CHAPTER 296: HEAVEN’S CHOSEN MESSENGER

"You... you dare say I didn’t do my job?!" Atticus roared, and the whole place shook. Seeing Darian’s indifferent expression, he added coldly,

"You think someone with four rings can notice something I, with eight, can’t? Kid, you should be more discreet and be aware of yourself and what you lack..."

"Cut the crap." Darian interrupted him bluntly.

"You’re admitting you didn’t notice anything and don’t even want to hear what I have to say. Nobody here is stupid, so let’s settle this real easy: just have the hundred finalists point out five runes based on the fire element. If they really knew how to tell the difference and passed the test so fast, there’s no way they can’t identify that element."

Darian’s words shocked everyone. Was he insane? How could someone pull something off without the observer noticing? He was from the Wube family — no one would believe they’d do something so blatantly shameless.

"You insolent brat! I tried to be patient, but you think you’re some Young Master everyone should obey? What a joke! What makes your word worth more than mine?!" Atticus roared, unleashing his power and pressing down on everyone below with fury.

But at that exact moment, golden lines flowed through the skies.

"!"

Atticus’s eyes went wide and he turned to look. Soon, a cold female voice rang out:

"I trust him, and I’ll take responsibility if he’s wrong. Test everyone exactly the way Darian said."

Atticus’s — and everyone’s — expression instantly changed. The young ones started sweating nonstop.

For a moment, everyone who had tried and failed went completely silent. Something was off.

"Could it be... they really cheated?" murmurs of shock began to spread. Now, people wanted to know.

"Let’s get on with it. It’s simple — there are thousands of them, but only five based on the fire element... shouldn’t take more than ten minutes, right?" Darian said, wearing a sinister smile.

Everyone went quiet, staring at Atticus. He took a deep breath and looked at the selected youths.

"Quick... just five with fire as their base element."

They nodded tensely. Picking five correctly by luck? Impossible — but there was no way out.

Darian turned to Irana and nodded.

She also started searching for the five runes. As for him, he just waved his hand and grabbed five nearby, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Everyone was stunned.

As soon as Darian made his choice, the supreme artifact trembled and began its analysis.

This artifact could hear, understand, and follow any rules set for it easily. If it was within its capabilities, it would be the most impartial and precise judge possible — a job worthy of a deity, created to teach the young properly.

And, unsurprisingly, a silver aura covered Darian, confirming he was correct.

Two minutes later, Irana took a deep breath and presented her five runes — which were quickly confirmed as correct.

Almost at the same time, Vanh was also approved. He’d been silent and distant the whole time, still trying to sort out what he really felt. He truly wasn’t involved and could’ve passed the test on his own. But taking first place was another story — maybe that’s why his family manipulated things, making sure of it for him.

Everyone focused on the others who had made the top 100.

Time passed... and after an hour, the collective expression shifted from surprise and curiosity to anger and outrage.

They had managed to pick a hundred runes in under three hours, but couldn’t find five of a single element? And fire, of all things — the purest in Yang and the easiest to identify...

"Pretty weird, huh?" Darian murmured.

The atmosphere grew heavier and more humiliating by the second. Quickly, seeing they couldn’t drag this out forever, some youths accepted their fate and tried their luck, picking five random runes.

...

The first to try wasn’t covered in silver light. He went pale, making his failure obvious.

The others swallowed hard and picked too... but luck definitely wasn’t on their side. One by one, they all failed.

An uproar broke out among the young spectators. They glared at Atticus with fury, though they still didn’t dare openly insult him.

When the last one finished — and also failed miserably — Darian’s dry voice rang out:

"People, you see it? This tournament’s a big joke. Every single one of them knew beforehand what the test would be, and they even got a simple artifact anyone could find. So weak and basic it barely emits any fluctuations... that way, they could easily pinpoint its strongest connection to the natural elements and pass by cheating."

"How did they know exactly what the test would be?!" a braver voice roared in outrage.

Darian smiled, then murmured with a hand on his chin:

"Whoever came up with the test and decided exactly how it would work could only be the organizers, right? They dared to cheat, picking who would pass — and still charged you a fortune to participate..."

The youths were furious; this was beyond insulting.

Atticus, hurriedly, said: "Don’t jump to conclusions! There’s an explanation for this... the Wube family will certainly give everyone an answer! Please, all of you—"

But before he could finish, the skies shook and a blinding golden light burst out.

*Bang!*

A rain of blood fell, leaving everyone stunned. The man with eight rings simply exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

Suddenly, a small human woman appeared in the sky, wearing a cold expression.

"Mother!" Irana said excitedly.

