Chapter 154: Four Seed Candidates
The blob glanced at Amelia, a bit curious. "Go on."
Amelia nodded, glancing at the other geniuses on their respective pillars. "According to the rules, and based on your suggestion, the fight would drag on for too long. Some of us would have to wait for quite some time before our next turn."
She added, "My suggestion is to create four core contenders and have the others fight against them. If someone wins against a core contender, they would replace them and become a core contender themselves. This way, there would be fewer battles, and less time would be wasted."
She continued, "In the end, the four contenders would fight each other for the title of the strongest, the one who will inherit the teachings of the temple master."
The blob placed its tiny hand on its round chin, deep in thought. "What do you kids think?" it asked, glancing at the other geniuses.
The eleven geniuses exchanged looks and whispered among themselves, but in the end, no one objected to the new system.
The blob floated lazily in the air, its voice casual as it addressed the crowd. "Since you all seem fine with the idea, should I go ahead and implement this new fighting system?"
The participants exchanged glances but remained silent, showing little concern over the change.
Seeing their indifference, the blob chuckled and then dropped a bombshell. "You kids don't realize it, but this might very well be the last time the temple opens its portals to the world."
The words echoed through the hall like a thunderclap. Gasps filled the air, and shock rippled through the gathered crowd, even spreading to those outside the temple grounds.
"What did it say?"
"The last time? Impossible!"
Among the most affected were the five guild masters of the East. Their usually composed faces now reflected utter disbelief. For countless generations, their guilds had relied on the temple to hone their skills, sending promising members to train in its hallowed grounds. The thought of losing such a critical resource was unthinkable.
"Why is that?" Amelia asked, frowning.
The blob thought for a moment before responding. "Because the temple has been running nonstop for thousands of years. However, the energy required to keep it going isn't limitless. It's slowly nearing its end. I believe this will be the last time the temple opens its portals."
Saying this, it glanced at the other geniuses. "So, this is your only chance to receive my master's inheritance. If you miss it, there won't be another opportunity. Since you'll all be entering Seeker Rank, this is the only chance for you and the power behind you to accept my master's teachings."
It added, "That's why I chose the previous method with two groupings. But if I pick four seed candidates, there will be fewer fights. But that also means some of you won't get the chance to join the fight willingly that is."
"Now, if you still want me to change the fighting system, so be it." The blob shrugged.
The geniuses exchanged glances, but they still agreed to the change in rules if it meant everything would be sorted out faster.
"Revenna and Bruce… Don't you think the new system would be unfair to you two?" Max asked, glancing at them.
Bruce frowned. He understood what Max meant but also knew that, with his current strength, he wouldn't become one of the four candidates. "It doesn't matter," he said after a moment.
Max nodded and turned to Revenna. "What about you?" he asked.
Revenna glanced at Max before turning to the blob on the screen. "Are there any rewards for the final seed candidates or the runner-up?" she asked curiously.
The blob shook its head. "Nope. This is a battle to determine the strongest, so there's nothing for anyone else in this stage."
Revenna nodded and turned to Max. "I'm fine too." With those words, she closed her eyes and sat down on her ice throne, settling comfortably.
Max's lips twitched as he watched her sit so casually on her throne.
"Alright, since everyone is fine with it, I will accept Amelia's suggestion and implement the new fighting system," the blob declared, and the other screen began to flicker. A moment later, four names appeared: Max Morgan, Five, Asha, Amelia.
"The four names on the screen are the four seed candidates," the blob said, as the four figures whose names appeared on the screen disappeared from their respective pillars.
The four of them appeared on a stage that split into four separate arenas, all appearing to be of equal size.
The blob glanced at the remaining geniuses on their pillars. "If you can defeat any of the four candidates, you will replace them and become the new seed. But keep in mind, someone can challenge you and replace you if you lose to them."
"The battles will continue simultaneously on each stage," it continued. "You can choose any of the four geniuses to fight, but remember, you only have one chance. If you fail to defeat a seed candidate, you will be disqualified immediately."
Max frowned at the blob's words and turned to it. "What if one of us loses?" he asked. "Would we be disqualified, like everyone else?"
The blob glanced at Max, its smile widening. "Yes. Since others only get one chance, so do you four. But unlike the others, you'll be fighting a lot, so consider this the side effect of being seed candidates."
'So we only have one chance,' Max mused, glancing at the six geniuses on their pillars. He wondered who would dare challenge him. Theoretically, he was the weakest among the four seed candidates, with his strength at level 7 of Apprentice Rank. But his showdown with Revenna had revealed his true strength, making Max wonder if anyone would be bold enough to challenge him, given his mysterious nature.
But Max underestimated the arrogance of some of the geniuses present.
"Hahaha, I've been wanting to thrash you for a long time, and now the moment has finally come!" Arthur Gale laughed from his pillar, his voice carrying across the arena.
Glancing at Max with disdain, he declared, "I challenge Max." With those words, he disappeared from his pillar and appeared at the opposite end of the stage, facing Max.
'Arthur Gale from the South… What aura has he comprehended?' Max wondered, eyeing his opponent.
As Max observed, Arthur Gale sneered at him. "Beating a genius from the East has been on my to-do list since I decided to come to the temple. I'll make sure we both enjoy this." As he spoke, white mist began to emanate from his body, engulfing a part of the stage.
Meanwhile, Henry from the Lionheart Guild challenged Five. He had heard of Asha's strength during the dungeon break incident when she had blocked Veylin, and Amelia's strength spoke for itself.
Even Bruce couldn't even land a hit on her so he didn't think he could do any better. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire
"Fine, I'll fight that masked woman," Jack the Mad Sword challenged Asha, appearing on her stage. "I don't think someone hiding behind a mask can be that strong," he said, grinning.
As for Amelia, no one challenged her, and she remained unchallenged.