"So, Ash, do you know them?" Mason asked him while pointing at Ray and Bryan.
Ash simply smiled and said, "Of course, they're my best friends."
"I see…" Mason nodded.
"How many stars do you think they'll bring up?" Alice curiously asked.
They were talking comfortably with Ash since he didn't seem arrogant nor put up any guard. They felt he was easygoing and pleasant to talk to.
"Why don't you wait and find out? It's their turn anyways." Ash didn't give her a definite answer.
"Fine but I believe they'll be below me." Alice was confident in her words.
Ash gave her a glance and said, "I'm sure you'll be surprised."
This statement kind of threw off Alice's confidence. Now, she was having second doubts in her statement but how likely is it for someone to be of the same caliber as Ash.
It's not everyday that you see someone with 17 unlocked Apex Points with the potential of unlocking more. It goes to say with reason that the Celestial Nirvana Sect will always remain at the peak for the future to come.
"17 huh, not bad." Ray was happy for Ash.
Bryan noticed his comment and said, "You say not bad? What does that mean?"
Ray mysteriously smiled and didn't answer him. He reminded him, "Bryan, it's your turn now."
Bryan simply rolled his eyes at him and walked over to the pedestal with large strides. He wore a simple white shirt and black pants that matched well with his crimson traits. He posed quite a dashing and fierce look to the outside.
The Supreme Elder, Inner Elders and the Prime Disciples looked on with focused eyes, extremely curious to see his result.
Without further ado, he placed his hand on the pedestal. A similar scene to what happened during Ash's turn appeared once again.
The audience were once again shocked and watched on as the illuminated stars appeared one by one, quickly crossing the 15 stars barrier.
Before they could even process it, a total of 17 Green Stars floated about with a regal bearing.
"A-Another one…"
"Hey, punch me because I think I'm dreaming!"
"Not just one but two fellow disciples…"
"And that's not even their maximum potential!"
'Our sect has a chance…' Supreme Elder Drake eyes twinkled with ambition.
Inner Elder Maxim shook his head and sighed in awe, "Our sect is truly blessed."
"We will be unshaken for eons to come…" Inner Elder Larry commented with pride.
"What do you think, Supreme Elder Drake?" Inner Elder Maxim respectfully asked.
The Supreme Elder smiled and said, "That is without a doubt but there's still one more left."
Both the Inner Elders were jolted to remember that there was still Ray left to be tested amongst the three.
"Haha, how could we forget?" Inner Elder Larry chuckled abashedly.
"His result won't be anything lesser, I reckon." Inner Elder Maxim.
-In the audience stands-
*Sigh*
Virion sighed and said, "Give them a few more years and they'll eventually reach the top."
Hal, Fiona and Rolan was similarly astonished as he didn't expect two of them to have similar monstrous potential and talents.
Fiona was quiet and stared at the two with imperceptible eyes. In the corner of his eyes, Hal noticed her unusual behaviour and slightly frowned.
"They came as a trio. I wonder how the third one is going to fare…" Rolan mused, still dazed at the result.
"Nothing short of amazement, I suppose." Virion said.
-In the arena ground-
Ash laughed cheerfully at the result, "Hahahaha! As expected!"
The other three near him were shocked, especially Alice who believed Bryan wouldn't get more stars than her.
"H-He's the exact same as you…" Mason uttered in awe.
Inner Elder Khari couldn't maintain her calm exterior. The results were just too astonishing for her to witness.
*Cough*
With a quick cough, she readied her throat and announced the result for everyone to hear.
"Bryan, 17 Green Stars!"
Bryan nodded gratefully and gathered over to where Ash was.
Seeing the tall figure approaching them and the firm expression on Bryan's face; Alice, Mason and Kal were slightly intimidated and stepped back.
Ash spoke first, "You got the same as me huh!"
"Yeah, but I'm close to my next one." Bryan nodded.
"Likewise."
"Oh…"
"How many stars do you think Ray is going to get?" Ash asked even though he knew he would be the same as them.
Bryan was silent for a moment before answering, "I'm not sure…"
"Huh?" Ash tilted his head in confusion.
"I think he's higher than us." Bryan rubbed his fist.
"What makes you say that though?" Ash didn't believe in him one bit.
"He had that stupid mysterious look on his face again…" Bryan replied in a dry voice.
Ash groaned in annoyance, "Ugh…"
On the other hand, the three geniuses beside them were privy to their conversation and were in disbelief.
"Higher than them?!" Alice whispered aggressively.
"Don't worry, they're not sure themselves…" Mason chuckled dryly.
Kal spoke up, "But that means he's at least equal to them!"
The three were silent and just waited for their other friend to get tested. There was no point thinking about it until they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Meanwhile, Ray still had the same casual smile on his face and proceeded to walk to the pedestal. Ash and Bryan's eyes were glued to every single movement of his, much less the others who were beyond curious themselves.
'Welp…'
With the pedestal right in front of him, he slowly placed his hand on it.
*CRACK*
*BOOM*
A thunderous lightning struck the bright sky before clouds quickly began converging above the arena, darkening the land.
The lightning was unexpected for many but Ash and Bryan knew that it most likely caused by Ray.
When Ray placed his hand on the pedestal, he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. He just felt a weird presence and that was it.
'What kind of treasure is this?' Ray pondered for a second before looking up.
A magnificent replica of space appeared above him, just like for Ash and Bryan.
