The Transcendent Tao is an advanced form of the Complex Tao. It is not formed by merging more than one Tao. It is a more comprehensive path. Mastering it is far from possible. It is like a dream. Walking this path is great suffering. Tao such as the Tao of Solid and the Tao of Liquid originate here. These are the main sources of the universe.
However, advancing in such a Tao was beyond their current capabilities. How could this man have done such a mad thing?
While everyone was looking at the nobleman, Mais had a different question in mind.
"Caesar the 17th."
One of the sages blurted out these words in surprise.
Mais and Kasuur did not recognize this person, but unlike them, everyone knew who this person was. How could they not recognize him?
"Sir, why did you come here?"
Baro asked politely. He knew offending this person could lead to a fate worse than death.
Yet, he did not bow his head too much, maintaining a calm, respectful demeanor as he spoke.
He was still the lord of the Yellow City.
Caesar picked his nose nonchalantly and tossed the booger aside. His snot was watched by countless advanced experts. While he was there, they didn't dare move, but after he left, many chased after the booger. The imbalance in the entity's energy in the countless Origin Energy realms, the whispers among the core experts, and Baro's respectful demeanor revealed something about this nobleman's identity. This caused Mais to be certain. He was an Origin Heart expert.
Caesar took a few steps forward and looked around, observing Baro closely. A smile appeared on his face.
"You are lucky."
No one understood what that meant. At least not at that moment. Even Baro was puzzled, but he soon understood everything. Caesar stepped forward with an edict in his hand.
"By edict, Emperor Lameon of the Earth Empire carries the decision of the Star Trek Council to the four corners of Ferua III. Due to chaotic internal affairs in the World Empire, the rules of the Star Path Tournament have changed. An incident occurred in the capital during the finals, causing the arena to collapse. Consequently, the winner of the last tournament could not be determined."
Mais' heart skipped a beat at these words. The winner had not been decided. That meant his brother had not died there. There was no chance that his older brother would leave him alive, but these words still planted a seed of hope in Mais' heart. Maybe he had just been castrated. He had never heard about his brother's death. In fact, everything he had heard was that he was alive.
The crowd trembled at these words. Had the victor not been identified? They had never heard of such a thing. They hadn't even expected it to happen.
Because of this situation, the tournament rules have changed. The date of the next tournament hasn't changed, but the age limit has. An exception has been made this time, and the Star Path Tournament will accept participants under the age of 50. So, from now on..."
At that moment, it became clear why Caesar had been smiling at Baro. He turned his head away from the children beside him. They were talented, but not destined to rise in this era. Smiling once more at Baro, Caesar continued.
"... Anyone 36 years old or younger can participate in the tournament."
Silence...
Mais, Kasuur, and even Maria were silent. Even Ulam was silent. He had never thought he would have a chance to participate in the Star Path Tournament. But even if he didn't win, he could reap countless benefits just by competing. Now, however, the whole competition was on a different level.
Ulam glanced at Baro out of the corner of his eye. Tenth stage Sage Realm. He had no such hopes, but he wanted to try his best. However, this final result... What kind of nonsense was this?
"In this situation, the young talents don't stand a chance against the old ones. How can young talents win a tournament like this?"
Isn't the tournament cut at the final? Why don't they just repeat the final?"
"It must be because of the tensions within the World Empire. Have you forgotten? One of the finalists was Second Prince Leon. The other sided with the rebellious prince."
The people spoke. Caesar waited. As the murmur subsided, Maria looked at her father. She looked into his eyes. Baro said nothing to anyone, but Maria knew exactly how her father felt. Once again, he had hope.
"The next tournament will be for those under 40, and the one after that will be for those under 30. That way, there will be justice."
"Since I can't participate in the under-40 tournament, consider that I've handed my spot to the city lord," Ulam said. He wanted to leave angrily, but his father grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back. Leaning down, he whispered in Ulam's ear.
"There are still things you need to learn here."
Baro was participating in the tournament. Just thinking about it made Kasuur tremble. When would he become a sage? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't be sure. What if Baro reached the Origin Heart Realm tomorrow? It was entirely possible.
There was something even scarier. This messenger also looked younger than 36!
"In three years, the State Masters will begin the student elections. When that time comes, you better be ready. Your city lord will also have the power to participate."
Once again, Mais and Kasuur did not understand, but everyone else knew what the State Elections were. It was an inevitable opportunity!
"What are State Elections?"
Kasuur whispered to Maria, wondering what these elections were that everyone was talking about. Of course, some of the experts had heard of them.
Maria gently turned to Kasuur and began to explain in a way that he would understand.
"Look, the little monkeys are playing among themselves. The stronger monkeys are chosen and sent to join the preselected big monkeys—"
"Why do I have to be so humiliated?"
Even for Kasuur, these insults were a bit harsh. He wasn't that stupid. He was just a little overweight. That didn't mean he was stupid.
"I think it's a way for the state masters to present geniuses to royalty and develop them. Geniuses from the cities go to the states and gain status, titles, and power. Isn't that probably an important requirement to participate in the Star Path Tournament?" Mais said. Maria looked at him admiringly. Many others looked at him the same way.
But Mais hadn't gotten this information by deduction. He knew the kingdom system well and was able to say these things because of that knowledge.
17. Caesar also looked at him carefully. He wasn't sure if Mais was making this deduction out of intelligence or prior knowledge.
He must have been overthinking it. These children couldn't possibly be peasants, could they?
"Any questions?"
A messenger wouldn't need to say such words, but apparently, Caesar was too relaxed.
Still, no one asked any questions. Caesar was a mighty figure. Who would dare oppose him directly? Who could stand in the way of this madman?
Only a blind man could ask this madman a question right now.
Guess who was the only blind person in the entire party hall?
The man who grabbed Caesar by the wrist and stopped him!
Mais stopped him and fixed his empty eyes directly on this nobleman's face. He had already realized that he did not come from an ordinary background. He was, of course, an Origin Heart Specialist, but there was more to him than that. Many people couldn't stop their heartbeats from racing when they saw him. He knew it wasn't because he was handsome. If it were because he was handsome, their heartbeats would have quickened the moment he appeared. Caesar was handsome and charming enough to make a few hearts skip a beat, but could all these people really fall in love with him just by hearing his name?
Moreover, this man had deep pockets. Ordinary Origin Heart experts weren't so wealthy.
There was no way every member of this crowd could know every Origin Heart specialist, yet as soon as this man's name was mentioned, everyone knew he was one. Today was not the first time they had met him.
Caesar looked at the blind boy with interest. Maria was out of breath. Kasuur was just curious to see what Mais would do.
"Do you have a question, little one?"
Mais was only ten years old. Caesar the 17th was in his 30s. It was quite normal for him to call him "little one". Mais was old enough to be his child.
"The Tao you just used was a Transcendent Tao, wasn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Caesar's expression changed radically.