On the platform, Dominic and Vivian faced one another. His robe was the color of new snow, hers a mist-soft green.
Side by side, they looked like an immortal couple stepped out of a painting. The crowd below stared, spellbound. The murmured discussions thinned, then faded almost completely.
An entire incense stick burned away and still not a single person dared step onto the stage to issue a challenge.
Dominic’s smile crept a shade wider. He clasped his hands behind his back and let his gaze drift across the spectators. The look seemed gentle, yet it hovered high above them, silently asking, “Who else dares?”
People scrambled to avoid that gaze. Some dropped their heads, some turned to the side, a few even spun around and pretended to chat with neighbors.
The result of the Four-Pillar Assessment remained on display, Dominic’s score had crushed every earlier attempt.
Who would volunteer just to be humiliated? Someone finally muttered, “Looks like no one’s brave enough to go up today…”
Dominic withdrew his gaze. His voice stayed mild, leaving it unclear whether he felt disappointed or pleased. He turned toward Vivian and offered a small cupped-fist salute. “Miss Chance, since no one wishes another try, may we proceed to the next trial now?”
A subtle gleam flickered in Vivian’s eyes. The veil hid her expression, yet those autumn-water pupils seemed to hold a trace of approval.
She dipped her chin. “Lord Wagner is right. If no one steps forward, then…”
“Hold on!” A clear voice rang out from the crowd.
It wasn’t loud, yet every ear caught it distinctly.
Startled, everyone turned in the direction of the sound.
A man in a plain blue robe walked out at an unhurried pace. His clothes were simple, his face ordinary, and his aura tucked neatly away, almost invisible. Only his eyes were different-still and deep, like a bottomless well.
It was Jared!
Dominic raised an eyebrow and let his gaze roam up and down Jared’s frame. Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile, half playful, half dismissive. The crowd erupted at once.
“Who’s that guy? He still wants to get on the stage?”
“Is he crazy? Didn’t he see Lord Wagner’s score? He’s just going up to make a fool of himself!”
“Look at him-High Immortal Realm Level One, tops. And he wants to compete?”
“Level One? Did I hear that right? Top Level High Immortal Realm Level One? Is he joking?”
“Hahaha! A Level One dares to join this martial contest for marriage? Miss Vivian is Level Eight! That’s a toad lusting after a swan!”
“Get off! Stop embarrassing yourself!”
Jeers rolled over him like a tide. Jared’s expression never shifted as he walked toward the platform, step after steady step.
Watching him approach, Dominic’s smile deepened another notch. He said nothing, but his eyes clearly spelled out.
Let’s see what trick you think you have…
Behind the veil, Vivian’s gaze sharpened, studying the blue-robed stranger.
After a moment she drew her brows together. A cool voice slipped from behind the veil, “Young master, the contest follows set rules. In the Four-Pillar Assessment one must clear two-thirds before I leave the palanquin. Lord Wagner has done so, and the next trial is about to begin. If you wish to compete, perhaps wait for the next occasion…”
Her tone remained courteous, yet the meaning could not be plainer, “You lack the qualifications; do not waste our time.”
Jared stepped onto the platform and stopped before the four Trial Pillars. He lifted his eyes to Vivian, calm as still water. “Miss Chance misunderstands. I don’t want another occasion, I want to try now.”
The words triggered another wave of laughter below.
“Try now? He really dares to say that!”
“Lord Wagner is standing right there. Isn’t he asking for a beating?”
“High Immortal Realm Level One, if he lights a single mark we should call it impressive!”
Dominic chuckled lightly, sliding half a step aside and extending an inviting hand. His movement was graceful and unhurried, yet the contempt in his eyes lay bare.
“Since this friend wishes a try, then try,” he said evenly. “I also wish to see how many marks a High Immortal Realm Level One can ignite.”
He enunciated High Immortal Realm Level One with extra care, drawing fresh laughter from the stands. Jared ignored every taunt and walked straight to the first Trial Pillar.
He lifted his right hand and laid it gently against the stone surface. Jared’s fingertips brushed the side of the eval Pillar. The movement he carried the same idle ease someone might use to wipe dust from a shelf.
All around the platform, every chest froze mid-breath. The onlookers waited, eager to watch him trip over himself.
Boom! A blinding sheet of white blew outward in a single instant. Light roared up from the pillar’s base.
One segment, two, three, four, five, no pause, no hitch. It cut upward like a blade leaving its scabbard, like a rainbow spear piercing the sun, and in the blink of an eye it slashed through the ninth segment.
The tenth segment flared alive. The beam punched straight through the top and burst in midair. A rain of color swept across the square, brighter than the flames Dominic had produced moments before.
Silence swallowed the grounds. Every eye bulged and every jaw sagged, as though an unseen hand had clamped every throat.
“W-What… H-How is that possible?!”
“He’s only High Immortal Realm Level One! Where could strength like that come from?!”
“We must be seeing things… The pillar’s broken, that’s it!”
The relaxed curve on Dominic’s lips froze in place. He jerked his head toward the Trial Pillar. The glow still hovered in the air, the tenth segment’s afterimage refusing to fade. His pupils tightened, and a flash of disbelief slipped through his gaze.
Behind the veil, Vivian’s eyes widened. Her slender hand closed tight, giving away the jolt running through her.
Jared lowered his hand, his face as calm as though he had merely brushed aside a speck of dust. He strolled toward the second Trial Pillar.
At last someone in the crowd found a voice and screamed, “There’s a second one… Look at the second one!”
“No way! The first time was luck!”
“Yeah, luck! He won’t make it through the second one!”
Jared ignored every shout. He laid his right hand on the pillar once more.
Boom! White light erupted again. One segment, two, three, four, five, unstoppable, crushing everything in its path. Then, ninth segment, and, tenth segment!
The beam slammed through the top a second time, hotter and even more dazzling than before. The second Trial Pillar-full marks!
