The thunderous echoes of the final tournament bells gradually faded into the upper atmosphere, but the suffocating silence inside the Celestial Hall remained absolute. The gold-lettered ledgers floating in the mid-air continued to flash with blinding brilliance, cementing Tony Clark's Perfect Score - 100% at the absolute pinnacle of the Seventh Heaven's rankings.
The lake of liquid granite surrounding his platform slowly hardened into dark, glossy glass, a physical scar left by the raw thermal density of his Sovereign Sun Core Flame.
Tony casually adjusted the folds of his dark hunting cloak, his fingers lightly brushing against the sleek bone of the Void Dragon's Shadow Bow beneath the fabric. His face was half-hidden beneath his hood, but his standard lazy smirk was fully visible to the thousands of wide-eyed cultivators who were still staring down at his platform in sheer, unadulterated biological terror.
