The champion he faced was a sentient beast from the boar tribe (unofficially elephant tribe) that was rather frantic as he arrived. He was filled with despair as he appeared and rushed at his champion like a madman.

Of course, his champion managed to defeat the beast but it paid the price for it once more. The boar had lacked technique and refinement but he had herculean strength. It ended up with his champion fracturing many bones. His right arm had been stomped and, while it retained its appearance, the bones inside were crushed. His champion confronted the charge head-on and suppressed the boar with his own power. However, the weight of the boar was enough to bypass the outer layer of spiritual energy and it inflicted inside damages.

But he won.

His battle finished rather quickly too so he was given some respite to rest. It wasn’t enough to regenerate and heal himself and far from enough to even think of attempting a breakthrough to the tenth stage… It was only enough to meditate and recharge his energy.

There was a chance that things would get better if one of the predecessors picked him but, once again, it seemed like he was unlucky as none did. Even though four predecessors picked someone to teach this time which was unheard of. His own champion wasn’t given the opportunity. He wondered if the predecessors believed his champion to be incomparable to the others or if they just didn’t believe in his chances… Or maybe they had other considerations?

If his master managed to win and didn’t die at the 69th stage a few hundred years ago, there would have been a remnant on his side. He sighed at the thought.

Anyways, right now, as he saw the champion that would be facing his, he wanted to curse. It just had to be that corrupted monster. A human who won over corruption… Of course, his champion would have eliminated that corrupted being easily himself but to absorb its strength? Probably not. It was a dangerous gamble. His champion would not have dared and just slaughtered the enemy.

Now, his champion would have to face a strong human cultivator who earned a new power and, probably, mastered it. After all, he saw how a predecessor entered that champion’s dome. They didn’t know for how long or what transpired in there. But they knew which candidates received guidance.

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Two were Hae-Hyuk’s, that lucky bastard dog. One was Cao Lei’s and the last one was the blue dragon. Speaking of which, he wondered how the dragon clan patriarch fared after this…

The dragon clan patriarch was at ease. Even though both his champions had been forced to face each other at the very first round. He hadn’t minded it. Instead, he was gloating at the result as he saw his champion appear in the cavern and who he would face.

His champion had evolved!

He saw how a predecessor entered the dome and as it left, his champion was different. He was a brand-new creature that reached the tenth stage. Not just that, but it evolved. Spiritual beasts underwent a different kind of evolution of their existence compared to humans. Their forms changed to adapt to the newfound powers and there were always many paths opened to them that they could pick from. They called the phenomenon the guidance of bloodline.

As he saw the appearance of his champion, he boasted. Because he recognized it. The blue dragon won over the red dragon during the battle and considering his appearance, it appeared that he used the dead red dragon’s core to break through. A beast core could, in fact, be used to attain the same effects as any other elemental treasures. The only requirements were age and elements after all. The thing was that this blue dragon that was naturally of the water element absorbed a fire core to evolve!

And it became a rare breed of Temperature Elemental Dragon. The one who rules over hotness and coldness. It was a rare breed because water and fire rarely coexisted peacefully and the challenge provided by the inner demon to reach this stage was incredibly difficult. Many died or found themselves with a broken core after trying.

Very few sentient beasts tried to evolve by absorbing a core of contradicting element. The difficulty of the trial to breakthrough undergoing a rapid and violent increase if they did.

But this one did and succeeded. It was a pleasant surprise. Not only that but he did so under the watch of a predecessor. Who knew how strong he became now?

Rarely were there champions who managed to breakthrough to the tenth realm while undergoing the trial. The first parts being a race made it impossible. The second part was tricky as it was a melee. As for the duels, they could only dream. They wouldn’t have the time. Only if a predecessor decided to help would there be a way.

The fact that it happened to his champion and in such a grandiose way made him very happy.

As for the loss of his other champion, he didn’t give a fuck. It was a welcome sacrifice to breed a better champion. Instead of two with low chances of winning, one with high chances was better!