooded, but a Golden Sun Bird carries divine affinity. I wouldn't be so sure Wu Long will win."

"Let's just see who ends up standing," said the final sect leader, Bai, a petite girl who led the Divine Sword Sect. Despite her youthful appearance, her eyes were ancient—cold, precise, deadly. Her awakened beast, a Celestial Dream Lion, granted her somewhat of an eternal youth, leading to her child like body, she only smiled faintly. "Both have potential worth fighting over."

As the barriers sealed the arena, the two combatants stepped into position.

Golden and azure light clashed as both summoned their auras in full.

Wu Long's Azure Dragon Spirit unfurled behind him, scales gleaming with oceanic light. Waves of water and slicing wind spiraled around him, forming a massive Azure Dominion Field—a storm-like zone of roaring wind currents and condensed pressure.

Tian Lei stood opposite, his expression calm. His Golden Sun Bird radiated divine brilliance, wings spreading wide in a halo of holy-gold luminance. A faint hum filled the air as runes appeared beneath his feet. The ground itself shimmered—Golden Dominion Field: Holy Radiance Manifestation.

While the audience thought he was simply channeling his cultivation art and innate beast abilities, in truth, Tian Lei was weaving Golden metallic and holy-elemental magic—a fusion no one in the arena could recognize. His spell formations were disguised as beast resonance patterns, hiding the fact that he was using pure mana rather than spirit energy.

The difference was subtle—but profound. His energy pulsed with density far beyond spiritual qi, bending the very air with each breath he took.

Wu Long's wind-water power raged outward, azure arcs spiraling through the air, merging into a dragon-shaped tempest. The Azure Dragon roared, its claws slicing the sky apart.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.