「The Sacas Dynasty」

It was a bright and sunny morning. However, the Dynasty’s Imperial Capital was currently as bustling as a marketplace. Large groups of academy students from various Empires, all wearing different Institute Uniforms, strolled out of the Sacas Dynasty Hotel. Every one of them was filled with confidence.

Today was the day of the Imperial Grand Competition!

The venue was none other than the Sacas Dynasty’s Peak of the Holy Mark. Speaking of the Peak of the Holy Mark, its origin was worth mentioning. Legend had it that the original territory of the Sacas Dynasty was actually a single, colossal mountain. This peak was said to be ten thousand meters high and spanned millions of miles. For some unknown reason, however, it was suddenly reduced to an ordinary mountain. Rumor had it that an Ancient Great Power found the mountain obstructing his view. Annoyed, he waved his hand and removed most of it, which resulted in the vast, flat plains of the Sacas Dynasty we see today.

And the competition ground for this event was the very summit of that mountain, known as the Peak of the Holy Mark!

"Dean Di Cang, could you please explain the competition rules? It would be good for us to get familiar with them."

Qing Lei, walking alongside, noticed that apart from observing the surrounding crowds, no one was talking much. He was starting to feel a bit bored.

Di Cang nodded. "You’re quite perceptive. Calm and reserved. I was going to tell you all at the appropriate time even if you didn’t ask. But since you’ve brought it up, I’ll explain it now."

Hearing Qing Lei’s question, Di Cang first praised him. Though it was less praise and more a statement of fact. Over the past year, it was indeed Qing Lei’s presence that had allowed the Demon Castle to develop steadily without any internal strife.

Seeing that Di Cang was about to explain the rules, even Little Tiger, who had been munching on a meat bun, turned serious. He was taking this Imperial Grand Competition very seriously. Brother Mu Chen had once said that the Xuanling Empire must rise again.

’Rise!’

Taking a deep breath, Little Tiger shoved the last of his meat bun into his mouth and focused his gaze intently on Di Cang. The others did the same.

"The Imperial Grand Competition has been a major event on the Extreme Martial Continent for countless years. But before that, let me first explain the detailed structure of the Empires. The explanation in the Academy’s Library Tower is very superficial."

Di Cang organized his thoughts and began to speak slowly. "In the eyes of you children, the most powerful force is naturally this behemoth before you: the Dynasty! The Dynasties are the rulers of all Empires. You could call them the absolute superiors, with a tiered structure just like the positions in an academy."

Di Cang stroked his beard and continued, "Below the Dynasties are the Empires. However, the Empires themselves are divided into three levels based on their strength: High-class, Middle-class, and Low-class. In reality, there are further subdivisions within each level, but since no one ever mentions them, most people only know about these three general categories."

"There are further subdivisions?"

As expected, someone didn’t know. For instance, Ye Shuangshuang, who had just asked the question.

Di Cang smiled. "Yes. The subdivisions are Upper, Middle, and Lower. For example, our Xuanling Empire is a Low-level Lower Empire..."

The moment Di Cang finished speaking, the expressions of Qing Lei and the others darkened. Seeing this, Di Cang naturally understood what the children were thinking and sighed helplessly. "It may sound demeaning, but it’s the truth. If you want self-respect, you must first face reality."

Patting Little Tiger’s head, a gentle look appeared in Di Cang’s eyes. ’These children truly hold the honor of the Xuanling Empire in their hearts. Or rather, they’ve carved Mu Chen’s words into their hearts.’

"But this is all temporary. With you little ones here, the Xuanling Empire is bound to make a name for itself in this Imperial Grand Competition. We will be the biggest dark horse."

Di Cang’s words were very inspiring. The group did indeed recover some of their spirits upon hearing them, but the fighting spirit in their eyes could not be concealed.

’This is good, too.’

Di Cang thought to himself, but continued explaining the competition rules aloud. "As I said, Empires are divided by level. Therefore, in the initial stage, the competition will randomly draw ten Empires by name and pair them up for team battles in the arena. Remember, this is only the initial stage."

"Because of this, to prevent Low-class Empires from being matched against High-class Empires and immediately eliminated, the initial fights are divided into brackets. That is, Low-class Empires will fight Low-class Empires, High-class Empires will fight High-class Empires, and Middle-class Empires will fight Middle-class Empires. Any questions?"

Mo Qing pursed her rosy little lips. "Dean, you just mentioned that there are also minor divisions within the same class of Empire. During the competition, will the pairings mix Upper, Middle, and Lower-level Empires from the same class together?"

Without even thinking, Di Cang blurted out, "Yes, they will. Although there are minor divisions within the same class, the difference in strength isn’t that great, so the competition doesn’t subdivide them further. For weaker Empires, this introduces an element of luck. If a Low-level Lower Empire runs into a Lower Upper Empire, they can only blame their bad luck. After all, the competition is about survival of the fittest. If you can only defeat Empires of the exact same strength as you, you won’t be able to advance to the later rounds, right?"

