Chapter 168: Creep

By the time the Vice Head finished his explanation, the lingering confusion within Lukas and the others had completely disappeared.

Like the final piece of a massive puzzle falling perfectly into place, every clue they had gathered throughout the journey suddenly connected.

The Trial of Wisdom.

The Chosen Ones Program.

The mysterious teleportation formation.

The Demigod’s legacy.

Every seemingly unrelated event now pointed toward a single destination.

The Vice Head slowly swept his gaze across the three chosen ones one last time before turning around.

His robes fluttered lightly as he began walking away.

Without looking back, his calm voice echoed throughout the vast underground palace.

"All of you should return for now."

"There is nothing more you need to do."

He paused for a brief moment before continuing,

"Wait."

"And continue training until the portal opens."

"The moment preparations are complete..."

"...all of you will be notified."

His footsteps continued echoing across the enormous hall.

Before disappearing into the distance, he added one final sentence.

"Until then....."

"Make good use of the special Star Energy cultivation rooms the guild has prepared for you."

"Don’t waste this opportunity."

Those words lingered in the air long after he had finished speaking.

Lukas silently nodded.

His gaze followed the Vice Head’s departing figure until it gradually disappeared among the numerous towering buildings scattered throughout the underground palace.

Only then did his attention shift elsewhere.

He noticed several representatives from the other major guilds quietly waiting in different corners of the palace.

Some wore silver robes embroidered with unfamiliar insignias.

Others stood beside banners bearing symbols Lukas had never seen before.

Although they remained silent, the powerful auras surrounding each of them made it obvious they were no ordinary individuals.

Remembering the Vice Head’s earlier explanation, Lukas finally understood why they were here.

This wasn’t an opportunity reserved solely for the White Knights Guild.

Every major guild belonging to the Human Union had selected its greatest young genius.

Every one of them was preparing to enter the mysterious realm created by the Demigod.

No one wanted to miss even the slightest chance of obtaining that legendary inheritance.

After all...

If even one person succeeded...

The balance of power across the entire Human Union could change overnight.

The thought alone was enough to make anyone’s heart race.

As those thoughts drifted through his mind, Lukas unconsciously turned his head.

Not far away...

Natasha remained standing exactly where she was.

She hadn’t moved.

Her beautiful eyes stared quietly into empty space, unfocused, as though she were still trying to process everything she had just heard.

A gentle breeze stirred several loose strands of her long hair, yet she seemed completely unaware of it.

Her expression carried none of her usual confidence.

Instead...

It was filled with deep contemplation.

After all...

Just like Lukas...

This had also been her very first encounter with knowledge regarding Demigods and the Chosen Ones Program.

Everything she believed she understood about humanity’s cultivation path had been overturned within a single conversation.

Lukas watched her quietly for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.

Then he slowly walked over.

Stopping beside her, he tilted his head slightly before speaking with a teasing smile.

"What are you thinking about, Branch Leader...?"

There was a subtle hint of amusement hidden within his voice.

After everything they had experienced together...

The countless life-and-death battles.

The dangers they had survived side by side.

Lukas was no longer as restrained around Natasha as he had been when they first met.

Even though she was still two entire cultivation realms above him...

That didn’t stop him from occasionally teasing her whenever the opportunity presented itself.

And naturally...

Today was no exception.

Natasha slowly came back to her senses before shooting him an annoyed glance.

"What do you know...!"

Although her words sounded dismissive...

The corners of her lips curved upward ever so slightly.

Even she hadn’t noticed the tiny smile that escaped her.

Seeing her reaction, Lukas merely chuckled.

The heavy atmosphere that had lingered ever since the Vice Head’s explanation quietly eased between the two.

Without saying anything further, they began walking side by side.

Their footsteps echoed softly across the polished stone floor as they made their way toward the White Knights Guild’s training compound.

There...

The remaining chosen geniuses had already begun gathering.

The calm before the coming storm had officially begun.

The White Knights Guild’s training compound was enormous.

Rather than resembling a simple cultivation facility, it looked more like a fortress built solely for producing powerful awakeners.

The towering building stretched high into the air, its walls forged from dark metallic stone engraved with countless intricate runes. Every corridor, every pillar, and every inch of the structure radiated dense waves of star energy, causing the surrounding air to shimmer faintly.

Ordinarily, this place served as the primary cultivation ground for the White Knights Guild’s elite personnel.

However...

To prepare for the upcoming expedition into the Demigod’s realm, the entire building had been cleared.

Every ordinary member had been relocated elsewhere.

From this day onward...

This massive training compound belonged solely to the three Chosen Ones.

Lukas stepped through the entrance.

The instant his foot crossed the threshold...

His entire body froze.

A dense wave of star energy washed over him like an invisible tide.

The sensation was immediate.

