CHAPTER 746 THE INITIAL SELECTION BEGAN

Word was widely spread about the runic power that belonged to Gorden. Years ago he left it on the

Casting Path. And the pressure brought by the runic power would increase as one walked ahead along

the path.

Rumor had it Gorden would grant an opportunity if the candidates could successfully pass the last

stage.

Unfortunately, no one was able to reach that far yet and prove the tale to be true.

Not even the three geniuses from the Casting Center were lucky. They all had tried to walk through the

whole Casting Path and failed. Kylie and Finley had managed to reach the eighth stage while Meade

had gone further and got himself into the ninth. That was the utmost point anybody had proceeded. To

this day, no living soul achieved the tenth and last stage.

People were starting to doubt that it was even impossible to walk through the Casting Path, since the

three geniuses couldn't make it. Except for Gorden himself and Todd, what the opportunity was about

still remained a whole mystery to everyone else.

Gorden designed the trial to be divided in two parts. The first five stages were supposed to test the

candidates by their casting skills while the remaining five filtered the warriors by their casting talent and

their comprehension to the runic power.

It wasn't worthwhile to go through the Casting Path anytime soon when a warrior didn't succeed in all

stages. He wouldn't make it unless his comprehension to the runic power increased considerably. If it

wasn't the case, the result would come unaltered.

In the past few years, the three geniuses of the Casting Center and those from the spiritual-emperor

forces had tried to cross the Casting Path several times. Yet the results of their attempts saw no

progress. As soon as they had reached a certain stage, they got stuck on it, according to Gorden.

This had been noted as a clear indicator that it wasn't an easy task for a creature to improve his talent.

'What is this opportunity on the Casting Path? Would it be worth it for me to attend the trial?' Ricky

pondered.

It was no secret he was an arrogant warrior. He wasn't worried whether he would make it or not on the

Casting Path. Instead, his thoughts were gravitating towards how much the opportunity was preceding

and powerful enough to tempt him.

Was he being too confident? Or was he just talking nonsense? No one was sure.

Meanwhile, lots of people had gathered along the two sides of the Casting Path. Some of them were

disciples of the Casting Center, although they weren't present to compete. Their job was to keep the

order in case of anything unexpected.

"Hey, guys. Do you think there will be anyone reaching the seventh stage?" somebody in the crowd

chattered.

"I'd bet on Linda Yue from the Moon Pavilion Sect and Tony Wei from the Wei Clan to make it. They are

probably the most talented geniuses from forces under a spiritual-emperor force. If they aren't fit, I'm

afraid no one is," a second warrior commented.

"That makes sense. If they are as resourceful as those from the spiritual-emperor forces, I don't think

their casting abilities are weaker than theirs," another warrior pointed out.

The crowd kept busy on their whispering and gossiping. It escalated to a point which was hard to

discern what they were even talking about. However, when three specific warriors cut through the

people, they attracted not only all the eyes to themselves but the focus of the chatter as well.

"Look. They are Harrison, who is the fifth chief, and two elders! I didn't expect Harrison to oversee the

initial selection competition in person." They were immediately recognized by an over excited warrior

that didn't hesitate to let out their identities.

"This is a selection competition held by the Casting Center and its purpose is to choose the most

talented among thousands of candidates. Harrison always oversees the selection competitions in

person to prevent some candidates from cheating."

Ricky also turned to look at the imposing old man in the middle. 'Is he the fifth chief of the Casting

Center? Judging from his momentum, he is a casting master of Demi-sage Level. And he is also a

demi-spiritual emperor, ' he stated silently.

"May I have your attention, please? I won't waste your time as I declare that the selection competition

begins now. I'm sure you are all well aware of the rules. Only those who pass the prime five stages of

the Casting Path are qualified to participate in the following competitions and have a chance to win the

reward to become the members of the Casting Center," Harrison firmly announced as soon as he

arrived.

The Casting Center was the leader of all the Casting Guilds in the entire extension of the Eastern Land.

