CHAPTER 61: CONFUSED

[Aether: 560/10,000 Tier 3] +100

[Aether Accumulation: 4560 Tier 3]

"Hahaha..." Richard could barely hold back his laughter.

In just about ten minutes, this was what he had gathered—and he hadn’t even drunk from the Aether Bottle yet.

He glanced at Grace, and it seemed she hadn’t gained much improvement since Wren’s departure.

Perhaps she needed ten whole minutes just to absorb a single Tier 3 Aether.

Of course, that amount was still quite significant for her.

’I need to be faster,’ Richard thought.

He feared Wren would recover quickly and return. After all, his father would not want his son to miss this opportunity, and he would pay any price to heal Wren as fast as possible.

This chance was the stepping stone to the next Realm.

If Wren failed to advance, it would be difficult for him to compete with the participants heading to the capital—since most of them would practically be in the Life Aether Realm by then.

Richard scanned the surroundings before settling on a corner filled with trees.

He would continue there, relying on the Aether Bottle as well.

Once he arrived, he immediately drank the Aether stored inside the bottle.

[Aether: 660/10,000 Tier 3] +100

[Aether Accumulation: 4660 Tier 3]

In an instant, his Aether rose by another 100. This meant that every ten minutes, he could gather 200 Aether.

’In just over two hours, I should be able to absorb all the Tier 3 Aether,’ he thought, growing more serious.

The only question now was—could Wren return within that time?

Richard was confident he would need longer to recover.

Despite the earlier uproar caused by Wren, the atmosphere was now calm as everyone focused on training.

[Aether: 3260/10,000 Tier 3] +2600

[Aether Accumulation: 7260 Tier 3]

In just over two hours, Richard managed to gather 2600 Aether.

In total, he had obtained 2800 out of the 3000 Tier 3 Aether available.

But now, he realized that absorbing them wasn’t as easy as before.

Not only had some been absorbed by Grace, but the remainder seemed to be merging with the natural world.

Absorbing them required extra effort.

Still, Richard was satisfied with his current results.

Others, of course, could never be as fast as him.

They were still calmly cultivating.

"Ohh..." His face showed sudden interest.

At this moment, Gray suddenly released a stronger pressure, making those nearby struggle to breathe.

’Did he advance?’ Richard wondered.

Gray, who had kept his eyes shut, suddenly opened them.

He seemed to be suppressing his power to prevent it from bursting out—since that would disturb everyone else who was cultivating.

Whoosh!

He stood up and quickly ran out of the area, crossing the river that bordered it.

Laura and the others watched him in awe.

This advancement meant he was now a whole level above them.

Naturally, they were uncertain when they would ever catch up—even Laura, whose talent was second only to his.

"Gray is now stronger than Wren. We don’t even know if Wren can advance today," someone remarked.

"He should be able to. All he needs is perhaps around 1500 more Aether. With no competition, it won’t be hard for him to advance."

"But can he return and continue cultivating? It’s already been over two hours. In another two, all the Aether will likely be gone."

"The governor will surely do everything possible. Ohh, look—he’s already back."

Indeed, the governor reappeared, bringing Wren with him.

Though Wren looked pale as death, it was clear he could still cultivate again.

"Sigh, having a powerful father is truly a blessing," someone muttered upon seeing Wren.

Richard had hoped he wouldn’t return—but he still had.

"Hurry!" The governor’s expression was grim.

He ordered Wren to resume cultivating at once.

Of course, Wren’s expression was far worse.

He sat down and closed his eyes.

This time, the governor stood right beside him, clearly unwilling to risk the same incident happening again.

He obviously suspected someone was behind it.

But Wren only shut his eyes for a moment before reopening them, his gaze filled with confusion and disbelief.

"What’s wrong?" the governor asked.

Wren didn’t answer immediately. He closed his eyes again, as if trying to focus.

But like before, he soon opened them once more.

This time, his confusion had turned into shock.

"Father, there’s almost no Tier 3 Aether left in the Star Wheel. Only a little remains, and it’s already difficult to absorb," Wren said awkwardly.

The governor’s face showed deep astonishment.

But he couldn’t confirm it himself.

The Star Wheel was no simple artifact. It had the ability to detect anyone above the Aether Will Realm attempting to connect with the Aether it released.

If that happened, the Star Wheel would immediately withdraw all of its Aether.

The governor’s gaze unconsciously shifted to Grace, who was watching calmly like everyone else.

Naturally, he assumed she was the one who had consumed the Tier 3 Aether—since, as far as he knew, Grace was the only one besides his son who possessed Tier 3 Aether.

But the truth was far from that.

Richard merely observed quietly, thinking, ’This Wren doesn’t seem very bright.’

The man’s confusion made Richard feel he wasn’t suspected in the slightest.

Perhaps, like Damon, he believed Richard only possessed Tier 1 Aether.

Richard chose to continue pretending to cultivate.

He naturally preferred no trouble at all.

As for Wren—let him remain confused like a fool.

Soon, the governor approached Grace.

"Miss Grace, were you the one who absorbed all the Tier 3 Aether?" he asked politely.

He was filled with courtesy toward her.

But Grace suddenly stood.

"Can’t you see I haven’t even reached the Aether Will Realm?" she replied, completely disregarding his politeness.

With that, Grace turned and walked away.

She seemed uninterested in continuing cultivation, since with so little Tier 3 Aether left, it was much harder for her to absorb.

The governor was left frozen, watching Grace leave.

Grace hadn’t concealed her aura when she spoke, so it became obvious that she hadn’t yet reached the Aether Will Realm.

Those who understood what had happened exchanged strange looks.

Most dared not speak, fearful that the governor or Wren might vent their anger on them.

(There must be someone else with Tier 3 Aether, someone extremely talented. That person must have taken advantage of Wren’s absence to absorb it all.)

Several who already had Aether Frameworks in their heads spoke through spiritual communication.

(That same person is likely the one who threw Wren’s power into chaos.)

(Yeah, truly a terrifying figure. It seems Wren has no chance of advancing to the Life Aether Realm anytime soon. How will he even compete in the capital’s tournament? He’ll be the weakest one there.)

"..."