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.

opening ceremonies. The battles started

and glanced down

21, please proceed to the stage for your

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 mind, a format that

How do I get to

guide anyone. With

to move it. That will reveal the path to

that sounded interesting. Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the massive stone. "Let me make this clear. The boulder has been tested,

Felix earlier, was a Martial Saint and had not yet reached

an inch. Frustrated,

Contestant 13, had just recently reached Innate Realm and easily moved

advances, and

five and

who had earned the privilege to

dueling platforms stood prominently, allowing