A casting master with an identity jade tablet was deemed to become its member.

In order to be suitable for the position, it was necessary to be a casting master of Spirit Level and then

pass all the tests held by the Casting Center.

As a matter of fact, the disciples present to keep the order weren't fit to be elected as members of the

Casting Center. They wouldn't be trained with the casting skills unless they presented extraordinary

qualities to them.

It wasn't uncommon to most casting masters' to be over the moon when there was a chance for them

to become formal members of the Casting Center. To win such a position wasn't just an honor but a

lifetime conquest.

Apart from talent and strength, a casting manual was likely the most important item for a casting

master. It was no secret that the casting manual of the Casting Center was the most powerful and

accredited in the Eastern Land.

"All right. It's time to start. It's no longer necessary to hide your runic power now," Harrison proclaimed.

The excitement from the crowd was so tangible, and he couldn't hide his own excitement to find out

who would make an impressive performance that day.

Shortly after the announcement, a candidate began to move toward the Casting Path. The crowd

couldn't contain itself.

It wasn't difficult for a casting master of Demi-spirit Level to pass the first three stages as long as his

runic power was released.

Candidates began to be knocked out of the competition from the fourth stage. Those casting masters

who barely reached the Demi-spirit Level and those at the intermediate stage of Spirit Level didn't

stand a chance.

Only the casting masters who fully stepped into the Demi-spirit Level and Spirit Level were able to keep

forward to the fifth stage.

During the whole competition, a couple equally took the lead. The man was gallantly handsome while

the woman was fiercely beautiful. Everybody recognized them to be Tony Wei and Linda Yue. Ricky

recalled hearing both their names quoted as strong candidates before the trial had initiated.

The crowd couldn't help but react at the two warriors competing. Most eyes were on Linda Yue, though.

A strong and beautiful woman like her would always get a great amount of adoration wherever she

passed by.

As Ricky glanced over them, he lost himself in contemplation. He was undecided whether he should

reveal his full potential and attempt to get himself on the last stage of the Casting Path.

He personally didn't feel inclined to unveil his power so soon. Part of him was still waiting for the perfect

timing, if there was such a thing.

"Ricky, just give it a try. The opportunity could enhance your casting skills and you may make great

progress because of it. You know that your casting ability must be improved if you ever wish to win the

Heaven Soul Stone," Tina suggested at that moment. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Anyway, you will have to expose your true identity sooner or later. I believe the opportunity left by a

warrior who is a spiritual emperor and a casting master of Demi-sage Level is going to be a powerful

one."

He laughed out loud. "Now you've convinced me. I will take the suggestion," Ricky said before giving

away a smirk.

"Humph! Are you really that confident about yourself? It's still unknown whether you would reach the

last stage or not, but you've already started to weigh the value of the opportunity. Do you really deem

yourself to be a casting genius?" Pearl, on the other hand, cut off in a disdainful tone.

"I'm not sure if you just said those words to goad me or tease me, Pearl. But anyway, I don't care. Just

wide open your eyes and watch carefully. I will prove that I'm a talented casting master as well very

soon," Ricky responded without a care about Pearl's attitude.

Done talking, Ricky sped up and launched himself on the fourth stage of the Casting Path.

By that time, Linda Yue and Tony Wei had already reached the last few meters on the sixth stage and

were still leading.

Only a few casting masters of Spirit Level with extreme talent could reach the last few meters of the

sixth stage. Passing this point in the competition, Linda Yue and Tony Wei revealed their potential in

weapon casting.

However, they knew the struggle it was for them to reach that far. Both of them worked very hard to

keep themselves on track and from falling behind.

"It seems quite difficult for them to reach the seventh stage. Hopefully they will be persistent enough to

make it," a relatively older and wiser spiritual king said as he watched them.

"You are right. Perseverance might ignite their talents to the limit," another spiritual king echoed in

agreement.

While everyone fixed their eyes on Linda Yue and Tony Wei, a black shadow flashed in front of them

and unexpectedly reached the seventh stage at once.