A nova of energy was born in between the two attacks, and the world seemed to burst into brilliant flame. Waves of heat that could have boiled a lake burst across the arena, and for the first time, cracks began to form across the shielding that surrounded their individual portion of the arena.

With a sudden tinkling noise, all of the shields broke, and reformed to coat the entirety of the arena, giving them the entire space to fight in. The sand across the whole expanse of ground was turned to gas by the heat, and the air burst into flames. Sam's flesh began to bubble, but without any organs to be threatened by the heat, all it achieved was a steady decrease of his health pool.

The Overlord was beset by the same damage, unable to resist because of the fact that all of his Dao energy was tied up in his attack. His skin began to crisp and bake, but it was too little to have any sort of meaningful effect.

Sam slammed more and more power into his attack, bottoming out his Dao pool. Then he reached for more, drawing upon his elemental energy and purified mana. The pattern for his Primal skill appeared within the head of his hammer, and with a roar, he let it loose. A beam of pure energy erupted forth, slamming the Overlord's attack backwards. Empowered by Sam's Dao Juggernaut skill, it was even more powerful than it normally would have been. Concentrated down into a single spot, rather than being let to rampage across reality, it represented an utterly egregious amount of concentrated power.

What surprised Sam more than anything else was the fact that his opponent was not instantly swept away. It seemed that the mental image in the Overlord's mind of supremacy to Sam was so potent that it allowed him to gather monumental amounts of Dao energy.

Still, the writing was already on the wall, and cracks began to spread across the fist. Sam withstood the waves of energy battering his form, smiling grimly as he channeled the raging power forth. Eventually, the Overlord faltered, both mentally and in his expression of power, and the fist of light burst apart. Just before the beam struck him, he was torn away from reality, and out of the arena.

Sam blinked, and found himself standing outside the arena as well. Above him floated a golden crown, broadcasting far and wide that he had won the tournament. The Overlord stood next to him, a glare evident on his face.

Glakassa spotted Sam a few moments later, and her face brightened. Sam's did as well, but he then realized that it would be wiser to not express any sort of emotion towards her, especially given her status in the wider Multiverse.

He simply nodded, one warrior to another, and strode forwards. The crowd parted. Slowly, people began to lose interest in him, and eventually, he lost himself in the crowd. A few minutes later, the crown dissipated, but the memory still lingered in the minds of those present. As he walked, a blaring notification appeared.

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As the first sponsorship floor, the first gifts have been sent and approved, and they will be granted to their intended recipients at the end of this floor.

Sam raised an eyebrow. Knowing his status, he was expecting a gift from a certain Adventurers' Guild. It probably wouldn't sway him, but it would certainly be useful. He closed the notification and found a place to sit down. Until the next event started, he was better served cultivating.

The Overlord joined him, still glowering. Sam couldn't help but chuckle. When would the man give it up? Pursuing the power of a single person was hardly healthy. Perhaps it would end soon, but for now, Sam could not forsee the Overlord giving up his goal of surpassing him.

He closed his eyes, safe in his own power. Beside him, he heard the Overlord sit, likely to cultivate away his annoyance at his defeat. In many of the stories that Sam had read following a more Eastern concept of cultivation, many cultivators were plagued by heart demons, metaphysical creations of their own negative emotions that prevented them from advancing. As far as he knew, such things did not exist in the Boundless Expanse, but because of Daos, a fracture in one's understanding could achieve the same thing. The Overlord was dancing on a razor's edge in the pursuit of his specific Dao. The danger was only increased by his Dao Heritage. It ensured that he had to follow his path with few deviations. There were no other alternatives. Supremacy had become a part of the man, down to his very core.

Sam contemplated this as he cultivated, knowing that he would never run into such issues. He was able to cultivate every form of Dao because of his Heritage, which meant that he could just go down another avenue of inquiry if he failed on one.

He could feel Glakassa making her way through the crowd towards him, but he kept his eyes shut. He had no wish to start some sort of conflict for no reason by making a scene. Then his perception picked something else up. Whereas before the tournament, those around him had been indifferent, or downright hostile, now there was an undercurrent of fear and respect. Nobody here would challenge him. It was similar to how he had noticed the lack of unnecessary movements among his peers here, trained out by decades of superhuman might. He was still used to being a nobody working at a diner in small town America. He was not that person anymore.

A small part of his psyche changed as the insight rippled through him, and he forced his eyes open, beholding the figure of Glakassa before him. He still had no idea what he found so intriguing about the woman, but she clearly felt the same about him. Unbidden, a smile crossed his face, and he rose to his feet.

"Glakassa. How nice to see you."

"I could say the same. My mind has been aflame with the stories that you painted within it. I would be glad if we could speak some more, at least until the next event."

Sam's smile grew wider, and he sat down, patting the ground beside him. Glakassa followed suit, and crossed her legs. For a moment, she did not look like a powerhouse scion of a Multiversal sect, but simply as a woman, eager to talk to the man that she liked.

Sam almost let out a chuckle, but he held it in, instead beginning to speak. "What exactly do you want to talk about? Perhaps you should tell me about your history instead. It only seems fair that way."

"You… have a point. Very well."

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