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After settling into her new place, Lilith ventured out alone, leaving Cornelia behind to play with her doll, Lacey.

Lilith began to aimlessly wander around the unfamiliar surroundings. She believed that in order to succeed, she needed to at least gather information on her potential opponents so that she could gain the upper hand… ahem, so that she could better showcase her skills.

Meanwhile, Skarst had disappeared after leaving her a vague message about meeting an acquaintance.

“Why do a princess like myself have to handle everything on my own?” Lilith grumbled.

She looked at the towering spiral staircase above her, squinting her eyes until they almost resembled straight lines.

“This building is too big. How many participants are there in this tournament?” she whined.

Lilith could not help but wonder about the true intention of the Holy Dragon Empire for hosting such a grand event, which attracted tens of thousands of people registering on the very first day itself.

Not only that, this was not a normal crowd, but one made up of skilled martial warriors and mages who possessed confidence in their own abilities!

The resources and effort put into organizing such an event were immense. In other places, chaos would have ensued. Even if it were ten thousand pigs gathered together, they would fight each other over a few troughs, let alone a crowd where everyone was an enemy aside from your four allies!

The occasional presence of an aura from the Saint Realm suggested that the empire had complete control over this place. At least, not a single person here would dare to cause trouble under the watchful eyes of Saint-level experts.

Well… no one except Liltih. Then again, could she even be counted as a person?

Lilith flashed her signature smile as she petted the little mongrel dog in her arms, already formulating her next plan in her mind.

With so many people in this huge building, it was definitely unrealistic for Lilith to gather information by knocking on every door and pretending to be a staff member.

Lilith’s gaze shifted toward the upper floors. She had heard that there was a cafeteria and entertainment areas catering for the participants. Most people would naturally go there to gather information and that would make things easier for her. In order to stir up trouble, she needed a reason. After all, causing a scene without a valid reason would only make her look like a typical troublemaker.

In any case, Lilith figured she would just go and take a look first.

She took a step forward. Instead of soaring through the air, she only managed to fly a few meters before gravity pulled her back down to the ground.

Confused, Lilith raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on…?”

“Burn,” she commanded solemnly while staring at the stair railing in front of her

There was no response, no movement whatsoever.

“Freeze,” she commanded, but still, nothing happened. It was as if all the magical power in her body had been completely frozen.

Her magical power remained dormant, causing her to appear as if she were attempting to cast a nonexistent spell like a girl suffering from Eighth Grade Syndrome.

Lilith’s arched her eyebrow even higher. It seemed like magic was forbidden in this place.

The Holy Dragon Empire was certainly wealthy enough to spare so much money in order to set up such an elaborate anti-magic array in a place like this.

On second thought, it made sense. Despite the presence of a few saint-level swineherds within this building, there was no guarantee that they could maintain full control over all the pigs here at all times. The wild boar, who had not experienced eating out from a domestic pig’s luxurious feeding trough, might suddenly impale the domestic pig with its sharp tusks.

The participants were all proud individuals. If they died on the arena stage, they could only blame their own lack of strength. However, if they were killed before even getting a chance to compete, the reputation of the Holy Dragon Empire would be tarnished.

Since this was the case, Lilith would have to change her approach to causing trouble…

How?

“I have just the perfect assistant…! The destined fifth member I picked up from the corner of that fateful street… Dog!”

Lilith looked down at the dog in her arms with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Although you’re not human, you carry our hopes at this moment. As our companion, you shall be our stone to test the waters, I mean our vanguard,” Lilith said, affectionately petting its dark gray fur. Looking at it like it was a family member she had lost for many years.

What a pitiful dog you are. You’re so thin and have probably lived a miserable life before I found you. You must have been bullied by bigger and stronger dogs, given your bald tail.

There’s nothing I, Princess Lilith, despise more than those who bully the weak!

I must draw my sword and intervene whenever I come across such situations!

The little dog in her arms trembled, sensing the overwhelming aura from Lilith. Despite its low intelligence, it instinctively recognized the threat to its life.

At this moment, it could clearly sense…

Oh no, it’s a pill!

However, it was too late to resist. Lilith’s finger reached into the dog’s mouth, and the dog could taste a strange fishy-sweet flavor.

Blood…! It’s pure dragon blood!

Lilith had fed a drop of her blood to the little mongrel dog!

In an instant, a small sun swelled up inside the dog’s body before ultimately exploding. A surge of intense heat coursed through its body, evaporating the blood in its veins. Steam began rising from the dog. As the dog began panting heavily like a giant beast, huge amounts of moisture and air returned to its body again.

The little mongrel dog trembled in Lilith’s arms, growling menacingly. The dragon blood brought about a great transformation to it in an instant. There was a glimmer of gold in its eyes, and it now possessed a terrifying strength that set it apart from any ordinary creature. However, Lilith’s gentle strokes on its head prevented this newfound power from erupting.

