NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 484: The Second Trial
"Could it be that Charles didn't realize that was an orange quality metal? Maybe that's why he fed it to his mystical beast."
One of the ministers voiced a different opinion.
He assumed that Charles simply didn't recognize the value of the material and had foolishly wasted such a precious resource.
However, Miles, the Emperor of Genosha, immediately refuted the claim.
"No, that's not it. Charles simply doesn't care. His ability to assess items is incredibly sharp. When he entered the royal treasury, he personally selected the most suitable weapons and equipment for everyone."
Of course, there was one thing Miles didn't mention Grace, that unlucky fool, had arrogantly picked a so called supreme spear that was more flashy than functional.
"Not care about orange quality metal? That's worth at least dozens of gold coins!" someone exclaimed in disbelief.
Even for them, as high ranking ministers, their annual salaries typically amounted to about the same unless, of course, they used their positions for personal gain.
It was clear that many were utterly shocked by Charles' extravagance.
An eighteen year old boy… this wealthy?
And that was orange quality metal just casually tossed to his mystical beast and devoured in one bite.
Yet, the mystical beast showed no discomfort whatsoever.
As expected, a diamond tier mystical beast was truly extraordinary.
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While most of the officials were still stunned by Charles' nonchalant disposal of such a valuable resource, Miles and Nathaniel were focused on something else entirely the ranking on the Bronze Division stone tablet.
[First Place: Charles – Completion Time: 38 seconds – Rank: Level 4 Beast Master]
Ezra, now a Level 9 Beast Master, had been a Level 5 Beast Master when he faced this very same trial.
Yet, despite having a higher rank at the time, Ezra had taken longer than Charles to complete it.
Just how terrifying was Charles' talent?
Once he fully grew into his potential, he would undoubtedly surpass Ezra. A Level 9 Beast Master wouldn't be his limit.
Miles took a moment to compose his thoughts before casting a quiet glance at Nathaniel.
When Nathaniel caught his gaze, Miles subtly shifted his attention toward He Xinshan.
Nathaniel paused for a second then understood.
The Emperor was preparing to deal with He Xinshan.
Charles' overwhelming potential had only solidified Miles' resolve.
Normally, taking down a minister like He Xinshan required careful planning a slow, methodical approach to ensure that every one of his associates was captured in one decisive strike.
But now, Miles wanted to make an example out of him.
"His Majesty intends to use He Xinshan as a warning to make sure no one dares to make a move against Charles. And that includes his friends and close allies."
Nathaniel grasped the Emperor's intent but chose not to comment.
Instead, he gave the subtlest nod acknowledging the message.
He would handle the rest.
He Xinshan had no idea that his fate had already been sealed.
At this moment, his mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of how to deal with Charles.
A direct attack was out of the question the best approach would be to use Genosha's power to make Charles suffer.
For example, Genosha was currently cracking down on the Constellation organization with full force.
If he could link Charles' associates to Constellation, he could have them convicted.
The mere thought of Charles in pain, helpless as the people around him were dragged into this mess, brought a twisted smile to He Xinshan's face.
Meanwhile, the others had also finished their trials.
Luna had the best performance, followed by Finn, then Grace. Zachary and Luma came in last.
Each of them now stood before a ranking board though not the same one as Charles'.
Charles' ranking was from an era long past, and there were only five names on it each one belonging to a legendary Genosha powerhouse.
Yet, of those five, only Ezra had reached Level 9 Beast Master.
The rest had peaked at Level 8.
The third ranked Bai Lang had been Miles' father, the former Emperor of Genosha. He had nearly ascended to Level 9, but an accident during his breakthrough had cost him his life.
As for the ranking board of Luna and the others, it read as follows:
[First Place: Hale – Level 5 Beast Master]
[Second Place: Luna – Level 5 Beast Master]
[Third Place: Nathaniel – Level 5 Beast Master]
...
[Fifth Place: Finn – Level 4 Beast Master]
...
[Seventh Place: Grace – Level 4 Beast Master]
...
Zachary and Luma's names did not appear on the board, indicating the gap between them and Luna, Finn, and Grace.
