The moment Ancestor Long declared the beginning of the first round, the atmosphere exploded.

A thunderous roar swept across the mountain region as more than thirty-three thousand participants rushed forward simultaneously.

The sight alone was enough to make countless spectators stand up from their seats.

From the sky, the mountain range resembled a flood of human figures pouring into countless paths, bridges, forests, valleys, and cliff routes.

Everyone understood one thing.

The first thousand flags would never be easy to obtain.

Yet human nature remained the same.

Most people preferred to gamble on speed.

"If I get there first, I get the flag!"

"Move!"

"Don’t block me!"

Thousands surged forward like a tidal wave.

Dust rose into the sky.

Trees shook violently.

Several bridges immediately became overcrowded.

Meanwhile, some participants didn’t move at all.

The truly dangerous geniuses remained calm.

Mark Smith stood silently while watching the chaos unfold ahead.

Behind him, Imperial Family members looked anxious.

"Young Master Mark, should we move?"

Mark shook his head.

"Not yet."

His eyes narrowed toward the distant mountains.

"The academy isn’t stupid enough to place flags on an open road."

Nearby, several Imperial Family elites nodded.

The same scene repeated elsewhere.

Lily Frost remained motionless. Don Frost stood beside her.

Neither moved.

The Frost Family disciples quietly waited.

Emma Rock folded her arms while standing atop a large stone.

Her gaze swept across the rushing crowd.

Kevin Clark and Leo Clark also remained among the later groups.

Even Kevin Ten chose patience over recklessness.

Jean White stood beside several White Family supporters while observing the situation quietly.

Hank Cooper leaned against a tree with a relaxed smile.

He didn’t seem nervous at all.

Across the gathering area, dozens of famous geniuses watched the first wave disappear into the mountains.

Nobody believed the competition would end so simply.

And they were right.

The first signs appeared less than ten minutes later.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A violent explosion echoed from halfway up the mountain.

The spectators immediately looked toward the giant projection screens floating above the competition grounds.

The live broadcasts instantly shifted focus.

What appeared on the screen shocked many participants.

A massive transparent barrier had emerged across an entire mountain path.

Several hundred participants had rushed into it without preparation.

The moment they entered, terrifying pressure descended from above.

Many cultivators were immediately forced to their knees.

Some were thrown backward entirely.

Others struggled desperately just to remain standing.

The crowd watching through the live broadcast erupted.

"So that’s the first test!"

"Pressure Formation!"

"They hid it inside the mountain!"

Unfortunately...

That was only the beginning.

Moments later, another route activated.

This time, hurricane-like winds exploded from deep mountain valleys.

ROOOOOOOAR!!!

The terrifying wind pressure swept through entire pathways.

Trees snapped apart instantly.

Several participants were sent flying like leaves.

One unfortunate cultivator crashed directly into a cliff wall and lost consciousness.

The commentators observing the event looked excited.

"The first obstacle has appeared!"

"The mountain itself is the examination!"

"Anyone lacking strength won’t even reach the flag locations!"

Meanwhile, the smart participants finally began moving.

Mark Smith stepped forward.

The moment he started running, the Imperial Family elites followed immediately. His speed wasn’t particularly flashy. Yet every step carried terrifying efficiency.

The pressure formations seemed unable to affect him significantly.

The blasting mountain winds parted before him.

Within minutes, he overtook thousands of participants.

The spectators immediately noticed.

"Mark Smith!"

"The Imperial Family genius finally moved!"

"As expected!"

Elsewhere...

Lily Frost finally entered the mountain.

A layer of frost appeared beneath her feet.

The violent winds that blocked others seemed strangely weakened around her.

Don Frost followed closely behind.

Meanwhile, Emma Rock displayed frightening physical strength.

She directly shattered several formation nodes hidden beneath a cliff path.

The surrounding participants immediately changed routes after witnessing her brutality.

Leo Clark also demonstrated why he remained one of the strongest young members of the Clark Family.

His sword flashed repeatedly.

Every obstacle before him was cleanly split apart.

Kevin Clark followed another route while competing fiercely against several hidden sect geniuses.

The battle for position had truly begun.

However, the real surprises came from unknown participants.

A bald monk from a hidden mountain temple calmly walked through a pressure zone where hundreds had collapsed.

His expression never changed.

His footsteps never slowed.

People watching the broadcast became stunned.

"Who is that?"

"No idea."

"He isn’t on any ranking list!"

Elsewhere, a young woman carrying a bamboo umbrella crossed a dangerous cliff route while appearing completely relaxed.

Several famous participants were left behind by her.

Nobody knew her identity.

Nobody recognized her family.

Yet her performance immediately attracted attention.

Then came a giant man carrying an iron pillar instead of a weapon.

Every step he took shook the ground.

The blasting winds couldn’t move him.

The pressure formations couldn’t bend him.

He simply walked forward.

Like a mountain moving through another mountain.

The commentators quickly became excited.

"Unknown talent!"

"Another unknown talent has appeared!"

"Interesting!"

The martial world loved hidden geniuses.

And the Golden Heir Tournament had attracted plenty of them.

Nearly an hour passed.

The mountain region gradually revealed its true difficulty.

Many participants who rushed ahead first had already been eliminated.

Some were injured.

Some lost consciousness.

Some simply gave up.

Others discovered a cruel truth.

Even after crossing half the mountain...

There were still no flags.

The academy had hidden them extremely well.

Frustration began spreading.

Fatigue accumulated.

The pressure increased.

Meanwhile...

The first flag finally appeared.

A golden flash emerged atop a giant stone platform near the upper mountain region.

The moment the flag appeared, dozens of participants charged toward it.

A fierce battle erupted immediately.

Sword lights.

Fist techniques.

Movement arts.

The entire area descended into chaos.

Then—

A silver sword flashed.

Everyone froze.

Mark Smith landed atop the platform.

His cold gaze swept across the battlefield.

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared move.

The pressure he emitted was overwhelming.

Without saying a word, Mark reached out and grabbed the first golden flag.

The crowd watching the broadcast exploded.

"The first flag!"

"Mark Smith got it!"

"As expected!"

The Imperial Family elders immediately smiled.

Meanwhile, other geniuses increased their pace.

The first flag had appeared.

More would follow soon.

The true competition was finally beginning.

And yet...

Far behind the mountain entrance...

One person remained exactly where he started.

Tony Clark.

He stood alone among the empty gathering grounds.

Everyone else had already entered the mountain.

Even the slowest participants had disappeared.

Only Tony remained.

His hands rested behind his back.

His expression looked bored.

Almost sleepy.

The nearby academy staff exchanged confused looks.

Several spectators noticed him through the live broadcast.

"What is he doing?"

"Did he give up?"

"Why isn’t he moving?"

Even some Clark Family elders became furious.

"That idiot!"

"The competition started an hour ago!"

"Has he gone mad?!"

Rion Clark frowned deeply.

Even Lily Frost happened to notice Tony’s image appearing briefly on one of the screens.

Her expression immediately became strange.

She knew Tony better than most.

And because of that...

She knew something was wrong.

Tony wasn’t panicking.

Tony wasn’t nervous.

Tony wasn’t lost.

Instead...

He looked like a hunter patiently waiting for prey.

At that moment, Tony slowly lifted his head and looked toward the distant mountain peaks.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Finally... The real game was about to begin.