Whispers rippled through the crowd around the arena. The earlier questions about the final disciple of The Thousand Stars Pavilion were finally answered. However, when questioned, the Pavilion's disciples merely lifted their chins proudly, refusing to answer as if they themselves were Zhanyu.

  "Must be one of the Rare Aspects," was the consensus among most people.

  Elemental Aspects like fire, water, air, and earth were the most common, followed by uncommon types like shadow, light, and lunar, then came the rare ones like Illusion. Contrary to their rarity, the list of rare Aspects was quite extensive in number. It was precisely because of their unique nature that such situations arose. Guessing what Aspect Zhanyu possessed was quite challenging.

  Most participants here had suspected The Thousand Stars Pavilion would keep Zhanyu hidden until The Shifting Trials began, creating an element of surprise. They were quite certain many would be at a disadvantage when facing him due to lack of information.

  However, given the current situation, it seemed Zhanyu and the Pavilion disciples were openly looking down on everyone. Their attitude clearly suggested that knowing wouldn't make any difference - what could anyone do about it anyway?

  The commentary continued unabated, yet no one had answers since the challenged side had yet to send someone up. The Obsidian Fang Sect disciples all wore scrunched-up expressions, their eyes darting away to avoid the gazes being thrown their way. The spectators showed no sympathy or empathy - this was simply the natural order in their world of power struggles. They were mainly here for the drama, perhaps even hoping to add fuel to the fire. Evidence of this came in the form of taunts being thrown about.

  "What's wrong? Is the time-honored Obsidian Fang too afraid to fight?"

  "Even if you lose, you should at least fight - that's the spirit of cultivators."

  "Could the rumors be true? Are the Obsidian all cowards?"

  The Obsidian Fang disciples trembled, their anger mounting. If not for several of their fellow disciples still requiring treatment from earlier battles, they would have already thrown caution to the wind. They knew the crowd harbored no good intentions, so they could try to ignore the taunts. But having Zhanyu stand there looking down on them was truly unbearable. After all, these were young people with hot blood running through their veins - nothing was harder to endure than humiliation.

  "Don't be rash," was the internal mantra of every Obsidian disciple. No matter how much shame they had to swallow, they couldn't risk losing their opportunity in The Shifting Trials.

  Jingyi, the female disciple who had clashed fiercely with Emrys a few nights ago, stepped forward when she saw the situation remained unchanged.

  "Such thick skin indeed, willing to endure insults - truly worthy of the Obsidian Fang Sect's name."

  The mocking laughter drowned out any protests from the Obsidian team leader.

  "How about this," Jingyi said, tilting her head as the surrounding noise died down. "Zhanyu, why don't you give them a handicap? What do you say?"

  Zhanyu let out a derisive laugh before responding.

  "No problem. As long as you get up on the arena and land a single hit on me. You heard right. Just one hit. I'll admit defeat."

  Hearing this, the Obsidian disciples looked up with furrowed brows.

  "That's not all," Zhanyu raised his hand casually and continued. "If you win, I'll withdraw from this event."

  He then turned to look at Jingyi.

  "Including the team leader of The Thousand Stars Pavilion. We'll both withdraw. Senior sister will agree, won't she?"

  Jingyi shot a sharp glare at her junior disciple. He was calling her out for interfering in his business. Initially, the plan had been as everyone suspected - to keep Zhanyu hidden according to the elders' wishes. However, this genius had no interest in staying low-key or being modest; he wanted to show off. When he stepped onto the arena, even Jingyi couldn't stop him.

  Zhanyu's words had forced her into a position where she had to agree. She couldn't say anything against it. More importantly, it would reveal that The Thousand Stars Pavilion lacked confidence and courage. And although she despised and resented the arrogant and detestable figure standing in the arena, she couldn't deny the strange faith she held in Zhanyu.

  "Fine by me," Jingyi waved her hand with apparent delight. "I'm more than willing to head home with junior brother Zhanyu if he loses."

  She turned to look at the Obsidian disciples, making sure to dig the knife in as deep as possible.

  "Of course, once you accept these terms, you must send three disciples to fight. Don't think you can claim all the benefits so easily. And you must fight - forfeiting isn't an option."

  She smirked at Zhanyu, as if saying this was payback for daring to provoke her. Fighting consecutive matches against three opponents wasn't the issue. The main concern was that fighting multiple times would more likely expose weaknesses. Opponents could then analyze his fighting style. This was her way of disciplining and educating Zhanyu for defying his superiors.

