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"You heard right, today is the trial for the Young Lord, isn't it?"
"Yeah, we need to hurry if we want a front spot in the coliseum!"
In Coliseum,
With dark red hair flowing and an imposing aura, Wilson Raindal, the Head of the Raindal family, sat on a chair not the slightest bit inferior to an emperor's throne, if such an emperor even existed. Beside him sat a beauty so divine that even angels might envy her, her light red hair cascading down to her hips. Sarah Raindal wore an expression of quiet worry as she gazed toward the entrance of the coliseum.
Down the stairs, Solomon climbed quickly with a worried expression. Reaching the platform near the throne, he bowed slightly and asked,
"My Lord, did Luke come to you regarding the trial?"
"No, he didn't..." Wilson responded, his voice low and steady.
Solomon's brows furrowed.
"You already know your son has been ill for years with an unknown disease. Even so, he managed to break through to the Soul Refining Realm at the same age as his peers. I know he's already at Level Two... but why did you agree to this trial? It could seriously injure him—maybe even kill him."
Silence fell across the grand throne room situated above the coliseum.
"Wilson, why did you agree?" Sarah asked softly, though her voice carried a tremor of restrained anger. Her eyes remained fixed on her husband.
Wilson hesitated.
"I... I don't know what happened that day in the council meeting... Some kind of..."
He paused for a full minute, clenching his fists, before meeting Sarah's gaze and then turning to Solomon.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. When I heard that Luke had reached the Soul Refining Realm with forty refinements surpassing even our ancestors, who only achieved thirty-five, I was overwhelmed. I thought he could defeat anyone below the Path of Vision Realm."
His voice faltered.
"But I forgot... he doesn't even know the basics of combat, let alone any fighting techniques..."He looked down, regret clouding his features.
"I can't cancel it now. If I do, Luke's legitimacy as heir will be stripped. This... this is all my fault."
Silence deepened in the room. Sarah bit her lip, and Solomon stood stiffly, unsure how to respond.
Wilson finally continued, his voice resolute, "If anything life-threatening happens, I'll intervene immediately and cancel the trial. But for now... I can't."
Meanwhile, in the Elder Council chamber situated slightly below the throne room but still overlooking the center of the coliseum. Harren, seated with the other elders, observed quietly.
He stood and approached a microphone-like device embedded into a pedestal at the front. Placing his hand on it, he channeled his Qi into the mechanism. His voice echoed across the stadium.
"Welcome, everyone. Today, we gather to witness the trial of Young Lord Luke Raindal, as he steps forward to prove his legitimacy as heir to the Raindal family."
As his voice reverberated through the coliseum, all murmurs from both the main and branch families fell silent.
The gate opened...
A young teenage boy, with skin like jade, dark black hair, and the same dark eyes so different from his red-haired parents, walked calmly into the coliseum, exuding both calm and madness. He wore a tracksuit that looked just like those from modern Earth.
Girls around his age in the coliseum stared, unable to take their eyes off him. His cold demeanor and madness-filled gaze were hypnotic.
One girl unknowingly blurted,
"Cool..."
When Wilson and Sarah saw the young boy, they both let out a sigh of relief, though tension still lingered. Wilson, however, didn't show it his expression calm, as if he were certain that his son, Luke Raindal, would win the trial without a doubt.