Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Miracle
Chapter 144: Miracle
Fabian slowly descended into the main seat at the center of the elevated platform.
Beside him, City Lord Cassian, Patriarch Aurelian, and the Solari Patriarch also took their seats, flanked by the Stormveil Academy disciples, looking down at the massive arena with undisguised boredom.
DONG—!
The gong struck a third time, and the first trial officially began.
Immediately, a line formed at the base of the platform.
Hundreds of young cultivators shuffled forward nervously.
The first candidate—a broad-shouldered youth from a minor clan—stepped up to the tablet with visible confidence.
He placed his palm against the black steel and channeled his essence.
A thin wisp of crimson flickered from the tablet’s surface, rising weakly into the air.
Three feet.
The light sputtered and died.
"Failed. Next," Fabian’s voice was devoid of any emotion.
The youth’s face crumbled, and he left the stage dejectedly.
The next candidate did not perform much better.
Four feet.
"Failed."
Then another. Six feet.
"Failed."
One after another, the hopeful geniuses of the Outer Frontier stepped forward, only to be mercilessly culled by the impassive black steel.
On the elevated seat, where Stormveil Academy, and city’s elites sat.
"Pathetic," a Stormveil disciple—a beautiful young woman at the second level of the Spirit Manifestation Realm—scoffed, her arms crossed lazily over her chest. "Is this truly the best the Outer Frontier has to offer? I’ve seen alley cats with more latent potential."
"Don’t be too harsh, Calanthe," a male disciple beside her chuckled. "Remember, Elder Fabian said the Outer Frontier occasionally produces rough diamonds. We just need to find one or two worth polishing."
"At this rate, we’ll be here until next year," Calanthe replied with a bored yawn.
Down in the arena, the rejection continued incessantly.
A scarred young man from the northern wastes barely managed nine feet before his light extinguished.
"Failed. You are one foot short."
The crowd winced collectively. So close, yet so impossibly far.
After nearly thirty minutes, the first successful candidate finally emerged.
A young man from the Gale Valley Sect placed his trembling hand on the tablet.
A beam of golden light shot upward.
Twelve feet.
"Passed. Step to the right."
A visible expression of pride, and ecstacy appeared on the boy’s face for being the first one to pass the trial.
He swaggered over to the designated area for successful candidates.
The crowd erupted into scattered applause, though the Stormveil disciples didn’t even spare a glance.
Twelve feet was merely the baseline of acceptable mediocrity in their eyes.
As the morning wore on, a pattern emerged.
The overwhelming majority of candidates failed to reach the ten-foot threshold.
Of every hundred who stepped forward, hardly one managed to cross the line.
Those who did mostly hovered between ten and twenty feet—respectable enough to pass, but nothing that caused the Stormveil envoys to raise an eyebrow.
"The average talent here is truly miserable," Calanthe noted clinically. "Even among those who passed, none have exceeded thirty feet."
That was when the major clan geniuses began to take the stage.
A young man wearing the crest of the Solari Clan strode confidently onto the platform, his chin held high.
Forty-two feet.
A ripple of impressed murmurs spread through the commoner seats.
Despite that, Calanthe and other Stormveil Academy disciples were still looking utterly dismissive.
Then Sylvan stepped forward.
The proud genius of the Silvercrest Clan walked onto the platform with unshakable confidence, his ninth-level Essence Condensation aura radiating outward like an unsheathed blade.
"That’s Sylvan, Silvercrest Clan’s number one prodigy," someone in the crowd whispered.
"Level 9 Essence Condensation at nineteen years old. In Mirravele City, that’s practically the apex of talent."
Sylvan placed his palm against the black steel, and silver-white essence surged into the tablet.
WHOOSH—!
A brilliant column of silver light erupted, soaring upward.
One hundred. One hundred twenty. One hundred fifty feet.
The light finally stabilized at one hundred fifty feet, and a wave of impressed gasps swept through the Colosseum.
"One hundred and fifty feet!"
"That’s the highest we’ve seen all day!"
"As expected of the Silvercrest Clan’s greatest genius!"
Even Fabian gave an approving nod, ’Pass!’
Sylvan’s chest swelled with pride. He cast a smug, sweeping glance across the arena before descending, his earlier humiliation from the strength comparison entirely forgotten.
Among all the Mirravele City candidates so far, his result was the highest.
His Silvercrest Clan members erupted into enthusiastic cheers behind him.
From the elevated seating area, Patriarch Aurelian watched with a restrained but genuine smile.
Solas also nodded in approval.
"One hundred and fifty," Solas murmured. "Not bad for the boy. It seems his recent humbling did him some good."
Next was Liana.
The moment her elegant figure stepped onto the platform, the entire Colosseum stirred.
Her flowing silver dress and breathtaking beauty drew the eyes of every man in the arena.
But this time, it wasn’t just the candidates of Mirravele City who took notice.
"Oh? Who is that one?" A handsome young man among the Stormveil disciples leaned forward, his eyes lighting up with interest as he studied Liana.
His robes were trimmed with gold thread, marking him as someone of considerable status even within the Academy. "She has quite the refined temperament."
Aurelian, who was not sitting far from the handsome young man immediately looked up, and replied with a flicker of pride on his face, "Honored disciple, she is my daughter, Liana."
"Your daughter?" The young man’s smile widened. He gave Aurelian an appraising look. "You’ve raised a fine daughter, Patriarch. Tell you what—if she manages to pass this first trial on her own merit, I’ll personally see to it that she sails through the second round. Consider it a gift."
Aurelian’s eyes brightened with uncontainable joy. For a Stormveil disciple of such evident status to extend such a promise was a blessing beyond measure. "I thank the honored disciple for his grace upon my daughter!"
