"I understand," Shin replied, but his conflicted expression revealed that he did not fully understand the Grand Abbot's words. It was too dangerous a plan. Divine talents were so rare as to be mythical, and yet they were subjecting them to extra danger should one appear during this time.
It was as if they were throwing a beautiful flower, budding but not yet bloomed, into a foggy swamp, and expecting it to flourish. Surely carefully cultivating the flower would be better, but that was not their teachings, nor their methods.
"In due time you will learn. The Divine Seal was recently obtained from the first Divine Trial, and thus it is now our time to do our part. Besides, each of these people gathered before us paid us good money to appear here today, and as much as we claim to be free of worldly desires, we still need spirit crystals to accomplish our goals" the Grand Abbot winked playfully at Shin before nodding his head at Prior Hishen. Prior Hishen stepped forward twice, his actions drawing the eyes of all in the crowd to him as if he had summoned their gazes. The boisterous crowd fell silent, eagerly awaiting the words of the men of the monastery.
"Those who have obtained a seal, step forward!"
Prior Hishen's words offered no friendly remarks or introductions, and instead got straight to business. His voice was calm yet carried an authority that no one dared to question, like the firm words of a parent to a child.
Heads in the crowd swiveled all about, looking to see who would step forward and present a seal to the monastery. Those who would present a seal had to be under one hundred years of age, which could still be considered very young in the cultivation world. The ones stepping forward would no doubt be the most heavenly of geniuses to rise up in the last one hundred years, which was a sight to see regardless of circumstance.
Most of the people in the crowd came from middling backgrounds, and so seeing the esteemed leaders of the respective powers and the young geniuses from those powers was an opportunity of a lifetime, and one they could brag about to their friends and family.
Additionally, there was no cultivation limit, so the ones entering would most likely be in the Late Dao Transformation Realm, or even the Early World Expansion realm.
The eager eyes quickly locked onto about a dozen people who stepped forward through the crowd, appearing at the base of the large staircase. Gasps, whispers, and heated discussions broke out amongst the crowd as some recognized those who had stepped forward.
"Rahze and Lua of the Forbidden Alliance!" a shocked gasp sounded out, pointing to two red clothed cultivators. The male wore a blood red robe, while the female a red dress. Both appeared to be in their late twenties, and both exuded frightful auras; the male a bloodthirsty one, and the female a dangerous one, like a concealed spider waiting to strike from the dark.
The male had short black hair, piercing gray eyes, and a sharp yet handsome face, while the female had long crimson hair, beautiful green eyes, an alluring face that caused some men to go weak in the knees, and a mesmerizing body. Her scant dress added to her mesmerizing allure, which accentuated her large chest and curving figure, and left little to the imagination.
"They're both in the early World Expansion Realm! Are they really under one hundred years old?" someone asked, shocked to see a World Expansion cultivator so young, let alone two.
"They're both around eighty or ninety, well below the age limit. You might know them by their Dao names. Daoist Bloodbane and Daoist Crimson Dream," a knowledgeable person nearby replied.
"That's them?!" someone replied, recognizing the Dao names, but expecting them to belong to cultivators much older than the two youthful people before them.
"That's Yufie! Of the Honorable Alliance!" another exclaimed, pointing to a female who had appeared as well.
She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, and wore a bright green dress which billowed softly in the wind. She had light blue hair that brushed her shoulders, soft blue eyes, and a warm and pretty face. An icy aura seemed to flow around her, making her even more unique looking.
"Daoist Frostmist? That's her?" another exclaimed, recalling her Dao name. "I had no idea she had stepped into the World Expansion realm as well!"
Similar discussions broke out amongst all the groups in the crowd as they gazed with curiosity and excitement at the eleven cultivators who had stepped forward. Amongst the eleven were representatives of all the races, as each had made it a priority to obtain a seal.
There was an ethereal looking Faerie, whose beauty was nearly beyond compare. Her name was Serilia, and was also known as Daoist Heart Reverie. She too was in the Early World Expansion Realm, as was the Monster Race cultivator next to her, Zasgoth Plaguul, a genius World Expansion youth of the Monster Race royal bloodline, third in line for the throne.
He had blackened skin, like the dark of night, and yellow eyes with vertical pupils. Sharp nails jutted out from each finger, and his mouth was filled with small yet razor sharp teeth. His eyes gazed lecherously at the Faerie next to him, who ignored him completely.
Next to Zasgoth was a hulking Barbarian, whose massive figure attracted many gazes. He was also in the Early World Expansion Realm, and it was hard to judge his age due to his unique stature and race. However, most assumed he was like the others, just a few years shy of the age limit.
Next to the barbarian was another human, a male who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had long blue hair, and looked like a regal prince more than a brutish fighter. His body was rather normal, but none dared to doubt his combat prowess, as all knew who this man was. His cultivation was withdrawn, but all could tell he was no less dangerous than any of the others, and he even seemed to be slightly stronger. It was the confidence he carried himself with, as if the others were of absolutely no concern to him.
"That's Zeras Celestria!"
"What? The fifth prince of the Astral Empire!?"
"That's him! I heard he's the most talented of all the Astral Emperor's sons!"
"Wow, he's only sixty, and yet his cultivation is in the World Expansion Realm! He might just be the most talented of the bunch!"
More excited discussions broke out when the crowd recognized Zeras, who was staring curiously at a cultivator who had stepped forward as well, one who wore an inconspicuous robe and a hood that covered their head. Unlike the others, this hooded person was in the Peak Dao Transformation Realm.
The hood they wore had formations on it, obscuring those from gazing within. While a powerful divine sense could penetrate the formation eventually, none did so. One thing for certain was that the person was a female, as their slender yet curvy body betrayed their gender.
The hooded figure turned their head to gaze at the others, and eventually paused on Zeras. The two exchanged a brief glance, and a peculiar expression appeared on Zeras' face. The hooded figure broke the gaze and stared forward once more, ignoring Zeras and the others.
"Interesting," Zeras mumbled to himself with a small smirk on his face, and then inspected one more person who he had never seen before.
It was a young man who had short brown hair, and a rather sinister looking face. His aura was cold and ruthless, as if he would have no problems killing millions with no remorse at all.
He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, much younger than everyone else gathered. Lastly, his cultivation was in the Middle Dao Transformation Realm, the lowest of all gathered. However, Zeras could tell that this individual was more powerful than his cultivation level suggested.
"Quite a few interesting characters," Zeras mused to himself with a smirk on his face, realizing that the event to come would be quite interesting indeed.
