Empire-Level Tournament had arrived.
From the vast northern ice plains to the desert lands of the south, from the coastal provinces of the Sun Moon Continent to the imperial cities of Heaven Dou and Star Luo—spirit masters gathered. Only twenty-four teams remained.
Each team represented a city, a state, or a powerful clan that had earned their place. Spirit Hall had sent their most brutal young elites. The Sun Moon Empire fielded mechanical spirit masters with terrifying arsenals. And among them all, the team from the Tang Clan stood like a silent mountain—calm, watchful, deadly.
But to Tang San, it meant nothing.
Within the innermost core of Tang Mountain, deep in a dimension separated from time, Tang San sat beneath a massive spirit tree that grew out of the very soul of the world. His breath was calm, but his spirit rings spun with terrifying precision—nine in total, all crimson-gold.
His cultivation had reached the peak of Rank 98. One final step remained.
He ignored the fanfare of the tournament. He ignored the praise from nobles and the fear spreading across empires. He didn't care about the continent.
The world had its chaos. Let it burn if it must.
What mattered were two things:
The Tang Clan.
His path to Supreme Godhood.
His wife sat beside him in spirit beast form, her golden fur gleaming with divine essence. Though she could ascend to godhood at any time, she refused. "Only after you," she had said.
Tang San had smiled. He had already begun constructing a unique godhood framework—its structure far beyond anything in the current Divine Realm. He did not want a title godhood or a leftover position. He wanted one born from nothing, forged from karma, blood, and will.
---
In the Empire Arena—a structure that floated above the Imperial Capital like a hovering moon—the matches had begun.
The Tang Clan's team, led by Tang Yu, now faced the Jade Spirit Alliance, one of the top three finalists from the Sun Moon Continent. Their captain, a girl named Mu Qingxue, wielded a hybrid martial spirit—Radiant Vine Phoenix, capable of healing, flight, and deadly constriction.
The fight was brutal.
Mu Qingxue's team had mastered synchronization techniques from technological cultivation methods—coordinated attacks powered by mechanical enhancements and soul arrays.
Yet the Tang Clan responded with fluid formation changes. Tang Yu activated a mid-tier version of the Five-in-One Strike, using different rings to compress power beyond any one spirit rank.
Their control-type member, Fang Lei, used Silent Chain Entanglement, locking Mu Qingxue's flight path mid-air.
Their healer, Lan Mei, used Silver Petal Revival, recovering two injured members instantly.
And finally, the team leader shouted: "Final Formation—Echoing Qi Seal!"
Five rings lit up. Five members synchronized their strikes.
Mu Qingxue was forced to burn a thousand-year spiritual core to survive.
The Tang Clan won. Again.
---
Behind closed doors, powerful factions gathered.
The Spirit Hall High Council debated the threat of Tang San's techniques.
The Sun Moon Scientific Guild sought to decode the Five-in-One principle.
The War God Temple considered an alliance.
And yet, the Ancestor never showed himself.
Many believed Tang San had died long ago or retreated from the mortal world.
But within Tang Mountain, Tang San opened his eyes during meditation.
An invisible seal cracked in his body.
The shattered fragments of his normal-grade godhood had begun reconstructing into a new godhood form—a unique path called "Soulforge Karma Authority".
Unlike traditional gods who inherited legacies, this godhood was self-made.
It was built upon Tang San's control over fate, karma, and spiritual force.
He whispered to the air:
> "I will not ascend to join the gods of the past.
They will bow to the god of the future."
---
Back in the arena, only eight teams remained.
The Tang Clan had become the main contender for the final.
Yet strange phenomena began to manifest:
A member of Spirit Hall's team went mad mid-battle, screaming about karma chains.
Sun Moon Empire's top control master lost all ring functionality when facing Tang Yu.
An unknown spirit master from the rogue team of Fallen Spirit Sect exploded mid-match, his body consumed by golden light.
No one noticed, but Tang San's karmic influence was spreading.
His techniques, his legacy, his disciples—every thread in this tournament led back to him.
The final battle was near.
Tang San's preparations were almost complete.
---
End of Chapter 13