"And that’s just the beginning. The winning Empire will directly usurp the rank of the highest-ranked Empire in their group. For example, if the highest-ranked Empire in your assigned group is a Lower Upper Empire, and we ultimately win, the Xuanling Empire’s rank will directly replace theirs, and we will become a Lower Upper Empire."

Di Cang glanced at the excited faces of the group, his own face full of smiles. "So, this Imperial Grand Competition is a contest designed for lower-ranked Empires to constantly surpass themselves. If you win the preliminary round, you will earn a chance to challenge a Middle-class Empire. If you lose that challenge, your Empire’s rank will remain at Lower Upper Empire. But if you win, you’ll get to say goodbye to the unpleasant title of ’Low-class Empire’! Understand?"

"Understood!"

The group was currently on their way to the Peak of the Holy Mark, surrounded by a sea of people. Their resounding shout suddenly cut through the noise of the already boisterous streets, causing everyone nearby to turn and look at them.

Unfazed by the curious stares from all around, Qing Lei and the others wished they could charge up to the martial arena on the Peak of the Holy Mark right now and give a sound beating to the students from the Imperial Academies that had once looked down on them!

As they continued their conversation, the clamor of the road gradually faded. In its place was a winding staircase leading to the summit. From a distance, the staircase coiling around the mountain looked like a spiraling dragon, exuding an aura of looking down upon the world.

A true masterpiece of craftsmanship!

Gazing up at the cloud-shrouded summit, a look of yearning appeared in the eyes of Qing Lei and the others. Indeed, who doesn’t yearn for greater heights? Who doesn’t yearn for the peak?

’When I reach the very top, all other mountains will seem small!’

How could one be called a true Martial Artist without the dream of reaching the peak? Di Cang recalled the time he first participated in the Imperial Grand Competition. The memory was still fresh. In a daze, he realized how much time had passed. Back then, his own lofty ambitions had been crushed by a young man right here.

"You? You want to become a powerful expert? Heh, don’t make me laugh. Get on the ground!"

A faint smile played on Di Cang’s lips, and a flash of anticipation appeared in his eyes. ’Red Wood Cliff, I truly look forward to the contest between our juniors. This time, I wonder who will be the one on the ground?’

Di Cang smiled and took the first step onto the staircase. Before him were countless students in various Institute Uniforms. Some were whispering to each other, while others were joking around to ease the tension. For now, everything was peaceful. He just didn’t know if an old acquaintance was waiting for them up ahead.

"Dean, since this is a competition, there must be rewards, right? What are they?" Little Tiger asked curiously, scratching his head.

Di Cang paused. "There are. But we probably don’t have a chance at the grand prize. The condition for obtaining it is extremely harsh: your Empire’s team and individual battle records must rank in the top three among all Empires."

"Top three among all Empires!"

Hearing this, even the usually calm and steady Qing Lei couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

Top three among all Empires... that could no longer be described as ’extremely difficult.’ It was harder than ascending to the heavens! How many Empires were there on the entire continent? Over 1,300. Not to mention the sheer number of participants from those Empires, just think about the students from the High-class Empires. Which one of them wasn’t a dazzling talent of immense strength? It was just as the saying goes: the Extreme Martial Continent had billions upon billions of people, a place overflowing with countless freaks and prodigies. To stand out among them was easier said than done. Qing Lei didn’t dare to even think about it.

"Yeah... top three among all Empires. It seems to have nothing to do with us." Qing Lei gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with unwillingness to accept it.

"Haha, you can’t accept it, right? I reacted the exact same way you did back then. It was only after participating in the Imperial Grand Competition that I was thoroughly convinced." Realizing he was dwelling on the past again, Di Cang sighed inwardly. ’Was I really thoroughly convinced? Heh... As a Martial Artist, perhaps there is never a time to truly submit.’

"But even though we can’t get that prize, I can still tell you what it is."

"Holy Tomb Mountain! Have you heard of it?"

Qing Lei, Little Tiger, Mo Qing, Mu Bingling, and Ye Shuangshuang all shook their heads.

Di Cang wasn’t surprised. The Xuanling Empire was simply too remote. The only information these little ones had about the outside world came from the brief descriptions in the Library Tower. It was only natural that they wouldn’t know about a place like Holy Tomb Mountain.

"Holy Tomb Mountain is the shared foundation and the ultimate martial power of the Four Great Dynasties! Therefore, those who can enter Holy Tomb Mountain are undoubtedly the geniuses among geniuses, the elite of the elite within the entire Dynasty! You could say that anyone who enters Holy Tomb Mountain is guaranteed to reach the Venerable Realm by the time they graduate! Some prodigies even manage to step into the Saint Realm after leaving! Do you understand what Holy Tomb Mountain is now?"