Clearly, the other person she mentioned is Jon.
It seems the competition between them has not stopped,
Jon must have reached the Seventh Level Characteristic a while ago. They didn’t expect Qingyu to reach it so quickly as well.
He didn’t like the matter of competing for kingship, so he changed the subject.
"I remember there is another King Candidate, what’s his name... "
Vivian answered politely, "Modric Lao Xingge."
"Oh. What level is he?"
Vivian pressed her lips together and smiled, "Xingge is only fifteen years old, having just become a Fire Holder for a year. Naturally, he is only First Level."
Rod asked curiously, "And the King?"
Everyone’s expression turned solemn, and Velas spoke in an awed and careful tone, "The King’s Characteristic has long reached the pinnacle. He, in resonance with the Holy Fire, is now on par with gods."
Rod exclaimed in surprise, "That strong? No wonder every time I ask the King if my Spiritual Energy has gotten stronger, he says the difference is not too significant. I thought the King was jealous of my growth rate and was deliberately suppressing me."
The comment made everyone laugh, dispelling the tension in the air, and filling the inside and outside of the carriage with a cheerful atmosphere.
White Wolf inexplicably felt some fondness for him, but his mouth was still not relaxed.
"Young man, you are too arrogant. You should know that since ancient times, there have been countless unparalleled talents, people with great wisdom, talent, and power, as numerous as the stars in the sky. Even today, as humanity wanes, and the fire dwindles, there are many talents stronger than you."
Aro pouted, dissatisfied, "Uncle White Wolf is talking nonsense. Little Rod is the best—I’ve already tried it!"
Rod smiled, "How great?"
Aro spread her hands wide, striking an exaggerated length, "This great!"
Vivian suddenly laughed out loud, her face suddenly flushing for some reason.
White Wolf said indifferently, "When he returns to the Fire Hall and witnesses the scene at the very peak, he will understand this point. Our hope is not only in him alone, perhaps among us is the true Savior."
Aro covered her ears and said loudly, "I don’t care, he’s the best!"
Velas also said, "Speaking merely of achievements, Lord Rod is indeed the most dazzling this year."
A thought struck Rod’s heart. From their reactions, it seemed he really was not the strongest.
So this rate of growth is not the fastest?
Rod was slightly shocked.
He had heard similar words before but had not expected that even with his rapid advancement across such a large gulf in fewer than a year, he still wasn’t the fastest.
Suddenly, a new hope arose in his heart.
Surely such powerful humans must have a future, right?
They couldn’t possibly be easily extinguished, right?
Rod felt a fire burning in his heart, and his blood was once again filled with surging drive.
I cannot be complacent; I must work even harder,
he thought to himself.
I want to be the strongest among these rising stars. I want to ignite humanity’s fire and light the dark path ahead.
The entrance to the Abyss Rift is in the western side of Defense Area Twelve, but its exact location is indeterminate, necessitating a search.
This is one of the main reasons why the Abyss Rift remains one of Trolian’s most troublesome disasters.
Without finding the entrance, one cannot enter.
The group searched the west side for a long time and eliminated group after group of Corrupted Demons, but they never found the entrance.
And these Corrupted Demons were merely demons formed from the Abyssal Aura; upon being slain, they yielded no souls, only a meager few dozen points of Soul Without Spirit.
This made Rod very unhappy.
Soul Without Spirit was his basic resource, one could never have too much. Such a small gain was nowhere near enough for his growth, leaving him unable to help asking,
"What exactly is this Abyss Rift?"
Velas answered, "It is a Fragmented Space, scattered within the interlayers of realms. Normally it lies dormant, only to be activated when disturbed. And because it occupies a low Position, it always appears underground."
"Fragments of space? The Abyss has shattered?"
Velas cautiously answered, "The current theory suggests these are fragments of the surface Abyss, destroyed in some unknown catastrophe. Fragments without the support of powerful demons dissolve and disappear, while those housing powerful demons are maintained, turning the demons into the pillar of support for the Fragmented Space."
Rod asked in surprise, "Surface Abyss? Is there an inner Abyss too?"
Everyone’s expressions turned solemn.
White Wolf spoke gravely, "The true Abyss is a dark side not even gods can reach. Nowadays, there’s a theory that the source of the Black Fog is the true Abyss."
Velas nodded, "White Wolf is absolutely right."
"Legend has it that, in ancient times, a human, due to their own greed, unleashed a great terror from the Abyss, which caused the great Pollution that this world cannot be rid of."
"Therefore, seeking the existence of the true Abyss, finding the truth behind the birth of the Black Fog, and the method to dispel it is also one of the important tasks in the Royal City."
Aro clenched her small fists tightly.
"Yes, that person is absolutely awful! Making everyone suffer , he must not have a little brother, and his son must be blind."
Vivian covered her mouth with a smile, "Sister Aro, that’s just a legend. Whether it’s true or not is still uncertain. Maybe that person never existed."
Aro said angrily, "I believe it’s true. This ghostly Black Fog is obviously from the Abyss. And within the Abyss Rift, the Black Fog is even denser and more terrifying than the darkest depths. If the fragments of the outer Abyss are , the true Abyss is certainly unimaginable."
Velas said gravely, "Miss Aro makes a fair point. This is a direction we are seriously considering, but until we find the absolute truth, no one can be sure."
Listening to their conversation, Rod seemed lost in thought, feeling as though he were overlooking something, but he just couldn’t catch the firefly of inspiration.
After searching for a while longer, everyone explored all the possible areas, but they still hadn’t found the entrance to the Abyss Rift.
Only the Corrupted Demons kept leaping out of the mist.
Suddenly, White Wolf said, "I’ve got it. The entrance to the rift is concealed by the Spirit Realm Barrier, so we can’t see it with the naked eye, and even Spiritual Vision is useless because it’s a real existence of the Spirit Realm."
"What do we do then?" Aro sat down dejectedly on the ground but didn’t forget to hug Rod’s leg.
Velas said, "We can only notify the Royal City and wait for support from a Spirit Realm Master."
"No can do," Vivian shook her head. "All the Spirit Realm Masters are on the front lines and can’t possibly come here."
"Then we have no choice but to seek the help of the Fire Hall, as among the high-ranking combatants, there are those with abilities related to the Spirit Realm."
White Wolf dismissed the idea.
"The Fire Hall is already very busy. Otherwise, how could this little one have gotten in? With such a significant threat, why would they dispatch a reserve member like him here?"
Aro said indignantly, "Uncle White Wolf, I won’t allow you to belittle Rod."
She held Rod’s leg tighter.
"You must have a way, right?"
Rod was pondering the Abyss issue when he suddenly felt a soft caress on his leg. Looking down, he saw Aro’s shining eyes and her pleading look.
At that moment, no man could possibly refuse.
And Rod had no intention of refusing.
He said with a smile, "Of course, I have a way."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s eyes were on him, and Aro sprang up from the ground and hugged him.
"Yay, I knew Rod could do anything."
White Wolf asked with an unchanging expression, "What way?"
Rod tapped his finger lightly, and an invisible ripple spread out.
"Didn’t you know? The Sun Crystal Vein in Star Town was hidden by a Spirit Realm Barrier, and I was the one who unraveled it."
His fingers spread out, and space seemed to warp.
"I can manipulate the Spirit Realm."
A sound as if from the Void resonated.
Everyone turned around sharply to look.
On a nearby hill, a vast black rift had opened, resembling an eye with malicious intent, staring right at them.