Lyrah sucked in a cold breath when she saw the crystal. It was hard not to.

This sort of Ice Spirit Crystal wasn't just useful to the Sect—it was specifically useful to herself, and she was sure that the other elders felt the same way.

It was hard to put a value on a Quasi Dome of Heaven Spirit Crystal. Usually, these things would be hoarded by the Matriarch herself.

As the only person who could enter the Core Region, the Matriarch was responsible for clearing the Ice Spirit Beasts that the others couldn't handle. Something like this would almost certainly fall into her hands 100% of the time.

And yet, without much fanfare or care, Theron handed it over to Lyrah.

At this point, the calmest of the other elders was Second Elder Ilzan—as usual. But even his pupils had turned to pinpoints as he controlled his impulse to try and snatch it away.

Maybe he could easily take it from Theron, but Lyrah was another matter entirely. Theron had clearly handed it over to her. There was no getting past this even if he wanted to.

Lyrah slowly reached forward and took it.

Usually, crystals were slightly deformed and imperfect in some ways. Some might have a little cloudiness in them, some might be shaped like broken gems and shattered glass. All of them would have the same white, silver, and blues to them, but arranged in a variety of different ways.

This one was nothing like that.

It had not the slightest hint of color to it. It was perfectly spherical and perfectly see-through. It looked like a polished marble, cleaned so perfectly it almost didn't radiate any Ice Mana at all…

Until you touched it.

Lyrah's pupils constricted into pinholes when she did. How had Theron been holding it just now?

"Why is your cultivation still that of Silver Mancy?" First Elder Bertrum's words cut through the silence like a blazing knife through butter.

Lyrah's own pupils shook when she heard this as well. She had been so focused on the crystal being real first that she had neglected this matter. She hadn't even been thinking about it.

This wasn't her fault. This was the same for everyone. Only First Elder Bertrum, who was quite scheming in the first place and looking out for every tiny detail he could use to turn this matter around, had managed to catch the one flaw.

Bertrum had been holding this in the entire time, his heart practically thrumming with excitement. He thought he had found proof that Theron was truly hiding his cultivation. And if he was hiding his cultivation, then maybe he was also hiding his age as well.

In Bertrum's opinion, for him to be unable to find a flaw in Theron's disguise must mean that it was quite the treasure or formula he had used. It was quite possible that Theron didn't have the personal ability to change the parameters of how he hid his cultivation and age.

Anything that could change the underlying and outward showing of your vitality should be quite permanent. Maybe it was also tied into how Theron hid his cultivation as well.

So… Theron just might have made a mistake, triggering a Tribulation he shouldn't have after he was backed into a corner. But even after passing the Tribulation, there was nothing he could do to change his appearance and cultivation after the fact, so he was stuck.

All he could do was hope that no one would notice—and no one had…

Until Bertrum himself.

One thought after another fell so perfectly in place for Bertrum that he seemed to glow with pride. When he looked over to see Lyrah confused and unable to answer as well, he only grew more sure of himself, his aura growing like a tide.

No longer holding back, it bombarded Theron in waves.

Usually, Theron would take a step back. Usually, he would at least pretend that he was being harmed by the aura he was facing, for no other reason than to end things peacefully and cling onto life for just a little bit longer so he could take just the smallest step toward his revenge.

But this time he didn't.

He really… really wasn't in any mood to.

Theron's gaze slowly moved over toward Bertrum. "Because I failed."

It was a simple, three-word sentence, but it cut through all of Bertrum's momentum as though he was a child caught doing something wrong.

The First Elder's breathing hitched, and a murderous momentum seemed to pierce right through his soul.

Right this moment, Theron's soul, to these elders, seemed right on the verge of being the equivalent of a Quasi Dome of Heaven expert's. In reality, it was in the Quasi Cloud Realm right now. But these people had souls that lagged an entire realm behind their Mana cultivation, so to them, this was very much true.

However… that was far from all.

Theron's soul was supported by not just one Mandate, but four of them. Four Mandates for a total of thirty-six Bronze Laws, twelve Silver Laws, and four Gold Laws.

All on top of a Celestial Dark Resonance and a Primal Water Resonance.

To them, let alone on the verge of the Dome of Heaven Realm, Theron's soul might as well have already been in it.

They said that the eyes were the window to the soul, and for Theron—who practically embodied the [Entangling Blood Vein Pupils]—this was even more true.

Just meeting this youth's gaze, Bertrum felt his soul both enveloped in darkness and frozen to ice.

A failed Tribulation?

The words hung heavy in the air while Bertrum was trapped in a quagmire of his own making.

The First Elder took a heavy step back, his eyes blinking rapidly as a frosty air formed around them. It felt like he was about to lose his eyesight entirely just now.

But only he felt what was happening. All everyone else could hear were Theron's words.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.