"Should I be aware?"Chase asked with uncertainty as he looked at Joe's expression.This question made Chase sound quite ignorant."Didn't you see the television ads? Even if you didn't, you heard the broadcast on the radio, right? Capital City's broadcast channels have been playing news of this from last night until today."Joe spoke while taking his phone out. He played the recording."Hello, citizens of Capital City. I'm from Basalt, and due to a need to fill up vacancies, I'm representing Basalt's chief instructor, Chase Collins, to sincerely invite everyone to come for an interview with Basalt's reserve team…"Chase almost laughed out loud when he heard the broadcast. Trek had chosen the simplest yet most straightforward way to advertise this. Even though Chase did not expect this, it seemed the logical move as there was no cultivation requirement to be a Basalt reserve team member. All they needed was a person of good character. Basalt needed people, and as for cultivatio
Chase listened as everyone discussed this, and he turned to look at Liev from the crowd. It was not hard to guess that Liev would not have dared to be here if this were his sole decision. Since he was here, it meant someone was backing him.There were not many suspects. Chase had two in mind. It was either White Tiger or Red Phoenix.Chase thought about it.While he was thinking, three people walked out. It was Trek with Finn and Iris and each side of him."How dare you, Liev Charter?! How dare you make a false statement about Basalt's reserve team interview being an illegal gathering? What are you up to?"Finn knew Liev, and he said this out loud to Liev from afar.Liev was holding up the loudspeaker when he saw Finn, Iris, and Trek appear. The look on his face changed. He was the police chief of Capital City, and he clearly knew Finn.Liev did not expect Finn to be present at a recruitment for reserve team members. What made it worse was that Iris and Trek were present too. He
Even though Trek was not present the last time Red Phoenix tried to stop Basalt from entering Capital City, he had developed camaraderie with the rest of the Basalt and was now on their side.Red Phoenix did not learn their lesson and came looking for trouble once more. This time, Trek was prepared to get some payback from Red Phoenix.Julie narrowed her eyes when Trek mentioned this. There was a cold glint in her eyes.Red Phoenix had suffered a loss the last time, and they had nowhere to vent. They had sent so many men out, but only half returned. They did not even manage to get justice for themselves after that and could only tolerate their anger.Trek just had to mention it.Julie stared at Trek murderously. However, she did not burst out in anger. It was probably due to her being in public or there could be some other reason. All she did was speak coldly."Where's Chase Collins? Get him out here!""How dare you?! You're just a small fry from Red Phoenix. How dare you call o
Trek stopped wasting time talking to Julie at this point. He flipped his palm, and a gold object appeared in his hand."Now that you see this, do you have anything else to say?""This… This… Chase Collins actually gave this to you!"Julie's jaw dropped when she saw the object, and the look on her face changed."I thought you would pretend not to recognize this. Now that you know what this is, get lost if you know what's good for you and stop trying to disrupt Basalt from recruiting reserve team members," Trek said to her coldly.Julie did not expect this object to be in Trek's hands. This object represented unlimited power, and Chase had easily let someone he had just defeated have it. She had wanted to force Chase out and humiliate him, but her plan was dashed.Julie wanted to pretend not to recognize the object, but as an envoy of Red Phoenix, this would be too ridiculous. She had no idea what to do now."What's that?"Liev got curious when he saw the troubled look on Julie's
This group of people arrived haughtily but left in humiliation.Julie had finally left.That was when Trek sighed with relief and put away the object in his hand.He did not expect the King Defeating Golden Mace to be so useful. When Chase handed it to Trek and told him that it was useful when conducting business in Capital City, especially when facing other government agencies of Bactria, he did not expect it to be so powerful. Even Red Phoenix had to back off at the sight of this mace."Alright, everyone. Please continue staying in line to register yourselves. We'll conduct the assessments one step at a time. I hope that you'll become a part of Basalt's reserve team," Trek said to the crowd in a friendly manner before leading Finn and Iris back inside.They then disappeared from everyone's sight.It was only after that a huge discussion erupted among the crowd."I thought that they were about to fight each other. I can't believe one object in hand was powerful enough to sett
There was a glow on Joe's face when he was talking about this.Chase had no idea how to react to such praise.It was difficult to imagine the look on Joe's face when he saw Chase after becoming an official Basalt member one day.Chase could not bear to destroy his dream and wondered if he should do something to make Joe a lifelong Basalt reserve team member. While he was thinking about this, it was their turn to register.Chase saw that the Basalt member in front of him was Sterling from the Wallaces of Camland. He did not expect Sterling to be in Capital City too.When he saw Sterling, Chase could not help remembering everything that happened at Camland."Are you two together?" Sterling asked without looking up.Many of those present had come in groups. Some were in twos while others came in three or even five or six. Anyone who came together was considered as one group.Before Chase said anything, Joe spoke up, "Yes."Chase stayed silent."I'm asking you a question. Are the
