Night covered the Pacific Ocean like a giant black curtain while countless restricted-zone warships continued guarding the World Tree Blessing area from every direction.

Far beneath the ocean surface...

Inside a gigantic crystal palace glowing with blue spiritual light, Academy Master Da Vinci calmly sat across from Demonic Sea Tribe Leader Luka.

The atmosphere was unusually cold.

Luka’s silver eyes stared sharply at Da Vinci while dozens of ancient sea guards stood behind her silently.

The giant hall itself looked unreal.

Blue whales floated slowly outside the transparent crystal walls while glowing sea beasts swam around the underwater palace like guardians.

At the center floated a miniature projection of the World Tree Blessing pod.

Luka suddenly slammed her hand against the crystal table.

"You chose Tony Clark?!"

Her cold voice echoed violently across the palace hall.

Da Vinci remained completely calm.

"Yes."

Luka’s expression became ugly instantly.

"Out of all people..."

"...you chose the heir of the Clark family?!"

Her silver eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Are you losing your mind?"

"Mark Smith is stronger."

"The Imperial Family has more influence."

"The Smith bloodline is more suitable for direct combat inside dangerous realms."

Luka leaned slightly forward afterward.

"Yet you ignored all of them and chose Tony Clark?"

Da Vinci calmly sipped tea before answering lazily.

"You are judging too much based on visible strength."

Luka scoffed coldly.

"And what else should I judge?"

"Tony Clark is unstable."

"He acts recklessly."

"He provokes enemies everywhere."

"He doesn’t even behave like a proper heir."

Da Vinci suddenly smiled afterward.

"Exactly."

Luka frowned.

Da Vinci slowly looked toward the floating World Tree projection.

"The truly dangerous people..."

"...are never predictable."

Silence filled the underwater palace briefly.

Then Luka spoke coldly again.

"If he fails?"

Da Vinci calmly shrugged.

"If he fails..."

"...your granddaughter Elsa can kill him inside the blessing."

The surrounding sea guards instantly looked up slightly after hearing that casually spoken sentence.

Luka narrowed her eyes deeply.

"You are willing to sacrifice him that easily?"

Da Vinci smiled mysteriously.

"I am confident Tony Clark will obtain at least one World Tree Seed before your granddaughter."

The atmosphere instantly became tense again.

BOOM!!!

A cold pressure burst briefly from Luka’s body.

"You think Elsa will lose?!"

Da Vinci remained completely relaxed.

"I didn’t say that."

"But among all the younger generation candidates..."

"...Tony has the highest unpredictability."

Luka remained silent for several moments afterward.

Then she slowly waved her hand.

Immediately, several crystal screens floated around the palace hall.

Each screen displayed different Peak Grandmaster geniuses from around the world.

Mark Smith.

Lily Frost.

Leo Clark.

Elsa of the Demonic Sea Tribe.

Emma Rock.

Several hidden sect geniuses.

Ancient bloodline heirs.

And dozens more.

Luka stared at the projections seriously.

"This World Tree Blessing is too important."

"If the records are true..."

"...the Dream Realm may contain Ancient Longevity Seeds."

Da Vinci’s eyes finally sharpened slightly.

"Five hundred years."

Both became silent afterward.

That number alone was enough to drive even Supreme Warriors insane.

A single World Tree Seed could increase lifespan by five hundred years.

Not temporary recovery.

Not fake vitality.

Actual lifespan extension.

For Supreme Warriors nearing old age...

This treasure was more valuable than entire kingdoms.

Luka slowly spoke again afterward.

"Master Long is also searching for those seeds."

"Every old monster on Earth is secretly waiting for them."

Da Vinci nodded calmly.

"That’s why this blessing will become bloodier than people expect."

Luka’s expression turned grim afterward.

"The Dream Realm worries me more."

"Ancient records claim only a handful survived those realms."

Da Vinci smiled faintly.

"That’s exactly why only monsters deserve to enter."

The two continued discussing candidate selections deeply afterward.

Mark Smith represented overwhelming direct combat power.

Elsa possessed terrifying adaptability and sea bloodline abilities.

Lily Frost had nearly perfect balance and sword intent talent.

Emma Rock possessed medical knowledge and hidden hatred strong enough to survive anything.

Meanwhile...

Tony Clark represented pure unpredictability.

Finally, Luka stood up slowly.

"If Tony truly secures a World Tree Seed before Elsa..."

"...then perhaps your judgment was correct."

Da Vinci also stood afterward.

"But if he disappoints me..."

"...you may do whatever you want with him inside the blessing."

Luka smiled coldly afterward.

"Oh... don’t worry."

"If he becomes useless..."

"...Elsa will definitely enjoy hunting him personally."

Meanwhile...

Inside Nine Lotus Academy...

Tony Clark sat alone inside his residence while moonlight entered softly through the windows.

The snow leopard lazily slept beside the cultivation bed.

Tony himself remained deep in thought.

The World Tree Blessing.

The tournament.

Da Vinci.

The Demonic Sea Tribe.

Everything felt increasingly dangerous.

Suddenly—

DING!!!

A system notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Tony immediately sat upright.

[System Quest Triggered]

[Special Opportunity Detected: World Tree Blessing]

[Quest Objective: Examine the World Tree Blessing before bloom stage.]

[Reward: Ancient Treasure]

[Perk: Permission to Enter First Layer of World Tree Blessing.]

Tony’s eyes widened instantly.

"What?!"

Even his breathing paused briefly.

An opportunity to enter the FIRST layer early?!

This was absolutely insane. Tony immediately understood the value of this quest.

If completed successfully... He could potentially gain advantages before the official blessing even opened.

But then his expression slowly calmed again.

The World Tree pod still hadn’t bloomed yet.

And the entire Pacific region was already locked down by the Octopus Organization.

Thousands of restrictions and formations protected the area now.

Rushing blindly is stupid.

Tony slowly leaned back thoughtfully.

"There are still seven days remaining..." he muttered softly.

"First I need a proper method to bypass security and approach the World Tree safely."

Only after thinking carefully did Tony temporarily suppress the excitement inside his heart.

Instead...

He took out a jade manual from his storage ring.

The Heaven Rank movement technique.

Heavenly Mirage Steps.

The jade manual glowed faintly beneath the moonlight.

Tony slowly opened it again.

Ancient golden words floated before his eyes immediately.

[Heavenly Mirage Steps]

[Movement Technique - Heaven Rank]

[Mastery creates illusionary shadows between heaven and earth.]

[At peak perfection, the user may step between dimensions briefly.]

Tony’s eyes slowly brightened afterward.

"Hahaha..."

"Now THIS is a real treasure."

He directly activated the Enlightenment Card afterward.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A strange clear sensation instantly filled his mind.

The world around him became slower.

Every word inside the jade manual suddenly appeared crystal clear before his eyes.

Tony immediately entered deep comprehension state and began understanding the Mirage-steps.