  "You venomous snake," Zhanyu muttered under his breath, then returned to his casual stance to wait.

  Nathan and his friends watched everything unfold with wide eyes.

  "Are they even thinking straight?" Nathan blurted out, unable to believe what he was hearing.

  "Their mindset is nothing like ours," Zahra wrinkled her nose. "This is typical of those who rely on brute force. Even our Zeryn isn't this boastful."

  Xander participated by nodding vigorously.

  "Hey, throw some more shade my way," Zeryn said with a grin. "I'm loving it."

  Zahra shot him a look of disdain before turning her attention back to Zhanyu.

  "There's definitely a dangerous aura about him," she commented. "But he's just so... irritating."

  "Your nose seems to have quite a few functions," Nathan chuckled.

  "Of course," Zahra placed her hands on her hips proudly. "Your scent is the most unique, by the way. But I'll need to check with the family to confirm. That's all I know for now."

  The others, including Celene, glanced between Nathan and Zahra with meaningful looks.

  Nathan waved his hands, not wanting to discuss this topic further as he noticed movement from the Obsidian Fang Sect's ranks.

  "Looks like they finally couldn't resist the temptation," Zeryn shook his head.

  The Obsidian sect sent forth three disciples, lining up to face Zhanyu one after another. Their ranks were growing thinner, but after some discussion, this was their decision. The face-saving aspect wasn't their primary concern anymore - their defeated comrades had already opened their eyes to reality. If these three could defeat Zhanyu, that would be excellent. But they weren't counting on it. Their real aim was to provide information to all the young cultivators present at Castle Voss tonight.

  If they couldn't handle the enemy themselves, they'd let others do it. As long as someone could stop Zhanyu in the upcoming event, the Obsidian sect would have significantly less pressure. This way, they wouldn't be hunted down like insects by The Thousand Stars Pavilion.

  A young disciple who had been selected shook his head, as if trying to shake off the frustration in his heart, and stepped forward. He didn't want to participate in this confrontation, but he understood the weight of the situation. Since he was promised a share of the rewards, he could only grit his teeth and accept.

  "My name is..." he raised his hand to perform the ceremonial greeting but was cut off by his opponent.

  "Don't care. You're just going down. Referee, start!"

  Mingxia narrowed his eyes at being ordered around but showed no outward reaction, merely waving his hand to signal the start.

  The young Obsidian disciple carefully equipped armor from his spatial ring and channeled mana to his feet before launching forward. As he moved, he drew his sword. Before the sword's ring could fade, everyone heard a loud crash. In the blink of an eye, he was already flattened against the ground.

  Zhanyu snorted in contempt, letting his body float up before landing right above his opponent. He raised his foot to stomp down. The force didn't look particularly powerful, yet the results were devastating.

  The young disciple's body erupted in blood everywhere, showing signs of being crushed. The armor he wore showed signs of breaking. Mana was desperately trying to protect his head, preventing anything more serious from happening. However, his eyes were filled with chaos, gradually becoming cloudy, on the verge of losing consciousness.

  At this point, Zhanyu raised his other foot as if preparing for another stomp.

  "Stop!" Mingxia shouted. "Zhanyu has won."

  But Zhanyu didn't listen, stomping down anyway.

  The arena's surface warped. All defensive attempts were shattered, and the body of the young man beneath was deformed. With his last bit of effort, he could only protect his head. The shock from other parts of his body rendered him unconscious.

  "Mr. Zhanyu," Mingxia growled.

  "I did stop," Zhanyu turned and said. "You have to let me put my foot down, right? Or should I just walk around like this with my legs spread?"

  Mingxia didn't bother responding, ordering his subordinates to take the unfortunate disciple away for treatment. Respecting The Thousand Stars Pavilion didn't equate to fear. Both the country and Maelivar city's principle was to protect the younger generation as best they could. Casualties would occur, but absolutely not before The Shifting Trials.

  The blood-soaked figure was carried away. The spectators were still in shock over what had transpired. The Obsidian Fang disciples' faces turned pale, contemplating withdrawal. What was the point of fighting? They couldn't even tell what their opponent had just done.

  Jingyi's lips curled into a smirk. This was the kind of absolute faith she had in Zhanyu.

  The silence lasted too long for people's comfort. Discussion soon erupted, mostly questioning the nature of Zhanyu's power. Some suggested it was Gravity, but others refuted this, claiming they'd encountered that Aspect before. Others theorized it was some form of aura skill causing pressure. Or perhaps pure mana manipulation.

