The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

"I'm sorry! I didn't know who I was dealing with. Please forgive me," the man begged.

Though his mind was swirling with a thousand questions, the burly man apologized immediately. What choice did he have? If it came down to a match on the arena stage, was he really willing to risk getting beaten to death?

"Thank you, all three of you," Felix said, nodding in gratitude.

Of course, he recognized them. They were the people he had saved during the banquet incident. "Dr. Zeller, you're being too polite."

"This is the least we could do."

"Without you, I wouldn't even be standing here today. Please, don't thank us."

The three of them knew they had no hope of winning the competition. They were simply here for the experience. Even if they walked away empty-handed, building a good relationship with someone like Felix was well worth the trip.

The contestants in the Stage One rest area were visibly stunned. Most of them were strangers to one another, and there had been virtually no interaction up to this point.

Suddenly, seeing Felix, a seemingly ordinary competitor, being openly defended by three powerful experts naturally drew more than a few curious glances.

time passed, the martial arts competition officially began. There were no speeches or grand opening ceremonies. The battles started immediately, with a level of simplicity that was almost

rest area and glanced down at the iPad

please proceed to the stage for your

matchups were determined randomly by a computer and generated instantly. There was no need for contestants to waste time drawing lots or picking numbers. Everything was designed with speed and efficiency in

me. How do I get to the

back and made no effort to guide anyone.

That will reveal the path to the arena. If you can't even manage that, consider

"Let me make this clear. The boulder has been tested, and it cannot

earlier, was a Martial Saint and had not yet reached innate Realm. Hearing this, he was unwilling to accept it

the boulder didn't budge an inch. Frustrated, he had no choice but

recently reached Innate Realm and easily

and

and 19, prepare

the audience members who had earned the privilege to watch were

massive dueling platforms stood prominently, allowing spectators to focus on