The Rise of a Master: It Starts With Rejection

Dickson shrugged it off, but something suddenly crossed his mind that made his throat go dry.

"Are you talking about... the Ancient Sage?" he asked.

Ezra nodded. "Indeed. If anyone in the capital could discover and nurture such talent, I can't think of anyone else who could."

The Ancient Sage was a legendary name in Martial City. Even now, no one dared to mention it in public. It was only whispered about in private conversations. No one knew for certain whether the Ancient Sage had truly achieved the rank of Grandmaster.

"Interesting. I'll personally oversee this year's Intermediate Alchemy Assessment."

Seeing how Ezra wanted to change the subject, Dickson played along with a light laugh.

This year, 86 candidates had registered for the Intermediate Alchemy Assessment. They were all currently staying at Harmony Clinic's headquarters. The assessment would begin at sunrise tomorrow, which would give them ample time to rest from their journeys.

As fate would have it, Felix and Barry ended up sharing a room.

"Felix, do you know what the next big event is? It's the Xavier family's annual Battle for the Bride in Westville." Barry was an outgoing fellow who seemed to know everything about everyone and hadn't stopped talking since they entered

the room.

"The Battle for the Bride? Is it about Nerissa Xavier?"

Felix, who had been quietly listening until now, frowned. Hadn't Nerissa already acknowledged her engagement with him and claimed him as her future husband? Why would there be a marriage tournament? Could she be playing both sides? Barry's eyes widened at Felix's response. "Felix, you're really out of the loop! You must be the only person in Martial City who thinks this is about Nerissa."

Felix feigned embarrassment and asked, "How so?"

"Nerissa is one of the Top Ten Menaces and an absolute beauty. She's publicly stated that she's engaged, but everyone thinks that's just her way of keeping suitors at bay. Nobody knows who this supposed fiancé actually is."

Felix was surprised. It seemed Janet Xavier had been telling the truth. For Nerissa to make such a public

declaration without everetnoveldrama

him was remarkable. He could not help but admire her conviction, even though they had never met.

"That's true. The Xavier family must have many eligible women."

Barry chuckled. "Yes and no to that. This isn't about some ordinary member from

a branch family. The tournament has been running for three years now, and it's actually for Nerissa's sister, Janet Xavier.

"She's also a stunning beauty, but she's got quite a fierce personality. She believes only someone who can defeat her in combat deserves to be her husband.

"When the news first broke, people were thrilled. Winning meant not only marrying the beautiful Janet but also gaining the backing of the powerful Xavier family.

Unfortunately, no one has managed to defeat her in the past two years."

So it was Janet. That certainly matched her personality.

"Janet must be quite formidable, then."

Barry nodded. "Absolutely! She recently reached Boneforging Realm. Under the tournament rules, no one at True Blood Realm could match her in the past two years.

"The Xavier family must have accumulated some serious good karma to produce such brilliant sisters. Just as Janet broke through to Boneforging Realm, word got out two days ago that Nerissa had advanced to the early stage of Transcendent Realm."