Could the second challenge be about using one's aura to dominate? Chase made a guess. As Joe took each difficult step forward, beads of sweat started appearing on his face.Finn's lips moved slightly, and he seemed to be asking Joe something."Finn, what is this?" Chase could not help but ask curiously through sound transmission.Since it was his master asking, Finn dared not ignore the question and quickly explained."Master, this second test is to assess the strength of one's character. I use my cultivation to guide them, applying pressure with my aura to target their inner self."Then, I ask a series of questions to determine if the person can become a reserve member. Only those with a kind heart and a strong sense of justice can pass my test."Seeing how Basalt was so meticulous in selecting even reserve members, Chase's curiosity was piqued. He wondered who would oversee the next challenge and what method would be used to screen the candidates.Chase patiently waited for Jo
Chase had high hopes for Joe. At the same time, he was curious to see what the third challenge would be."But if we just jump into the next challenge like this, wouldn't that be too reckless? The second challenge was already so difficult, and becoming a full member must be even tougher," Joe said, starting to worry unnecessarily."Didn't you want to meet your idol? If you don't become a full member, how will you ever meet him? Besides, we've come this far. Aren't you determined to see this through?" Chase analyzed, laying out the logic clearly.Joe gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind. "Alright! I'm going for it!"He pushed past Iris, heading straight for the end of the hallway. When he realized Chase was not following immediately, Joe paused and waited."Let's go," Chase said, giving Iris a knowing look before catching up with Joe. They walked together toward the end of the hall.In the end, Trek was waiting. Unlike the others, Trek sensed Chase's presence from afar.
"I know I'm not your match," Ford said, bowing his head. "So, I willingly admit defeat. But I still want to see the Holy Path with my own eyes. That is why... I'm making this shameless request."His explanation actually made sense.Chase and the others already knew that Sky Dragon Holy Land was founded by the dragons who had ascended from the lower realm. It was not difficult to believe that they had the secret techniques needed to transmit battle footage.It also meant that all the rumors about Chase being a mysterious hidden expert were probably a joke among the major Holy Lands and sects. At least, among those sects that had close ties with Sky Dragon Holy Land, they probably already knew about Chase's true strength.Maybe all the Saints and Saintesses who had shown up at this little tournament in Light Divine City were actually here just to test Chase's abilities.Realizing this, Chase chuckled quietly and said, "Of course, you can come along, Ford. But first, I have to actual
After stepping down from the stage, Chase did not waste any time on unnecessary words.He quickly avoided the crowd of onlookers who acted like crazed fans and returned to the reserved inn room with Willow and the others."Tomorrow, your opponent will be the Saint of Sky Dragon Holy Land, Ford," Walter said excitedly."They say Sky Dragon Holy Land was established by the dragons who ascended from the fifth level. You thrashed the Lightning Dragon back on the fifth level the last time, so this time should be just as easy.""Where'd you get such reliable information?" Willow asked, feeling a little surprised.After all, with Walter's rather fearsome appearance—looking every bit like a bandit—most people would not want anything to do with him."I have dragon blood, remember?" Walter patted his chest proudly."Last time, after absorbing the Poison Dragon's core and a good amount of blood essence, the concentration of my dragon lineage became strong enough to catch Sky Dragon Holy La
On the main stage, Chase watched the sea of runes flying toward him. Suddenly, a spark of understanding struck him.He channeled his vital energy into the right index finger that had fused with the divine bone. Recalling the sword manual techniques, streaks of lightning-infused vital energy shot forth as sword energy.He moved his finger through the air, as if painting across the void. Each stroke unleashed a brilliant sword aura, razor-sharp and unstoppable, shattering everything in its path.Jade's rune barrage was broken apart one by one. Fragments of spiritual light and shattered runes drifted through the air.Every slash of Chase's sword aura was executed with such precision that not a single movement was wasted. The angles and trajectories were so perfect that each attack struck the runes at their most vulnerable points, maximizing impact.Among the spectators, only Carla, Fallon, and Ford—who had just rushed over—could truly appreciate the brilliance of his swordplay.More
