Inside his silent residence, Tony Clark sat cross-legged beneath the dim moonlight while the Heaven Rank jade manual floated quietly before him.

The room remained completely silent except for the faint sound of pages turning slowly.

Tony’s eyes carefully scanned every single line inside the Heavenly Mirage Steps manual without missing even a word.

Unlike ordinary martial techniques, Heaven Rank manuals could not be mastered through brute memorization.

Especially movement techniques.

One wrong understanding of the theory itself could cripple the practitioner permanently.

That was why Tony didn’t rush into practice immediately.

Instead, he focused entirely on understanding the foundation principles behind the technique.

[Heavenly Mirage Steps]

[The body deceives the eye.]

[The shadow deceives the senses.]

[The mind deceives heaven.]

[The true path of mirage lies between existence and illusion.]

Tony slowly narrowed his eyes afterward.

The deeper he read, the stranger the technique became.

This wasn’t merely about speed... Nor was it purely about afterimages.

The real core of the Heavenly Mirage Steps revolved around disturbing perception itself.

At beginner mastery, the user could create false afterimages.

At intermediate mastery, even spiritual senses would become confused.

And at peak mastery...

The technique description became terrifying.

[One step across heaven.]

[One shadow beyond reality.]

[Mirage body touches space itself.]

Tony slowly exhaled deeply afterward.

"No wonder Heaven Rank techniques are treated like national treasures..." he muttered softly.

"This thing is insane."

The Enlightenment Card continued amplifying his comprehension continuously.

Inside his mind, countless movement patterns slowly began forming naturally.

The pathways of life energy circulation.

The coordination between breathing and muscle movement.

The synchronization of vision and step control.

Everything gradually became clearer.

At some point, Tony suddenly understood something important.

The Heavenly Mirage Steps required an environment rich in life energy essence during the first training phase.

That was exactly why he requested Da Vinci to prepare the Night Pool for him. Only there could the technique truly begin cultivation properly.

Tony continued reading silently afterward.

Suddenly—

"The Night Pool is ready."

Tony slowly opened his eyes.

Academy Master Da Vinci stood calmly near the doorway with both hands behind his back.

This time, Da Vinci didn’t even glance toward the Heaven Rank jade manual floating before Tony.

Nor did he ask questions... Neither of them spoke further.

Everyone had their own secrets... And some secrets were better left untouched.

Soon, Tony silently followed Da Vinci outside the residence.

***

The moonlight stretched across Nine Lotus Academy while distant explosions echoed continuously from various cultivation peaks.

The entire academy had entered absolute madness after the official announcement of the Golden Heir Tournament.

Disciples trained day and night without rest.

Several even cultivated openly in courtyards while swallowing breakthrough pills desperately.

Others fought for training grounds and spiritual pools.

The academy itself no longer resembled a peaceful cultivation institution.

It resembled a battlefield preparing for war.

Meanwhile...

The martial world completely exploded after the Octopus Organization officially released the full tournament details.

[Official Notice from Octopus Organization]

[Golden Heir Tournament]

[Venue: Nine Lotus Academy]

[Beginning Time: Seven Days Later]

[Requirement: Peak Grandmaster Warrior Realm]

[No Age Restrictions]

[All Martial Factions Allowed Participation]

[First Round Qualification Limit: 1000 Participants]

[Killing During Combat Permitted]

[Outside Interference Strictly Forbidden]

The announcement instantly shook the entire martial world.

Millions of martial warriors flooded hidden forums and dark web networks immediately afterward.

The reactions became absolute chaos.

"What kind of crazy tournament is this?!"

"Only Peak Grandmasters can enter?!"

"Killing allowed?! This is basically survival war!"

"Only one thousand advance from the first round?!"

"Thousands of hidden monsters are going to appear now!"

The martial networks nearly crashed repeatedly from the sudden traffic explosion.

Predictions.

Betting markets.

Combat analysis videos.

Everything appeared overnight.

The biggest shock wasn’t even the killing rule.

It was the "No Age Limit" condition.

That single line caused terrifying hidden experts to begin emerging worldwide.

Peak Grandmasters who had hidden inside sects for decades suddenly became active again.

Several old cultivation families directly released sealed geniuses who hadn’t appeared publicly for years.

Many people finally realized something terrifying.

The martial world contained far more monsters than previously imagined.

Meanwhile...

The value of cultivation resources exploded overnight.

Life Energy Stones tripled in price within hours.

Peak Grandmaster breakthrough pills completely disappeared from several markets.

Ancient herbs became auction treasures immediately.

Countless martial warriors standing at late-stage Master Warrior or Half-Step Grandmaster desperately tried to force breakthroughs before tournament registration closed.

Black markets became filled with desperate buyers.

Several smaller sects even sold family treasures to purchase cultivation resources for their younger disciples.

One hidden forum post immediately became famous worldwide:

"Right now, becoming Peak Grandmaster is more valuable than becoming rich."

The comments beneath instantly exploded.

"My family spent 30 years of savings for one breakthrough pill!"

"Our sect master sold his sword treasury!"

"Everyone is going insane for this tournament!"

Meanwhile...

The martial governments worldwide also began reacting nervously.

Because this wasn’t simply a martial event anymore.

It involved the future balance of global power itself.

If one family obtained too many World Tree Blessing spots...

Their future strength would become terrifying.

Several nations immediately began secretly supporting their martial factions financially.

Underground military cargo carrying cultivation resources moved across borders continuously.

Even ordinary governments noticed strange global movements.

Yet none dared interfere openly because the Octopus Organization had already sealed the World Tree Blessing area completely.

***

Inside Nine Lotus Academy...

The atmosphere became increasingly intense. Every Peak Master personally supervised disciple training now.

The Alchemy Hall operated day and night without rest.

The Weapon Forging Yard glowed continuously from high-temperature spirit flames.

Long lines formed outside cultivation resource centers. Several disciples even began fighting publicly over training spots.

Academy elders no longer stopped such fights unless deaths occurred. Because everyone understood one thing clearly now.

The Golden Heir Tournament would reshape the younger generation hierarchy of the entire world.

***

Meanwhile... Far beneath the Pacific Ocean...

Elsa of the Demonic Sea Tribe quietly watched Tony Clark’s arena battle footage repeatedly inside the crystal palace.

Unlike the others... She didn’t focus on his martial technique. Nor his speed... Nor his strength. She focused only on Tony’s eyes during battle.

After several moments, a strange smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"So this is Tony Clark..." she muttered softly.

"He looks far more interesting than Mark Smith."

***

Meanwhile...

Inside hidden ancient mountains...

Inside underground sects...

Inside royal martial palaces...

Inside forbidden cultivation grounds...

Countless younger monsters quietly began preparing themselves for the Golden Heir Tournament.

The entire martial world was moving. And all of them shared one common goal.

Golden Heir Tournament! The World Tree Blessing!