(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Imperial Palace Complex- Underground)

The magnificent architecture of the numerous luxurious palaces could be easily admired and seen by anyone passing by the entrance to the Imperial Complex.

Of course, there were few that knew of the structures secretly built below these expensive mansions.

But even deeper still at a level right above the core of the planet was an unremarkable room.

This room was only around the size of a small bedroom. There were no doors and nothing connecting it to the outside world.

It contained no furniture and those heavy stone walls, and a hard concrete floor resembled a prison cell.

Inside this simple room was an old man. He wore a plain white robe that had not a speck of dust on it.

His black hair with specks of grey was loosely tied in a ponytail that flowed down his back.

Heavy wrinkles could be seen creeping along his face but oddly enough his exposed hands and feet were those of a young man in his twenties.

He was not traditionally handsome as his features were sharp, angular and almost hawk-like.

His nose was slightly bent, and his eyes could not be seen behind the blindfold that he wore to cover them.

There was not a single trace of qi in this elderly man's dantian, and a casual observer would easily assume that he was a mortal.

They could not be more wrong.

"Milord, I have arrived with the news," a cold voice whispered reverently. A shadowy figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the stone room and knelt on the floor.

He pressed his head against the concrete and refused to raise it until he received permission from his master.

Time slowly passed as the shadowy figure remained in the same frozen position. Those minutes turned to hours and yet he did not move a single muscle.

"Rise," the elderly man finally spoke.

The shadowy figure got up from the floor and lowered his head so that he would not look directly at his master's face.

"Tell me how many candidates have fallen?" the elderly man asked in a nonchalant tone.

By his casual tone one would assume that he was merely asking about something insignificant rather than inquiring about the fates of the royal offsprings.

Proud sons and daughters of heaven. The elderly man had seen thousands of them live and die during his lifetime.

Despite their genetic and materialistic advantages, there were few that were worthy of his attention or respect.

"Quite a few have sought out foreign aid from forces beyond the control of the Federation such as symbiotes, pirates and even hostile alien organizations," the shadow figure replied.

"Several noble houses have been using their daughters and sons as tools to corrupt the hearts of royal offsprings with a decent chance of winning the selection ceremony."

"At least twenty of the top ranked candidates have absorbed modified Kry'en crystals. None have realised that their minds have been subtly altered."

"It is likely that the absorption process has interfered with their memories."

The shadowy figure paused for a moment and his hesitancy was noticed by the elderly man who waited patiently for his subordinate to gather his thoughts.

"One of those princes who absorbed a modified Kry'en crystal was the crown prince," the shadowy figure softly whispered.

There was a silence in the space.

The shadowy figure kept his eyes locked on the floor, so he was unable to the see the look on his master's face.

"I am not surprised. That boy is immensely talented, but he lacks the necessary steel to be a monarch," the elderly man spoke plainly.

"He fancied himself a wolf, but in the end he was nothing more than a mere dog that barked loudly. More bravado than actual courage and intellect."

"But still it has been quite some time since a faction has dared to lay hands on the frontrunner to be the next emperor. I'm almost impressed."

A dark chuckle filled the room as the elderly man's lips curled up to reveal a bloodthirsty smile.

The killing intent radiating from his body made the shadowy figure kneel down in fear.

There were no thoughts of rebellion in his mind especially not when he knew that his master could delete his existence with a mere thought.

The heavy pressure in the air was making it difficult to breathe.

The shadowy figure was a cultivator in the void stage who would be considered a powerhouse wherever he went in the universe and yet

He felt like an ant compared to the small trace of strength leaking out from the elderly man standing before him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the elderly man put away his killing intent and addressed the shadow figure who was now trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"Keep an eye on the rest of the candidates and inform me of any changes," the elderly man ordered.

"Yes milord!" the shadowy figure answered firmly and then vanished from the room. The underground returned to silence which allowed the elderly man to return to his meditative state.

Just like the other selection ceremonies in the past he would not interfere.

Nor did he have any plans to warn the royal offsprings about the dangerous organizations currently aiming at them.

He was the Ascension stage cultivator responsible for maintaining the position of the royal family and he only needed to ensure that the tournament was fair and just.

As for what happened before the tournament that was not his concern.

Truthfully from the moment the emperor or empress died the war to choose the next leader would unofficially begin.

Espionage, assassination, corruption, betrayal. This war would be the first test to weed out those unworthy to even enter the tournament.

Ascension Stage cultivators were powerful but needed to remain hidden as trump cards against other intergalactic nations.

As long as an event or individual did not harm or threaten the core of the Federation then they would easily turn a blind eye.

Even the late Emperor Sisrelis with all his incompetence was not enough to force them to make a move.

The late Emperor Sisrelis

The elderly man let out a light sigh of disappointment. When he was prince, there were high expectations that he would be a great leader.

Who could have thought that he would waste away drinking and whoring just like the worst of his ancestors?

When you have lived for thousands of years like the elderly man did, you come to realise that history may not repeat but it rhymes.

Similar trends and patterns form. Empires and nations rise and fall.

Great families of unimaginable wealth and power could lose it all in a single generation.

The responsibility of the Ascension Stage cultivators to ensure that these trends did not hurt the core of the Federation was a heavy burden.