Sam strode forwards, heading towards the pillar. There did not seem to be much of a line. Rather, the strongest among the challengers stepped forwards. Many of them had no idea who Sam and the Overlord were. After all, just looking around, there were dozens of conflicts erupting at any given moment. Sam’s father had hardly been out of the ordinary in his killing of the challenger, at least from a distance.

Sam concealed his aura, and with an audible sigh, the Overlord did as well. They both waited until the leaderboard had been sufficiently populated, and then made their move. Sam waited as the other man stepped forth, and towards the pillar. He elbowed another cultivator out of the way, putting enough strength into it to not so subtly hint how powerful he was.

As he neared the pillar, his body began to blaze with crimson fire, and he clenched his fists. A mote of pure energy condensed above his right palm. He clenched his fist around it, and then blasted off the ground, punching so fast that the weakest bystanders were unable to even see it.

A shockwave of red light erupted from the impact point, and the pillar erupted with a blinding white glow. A maelstrom of swirling power appeared around the impact point, before driving itself into the pillar. The shield shuddered slightly. It was a tiny movement, but it was enough. A gasp rang out from the crowd as the Overlord stood back. Using his Dao sight, Sam could see an utterly immense amount of crimson energy drifting towards his father from the crowd.

On the leaderboard, his name shot up, quickly taking the first place spot. Next to it, in blazing gold lettering, was the number 217. Sam had expected nothing less. Unlike everyone else here, he knew the true extent of the Overlord’s power. The leaderboard likely used the power of an average E Ranker, without anything but stats and levels, and the most basic of Dao Seeds. Compared to a being like that, as shown by the altercation earlier, Sam’s father was like a god.

However, even gods could fall, and with a slight smile, Sam stepped forwards. All eyes were on the Overlord after his performance, but as Sam began to gather his might, things started to change. His Dao Seed roared to life, and his hammer pulsed with the light of concentrated mana. Both energies mingled and combined, before being accentuated by elemental energy.

All of his boosts triggered at the same time, shooting his strength up through the roof. His body began to flicker with red and blue fire, and as his hammer descended towards the pillar, he let out a roar that echoed over the floor.

His hammer touched down, striking the pillar. Nothing happened for a moment, and then a cataclysm was loosed upon the crystal. All of the power was sucked in by the crystal, but as it began to shine brighter and brighter, some of it was jettisoned, crashing into the shield. The power continued to grow and grow, until the pillar shone brighter than the sun in the sky. All eyes were on him now, and his attack hadn’t even finished yet. Then it culminated in a colossal explosion that made the shield flicker noticeably.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The pillar faded, and the leaderboard appeared. His name shot up the list, before settling in above the Overlord. Next to it was the number 225. Sam raised an eyebrow. Apparently his various bonuses made up for over seventy levels worth of power. Of course, the reaction of the others was far more pronounced. There was utter silence. Sam turned around, smiling slightly. He had no doubt that his record would remain there for good, unless there was some sort of hidden prodigy here that had not yet revealed themselves. Even then, it would have to be somebody solely specialized in single target damage. Sam blinked. Perhaps he was more deserving of his father’s Dao than he was.

He banished the egotistical thoughts, and stepped away from the pillar, savoring the awe filled glances coming his way. He tried not to be arrogant, but at times, despite all his growth, he was still human.

Chapter 6

He locked eyes with his father, whose face was filled with a strange mixture of anger and acceptance. The Overlord, once a monster of ego and rage, had changed since joining Sam on his mission. He was more tempered now, less enslaved by the will of his Dao. Upon reaching the Seed stage, he had altered the trajectory of his path, turning it into one less dependent on the destruction of those weaker than him, and more in line with that of a champion. No longer did he fight for himself. Now, he fought for Earth.

He was a long way from being the man he once was, and until Sam finally confronted Isabella Dantorian, a quest that was further away right now than the stars in the sky, he would never be the same.

The ranks of E Rankers waiting to compete parted before him like a crowd before an emperor, and he strode towards his next conquest, followed by the Overlord. Both men seemed to create ripples through the world as they passed, even with their auras concealed. Although there were no thresholds of consequence within the E Rank, at least in comparison to the gap between Ranks, and the chasm between Tiers, there was still an almost insurmountable weight of levels. Almost nobody could contend with someone even twenty or thirty levels higher. That was the province of true elites. For Sam and the Overlord to reach almost to the peak of the Rank with their might was like a mortal reaching out and plucking the Moon out of the sky.

The only thing preventing the entire gathering of E Rankers from losing their will entirely was the fact that this was the Tower of Transcendence, a forge of heroes and legends like no other. It was almost guaranteed that there would be astronomical talents passing through it, given just how many E Rankers there were in the Multiverse. Only, most did not expect to meet them.

“I wonder when the first of the main events will start,” the Overlord said, his voice calm.

“Who knows? Until then, we might as well clear out of the lesser challenges. They might not be of much use, but they still are a good way to test our strength. This is the first time we have left our universe, and perhaps the only time we ever will.”