Of course, this ranking didn't determine who would ultimately gain the most from the secret realm.
When facing a sudden assault from a puppet creature, everyone reacted differently.
Rankings alone couldn't fully measure strength or potential only a rough estimate.
Inside the secret realm…
Grace took a deep breath as she stared at the Bronze Division stone tablet.
Seeing Luna and Finn ranked above her left her feeling frustrated.
Aside from Charles, they were also her competition.
If she wanted to obtain Genosha's royal inheritance, she would have to give it everything she had.
Grace bent down, picked up her trial reward, and examined it.
She couldn't quite identify what it was, but judging from its purple quality, it was certainly valuable.
Carefully, she stored it away then, without a sound, she retrieved a small stone and held it in her hand.
Immediately, a gentle breeze stirred around her, and her entire aura shifted.
She suddenly appeared more agile, more elusive her very presence lighter, more ethereal.
Grace confirmed once again that Charles' name did not appear on the leaderboard, which meant he hadn't yet taken the trial or, perhaps, there was a very slim chance that he had been careless and failed the trial outright.
She took a deep breath, shook her head, and cleared the disordered thoughts from her mind. Then, she quickly set off toward the next trial.
Her speed was extraordinary, and her figure was light and flowing, like the wind. In a very short time, she had already surpassed Charles, Luna, and the others in progress, arriving at the next trial.
On the mountain path, a stone was placed at the side of the narrow trail, with a few bold characters carved on it:
[Trial: The Domain of War]
Grace glanced at the words on the stone and immediately understood this must be the second trial.
She knew she had to get ahead of everyone else, pass the trial, and improve her ranking to secure Genosha's royal inheritance.
That way, she would be able to defeat Charles when the agreed time came!
"At all costs! I, a commoner, will never lose to him!" Grace thought, her pride still unshaken. She could not accept that Charles, who also came from Lsengard, could rise above her.
Once someone she had looked down upon, Charles was now becoming increasingly brilliant, while her own name barely ever came up. Perhaps only when others discussed Charles would they even remember her existence.
Grace clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and continued to advance swiftly, pushing herself forward.
Soon, broken swords, supreme spears, shields... all kinds of weapons and armor appeared along the sides of the road. Each weapon was covered in grime, many of them looked as if they had only recently been placed there, with dried bloodstains still visible.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the broken weapons slowly shifted. The sounds of them clashing together echoed dull, not sharp, more like the wailing of the dying.
Outside the Genosha secret realm, Miles watched the scene unfold in the mirror and slowly said, "Grace has already reached the second trial site. Charles is not far behind. Though the others are a bit slower, they won't take much longer."
One of the Genosha ministers immediately whispered, "The Domain of War, huh? This trial is not easy. Anyone with weak resolve will soon break under the pressure."
"Indeed. Every broken weapon represents the suffering and frustration of a warrior, along with the bloodlust of the battlefield. It's not an easy trial to pass."
"I remember Hale, who performed quite well before. It took him an hour to finally escape the Domain of War's influence, didn't it?"
"About an hour, yes. The impact of the Domain of War is hard to recover from quickly."
"Speaking of Hale, we haven't heard much from him recently. I heard he went out on a journey for training? Wonder how he's doing?"
Though the ministers' voices were low, Miles could still hear them clearly. Very few knew that Hale's curse had been completely lifted.
Aside from Charles and Ezra, Hale was likely the strongest genius Genosha had seen in many years. He was slowly recovering, but compared to other geniuses, Hale had lost too much time and had too many gaps in his development.
Sigh... "Let's continue watching the performance of Charles and the others," Miles sighed, focusing his attention back on the mirror, carefully observing the scene unfolding.
Charles had already entered the area of the second trial, and the situation he encountered was exactly the same as Grace's.
"Broken weapons, armor, and the trial's name is The Domain of War? Could all of this have been transported from a battlefield?" Charles thought rapidly to himself.
It was his habit to analyze all the information, the details, and make reasonable inferences to gain a better grasp of the situation.
As Charles continued to observe his surroundings, he moved forward. After just a few steps, he heard the sound of broken weapons and armor clashing together.