The night was as cool as water as the streets of Kaliron gradually fell into darkness, with only a few places remaining brightly lit even after nightfall.
The Morning Light Cathedral was one such place, where bright light shone from within the massive buildings, giving those inside the feeling of still being in broad daylight.
Olivia had already arrived at the Morning Light Cathedral and was currently inside one of the enormous structures.
The space was vast, featuring a massive, open training ground in the center surrounded by rows of seats where people from the three great empires were seated at tables adorned with fresh fruit.
Olivia was already seated in the section representing the Radiant Light Church, her eyes curiously surveying the surroundings.
The Nature Sect, the Earth Church, the Tower of Stars, and the Moriah family were all seated in their respective areas.
"How is it? Do you feel the pressure?" a familiar voice asked from beside her.
Sitting next to Olivia was Melanie, who had also arrived for this Internal Probing Exchange.
As a Domainist, Melanie was naturally there to represent the church's Domainists in battle.
Furthermore, she knew that Olivia was the sole representative for the church's Transcenders.
This caused a stir of emotion in her heart.
A church so large naturally had more than one Transcender available, but sending only Olivia spoke volumes of their confidence in her.
"It's fine. If things go as expected, I don't think I'll be defeated or bring shame to the church," Olivia said conservatively.
"You really are... confident," Melanie couldn't help but smile.
Afterward, a look of complexity couldn't help but surface in her eyes.
She remembered when Olivia first came to the Daylight Cathedral as a novice nun.
Back then, when Olivia first chose her transcendent path, it was Melanie who recommended the path of the Ascetic.
In the blink of an eye, Olivia had already attained a respectable status within the church.
"I know you're quite strong, but in this internal contest, you're only allowed to fight using your own abilities. Forbidden artifacts are prohibited, so you still need to be careful," Melanie reminded her.
"I'll be careful," Olivia replied.
"Have you looked into your opponents? Do you know who's the most troublesome?" Melanie asked further.
"I haven't looked into them yet," Olivia shook her head.
Of course, this was a lie.
Through the magic mirror, Olivia had long since researched her opponents; although she could only learn what was available in Kaliron, it was more than enough.
On the surface, however, she had not yet received information about the two empires' transcendents through the church, so she had to feign ignorance.
"Then let me tell you," Melanie began immediately. "Among the four organizations of the two empires, there are actually seven people you need to watch out for."
"These seven correspond to seven different transcendent paths."
"They are the ones who have gone the furthest in the Transcender class rank and are the most powerful. They're all strong Transcenders on the verge of becoming Domainists."
"They are..."
Melanie continued to explain slowly, clearly possessing ample knowledge of their opponents from the other two empires.
While Melanie spoke with Olivia, many eyes were on them, sizing them up.
Everyone from the Radiant Light Church was being repeatedly scrutinized and studied by the four powerful organizations.
"Strange, why haven't any of the Transcenders from the Radiant Light Church I know showed up yet? Are they not here yet?"
In the Nature Sect's area, a petite girl with colorful hair spoke in confusion.
Her name was Queenie Harrington, a Druid from the Nature Sect and a Transcender, so she paid special attention to the church's Transcenders.
However, as she scanned the room, she didn't see a single Transcender she recognized.
She eventually noticed Melanie, only to be reminded that Melanie had already become a Domainist and would not be her opponent.
So the question remained: where was her opponent? Where were they?
Were the Radiant Light Church's Transcenders gathered elsewhere discussing tactics?
"No need to be in such a hurry. The main event hasn't started yet, and not everyone from the Radiant Light Church has arrived. They'll surely show up soon," a tall, green-haired young man nearby said with a smile.
His name was Brayden Parker, another transcendent from the Nature Sect who had come to fight, following the path of the Verdant Warden.
Queenie complained, "Don't you know nothing about the Radiant Light Church's Transcenders? I was going to point them out and introduce them to you one by one, but they're not even here."
"As long as you say their names, I'll remember them," Brayden laughed.
"Fine, fine. Then listen closely. Among the Transcenders of the Radiant Light Church, the first one to watch out for is..."
Queenie had no choice but to start introducing them to Brayden in detail.
...
Similar scenes were unfolding within the Earth Church, the Tower of Stars, and the Moriah family.
No one could afford to overlook the Radiant Light Church; after all, their Radiant Goddess was one of the most active deities, making it hard to ignore them.
Before long, everyone expected in the hall had arrived. The vast space was bustling and lively.
Seeing that everyone was present, Sybil Griffith, the head of the Holy Order, stepped forward, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.
"Welcome to the Holy Kelidos Empire, welcome to Kaliron, and welcome to the Morning Light Cathedral..."
Sybil greeted the crowd with a smile, her manner unhurried.
As she delivered her opening remarks, the representatives from the four organizations of the two empires looked at one another, especially the Transcenders, who appeared bewildered.
They still hadn't seen any Transcenders from the Radiant Light Church.
As the first stage of the mid-level class ranks, the Transcender class rank was of undeniable importance.
Why hadn't the Radiant Light Church sent anyone? It couldn't be that they were forfeiting the battle at this rank, could it?
Because Olivia had only recently risen to prominence, people from the other empires had not yet heard of her, and naturally did not know she was a Transcender.
Rate on N.U.
