[Ding! Congratulations on killing a ninth-stage High God-level powerhouse!]

[Experience gained: +58,392,017,465.]

[Gold Coins gained: +726,351,829.]

[Fame gained: +4,082,971,563.]

[High God Sources plundered: +619,374,025,481.]

[High God-level items obtained: +3.]

John raised an eyebrow as the notifications echoed through his mind.

The growing number of High Gods he had killed had brought an unexpected benefit. The fragments of Law comprehension accumulated through his plundering talent had reached a remarkable level. Concepts that once required years of meditation were now being unlocked one after another inside his consciousness.

Cultivators often said that the Great Dao contained three thousand paths and that every path could ultimately lead to supremacy.

John had already absorbed insights into nearly all of them.

At present, fewer than two hundred Laws remained before his collection reached the legendary number of three thousand. Some were common elemental principles, while others were obscure acquired Laws practiced by only a handful of civilizations. Every fallen enemy added a new fragment, filling gaps in the vast structure of his comprehension.

Yet the result that mattered most continued to frustrate him.

His progress in the Space-Time Law had barely changed.

The reason was simple. Cultivators who specialized in the complete Space-Time Law were exceedingly rare. Most experts chose either the Spatial Law or the Law of Time. Even among top factions, very few were willing to bear the terrifying difficulty of cultivating both simultaneously and merging them into one complete path.

John was different.

He had stepped directly onto the integrated path, and that gave him overwhelming power. It also meant that ordinary fragments of Spatial or Temporal understanding could provide only limited improvement.

The Space-Time Law stood far above most acquired Laws. Its cultivation was slow, dangerous, and resistant to shortcuts.

John pushed the thought aside.

He now lacked only two identity badges.

Another challenger stepped onto Arena No. 1.

The man opened his mouth, likely intending to introduce himself, but John had no interest in hearing his name. Space-Time Law and the Great Sound Art activated almost simultaneously.

The arena froze.

The challenger’s body was caught between overlapping layers of sealed space and reversed time. Before he could release a treasure or Divine Ability, a wave of Origin sound passed through him.

His flesh, divine soul, and Life Imprint were erased in a single instant.

[Ding! Congratulations on killing a ninth-stage High God-level powerhouse!]

[Experience gained: +36,521,489,077.]

[Gold Coins gained: +847,263,951.]

[Fame gained: +9,264,710,385.]

[High God Sources plundered: +482,619,503,714.]

[High God-level items obtained: +2.]

The challenger’s identity badge flew into John’s hand.

Only one remained.

John stood quietly and waited. The participants below exchanged uneasy glances. Some wanted to withdraw, while others knew that losing this opportunity might leave them without enough badges to advance.

At last, the final challenger John had been waiting for leaped onto the arena.

This man’s temperament was far more violent than the previous opponents. He attacked the instant he landed. Blood-red power surged around his body, and his Divine Ability expanded into a storm of claws, blades, and roaring beast phantoms.

John responded with even greater force.

"Great Sound Art."

The Origin of the universe resonated with his voice.

A terrifying wave struck the challenger head-on. The blood-red storm collapsed before it reached John. The man’s body shattered from the inside, and the vibration continued deeper, scouring his Life Origin until the final imprint vanished.

The battle ended almost as soon as it began.

[Ding! Congratulations on killing a ninth-stage High God-level powerhouse!]

[Experience gained: +15,478,963,205.]

[Gold Coins gained: +502,937,184.]

[Fame gained: +3,476,159,820.]

[High God Sources plundered: +839,205,716,498.]

[High God-level items obtained: +9.]

The tenth identity badge transformed into light and settled in John’s palm.

A new announcement immediately followed.

[The current participant has completed the arena-defense requirement and may leave the arena.]

[Congratulations! You have collected ten identity badges and obtained advancement qualification.]

[Please wait for the final confirmation.]

Before the notification finished fading, Law power wrapped around John’s body and moved him below the arena.

