The whole stadium was bubbling with excitement. Most had been following Yasenia since the beginning; after all, she was essentially the "main attraction" of the tournament.
Not only was her appearance captivating, but also her talent, strength, and flashy skill set were a delight to spectate.
Yet, even those who followed Yasenia's tournament steps semi-religiously felt their hearts pound and their minds stir at Yasenia's overwhelming display.
"That Gu Shen… wasn't he one of the favorites?"
Someone knowledgeable nearby nodded. "He was at least a top ten candidate."
"What? Top ten? Impossible, he was utterly disarmed in front of Celestial Fairy Yasenia!"
"It's the truth. If you go to the betting stations, you can see Gu Shen in the top ten favorites, sometimes top five."
A young woman at the side spoke skeptically. "How is that possible? Gu Shen barely did anything. He summoned a few of his insects and then kept defending. That kind of technique wouldn't place him in the top ten."
A middle-aged man, who was clearly a few thousand years old, sighed and shook his head. "Gu Shen is the top genius of the Gu Sect. His insects can endlessly evolve, and his taboo parasite arts are insidious. Anyone who's not in the High-Levels of Transcendence would never dare face him."
The conversations around the entire Flame Sky Continent were full of back-and-forths, some thinking that Gu Shen was overrated, while others saying it was Yasenia's might that made him look mediocre.
Meanwhile, the people from the Gu Sect all had tense expressions. They had not expected both their geniuses to be defeated so thoroughly. Some of the most experienced felt that even if Gu Shen and Zi Hua ganged up on Yasenia, she would remain victorious.
Of course, they didn't dare vocalize those thoughts. Their master, one of the strongest women in the sect, had a cold and dark expression.
"Gu Shen."
The man flinched.
He feared nothing, his twisted mind even relishing in the suffering of others. And yet, under these heavens, there was one person he was terrified of.
This was not fleeting fear, but one ingrained in his very soul since childhood.
The woman looked at Zi Hua and Gu Shen and spoke in a low voice. "You both disappointed me. You'll be thrown into the [Hundred Maw Lair] for a year each, or until your strengths make some kind of breakthrough.
Zi Hua and Gu Shen looked terrified, but they didn't dare complain. That place was a nightmare manifested, and even when they stayed there two or three times, it had become a full-blown trauma.
Zi Hua lowered her head, not daring to look at her master. However, from the corner of her eyes, she couldn't help but look at Yasenia.
The woman was radiant, like a stroke of color in her black and white life. Her celestial lights, floating around her, as she had yet to unleash her energies, made her look divine. An unknown emotion appeared in her relatively innocent heart. A feeling of longing.
Meanwhile, in Yasenia's platform, the dragon woman didn't unleash her enhanced state. Instead, she gently floated down and landed on the ground. The windblown celestial gown shimmered behind her, her long tail gently entangling with the long train.
Once her foot, wrapped in beautiful, crystalline embroidered shoes, touched the ground with a click, her presence encompassed the entirety of the platform.
With elegant movements, Yasenia kneeled down, her figure poised and calm. Once settled, she took a gentle breath and closed her eyes, entering a meditative state. 'Now that I think about it, I've never kept up my buffs for a long time. I'll use this week to train them.'
Her energy pool was massive, to say the least. On top of her reserves, her regeneration was also egregious. Both were boosted by her treasures, and the Celestial Black Hole Energy Star in the middle.
Under their influence, the energy in the entire platform and its nearby surroundings fell under her control. A slow vortex, invisible yet strangely noticeable, manifested.
The seniors looking at the events naturally manifesting around Yasenia couldn't help but gasp.
"What kind of Beast Core does that dragon have?"
"Look at that absorption rate. I could tell it was ridiculous when she absorbed the flames in the second trial. Now seeing it in front of me, I retract my words! It's not ridiculous; it's monstrous!"
"Agreed. She is like an endlessly voracious abyss, swallowing everything around her. It's somewhat terrifying."
One spoke with jealousy. "If I had that absorption capability, I would've also reached her level at such a young age."
"Old man, you spilled the vinegar over there. I can smell the sourness from a mile away."
Yasenia ignored everyone. After using her strength, she finally knew just how much stronger she had become. 'I am at another level compared to before.'
Each breakthrough in the Sixth Realm and beyond stacked upon previous advantages, creating massive gaps from cultivator to cultivator. That's why conflicts usually become much sparser in the immortal realms.
Even if you were confident in your own strength, measuring another person's strength just by realm was vague, to put it mildly.
Of course, the survivability of a Sixth Realm cultivator and above was increasingly sturdy, as destroying the body was often not enough to kill them. Even if recovery would take a long time, Transcendents could flee with just their soul and reform their fleshy bodies.
It was thanks to the experience from crossing the Sixth Realm Heavenly Tribulation, among other details.
