"You better go and join the group quickly," Madam Seraphina advised, shifting her attention from the gathering to Orion.
Orion nodded in understanding, preparing to move toward the group. He noticed that both Princess Crystalia and Flintor were also readying themselves to step forward.
However, just as he was about to leave, he looked at Madam Seraphina and said, "Aren't you forgetting to give me something before I go?"
Madam Seraphina furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering what Orion meant.
'Did I promise him something?' she thought. Perplexed by his comment, she awaited an explanation.
Orion tapped his cheeks and continued, "Aren't you going to give me a good luck kiss?"
Madam Seraphina's eyes widened as she was taken by surprise, but she quickly composed herself under Orion's playful gaze. Knowing that he was still waiting for her, she discreetly glanced around to make sure that no one was watching before she brought her lips down to plant a brief peck on his cheek.
Orion, however, seized the opportunity to give her soft-clothed buttocks a light, reassuring squeeze before turning around and hurrying to join the group.
Madam Seraphina wore a slightly pouting expression as she watched him leave.
As Orion moved forward with a broad smile on his face, he drew the attention of numerous onlookers who pointed and murmured about the foreigner from outside the mountain.
He was aware that they had recognized him, but he paid little mind to their curious glances as he reached the group and took his place. Orion exchanged waves with Princess Crystalia and Flintor, and when he spotted Iris in the distance, he waved to her as well.
Princess Crystalia, however, couldn't help but furrow her brows in confusion at Orion's cheerful demeanour. Apart from his apparent lack of seriousness about the upcoming trial, she was puzzled by why he was eyeing the Divine Lake with an expression that suggested he was eager to take a dive.
'Is he that confident?' Princess Crystalia wondered.
She wasn't concerned about her and Flintor's ability to withstand the dense divine magical energy within the lake, as they had done before. Her curiosity lay in whether Orion could achieve the same feat.
This sentiment wasn't limited to her alone; even the elders, the king, and the queen wore furrowed brows and curious expressions, while others pondered the situation deeply.
However, as the trial was about to commence, they all fell silent and watched intently.
The Princess of the Garden surveyed the group and counted approximately two hundred and fifty participants. She sensed a faint magical aura from less than half of the group, leading her to suspect that the Crystalforge Clan might have hesitated to use their entire elite warrior force due to the ongoing war in the kingdom.
Naturally, she could empathize with their dilemma, but she considered their decision profoundly foolish, especially given that this might be their sole opportunity to leave the mountain.
The Princess of the Garden directed her attention to the participants and stated, "The guardians have decided to accompany each of you into the Divine Lake to monitor your progress and retrieve the bodies of those who are unable to continue after entering the Divine Lake."
Witnessing several of them display surprise followed by relief, the Princess of the Garden narrowed her eyes at them and clarified, "Please do not misunderstand. The guardians are not there to take care of you; instead, they are ensuring that your deceased bodies do not defile the Divine Lake. So, don't worry, if you fail to proceed or, better yet, survive being submerged in the Divine Lake, your bodies will be returned to the surface."
Several sighs of resignation escaped the participants as they nodded in understanding, observing the guardians of the garden flying towards them and hovering nearby. At least they could take solace in the prospect of a proper burial should they fail.
In due course, all 250 participants had a guardian assigned to them, who floated closely to monitor their actions. With everything prepared, the Princess of the Garden's gaze briefly settled on Orion, who appeared to be having trouble with the guardian accompanying him.
She shook her head and muttered under her breath, "Forget it."
Then, she refocused her attention on the assembled participants and declared, "You may begin!"
As the Princess of the Garden's words ended, the participants, one by one, submerged into the Divine Lake, creating a distinct resounding splash as about two hundred and fifty individuals dived into its waters, each accompanied by their guardian.
After a few minutes, all the participants had submerged themselves within the Divine Lake, leaving the spectators in silence, their collective breaths held, eagerly anticipating which one among them would obtain the strange power to defeat the White Flame.
"Five feet!"
"Ten feet!"
"Twenty feet!"
The voice of the Princess of the Garden rang out, and the spectators quickly understood that she was announcing the depths reached by the participants within the Divine Lake.
"Twenty-two feet!"
Just as the Princess of the Garden was about to continue, around ten convulsing bodies were catapulted from the Divine Lake to the position where the participants had originally gathered. Their bodies trembled involuntarily, veins expanded to the point of looking as though they might rupture, and their faces turned deathly pale, as if they were on the brink of death.
The spectators, who were well aware of the trial's difficult nature, were forcefully reminded of its ruthlessness.
Even Queen Selene couldn't help but clutch the corner of her gown tightly, her knuckles white as she witnessed more and more participants being expelled from the lake, left to grapple with a desperate fight for their lives.
"Twenty-five feet!" The Princess of the Garden's cold, uncaring voice resounded through the air once more.
By this point, roughly twenty bodies had already been expelled from the Divine Lake, marking their premature failure in the trial.
The Princess of the Garden merely glanced at them briefly before resuming her announcements.
"Twenty-nine feet!"
