Astral Pet Store (WN)

"Are they the princes and princesses of all the different clans?"

"I'm told that they will be sent directly to the third test. That's the privilege of the major clans!"

"It's understandable. After all, none of them are simple. We would have been in grave danger if they were to actually participate along with us in the second part of the test."

"It does make sense if you put it that way."

All the people in the temple walked out and continued to discuss.

All the influential participants stopped at a point in the high sky and glanced down with indifference at the people in the temple. Then, they observed themselves. In their eyes, the only candidates worthy of being their competitors in the Heaven Path Institute were the princes and princesses of the major clans.

"Huh?"

Su Ping walked out of the temple too. He looked around and saw almost three hundred participants of noble upbringing. The sheer number came as a true surprise. Did every single clan of the gods send their talents over?

Very soon, Su Ping discovered someone familiar.

"Look over there. Isn't he the guy we met earlier?" Tang Ruyan exclaimed in a low voice.

A couple of the highborn were standing together. They had the same hair and eye color, and there was the same purple emblem on their robes. One of the princes was none other than the young man of the Rain Clan they had encountered earlier.

Next to the young man stood two males and two females, all of them looking extraordinary and attractive; in no way did they seem to be servants of the young man they had met.

"There are a dozen high-ranked gods among them," said Joanna solemnly.

"Only a dozen?" Su Ping was stunned. His first assessment was that all of them were high-ranked gods.

"There were only thirty or so high-ranked gods in the entire Archean Divinity, but I don't know how many remain at the moment. The stars of the middle-ranked clans can't be underestimated; the best among them can even beat contenders from high-ranked clans. However…"

She suddenly paused in the middle of her explanation.

"However… what?" asked Tang Ruyan curiously.

After a moment of silence, Joanna said in a low voice, "However, such geniuses must either join the high-ranked clans as their vassals, or join an organization as powerful as the high-ranked clans, such as the Heaven Path Institute. They can also join the sects founded by the Ancestral Gods. Otherwise, such geniuses won't be able to walk far without protection."

Tang Ruyan asked in surprise, "Are you saying that the high-ranked gods suppress other geniuses? That's too petty!"

"It's not about pettiness. The territories of the high-ranked clans are the most fertile places. Every new high-ranked clan would signify a loss to the other high-ranked clans. If a clan wishes to rise among the ranks, not only must each of their members be strong enough, they would also need some connections. Of course, if an Ancestral God emerges among them, they will undoubtedly become a high-ranked clan later on," explained Joanna in a low voice.

Once realizing the situation, Tang Ruyan said with a weird expression, "Why does it sound so similar to the familial competitions I've been through?"

"This has happened since the dawn of time, a lot of things and rules apply to different social classes and species," said Su Ping, completely unsurprised.

Joanna nodded in acknowledgment. Then she said, "The people next to the prince of the Rain Clan must be his retinue. Normal clans elect up to ten princes and princesses, depending on the number and quality of geniuses they have. The one who would later become the next master of the clan will be the best performer of the group; the results of their competitions once they reach the Ascendant State will decide their future.

"However, their competitions begun the moment they were selected."

Tang Ruyan asked curiously, "What about the young lords who fail? Will they be killed?"

"Some are killed, and some are exiled; that's inevitable. Even though they became princes and princesses due to their talent, the clans would only need the strongest among them and the others would only work as background. They cannot possibly shake the position of the strongest, no matter how many of them there are," said Joanna.

Seeing how calm she was, Tang Ruyan suddenly felt that she wasn't as mature as her.

My father had me become my sister double for the same reason. It was all for the best interests of the family. However… Her eyes glittered. She shook her head and suppressed the ideas in her heart.

While their talk ensued, the three old gods of the Heaven Path Institute appeared once more. The gentle-looking senior at the center said, "Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Today, the third test of the trial will be held. By now you should be well acquainted with the nature of the test; your divine quality will be examined. The Heaven Path Institute has a very unique criterion, so there's no need to feel frustrated even if you don't qualify. You will have another chance as long as you cultivate your personality."

His words were very comforting; no one had the feeling of being left out.

Once he delivered his message, the old man waved his sleeve, and a glittering golden stone appeared. The object was about twenty meters tall, with black metal nails piercing it. There were black metal lines among the black nails, whose ends were connected to a ball the size of a human head.

"This is the Golden Stone, also known as God's Tear.

"It's very sensitive to divine quality, making it a great device to search for treasures with divine quality.

"It's already been modified. All you need to do is to lay your hand on the ball before you. This will detect the divine quality's intensity deep in your soul."

Once the old god said that, he looked ahead and added, "Now, the princes and princesses will go first. Amongst you, who wants to be the first one?"

"Me!"

"Me!"

A couple of guys responded immediately after; there were men and women mixed in. They were obviously the confident and reckless sort.

"Come on then. You'll do it in turns," said the old man gently.

The participants immediately flew over. The one who flew out first was the girl nearest to the golden stone. She was wearing a black dress encrusted with countless glittering crystals; it was obviously a very powerful secret treasure with defensive purposes.

A couple of men wearing the white robe of the Heaven Path Institute approached the participants in the sky. Su Ping discovered that all of them were Ascendants.

"State your name and family. Then, take the test," said a middle-aged man who had a starry crown above his head. He slowly opened a book in his hand, then manifested a brush with divine power. He seemed to be getting ready to register the results.

The black-dressed girl's beautiful voice was filled with pride and confidence. "I am Ling Yin, of the Solar Clan!"

She pressed her hands on the ball right after her presentation.

Soon, the black ball released golden light, one streak after the other, until the entire ball turned golden. After that, the golden color moved along the black metal lines towards the black nails on the stone.

One, two… Altogether seven golden nails were dyed golden.

Once the golden light stopped moving, the middle-aged man with a starry crown gestured for her to step back, and the brush made of divine power automatically wrote the result on the book. He then said, "Next."