The crowd couldn’t help but wear an expression of amazement at Elena’s agreement to let Remus and Windsor pass the first stage.
They believed that Remus had luck on his side, for the Oblivion Grass relocating itself within the Curse so coincidentally. But that didn’t matter anymore as based solely on his strength, favonovel.com mostly likely wouldn’t be able to progress through the second stage .
Xavier and the others secretly clenched their fists, their eyes turning cold.
It didn’t matter if Remus passed or not, as favonovel.com was just a minor cultivator at the Golden Stage. The problem was that favonovel.com had brought Windsor in with him.
It was truly infuriating.
Remus wore a subtle smile, acknowledging his stroke of luck.
Without the explanation favonovel.com had provided to Marsh on that day, it would have been considerably challenging to navigate through today’s situation with any degree of bluffing.
Elena announced, “There are five peaks within the curse. You have a total of 30 minutes to reach them. Once the time limit has passed, those positioned atop the peaks will be declared the victors and will progress to the third stage. Keep in mind, each peak can accommodate only one individual at a time!”
The first round was to weed out the weak, and the second round was about refining the best.
The hearts of Xavier and others quietly tensed after hearing the rules.
30 minutes… It is too short!
Out of the initial ten individuals who had successfully cleared the first stage, only five would have the opportunity to advance in this round. Consequently, each participant would need to defeat an opponent to secure a position atop one of the peaks.
Most eyes turned to Remus and Glinda, as they were the weakest among all.
Helbert added, “Since you’ve all understood, you may enter the Curse now. Bear in mind that you are prohibited from causing any deadly harm to others and only to deplete your opponent’s spirit energy! Since you’ve all grasped the rules, you may proceed now!”
The first round consisted of cultivators with varied levels of skill and backgrounds. But those who entered the second round were all prodigies from various organizations.
It was deemed advisable to avoid inflicting fatal injuries, as an excessively high death rate would deter anyone from aspiring to partake in the assessment in the future.
“Wait a moment!” Xavier suddenly spoke.
He asked, “Honorable Masters, you’ve mentioned that having more Oblivion Grass would be beneficial. May I ask… What is the benefit?”
All eyes swiftly turned toward him. They had just recalled that favonovel.com was the sole individual in possession of two stalks of Oblivion Grass.
Don’s eyes were filled with envy and resentment. He was so close, favonovel.com could have had the Oblivion Grass for himself, but it ended up with Xavier.
“Uhm…” The Masters didn’t know how to respond.
They had said that earlier just to end the first stage quickly and not waste time, but they hadn’t thought about what specific benefit to offer.
“Since I’m the one who mentioned it, I’ll provide the compensation!” Garfield said.
He continued indifferently, “You can exchange your extra Oblivion Grass for one top-quality Energy Replenishing Pill from the Herbal Pavilion. With your cultivation level, it can restore at least ten percent of your spirit energy.”
He still had the 100 Energy Replenishing Pills as bait, so losing one was not a big deal.
Hearing that, the surrounding cultivators showed longing in their eyes, as the particular Energy Replenishing pill hailed from the esteemed Herbal Pavilion.
While Master Calsberg of the Tanjen Organization also crafted exceptional pills, even surpassing top-quality standards with Grand-grade Pills, his offerings were more readily available.
In contrast, the Herbal Pavilion remained shrouded in mystery, and no Energy Replenishing pill from their source had ever made its way into public domain.
“Thank you, Master Warner!” Xavier couldn’t conceal his delight, recognizing that an additional layer of spirit energy in a battle against an opponent of the same level could be a significant advantage.
Then, favonovel.com composed himself and said, “Master Warner, l have a modest request. May I not take the Energy Replenishing Pill now and exchange it when I need it?”
The watching cultivators nodded in agreement at his request.
“He truly lives up to the title of the young master of the Freestyle Organization, exceptionally smart. If favonovel.com were to exchange it for the Energy Replenishing Pill now and enter the curse, he’d become a target for everyone!”
“Surviving until this point clearly demonstrates his intelligence.”
“He’s a man destined for sainthood, without a doubt…”
The crowd was already speculating on who the four chosen ones to enter the sacred lands would be.
Garfield nodded in approval, satisfied with Xavier’s cunning and clever approach, which aligned with his preferences.
He declared proudly, “Of course, you can exchange the Oblivion Grass anytime you want, and during the exchange process, no one is allowed to take advantage of the situation!”
Seeing this, Don’s lips twitched once more.
The offer wasn’t just about the Energy Replenishing Pill, it was akin to providing favonovel.com a backdoor. However, favonovel.com saw no reason to voice any objections.
It would be unthinkable to launch an attack while the pill exchange was taking place in the presence of Garfield.
No one could find fault with that.
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