Geniuses

Guen was lying on the soft bed, wondering how the final ranking trial would be decided, when a knock came at the door.

Guen opened the door to find Setti and Uncle Jack looking somewhat grim, while Chen behind them wore a completely bewildered expression.

"What's wrong?" Guen asked, puzzled.

Chen shrugged. "I have no idea either. Uncle Jack said there's something urgent to discuss with us."

Setti was in front, Uncle Jack behind, and their attitude carried a note of deference.

"Let's go inside first." Uncle Jack smiled.

Guen had no choice but to comply.

But once they entered the room and closed the door, Uncle Jack's eyes flickered with hesitation. Guen had to probe: "Could it be that you've found the people who ambushed us in Starlight Forest?"

Uncle Jack looked at Setti, who finally steeled himself and spoke slowly: "That matter isn't something ordinary people could pull off. Outsiders couldn't get in—only the trial participants who entered with us had the means. And being able to plant so many trial participants, along with the methods to lure ferocious beasts—none of that is something common people could manage."

Guen frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. "We all know this isn't something an ordinary faction could do. At the very least, it would take an official organization. We've come this far—what's there left that can't be said?"

Setti's expression was grave. "It's just that this matter involves too much. I don't want to drag all of you into it..."

Guen and Chen laughed together.

Guen shook his head slightly. "We've already been dragged in. The initial ferocious beast attack, the Vajra Ape... weren't those already pulling us into this?"

Chen added, "Besides, even though all the Golden Whiskers were provided by Guen, I'll say this fairly: we didn't hesitate to share them with you. Our sincerity is absolute. But you, Setti—you don't seem to trust us very much?"

Setti frowned. "I just don't want you involved. You don't know how dangerous this is. It's nothing like the trial."

Guen said flatly, "If I'm guessing right, those people should belong to the Imperial Council's army. That means this involves the royal family. If you don't tell us, and we don't know, what happens when the trial ends and we join the Imperial Council? Will we face retaliation? Will we be ambushed? You haven't truly thought about us. Isn't the trial itself dangerous? The enemy is in the dark, we're in the light. Even if you and Uncle Jack bore the brunt of the danger, we still went through it."

Guen stood up and opened the door. "Since you don't want to talk, I won't force you."

Setti was still conflicted. He let out a sigh, and just before leaving, he turned back and said, "Watch out for them."

With that, he left without looking back.

Uncle Jack lingered behind, offering Guen and Chen an apologetic smile.

Guen closed the door, a headache setting in.

"This Setti, pulling a stunt like this? Honestly, if I weren't lacking in strength, hmph." Chen complained.

Hearing Chen's complaint lightened Guen's mood a little. "It seems Uncle Jack has known Setti's identity all along. He just deliberately didn't say anything, kept it hidden."

"Now that you mention it, his strength is impressive. In our Southeast Province, only the four of you have broken through a Force Multiplier of three. His Force Multiplier is even higher than Ganlan and the other two—that's quite surprising. I think he might be a member of the royal family. He just never showed up in previous trials, or appeared elsewhere, and only started the trial after Uncle Jack figured out the rules." Chen analyzed.

"Mm," Guen agreed with that view.

Otherwise, with Uncle Jack's Force Multiplier close to three, there's no way he'd keep failing the trial.

At the very least, in three attempts, he should have passed the most basic trial once, right?

Only this explanation could account for why Uncle Jack was participating in the trial for the third time.

And from the way Uncle Jack acted around Setti, it was clear that this uncle, who had been so good to Guen and Chen in the early years, had some connection with Setti long, long ago.

"Forget all that. My goal this time is first place—that's what I'm after." Guen's eyes burned with determination.

Chen nodded, but his gaze wasn't as fierce; instead, it drifted away as his thoughts wandered.

Over the next two days, young talents from various provinces challenged each other. In letters, there's no first; in martial arts, there's no second. Everyone who made it here was a child of destiny.

How could they easily concede to others?

But amid the mutual challenges, even the most stubborn had to face reality: the higher the Force Multiplier, the stronger the displayed strength.

A Tier 8 Warrior with a threefold Force Multiplier could only gain a slight edge over a Tier 7 Warrior with a fourfold Force Multiplier. Instead, the Tier 7 Warrior's high-multiplier technique could produce extremely powerful attack effects.

In this trial, there were also quite a few Artifact Users—fifteen in total across all provinces.

Most of these Artifact Users had a twofold Force Multiplier. Only one woman from the Northwest Province stood out, nearing a fourfold Force Multiplier.

