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nThe elven city of Taesi wasn’t extremely technologically advanced, but regardless of its massive size, it had a homely feeling that one usually wouldn’t find within the 3000 Beast Mountain Range.

nThe citizens were relatively friendly to outsiders as long as their rules were respected, and the atmosphere granted by the rich vitality emitting from the World Tree had everyone feeling a constant feeling of relaxation.

nObviously, the sharpness that those who arrived here honed through many years of training wouldn’t diminish just due to the atmosphere, but it did indeed compel them to take a few days’ rest, especially the younger generation who knew they’d be fighting with their lives on the line in only a week’s time.

nWithin an inn in the city, two heaven-toppling beauties sat on the bed and conversed.

n“Argh! I can’t believe that guy! He actually dared to probe us so openly! Does he even know who we are?! Did Senior White Dragon choose an idiot to represent him this time?!” A fiery red-haired beauty shouted. She was so angry that even her fair white skin was tinged with a shade of red.

nThe small group that had arrived together at Taesi had split up not long after they entered the city, with each going their own way to prepare for the upcoming event.

n“Calm down. We already knew everyone here would be an opponent from the second we met. It’s only natural that a new face would want to judge our capabilities.” A blue-haired beauty next to her responded. Still, there was a trace of displeasure in her eyes.

n“Y-yeah, but still! Hmph! If we meet in the Primordial Undying Realm, I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson! Luna, you have to help me too!”

n“You want to gang up on him with our strength? Qing’er, we have a clear goal this time and we cannot spare time to play around. The fate of our clans depends on this.”

n“I-I know, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just take this offense laying down. I don’t want people to see me as a pushover.” Feng Qing’er pouted.

n“Oh? And since when were you someone to care about face? Or rather, even if the same situation happened at any other time, you’d have directly pummeled the person who tried something. For you to be acting like this…”

n“That’s right,” Feng Qing’er’s face became solemn. “He’s an outlier that we don’t have any information on. There’s no point thinking that he’ll be weak, especially since it was Senior White Dragon who chose him as his representative. No matter how much I want to punch him in the face, I’ll act with caution. I also know how mother our mothers are depending on us.”

n“Mm, this is the correct choice. However, do not discount the girl at his side either. There was something about her aura that made my Ice Phoenix flames feel challenged. These newcomers truly aren’t simple.

n“Oh, that girl?” Feng Qing’er fell into thought as she recalled Ruyue. “Ah! That girl! She reminded me of you a little bit now that I think about it!”

n“You! What are you saying!” Lunaria Snow said, pinching her ear.

n“Ow ow ow! Okay Luna I’m sorry! Forgive me!”

nAs these two girls conversed in their room, the rest of the participants of the coming event slowly arrived.

nCurrently, Damien and Ruyue had already separated from the White Dragon King, touring the city that they had just arrived in.

n“This atmosphere is really nice. It seems like a good place to settle down in.” Ruyue commented as she looked at the floating green specs in the air.

n“Oh? You’re already thinking about settling down?” Damien asked with a smile.

n“Hmm, settling down does sound nice, but even if we did so, I feel it’d get boring very soon. I still want to explore the wider universe like you did.”

nDamien’s smile became wry. “Don’t give me too much credit. Including this world and my homeworld, I’ve only been to 3. Compared to the boundless cosmos, this is nothing.”

n“But it only seems like nothing to you, who has at least done this much. Meanwhile, I was becoming haughty even though I had rarely ever left the Celestial Star Palace, let alone the Central Continent as a whole.”

n“Sigh, the universe is simply too insanely large. Did you know? Even before my homeworld was introduced to mana, the portion of the universe that became observable due to our technological advancements was insane. It was to the point that even if a human was sent into space to travel for several thousands of years, they wouldn’t even be close to exploring it.

n“It truly makes me wonder how things actually work. Beginner worlds, middle worlds, higher worlds, the distance between them, what is it like? It took 7 months to travel from my homeworld to this one even on a Heaven Grade flying sword, but even that seems short in comparison. How many worlds are there that we will have the chance to truly explore? How long will that take? Ah, just thinking about it makes my blood boil.”

nRuyue smiled lightly as she listened to Damien’s tangent. Her eyes held a slightly distant look to them. Indeed, how long would it take to explore the boundless cosmos? The sheer amount of time could probably drive one insane if they were to go about it alone.

nBut what if they were with the people they cared most about in the world? Wouldn’t such a vast period of time adventuring be exhilarating?

nA trace of an idea took root in Ruyue’s mind, but she didn’t entertain it for long. These future events shouldn’t be thought about in a crucial time like this.

nThe duo spent until nighttime perusing the various amenities of the city before finally returning to their in. Damien had a refreshed smile on his face the entire time. It had been a while since he had been on a calming date like this one.

nIt made him miss Rose even more, but he pushed those thoughts down. Just like Ruyue, he chose to focus on the coming event for now. At this moment, even reaching Rose was impossible, so those sorts of missing sentiments would only serve to pain his heart

nThere was nothing much for the two of them to do while they waited. Even if they wanted to probe the other geniuses more, they were all keeping low profiles.

nEven the ones who made their way into the city like Damien and Ruyue would constantly have their guards up. Since they were no longer in the presence of their respective Beast Kings, the competition had basically already started.

nThe undercurrents within the city of Taesi were churning. Even the usually calm and peaceful ordinary citizens were beginning to get excited.

n7 days. There were only 7 days left before the festivities began. Who would come out on top? That person would undoubtedly become a prominent figure among the 3000 Beast Mountain Range. Which of these geniuses would rise and fall?

nSuch thoughts plagued the minds of all that were present. But they knew that only time would tell in the end. And so, they patiently waited for that day to come.

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