Chapter 590 - The Cosmic Dawn Sect (03)
Chapter 590 - The Cosmic Dawn Sect (03)
[NT: Yes, back to nine stages per realm. I changed it to three because, in my mind, that would improve the story, but in the end, it resulted in a much more inconsistent power system and forced me to rush the narrative much more than I wanted to.
Sorry for any confusion this may cause.]
Shortly after leaving the entrance to the Hidden Moonlight Secret Realm, the elder and the ten inner disciples accompanying him appeared in a strange place.
It was a cave that closed in the shape of a dome, with a huge arena at its center and an opening at the top, through which the midday sunlight streamed in.
Surrounding them were thousands of doors, each connected to an individual spatial pocket.
In the Immortal Heaven, a formation so powerful and capable of holding so many experts from the Astral Body Realm would cost the fortunes of entire empires, but in the Celestial Heaven, it was nothing.
The Secret Realm of the Hidden Moonlight, as it was called, was barely considered a low-level formation.
Relaxing, the elder of the Cosmic Dawn Sect sat in a comfortable armchair, a small book appearing between his fingers.
"Is anyone of interest to you?" He turned his eyes slightly, gazing at the inner disciple to his right.
Among all those who had accompanied the elder to the selection, he was the most talented.
Dark eyes, light blue hair, and a masculine, strong face with a refined beauty.
Not only was his appearance arrogant, his background was as well.
The son of a noble family that held complete control over an entire planet, his wealth, status, and talent placed him among the top candidates to become a core disciple in the future, and the potential fiancé of the patriarch's daughter, the precious pearl of the Cosmic Dawn Sect and one of the greatest beauties under the heavens.
It was no exaggeration to say he was the future of the sect. A young man who had passed that test in just one hour, the fastest time in all of history.
Guo Tianhao was his name.
At the eighth stage of the Celestial Ascension Realm, he was the star of the powerful and wealthy Guo family.
Even though his marriage to the sect patriarch's daughter wasn't confirmed, he still arrogantly declared himself her man, with some agreements clearly flowing behind the scenes.
"Hm..." Guo Tianhao scratched his chin at the elder's words.
"If Elder Shen wants honesty, that young master Luo seemed decent. His family are honorable warriors, though they're just a few insignificant ants." Tianhao replied, drawing a surprised look from Elder Shen.
"And that young black dragon?" Elder Shen shifted in his seat, raising an eyebrow.
"Dragons have incredible vision and unmatched talent. Don't you think there's a chance he might break your record?"
"That pretty face?" Tianhao's lips curled up in deep contempt and amusement.
No chance. Not even in a million years.
He could sense Qingyi's aura, so faint it barely seemed to exist.
That could mean two things.
Either the owner of this aura was truly that weak, or it meant that his
control over Qi was so superior that the observer was simply unable to read it accurately.
In Tianhao's view, the second alternative was impossible. Only the first remained.
Elder Shen sighed, disappointed in Tianhao.
He had expected more insight from someone with such talent.
'I just hope he doesn't break under the trials that are about to come...' Elder Shen thought, looking at one of the many doors.
Transcendental geniuses often had a fatal flaw; they had never known failure.
Their arrogance was too great, and they knew how to deal with frustration only through anger, never with calm or patience.
Many broke down the moment they realized they had been surpassed
by someone they deemed inferior.
The door that had caught the elder's eye cracked open and then
began to swing wide.
"Impossible... the tests started less than five minutes ago!" one of the
inner disciples shouted, eyes wide.
Tianhao was also in shock. The only one who remained calm was
Elder Shen.
One hour had been the shortest time in the entire history of the sect, hundreds of thousands of years, with Guo Tianhao being the only one
to reach that mark.
But the door had opened in less than five minutes. Twelve times
faster than the time Tianhao had taken.
The young master's eyes narrowed, and from the depths of his chest,
an intense bitterness began to rise.
From the open door, a figure emerged.
A face of such beauty that it made even Tianhao, known as a
handsome man, shudder. A powerful body, long black hair, and horns
like obsidian.
His steps were firm, carrying the dignity of an emperor and the
caution of a tiger.
Qingyi stepped out of the doorway, walked up to Elder Shen, and
bowed, clasping his fists.
"Long Qingyi greets the Elder!"
The elder's lips curved into a brilliant smile, and he stood up, placing
his hands on Qingyi's shoulders.
"Very well, young dragon! I am truly impressed, hahaha! A talent like yours is rare." The elder roared with laughter.
He had already earned great rewards by recruiting Tianhao, and now, returning to the sect with Qingyi, a dragon of extraordinary talent, he knew full well that his prestige would skyrocket.
After all, there was competition among the elders of the sect's external recruitment pavilion.
"The elder flatters me too much. This humble one was merely lucky."
"Luck does not yield such a perfect result, young man. Only talent, strength, and insight do." The elder turned, his eyes passing over Tianhao, who seemed to be stewing inside.
'Don't give in to anger, envy, or jealousy. Use this opportunity to
temper your mind and learn to deal with the frustration of being surpassed! The elder repeated in his own mind, hoping Tianhao would understand his intention.
The young master met the elder's gaze and held his head high.
He was Guo Tianhao. The most talented inner disciple of the Cosmic Dawn Sect and son of a wealthy tycoon, heir to an entire planet. That damned dragon had just gotten lucky; he was certain of it.
No one from that cursed region was capable of surpassing him!