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  "Space Aspect," Zeryn said after some analysis.

  The four people around him blinked in confusion. Not because they didn't believe him, but because the revelation was somewhat terrifying.

  "How can you be so sure?" Nathan asked.

  "Typically, Gravity Aspect creates a downward pull in an area. That would affect the air and dust particles in that location. Just now, the pressure occurred directly above that disciple's head. Yet the air above wasn't disturbed at all."

  "Like an object was created to crush him down," Nathan's eyes widened in understanding.

  "Exactly! Narrowing down the types of aspects that could do something like that at our level, only Space Aspect fits. Gravity Aspect might seem similar but requires high-level control, so I ruled that out. And as you said, when he was hit, if you observed carefully, the head took the impact first. That wouldn't happen with Gravity. Plus, I don't believe a Tier 2 would be so overwhelmed by gravity alone, unless someone could precisely confine the affected area."

  The group nodded, genuinely impressed by Zeryn's analytical abilities. Of course, they didn't feel inferior because of this. Zeryn simply had broader knowledge, but his combat intuition was still untested.

  "He's way too powerful," Zahra sighed. "I want a rare aspect like that too."

  Everyone around silently agreed that who wouldn't want one.

  Celene, who didn't pursue the path of solving problems with fists, quietly listened. She could only conclude that things would become more complicated from here on.

  The third member of Obsidian Fang Sect's combat team pushed his companion aside, making a move to step forward.

  "Forfeit right after my turn," he said, emphasizing each word.

  As he walked up, his bearing was dignified - even in defeat, he would maintain his pride.

  "Shut that filthy mouth of yours," he pointed and cursed at Zhanyu. "My name is Ryusei. I may not be able to defeat you, but when you eventually lose, it will be because of what happens today."

  Zhanyu glared with fury, about to say something when Mingxia interrupted with the signal to begin.

  Ryusei left only afterimages and electric sparks in his wake. In an instant, he appeared right next to his opponent. A baton had materialized in his hand, swinging downward.

  Ryusei's strike met what felt like an invisible wall, electricity crackling and spreading from the point of impact with hissing sounds. Eyes widening slightly in surprise, Ryusei didn't dwell on it, letting his combat instincts take over. He glided away, creating distance between himself and Zhanyu. As he reappeared, a boom echoed from his previous position as if something heavy had fallen.

  Now, everyone confirmed their theories. Zhanyu truly possessed the Space Aspect. They began analyzing the brief exchange. Though short, it provided crucial information.

  Zhanyu's attacks could be dodged with speed.

  The Thousand Stars Pavilion disciple straightened his back, his eyes finally shifting from their dead-fish state to something more vibrant. His teammates had always held back out of respect, so his previous victories weren't interesting. Only opponents like Ryusei brought real challenges, brought excitement.

  Not fully grasping his opponent's true strength, while still being underestimated, Ryusei continued his assault.

  He dove in from all directions, afterimages of lightning flashing constantly in his wake. Each strike met similar barriers as before.

  Zhanyu stood behind his defenses with casual grace, looking around with interest.

  Ryusei leaped high, pulling another baton from his spatial ring. He raised one baton and struck it against the other. The collision sent sparks flying, illuminating his frenzied face. His black hair singed at the edges. His eyes transformed into a brilliant blue-white glow.

  From a distance, he swung both batons downward. Their tips suddenly extended, automatically breaking into segments, transforming into whips. The electric whips struck Zhanyu's protective barrier. Everyone could hear a clear, crystalline sound like breaking glass.

  Zhanyu's defensive line had shattered.

  Sensing danger in that instant thanks to his Overcharged state, Ryusei glided away. A shockwave appeared where he had been hovering. Two large, heavy objects had clearly collided.

  Ryusei looked up, swinging his left whip toward his opponent. Facing him was the invisible defensive barrier, already reconstructed. He exhaled tiredly, about to resume his attack when his vision blurred.

  When Ryusei opened his eyes, he found himself standing right next to Zhanyu. A sweeping arm forced Ryusei to retreat. Where Zhanyu's arm passed, looking carefully, one could see the air and space twisting in an arc, distorting the image slightly. Ryusei's back hit that defensive wall. He used his baton's pointed end to punch through a hole, then used his Lightning Aspect to run away, once again distancing himself from his opponent.

  Nathan watched the battle with his mouth agape, completely captivated while feeling a measure of fear. This was truly the pinnacle of genius among the younger generation. Breaking through to Tier 2 could transform a cultivator to this extent. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that a thousand Tier 1s couldn't compare to a single Tier 2.

