Chapter 426: Rivalry

One day ago.

The Kefflin brothers sat next to Refftin, Kleff’s son who was in trouble because of his unique element.

The three of them were staring at Refftin’s phone, waiting for the notification.

After waiting for another hour, they finally received the notification they had been waiting for.

[You have been invited to the Unique Temple.]

"!!!"

"Is this... the one with the so-called Sunlight? Is this true?" Kleff asked.

"I don’t know. We should check first to see if this is not a group created to fool us." Ileff nodded with a serious expression. "Refftin, accept the group and see what’s going on."

"Understood, Uncle." Refftin gulped before accepting the invite.

[SingingReff has joined the Unique Temple.]

[Welcome, welcome.]

[Welcome, new brothers and sisters.]

[It looks like the third batch has been invited.]

[This is exciting.]

Refftin looked at his father and uncle, wondering what he should do next.

[What is this place?]

Refftin chose to ask for confirmation.

[You should know what this place is, but I kinda expect this kind of question. This is the Unique Temple for us to worship the Sun because he grants us his blessing to rank up.]

[You should just tell us about it and dispel his doubts. Before I tell you something that matters, I’m warning you, brother. Don’t tell any of this information outside the group, or you will be kicked out of here and never join again.]

[Okay?]

Refftin frowned. He had heard about the rules, so he proceeded carefully.

[My name is Laftr from Willow Academy. You can search for me on the internet. I’m the guy who was troubled because I was stuck at 97% before. Thanks to the Sun, I was able to evolve to Rank 2.]

[I am Erwin Sirkov from Cardia University. You can also search for my information, but if that still doesn’t convince you about the Sun, there is one person here who doesn’t talk a lot, but her achievement has shaken the country.]

[Who is it?]

[Do you know Ellia Stroph Astler?]

"!!!" Refftin, Kleff, and Ileff widened their eyes in shock. They obviously knew Ellia and her space element. Ellia managed to achieve all that because she reached Rank 3 so fast.

[Do you mean she is here too?]

[She is TooBusyToMakeMoney. She rarely chats here, but she sends a donation whenever she shows up.]

When Kleff read this, he couldn’t help but contemplate it.

"If Ellia Stroph Astler... No, wait. It does make sense, actually. Ellia cannot reach Rank 3 so quickly without the gathering technique." Kleff raised one finger.

"That’s right. There’s no record that she is actually buying any artifacts. It’s definitely not because she doesn’t have money. It must be because she doesn’t need them." TIleff nodded in agreement.

Both of them couldn’t help but reach an understanding. This unique temple was real.

[Attention, everyone. For the new batch, the evolution session will be in one month. The Sun has to manage his schedule, and I also have to review all your files. If anyone has progressed enough to reach about 85% of their element, please reach out to me, and I will include them on that list.]

[The saintess has spoken!]

[Who has progressed that fast?]

Kleff looked at his brother. "If this is real, we will figure it out in one month. If this is a ruse, we will do everything we can to ruin Katarina Vasilyevna."

"I agree. It looks like your time has come, kid." Ileff smiled and patted Refftin’s head.

"So... I can really do this? If I can evolve to Rank 4, doesn’t that mean I can also reach Rank 5 or even Rank 6 in the future?" Refftin had a hard time containing his own happiness.

"If this is true, then yes. You really can, son." Kleff nodded.

Ileff asked, "Should we monitor the situation, Bro?"

"I don’t think we should. Just play by the rules. Although this is highly suspicious, this kind of organization will probably find us quickly if we try to investigate it. Besides, if we’re talking about Sunlight, he’s the owner of the Sun Store and the creator of the gathering techniques.

"He probably plans to use the gathering techniques but for unique elements instead. That’s the only way to increase your element safely.

"If we screw up, Refftin will lose his chance, so I don’t want to risk it even though it’s really suspicious." Kleff shook his head helplessly.

"I see." Ileff nodded in understanding. "In that case, you need to prepare yourself, Refftin."

"Yes, Uncle."

Kleff agreed. "You have to do this yourself. I don’t want you to lose this opportunity, so I probably can’t accompany you there. However, I believe you will be able to do it. Call us if anything goes wrong. Okay?"

"Indeed. Just call us if you need anything. Since we have to wait for a month, let’s focus on training your abilities. How about that?"

"Sounds good. At least, this time, it’s guaranteed." Refftin smiled and hugged both of them. "Thank you, Dad, Uncle."

With this proof, they showed their support for Katarina. However, the elders might have underestimated Katarina. Even without their support, she was still dominating.

She managed to convince eight elders to swear their allegiance to her before revealing her cards. That was why all the elders were shocked when Katarina introduced the Kefflin brothers.

It turned out they still underestimated Katarina. They thought Katarina had used everything she had to persuade them, but it turned out Katarina was much more talented than even her father.

That was why all of them thought that their family would enter the golden era under her.

She might be Auric’s subordinate, but if Auric could bring a lot to the family, they could probably turn a blind eye to it.

...

After officially becoming the young matriarch, Katarina could finally feel relieved. No one could challenge her authority anymore. She only needed to push a bit more, and her father would have no choice but to abdicate willingly.

