Chapter 216: The Rules of The Competition

"Grandfather." Theodore bowed down as soon as he got into the room.

"Come in, have a seat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you." Tobias patted his head with a smile on his face.

After both of them talked for a while. Tobias turned toward Raiden with a serious look on his face.

"This so-called ’’Family Trial’ is tomorrow. Let me tell you guys what it’s actually about and what’s going to happen. I am sure Theo must have heard some things about it already."

Theodore nodded his head.

"I did hear some rumours about some supreme opportunity that can propel any member of our family to greater heights, and they called me back especially for this. I would have gone there and taken part in it if you hadn’t called me."

Tobias let out a weary sigh after hearing this.

"It is a opportunity, all right, an opportunity built upon the blood and tears of your sister."

"What do you mean??" Theodore felt confused.

So Tobias was forced to explain everything in detail.

"What?! How dare they do this?!! I’ll go get justice for you right now!!" He stood up in anger as a small hurricane started blowing inside.

"It’s no use. You can’t fight against the clan alone. I have already tried. They are too strong to beat head-on, so we will play by their own rules." Tobias’s eyes sharpened as he spoke before his signalled Maple who stepped forward.

"This is all the information I’ve gathered about the upcoming Family Trial." She put down her device that started collecting at three columns in front of Raiden’s face.

"This trial will take place in the private realm of the Stormwind family."

Thank you. I then looked at the image of huge plains filled with mountains, rugged terrain, rivers, trees, and lots and lots of terrariums.

"Excuse me, what is this private realm??" Raiden raised his hand.

"A lot of big families, like our Stormwind family, have a specific bloodline that works much better with a specific type of Terra Beast. We breed and raise them ourselves in a private domain. This domain is also known as a private realm; it is a fragment of another space/dimension."

Raiden’s mouth hung open in wonder. Private space domain?? How did Xinxia get mixed in a modern fantasy world??

The rich played on a different level entirely.

"The competition rules are as follows: only people who are 25 and under are allowed. All the members of the Stormwind family, whether from the main family or the troop branch, can take part in it. Branch members are allowed to bring one protector with them, while the main branch can bring two protectors. Whoever reaches the first and defeats the guardian can claim this opportunity."

Maple paused for a moment, her expression turning grim as she continued.

"But here is the part that you both need to pay very close attention to. This is not a simple race to the finish line."

"What do you mean?" Raiden asked, already feeling a knot forming in his stomach.

"I mean that once everyone enters the private realm, there are no rules preventing participants from attacking each other. Any member can target any other member, protector or not, at any point during the trial." Maple’s voice remained calm, but the weight of her words settled heavily over the room.

"So basically, it’s a free-for-all??" Theodore asked, his brows furrowing.

"Precisely. The clan calls it a ’trial of worth’, but in reality, it is nothing more than a battlefield disguised as an opportunity. You can get injured there. You might die too." Maple said the last word carefully, watching Raiden’s expression shift from confusion to disbelief.

"You are telling me people actually die in this thing regularly?? Aren’t you all family??" Raiden’s voice rose slightly, unable to hide his shock.

"Every single trial, without exception, at least a handful of participants don’t make it out alive. The clan considers it a natural culling process, a way to weed out the weak from the strong. Officially, it’s labelled as ’accidental deaths during a dangerous expedition’. Unofficially, everyone in the family knows what really happens inside that realm. This time the reward is a bloodline. The rest of the time it’s something else." Tobias interjected, his tone laced with disgust.

"And you are sending Aria into something like this??" Raiden asked, glancing toward the girl sitting quietly in the corner, who had remained unusually silent throughout this entire explanation.

"I am not sending her anywhere. She chose to do this for herself, and I will stand by her." Tobias replied, his fists clenched tightly on his lap.

"This is why you two are here. Your job isn’t to help her win first place. Nobody expects her to. Your only job is to make sure she survives long enough to walk out of that realm alive." Maple explained, her gaze shifting between Raiden and Theodore.

"There are also Terra Beast guardians scattered throughout the realm, each one guarding different tiers of rewards. The deeper you go, the stronger the guardians become, and the stronger the rewards waiting behind them." She continued, pulling up another display showing shadowy, hulking silhouettes stationed at various points across the massive terrain.

"The final guardian, the one blocking the ultimate reward everyone is truly after, is rumoured to be at the Diamond Tier," Tobias added grimly.

Raiden let out a low whistle. Diamond Tier was leagues above anything normal Gold Tier Battlemasters can withstand. Even Woolie’s Nuclear bloodline potential might struggle against something at that level.

"How long does the trial last?" Theodore asked, already mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

"Seven days. Once you enter, there is no early exit unless you are either dead or forcibly extracted through a family emergency token, which very few possess." Maple said, closing her device with a soft click.

A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone absorbed the sheer weight of what tomorrow would bring.

"The trial begins at dawn tomorrow. All participants and their protectors must gather at the entrance to the private realm by sunrise, or they will be disqualified immediately." Tobias finally said, his voice carrying an unspoken warning.

Raiden looked around the room, at Aria’s downcast eyes, at Theodore’s clenched jaw, at Tobias’s barely contained fury.

"Don’t worry too much about it tomorrow’s competitions. We are going to win this. I don’t want to boast directly, but at the same level,

I am Invincible.