Chapter 300: Divine Selection Tournament, Challenge

Obito took a step forward and slowly pushed away Momoshiki's fan.

"That's enough, Momoshiki. You should know when to stop."

Momoshiki narrowed his eyes slightly, twirling the fan in his hand as he spoke.

"Isshiki, are you standing up for this woman? That's not like you."

Unfazed, Obito remained calm and responded indifferently.

"Scolding Kaguya right in front of me—it almost feels like you're trying to say something else, doesn't it? Indirectly pointing fingers, perhaps?"

Momoshiki scoffed and lightly fanned himself.

"It was just a joke… Don't get the wrong idea. I have no interest in making an enemy out of you."

Their status and strength were evenly matched. Unless absolutely necessary, Momoshiki had no desire to offend Isshiki.

Perhaps to ease the tension, or maybe for other reasons, he covered the lower half of his face with his fan and smirked playfully.

"Oh, right. Tenshiki seems quite unhappy that your group possesses two God Trees."

"At the next 'Divine Selection Tournament' in a hundred years, you'd better be careful. Don't end up dead at her hands."

Obito brushed past Momoshiki without stopping, his tone steady.

"With our relationship, you needn't trouble yourself over me, Momoshiki."

Seeing this, Kaguya quickly followed after him.

"Isshiki, wait for me."

Momoshiki's expression darkened slightly as he turned to leave in the opposite direction.

"Kinshiki, let's go."

...

Inside the ship's cabin, Obito and Kaguya began submitting their mission gains.

The offering of the God Tree's fruit was entirely automated, requiring no manual input.

Thus, Obito's mind was entirely occupied with Momoshiki's words.

"Divine Selection Tournament… Otsutsuki Tenshiki…"

Tilting his head slightly, countless thoughts flickered through Obito's mind.

The Divine Selection Tournament was held every two thousand years—a grand event for the Otsutsuki Clan.

It was a martial competition to determine which clan members were qualified to plant God Trees.

Additionally, those dissatisfied with the current distribution of resources could challenge others in battle, demanding a redistribution of benefits.

In the end, everything was decided by strength!

Obito stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Because I've achieved outstanding results over the past few quarters and received an extra God Tree, that woman got jealous?"

Tenshiki's strength was comparable to Isshiki's, so it was entirely possible that she would challenge him in the upcoming tournament.

As if recalling something amusing, Obito's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Heh… Otsutsuki Tenshiki, you want my God Tree? Well, I want your dojutsu…"

For some reason, Kaguya felt a sudden chill down her spine upon seeing Obito's eerie grin.

'What terrifying thought is this human entertaining? Why does he look so sinister?'

...

A hundred years later.

In the vast void ten thousand miles from the starship "Takamagahara," a tall and imposing Otsutsuki man stood with his hands clasped before him, his expression devout in prayer.

He was none other than the leader of the Otsutsuki Clan—Otsutsuki Tsukine.

Around him, approximately three hundred Otsutsuki clan members formed a circle, with him at the center.

Under Tsukine's guidance, they raised their voices in fervent prayer.

After all, not everyone was qualified to participate in the 'Divine Selection Tournament.'

Only those strong enough to withstand the erosion of the void were granted the honor of taking part in this sacred event.

To them, participation in the tournament was the highest form of glory!

The Otsutsuki Clan worshiped a deity known as 'Tengen.'

It was said that in the Otsutsuki Clan's ancient era of ignorance, the True God Tengen had bestowed wisdom upon Tsukine's father.

Since then, the Otsutsuki Clan gradually developed and ultimately became one of the most terrifying civilizations in the cosmos.

"Praise be to the True God who does not belong to this world—the enigmatic ruler above the Nine Provinces, Tengen!"

Although Obito outwardly appeared to pray fervently, his mind was elsewhere.

'Tsukine's strength… It's something worth noting…'

There was no doubt that Tsukine was powerful.

Even as he simply stood there, the aura he unintentionally exuded was enough to leave others in silent awe.

The energy within his body was as blinding as the sun, making it nearly impossible to look directly at him.

(He could probably kill me with a single punch, but I refuse to accept it!)

However, Tsukine wasn't so overwhelmingly powerful that he shattered Obito's understanding of strength.

Something didn't quite add up.

Logically speaking, after countless years of diligent cultivation, the Otsutsuki Clan should have harvested at least hundreds, if not thousands, of chakra fruits.

Yet, Tsukine's strength had not reached an absurd level.

This was highly intriguing.

Had the effects of chakra fruits diminished after consuming a certain number?

Or…

Had Tsukine not actually consumed a large number of chakra fruits, but instead stored them away for future use?

Obito found the latter possibility more plausible.

Piecing together previous thoughts, he arrived at an interesting conclusion.

"Heh… perhaps all of this is tied to the True God 'Tengen.'"

The prayer ceremony lasted for half an hour.

Finally, Otsutsuki Tsukine lowered his hands from his chest, sweeping his gaze across his clan members before laughing heartily.

"Well then, let us proceed with the long-awaited 'Divine Selection'!"

Three hundred Otsutsuki raised their arms high, cheering excitedly.

"Wooo! It's finally starting! This year, I'm claiming a spot!"

"The God Tree is mine! No one better try to take it from me!"

"Hmph, I've been wanting to deal with you for a long time. I'll make sure to refine you into an elixir!"

"Haha, big words! You'll be nothing but a part of me soon enough!"

Tsukine watched this scene with a pleased expression.

Keeping his people wild and hungry was beneficial for a ruler.

Become strong, or become sustenance for the strong.

That was the 'truth' the Otsutsuki Clan lived by!

Seeing that the clan members were sufficiently fired up, Tsukine waved his hand and declared in an unquestionable tone.

"The previous generation's 'Divine Selectees'—step forward!"

At his command, around sixty to seventy figures soared into the air, taking their places behind Tsukine.

These were the Otsutsuki Clan's elite warriors, those qualified to wield God Trees.

Each one bore expressions of arrogance or disdain as they gazed upon their potential challengers.

The remaining Otsutsuki, unwilling to show weakness, returned their stares with equal provocation.

"I challenge the sixty-eighth ranked Otsutsuki Himehachi!"

"Damn it! That was my target! Fine, then I challenge the sixty-seventh!"

"I challenge the sixty-fifth—Otsutsuki Taketori!"

"Otsutsuki Kinshiki, do you dare fight me?"

"Sixty-first!"

"Fifty-seventh!"

Challenged Divine Selectees had no choice but to accept, or they would forfeit their status.

Thus, one by one, the named warriors stepped forward, sneering as they clashed with their challengers, vanishing into the distance to find suitable battlefields.

A total of eleven lower-ranked Selectees were challenged.

Meanwhile, the higher-ranked ones remained untouched.

The Otsutsuki were battle-hungry, but they weren't fools. They naturally picked the easiest targets.

"Now then…"

Tsukine turned his gaze toward the Divine Selectees, his lips curling into a smile.

"Do any of you wish to challenge each other?"

A tall and striking woman stepped forward—Otsutsuki Tenshiki!

Her eyes burned with battle lust as she spoke with a sharp edge.

"Tsukine, I challenge the twenty-seventh ranked Otsutsuki Isshiki."

"According to the rules, since we are close in rank, he cannot refuse!"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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