Free Web NovelChapter 671: The Five Hidden Candidates
The door to the waiting area slowly opened.
Kaelvar and Azton both looked over, curious about the person the Golden Horizon Merchant Alliance had chosen.
The person who entered surprised them both.
It was a woman.
She had long golden hair, clear eyes, and an elegant appearance that seemed far more suited to a luxury merchant gathering than some insane training course that required the willingness to die.
The woman stopped a short distance away and looked between them with an amused smile. "So, you two are the ones sent by the other factions, huh?"
Her gaze moved toward Kaelvar first. "You must be Kaelvar Ignis from the Ignis Dragon Clan."
She shifted her attention to Azton. "And you should be Azton from the Azure Battle Palace, right?"
Both men immediately became more cautious.
Azton’s expression sharpened. "How do you know about me? Kaelvar is well known because of the Newbie Tournament, but I almost never appear in public."
Kaelvar frowned slightly as well.
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Hehe. We are the Golden Horizon Merchant Alliance."
She spread one hand casually. "We have plenty of money, and information about certain people isn’t exactly difficult to buy."
Kaelvar and Azton’s mouths twitched at the same time.
The woman continued with an easy smile, "Don’t worry too much. Since the three of us will soon become training partners, I suppose I should introduce myself properly."
She placed one hand against her chest. "My name is Oriana."
Her smile became slightly prouder. "As for my background in the Golden Horizon Merchant Alliance... you can simply consider me one of the people at the very top."
Kaelvar and Azton exchanged a brief glance before quickly greeting her in return.
Neither of them asked for more details, though both quietly kept their guard up.
A woman personally chosen by the Golden Horizon Merchant Alliance to enter God Gym’s hidden ultimate training could not possibly be normal.
Anyone willing to gamble their life for a chance to become a Star Realm being was already dangerous enough, and someone with Oriana’s background choosing to do it voluntarily made her even more suspicious.
Oriana noticed their guarded expressions and smiled wider. "Oh? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Kaelvar and Azton exchanged another glance.
Kaelvar quickly smiled. "Guarded? Not at all."
Azton nodded calmly. "Of course not."
Oriana laughed softly. "Haha. Sure, sure."
---
A short while later, the door to the waiting area opened again.
A terminal staff member stepped inside and looked at the three of them. "Please follow me. It’s time to go."
Kaelvar, Azton, and Oriana immediately stood up.
None of them asked unnecessary questions. They simply followed the staff member through several corridors connected to the terminal’s transportation section.
Not long afterward, they arrived at a much larger transfer area.
Someone was already waiting there.
Alira stood beside a silver ship with her arms crossed, carefully looking over the three of them. "So, you three are the candidates going to God Gym?"
Kaelvar nodded. "Yes."
Azton gave a short nod as well, while Oriana smiled. "That’s right."
Alira looked between them for a moment before saying, "Good. Wait here."
Kaelvar raised an eyebrow. "Wait?"
Alira nodded. "There are still others coming."
Kaelvar and Azton both looked slightly surprised.
"Others?" Kaelvar asked. "I thought there were only three auction slots."
Azton’s eyes narrowed slightly as he began thinking.
Oriana was the first to speak. "Is this related to the other two slots Rovak mentioned during the livestream?"
Alira shook her head. "No. Not those two."
The three of them immediately became more curious.
Alira sighed lightly. "These are different."
Kaelvar frowned. "Different how?"
Alira gave him a flat look. "I can’t tell you."
That answer only made them even more curious.
Azton crossed his arms. "So there are additional candidates, but you can’t tell us who arranged their slots?"
"Exactly."
Oriana’s golden eyes sharpened slightly. "Interesting."
Alira continued, "You three should understand that a method capable of turning Peak Awakening Realm cultivators into stable Star Realm beings was never going to attract attention from regional factions alone."
Her expression became slightly more serious. "Someone from higher up became interested in God Gym and made a private arrangement."
Kaelvar raised an eyebrow. "How high?"
Alira immediately answered, "Not telling you."
Kaelvar’s mouth twitched.
Oriana, however, smiled as understanding appeared on her face. "That makes sense."
Kaelvar looked at her. "It does?"
"Of course." Oriana spread one hand casually. "If God Gym can truly do what Rovak claimed, then powerful people beyond our factions would naturally become interested."
Azton nodded slowly. "So we’re waiting for candidates connected to some higher echelon."
Alira gave a short nod. "That’s all you need to know."
Kaelvar crossed his arms and looked toward the entrance. "Interesting."
Oriana smiled faintly. "Now I’m curious what kind of people they sent."
Alira said nothing.
She already knew the answer.
That was exactly why she was not looking forward to explaining anything once they arrived.
---
Not long afterward, another ship appeared in the distance.
Unlike Alira’s sleek silver vessel, this one was smaller and far less noticeable. It quietly approached the transfer area before landing beside her ship.
The hatch opened, and the pilot quickly stepped out.
The moment he saw Alira, he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I’m a little late."
Alira sighed. "Let me guess. Young Master Feron?"
The pilot gave an awkward smile. "You already know."
"I do." Alira rubbed her forehead. "Just tell them to hurry."
"Yes, yes."
The pilot immediately turned back toward the ship.
A few moments later, the hatch fully opened.
Kaelvar, Azton, and Oriana all looked over with growing curiosity.
Five figures slowly stepped out.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere around the transfer area subtly changed.
Kaelvar had expected a group of powerful disciples.
Azton had expected several heavily guarded candidates from some unknown higher echelon.
Oriana had expected something unusual.
None of them, however, expected only one man to appear.
The other four were women.
Kaelvar blinked.
Azton’s calm expression finally cracked slightly.
Even Oriana’s golden eyes widened in surprise.
For a few seconds, none of the three said anything.
They had been imagining some mysterious group from a powerful hidden organization.
Instead, what stood in front of them looked suspiciously like one young master traveling with his personal harem.
