Owen Bertram’s external incarnation differed greatly from his original character and behavior. At first, he disguised his Lord persona as a wild and unrestrained one, eventually becoming predominant and integrated into his Lord’s body. If someone in the future tried to use similar characteristics to identify Owen’s external avatar, they would be woefully mistaken.
Sanni walked to an ordinary divine temple’s back door, knocked, and entered. There were many such temples in King Port, but this one was different, hiding a world of secrets within. This was where all the prodigies of the Nanni Nation lived, along with an equal number of Red Clan prodigies, living and training together.
The two groups were deliberately set against each other, competing fiercely. So far, the Lester people were falling behind as the Red Clan cultivated their own system, being closer to the Evil God than the Lester people.
Out of all the prodigies of the Nanni Nation, only Sanni and another descendant of the AmboSiya family, Parson, could keep up with the Red Clan’s cultivation speed.
As a Nanni Nation native, Sanni was not appreciated by the Red Clan. Among the Lester people, Parson considered him his biggest rival, isolating him and leaving Sanni to walk his own path.
When he returned, Sanni heard Parson and his group whispering about something. As soon as they noticed him, they became alert and fell quiet. Sanni walked through them with his head held high, leaving behind a disdainful sneer.
The group clenched their teeth in anger but did not dare to attack him. The temple had severe punishments for private fights.
For Sanni, there was no such thing as "tolerance." How could the Lord tolerate such behavior? This kind of defiance in Parson’s eyes was seen as a "foolish person gaining power and becoming arrogant."
At dinner, the Nanni people and the Red Clan each sat at two long tables in the dining hall.
Their seating positions indicated their cultivation ranks—the strongest practitioners sat at the front end, closest to the food.
On the Nanni side, it was naturally Sanni. Even though Parson always felt that he only lost by half a move due to bad luck in their previous fights, he was forced to sit in the second position.
On the Red Clan’s side, a sturdy young man named Alonni, who was about the same age as Sanni but a head taller, sat in the first position. He seemed to be as strong as a calf.
During every meal, Sanni would stare at him with provocative eyes—Alonni was extremely annoyed. He felt like a dog was challenging its master. But how could a master stoop to the level of a dog?
There was an old saying: If a dog bites you, can you bite it back?
Unmoved by Sanni’s provocations, Alonni displayed the calmness of a seasoned general.
Parson and others thought Sanni lacked the "heart of a strong person" and was too frivolous. This kind of character was holding him back and would eventually cause trouble.
A faculty member spoke, and the food was brought out. Huge silver plates full of bloody chunks of meat flew out and landed in front of each young person. The faculty member shouted, "Begin!"
Everyone raised their hands, and black flames surged from their palms, roasting the meat before them. Competition was everywhere, even during mealtime. The meat was akin to magical pills for cultivators of their level, but it was very difficult to cook.
About the time it would take to burn a stick of incense, Alonni finished roasting his meat first and began devouring it with a knife and fork. Sanni took a little longer, but he wasn’t discouraged and stared at Alonni, "Some people, who are not top prodigies in their own country, can only come here to maintain their sense of superiority.
Unfortunately, this sense of superiority won’t last long, as it is soon to be surpassed by a peerless prodigy who started his cultivation several years later."
Sanni continued, "You should eat more while you can, because when your ranking drops, you may not have such a good appetite."
The faculty members were exasperated. Although competition was encouraged in the temple, Sanni’s provocations were too much...
After dinner, a mentor with a wooden expression entered the room with his hands clasped in front of his wide robe. He addressed the congregation, "The Fourth Tribunal Lord requires an apprentice attendant, and one will be chosen from among you. This is a rare opportunity; the Fourth Tribunal Lord will set a test for you tomorrow. There’s only one spot, so prepare yourselves tonight."
Owen Bertram realized that what Parson and his group had been discussing secretly was this matter, as everyone else had heard the news beforehand.
Should he compete for the apprentice attendant position? It was undeniable that the Lord always loved to stand out. But in the past, Owen had instructed Sanni to perform exceptionally, only to lose to Alonni in the end.
Owen never had high expectations for the Red Clan’s integrity, so he always controlled Sanni’s abilities just below the Red Clan’s strongest prodigies.
Although these Red Barbarians were not the most outstanding among the Boneset Country’s prodigies, they still did not want to see Sanni surpassing Alonni.
If such a situation were to arise, the Red Clan would most likely create various "accidents" for Sanni.