Word count: ±1000
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The sky split open.
Across the highest heavens, above realms seen and unseen, a black crack appeared — not in the atmosphere, but in reality itself. Time stopped. Space shivered. The void blinked.
And then a voice spoke.
> "To those who have defied fate…
To those who have challenged the limits of power…
Come forth.
The time has come to settle who among you is truly supreme."
---
❖ Elsewhere, in the Realm of Lightning Tribulation…
Chu Feng sat cross-legged inside a sphere of divine lightning. Each strand of electricity could erase a planet, but his eyes remained closed in meditation.
When the voice pierced through, his eyes opened — glowing violet.
> "Hmph. Who dares to send a voice into my Asura World Domain?"
He stood, lightning gathering around his shoulders like a cloak of divine wrath. The storm above the realm parted.
---
❖ In a shattered dimension...
Xu Yang stood atop a broken tower floating in space. He wore simple robes. His eyes were closed. But the moment the voice reached him, he opened them — and three nearby stars collapsed under the pressure of his presence.
He said nothing.
He simply walked forward, and reality moved to make way.
---
❖ In other corners of the multiverse...
– Chen Ye laid down a teacup and smirked.
– Tang San dismissed the Sea God Council.
– Shi Hao devoured a dragon and wiped his mouth.
– Nie Li closed an ancient book, whispering, "So… it begins."
– Wang Ling sneezed… and two lesser worlds vanished.
Each of them — legends, gods, monsters in human form — stepped through the dimensional call.
And one by one, they disappeared.
---
❖ The Arena of Timeless Skies
It was not a place bound by mortal law. The sky was endless black, streaked with veins of gold and starlight. The ground was transparent, showing endless worlds spinning far below — like marbles in a divine hand.
Ten figures materialized in a circle. None bowed. None spoke at first.
Fang Han looked around, arms behind his back.
> "So these are the so-called 'strongest'? Hmph. I see nothing but inflated egos."
Qin Chen chuckled, unsheathing a sword that hummed like the breath of a planet.
> "Perfect. I was growing bored of killing emperors."
Shi Hao, barefoot and glowing like a primordial sun, stepped forward.
> "Let's test whose bones are harder."
Nie Li smirked. "I've already predicted the outcome."
Tang San's trident crackled. "I don't care for titles. But I won't lose."
Lin Feng gripped both his swords. "One slash is all I need."
And Wang Ling yawned. "Can I go home after this?"
The last to speak was Chu Feng, divine lightning dancing across his palms.
> "You called us here. Now you must face the storm you summoned."
But Xu Yang said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Even in silence, his presence bent the world around him.
---
❖ A Voice from Beyond
The same ancient voice echoed again — but this time, it sounded… closer. More intense.
> "This is the Arena of Judgment.
Here, power alone decides who is supreme.
No rules. No time. No mercy.
Ten will fight. Only one will remain standing."
A massive formation appeared above the arena — a ten-sided sigil, glowing with multiversal law. Each point lit up with one cultivator's aura.
And in the center, the sigil began to spin.
Their fates had been locked.
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❖ Final Moments Before Battle
A cold wind blew — though there was no sky, no air.
Everyone took a step forward, their energies rising.
Chen Ye's hands formed a seal that pulled energy from five dimensions.
Qin Chen's sword radiated the laws of time and space.
Fang Han activated an ancient talisman, summoning shadows from before creation.
Nie Li opened a scroll that distorted causality itself.
But only two did not prepare any technique:
– Xu Yang, who simply stood.
– Wang Ling, who pulled out a bubble tea.
> "What flavor is that?" Shi Hao asked, puzzled.
"Peach lightning," Wang Ling replied casually. "Wanna try?"
The others ignored them. The war was about to begin.
---
Then, with a loud chime that shook all the heavens, the arena lit up.
> "First Combat: Qin Chen vs Lin Feng.
Begin."
The battlefield shifted. Reality spun. And two warriors vanished into the arena's first trial.
But the war had only just begun.
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➡️ End of Chapter 1.