The Herb King



Soon, the day of the competition arrived. The venue of the competition was held in a big stadium at the center of West Ocean City. The seats inside the stadium were already occupied and some even had to stand because there were no more vacancies. Everyone was bubbling with excitement as they stared at the stage. 

The participants from all over the Regalis Continent stood there with their groups. They studied the other groups near them with gazes filled with battle intent. No one wants to show any weakness in this situation because their every move was scrutinized by the crowd. 

At this moment, Alec's group of five had serious looks on their faces as they inspected the other groups. They found out that there were a lot of strong participants. They also noticed that there were Level 3 Espers everywhere! 

"I thought that we are already strong after our training in Barden Territory, but it seems like we have underestimated the top talents of the Regalis Continent..." Michael muttered solemnly. 

"Among all the participants, our strength is still at the top bracket. A huge portion of these guys are only Level 2 Espers. We just have to remember what we have learned in our training." Alec said in a calm voice. He then turned his gaze to the youngest person in the group and asked. "Christopher, you received King Aethelwolf's personal lessons. How confident are you in making it to the top 10 of the Alchemy competition?" 

The others stared at Christopher after hearing this. 

Christopher took a deep breath and shook his head as he replied. "I haven't seen the abilities of the other participants yet so I'm not sure. However, I can already refine 3rd-Grade Pills so if nothing goes wrong, I should be able to make it to the top 10." 

"Just believe in yourself." Janrose patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. 

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the stage after the arrival of a group. All of them were beautiful women and the young lady leading them was even more beautiful. She had a long blue hair that was tied with a hairpin and there was a golden crown on top of her head. 

"That is Princess Altina Azure!" 

"That means they are from the Azure Phoenix Empire!" 

"Look! All of them are Level 3 Espers!" 

"Princess Altina is actually a Level 4 Esper! How strong!" 

Alec's group also noticed their arrival and when they saw Princess Altina, they all frowned. She exuded a grace that was beyond her peers and her beauty was so blinding that the eyes of almost all men were on her. 

Princess Altina's group passed by Alec and the others.

"So that's the crown princess of the Azure Phoenix Empire. She's indeed strong!" Grace muttered in a serious tone. 

"Alec, can you defeat her?" Janrose whispered.

Alec shook his head and frowned as he spoke. "No! Even if I have superior experience compared to her, there is a huge gap in our power! However, if I use the sword technique that King Aethelwolf taught us, there might be a chance..."

Hearing this, the others were shocked. They knew how strong Alec was. He was only a mid stage Level 3 Esper, but he could fight some experts at Level 4 to a draw! 

Hmph! 

The group suddenly heard a cold snort behind them. They turned their heads and saw a woman dressed in the uniform of the Azure Phoenix Empire. She looked to be in her late teens, but she was already a mid stage Level 3 Esper! 

"What big words! Who would have thought that there's actually a group of bumpkins among the participants?" The girl muttered in a mocking tone. She didn't even lower the volume of her voice, making the participants near them hear what she had spoken. 

Everyone watched them with interest. 

"Who are those people? They actually angered someone from the Azure Phoenix Empire!"

"I'm not familiar with their insignia, but they only have five members so they must be from a small empire." 

"Someone from a small empire dares to provoke the Azure Phoenix Empire? They must be insane! Haha!"

The participants nearby laughed mockingly as they watched the scene. 

Janrose was about to curse the girl from the Azure Phoenix Empire, but Alec held her back. 

Seeing him shaking his head, Janrose furrowed her eyebrows and said in a cold voice. "Why are you stopping me? That woman is mocking us!" 

"Don't forget what King Aethelwolf has told us. We must never reveal our strength to others. If you are that angry, show her your power on the stage!" Alec muttered. 

Janrose's expression eased up when she heard this.

"Participants! Please give me your attention!" A loud booming voice echoed in the stadium. 

Everyone turned their gazes to the speaker and saw an old man hovering in midair. Seeing this, the participants immediately revealed respectful gazes. Only Level 5 Espers were capable of flight. That means this ordinary-looking old man was a Level 5 Esper! 

The old man smiled contentedly when he saw that he had grabbed their attention. He cleared his throat as he introduced himself. "I am Holy General Omar, ranked eleventh. No, that's not right... I'm currently ranked twelfth in the Heavenly Might Rankings." 

Hearing this, the eyes of the participants turned wide. This old man was actually one of the top experts of the Regalis Continent! 

"The young talents of the Regalis Continent are now gathered for this special event. The results of your battles will determine the rankings of your empires so I hope that everyone can give their all. The higher your rank, the more benefits you guys will receive! This time, our Mystic Island has prepared generous rewards for the groups who will enter the top twenty!" 

Everyone became excited when they heard this. 

"The first part of the competition is Alchemy. I command all non-participants to get off the stage! I will now announce the start of the competition!"