Seeing the similar phenomenon appear once again, the audience were silent as a mule.
1 Star!
2 Star!
3 Star!
4 Star!
In quick succession, the stars illuminated all the way to the count of 16, already beating the other geniuses and on par with Alice Stone.
The audience held their breath in blatant thrill and heart-pounding curiosity. The Prime Disciples were no less good.
Supreme Elder Drake squinted his eyes and muttered, "The speed…"
A faint outline of another star appeared in the magical space. Ray watched on with a simple smile and expectant eyes.
17 Stars!
Alice, Mason and Kal had their mouths wide open with shock, gaping at the magical scene.
The audience were about to explode but something occurred that rendered all of them silent. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing.
Another faint star appeared and slowly illuminated into existence besides the other 17 Stars. Without waiting or caring for anyone, the stars lit up in a bright green colour.
Ray had a bright smile plastered on his face. He had unlocked 18 Apex Points and wanted to surprise the other two. But he knew that if Ash and Bryan had one more day, no scratch that, a few more hours, then they would easily be in the same boat as him.
Supreme Elder Drake slowly stood up and caressed his non-existent beard, "What a day…"
The Inner Elders beside him were standing long before he even reacted. They were mind-boggled at the result.
Inner Elder Khari felt the silence was too suffocating and announced in a shaky tone.
"R-Ray, 18 Green Stars!"
Those words were like a fuse as the audience burst into cheers and frenzy celebratory noises. The loud audience drowned the thoughts of the others. It was an unprecedented competition that could only match the Ancient Elder, if not surpass him.
With the Inner Elder's announcement, Ray walked off and joined up with the other two.
"You asshole, can't believe you unlocked 18 Apex Points!" Ash smacked his back in happiness.
Ray rubbed the back of his head and said, "Come on, I'm pretty sure you guys are close to unlocking the next one anyways."
"Yeah, we are but what I'm thinking right now is that your cultivation speed is slightly faster than us." Bryan assumed.
Ray nodded in agreement, "I believe so due to my bloodline."
"Interesting…" Bryan thought, 'Maybe the system will provide us with a chance.'
"I guess we trumped the competition!" Ash looked around at the other participants.
"I was never in doubt that we would be at the top." Bryan said as a matter of fact.
"It's only the beginning for us." Ray muttered with an eyeful glint.
Alice, Mason and Kal heard their first two statements and slowly backed off purely due to the sheer monstrosity coming out of them.
'Ash and Bryan are close to unlocking 18 Apex Points?!?!' Alice was practically shrieking in her mind. She thought she and her brother would have no competition whatsoever and everything would be an easy ride for them. Regardless, they were still in the Top 5.
Mason saw her sister and knew she had blown a fuse. He gently patted her back in comfort.
'The Top 5 is out of my sight, too bad.' Kal was nonchalant about it.
Although the Jadefire Clan was a subsidiary force of the Celestial Nirvana Sect, one shouldn't ignore them. They're powerful in their own right and almost equally resourceful. So, whatever reward the sect was giving out, he was pretty sure that the Jadefire Clan could reciprocate the same.
-In the audience stands-
Hal stared at the three monsters with an impassive face, not showing anyone what he was thinking to the outside.
"I-I don't know what to say…" Virion was stunned beyond belief. He knew the warnings that he got from his master but he didn't expect it to be that severe.
'Thankfully, I didn't antagonize them!' Virion thought with relief.
"Unbelievable…" Rolan was in his own world.
Fiona didn't utter anything at all but her gaze was exceptionally bright and unusual, the longer she stared at the three.
"Fiona!"
Fiona's attention was broken by Hal's strict voice. She turned to look at Hal with an expressionless look.
"Attempt something and you'll regret it."
"Mark my words!"
Hal coldly said those two sentences before he disappeared from their very eyes, leaving her alone in her thoughts.
Virion was attentive and had his ears perked up the whole time.
'Interesting…'
There were still a few more participants waiting to be tested but none of them had even displayed more than 13 Stars, eliciting not a single praiseworthy reaction. Who would after witnessing three back-to-back unbelievable results.
Eventually, all the 150 participants were tested and it was time for the Top 5 to get their rewards.
The three Inner Elders gathered to where the pedestal was and the audience quietened down, eagerly awaiting what they had to say. Supreme Elder Drake was nowhere to be seen as he had disappeared to who knows where.
"We have witnessed something spectacular today. It is without a doubt that today's Natal Realm Competition will be marked as a historical event in the sect's record."
"Let this be a motivational and inspirational force for all of you to work hard and bring glory to yourselves and the sect. Now, without wasting any more time, I shall announce the Top 5 from the bottom."
"Ranked 5th, Mason Stone, 15 Green Stars!"
"Ranked 4th, Alice Stone, 16 Red Stars!"
"Ranked 3rd, Ash, 17 Green Stars!"
"Ranked 2nd, Bryan, 17 Green Stars!"
"Ranked 1st, Ray, 18 Green Stars!"
One by one, the five of them walked forward and stood before the Inner Elders.
"Everyone, please give a round of applause to the Top 5 and the disciples who have participated today in the competition."
Immediately, the audience burst into loud cheers and thundering applauses, creating quite a scene. The Prime Disciples were nowhere to be seen as they had observed what they needed to see.
Inner Elder Maxim smiled at the five and said, "Are you five ready for your rewards?"