She looked at Darian and nodded. Then, four other human figures appeared behind her, all with grave expressions.

Darian looked straight at them and spoke loudly and firmly:

"That bastard’s been executed, but that doesn’t mean the matter is over. The Wube family sponsored this tournament and pulled strings behind the scenes so only their allies would get the rewards... this goes far beyond a simple disgrace."

He paused, then turned to the crowd:

"Friends, let’s go. Don’t let this family or this planet treat us like fools. Later, our planets will demand back what they paid — and these idiots will have to give us an explanation!"

"This is completely unacceptable!"

"Planet Blue Pole! Wube Family! You betrayed our trust!"

"What kind of crappy tournament is this? Using us as stepping stones? Screw you!"

Shouts of outrage echoed non-stop.

Darian had stirred up a storm. Everyone there was a victim. Before this, they’d just assumed they were inferior and felt lower than dirt. But now, knowing the truth, they were ready to explode.

Only a very select handful of human planets had made it into the top 100 — and they were all conveniently allies of the Wube Family.

They’d made a deal with the Wubes, handing over tons of resources so the tournament could happen sooner. It seemed worth it — each planet could send ten youths who’d gain fame and a magical technique as a prize, something they’d never even dreamed of getting before.

Vanh was obviously going to be first place. Before, that meant the best prize and a wave of fame and admiration for the Wube Family. But after all that had happened, it would also help him heal the hidden heart demon.

Now, though, everyone had just found out it was all a sham.

Even people from Planet Blue Pole were caught off guard. How could this be acceptable? Their planet’s honor and dignity had been dragged through the mud, and they might even lose the supreme artifact.

"Calm down! Calm down! We’ll definitely give everyone a satisfactory explanation! I promise!" — a man from Planet Blue Pole shouted.

But the angry, hateful shouts didn’t stop. He’d never seen anything like this... total chaos.

"An explanation? What kind of explanation? Kill a few disposable scapegoats and claim the real culprits are gone? Pacify everyone with meaningless compensation? Then, after earning everyone’s trust, discuss how to cheat next time without getting caught?" Darian mocked.

The man’s face darkened, and he glared at Darian with a murderous look.

"What? You trying to scare me? You can cut my head off, but you won’t make me bow it!" Darian roared.

Seeing him stand up to a supremely powerful nine-ring figure, the youths got even more fired up and applauded him. They were on his side, deeply grateful that he’d exposed all of this.

"So... how do you think we should settle this?" the man spat, unable to hide his killing intent.

Darian gave a cold smile:

"Easy. Put everything about this tournament under Planet Aethel’s control. I trust their reputation and honor... unlike yours. I don’t think anyone here would object. Am I right?"

Then he shouted to the crowd of young people.

"YES!"

"Agreed!"

"Planet Blue Pole can’t refuse!"

Everyone shouted their approval. Planet Aethel’s reputation among humans was solid — they’d never had any big scandals; on the contrary, they always helped other humans when they could. If they took over, no one would complain.

"If they don’t agree, we’re all going home!"

"We won’t keep being treated like idiots!"

The crowd roared.

Darian listened, then added calmly:

"That’s not enough. As compensation, you have to return all the money you almost extorted from them. After that, everyone will agree to keep the tournament going."

"THAT’S RIGHT!!"

The crowd quickly shouted in excitement.

Meanwhile, the people from the Wube Family and Planet Blue Pole were turning red, purple, and green with rage.

The amount of resources they’d lose was so huge they couldn’t even calculate it.

"Darian! Darian! Darian!"

The crowd began chanting his name like he was Heaven’s chosen messenger.

Niara and Irana couldn’t help laughing.

Even if they didn’t make the top 100, just getting back the resources their planets had invested would make everyone happy. And after that, they could still pressure those involved in the scheme to pay extra to keep them quiet. Who wouldn’t be thrilled?

The expressions on the faces of the Blue Pole and Wube people were so ugly it was almost funny.

After a moment, one of them finally spoke:

"Planet Blue Pole is innocent — we weren’t involved in something this shameful. As for the Wube Family, they have a long history and credit among humanity; a few rotten apples are inevitable anywhere, so this was certainly an isolated incident. They’ll investigate this matter thoroughly and punish everyone involved."

"As for the young friend’s suggestion, it’s a good one. We’ll continue this tournament fairly... if Planet Aethel is willing to take the job."

He turned to Irana’s mother as he spoke. She snorted heavily and nodded in agreement.

Everyone heard and applauded.

At the same time, Irana’s mother shook her head, thinking in disbelief: ’Darian really is... too good at stirring up chaos wherever he goes.’