As everyone on the second and third floors wondered about the so-called "monster of a genius" who was about to ascend to the top of the monolith, the crowd of geniuses on the first floor witnessed everything firsthand.
They watched with wide eyes, unable to look away from the monolith as Max’s figure slowly reached the top and disappeared from sight.
"Everyone, there you have it. The sixth genius to ever reach the peak of the monolith in the history of the temple," the blob of slime once again announced, its voice brimming with excitement as it echoed to the other two floors.
"He did it! He reached the peak of the monolith!"
"Damn, how cool would it be to become the only sixth person in the entire world to do this?"
"He might become the strongest genius of our era for sure, as nobody in our time has achieved anything like he has."
"True, he has the potential, but would he reach that realm? Nobody knows."
The crowd erupted once the announcement was made. Those on the first floor watched in awe as history was being created—a legend in the making.
"Damn, he did it. He reached the peak! He’s only the sixth person to ever do something like this," Sam said excitedly, still in shock. He never imagined he would witness something as grand as this in the temple.
Dean grinned. "I didn’t expect him to be this talented, but damn, he surprised me the most. Reaching the top of the monolith isn’t easy, and I bet feats like this are rare."
"True. He’s created a legend that will be remembered for generations," Princess Aveline said, her eyes growing more curious. She really wanted to know what kind of person ’Max’ was. Stay tuned with freewebnovel
"He is a remarkable genius, and he has proved that, but I don’t think he’s as strong as the two masked brothers claim he is," Evlin said, her tone dissatisfied.
Princess Aveline glanced at her, her expression equally curious. "I also want to know how strong he really is. To be this talented, he surely must be strong, right?"
"Strong? We’ll know once he comes down," Nathan sneered. Though his confidence had taken a hit after Max reached the peak of the monolith, he was still as unbridled as ever.
Tom smiled, glancing at his brother. "I’m sure he’s strong, but as strong as us at the 4th level of Apprentice Rank? Impossible."
On the second floor, Anton stared at the screen that appeared before them. It displayed a young man’s journey from the bottom of the monolith to the very peak.
"This... this person is Max?!" Anton muttered in shock, his voice barely audible. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
As the son of the leader of the Phoenix Order guild, Anton was exposed to information that others could only dream of, so he understood better than anyone what it meant to reach the peak of the monolith.
Legend had it that the entire temple had once been the property of an expert from the Middle Domain. Due to some misfortune, he died in the Lower Domain, but before his death, he used the temple as a test to find his last disciple.
One such test was the monolith.
Only five people had managed to reach the peak of the monolith, but information about them had been lost to history. The five geniuses who had previously climbed to the peak of the monolith had faded into the annals of time. Nobody knew their names, their associations—everything had been lost over the years.
When the five ancestors of the five major guilds found the temple, it was dormant. Only after their entries did the temple begin testing more and more geniuses over time. But due to the greed of the five major guilds, they had hidden the portal to the temple where no power in the world could find it.
That all changed when the temple sent portals to all five regions of the Valora Continent.
Therefore, Max reaching the peak of the monolith made one thing clear to Anton.
"His potential is the highest among everyone in the entire Valora Continent, in the entire Lower Domains," Anton muttered, his astonishment evident.
At that moment, Anton realized the insane combat power Max possessed wasn’t by accident. With such great potential and talent, if he didn’t have combat power to match, it would be disappointing.
"The last time someone from the five major guilds reached the highest point was Freya Voidwalker. She reached the 880-meter mark," Anton frowned as he compared the results of Max and Freya, his eyes gleaming with suspicion.
On the third floor, similar screens appeared in the air, projecting Max’s ascent to the top of the monolith.
Every single genius on the third floor was stunned. They knew that the monolith in every floor remained the same. The pressure they faced on the monolith on the third floor was the same that others on the first and second floors faced. Yet no one on the third floor had managed to surpass the 800-meter mark while someone on the other two floors reached the peak.
Despite everyone on the third floor having auras at level 3, none had reached the peak, while someone from the other floors had done so.
"Max..." Veylin muttered, his face gloomy as he recognized the figure on the screen. "I should have killed him back then." He regretted not killing him when he had the chance.
Beside him stood Five, no longer wearing the cloak, his face clearly visible. He had a long, handsome face with short golden hair, resembling a prince from a forgotten kingdom.
Glancing at Max’s figure as he ascended the monolith, Five’s expression didn’t change. His eyes only gleamed at the sight. ’It won’t be long before we battle once again,’ he thought, walking back to deepen his comprehension of level 3 of Sword Aura.
Geniuses from across the regions—Mad Sword of the West, Ravenna Frostbane of the North, Arthur Gale of the South, and the prodigies of the Five Major Guilds of the East—each hailed as masters of Level 3 auras, found their gazes riveted to the screen before them.
These paragons of power, who rarely deigned to acknowledge the achievements of others, now watched in rapt silence, their focus unshakably fixed on the unfolding scene.
Amidst the crowd of geniuses on the third floor of the temple, Serena and Bruce of the Phoenix Order guild stood frozen, their gazes fixed on the massive screen displaying Max’s climb. Both wore expressions of disbelief, their wide eyes reflecting their shock.
"This... can’t be possible," Serena whispered, her voice barely audible over the murmurs of the other geniuses.
Bruce clenched his fists, his knuckles white. "We barely made it to the 600-meter mark before we had to give up... and now this?" His tone was a mixture of incredulity and frustration.
"How is this possible?" Serena muttered, her mind racing. "He’s supposed to be weaker than us... isn’t he?"
Bruce’s jaw tightened. "Clearly, he’s not." He exhaled deeply, trying to mask the bitterness creeping into his voice. "Strength isn’t just about raw power. That climb... it must have taken insane comprehension, grit, and something more."
Serena nodded slowly, her initial disbelief giving way to reluctant admiration. "To think someone like him would make history here. And to stand among the six who’ve conquered the monolith... it’s incredible."
Around them, other geniuses whispered and speculated, their envy tempered with awe. The monolith had always been a measure of not just strength but potential, and Max’s success had shaken the belief systems of many present.