The moment that name was announced, an uproar of discussion swept through the hall.
"That fellow who doesn't even have a name?"
"He's up against Tonyson? Talk about bad luck. Against anyone else, he might have had a chance, but this is Tonyson, a genius among geniuses! He has so many titles, ranks, and honors that you couldn't count them all. There's no real hope of him winning."
"Don't say that. How could anyone who made it here not be a genius? Besides, none of us talking here are as good as he is, so we have no right to look down on him either."
The outstanding young talents who had yet to become Elementalists buzzed with discussion. Many already held command positions such as Knight Commander, or titles such as baron. They were the future pillars of the Holy Temple, the unyielding backbone of the wars to come. That made their discussions all the more compelling, something no one wanted to miss.
Zeng Mu was no exception. Listening closely, he missed not a single word. Even when their voices grew so quiet that only those taking part could hear, inaudible to anyone even five paces away, they still could not escape his owl-like hearing.
Sometimes, being too sensitive was not a good thing. At that moment, Zeng Mu finally understood what those words truly meant.
As their discussion leaned increasingly in Tonyson's favor, he simply stopped listening. Turning his head back as though he had made up his mind, he resumed watching the lot cylinder in Soxia's hands, a clear goal already forming in his heart.
Twenty paces away, Tonyson had reached a similar conclusion, though for him it was not a goal but an easy, carefree thought, as effortless as raising a hand to make a simple decision.