Ninth Rank

The battle between Andres and Yulian was scheduled for a month later.

For that month, Andres shut himself away and focused on training.

The time passed in a flash.

On the day of the battle, Andres stepped out of his courtyard.

"Lord Andres!" Matos was waiting outside the gate.

Teresa and Inori were there too.

"Andres, how are you feeling? How confident are you?" Inori asked.

"Completely," Andres said.

Teresa and Inori both froze.

"Teacher Andres, a Saint Realm expert told us in class that Yulian is practically the strongest fighter below the Saint Realm. You—" Teresa hesitated and left the rest unsaid, but his expression made it clear: he thought Andres was being arrogant.

Holy Alliance Trainees attended class once a week, and their instructors were Saint Realm experts from the various races.

After Andres challenged Yulian, their battle became the hottest topic among the trainees.

During class, many trainees asked their instructors what they thought of the coming fight.

The Saint Realm experts had given much the same answer.

The two were evenly matched. The outcome was impossible to predict.

That was why neither Teresa nor Inori had expected Andres to be so confident.

Andres smiled faintly. Rather than explain, he said, "You'll see soon enough."

He had good reason for his confidence. Over the past month, his understanding of the Profound Mystery of Swiftness had deepened, and he had finally raised his Battle Qi to the Ninth Rank, making up for his greatest weakness!

My strength should be close to Linley's when he first fought Steller, Andres thought.

When Linley first fought Steller, a Saint Realm Peak expert of the Church of Light, he had been a Level Eight Warrior. His Dragonblood Warrior transformation had raised him to Peak Level Nine, while his understanding of the Earth Pulse Profound Mystery had only just begun. He had created the Triple Wave from it.

Andres could not match Linley's Battle Qi or physique after that transformation, but his understanding of the Profound Mystery of Swiftness ran deeper than Linley's understanding of the Earth Pulse had at the Triple Wave stage.

And with the Triple Wave, Linley had managed to inflict a minor wound on Steller.

Andres would not claim he could wound Steller, but dealing with a magical beast below the Saint Realm that had no understanding of the Law Profundity would be easy.

Andres led the way toward the Battle Arena.

Teresa and the others followed, still only half convinced.

The Battle Arena was packed, even livelier than it had been for Yulian's fight with Richard.

Andres reached the edge of the ring. Yulian had not arrived yet, so Teresa and the others headed for the stands.

He looked around. The stands were almost full, and he spotted quite a few Saint Realm experts in the best seats near the ring.

He saw Trevor, Yasen, Abad, Patur, and other Human Saint Realm experts, along with pointed-eared Elf Saint Realm experts and stocky Dwarf Saint Realm experts.

Many Saint Realm experts were watching this battle closely.

Trevor gave Andres an encouraging look, and Andres nodded back.

In the stands, Trevor said softly to a Human Saint Realm expert beside him, "If Andres wins, our race will have another trainee at the top of the Cadet Ranking. Last time—"

Trevor suddenly realized what he was saying and stopped.

The other Human Saint Realm experts' expressions changed.

Abad snapped, "Trevor, watch your mouth!"

Trevor seemed to know he had spoken out of turn and said no more.

The Human Saint Realm experts fell silent too. They looked tense as they carefully watched Yasen.

Yasen smiled faintly. "It's fine. Trevor is right. Having another genius like Creig would be a blessing for the Human Race."

Only then did the Human Saint Realm experts seem to relax.

Patur watched Andres standing beside the ring. His face betrayed nothing, but inwardly he sneered.

Borg had told him that Yulian had been improving over the past month too. He had absorbed more and more Mithril and now stood just a step away from the Saint Realm.

Beat Yulian and take first place on the Cadet Ranking? Dream on!

No one else noticed the stir among the Human Saint Realm experts. The Battle Arena rang with voices as spectators discussed the fight about to begin.

Yulian arrived and walked to the opposite side of the ring from Andres.

Whoosh!

A streak of light descended and landed in the ring. It was the Saint Realm expert who would oversee the battle.

He was a handsome young man with green hair and pointed ears. His narrow eyes turned up slightly at the corners, and their clear blue irises gleamed like brilliant sapphires.

"Ah, it's Lord Rhode!"

Cries of surprise rose from the stands as soon as the green-haired young man appeared.

Andres's expression shifted too.

So that's Rhode! The genius of the Life Elf Race!

He had heard of Rhode. The most outstanding talent the Life Elf Race had produced in centuries, Rhode was only a little over a hundred years old but had already reached the Saint Realm Limit. Many considered him the Saint Realm expert most likely to become a god.

As Andres looked at Rhode, the system in his mind finally responded.

Target: Rhode.

Talent: Mid-level God of Life Rule, Low-level God of Water Element.

Binding Quest (based on the target's innermost desire): Love.

Completion condition: Help Rhode win Lulutia's heart.

Completion reward: Choose one of two talents: Mid-level God of Life Rule or Low-level God of Water Element.

Rhode was the second person with god-level talent Andres had encountered in the Holy Alliance, after Yasen.

A Low-level God of Water Element!

Andres had little interest in Life Law. According to Hongmeng in the original story, Linley had been able to transcend because he possessed talents in Earth Fire Water Wind. Missing one would not do, and having an extra one was undesirable.

An extra talent was not impossible, just undesirable. But if even someone as powerful as Hongmeng thought so, Andres did not dare gamble on it.

He intended to acquire only the four talents of Earth Fire Water Wind.

Rhode's Low-level God of Water Element talent was exactly what he needed right now.

Lulutia? Who is she?

Seeing that Rhode's Binding Quest required winning the heart of someone named Lulutia left Andres puzzled.

Given Rhode's strength and talent, a woman he admired was unlikely to be ordinary.

But Andres had heard at least something about most of the powerful Saint Realm experts during his time in the Holy Alliance. None had been named Lulutia.

This was no time to investigate, though, so Andres set the question aside.

"Both of you, come into the ring," Rhode said with a smile to Andres and Yulian.

Though he and Yulian were both Elves, one was a Life Elf and the other a Druid. They belonged to different Elven races, so Rhode could referee the battle.

Andres stepped into the ring and walked toward Rhode.

Across from him, Yulian approached at an unhurried pace.

The two stopped several yards apart, with Rhode between them.

After a few brief words, Rhode slowly flew into the air and announced the start of the battle.

Cheers erupted from the stands. The spectators had waited a long time for this fight.

Amid the cheers, Andres and Yulian moved at the same instant.

Yulian transformed into a Stone-Devouring Beast in a flash, while Andres drew the flexible sword from his waist.