Free Web NovelChapter 161: Storm Before the Tournament
The journey back to the Clark Family was surprisingly quiet.
After leaving the Pacific region, Tony remained seated inside the flying vehicle beside Supreme Ancestor Lucy Clark while staring outside the window. Endless clouds drifted past as the vehicle cut through the sky at terrifying speed.
Normally, Lucy would have asked questions.
This time she didn’t... She simply sat with her eyes closed.
The old lady had lived for centuries. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe Tony’s story completely. The timing was too coincidental.
The World Tree Blessing had remained stable for years according to historical records.
Then Tony entered the deep sea. A few hours later, the barrier shook... The flowering period shortened... The entire martial world exploded into chaos.
If another person stood before her, Lucy would have already broken his bones and extracted every secret from him.
"Tony."
"Yes?"
"Are you alright?"
Tony smiled awkwardly. "Ancestor, your concern really touches my heart."
Lucy snorted. "You really hidden well with that trash reputation."
Tony wisely chose not to continue the conversation.
***
Meanwhile...
Inside the headquarters of the Octopus Organization, dozens of Formation Masters were still analyzing the sudden change in the World Tree.
The atmosphere inside the conference hall was extremely tense.
Countless floating calculation arrays hovered above the giant round table while Supreme Warriors watched silently.
Ancestor Long sat at the highest seat.
Nobody dared speak carelessly... Finally, an old Formation Master stood up.
"We have completed the second analysis."
Every gaze immediately turned toward him.
"The previous estimate was thirteen days. After the recent fluctuation, only nine days remain before flowering."
Nobody reacted... Because they already knew that.
The important part came next.
The old Formation Master continued. "However... The internal structure has also changed."
Several Supremes frowned.
"What do you mean?" freewebnσvel.cѳm
The old man manipulated several formation screens. Images appeared above the hall.
The internal scans of the World Tree looked significantly smaller than before.
Gasps sounded throughout the room.
"We can’t wait anymore..." Ancestor Long stood up with a serious look. "Also release the first-round examination details. We must finish the tournament earlier than anticipated."
The announcement spread worldwide within the hour.
The reaction was immediate... Every martial network exploded. Every discussion forum crashed repeatedly... Every hidden sect began emergency meetings.
The official registration count had already reached 21,000 participants... And registration still remained open.
It was the first-round format.
**************
Golden Heir Tournament... Round One
Location: Nine Lotus Academy Mountain Region
Total Flags: 1000
Objective: Acquire a flag and place it on the central stage.
Only the first 1000 participants to successfully place a flag advance.
’’Combat permitted... Unfortunate deaths were not punishable. But Intentional Murder prohibited."
Crippling, robbery, and flag theft allowed.
**************
The moment the rules appeared, chaos erupted online.
Many participants immediately withdrew.
Others became even more excited.
One famous comment quickly spread throughout martial networks.
"Strength alone won’t matter... Speed matters. Intelligence matters... Luck matters."
***
Far beneath the ocean...
Inside the Demonic Sea Tribe...
Luka sat silently inside a crystal palace... Her expression was extremely ugly.
The World Tree change bothered her.
Something didn’t feel right... She had lived too long to believe in coincidences.
Finally, she summoned several tribe members.
The female warrior who had escorted Tony into the deep sea soon arrived.
Luka stared at her.
"What exactly happened?"
The woman immediately bowed.
"Nothing unusual, Tribe Leader."
"As repayment to the Clark family supreme lady, I took her grandkid Tony Clark. We entered the deep region and returned."
Luka narrowed her eyes. "And?"
The woman hesitated. "I don’t know what happened. He went alone... it might be his doing. But we don’t have exact details."
Luka slowly tapped the crystal armrest.
"Nothing happened? The World Tree accelerated... The barrier cracked... The flowering period shortened. And I was supposed to believe nothing happened?"
Unfortunately... There was no proof. After a long silence, Luka waved her away.
The woman immediately left.
Luka remained seated alone.
"Tony Clark... Just what did you do?" She slowly muttered.
By the time Tony arrived at the Clark Family inner residence, the entire family had entered preparation mode.
Every training ground was occupied... Every cultivation room was filled.
Young geniuses rushed everywhere... The atmosphere resembled a battlefield camp.
The moment Tony stepped through the main gate, several younger disciples noticed him.
Whispers immediately spread.
"Tony returned."
Many stared. Some admired... Some envied... Some hated.
Tony ignored them all.
Then a familiar mocking voice sounded nearby.
"Look who finally remembered his family."
Kevin Clark walked over while carrying a sword on his shoulder.
Several young disciples immediately gathered nearby.
They clearly anticipated another argument.
Kevin smirked.
"The famous Tony Clark."
"I heard you’ve been wandering around while the rest of us actually prepare for the tournament."
Tony didn’t even stop walking.
Kevin’s smile twitched.
Nothing irritated arrogant people more than being ignored.
"So tell me..." Kevin continued. "Did you finally realize cultivation requires talent?"
The surrounding disciples laughed.
Tony finally stopped. For a brief moment... Their eyes met.
And suddenly... Kevin’s expression froze.
A strange chill ran through his spine. An overwhelming feeling appeared in his heart.
Danger. For the briefest second, Kevin felt as if a terrifying ancient beast had opened its eyes and looked at him. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Then the sensation disappeared.
Tony had already turned away.
Kevin stood rooted to the ground.
The surrounding disciples noticed his strange expression.
"Kevin?"
"What happened?"
Kevin remained silent. Something felt wrong... Very wrong. But he couldn’t explain it.
Meanwhile, Tony had already reached the inner courtyard.
He had no interest in participating in family politics.
The World Tree would bloom in nine days. The first round would begin soon... And he had much to do.
Without hesitation, Tony entered a secluded cultivation courtyard and directly activated the isolation sensors.
The heavy stone doors slowly closed... The outside world disappeared.
Tony finally sat down cross-legged... Then slowly closed his eyes.
His transformed spinal tree core immediately appeared within his consciousness.
The Dragon Lord Transformation still required stabilization.
The primordial energy still needed refining.
And most importantly... He needed to prepare for the hidden heaven blessed people in the entire martial world.
-
Tq