Now that she had finished her matters, she returned to Auric’s side to report the situation.

"Hi, Milinda! You are here today."

"Yes, welcome." Milinda nodded. "I do work here every weekend."

Katarina waved her hand. Milinda’s relationship with Auric had cooled down. Milinda had to face the reality that her strength and talent couldn’t keep up with Auric. Even her background was no match for those around Auric.

Besides, after calming down and working for Auric in her spare time, she managed to rethink the entire situation.

It was a shame, but for her, Auric would remain unattainable. Besides, Auric hadn’t shown any interest in these women, so they needed to compete with each other before a winner was decided.

She would have exhausted everything before putting a scratch on them, so Milinda was satisfied with her current relationship with Auric.

Besides, Auric would still help her to reach a higher rank in the future, so there was no need for her to compete.

Katarina nodded to Milinda and walked over to Auric. "I’m done with my family matters. I just want to tell you that."

"Congratulations."

"Family?" Milinda tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes. I’ve officially become the successor, so it’s just a matter of time before I become the new matriarch." Katarina winked playfully.

"Wow. Your family is large and powerful, so that’s a huge accomplishment. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Auric chuckled and said, "Besides, you are going to become the student council president soon, right?"

"That is next week. The principal has finished the paperwork, so we’re just waiting for the right time to make it official. The former student council president was forced to graduate early because of his clash with you."

Auric chuckled. "I guess this is enough for now."

"Indeed. What are you going to do now?"

"I’m thinking about heading out later. There is something I want to research, but..." Auric showed the Sun Store.

"Ah, right!" Katarina snapped her fingers. She had seen it on the way here. Auric had just posted his plan.

[Sunlight: Challenge Accepted, Moon Store. I’ll publish the Rank 3 gathering techniques in two weeks.]

When the people saw that post, they went crazy.

[What? The Sun has formally accepted the challenge from the Moon!]

[Here is my GOAT! We’re not afraid, baby!]

[Don’t forget that our moon absorbs the sunlight to shine.]

[Sun: You are basking in my glory, Moon.]

Auric chuckled because he was the one controlling both accounts, so he ended up replying to himself.

[Moonlight: Try better. I am working for the sake of increasing the overall talent of the human race. Meanwhile, you are just doing something that we could have done from the beginning.]

[Sunlight: You need to look at the bigger picture. Once I finish my research, there will be plenty of powerhouses at the peak Rank 6 who will reach Rank 7.]

The people were stunned. There were indeed a lot of people who were stuck at Rank 6 because their bodies couldn’t keep up any longer.

However, if the Sun’s claim was true, this meant there would be an era when Rank 7 became the norm. In other words, the seven stars weren’t for the seven Rank 7 humans in the world anymore. There might be a new title for those who reach Rank 8 in the future.

The Moon was upgrading everyone’s talent from the start. Meanwhile, the Sun was trying to help those who had reached a high level advance even further.

They were two separate businesses, but the rivalry remained. Of course, the rivalry was clear. They were trying to see who was actually better.

Even if the Sun revealed his plan, it wouldn’t change anything. There were only two people in the world who possessed the ability to create gathering techniques, and they were father and son.

Once the Sun Store published its first Rank 3 gathering technique, the battle between them would become a fair fight.

Katarina was having a hard time holding back her laugh.

"So, what are you planning to do from now on?" Katarina asked Auric.

"Nothing. I will lie low for the next two months and reach Rank 3 quietly. That’s all I’m planning to do. After that, we’ll go on a trip."

"A trip, huh?"

"Yes. It’s going to be an unknown trip. I don’t know what we will find. I don’t know how much I can tell you right now. Let’s see, all you need to know is that we will be going with Stella and Teacher Maya."

"Really? Isn’t your teacher..."

"Yeah. It looks like she’s planning to quit. After all, she became a vice dean here because she was on probation. Now that her record is clean, the only reason she stays is me."

"Now that the reason is gone, I guess she will be helping out."

"She will probably have some fun on her own from time to time, but yes, she is thinking about helping me. We will discuss this later."

"Sure thing." Katarina nodded before smirking. "In that case, shouldn’t I work even harder and reach Rank 5 as soon as possible? Maybe I will break the record by becoming the first Rank 5 student before graduation?"

Auric chuckled.

As he said, Auric didn’t do much for the next two months.

Every day, he healed Supervisor Jacob. Since there was constant improvement, Supervisor Jacob didn’t complain. Besides, he could do his job and ensure that no one was trying to recruit or kidnap or kill Auric while he was in this city.

Meanwhile, Katarina officially became the youngest student council president in Kallarnos University’s history. No one dared to raise an objection because she possessed the strength and talent to sit in that position.

In the meantime, Stella was buying the artifacts for Auric and sending them back from time to time so Auric could increase his strength.

He didn’t neglect the Sun Store and the Moon Store and continued maintaining their rivalry. Of course, now that the Moon Store and the Sun Store had been revealed, there was nothing left to stop him from earning money.

Finally, two months later...