The entrance to the arena was already extremely crowded, divided into spectators and participants. Right in front of the entrance, the crowd split into two lines. One was naturally for spectators and one was for participants.

On his way to the participant queue, Yasha couldn’t help but watch Amber, Lentz and Jiule. Those three people triggered a huge uproar no matter where they went, their fame always preceding them.

Because they were already famous and acknowledged, they could simply walk past the queues into the arena. Many young cultivators were clearly excited to see such legendary existences of their generation so close to them.

In contrast, the three people paid no attention to the gossip and hot gazes at all. They were already accustomed to this kind of special attention. It was normal for them to be the focus of the crowd.

Yasha did not forget the incident a few minutes ago, thus his gaze did not linger long on them and he simply lined up.

Inwardly, he was somewhat surprised that the whole organization worked so well and orderly, since he hadn’t seen the Hunlua that full with people.

Everything went according to the plan, but at the same time that was nothing spectacular. Who would be so idiotic to cause trouble at such a time?

Right now, it wasn’t only the Hunlua Clan that ensured order. The countless sects, schools and clans of the Azure Dragon Kingdom were all gathered here. If someone would cause trouble here, the combined wrath of all the powers would await those who dared to make problems.

It was an important event for everyone of the younger generation and was also an indicator for the future strength of the kingdom. If those youngsters showed promising results, it also meant that they had a bright future ahead of them.

The registration process was quite simple. You had to show, that you possessed power of at least the fifth Energy Gathering stage and that you were under nineteen.

The Hunlua Clan used a special construction made by rune masters to check the bone age of and power of cultivators.

It looked like a totem and was structured in nine parts. The person who underwent the test simply had to put his hand on the totem and then circulate their energy. Depending on what level a cultivator reached, more parts would light up, with nine being the maximum.

Energy Tempering stage cultivators were only checked for their age. There was no need to check their strength. Reaching the second major stage before the age of eighteen was already considered the cream of the crop.

Aside of the general level, the construct also measured the foundation of the cultivators. The stronger the foundation, the more the intense the light was.

This was important, as some people with enough money and resources could also reach the fifth Energy Gathering stage, without actually possessing the strength someone should have at that level.

They used a shortcut to skip the training that was usually associated with cultivation. Such people often had unstable foundations, resulting in less power.

Such a rule also meant that someone could light up more parts of the construct than their cultivation level. It was rare, but there were people who could surmount a level to battle people with higher cultivation. This was the only reason Yasha even tried to make it through the test.

He knew that he only reached the third Energy Gathering stage, but witnessing the uncontrollable power of the Asura blood, he had a knick that he should be able to pass the entrance test.

Behind Yasha there were nearly no people who lined up. He himself knew, that he was quite late to register himself, but he wasn’t worried about it, as there was still enough time.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in and out in a simple, calming way. He wanted to be prepared for the upcoming battles and calmed his mind. This time, he wanted to be prepared for any sudden moves by the Asura blood and hopefully it would not erupt as easily as before.

Like that more and more young cultivators were able to register themselves and only two peoples were left in front of Yasha. A middle-aged man with a crooked nose was standing next to the totem and was responsible for the whole registration process. He was the overseer of it all.

Yasha tried to see any signs of the cultivation base the man possessed, but he did not find any clues, so it was too high for him to see.

A small guy with saber at his waist, who appeared to be 16 years old, was able to light up nine levels of the totem. The middle-aged man looked approvingly at him and said some words Yasha was unable to hear, as it was too loud. But the middle-aged man was clearly fond of the little guy.

The overseer then changed his attention to the next one standing in line. He inspected him with a stern face and just spat out two words, “Identity token.”

These were the only two words, the man said to the young boy. It was not difficult to see, that he was not optimistic about this candidate.

The young cultivator, who was clearly nervous, searched for his token and when he found it, handed it over to the middle-aged man. The overseer grabbed the token impatiently and scanned the token.

When he finished and saw that everything was alright, he just pointed at the totem, looking as if he was not interested in the result at all.

Getting more nervous, the young boy stepped forward and touched the totem. Some seconds passed, but nothing happened. After a few breaths, the first stage finally began to shine with a weak light. The second light came shortly after the first one, but after the second one, the speed in which the light was rising slowed down considerably.

Being despaired about the outcome of the test, the cultivator pushed his spiritual energy to the limit, unafraid of the backlash it might cause. In reaction to the sudden burst of energy the light accelerated again.

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The third level shone with a pale light and slowed down again shortly after, but it was able to reach the fourth level in the end, but that was all.

The young boy wanted to continue, but was stopped by the overseer, “Failed. Next one.” With simple and clear words that left no room for discussion, the boy who wanted to protest had no choice other than to give up. With a dejected expression he left the area around the arena.

Yasha did not understand why the young cultivator would desperately try to get through the registration process. He looked young enough, that he could participate in the next tournament. Why would someone waste their potential only to participate in this year’s tournament?

Maybe he has a story, just like me, desperately clinging to a promise or something similar, Yasha thought, not judging the cultivator.

Then, it was finally time for Yasha to try the test, as the overseer waved him over. With steady steps Yasha walked over and immediately handed over the token.

The middle-aged took the token and scanned it with his usually strict and stern face. After some seconds the expression of the overseer changed and revealed a surprised expression for the first time since the testing process started.

