The two of them may be golden on the surface, but that was where the similarities ended. If he used his mana senses instead of his eyes, what he will see about them is very different.
Jason is actually white at the level of mana, not golden. Light is also faster, while metal is sharper and more sturdy.
He was examining them, and they were also examining him. This close to him, they could tell that he was cultivating wood and lightning. They knew what it meant to be able to cultivate both wood and lightning, so the result of their observation made them regard him highly.
What's more, lightning is very fast too. It is not as fast as light, but in the short term, a controller of lightning won't lose out to a controller of light.
To top it off, lightning is more destructive than metal. In fact, metal is susceptible to lightning. It even attracts it to its detriment.
So Arthur was not at a disadvantage to both of them in terms of element. But this only made Goldwyn's become brighter.
He said to Arthur, "You're strong. You're very strong. But I won't admit defeat yet. So I propose a challenge. No, let's make it a bet."
Arthur said, "I'm listening."
Goldwyn became more enthusiastic when he saw that Arthur was interested. Jason rolled his eyes at Goldwyn, but this didn't deter him.
He said, "We will compare what we earn in the secret realm. The one who earns the most will win. The loser will have to double the difference between what the loser and winner gain and pay it as reward. This reward will be paid in gold."
Arthur nodded and said, "Deal."
Goldwyn grinned and extended his hand for a shake.
Arthur took the hand and shook it. Goldwyn became shocked when he felt the strength in his hands.
He could tell that Arthur was at the fourth transformation. Yet, he could sense a power that was greater than the second mortal coil from Arthur's body.
He had heard that Arthur had divine strength. But it was not until he experienced it personally that he realized how horrific it was. This made him look at Arthur as if he was looking at a monster.
He asked, "How?"
Arthur grinned at him and said, "Prepare to lose."
It was as if someone had stepped on his tail. Goldwyn recovered himself instantly and roared, "Never."
Then he turned to Jason and said, "You have to help me in the secret realm. This guy is a monster. I might have gotten myself into a pickle."
He dragged Jason away while pleading with him. This sight made Arthur chuckle.
Arthur thought to himself, "What an interesting guy."
He had a good impression of Goldwyn. It was because the bet that he proposed wasn't made with malicious intentions.
The secret realm that they are going to is an offshoot of the one that serves as the foundation of the sects. The concentration of mana in these secret realms can only support third mortal coil creatures, but the things inside them are things that can't be found outside in the world.
The items that can be harvested in the secret realms are very rare. They aren't things that can be purchased with money. This is why Arthur was interested in them.
If Goldwyn had proposed to let the winner take whatever the loser acquired from the secret realm, Arthur wouldn't have agreed to the bet no matter how enticing it was. But Goldwyn didn't do that, so Arthur had a good impression of him.
The other thing that made Arthur think highly of Goldwyn is because Goldwyn is very strong. Goldwyn also didn't participate in the outer sect competition because he is an S-grade disciple, but he was still placed in the top 10.
One can imagine just how strong Goldwyn has to be for him to be placed in the top 10 while Arthur himself was placed in the top 100.
Arthur can do more than imagine how strong Goldwyn is because he has acquired some information about the top 1,000 students. He got the information from the Apex Alliance.
So he knows what is special about Goldwyn. What he wants to do is see with his own eyes how powerful Goldwyn is.
After Arthur spoke with Goldwyn and Jason, no one else showed up to speak with him. They didn't have anything to speak to him about, so they didn't approach him.
He wasn't like Thor, who was a genius of forging. Everyone who uses armaments dabbles in forging, so they will be interested in Thor's Red Golem and would like to talk to him.
So Arthur was left alone while Thor continued to socialize. Or at least, that's what it started out as.
The people talking with Thor have begun to argue now. They raised their voices and even began to forge things right on the deck in order to prove their point. Arthur wasn't sure that it was still socializing.
Not that he cared. He looked away from them and opened his workbook to continue learning runes. This continued until the elders that would lead them arrived.
There were three elders. They wear cloaks of different colors and forms. The only similarity in their attire was the skull imprint on their cloaks.
The elders didn't waste time after arriving. They ordered the airship to take to the skies immediately. Then the airship began its journey to the territory of the Sword Way sect.
Arthur stayed on the deck instead of going down below because the trip was only going to take a day. He didn't want to waste time going down and coming up when he could be working.
He wasn't the only one who made this choice. More than 90% of the disciples made the same choice. This many people on the deck chatting with each other created the opportunity for Arthur to hear some interesting information.
He learned from the conversations that the secret realm that will be plundered this time around is one of the offshoots of the one that serves as the core of the Sword Way sect.