  Despite his concerns, Nathan felt a surge of anticipation. He wanted to clash, to test whether his full strength could compare to these prodigies.

  Ryusei no longer dared to stay in one place too long, continuously changing positions while swinging his electric whips. His speed made everyone silently click their tongues. In terms of pursuit, he would be a major problem.

  Zhanyu still used only his old move, not budging, as if the initial agreement included not only getting hit once but also not moving at all.

  Sweat rolled down Ryusei's cheeks, instantly vaporizing from the heat radiating from his body. After moving frantically and attacking like a storm without success, he stopped. Knowing this wasn't wise, but he needed to do it to execute his ultimate technique.

  Ryusei spread his arms, gathering power, and roared.

  "Lightning Crown Formation! Release!"

  Six Lightning Orbs that Ryusei had hidden during his movements expanded, forming the six points of a formation.

  The Lightning Orbs connected with each other through electric arcs. They extended downward like a crown, with Zhanyu at its center.

  The electricity seemed to gain strength, expanding as the buzzing sound grew louder, becoming uncomfortably irritating. A second later, everything exploded. Lightning bolts rained down relentlessly.

  The spectators couldn't see clearly what was happening inside due to the technique's effects.

  Ryusei struggled to maintain his clenched hands steady, preventing the Lightning Crown Formation from losing balance and self-destructing.

  Once again, his vision blurred, and he vanished. A smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if he had anticipated this, just waiting for his opponent to use that strange teleportation technique again.

  The scene before him became clear - Ryusei stood inside his own formation for the first time. Around him was the majesty of lightning. Blue electric arcs writhed like snakes all around. The six Lightning Orbs shone like miniature suns.

  Then he started, realizing the defensive barrier hadn't completely broken but seemed to have multiple layers stacked on each other. When a lightning bolt struck and created a hole, another layer appeared beneath it. And when the second layer was destroyed, the outer layer began to heal. Ryusei's mistake was not concentrating his attacks on a single point, leaving no time for the defensive layers to regenerate.

  He knew his error but had achieved his goal. Next time, he'd remember. Next time, he'd have the Lightning Crown Formation strike a single point, and he could break through his opponent's turtle shell.

  Ryusei leaned forward, his entire body wrapped in lightning. He intended to electrocute his opponent to death.

  His hand grabbed his opponent's hateful face, who was also reaching forward like before.

  A second later, Ryusei's smile vanished. What he had grabbed was just air, nothing there.

  He looked down and saw a strange, disturbing point that seemed to be tearing through space. Unable to retreat, he only felt his entire body experiencing the worst pain of his life. Blood sprayed everywhere, but the liquid hung suspended in space, as if trapped, imprisoned.

  Without its master's control, the Lightning Crown Formation gradually collapsed, returning the arena to its original state. The air still carried the smell of burning, with small electric arcs occasionally flickering like earthworms.

  With all visual obstructions gone, people could finally see the battle's outcome.

  Zhanyu was no longer in his original position but standing in a corner observing everything. His position was precisely outside the Lightning Crown Formation's range. People were wondering if Ryusei's efforts had been wasted when gasps of shock erupted.

  Ryusei's body hung suspended in mid-air, space-cutting wounds still continuously appearing across his body. His shoulders seemed to be impaled by two invisible spears, keeping him from falling. The strange thing was that new wounds were still being created. Zhanyu's Spatial Cuts terrified everyone. A single wound wasn't too frightening, but the continuous repetition would shatter anyone's sanity.

  Ryusei's blood hung like undying roses in the air, making everyone shudder.

  "The winner is Mr. Zhanyu," Mingxia announced indifferently. Though appearing unconcerned on the surface, during the critical moment, he had stepped in to protect Ryusei's vital points. Other Tier 2s might not have seen clearly what happened, but he saw everything. From the moment Ryusei set up his formation, Zhanyu had already stepped out, standing in a blind spot, shielding himself while watching his opponent like a comedy actor trying to perform. Then came the moment of teleporting Ryusei into his own formation. From this, one could conclude that Zhanyu's skills weren't completely comprehensive. Of course, Mingxia wouldn't say anything or interfere. The young people here would have to rely on their own courage to figure things out.

  "He wasn't hit once during that entire exchange?" someone in the crowd asked.

  "Not once," Mingxia answered. "I stake my honor on this, as well as the reputation of Duke Kael's office to verify it."