On the platform, Liana drew a slow breath. She pressed her palm against the cold black steel and circulated her essence.
WHOOSH—!
A pillar of pure silver light burst from the tablet, climbing steadily upward until it reached one hundred feet.
The crowd erupted in admiration. To reach one hundred feet was exceptional among all the candidates; it was clear that her talent was as incredible as her beauty.
"Pass," Fabian remarked.
Liana exhaled in relief, a graceful smile touching her lips as she walked to the area where successful candidates stood.
Aurelian and Solas both visibly beamed with joy.
The trial continued.
Hundred upon hundreds of Mirravele City geniuses took their turns, but the results were sobering.
Hardly any could even surpass the ten-foot minimum, and among those who did, only the most renowned prodigies managed to brush against the hundred-foot mark.
Throughout the entire trial, only a single candidate—a reclusive sword prodigy from an ancient hidden sect—managed to break two hundred feet, his result drawing genuine astonishment from even the Stormveil disciples.
In the viewing area, Seris sat beside Rhain, her slender fingers nervously twisting the fabric of her dress.
"Husband..." Seris whispered, her beautiful pale purple eyes filled with a trace of nervous apprehension. "Their standards are so incredibly high. What... what if I fail?"
Rhain let out an amused chuckle.
He reached out and gently grasped her soft, snow-white hand, his dark grey eyes curving into a relaxed smile. "You? Fail? My wife is an otherworldly fairy with talent that could tip over a whole city. You will definitely pass."
"But what if I don’t?" she pouted slightly, biting her pink lip.
Rhain shrugged casually, entirely unbothered by the lofty prestige of the Stormveil Academy. "If you fail, then we simply won’t join them. Inner Province is vast, and there are countless powers and sects out there. If this academy is completely blind to your talent, we will just find another way in."
His absolute, unshakable calmness instantly melted away the nervousness in her heart. Seris gave a small, resolute nod and finally stood up.
As she stepped onto the platform, the noisy, bustling atmosphere of the Grand Colosseum suddenly quieted.
The moment she came into view, her breathtaking, otherworldly beauty and transcendent temperament instantly captivated the entire crowd.
Her silver-blue hair fluttered gently in the wind, and her flawless face, free of any heavy makeup, exuded a dazzling gentleness and softness that was simply impossible to describe with mere words.
Countless young men stared with their mouths agape, their souls seemingly drawn out of their bodies.
"By the Gods... where did such a beauty come from?"
"Is she even human? She looks like an immortal fairy descending from the sky..."
"I can’t believe someone prettier than lady Liana exists in this world..."
Even the arrogant Stormveil disciples were no different. They all stared at Seris with spellbound expressions.
Up on the high platform, the handsome Stormveil disciple’s eyes stared at Seris as if his soul had just been stolen away.
He asked Aurelian in a trembling voice, but his eyes never left Seris’s beautiful figure. "Patriarch Aurelian... who... who is that girl?"
Aurelian immediately replied, "Honoured disciple, she is Seris."
The handsome man reluctantly cast his gaze away from Seris to look at Aurelian "Don’t tell me... she is also your daughter?"
He looked Aurelian up and down with open curiosity, genuinely puzzled. What kind of unremarkable old man could possibly sire daughters of such heavenly beauty?
Not only the Stormveil disciple, but even City Lord Cassian and the Solari Patriarch turned their heads to stare at Aurelian with deeply questioning gazes.
Their eyes clearly asked: What the hell is so special about this old bastard? Did he secretly hide an illegitimate daughter?
How could his bloodline possibly produce such heavenly, soul-stealing beauties one after another?
Aurelian coughed violently, his face flushing red with embarrassment under their intense scrutiny. "Ahem! No, no, honoured disciple misunderstands! She is not my daughter. She is an esteemed guest of our Silvercrest Clan!"
"Oh!" The young man nodded, his eyes returning back to Seris with unblinking gaze.
Sitting beside him, Calanthe noticed his spellbound expression, and her face was incredibly ugly.
As a genius of the Inner Province, she prided herself on being superior to the "trash" of the Outer Frontier in every single aspect—including her looks. But looking at the flawless, silver-haired girl below, she felt like a crude pebble placed next to a beautiful diamond.
"Hmph!" Calanthe snorted loudly, her voice dripping with venomous disdain, purposely raising her tone so the other disciples could hear. "What are you all staring at? She is obviously just a pretty flower vase! She probably won’t even reach five feet on the tablet."
Hearing her bitter remarks, a few of the Stormveil disciples exchanged awkward glances, though none dared to refute her.
Down on the stage, Seris came to a stop before the Origin Insight Tablet.
She took a soft breath, raised her delicate hand, and placed it gently against the cold surface of the Origin Insight Tablet.
For a split second, nothing happened.
And then...
RUMBLE—!
The massive, thirty-foot-tall black steel monument suddenly began to vibrate violently.
BOOM!
An explosive pillar of icy-blue and silver light erupted from the stone.
It didn’t just climb the tablet; it practically detonated!
One hundred feet.
Five hundred feet.
One thousand feet!
The crowd’s eyes stretched so wide they looked as though they might pop out of their skulls.
But the light didn’t stop. It wasn’t even slowing down!
Three thousand feet!
Four Thousand feet!
Five thousand feet!
"Impossible!" Fabian stood up from his seat with widened eyes.
Seven thousand feet!
The blinding, transcendent pillar of icy-blue light shot straight past the top of the tablet, piercing directly into the clouds above Mirravele City.
It finally came to a halt at a staggering, logic-defying ten thousand feet!
All eyes in the grand colosseum regardless of their age, cultivation, or status, openly stared at the blinding pillar of the light that pierced straight through the clouds.
A ten-thousand-foot miracle!