"But the Light Divine Pearl is a creation-grade treasure. It's still only at the martial god level. It's far from being fully awakened," Fallon said with a frown.While the two spoke, Jade and Chase had already clashed head-on. Jade had unleashed her Thousand Eyes and Flowers.Countless ancient runes, shining with brilliance, shot out from the light screen behind her. Each rune faintly contained the essence of martial arts, distorting the space as they passed.If one's cultivation was insufficient, one's mind and soul would likely be shaken first, followed by one's body being pierced by the runes.As the rain of runes blasted toward Chase like a raging storm, the spectators below gasped as they were finally witnessing a truly grand spectacle.Willow and the others were awed by the sheer momentum of Jade's ultimate move. Although they knew Chase would not be harmed, they could not help but feel anxious."Can Chase block it?" Lisa asked worriedly while glancing at Willow."My mast
Jade gritted her teeth as she gathered all her vital energy, preparing to unleash her ultimate move. It was the very origin of her title—Thousand Eyes and Flowers.Behind her, a vital energy screen spread open like a peacock fanning its tail.The surface was covered with intricate patterns, resembling the eye-like spots on a peacock's feathers.These patterns were not mere decorations. Each one was an ancient rune, capable of releasing a devastating vital energy attack.When Jade unleashed this move, everyone below gasped in shock."No way, this is just a friendly tournament match. Does Jade really need to go this far?""Should we reinforce the arena's defensive array? I'm afraid someone might get caught in the crossfire.""Tsk, tsk, it's been so long since we last saw Jade lose her temper. She's even more stunning when she is angry!""You're such a pervert. If you get hit by that move, there will not even be a corpse left of you!""You don't understand. There are worse ways t
Inside Universal Holy Land, Clive and his master were facing off against the woman suspected to be the Dark Divine Pearl. Meanwhile, at Light Divine City, Chase's fourth round at the tournament's semifinals had already begun.His opponent was Jade, the Saintess of Modest Lady Holy Land, also known as Thousand Eyes and Flowers.It was already extremely rare for two contestants with such a rare same surname to appear in the same tournament. They belonged to different factions yet both were advancing to the final few rounds. Not to mention, if Yara had revealed his phoenix bloodline and inheritance, he might have very well made it to the finals too.The people with the surname Fries were terrifying beyond words!These were the thoughts running through Chase's head for no particular reason. On the other hand, after Jade saluted, she launched her attack without hesitation.Chase, still a bit distracted, was startled by the ferocity of her strike. Such a name and demeanor, paired with
Skyler spoke proudly.Clive kept having the feeling that something did not seem right when he heard Skyler's words."The Holy Path will only open after winning the tournament championship. Only those selected by the champion can enter. I was already eliminated in the second round…" Clive stammered."Won't you become the champion after killing the current champion? Isn't killing Chase Collins what you want to do?" Skyler was frustrated with Clive.Clive finally realized what felt wrong about all of this."You're not Skyler," he said coldly.The Universal Element Priest had also locked down on Skyler with his vital energy at this point. "Reveal yourself. Who are you? What did you do to Skyler?""Oh? How did you know?" Skyler was taken aback but quickly calmed down and asked the question. "What's wrong with my charisma and appearance?"He looked at his body and clothes while asking the questions with curiosity and calmness. This person had admitted to pretending to be Skyler."Fir
"His will is a blur." Clive sounded helpless when he added, "But it's a will that is extremely frightening and evil."He had the right to this opinion as someone who had faced Klondike directly.When Klondike's will was directed at him, Clive could feel unlimited fear and helplessness. Any second more of facing Klondike might make him lose his mind.He could barely take the energy pumped into him. He only managed to get through it because of his guilt for Rania and his desire to live.The thought of begging Klondike was equivalent to seeing death.There was one reason why he was brave enough to talk about Klondike with the Universal Element Priest and Skyler. It was because Klondike was in a stage of being half awake and half asleep. Clive only dared to discuss Klondike when he was asleep.However, speaking of anything that crossed the line would attract his attention, and Clive was not willing to see that happen.The Universal Element Priest and Skyler glanced at each other. The
Both of those disciples thought they could see Skyler lose his temper, but he reacted calmly. The attempts to fan the situation seemed to have failed. Had they lost credibility with Skyler for their misguided actions?They broke into a cold sweat from fear.Those disciples had offended the previous and current Saints. It looked like they had just made life tougher for themselves.They glanced at each other and gave a long sigh.…Inside Universal Element Palace, Clive had placed Rania down on a training mat while he knelt in front of his master, the Universal Element Priest. "Master, please save Rania North. I'm willing to pay any price without regrets!"He spoke with great determination, and there was a grim look on his face."Silly boy." The Universal Element Priest glanced at Clive and sighed."Rania North seems to have been poisoned by a vicious curse and an extraterritorial poison. I can temporarily save her life, but her face…" He shook his head."I'm grateful enough that