His skin tingled pleasantly as every pore on his body instinctively opened. The mana veins hidden beneath his flesh greedily absorbed the surrounding star energy without him consciously circulating his cultivation technique.

Even breathing became noticeably different.

Every breath he inhaled carried rich strands of star energy into his lungs before spreading throughout his body.

It felt refreshing.

Comfortable.

Almost intoxicating.

Seeing the undisguised surprise on his face, Natasha couldn’t help but smile.

"Don’t look so shocked."

Her voice carried a trace of amusement.

"Compared to the outside world..."

"The concentration of star energy here is at least ten times greater."

She slowly swept her gaze across the enormous cultivation hall.

"Cultivating here for a single day is equivalent to cultivating outside for more than ten."

Lukas silently listened.

Naturally...

He was astonished.

But beneath that surprise...

A much stronger feeling emerged.

Curiosity.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the astronomical amount of resources required to maintain an environment like this.

Star energy wasn’t something that simply appeared out of nowhere.

Someone had to gather it.

Store it.

Refine it.

Then continuously replenish it.

The sheer expense behind operating such a facility was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Even so...

Lukas didn’t immediately accept Natasha’s explanation.

Instead, he quietly closed his eyes.

His perception spread through the surrounding environment as he carefully observed every fluctuation in the nearby star energy.

Seconds passed.

Gradually...

A slight frown appeared on his face.

Something wasn’t right.

Contrary to Natasha’s claim...

The surrounding concentration wasn’t anywhere close to ten times higher than outside.

Yes.

It was unquestionably richer.

Perhaps twice as dense.

Maybe even slightly more.

But ten times?

Not even close.

As if sensing exactly what he was thinking, Natasha glanced sideways before letting out a soft snort.

Her delicate nose scrunched up slightly, giving her an unexpectedly adorable expression.

"What?"

"Did you really think maintaining ten times the normal concentration across an entire building would be that easy?"

She folded her arms while looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"If the guild tried filling a place this large with that much star energy..."

"It would go bankrupt before long."

Her tone became a little more serious.

"The real cultivation chambers are different."

She pointed deeper into the building.

"Three private rooms have been specially prepared."

"One for each of you."

"Inside those rooms..."

"You’ll receive the benefits I mentioned."

Only then did understanding dawn on Lukas.

So the enhanced cultivation wasn’t spread throughout the entire building.

Instead...

It was concentrated inside specially designed cultivation chambers.

That certainly made far more sense.

Following Natasha through the spacious hallways, Lukas quietly observed everything around him.

The deeper they ventured into the building, the quieter it became.

The lively sounds near the entrance gradually disappeared.

Soon...

They arrived before three cultivation rooms positioned side by side.

Each room was roughly five meters by five meters.

Although modest in size, the thick metallic doors were densely engraved with countless glowing formations, making it obvious they were anything but ordinary.

One of the doors already displayed faint traces of recent activation.

Another remained tightly shut.

Only the final room still stood vacant.

It had clearly been reserved for Lukas.

Neither Jasmine nor the mysterious young man ranked second could be seen anywhere.

Most likely...

The two of them had already entered their cultivation rooms, intending to use every remaining moment before the portal opened to strengthen themselves.

No one was foolish enough to waste such an opportunity.

Lukas nodded slightly before walking toward the final room.

Just as his hand was about to reach the heavy metal door...

Boom!

One of the cultivation room doors suddenly swung open.

A wave of concentrated star energy surged outward before quickly dispersing into the corridor.

A graceful figure slowly stepped out.

Long green hair gently swayed behind her as two emerald eyes immediately locked onto Lukas.

Jasmine.

The corners of her lips slowly curled upward into a playful smirk.

Her sharp gaze traveled up and down his figure before she folded her arms across her chest.

"Hmm!"

"So..."

"You really are that creep from the Phantom Night Guild."

A teasing glint flashed through her emerald eyes.

"To follow me all the way here..."

"...and even pass the Chosen Ones test..."

"I have to admit."

"You’ve got some guts."

"....."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the unusual sound of something hitting the floor echoed in the surroundings.

Lukas’s jaw had nearly hit the ground, his eyes widened open.

What did this girl call him?

A creep?

Someone who was stalking her?

Lukas did not consider himself rash. Instead, he was usually level-headed as well. But faced with such absurd accusations, he could not control himself and said,

"Lady, have you seen yourself in the mirror? Didn’t you feel any shame laying such a cursed allegation, trying to ruin my reputation...?"

This time he was really fuming. Here he was thinking about how to calm down his state and enter a period of quiet training, when this girl out of nowhere hurled such scandalous accusations against him.

No matter how loudly Lukas spoke, Jasmine’s face did not change. Instead, she became even more sure of her theory after seeing Lukas react like this.