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Among them, the most dazzling was a silver-white light.

The moment the trainee Saints and pre-Saint fighters saw that silver glow, their eyes went wide with excitement.

While they buzzed with anticipation—

A Silver Saint stepped out from behind Shion.

He began announcing the rules for the Sanctuary Tournament.

The rules were simple.

There were twelve Cloths up for grabs.

From the more than one thousand gathered participants, thirty-six would be selected to attempt bonding with the Cloths. Those who gained recognition from a Cloth would become new Saints.

As for choosing the thirty-six—

It would be through combat trials.

All 1,000+ participants, trainee Saints and pre-Saints alike, would take part in it.

There would be thirty-six platforms, where trials would be held to choose the thirty-six finalists.

As the Silver Saint finished speaking—

Platforms began rising from the plaza one after another.

There were exactly thirty-six of them.

The thousand participants would be distributed among these thirty-six platforms. The goal was to stay on the platform and win 100 consecutive matches to earn a qualification spot.

If someone lost, they could challenge another platform, and they have up to three chances total. Losing three times would mean automatic disqualification.

As the rules were laid out—

Streaks of light descended onto everyone.

Jiang Chen glanced around, only to find himself already standing on one of the platforms.

"Chen, I think I'm on Platform One!"

"This is bad!"

Next to him, Aiolia muttered anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen turned to Aiolia with a puzzled look.

But he quickly understood why—

Because the person already standing on Platform One… was none other than Kanon.

Glancing at Kanon and then back at Aiolia, Jiang Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Then he shook his head.

Aiolia may be a future Gold Saint and not a weakling among Saints...

But it all depended on who he was being compared to.

Compared to Kanon, Jiang Chen could instantly see the gap. Kanon's aura was even stronger than the pre-Saint fighter Jiang Chen had just knocked out a moment ago.

Meanwhile, Aiolia was only barely at the threshold of understanding Cosmo. He hadn't even fully awakened it yet. The difference was massive.

"Don't resist."

With a thought, Jiang Chen released a wave of aura that flowed directly into Aiolia's body.

"Huh? What is this?"

Aiolia was startled at first, but he soon felt a powerful energy pouring into him. His eyes widened in shock.

"Just focus on fighting! You should be close to comprehending your Cosmo soon!" Jiang Chen spoke in a low voice.

He wasn't helping Aiolia purely out of kindness; by infusing him with Ki, he also wanted to see if he could further comprehend Cosmo through Aiolia's combat.

"Oh, oh, oh! What a powerful feeling!" Aiolia's earlier panic was now replaced with excitement.

At this moment, he could clearly feel himself growing much stronger.

Jiang Chen smiled.

Then his figure strode toward the nearby arena.

At the same time, other figures also began to move. The tournament had officially begun.

…

On the high platform, watching the returning figure who had just made the announcements, Pope Shion's warm voice sounded.

"Alex, how many new Saints do you think will be born this year?"

As he spoke, Shion sounded as if he were merely asking casually, but the eyes beneath his mask seemed to see through everything.

"Your Holiness, I believe the results will be quite good this time. A few of the youngsters have already comprehended Cosmo, and one of them has even touched upon the Sixth Sense."

Alex respectfully answered with a deep bow.

Even though Shion was his older brother, and Shion's body had grown increasingly frail over the years, with Alex gradually becoming the actual authority in Sanctuary, he still didn't dare to show the slightest disrespect.

In this place, there was only one identity for the man before him, the Pope.

"Someone's touched upon the Sixth Sense? Is it that kid named Sage?" Shion's eyes lit up with interest.

"No, Your Holiness. It's the one named Shaka, who was brought back last year." Alex shook his head, answering respectfully.

"Shaka, huh?"

"I heard he's the reincarnation of the Buddha! Looks like in this upcoming Holy War, Sanctuary might have a real chance."

Hearing Alex's response, Shion was momentarily stunned, then broke into a smile once more.

"Yes, Your Holiness. And Sage, Aiolos, those two are incredibly talented as well. They won't be far behind. Our chances this time are definitely stronger." Alex nodded, also sounding a bit emotional.

"That's truly something to look forward to. Oh, by the way, I've already made arrangements with my old friend at Mount Lu. There will be five slots available this year. Let's pick them from this tournament. I don't have much time left. We need to speed things up." Shion's gentle voice carried a trace of urgency as he spoke again.

"Your Holiness!" Alex's heart tensed, and he subconsciously opened his mouth to protest.

"There's no need to worry. I should still be able to hold on for another ten years or so. As for what comes after… I'll be counting on you, Alex." Shion chuckled and shook his head, his tone carrying a sense of ease and acceptance.

After over two hundred years, he had long since come to terms with life and death.

The end of his life didn't frighten him, it was the eruption of the next Holy War that weighed on his mind.

But now, seeing Sanctuary flourishing, much of that worry had faded.

Alex remained silent.

Around them, the Silver Saints didn't dare come close. They quietly stepped back.

And as the two spoke…

The tournament had already begun.

On the first arena—

Galon was the first to step forward.

With his incredibly arrogant personality, it didn't take long before he attracted hostility.

Three trainee Saints rushed up to challenge him.

But clearly, despite his obnoxious attitude, Galon was the real deal. With just a few exchanges, all three trainee Saints were sent flying, without even a hint of resistance.

"So weak!"

"With that level of strength, how can you justify staying in Sanctuary?"

"Hahahaha!"

"Is Athena really relying on trash like you for protection?"

Galon's mocking voice echoed across the arena, making the three fallen trainees turn pale with rage.

"Bastard!"

Someone couldn't help but curse under their breath, but there was nothing they could do.

They were simply no match for Galon.

Charging up again would only be asking for humiliation.

Worse, they'd just be wasting their three precious chances.

Their retreat only made Galon more pleased with himself.

He began mocking them even more unrestrainedly.

Watching this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Galon's personality, whether in the original work or now, was definitely not likable.

If it weren't for his overwhelming strength, he'd probably have been beaten to death hundreds of times by now.

(End of Chapter)