CHAPTER 233 SUPERIOR TALENTS ASSEMBLING IN THE GRAND VOID MANOR
After entering the Grand Void Manor, Darren realized that the powerful aura in the manor was much
stronger than what he had felt in the Holy Lands.
As soon as Darren walked into a hall, he saw hundreds of youngsters, including boys and girls. All
these cultivators had assembled in the manor for the test. They had the same goal as Darren—to
defeat their rivals and rank among the Top 100 on the Talent Roll.
The youngsters who were permitted to enter the Grand Void Manor were powerful. They were
comprised of superior talents who ranked within the Top 500 on the Talent Roll. Some were talents who
had been recommended for the test by a powerful sect. None of them were weak.
What surprised Darren more was that none of these talents were inferior to the Top 500 superior talents
on the Talent Roll.
Darren wondered why they weren't ranked high on the Talent Roll despite their strength.
Perhaps it was because they had not killed demonic monsters or high-ranked cultivators to secure a
position on the Talent Roll even though they had upgraded their realm and strength. They were
powerful but kept a low profile, which was what made them hard to deal with.
Darren studied all the talents present. Soon he perceived that at least ten youngsters emitted an
exceptionally powerful aura. And, they were part of famous alliances. Obviously, they had been
recommended by the powerful alliances of which they were part.
"Humph. The young lad we met on the street the other day is present today."
Several cultivators from different alliances grumbled when they saw Darren. They were upset with him
as Darren had refused their invitations to join their alliances.
"I am surprised to see him here. Perhaps he has joined another alliance. We should teach him a lesson
during the test. That will be his punishment for refusing the great opportunity we offered!"
Of course, Darren knew that the other cultivators were staring at him and whispering about him. But he
didn't care about their opinions.
"It is time to begin. All the test takers need to form two rows. The talents recommended to take the test
should stand in the line on the left, while the talents, who rank within the Top 500 on the Talent Roll,
need to come to the right."
Just then, a dignified old man with an imposing demeanor appeared. His commanding voice quietened
all the people present.
Soon, the cultivators had formed two rows just as the old man had instructed. There were only twenty
cultivators in Darren's row.
Although only twenty cultivators from the Top 500 of Talent Roll had come here today, it was a
considerable number. After all, not everyone on the Talent Roll was willing to go to Talent City.
"That young lad is in the Top 500? I can't believe it."
"Humph. Just because he has a position on the Talent Roll doesn't mean that he is powerful. I'll teach
him a lesson if I find an opportunity later."
"Be quiet!"
The old man shouted coldly when he heard the whispering. Almost instantly, all the cultivators shut
their mouths.
"Today's test will be conducted as usual. All of you will take the talent test and the strength test, and
then you have to pass the test in the Void Battlefield. You will only qualify to fight the Top 100 superior
talents after you pass all the tests I mentioned. You will be given a Jade Slip that contains the details of
the test rules. Everyone should read the instructions."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the disciples of Grand Void Manor began handing the Jade
Slips to the talents.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just then, an extremely powerful aura covered the whole Grand Void Manor. The mighty aura was so
powerful that the cultivators felt an uncontrollable desire to surrender themselves to the source of the
aura. Everyone, including Darren and the old man, trembled slightly.
"The grand warrior?" Darren thought about the grand warrior instantly. That aura must be coming from
the current grand warrior.
A Grand Void Manor disciple then whispered something to the old man. In the next instant, the old
man's expression changed. "Today's test plan has been altered," he declared.
Before he could continue, the talents in the hall began discussing the situation amongst themselves.
Everyone was trying to guess why they had felt the aura and why the tests had changed. Everything
had happened so suddenly and without explanation that everyone's curiosity had been piqued.
"Well. Stop talking. Today's change might be good for you. You need to wait here till I figure out what
has happened." Before the talents could voice their questions, the old man left with the disciples.
Now, the young talents in the hall were even more curious about what had happened. Considering the
old man's parting words, they all hoped that he would share good news upon his return.
"Could it be that the grand warrior wants to pick some of us to be his disciple?"
"I don't think so. The grand warrior's disciples must be ranked within the Top 100 superior talents. How
will the grand warrior choose disciples now? There is probably another reason."
