Derek walked over and stood silently beside the rest of the candidates who had passed.
And instantly, every single one of them turned to look at him.
It wasn’t just a glance.
They stared at him like they were seeing sothing for the very first ti in their lives.
Even Cecilia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
anwhile, the noble boy who had earlier cast doubt about the boulder, saying it was defective now looked at Derek with barely concealed hatred.
After the way things turned out, his accusations and attention-seeking stunt had turned into nothing more than a joke in everyone’s eyes.
But rather than reflecting on his own foolishness, he did what was easier: he blad Derek.
And that only deepened the resentnt in his heart.
As ti passed, the second phase continued.
So kids passed. Others failed.
Among the cultivators, only three more managed to pass after Derek.
Eventually, the phase ca to an end and only 300 candidates remained.
The announcer’s voice rang out, echoing through the massive arena:
"The next and final phase will be group battles. Each group will consist of five or six participants, and at most, three will be allowed to pass from each group."
He paused for a mont, letting the crowd absorb that.
"Your groups will be determined based on your performance in the second phase. This is to ensure the matches are balanced, and no group is completely one-sided.
Best of luck to everyone. So of you will pass, and so will fail. But rember... making it this far is already an achievent in itself. Even if you fail, you can try again next year, as long as you’re under fifteen."
With that, his voice faded, and the stage was set.
Those who had already been eliminated, so chose to quietly leave.
But many stayed back, either to gain experience by watching or simply to witness the final, decisive phase.
Afterwards, nas began appearing on the panel hovering high above the arena, listed in groups for the final phase.
’Let’s see who I end up fighting. Based on the commotion I just caused, I’ll probably be placed with stronger participants.’ Derek narrowed his eyes, watching the panel carefully.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Soon, his na appeared.
[Group 19]
Cecilia Glaciblade.
Lucas Wykes
Derek Hale
Arlen Frey
Theo Marnes
Sylvie Erandis
Derek read the nas quietly as they flashed on the screen.
’What a coincidence. and her in the sa group...’ he thought, stealing a glance toward Cecilia.
Once all 55 group nas were displayed, the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena once again.
"Now, you’ll all be transported to separate dinsional arenas for the final phase. Don’t worry about death. If you fall and take serious damage, you’ll be automatically ejected and transported back. So go all out."
After that the announcer started calling everyone’s na to seperate them into groups.
And then..
fifty-five separate space rifts began to stir into existence, swirling open in mid-air like glowing portals.
Derek turned his head, scanning the mbers of his group.
The noble boy who had previously claid the boulder was defective, was in his group too.
He was glaring at Derek with undisguised resentnt. But Derek only gave him one disinterested glance before turning away.
’What a pain. Cecilia alone would be a difficult opponent to handle. And now that brat’s here too? The other three... They all are mages as well.’
Before Derek could think further, the announcer’s voice echoed again.
"You may now enter the rifts. Rember, maximum three mbers per group will pass. Best of luck."
With that, one by one, the candidates began stepping into their assigned rifts, vanishing into glowing portals as the final trial began.
Seeing Derek disappear with his group into the rift, Arthur couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
He leaned forward slightly and muttered under his breath, "All his opponents are mages... and only three can pass. No matter how strong he’s beco, this phase won’t be easy. His chances of passing are slim."
Beside him, Daisy heard every word. Without hesitation, she smacked Arthur lightly on the head and glared at him. "Why are you always so negative? Derek will pass, obviously! Tell , how many others got a perfect ten out of ten?"
Daisy had always admired both her brothers, their hard work, determination, and growth.
But today, even she was stunned by Derek’s sheer, unexplainable strength. And that shock only made her faith in him stronger.
Martha, anwhile, sat quietly, eyes fixed on the glowing rifts ahead. "Is it because of that hidden power?" she wondered silently.
Arthur rubbed the spot where Daisy had smacked him, frowning. "Co on, sis. At least give a warning next ti before you smack in the head! And you shouldn’t be hitting in the first place. Don’t you know hitting could ruin my brain developnt?!" He said it with mock seriousness, trying to sound intimidating.
But Daisy didn’t even flinch. She just grabbed his ear and tugged it hard.
"Then stop saying stupid things."
"Ouch.... okay, okay! I surrender!" Arthur winced and quickly gave in, much to Daisy’s satisfaction.
After that, the three of them turned their attention back to the massive arena.
Above each space rift, glowing panels had appeared, showing real-ti projections of what was happening inside. Martha, Daisy, and Arthur’s eyes all locked on the one displaying Derek’s group, their focus unbroken, their hearts tense.
anwhile, inside the rift...
The mont Derek’s group materialized in the isolated dinsion, four of the six participants imdiately took up fighting stances.
Only Derek and Cecilia remained still.
Lucas Wykes who had grudges with Derek for what happened in last phase glared at him.
He had beco the joke of the entire arena. And the worst part? No one had even defended him. All eyes had been on Derek. ’That smug bastard. He won’t walk out of this dinsion looking proud again,’ Lucas thought, clenching his fists.
"I don’t know how you did it, but I’m sure you cheated," Lucas lashed out at Derek. "Whatever trick you used before won’t work this ti. You’re going to pay for humiliating ."
Derek blinked, genuinely confused.
"I humiliated you?!" he asked, puzzled. "How?" He asked with an innocent look on his face.
But Lucas didn’t answer.
Instead, he lunged at Derek, his fist flaring with fire.
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