Investing in the Reborn Empress, Rewarded With 10x Returns

At the entrance of the trial grounds...

A bird landed on Elder Silas’s shoulder. Silas listened. He turned to the pavilion.

"Garrick’s beast seed activated. He fully unleashed his chimera lineage. He forced his meridians open and transformed into a hybrid. His strength reached the peak stage."

"Are the disciples in his sector in danger?" The Jade Cluster Elder stood up.

When she first learned Garrick was roaming the northern ridge, she wanted to pull her disciples out. The other elders had stopped her. They wanted to see who controlled the beast seed.

"Don’t panic. I haven’t finished," Silas said. His expression looked strained.

"Theo happened to pass by."

"Garrick has already been subdued. Overseers are bringing him back now."

Theo again?

The elders exchanged glances.

Defeating a late-stage beast was impressive. Subduing Garrick—a peak-stage threat with human intellect—was another matter entirely.

To be honest, the elders believed Liana’s talent surpassed Theo’s in every aspect. As a Sovereign prodigy, her progress left them numb.

Yet now, it seemed Theo could truly keep pace.

Before long.

Overseers threw the unconscious Garrick onto the display platform.

"Did Theo not return with you?" the Sect Master asked first.

He worried Theo was injured but stubbornly continued the trial. Some wounds left lasting damage if untreated.

"He is unharmed, Sect Master," an overseer replied. "He subdued Garrick in a single move."

A single move?

The Sect Master stepped off the pavilion. He inspected Garrick.

He noticed Garrick’s right arm was twisted. The bone was shattered into fragments.

This didn’t look like a hard-fought battle.

It looked like a stronger predator crushing its prey.

Regardless, with such combat prowess, Theo was undeniably Liana’s equal.

"Could this boy conceal the bloodline of an ancient beast?" Silas asked. He wondered if he had misjudged the janitor.

"You misjudged him. We didn’t," Vespera replied. "He achieved a physical evolution. His foundation is solid."

Vespera grinned. Her eyes curved into crescents.

Silas remained silent. He had to admit the gap between Garrick and Theo was too wide to measure. At this rate, Garrick couldn’t withstand a single punch. And Theo would only grow stronger.

"With these two, the sect will flourish," the Jade Cluster Elder said.

The other elders nodded.

The founding ancestors of the Silent Thunder Sect came from the central plains. Back then, the sect’s influence overshadowed the entire eastern continent.

Who would have thought they’d witness two prodigies comparable to the ancestors in this era?

"Since Theo rescued a patrol and subdued Garrick, let’s credit him with the points for slaying a peak-stage beast. Any objections?" the Sect Master asked.

None.

Even if they gave Theo extra points, it was justified.

The scoreboard updated.

Liana: 119 points.

Theo: 116 points.

Not long ago, Liana had slain a peak-stage beast of her own. The gap between them remained a mere three points.

"The trial is still long," the Sect Master said, drawing their attention back. "For now, we have enemies in the shadows."

"The mastermind behind Garrick never showed himself."

"These blood cultists are vigilant."

"Or perhaps Garrick was just a pawn?"

"I say we turn the woods upside down. They can’t hide forever," Silas suggested.

"Unwise. Such a move exhausts our resources and alerts them," the Sect Master replied. "There is no guarantee of success."

After much debate, the elders remained divided.

They decided to send Garrick to the detention peak for interrogation. They would wait for the trial to conclude before making a final decision. Since the enemy hadn’t intervened when Garrick was captured, they likely wouldn’t cause trouble today.

Better to let the trial finish peacefully.

Just then.

Another overseer returned. He dragged two beasts into the clearing.

A Flame-Ring Wolf. A Bear-Lion.

Both late-stage beasts.

Before the overseer even approached, the elders knew the culprit. This was Theo’s work again...

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