The arena towered over the training grounds, its stone walls standing strong against the elents. It lood over them like an imposing sentinel.
Three tiers of graceful arches encircled the arena, each supported by sturdy columns. So of these columns were adorned with intricate carvings of gods and heroes, adding an air of ancient majesty to the structure.
The group spent only a brief mont outside before they were ushered in. Inside, they were t with an equally impressive sight.
A vast expanse of golden sand stretched out before them, bearing the scars of countless past conflicts. Surrounding the sand, the seating tiers rose sharply, creating a seamless circle that provided an uninterrupted view of the arena floor.
Each row of stone seats was ticulously arranged, ascending gracefully to ensure that every spectator had a clear and commanding perspective of the action unfolding below.
The group of students made their way to the stands before Instructor Kyros started speaking.
"When your na is called, you will begin the assessnt."
"First up, Kain Sanguinos."
As the na was called, a figure stood up—a handso man with crimson red eyes and black hair streaked with deep blood-red. Imdiately, murmurs began circulating among the crowd of students. Aiden noticed the commotion and turned to Oliver at his side.
"Who is this guy? Is he soone I should know?"
"You're too focused on training, so I expected you not to know," said Oliver with a smile.
"You know, during the first trial to scale the mountain, when everyone else was left unconscious, he was the only one to make it back on his own. Plus, there's an even more ridiculous rumor, but I don't know if it's true."
Aiden, already impressed by the first statent, leaned in for more details.
"What is it?" asked Aiden.
"I heard that he's already unlocked his second Feat of Renown."
Aiden's eyes widened.
Normally, it was he who amazed others with his accomplishnts. Now, he found himself on the receiving end of surprise.
This wasn't the sa as simply walking out of the difficult mountainous trial; this was completely unprecedented.
"How is that possible? We just awakened our bloodline a few days ago. How could he have already accomplished a Feat of Renown?" asked Aiden, his shock evident.
Oliver shook his head. "It's a little-known fact, but if you achieve sothing worthy of a Feat of Renown before awakening your divine blood, it is possible that you can automatically generate a feat for that.
Although this doesn't directly promote you to such a rank, it completely breaks your divine shackles, aning that if there is enough divinity, you can be directly promoted to the next rank."
Oliver's voice was filled with admiration, but he was still a bit dubious.
"Although it sounds impressive, it's still a bit ridiculous to believe. He's the sa age as us—at most 16. How could he have accomplished a Feat of Renown at such a young age?"
Aiden was taken aback. "Many people don't believe it. They're even saying that after what you pulled on the day we got our divine techniques, he might not be as good as you."
Aiden looked toward the man nad Kain. Their eyes t, and Kain's face curled into a chillingly confident smile. Seeing that smile sent a shiver down Aiden's spine. In that mont, Aiden realized the truth. He didn't know if the rumors about Kain having a Feat of Renown were true, but he knew Kain was no ordinary person.
Aiden had been training his body's sensitivity to threats to perfect the Sunlight Shuttle technique. From that heightened awareness, he could sense that the threat posed by this young man was overwhelming. The aura emanating from Kain was intense; it was like a dark wave of murderous soldiers rushing at him.
Kain's gaze remained fixed on Aiden for a mont longer before he turned away, his confidence unwavering.
He stepped forward, his body leaning into the air before gracefully landing on the arena floor.
Instructor Kyros looked at Kain's bold and confident deanor and nodded with a smile.
"As expected of soone who could show a special phenonon during his awakening."
"Trainee Kain, the test will begin whenever you're ready."
When Kain heard this, a wide smile appeared on his face.
"You can start at any ti. I'm always ready."
"Very well, trainee. The test will now officially begin."
Clank. Clank.
Chains rattled, and tal scraped as one of the massive gates slowly opened.
"Roar!"
A vicious, blood-curdling roar echoed from the depths of the hallway as the crowd felt the presence of a beast rushing out from within. And then, it appeared.
A giant and ferocious lioness.
Though it resembled a lion, it was clear this was no ordinary beast. Its fur had a tallic sheen, giving it an almost armored appearance. Anyone nearby could see that ordinary weapons would shatter upon contact with its defenses.
But although its defense was formidable, its size was even more striking.
The lioness stood on all fours, towering over an average man by at least a head. Its limbs were massive, more akin to a bear's than a lion's, yet they still conveyed an unsettling agility.
What made it even more terrifying was that this was a lioness. If these creatures followed typical biological norms, it ant there was an even more formidable male sowhere out there.
The crowd of trainees collectively gasped at the sight. The ancient, wild aura radiating from this crazed beast was enough to send so into a state of shock.
Kain, however, felt no fear—only excitent. His heart raced as his usually ice-cold face ward allowing a dazzling smile to spread across his lips. Perhaps if he were facing a regular human, they might have paused to admire his handso features, but here, against this wild beast, there was no such pause.
The ferocious beast let out an enraged roar and charged straight at Kain, leaping forward with its massive claws swinging down on him, but Kain remained unfazed.
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