Yasha naturally noticed the various changes of the overseer, but he wasn’t surprised or worried. He was able to walk into the Weapon Pavilion and the Hall of Scriptures, so there shouldn’t be any problems with his token.

Yasha’s guess proved to be right. The overseer recovered his strict appearance, but a trace of the earlier surprise still lingered on his face. His voice lost some of the commanding tone as he talked to Yasha and he sounded a lot more friendly, compared to before, “You are permitted to enter the competition without the need to test yourself.”

Now, it was Yasha’s turn to be surprised. It looked like his token was adjusted in more than one way. He really wanted to know what the old man did to it. But he would not complain about it.

He ignored the uproar he caused and ignored the fact that he currently stood out from the crowd like a bright beacon shining in the night. Usually, he was ignored wherever he went, but in this moment, he was the center of attention.

It was simply too rare for someone to be able to skip the registration process. Only those famous existences like Jiule, Amber and Lentz enjoyed such a treatment.

So, for the first in his life, Yasha lost his usual cover that enabled him to walk through most places unnoticed.

Being the center of attention and feeling all of those gazes focusing on him, Yasha was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He quickened his steps and swiftly entered into the participant area.

“Who is this mysterious black clothed youth? I have never seen him before. And I am even unable to see his cultivation! Just who is this?”

After Yasha left, the crowd was immediately roused from their shock and started to dig up his name and faction. Countless names were thrown around, but no one guessed right.

But how should they know his name? Yasha was a nobody and his recent transformation solidified his status as a nobody even more. He was basically someone else compared to a few a days ago.

Thanks to his black clothes, the crowd could even see what he looked like. This mysteriousness caused the crowd to become even more fervent.

They wanted to know the strength of this youth, they wanted to know his looks, his weapons, his techniques, his age, his… They just wanted know everything.

Entering the arena, Yasha gasped, overwhelmed by the masses in the ranks and the atmosphere surrounding him. Excitement, fear, pride—all kinds emotions permeated the arena and made his blood boil.

Deep down, he could feel an excitement that made his loose his breath. He never would have thought that he would enjoy standing in the middle of a massive coliseum, ready to fight for his promise.

Standing at the entrance and staring at the sky absentmindedly, Yasha could barely believe that he finally achieved his first goal: participating in the kingdom’s tournament.

At the edges of the coliseum, Ten big stages stood at the edges of the coliseum and were very close the spectators. Closer to the center stood five, slightly higher and even bigger stages, while a single massive stage stood in the very center of the arena.

Looking at the stages and the many young cultivators who would participate, Yasha was unable to suppress his excitement any further.

But this time, his excitement did not come from the Asura blood. This time, Yasha himself could not control his surging thirst for battle, to go on stage and vent his frustrations for the past miserable years.

And for the first time since his awakening and all the mishaps caused by the Asura blood, the Asura blood seemed to resonate with Yasha, with his will of fighting with everything he had, further fanning the flames of his battle will.

Right now, Yasha executed a peerless battle will, which was left unnoticed by nearly everyone, except for one old man, hidden in the crowd. With glowing eyes, he was fixed on Yasha, afraid of missing the tiniest detail.

Even the most powerful people in the VIP seats, who came from the most powerful schools, clans and sects didn’t notice the anomaly caused by Yasha, even though they were the strongest people present and had the keenest eyes.

The term “battle will” was something ancient and long forgotten. Only through a stroke of good luck would someone come by such ancient terms. In today’s civilization, it was impossible to possess such a strong thirst for battle that it materialized, becoming something tangible that could influence the real world.

Even in the Old Times, encountering a cultivator with a materialized battle will was something very rare and precious.

If Yasha saw the old man and his excitement, he would immediately recognize the old man, as it was the elder that always sat at the entrance of the Weapon Pavilion and he was the one who altered his identity token.

The old man could barely hide his excitement and shock, which were growing stronger the longer he looked at Yasha.

This boy is only sixteen and is already showing signs of possessing a materialized battle will?! Even though he still a long way from actually achieving that state, this is still a miracle.

I thought one had to struggle through never ending battles and constantly walk the fine line between life and death to conquer and form a battle will. According to the old tome, it was even extremely rare in the Old Times, the prime of cultivation, to meet someone like that.

How can a small fry in the Energy Gathering stage possess such a strong and pure will to battle? There is simply no way!

If the old man was fond of Yasha at the start, he now was afraid of him. How could someone like him exist? The old man continued to stare at Yasha for some time, taking some moments before he finally calm down a bit.

I definitely didn’t judge incorrectly. This youth is a walking mystery. His strange bloodline, the black sword and now his pure battle intent…

Wait! How can I be such an idiot? I really have become too old… It’s his weird bloodline. That is the only plausible explanation. How else, could he possess such a strong will to battle at his stage? But if that really is the case, then this bloodline is simply too monstrous…

After coming to this conclusion, the old man finally calmed down completely. With burning eyes, he looked at the arena. He couldn’t wait to watch the performance of the young boy. For a long, long time the old man was not as excited as today.

Unaware of all of that, Yasha stood in the crowd between all the other cultivators and quietly waited for the tournament to start. All he did, was trying his best to stay focused.

His mind had to be in a peak position, because otherwise, the Asura blood would immediately take the opportunity and launch another wave of attacks.

Suddenly, Yasha’s focus was broken by a powerful voice that thundered through the arena, “Listen up everyone. I am the judge of this year’s tournament. I will now present the rules and regulations of the tournament!”