Ganlan and the other young masters weren't ordinary people. They knew that Artifact Users relied on Telekinetic Power to exert force. Warriors could train their bodies and gradually increase their Force Multiplier, but Artifact Users had no systematic or effective way to train—raising their Telekinetic Power Force Multiplier was extremely difficult.

Not to mention how rare Artifact Users were.

Of the 479 trial participants here, only fifteen were Artifact Users. That alone showed how scarce they were. As a result, Artifact Users rarely received Legacies and mostly fumbled their way through on their own.

And that Artifact User woman from the Northwest Province—Ganlan and the others knew she wasn't secretly trained by some big family or organization. She had cultivated herself. That was absurd.

Without a Legacy, a twofold Force Multiplier was the ceiling for Artifact Users, yet she had achieved fourfold. Everyone knew she was a genius among geniuses. But none of those with backing, like Ganlan, tried to recruit her.

Because their fathers had passed down a shocking piece of news through various channels.

One of the only two Saint Tier powerhouses in the Aoyu Empire was keeping a close eye on this person.

The others naturally abandoned any thoughts of recruiting and could only try to curry favor.

Of course—Super Tier experts. Any faction, even civilian organizations like the Demon Hunters or the Crimson Moon Society, could produce over a dozen. The entire Aoyu Empire had more than two hundred. But there were only two Saint Tier powerhouses.

Saint Tier powerhouses held absolute authority and prestige. Even if they merely showed interest, other factions and individuals had to back off.

"Look, it's Lianda." Ganlan and his group of young masters were gathered, drinking and chatting, when someone noticed an ordinary-looking woman with wheat-colored skin walk into the hall and take a seat in a corner.

Lianda, the strongest trial participant from the Northwest Province this time. An Artifact User with a fourfold Telekinetic Power Force Multiplier.

Artifact Users were already said to be invincible at the same tier. If their Force Multiplier was close to a warrior's, then the warrior was doomed to lose.

So although he appeared ordinary, no one dared to underestimate him.

"Look, Toster from Eastsea Province is trying to chat her up again. He's already been rejected, yet he's still so shameless," someone mocked.

"Shut up. Toster is a Super Tier warrior with fivefold power output. It's perfectly normal for him to pursue Lianda. And you, a threefold power output loser, dare to mock Toster? Without your city lord father, you'd struggle just to pass the trials," someone from Eastsea Province immediately retorted.

The one who first mocked flushed red.

His strength was indeed weak. Threefold power output could get him to Lionheart City, but passing the trials required luck. Some unlucky ones, even with threefold power output, had a decent chance of failing even the initial trial.

That was why the rule allowed a maximum of three attempts per person—to give those unlucky bastards a chance.

The one who retorted was from Eastsea Province. Though he also had threefold power output, his combat skills were rich, specializing in one-hit kills. The first mocker was no match for him.

So he had to change the subject: "Those with fivefold power output are certainly worthy of respect, but not all of them are like that."

At these words, everyone's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Ganlan.

Ganlan shot an annoyed look at the speaker.

All were genius warriors from different provinces. Unless they had extremely good relations, everyone spoke up for their own province, even if they didn't know each other or didn't get along normally.

And mutual challenges were very common.

The weak challenging the strong was even more common.

Threefold challenging fourfold, fourfold challenging fivefold, fivefold challenging Lianda.

Fivefold power output was rare, but not nonexistent.

Eastsea Province had two, Central Province had three, other provinces—Southwest Province had one, and Southeast Province had Guen.

But aside from Guen, all the other fivefold power output geniuses had formidable records, and no one dared challenge them anymore. Only Guen kept holed up in his room, doing who knows what.

"This Guen—if I had fivefold power output, I'd have challenged the geniuses from every province long ago. But him? He's bringing shame to our Southeast Province."

Ganlan felt bitter inside but still spoke up: "What do you know? Guen is preparing for the top three. Do true experts care about empty fame?"

"Heh heh."

The people around chuckled, their expressions varied.

Some believed it, but more didn't.

Suddenly, a Super Tier expert walked to the center of the hall, and everyone fell silent. The Super Tier expert nodded in satisfaction: "Everyone, assemble at Suqi Volcano outside the East Gate. The final trial begins in four hours."

"It's finally starting." Ganlan stood up excitedly like the others, but prayed inwardly, "Guen, don't embarrass me. I've already talked you up. Seven provinces total—this time, Southeast Province can't be dead last again."