"The Elder said that the test plan had changed. I believe that the change is related to the Void
Battlefield."
The young talents started discussing the change. Darren was the only participant to wait quietly. He
was neither proud nor excited.
"Darren, I didn't expect that you were already ranked in the Top 500. Regardless, I sincerely invite you
to join us, the Skywalker Alliance. What do you think?" A young boy and a young girl had already
figured out his name by asking others.
"Sorry. I don't want to join any alliance. But, thank you for considering me," Darren replied.
"Darren, you should consider our offer. Joining an alliance will not harm you. On the contrary, becoming
a member will be beneficial to you. Besides, our alliance has many talents. Even the superior talent
ranked eighty-second on the Talent Roll is part of our alliance.
And Skywalker Alliance's master is very powerful. You might have the honor of meeting him after you
join us," the girl persisted.
Seeing that Darren was about to refuse them again, the boy said with a smile, "Forget it, Betty. Since
Darren doesn't want to join us, we shouldn't force him. My name is Boyce Gan, and this is Betty Li. We
want to be your friends. You can't refuse that, right? Ha-ha."
"Glad to meet you," Darren sighed in resignation as he shook their hands.
"Hey, lad, did you just join Skywalker Alliance? Does that mean you don't think highly of our Dragon
Alliance, huh?"
Several people shouted from the other line. They had witnessed the exchange between Darren and the
two talents from Skywalker Alliance. Presuming that the handshake meant Darren had joined
Skywalker Alliance, these talents were offended.
"I don't think this is your business, is it?" Darren frowned.
"Humph. You're arrogant! It seems that you don't know your place. Humph!"
The youngster threw a punch at Darren as he spoke.
"Fuck off!"
Boyce Gan, who had been standing beside Darren, blocked the attack. He shouted as he hit the
youngster with his palm. After they competed with their strength for a few seconds, the youngster
retreated dozens of steps. But, Boyce Gan still stood still.
Since they were in the Grand Void Manor, they didn't dare to use their real strength. So, they competed
with their energy.
"Well. Boyce, you're determined to protect that lad. When you take the test later, be careful. Humph!"
Several youngsters were outraged by Boyce's interference. They glared at Darren, Boyce, and Betty
before leaving.
Darren also perceived Boyce's strength when he blocked the attack. In terms of strength, Boyce could
compete with cultivators at the Wonder Realm. He looked seventeen or so, but he had reached the top
level of the primary stage of the Wonder Realm. Darren had to admit that Boyce was a real talent.
"The Dragon Alliance is so arrogant!" Betty lashed out as she pouted.
"Humph. If Darren and I work together, we need not to be afraid of anyone from the Dragon Alliance
except for a few superior talents." The young man was intelligent. His words showed Darren that he
was in the same boat as Darren. And, he regarded Darren as his friend.
Darren also felt that Boyce was sincere. He was not just talking—he meant what he said. If the
cultivators from Dragon Alliance messed with Darren, Boyce would help him. He was not pretending to
be Darren's friend.
"Ha-ha. Boyce, thank you for blocking the attack." Although Darren was not afraid of the cultivators
from Dragon Alliance, he thanked Boyce for his thoughtfulness.
"Don't be so formal. We're friends, right?"
"Yeah. Darren, if the test continues later, we can temporarily work as a team. Do you agree?" Betty
asked with a smile. She didn't miss this opportunity to convince Darren to work with them.
"Err... Okay." Since Betty was so enthusiastic, Darren didn't have the heart to refuse her.
An hour later, the old man, who was in charge of the test, returned to the hall. However, the people
accompanying him were not the disciples of Grand Void Manor. Instead, he had been escorted by a
dozen youngsters, all of whom exuded threatening aura. Among them were four gorgeous girls. They
were very young and appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
"Logan is here as well?" Both Boyce and Betty were surprised when they identified that Logan Luo, a
superior talent from their alliance, was one of the youngsters accompanying the old man. He was
ranked within the Top 100!
As for other cultivators brought by the old man, they needn't guess their identities because they were
obviously superior talents ranked within the Top 100 too.
Darren was surprised as well. 'Why have these powerful superior talents come here?' he wondered.