Master Forrest should have announced the results of the tournament at this point, but he was far too depressed.The tournament was a pivotal event, and not only did it involve the reputation of their clan, but other benefits were at stake as well.Master Forrest had thought that victory was already assured, but he did not expect a dark horse to throw his plans into disarray. He had only managed to win one out of three rounds! He did not know what to tell his higher-ups at all, and he could already see the miserable fate that would follow.Regardless, he could not get too emotional at that moment. He had fallen silent for far too long, and Fane did not want to remain there for that long anymore.When the spectators did not say anything, he turned around and faced Master Forrest. "Shouldn't you be announcing the results? I believe I didn't use up that much time this round."Master Forrest bitterly closed his eyes and, after keeping his silence, announced, "The third round has ended
Apart from Elder Baggins and Elder Eliot, the others looked much at ease.Elder Eliot sipped at his tea, frowning in concern, which did not go unnoticed by Elder Baggins. Even though Elder Eliot did not say why he was concerned, it was obvious from a glance.Elder Baggins sighed in helplessness. "Rick had crossed the line this time. It's not the first time he's incorporated his grudges into official matters."We can ignore what happened before since it didn't cause any trouble, but I can't believe he actually got worse. He tried to cause trouble in such an important tournament! Is he not worried that something detrimental could happen? Can he bear the consequences?"Elder Elliot nodded in agreement. "Doesn't he know how important the tournament is? It involves the interests of the Whirling World! Both the inner and outer valley elders all know how important this tournament is, yet he threw all caution out of the window and just had to recommend Fane to participate!"Even if Fane i
Elder Eliot frowned as he muttered under his breath, "Look at how Rick can still drink his tea and chat away. It seems like he doesn't know how bad the consequences of his actions can be."If we lose, Phoenix Valley will be hurt gravely, be it in terms of our reputation or our coffers. Things would be much harder than us in the future. We're already in a dangerous position in the first place. Do you think he's just stupid or overly selfish?"Elder Baggins sipped his tea and grumbled, "It's probably a mix of both. Others don't know, but we as elders know what's at stake here. The main rights to the Whirling World have always been in the hands of us and the Unbreaking Pavilion."The only reason Sky Peak Pavilion is competing with us is to gain more benefits in the Whirling World. If we lose, we'd just be giving Sky Peak Pavilion a piece of what's ours for no reason."Worse still, our reputation will crumble, too! Anyone with half a brain would understand how important this is, but Ri
Elder Eliot had thought that it would not take long for Fane to get tested for the inner valley.If Fane passed the test, he would become an inner-valley alchemist. He would no doubt become an elder in the future, given his capabilities and talents. Alas, such ideals might not be certain after this hurdle.Elder Maurice could not help but feel a sense of pity, sighing in the process.He was silent for a long time before he said, "I still don't understand something. Since this tournament is so important, why didn't we use the alchemists of the inner valley?"Even though the outer valley's alchemists are no weaker than the alchemists outside, I'm just worried that anything unexpected could happen. I'd use inner valley alchemists if it were up to me."It might look like overkill, but it's better to be a hundred people, just to be certain. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, really."Elder Baggins raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Elder Eliot. He sighed lightly as he responded in
"Are you saying they don't know Phoenix Valley is the foundation of the Middle Province Alchemist Alliance? They obviously know that many excellent alchemists are a part of Phoenix Valley. The fact that they agreed to the tournament means that they're prepared!"Hearing that, Elder Eliot's expression darkened, agreeing with Elder Baggins' point. Everything had happened far too quickly, and the negotiations went well without a hitch.With the problems Phoenix Valley had been going through, they did not care about the details.Thinking of this, he started to feel like everything before them was more than just a smooth-sailing event but a massive trap prepared by someone else instead, just waiting for them to fall into.With that in mind, Elder Eliot became even more unsettled.Elder Baggins took a deep breath as he turned to look at Elder Turner, who held the highest position among the seven elders and was Phoenix Valley's decision-maker.The elder was sipping tea as he listened to
At that moment, Elder Rick, Elder Eliot, and Elder Baggins were at a corner of the hall. None would be able to hear them, so long as they kept their voices down.Rick's lips twisted to a small frown as he stared at Elder Eliot unpleasantly.Elder Eliot had never been one to twist his words. Thus, rubbing his chin, he began, "Why are you using an important official matter for revenge? You recommended Fane. Don't you know how important this tournament is? We have to send our people into the Whirling World. If we lose out on a portion of the rights, do you know how much it'll impact Phoenix Valley? If we, Phoenix Valley, lose to Sky Peak Pavilion, it'll hurt our reputation a great deal! You're crossing the line here!"Elder Eliot wanted to call Rick despicable and shameless, betraying his own clan, but he swallowed these harsh words. After all, he did not want to make a complete enemy out of Rick.Alas, Elder Rick had been triggered.Elder Baggins signed helplessly. He knew that Elde
