The Supreme Eternal Prime God : 1000x System From Beginning

Chapter 33 – The Last Illusion of Resistance

The morning sun stretched across Azure Dragon Academy, painting the vast coliseum in deep golden hues, casting long shadows across the towering stone formations and ancient battle platforms that had stood for centuries, watching over countless generations of disciples, witnessing the rise and fall of those who had once believed themselves destined for greatness—

And yet, as the academy prepared for the final battles of the Outer Court Selection Tournament, as thousands of disciples gathered once more, as the remaining contenders prepared to step onto the battlefield, as whispers of names, of legends, of once-unshaken beliefs now broken and shattered spread through the stone corridors like an unseen wildfire—

There was only one name that mattered.

One name that had erased all others.

One name that had turned this tournament from a proving ground into a mere formality.

Xiao Lin.

And now, as he prepared to step onto the battlefield once more, as the academy held its breath, as the last remnants of those who still clung to the illusion of resistance readied themselves for what they knew in their hearts was already inevitable—

The question was no longer who would win.

It was simply who would still stand when it was over.

Seated within the private council chambers of the Outer Court Pavilion, hidden behind layers of protective formations, where only the most powerful disciples and select instructors were permitted to tread, Zhan Kanzi sat in silence, his dark eyes flickering with something unreadable, his fingers resting lightly against the polished stone table before him, his presence unnervingly calm despite the weight of everything that had unfolded in the days before.

His subordinates stood around him, their expressions tense, their voices uncertain, their postures betraying something that none of them had ever dared to acknowledge before—

Fear.

"We can’t let him win," one of them muttered, his voice sharp, urgent. "If he reaches the finals, it’s over. You saw what happened to Huang Xue. You saw what happened to everyone before him. This isn’t just strength anymore. This is—"

A pause.

A slow breath.

A realization that was difficult to speak aloud.

"This is something else entirely."

Zhan Kanzi did not respond immediately.

He simply sat there, listening.

Waiting.

Letting the weight of their words settle into the air around them.

Then, finally, he exhaled softly, his lips curling into something that was not quite a smirk, not quite a frown, something that existed somewhere between amusement and inevitability.

"Then we won’t let him reach the finals."

A pause.

The others turned to him, confused.

Zhan Kanzi’s eyes gleamed.

"Xiao Lin will not lose on the battlefield," he murmured. "So we will ensure that he never steps onto it in the first place."

And just like that—the final trap was set.

Within the heart of the Inner Court, where only the most powerful resided, where the weight of Azure Dragon Academy’s true authority pressed down like an invisible force upon those who dared to stand among the elite, a gathering of Elders sat in absolute silence, their gazes unreadable, their expressions carefully composed, their thoughts concealed behind centuries of experience and wisdom—

Yet despite their outward calm, despite their carefully measured presence, despite the authority that had once felt absolute within these sacred halls—

Even they could feel it.

The shift.

The quiet, undeniable realization that the world was no longer the same.

Because Xiao Lin existed.

"Do we act now?" one of them finally spoke, his voice quiet, controlled, yet laced with something almost reluctant.

Another Elder exhaled. "If we act too soon, we risk pushing him beyond our grasp."

"And if we act too late?"

A pause.

Then—

"Then we may no longer have the power to act at all."

A long silence followed.

Then, finally—a decision.

"For now, we watch."

A pause.

"But if he steps beyond the Outer Court…"

The words were left unfinished.

But they did not need to be spoken.

Because they all already knew.@@novelbin@@

Far from the academy’s internal struggles, beyond the walls that separated Azure Dragon Academy from the outside world, within the shadowed forests that lined the distant mountain ranges, a lone figure moved.

Their presence was silent.

Unseen.

Yet impossibly heavy.

They did not belong to the academy.

Did not belong to this place.

Did not belong to the world that Xiao Lin was preparing to break through.

And yet—they had come for him.

A whisper passed through the wind.

A name.

A presence.

A force.

Then, softly—

"Let us see if he is ready."

And just like that—

Xiao Lin’s battle had expanded beyond the walls of Azure Dragon Academy.

As the Grand Tournament Arena roared to life, as the final matches were officially announced, as the last names of the tournament were etched into the ancient stone, as the crowd held its breath, waiting, expecting, dreading what was to come—

Xiao Lin stepped forward.

Not because he needed to fight.

Not because he wanted to prove himself.

But because the world needed to be reminded.

That this was not a battle.

This was not a test.

This was not a tournament.

This was his ascension.

And nothing could stop it.

From the private viewing pavilions, where the strongest disciples watched in silence, Zhan Kanzi’s smirk widened.

Because it was time.

The plan had already been set.

The trap had already been placed.

And before this match ended—

Xiao Lin would never reach the finals.