The only caveat was that Natural Treasures and other precious materials would be needed to recover their peak state, but the most important thing, survival, was rather easy.
Yasenia didn't see that as trouble, though. Her soul arts were anything but weak. If a Transcendence Realm opponent decided to give up their fleshy body and use their soul to escape in front of Yasenia, they would be signing their own death warrant.
As she peacefully meditated, her aura constantly pressing against her surroundings, some mortals found a peculiar opportunity.
Under Yasenia's overwhelming pressure, they found that they could temper their bodies. She, unknowingly, had become a natural training ground for these mortal and lower-level Transcendence Realm cultivators.
A strange scene developed.
Many cultivators who had no chance stopped challenging the platforms and gathered around Yasenia's to cultivate and temper their wills.
Yasenia slightly opened one eye, glancing around her. A faint chuckle escaped her, and she closed it again.
The other geniuses looked at Yasenia with complicated looks. With all her buffs active, the raw threat she emitted was unbearable. They all knew that if they wanted to confront her comfortably, they would need more than one of them.
Seeing the same confirmation in everyone else's eyes, it prickled at their pride.
They were absolute geniuses who had been treated like precious gems by their sects for centuries. And yet, Yasenia's gigantic existence seemed to have towered above them, using one hand to crush them all beneath her.
Time trickled down: seven days became six, then five, and eventually one.
In the last 24 hours, the geniuses who had been hesitating began to feel pressure and started communicating with each other.
"We need to do something about her."
A man from the Divine race opened the conversation. He was Vorianel, one of the top existences that reached the furthest in the second trial.
Drakar, the demon, snorted. "And why would we need to do that?"
Vorianel asked back, his tone cold and indifferent. "She is strong. While I do not feel that I will lose to her, she is a threat."
"Braggart."
Vrixana's voice cut sharply into the conversation. How could she allow these people to look down on the woman whom Lady First acknowledged?
"All of you are just terrified of her, and your stupid pride can't let you accept that." Her tone was mocking. "Even I can feel a chance against you, and you think you can challenge Yasenia? How about you snap out of your delirium before you get hurt?"
Drakar frowned. "Hey, Vrixana, what's your problem? You've been constantly taking jabs at us each time we mentioned that dragon." His tone turned mocking. "Have you actually fallen for her?"
Who was Vrixana? While she was prideful and arrogant, she was a succubus. "So what if I have? I just want to entangle with her and merge into one entity. It has become my deepest desire as of late. Even if I know I can't fulfill it, I do not fear admitting my attraction toward her. What about you, Drakar?"
Her lips arched disdainfully. "I hear that you got a new dragon breeder with similar proportions to Yasenia. Isn't she just a substitute?"
Drakar's face darkened. Even if it was the truth, he would never admit it.
Lan Ruyu, another of the strongest cultivators among them, and part of the Jade Storm Heavenly Sabre Sect, spoke with a cold voice. "If you all can't accept her existence, gang up on her. What is there to fear? The limit is not one challenger at a time. You can all join hands and push her off the platform with ease. Of course, you'll lose your current places on your platforms and will have to earn them again."
A man with a dark robe hiding his features spoke up. He was from the Black-Rooted Corpse Refining Sect. "I recommend you don't do that. I heard from my master that Lord Graveyard Emperor is somewhat acquainted with that dragon's mother. He has even shown respect. If you want your powers facing a Death Law user that even Lord Graveyard Emperor respects, go ahead and gang up on her."
The geniuses frowned. They knew that Flame Sky Emperor was part of Yasenia's backing. Otherwise, there would be no way that the current tournament would be this extravagant. What they didn't expect was that Yasenia didn't have the support of just one, but of two of the top ten continents.
Even among them, super geniuses only had the support of one top continent.
Vrixana added, her tone full of mockery and disdainful laughter. "Might I remind you that she is a Dragon? You heard that Dragon Ancestor speak, and she is not joking. That Dragon Ancestor cherishes Yasenia as if she were her own child. She has even scolded her real mother a few times. So, go ahead, gang up on her. Push her off her platform with dirty means. I really want to know what will happen after the fact."
Her mocking laughter was also, in part, because of Lady First. 'These fools don't know that Yasenia is about to become Lady First's disciple beyond that. In this world, other than those mysterious powers in the top three continents, Yasenia's backing lacks nothing!'
After bashing them with her words, her eyes couldn't help but turn toward Yasenia, a touch of longing in them. After she smelled and saw Yasenia's "release" that day, her body had wanted nothing more but to become one with her. Of course, deep inside, she knew it was an impossible dream.
Time slipped by, and eventually, the geniuses didn't dare move.
Ao Yuelan's voice boomed out. "Time's up!"
'No one challenged me in the end?'
Yasenia opened her celestial blue slit eyes, a touch of disappointment flashing in them as the gorgeous starlight within her hues dimmed for a moment in sync with her mood.