As the sun rose, the entire group began preparing for their journey to the Dragon Pool. Arya woke up early at 6 AM, and by 8:30 AM, nearly everyone had already gathered in the open ground ahead of schedule. He and Kane were engaged in conversation when Rick, the chief of Black Crow Village, clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Since everyone is here, we should head out now," Rick announced.

The Structure of the Azur Kingdom

The Azur Kingdom was vast, consisting of 12 cities:

• 2 large-sized cities

• 3 mid-sized cities

• 6 small-sized cities

• 1 special city, where the royalty resided. Though this city was classified as a large-sized city, it was considered unique due to the presence of the ruling family.

However, a city's classification wasn't solely based on its physical size. The true measure of a city's ranking was the power residing within it—the clans, academies, and influential figures who governed the region.

One of the three mid-sized cities was home to the Water Dragon Academy, the prestigious institution Arya and the others hoped to join. In contrast, Fallen Leaves City, where Arya lived, had no major powerhouse. Instead, governance was scattered among low-level clans and the four villages.

Despite these twelve cities making up a significant portion of civilization, they only covered about 23% of the kingdom's total land. The rest was dominated by monster beasts and spirit beasts, territories largely unexplored by humans. Arya had little knowledge of these two species, but he was aware that one of the large cities was controlled by a powerful clan, while the other belonged to a large academy.

In total, the Azur Kingdom had:

• 2 large-sized academies

• 2 mid-sized academies

• 10 small-sized academies

The Dragon Pool lay at the border between Fallen Leaves City and the outer forest, a region inhabited by both monsters and spirit beasts. Humans frequently ventured into the outer areas of the forest to hunt, train, search for Seed Stones, or gather rare treasures. This created a constant interaction point between humans, monsters, and spirit beasts. However, deeper parts of the forest were incredibly dangerous—even groups of cultivators could face peril if they lacked the strength to protect themselves.

The group traveled continuously for four hours without encountering any threats, thanks to the four powerful village chiefs and the presence of an even stronger elder from Water Dragon Academy. Once they reached the forest's edge, the distant roars of beasts filled the air. As they ventured further, the sounds grew louder, echoing through the dense trees.

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The chiefs positioned themselves strategically:

• Rick and the elder led at the front, ensuring safety.

• The three other village chiefs guarded the rear, protecting the seven young contestants, who had little experience in dangerous environments.

Upon arriving at the Dragon Pool, everyone was momentarily stunned. The pool wasn't massive, but it was large enough to fit an entire airplane. More importantly, its waters glowed in five distinct colors, clearly representing the five elemental attributes:

1. Fire (red)

2. Water (blue)

3. Air (green)

4. Earth (brown)

5. Electricity (yellow)

Among the seven contestants, none possessed special attributes like:

• Ice (a variation of Water, requiring strong elemental control)

• Metal (highly beneficial for Weapon Masters)

• Lightning (the most destructive of the five base elements)

• Rare attributes like Space, Time, or Evolved Elements (which only appeared in Elite Seed Masters at level 50 and beyond).

Rick turned to address the group.

"Set up your camps first. After that, we'll begin your observation process. Remember, each of you must remain in the pool for at least 30 minutes to absorb as much energy as possible. Opportunities like this are incredibly rare, so make the most of it."

Once their camps were set up, the contestants rested briefly. However, as soon as they were summoned again to begin the absorption process, they were met with a shocking sight—a massive beast lay dead at the center of their camp.

The creature was around 12 to 13 feet long, twice the size of an average human. In the Seedling World, most men stood around 6 feet tall, though this varied by region. The beast's corpse radiated an intimidating aura, even in death.

The Blue Stone Village chief smiled, addressing the bewildered group.

"Our dinner has delivered itself to us—courtesy of the elder."

Arya was equally stunned. The beast looked incredibly powerful, and a closer glance revealed a deep wound in its stomach, pierced by a sharp weapon—likely a spear or something similar.

Someone from the group finally spoke. "Chief, how strong was this beast?"

Rick responded, "It was a low-grade third-level monster, equivalent to a level 41-43 human cultivator. Due to the suppression effect of the Dragon Pool area, its power was slightly weakened. Otherwise, even with the elder here, we would have had to retreat empty-handed."

The chief then added, "Stronger beasts usually avoid this place due to its suppression effects. It's unusual for one like this to appear here."

The elder shrugged. "Perhaps it was just unlucky. Either way, after your absorption session, we'll feast on its meat. This beast's energy will significantly boost your cultivation—almost all of you should reach level 20 without difficulty. So, congratulations in advance."

With the elder's approval, the beast's valuable materials were carefully extracted, while its meat was prepared for dinner. Even in its weakened state, the creature had been stronger than all four village chiefs combined, who ranged from level 35 to 39—with Bryan at 35 and Rick at 39, though their exact power rankings were unknown.

Under the guidance of the chiefs and the elder, the group approached the Dragon Pool, immediately feeling the immense power radiating from its depths.

Rick began assigning positions.

• First place (Rose): Center zone, near the electric element region.

• Second & third place: Border of the middle region, near their respective elements.

• Fourth & fifth place: Middle region.

• Sixth & seventh place: Border of the middle and outer regions.

Rick smirked. "Usually, the last-place contestants are assigned to the outer areas, but you're lucky—because of Water Dragon Academy's presence, your rewards are better this time. The closer you are to the center, the denser the energy. But be careful—over-absorbing can harm your body."

One by one, they entered.

• Rose stepped into the electric zone, where lightning flickered through the water. She submerged herself, leaving only her head above the surface, then closed her eyes and began absorbing energy.

• Ben and the third-place contestant entered the water zone, as 90% of Blue Stone Village's cultivators specialized in water.

• Ben and Leo (both air element users) entered the wind region—Ben focusing on speed, while Leo specialized in attack techniques.

Finally, it was Arya's turn.

As he stepped into the fire zone, a thought crossed his mind. "What if I absorb both Fire and Water energy at the same time? Would my absorption speed increase?" However, he quickly dismissed the idea. "It could cause an unexpected reaction, which isn't worth the risk."

He waded into the middle region, where the energy density was highest. Surprisingly, despite the fire-colored water, its temperature was completely neutral—as if it were regular water. Intrigued, Arya closed his eyes and began absorbing the fire element's energy, focusing entirely on refining it into his own power.

This was his chance to grow stronger.

And he wouldn't waste it.