  Commentary spread like ants from a broken nest. Most young people here, seeing Ryusei fight like that, wondered if they could resist any better. Difficult. That was the answer. Ryusei's combat prowess was on par with most people present.

  Therefore, the more they thought about it, the more frightening Zhanyu seemed. What kind of monster was he?

  The staff members who stepped forward to help Ryusei down had to stop, their faces scrunching up as they looked toward Mingxia. A wave of mana emanated from tonight's event supervisor. Then, Zhanyu's technique was dispelled. Ryusei fell into the arms of the medical staff.

  "I forfeit," declared the remaining Obsidian Fang disciple loudly.

  Accepting the challenge was one thing, actually going through with it was another. Ryusei had already stepped up as the sacrifice. That was enough. He didn't believe he could do better than his teammate. After all, Ryusei was placed last because he was their trump card, stronger than the rest. If the better fighter had failed, what was the point of going up to fight?

  The Thousand Stars Pavilion side wanted to speak up, but Mingxia cut them off.

  "Victory belongs to The Thousand Stars Pavilion. This was a friendly exchange between you all. I hope you'll save your strength for the upcoming event instead."

  Judging by the severity of their wounds, it seemed neither Ryusei nor the earlier crushed disciple would recover in time to participate.

  "Are the injuries that serious?" Nathan asked.

  He remembered participating in the outer sect tournament at Verdant Spire Sect where wounds were treated and healed.

  "You beast," Zeryn said, "no one's arguing that. Your physical constitution far exceeds normal people. The key difference is that when you were injured, you were only at Tier 1. Those injuries were at most physical damage, leaving no hidden internal threats. For someone like Ryusei there, Space Aspect will continue to ravage his body, so recovery time will be longer. Treatment medications are also more expensive. That's why Tier 2 battles require such caution. You need to be careful too."

  Nathan nodded, not too concerned about this issue. He had already tested it. Fighting with Lunar Shadow and Argentius had given him experience with various mana aspects. He never ceased to be amazed by the Titan bloodline. His recovery ability and endurance truly exceeded anything he knew.

  Zhanyu waved his sleeve as he returned, both bored and annoyed. He didn't care much about displaying his techniques or weaknesses. So what if they knew? If anyone thought they could win against him, he wouldn't hesitate to accept their challenge. That was the mindset of someone truly strong, not just someone bearing the title of genius.

  People discussed Zhanyu more and more, both his talent and his arrogance. Most said he had the capital to be proud, so such behavior was normal. This hot topic even surpassed the reputation Nathan had built with his dinner parties.

  Say what you will, this world valued strength above all, so even though Nathan was a brilliant individual with immeasurable value, someone who demonstrated overwhelming power drew more attention. Zhanyu, with one of the rare Space Aspects, was the idol, the person everyone wanted to become.

  A chef? Sounds nice, but would still have to yield before someone like Zhanyu. Better to know your place in the kitchen and stay in the background.

  Nathan didn't care much; he actually hoped people would underestimate him more. He hadn't even revealed his newly acquired skills from the system yet. Whose trump card was stronger remained to be seen.

  The evening gathering continued with diminished energy. Though there were still some noteworthy fights, none stood out like Zhanyu's. The Artificers also took the field, helping Nathan understand how this unique profession fought.

  That meant wearing modern armor, shooting missiles and high-energy beams. Nathan watched mesmerized, like returning to his childhood watching sci-fi films. Things he thought would never happen were unfolding before his eyes. And the destructive power of these tools and weapons was no less than other Cultivators. The only major weakness was their excessive fuel consumption. Watching mana stones being consumed without mercy made Nathan secretly click his tongue. True enough, the supporting professions were the ones making good money.

  The Nyralith young master demonstrated his prowess with a new invention, using a sword like a lightsaber to cut through the Aetharis young master's weapon.

  The Merinor and Partheon houses also took the field, showing a bit of their potential to forge alliances. Lady Emrys, unable to establish relations with The Thousand Stars Pavilion, decisively befriended Verdant Spire Sect. Her main targets were Zeryn first, then Nathan.

  As for Lachlan Rourke, Duke Kael's plan hadn't been very effective. The military's five-person team only reduced to four. Other wandering cultivators showed exceptional talent, either gaining or maintaining their official slots. This large team only diminished slightly. Their overall strength wasn't much affected, proving the military's superior capabilities.

  The gathering night finally ended, with each side either achieving or failing to achieve their goals.

  Three days later, The Shifting Trials officially began.