The Preliminary Stage

"Jake, how are you feeling?" grinned Nico, as they walked to the stadium.

"What do you mean?" Jake cocked his head at Nico.

"Don't pretend like we didn't see you," pervertedly smiled Nico.

He was joined by Andrew, "Yeah, we all saw the chemistry you and Princess Cheyenne had."

Gavin smiled at Jake, "So, how was it? Do you like her? Does she like you? Are you smitten by her?"

The moment Jake heard that, his face turned pale.

His eyes crinkled as he thought, 'What utter rubbish! She was clearly trying to kill me?! What bullshit chemistry? This is not even f*cking science! This is attempted murder!'

He wanted to explain to them when he realized the consequences his action would bring, so he kept to himself.

To be honest, Jake was just too lazy to tell them the truth.

"Hmm, I can tell from the look of your face that we are right," laughed Nico.

"He had the same look when the princess pecked his cheek," teased Andrew.

Gavin joined the teasing, "Jake, how did the two of you progress to that stage in just a few hours. You guys were really intimate."

"And it's Princess Cheyenne, nonetheless. Even I, a commoner, have heard of her reputation," quipped Andrew.

Jake just continued walking. He gave no reply as what would come out of his mouth is all sorts of profanities.

The Pinesun group kept chatting along the way.

They met with other groups as they proceeded to the stadium.

.....

The young nobles eventually got to the stadium. To those who haven't been there before, they were marveled at the brilliant aesthetics of the stadium.

At the center of the stadium were multiple tall stages, each about 50 square feet. The stages were surrounded by audience seats that formed a circle around them.

It was made like that so different matches can occur at the same time, and the crowd can view them perfectly, as most of the audience would be cultivators and would possess sharp eyesight.

They would be capable of viewing a match from afar, clearly and perfectly.

"We are finally here," smiled Nico.

"Yes. Honestly, I feel nervous just standing here," confessed Andrew.

The pressure on the Pinesun group was enormous as the Elliot Noble family had already invested in them.

Now was the time for them to prove the noble house right.

If they failed to perform well, the noble house would be extremely disappointed in them, and such disappointment is worse than punishment as it would gnaw into their mind.

Understanding this, Gavin advised, "Take deep breaths. A tense mind can only take one so far. If you can't be calm, then you wouldn't be at your optimum."

After an observation, Gavin realized that it was only Andrew among the group that was nervous. The rest were normal, if not too normal. They showed no signs of being tense.

As he just remembered, Jake asked, "What is the preliminary stage going to be about?"

"I don't know. Even till this moment, there has not been any news on it," replied Gavin.

They walked to the center of the stadium and stood on one of the match stages along with some other nobles.

As one stage wasn't enough for the participants, they divided into the stages and waited for further instructions.

Most participants began to feel tense. They were not just representing themselves. They represented their noble house and territory.

It was easier for the commoners as the heavyweight of responsibility wasn't on their shoulders.

As usual, Jake didn't feel a bit influenced. Things like this were normal for him. If he didn't have such a strong mindset, he wouldn't have completed his rebirth process.

In his words, he had acquired a calm mind on his road to perfection.

It wasn't as exaggerated as it sounded. It's just the ability to keep a calm composure even in dire circumstances.

However, such a trait is applicable to some extent. Jake was still prone to shock and he preferred it like that.

He didn't want to be like a robot. Robots were not perfect beings.

While he was diving into his thoughts, the King jumped from his seat to the ground. He made no noise upon impact and few noticed him.

He walked to the middle stage unnoticed and smiled, 'They are all focused on other things and can't even notice me.'

Amidst the noise, the King channeled his [Spirit Essence] to his mouth region and shouted, "ATTENTION!"

His words echoed in every noble on the various stages.

They turned to him and were confused, "Heh, Why is the King here?"

"Where is he? I can't see him," shouted a short noble who was in a rather tall group.

With his super hearing, the King could hear all the complaints, so he shouted again, "Listen! All those on the middle stage, which I'm on should leave and spread out to other stages. This will allow everyone to see me, and if after that you can't see me….Well, you do not need to see me, anyway."

Jake listened to the King. He was not short, so he could spot the King even when sandwiched on his stage.

'I was right, the King is above Realm 2,' thought Jake.

Realm 1, also known as the Morning Dew Realm, involved the manipulation of [Spirit Essence].

Despite that, one could not extend [Spirit Essence] outside of their body. They could only use it inside their body, limiting their attack style.

For example, Uncle Todd, who was at the last stage of [Realm 1] managed to control the [Spirit Essence] inside his arm. He covered his arm with the energy and was able to make it more solid. That way, he was able to dish out a devastating attack.

That kind of skill required extreme control, timing, and concentration. It was just like his Sword Drawing technique, but way lesser.

It was said that in [Realm 2], one would be able to manipulate [Spirit Essence] outside of the body.

Jake speculated that was what the King did. He managed to soak his voice with the energy and spread it around the stage.

'Still, I wonder what the context of the preliminary stage is,' brainstormed Jake.

As they were not allowed to bring their weapons and were not appropriately dressed, it made Jake wonder what the preliminary stage was.

'Whatever it is, it doesn't involve us fighting,' guessed Jake.

"Good. Now that we are done with that. I will be brief and explain my reason for being here," announced the King.

He continued, "We all know why we are here. It is for the Aztec's Competition that occurs every year. The Annual Competition!"

His speech earned the cheers of the participants.

"But the truth is that the Competition is not today. Today, we weed out the unworthy, and I'm here for that. That is why there are only a few spectators," stated the King as he pointed his finger at the adult nobles seating in the stadium.

"Also, assisting me will be the previous winner of the Competition, Flan Bell," introduced the King as his youngest subordinate came on the middle stage, standing beside him.

Flan Bell was a popular brown-haired young man, who everyone watched win the competition last year against all the odds. So, it was only normal that he had his Fanclub, who screamed as soon as they saw him.

After the introduction, the King continued, "It is too early to say the rewards that will be left for the next stage.

For the preliminary stage, it will be a test of endurance and willpower. It will involve a lot of broken bones. So, anyone who is uncomfortable with that can feel free to leave."

The King kept quiet and nodded for Flan to continue.

With his youthful voice, Flan began, "Before I start. Is there anyone who is above 18 years of age? If yes, please leave. I won't say twice."

Hearing his threat, those above the specified age, groaned and took their leave.

Flan continued, "Now, I will explain the details of the stage."

Like a devil, he smiled, "It is our honor to have the King personally lead the stage. The King will use his aura to pressure you for as long as he likes. Those who can endure it will qualify for the next stage."

"If your hands touch the stage floor, you will be disqualified! If you are on your knees, you are disqualified! If you lay on the floor, you are disqualified!" cruelly shouted Flan.

"I will be responsible for carrying the disqualified ones outside of the effect of the King's aura," explained Flan.

After that, he looked at the King and bowed, "Your Highness, you can start."

The King gently smiled as he addressed the participants, "On a count of three, we will begin."

"One."

Digesting the information, Jake inwardly discussed, 'Aura Pressure. It should be similar to the pressure that the mysterious creature exuded.'

Jake remembered the feeling of being extremely crushed by the creature. He was left at the mercy of the creature and couldn't even move a finger!

"Two!"

People began to panic as they didn't know what to expect.

"In these coming dark times, our people don't want cowards. We want warriors with courage. Three!" shouted the King

Instantly, green wisps came out of the King. They spread out creating green scenery, then a rumble of thunder came!

Green Spirit Essence converged around the King as a pressure descended on the participants.

Some participants could not withstand the first impact. Coughing out blood, they fell on their knees and passed out