Chapter 665: Special Treatment

With the Thunder Monarch Hall forced to retreat, their grand beast vanishing into the distant sky like a fading nightmare, the silence in the arena shattered into deafening cheers. The crowd erupted once again, this time not out of shock but out of sheer excitement. Whispers turned into exclamations, and exclamations became roars of approval.

Max’s name was now etched into their memories. But the celebration did not last long. Only moments later, the atmosphere shifted back to order as the recruitment assessment of the Great Ruler Empire resumed.

Yet before the next phase could officially begin, an important change was announced—one that surprised many.

Following an intense and hushed discussion among the five supervising elders and Princess Lyra herself, a decision was made, one that quickly spread across the arena like wildfire.

Max Morgan would no longer participate in the recruitment assessment. Instead, he was officially declared a one-star genius of the Great Ruler Empire—an elite rank that only a handful across the entire Middle Domain could claim.

The decision was unanimous. After witnessing firsthand how Max defeated two peak Master Rank recruits of Thunder Monarch Hall with ease while still only at the 8th level of the Expert Rank, even the most skeptical elder now understood what Lyra had seen in him from the beginning. Their doubts were gone. In their place was not only respect—but also caution.

The elders of the Great Ruler Empire made their decision with utmost care. Max was pulled from the rest of the recruitment assessment not because he lacked the qualifications, but precisely because he had already shown too much.

His overwhelming strength, revealed in just two brief fights, was enough to shake the confidence of the crowd, silence arrogant enemies, and force even the Thunder Monarch Hall to retreat. But for the elders, that power was also a double-edged sword.

In a world where strength was everything, and hidden claws struck hardest, they understood a dangerous truth—true treasure must never be flaunted too soon. The more brilliance one displayed, the greater the risk of being targeted, stolen, or destroyed before one’s time.

So they acted swiftly.

By removing Max from the spotlight, they ensured that the world would only remember him as the mysterious white-haired youth who defeated two strong recruits of Thunder Monarch Hall, nothing more.

Let the public guess and forget. Let other powers underestimate him.

Behind closed doors, however, their strategy took root. The five elders had agreed—if Max was nurtured in secret, if he was provided the right environment, the right resources, the right training, then he could become their hidden blade. Their ultimate trump card.

The Divine Mandate Grand Tournament, held once every five years, was the battleground where all the top geniuses of the Middle Domain clashed, and the next one was only two years away. To them, it was too soon for Max. He had only just begun to bloom. But in seven years, during the tournament after the next one, he could be unstoppable.

And so they quietly shifted their hopes, setting their sights not on the upcoming event, but on the one beyond it. The next of the next Divine Mandate Grand Tournament. That would be Max’s stage. And when he walked upon it... the world would not be ready.

Max didn’t know the real reason why he was being quietly excluded from the recruitment assessment. And even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have cared.

His mind was already made up. He wasn’t here just to be evaluated or measured—he was here to rise. He had already set his sights on something far bigger than the assessment.

The Divine Mandate Grand Tournament, two years from now, wasn’t just a goal—it was a promise. A fire that burned in his chest. He didn’t just want to participate—he wanted the top spot. The thought alone would’ve made others laugh.

After all, Max was only at the 8th level of the Expert Rank. To stand on equal ground with geniuses of the Legend Rank in just two years was considered foolish, even suicidal.

But Max believed differently. He had done the impossible in the Lower Domain before, leaping through ranks in mere months, defying every common logic of cultivation. He knew it wouldn’t be the same in the Middle Domain—the higher the realm, the steeper the climb.

Every level from here on demanded more than just effort. It demanded breakthroughs of the soul, comprehension of laws, battles that shattered limits.

But even then, Max wasn’t shaken. He wasn’t some blind dreamer—he had a reason to push forward. He had made a soul contract with Lyra. An oath not sealed in words, but in soul. He had to do it, no matter the cost.

There was no room left for doubt, no luxury of hesitation. It wasn’t about how anymore. He just had to do it.

Following Max’s exclusion from the final round, the recruitment assessment resumed under the bright skies of the grand arena, its atmosphere still thick with the lingering awe from earlier battles.

The last round was finally underway, and its rules were clear and brutal—every remaining participant had to face off against all the others in turn. It was a full round-robin combat format, testing not just power but endurance, strategy, and adaptability.

Each victory earned a point, and in the end, the one with the most wins would be declared the top genius of the assessment, followed by the others ranked in descending order of victories.

The air buzzed with tension and anticipation as the battles began—clashes of swords, roars of elemental energies, and the shouts of young cultivators striving to prove their worth.

One by one, they fought, bled, and persevered. Among them was the quiet black-haired young woman with streaks of pale blue in her hair, one of the five seed participants who had barely spoken a word the entire time—Serina Vale.

Calm and unassuming at first glance, she walked into the arena with her head slightly lowered and eyes cold as frost. But the moment her battles began, she transformed into a force of precision and elegance. Her movements were fluid, her strikes sharp, and her control over the Ice Concept at Level 1 advanced stage was near perfect.

Each opponent that stepped before her found themselves overwhelmed—not by brute force, but by an unrelenting, icy suppression that sapped their strength and left them vulnerable. She moved like winter wind—quiet, deadly, and unstoppable.

Victory after victory stacked in her favor, until finally, she stood alone at the top, undefeated. The crowd erupted into applause as her name was announced as the number one ranked genius of the recruitment assessment.

Though she said nothing in return, Serina Vale simply bowed slightly, her face as emotionless as when the round began, the chill of her presence lingering long after she left the arena.

’Her advanced stage Level 1 Concept of Ice could break through to Level 2 at any moment.’ Max narrowed his eyes as he silently watched Serina Vale walk off the stage after being declared the final winner.

Throughout the entire last round, he had observed her closely. Her movements were precise, her attacks carried depth, but there was a subtle restraint in every strike. It was as if she was purposely concealing her true strength, even while battling the other seed participants.

Max had a sharp intuition honed through countless battles, and it screamed at him now—Serina Vale was stronger than she let on. ’Has her strength already reached the level of a 3-star genius?’ he wondered, his thoughts drifting to the tattered diary given to him by the Old Saintess.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay