Outside the volcano.
The middle-aged man could barely believe his eyes. They already knew this was the case, but seeing it was quite unbelievable. Four grade nine geniuses, all four are friends.
Just how powerful is their background that they were able to create such elite figures. These were geniuses whose names would go on to shake the continent in the next ten years or so, as long as they didn't die prematurely, they were all bound to become famous.
"They've all completed the trial in such a short time." One Elder commented.
The others nodded. Grey and his friends managed to achieve something they didn't think they would see in their lifetime. As much as the Elders were flabbergasted, they were also extremely envious of the force that had the trio. From their fighting techniques, it was clear that they were all from different forces. They only managed to become friends through one way or the other.
How the four became friends is none of their business, but the fact that they were all grade nine geniuses was beyond imagination.
"How can we form ties with them?" An Elder asked.
"We first need to know where they're from. If we can pay them a visit some time in the future, they will certainly remember us. Also, they should be indebted to us since we let them use our trial to grow. Even if they wouldn't grow much, they still can't deny the fact that they got some things from this place." An Elder made mention of the benefits the group had already benefited.
They didn't have to pay anything to get these, so it could be said to be a way of building ties with them.
"You're right. We've given them the privilege of using our volcano. Even seeing the Phoenixes and absorbing them is an honor for anyone, no matter how talented they are." Another Elder said.
"We'll see how they act after they come out." The middle-aged man said.
He agreed with what the Elder said, but he wanted to ensure that they didn't rush this. They had to be very delicate with this issue. The discussions of the Elders and the middle-aged man had been kept away from the ears of the few people who didn't enter the volcano.
The last part wasn't visible to others, only the Elders and the middle-aged man. Only they were able to see Grey and his friends battle with the Phoenixes.
Seeing the group walking further, one of the Elders raised an alarm.
"Where are they going?"
"Huh?"
The middle-aged man and the others were taken aback and looked at the group of four. Contrary to what they expected, they weren't heading towards the bright light that would take them out of the volcano, rather, they were headed in another direction.
The expression of the middle-aged man and the Elders changed drastically.
"How did he find it?" The middle-aged man was shaken.
Grey wasn't headed out of the volcano, rather, he was heading towards what seemed to be a waterfall, but instead of water, lava was what was falling off the place.
Only those who knew this place knew of the secret passage there. But Grey was heading there as if he knew about it before entering. They knew certain Grey didn't have any idea of this place before coming here, they saw the curiosity in his eyes. Nevertheless, his current performance was starting to make them doubt if he truly had zero knowledge about this place.
Knowing there was a passage there was one thing, being confident enough to know that the lava wouldn't hinder him was another thing.
They all froze as they watched Grey's group stand in front of the lava. From how Grey was walking around, and his thoughtful expression, they knew he didn't know how to pass the place.
They heaved a sigh of relief when they saw this, but their relief didn't last for long. The reason for this was because Grey used an inscription to attack the lava. Seeing his attack disappear into it, he created multiple inscriptions and attacked simultaneously with them. An opening showed up and the group bolted through it before it closed up.
This told the Elders and middle-aged man that he didn't know it was safe to pass through. But this didn't change the fact that he had passed through.
"Is he truly going to be able to study the array?" One of them was short of words.
The middle-aged man didn't know what to say.
….
Inside the volcano.
Grey was able to sense this place thanks to Void. Although Void didn't speak to him, he was still able to sense his general location. Following him, he found out he was somewhere behind the lava.
After getting through, what he had been waiting for came into view. An intricate array appeared before his eyes.
The array was on the same level as the ones he saw in the secret realm.
'Damn! I thought it wouldn't be this difficult.' He complained internally.
He quickly got to work after seeing the array. An entire cave was filled with array lines, and he knew this wasn't the complete array, but the core. If he could understand this, he didn't need to worry about the other part of the formation, he could use this to create it himself.
Klaus looked around, sensing the array, he looked away. He didn't want to burn his brain cells. This wasn't for him, and he wasn't going to pretend it was.
"Don't you know where we can get more of that good stuff?" He asked.
"I'm studying, don't bother me. You can explore the cave. If you find anything good, it's your luck." Grey chased them away.
When they saw his current state, they knew nothing would be able to get Grey from this place. Other than the Faction Leader or Elders of the Phoenix Faction, anyone weaker than him wouldn't be able to get him to move.