“Go, Pikachu! Find your freedom!” Lilith exclaimed as she released the little mongrel dog, then smiled and waved at it.

Freed from the terrifying suppression of the dragon blood, the little mongrel dog’s body suddenly swelled up. Its skin cracked, and its muscles bulged. Bloodstained scales tore through its skin, shimmering coldly and creating a chilling metallic sound as they moved.

Its canine teeth grew rapidly like spring shoots after a refreshing rain, protruding from the mouth. Its claws grew longer, their color transforming from a pristine white to black, as if they were dipped in ink. The little mongrel dog lifted its head and howled at the sky like a starving wolf. Grotesque-looking exoskeleton then began emerging on its body!

The little mongrel dog, already the size of a calf, jumped onto the handrail of the spiral staircase. In an instant, its form morphed into a sleek black shadow, swiftly shooting upward!

The dragon blood had caused a remarkable change, but it had also depleted all the nourishment within its body. Every cell in its being was in distress, consumed by an insatiable hunger.

Guided by its heightened sense of smell, it quickly made its way toward a bountiful feast of flesh and blood!

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

In a closed chamber, an emaciated old man sat on a cushion like a meditating monk.

“What is it?” he asked.

The door to the secret chamber opened. A young figure entered the chamber and greeted the old man respectfully, “Seventh Granduncle, I would like to have the list of participants for the Martial God Tournament of the Great Celestial Rite.”

“Today is only the first day of registration, isn’t it a bit too early to ask for that?”

“I am referring to the list of… the secret guards.”

The old man’s eyes snapped open. He fixed his gaze on the young man in the doorway, his eyes brimming with intensity.

“The competition hasn’t even begun, and you’re already thinking about cheating your way through it?”

“I wouldn’t call it cheating.” The young man hung his head even lower. “I’m just trying to gather intel normally.”

“You call this gathering intel normally?” The old man snorted coldly. “The secret guards under my command are pretty much done gathering information on the participants. What do you hope to achieve by requesting that information? You’re preparing for the second round so soon?”

The young man remained silent.

The old man’s gaze bore into him teasingly. “Are you confident in passing the first round?”

“Yes,” the young man replied.

“Yes?” The old man’s mocking gaze intensified, turning almost disdainful. “Out of the thirty thousand elites, only twenty-four teams will advance. Do you understand the caliber of the individuals hidden within those thirty thousand people? The heir of the Old Immortal, the top students from St. Caroline Academy, veterans who have spent decades in rank nine… Can you handle any of them? I have yet to gauge your abilities.”

“With the participant list, I will know who is the heir of the Old Immortal, the top students from St. Caroline Academy, and veterans who have spent decades in rank nine.”

The old man’s gaze hardened as realization dawned upon him. “You’ve made a deal with your third uncle?”

“Yes,” the young man replied calmly. “He will help me gain some advantage in the lottery.”

“YOU!”

The old man’s eyes widened in anger, but he could not find any outlet to vent his frustration. He could only point at the young man, unable to speak because he was too upset.

“Seventh Granduncle,” the young man raised his head and held the old man’s gaze. “For the sake of my mother, please help me this time.”

The old man’s breath hitched at the mention of the young man’s mother. Surprisingly, his anger began to subside too.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached into his chest pocket and tossed a token to the young man.

“If you continue like this, you’ll never surpass your older sister! You’ll forever be crushed under a woman!” His voice was filled with resentment

“I don’t need to surpass her. I only need to surpass the others,” the young man replied, taking the token and turning to leave.

The old man remained seated, no longer meditating. Instead, he used his divine sense to monitor the entire building. He stared into the distance, occasionally furrowing his brow as painful memories flickered through his mind.

“Oh, you have a daughter too? How delightful! I’ve been wandering around for so long, and I finally found someone whom I relate to.” A tall figure entered the secret room and sat down in front of the old man, making himself comfortable as if he had returned to his own home.

The old man’s pupils contracted slightly, his magical power surging as he silently expanded his domain…

“Hey, tell me, is your daughter adorable?”

The tall figure slapped the old man’s shoulder, causing his magical power and domain to crumble in an instant, much to his dismay.

The old man was startled. As a middle-rank saint-level expert, he could not fathom how this man managed to approach him undetected and effortlessly shatter his magical power and domain.

“If I may ask… who are you?”

“Don’t be so alarmed. I am not here to fight. Why can’t we just have a nice chat without resorting to violence?” The tall figure smirked at the old man.

“Tell me, is your daughter pretty?” he asked lecherously.

“I…” the old man stammered.

As the tall figure drew nearer, he finally caught a clear glimpse of his face.

The Demon King. It turned out to be… the Demon King…

It made perfect sense, only a handful of individuals in the entire continent could infiltrate Jeorgetown City under the watchful eyes of the Aurora Dragon.