With the sudden arrival of the masked leader of the Obsidian Order, the atmosphere grew even more intense and unpredictable. His presence alone shifted the balance of power—one man, veiled in mystery, whose strength and influence could rival the combined might of all major forces present.
The tiger mask he wore was infamous, a symbol feared across the Middle Domain. No one had ever seen the face beneath, and yet everyone instantly recognized who he was. His appearance, like the calm before a storm, made even the most arrogant powerhouses hesitate to speak.
"William, I see you’ve already discovered Max before the rest of us," the masked man said casually, his tone unreadable, eyes glinting from behind the mask as he observed the golden-hued figure in the distance.
President William offered a small smile but shook his head honestly. "No, I didn’t discover him. A few months ago, Max appeared at the Hunter Association and participated in a battle against the Nulls. It was during that event I first caught a glimpse of his real potential."
He paused, then turned slightly to face Emperor Hers and added aningfully, "But if you ask who truly discovered Max’s value first... then the credit goes to the one who brought him into the Great Ruler Empire."
All eyes turned to Hers as the implication settled in. The emperor simply smiled, the pride in his expression unhidden. He didn’t speak, but the glint in his eyes spoke volus—pride, satisfaction, and above all, acknowledgnt of his daughter’s foresight.
Over the years, Princess Lyra had recruited many geniuses for their empire, each carefully chosen for their potential, but Max had already begun to outshine them all. This was her masterpiece.
anwhile, Thunder Lord and Tower Lord could only grind their teeth in silent frustration. First, they lost countless elites in the secret domain, then Max was revealed as a guest elder of the Hunter Association, and now even the enigmatic leader of the Obsidian Order had taken an interest in him.
No matter how they looked at it, Max had beco soone they could no longer easily touch.
Princess Lyra stood silently, her gaze never shifting from the giant golden lotus bud still floating in the sky. ’Let’s see just how deep your potential runs,’ she thought to herself, eyes brimming with curiosity and sothing deeper—hope.
Then, without warning, the lotus bud began to tremble. A golden pulse of energy rippled through the air like the beat of a heart. Everyone looked up as one of the tightly sealed petals blood open, its edges glowing with divine light, releasing a soft but majestic aura.
"The first petal blood," soone whispered, voice filled with awe.
"I wonder how many he’ll bloom in this first showing."
"Even for a prodigy, it shouldn’t exceed nine petals. That’s the limit during the first appearance of the Divine Path Lotus."
"Exactly. The rest only bloom during future breakthroughs to higher ranks. It takes ti. Years, even decades."
"But this Max... he’s not normal. Don’t forget, his Divine Path Lotus never appeared when he broke through to Master Rank. It’s showing now, only when he’s about to step into Champion Rank. That alone breaks all precedent."
As the crowd murmured and speculated, their gazes remained fixed on the golden lotus suspended in the sky. One petal had already opened, but the trembling hadn’t stopped. Instead, it was intensifying. A hum reverberated through the air, and even those at the peak of Legend Rank felt their souls stir.
Just then, the sky turned pitch black—so dark that even the rays of the sun were swallowed whole. What had once been a bright, clear afternoon was suddenly transford into a suffocating night. No stars. No moon. Only an oppressive, unnatural darkness blanketing the heavens.
The experts floating in the air shivered involuntarily. Sothing about it felt wrong—unsettling to the bone. The silence that followed was so intense, it was as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then it happened.
From the heart of the black clouds, golden light began to shine—cold, rciless, and sharp. Thousands of golden swords began descending slowly like rain from the heavens. Each sword was roughly the length of an arm, and though none were grand or massive in appearance, the sheer number of them was staggering—tens of thousands, maybe more.
But what truly shocked everyone was the aura that radiated from each blade. Every sword exuded the sharpness of a third-level sword concept. Not just any concept—this was the aura of the Concept of Severing Sword.
"It’s the Wraith of the World... in the form of a sword tribulation," the tiger-masked man muttered, his usually calm voice tinged with surprise. "And not just any sword concept. This... this is the third-level Concept of Sword. To provoke such a tribulation... the boy must have at least reached the second level of comprehension in this path, which is already beyond monstrous for a Master Rank."
The atmosphere shifted imdiately. Even the veterans among the gathered elites looked shaken.
Palace Master Howard of the Absolute Sword Palace couldn’t hide the gleam in his eyes as he looked up at the swords falling from the sky like a divine judgnt. "No doubt about it," he whispered, awe and excitent mixing in his voice. "This is the Severing Sword Concept... and it’s not a diluted or impure form either. Every one of those blades carries the intent to sever—not just slash or cut, but to cleave through the very essence of whatever stands in its path. I’ve studied the sword for over a century, and even I have rarely seen such a pure manifestation."
President William turned sharply toward him, his face filled with disbelief. "Are you absolutely sure, Howard?"
"I am," the Palace Master nodded, his tone completely serious now. "This boy hasn’t just dabbled in sword concepts—he’s chosen one of the most terrifying paths a swordsman can walk... the path to sever all. And that makes him a nightmare for anything that stands in his way."
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