Elder Eliot snorted, ignoring Elder Rick's question.However, this did not deter Elder Rick as he pursed his lips, looking like he suddenly thought about something. "That brat is the best candidate, but at the end of the day, he's just a sixth-grade alchemist, and he'll no doubt affect the team negatively. If he does, and even if our valley wins by then, he'd receive punishment. It's quite a pity, since Fane is quite talented."His snide remarks sounded harsh to the ear. Elder Rick had just so firmly said that he did not have a grudge against Fane, yet he so openly said such things! No doubt was he a bitter person, through and through.Elder Eliot felt a surge of rage in his heart. Just as he was about to shout and curse, however, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the distance. All of the elders looked toward the source of the noise at the same time.They saw Elder Maurice walking in with Mr. Zayne, both seemingly calm as they headed into the hall. Far behind them were Fane a
After all, the winner of the tournament was Phoenix Valley. Even though Elder Rick was the one who recommended Fane, Phoenix Valley suffered no losses.Even if Elder Turner decided to pursue the matter, Elder Rick could push the responsibility aside by saying he just wanted to recommend the best candidate. Nothing could hinder him by then, but the same thing could not be said for Fane.Fane had offended Elder Maurice, and with Fane soiling the group's results with his performance in the tournament, he would be punished. Elder Rick just needed to fan the flames by the side, and Fane would suffer consequences he surely could not handle. He could even imagine Fane being chased out of Phoenix Valley.If Fane was chased out of Phoenix Valley, Rick would have him assassinated. No matter how much potential Fane has, he was nothing more than a vermin he disliked. He was, after all, a person that would rather kill his opponents than forgive them.Fane would not live another day, and he woul
There was a heavy rumbling as the door slowly opened. A boundless sense of energy seemed to come from it.A few of them looked inside. Other than the green light, they could see nothing. The light completely obscured their sight. If they wanted to look inside, they would have to step in themselves.On the way there, Fane had already talked to Lourain about it. Lourain wanted to see what the legendary Valley of Enlightenment was like. That was why Fane asked for two spots.The three of them exchanged looks with each other, and they did not hesitate to step forward together, entering the door.The power of distorting space suddenly pulled the three of them in. The space around them started to spin rapidly. They did not know how much time passed, but it felt like a whole century before the space slowed down in front of them. Then, the sense of weightlessness disappeared as their feet landed on solid ground.The three of them had not been sent to different locations and arrived at the
Zayne scoffed, "Alright then, how do you want to work together?"He wanted to see what Fane was trying to do.Fane did not waste any time, "Both of us have all three keys, and we can open the door. Ten people can enter the door anyway. I just need two of those spots.Zayne looked at Fane meaningfully, "You sure know quite a bit."Fane even knew that only ten people would be allowed through. He seemed to have done his homework.Zayne took out his purple key from his storage ring. At that moment, all three keys were there. As long as all the keys were placed together, the gateway to the Valley of Enlightenment would open."If you only need two spots, then I don't mind working with you," Zayne looked at Fane meaningfully, but he quickly added, "However, make sure you don't cause any trouble during the important moments."Fane smiled before he said, "I've always been someone who keeps to my word. I'm more worried that you'll cause me trouble instead. There are many geniuses in the V
The two of them knew what that meant. Their eyes met, and worry was evident in their eyes."Is it Fane again?" Zayne said with a frown. At that moment, the first name that popped up in his head was Fane.Only Fane would truly be a big problem for them. Seymour's expression turned sour. He suddenly felt like Fane seemed to be his Achilles heel. Fane could pop out at any time and put him in a difficult spot."That's right! It's me!" At that moment, a voice was heard from afar. The two of them looked in the direction of the voice and saw five figures appearing in the air.This time, Fane did not have a disguise on. He was facing everyone with his real face."It really is you!" Zayne's face completely soured at that moment. Even if they were meeting for the first time, he was already incredibly sensitive to Fane's name.Nothing good ever happened when Fane was mentioned and Fane had actually appeared in front of him."How dare you!" Seymour shouted angrily!He walked forward to sta
