The aeons flowed silently.
Worlds lived, grew, and changed — and among them, Arin's world continued its steady expansion.
---
It had now grown vast — a complete and vibrant sphere the size of Earth.
Mountains older than memory pierced the sky, and oceans churned with unseen power.
The step-ladder pattern of spiritual energy — weakest at the shores, denser inland, and immeasurable in the ocean depths — had matured perfectly.
At the heart of the continent, the concentration of spiritual energy had reached terrifying density.
Even the air shimmered faintly, bending light like heat on metal.
Forests there pulsed with life — colossal trees that breathed energy, beasts whose roars could flatten hills, rivers that glittered with liquid Qi.
In the deepest trenches of the ocean, creatures older than civilizations stirred.
Scaled titans the size of mountains drifted through the abyss, exhaling bubbles that glowed like suns.
Each one radiated the strength of a Peak Golden Core cultivator — tier one apex beings in this young world.
Arin observed from the sky above his world's stratosphere, faintly smiling.
> "They've come far… even the weakest among them now carry energy within their veins.
Just a little more, and they'll touch the Nascent Soul threshold."
The air itself vibrated with the pulse of endless life.
The world he had shaped from nothing was now alive, overflowing with potential — on the verge of evolving again.
But Arin was unaware that beyond the veil of his creation, beyond even the rhythm of his expanding world's laws…
Eyes were watching.
------
The void stirred — a ripple spreading through the eternal silence.
Eighteen beings emerged, each radiating power that could unmake suns.
Their forms differed — some wreathed in flame, some crystalline, some shadow, some pure light — but all carried an aura that dominated reality itself.
One of them, his eyes like twin black holes, looked around.
"So," he said with an amused smirk, "there are eighteen of us."
Another, golden and proud, folded his arms.
"Let's not waste time. Before we compete, let me first look upon the world that will soon belong to me."
A ripple of disapproval passed through the others.
Someone snorted. "Arrogant fool."
A few chuckled, others merely frowned — yet, none denied his words outright.
With unspoken agreement, all extended their Daos, letting their divine senses pierce the void — seeking the newborn world they had been assigned to contest.
Light rippled. The void thinned.
And then they saw it.
----
Suspended in the sea of nothingness, Arin's world glowed like a blue-green gem wrapped in silver mist.
Seas sparkled with life. Continents radiated vibrant Qi.
It pulsed like a living heart — young, growing, and powerful.
The first being whispered, stunned,
> "So vast… and yet, still a newborn world."
Another leaned forward, his aura quivering with intrigue.
> "I can see peak tier-one lifeforms… "
"Peak Tier One?" another echoed, disbelief coloring his tone.
> "Impossible. A new world shouldn't even have stable Tier Ones yet. It hasn't been long enough for them to evolve."
The first only smiled thinly.
> "See for yourself. The planet hums with power. The very air is saturated with living energy."
One of the women, her form woven of stars, whispered,
> "A Peak Tier-One World already? Born full of sentient life, diverse ecosystems, and stable energy cycles? Its surly one of the top new worlds born in this era"
Greed filled their gazes.
Such a world was a prize beyond compare — subjugating it could save them millennia of cultivation.
Its essence would refine their Dao, strengthen their inner cosmos, perhaps even push them to a higher realm entirely.
Whispers turned to covetous resolve.
> "If I can claim this world, my next breakthrough will come naturally."
"No wonder we were all drawn here. It's one of the finest worlds born this era."
The greedy silence thickened until one voice broke it.
> "There are intelligent beings both on land and within the oceans,"
The being of molten gold declared confidently.
"Though… nearly eighty percent reside on land. Let's divide into two groups — one shall contest the ocean, the other the land.
The victors of each shall fight for the final claim.
I, naturally, will take the land."
For a moment, the other seventeen just stared at him.
Not one moved.
Not one answered.
Then, a ripple of faint laughter — quiet, derisive, amused.
They all knew the truth.
More than seventy percent of the world's intelligent beings were two-legged land dwellers — not that they knew their name yet, but the race humans.
Choosing the oceans would be suicidal; it would mean fighting uphill against numbers.
And worse — to reach fifty percent of the world's intelligent population, they'd have to wipe out those land dwellers completely.
Who would waste effort subjugating scattered tribes of undersea creatures when dominance was decided by numbers?
The golden one realized too late that he'd spoken foolishly.
But pride sealed his mouth.
The others turned their attention back to the luminous world below, each harboring their own ambitions.
They began weaving their Daos — threads of thought, law, and power that would soon descend.
------
Within the world, Arin remained still — unaware of the cosmic predators beyond his skies.
He felt no distortion, no foreign energy, no touch of will.
The eighteen beings' observation passed through layers of natural law and void energy — unseen, undetected.
He continued watching the rise of his creations with quiet pride, blissfully ignorant that the Great Subjugation had already marked his world.
And far beyond his perception, eighteen higher beings watched back — patient, hungry, and ready.
The contest for his creation's soul was about to begin.