The sun shined on Jake's body and instantly he knew that it was morning. It was Sunday, the day of the Ranked Stages, the final stage of the competition.
Jake rose up from his position and feel the burn of the sun on his body.
It was not that intense due to the blue clouds that absorbed the rays of sunlight.
Jake stripped himself and went to the bathroom. The competition was situated in the afternoon, so he had enough time to prepare.
In his bathtub, he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut his hair short. Despite cutting his hair short months ago, the silky-beautiful hair had grown longer to his shoulder length.
It was sure to hinder him in battle, so he mercilessly cut it short.
In the same spirit, Jake took care of some of his other features, beautifying them.
Jake took about two hours before he came out of his bathroom.
Jake had to make sure his injuries did not show on his face and would not hinder him in his fight.
He removed his bandages and to his surprise, it had healed. On second thought, he realized that it was normal as he was a cultivator.
Walking out of the door, Jake faced his drawer, 'What should I wear?'
The Ranked stage was bound to be more difficult. Plus, there was a chance that armors would be allowed.
Jake doesn't like wearing armor. He felt they were restrictive. Still, he knew full well the advantages of armors, be it a full-armor or half-armor.
However, Jake wasn't a fan of such an outfit. He thrived well under light combat outfits, just like an assassin.
Yet, Jake had to understand his opponent wouldn't be easy on him, so he had to at least wear a protective piece.
So, right now, he was deciding between wearing a leather outfit or a normal material outfit.
Ultimately, he decided on the leather combat armor.
He donned it on and checked the outfit.
He had bought it when he was in Pinesun City along with some other ones. It might not be as good as the armors he would see in the competition but it was better than nothing.
Jake dumped the remaining spare outfits in his spatial ring as he couldn't predict whether he would need it or not.
He brought out his sword and fixed it to his belt in a graceful manner.
Now, he looked ready to fight. It was different from the battle in the tunnel where he had to fight for his life just to get an advantage.
Jake sat on his bed as he tried to look at the sun.
Of course, his eyes could not maintain constant lockdown with the sun but it was okay.
In the books he read, there were rumored cultivators who were gods among men. They could fly, destroy planets, and accomplish many other feats.
It was said that throughout the countless years, only a few cultivators had achieved that status.
However, there weren't spared from the Nether Wars. They were met with equal opponents from the Netheran side.
That was how strong the Netherans were. Jake reckoned that the zombies in Aztec were not even a bit strong. That was how they were able to contain it.
The other types of zombies were the real zombies who could rival cultivators. The Demonbeasts also possessed creatures who could rival the peak of cultivators. Various other races also had their participants in the race.
Talking about races, Jake had checked the library for the records of various races, but it was to no avail.
The library held no account of any race other than humans.
Jake was disappointed that he could not find out the origin of the mysterious creature. As he advanced more and more, Jake had to admit that he might have underestimated the power of the creature.
Up till this point, he has not seen any other person more powerful than the creature. This could be seen from the way the creature commanded him through a mysterious force.
Jake, himself, had to admit that his victory was a fluke, but that's how life is, a combination of flukes.
Many people get lucky often, and while Jake was loved by bad luck, he had his moments.
The difference between him and other people was he always took advantage of his fleeting luck.
He wondered if he would be able to win the event, but wasn't bothered that much.
He was never hoping to win it. He just wanted to receive the rewards which were still hidden from the public.
He wondered what they were or if they would be of benefit to him.
Jake's head was filled with random thoughts as he blankly stared at the sky.
...
Afternoon.
"How do you feel," a teen asked another teen.
"Like the whole world is sitting on my throat," replied the other teen.
He walked into the stadium as he faced his friend, Andrew.
"Are you that nervous," Andrew asked Nico.
"I'm not. I'm just a little bit tense. This isn't a guaranteed event, after all," smiled Gavin.
Behind him were his sister and Jaya, and behind them were the rest of the Pinesun group.
Jake was at the back of the group. He kept glancing at the stadium as he walked closer to it.
"What is it?" Gavin moved back to ask Jake.
Jake glanced at him, briefly saying, "Nothing!"
He felt nothing when he looked at the stage. Maybe, that was because he wasn't nervous or scared of losing.
Unlike the others, his stake wasn't high at all. He had nothing to lose!
However, that didn't mean that he would treat the competition as a game. Jake would make sure to put in the effort, but when his life was threatened, he would forfeit.
A smart man lives longer than a hot-blooded man.
It was better to be wise than to be foolish.
Jake was an example of a cautious person, though, he doesn't exactly follow the archetype.
Amid his thoughts, Jake realized that he had ever reached the stage where the other participants were.
Looking up, he noticed that the seats were full and buzzing with life. All eyes were on them.
He shifted his sight from the audience to the participants.
'Hmm….' hummed Jake as he noticed a few things.
Some of them were like him and had progressed tremendously. Some of the wore armors that Jake described as a bit overkill.
However, none of them shook in their shoes. The previous stages had weeded out all the useless ones. And now, only the pros were left standing!
Jake heard the King's voice, signifying the start of the competition, "Attention! Attention!"
His powerful voice managed to crush down any ounce of chatter among the crowd.
"Do I have your attention?!" asked the Kind domineeringly
He received no reply, or rather the reply was the silence!
"Good. Good. Good. Since the competition has started, I would call on the referee for the event, Lucian!"
Just one name and the crowd was thrown into chaos.
Jake knew why. The name, Lucian, was very important among the nobles and the commoners.
It was mentioned in a book that he read that Lucian was one of the most, if not the most, influential commoners and for a good cause.
Lucian was known as one of the strongest cultivators in Aztec and the teacher of the Royal Duke and the King.
He was also the head of the King's direct subordinate!
Lucian was the dream of every commoner. Even the previous winner, Flan Bell, commented that he was inspired by Lucian!
The name, Lucian, was a legendary name in Aztec!
Immediately after the king's announcement, a well-aged man in a brown-golden robe walked to the stage.
His bearing was like the king, just falling behind by a bit.
The moment he coughed, the crowd kept quiet again.
Lucian held his [Voice Amplifier] as he went on, "First, I want all the participants to leave the stage. There is a section for you there…."
Lucian pointed at a set of seats capable of housing the participants. The set was close to the stage, enabling them to react fast when being called.
"Second, I want to inform the participants that there is a medical bay at the section over there. You can go there after your match for a check-up and speed healing," informed Lucian as he pointed to another section of the stadium.
"Now, let's begin. The final stage, which is called the Ranked Stages, is different from the previous ones. It is divided into three halves which are all comprised of the standard duels."
Lucian paused, allowing his words to sink in before he continued, "The first half will have each of you facing against your opponent. The winner of a duel would qualify for the second half, which would be the same as the previous one, eliminating five participants and allowing five participants to proceed."
Taking another pause, he continued, "The participants for the final half would automatically be declared winners of the competition. However, they would still fight against one another to ascertain the ranks between them."
"The final half duels would be recorded using the points system. A win is three(3) points. A draw is one(1) point and a loss is zero(0) point."
He went on, "Also...."