When Shin and the others saw that, they were speechless. That person who had looked down on them was completely bound and on the ground at that moment. He looked pathetic.Fane quickly walked toward Warren, reaching out to pull off the mask to reveal his face.Fane controlled his energy, reducing the destructive power in Warren's soul. After the pain diminished, Warren slowly woke up.He looked up and saw the one person he never wanted to see in his life. He lost his voice as he said, "Fane?! It's you!" He almost bit his tongue as he spoke.Fane smiled and nodded slightly, "Yes. It’s me.""No wonder, so it's you! Where's Presti then?" Warren looked up and said.Fane raised an eyebrow and shot an incredulous look at Warren. Warren immediately understood what happened, and his whole face turned pale, "He's dead!"Fane nodded. There was nothing much to hide. Warren gulped, suddenly feeling like his thoughts from earlier were an absolute joke at that moment. He had even been think
After seeing that, there was a surprised look on Warren's face. However, he quickly pushed back that surprise. Even if that man was skilled, he would just be an above-average warrior. Above-average warriors were like paper to him!"Brat, it looks like you have some skill. However, that means nothing in front of me. I'll show you right now what a warrior at the peak is!"Right after he said that, he circulated his true energy around his feet. Red energy started to frantically blow away the dust on the ground. He lunged into the air incredibly fast.Fane raised an eyebrow before he started to form seals with his hands. Countless seals danced around in the air, and a chain appeared.That chain looked like a black dragon as it danced in the air.Warren scoffed in disdain. It was just a petty trick from an above-average warrior in his eyes. That chain would shatter in just one blow.He did not even bother thinking about it as he raised the sword in his hand. A silver ray of light quic
He leaped forward and landed in front of those four. Fane had already noticed Warren a while ago, but Fane relaxed when he saw Warren was alone. If it was just one person, then there was nothing to worry about!"Presti really is a piece of trash. He couldn't even get you!" Warren said with a sneer.Shin clutched his chest and turned to look at Cavill next to him. Cavill nodded slightly and did not say anything. The two of them shut their mouths at the same time as they looked in Fane's direction.Warren immediately felt something was wrong. He turned to look at Fane and saw that Fane was still completely calm as if nothing had happened."Brat, it looks like you're no ordinary person!" Warren said with a sneer.Fane turned to look at him before saying calmly, "Are you here to kill us?"Warren laughed out loud, and his eyes were full of mockery, "What do you think I'm doing here? Do I look like I'm here to chat?"Fane laughed. He could not believe another one turned up so soon aft
When Warren heard that, he felt incredibly exasperated. He mumbled, "It's just Shin, how could there be any trouble? Even if he has some fellow disciples with him, Presti is more than enough. They're all trash anyway."Zayne frowned, and he unleashed an incredibly strong aura that forced Warren to take a step back, "Shut up! Do you think we can afford to be careless right now? We're at the cusp of accomplishing everything right now. We have to be extremely careful. What kind of attitude is this?"Warren immediately shut up and did not dare to say anything. Zayne coldly looked at Warren, and deeply felt like Warren was not someone who could accomplish much. If it was not for the fact that he was useful, Zayne would not even bother bringing Warren through the door with him.Seymour turned to look into the distance. Gray mist filled up the skies, and no one could see the end of the horizon.There was nothing in the skies, and Seymour suddenly started to feel some worry. He was not clo
In front of an ancient stone door, two men were standing there, while another was sitting down and resting.The men who were standing had very stiff expressions on their faces. The two of them looked at each other with animosity in their eyes. It was obvious they were not friendly with each other. The man who was sitting down had his eyes shut and completely ignored the other two."Seymour! You're just the same as Desmond. You can't even get something so simple done. Desmond lost his life. I think you're about to follow suit!" Warren sneered as he mocked.Seymour's expression was dark, and he shot right back, "Warren, stop with those disgusting words of yours! Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You're just trying to push me down and take all the credit for yourself!"Stop joking around! You aren't smart enough to steal my credit! Even though Desmond is already dead, he still did the best he could. He was just tricked by Fane. If it was you, you wouldn't even have
Fane frowned. After he reached out to grab Presti's neck, Presti's life ended with a crack.Shin's eyes widened as he looked at Fane with fear. His savior could very well kill him!Cavill started to panic as well. He looked at Fane with alarm. Even though he was thankful that Fane saved the two of them just now, he had no way to tell what Fane would do after this. Fane slowly walked in front of them, and he did not show much emotion on his face.Cavill said in a dry voice, "Fane, you…?"Fane shook his head, "Don't panic. I won't kill you. Let's work together. It's not like only one person will be able to enter after the door opens."Shin looked at Fane with an incredibly inquisitive look. He thought about it before he said, "I… I don't want to work together. I'll give you the key as thanks for saving me. That Valley of Enlightenment doesn't sound like a good place at all. If I enter, I don't even know if I'll be able to survive."As he spoke, Shin had a bitter look on his face.