The surrounding challengers retreated at once. They opened a wide space around him as though avoiding a plague god.

No one doubted his strength any longer.

In their eyes, John was fully comparable to a recognized supreme powerhouse. Even among that elite group, he would belong to the stronger members. His final three battles had ended in instantaneous kills, and none of his opponents had forced him to reveal his full ability.

The moment John left Arena No. 1, the empty position drew every gaze.

Whoever occupied the platform next would become the new Arena Master and receive challenges from the remaining participants.

Two High Gods moved at the same instant.

They landed on the arena together and immediately attacked each other. Since both had arrived before a new master was determined, they had to fight until only one remained.

John watched for a moment, then lost interest.

To him, the combat of ordinary High Gods resembled a crude brawl between mortals. Their Laws were shallow, their control inefficient, and the openings in their defenses were obvious. There was little value in observing them.

Instead, he looked toward Arena No. 2.

That Arena Master was far more interesting.

After his disguise had been exposed, Lyric had finally obtained a challenger who refused to surrender. Excitement appeared openly on his face. The timid, weak expression from earlier had vanished completely.

He changed from a harmless young beast into a Primordial Desolate Beast preparing to hunt.

The greatest hunters often disguised themselves as prey.

This time, Lyric did not hold back or continue acting.

Every casual movement released terrifying physical strength. His body looked thin, almost fragile, yet he endured every Divine Ability his opponent unleashed without suffering a visible wound.

Fire, sword light, corrosive darkness, and a storm of Law runes struck him in succession. The impacts shook the hidden arena space, but Lyric did not even retreat.

He did not rush into close combat.

He simply raised one fist and punched through the air.

The motion seemed ordinary, but the resulting fist force expanded into a violent current that swept across the arena. Space folded around it. The challenger’s defenses collapsed before the fist itself came near.

A single wave of pressure tore the man apart.

His flesh was destroyed, his divine soul dispersed, and his Life Imprint crushed completely.

Lyric had ended the battle with one strike.

The combat strength he displayed was no weaker than that of a supreme powerhouse.

John searched through the intelligence stored in his mind. The information previously distributed by the Skyvault Consortium had not listed this man among the recognized top experts.

After reaching the High God level, a cultivator’s ability to calculate and analyze surpassed ordinary computers by countless times. John processed an immense volume of information in an instant and quickly identified the likely match.

"Lyric?"

A wandering cultivator with no formal allegiance to any supreme faction. He had occasional dealings with the Eternal Summit. When the Myriad Worlds Tournament began, he had been within the territory of the Tower of Myriad Treasures and used that opportunity to travel to the tournament with a Sovereign of the Eternal Summit.

Despite those connections, he remained independent.

John found the background intriguing.

"He reached this stage as a wandering cultivator? Interesting."

He studied Lyric’s appearance and committed it to memory. They might have an opportunity to fight in a later round.

While observing Lyric, John also glanced toward Arena No. 3.

Soren had just finished another battle and was looking directly at him.

Their gazes met.

Neither spoke, yet both understood the meaning in the other’s eyes.

Invisible battle intent collided between them.

True powerhouses did not need threats or elaborate declarations. A single look was enough to begin the contest.

Time continued passing.

Soren eventually completed five successful defenses, collected enough badges, and left his arena. Lyric did the same after surviving five rounds.

Once John had vacated Arena No. 1, no later master managed to hold it for long. One participant replaced another in rapid succession. Some survived a single challenge before being defeated by the next.

The other two arenas soon entered the same pattern after Soren and Lyric departed.

Under this brutal elimination process, identity badges flowed rapidly into the hands of a small number of victors.

One qualified participant appeared, then another.

The ordinary High Gods who had entered with confidence now understood the true cruelty of the tournament. Talent alone was not enough. Reputation meant little. Only those capable of surviving repeated battles could remain.

John stood apart from the chaos, already holding the required ten badges.

His expression was calm.

For him, the elimination round was over.