"You may be powerful, but you are not the heavens of the Human Alliance."
"If you can’t stop me within three years, I will come back to witness the strength of the Zhao family."
The calm yet sharp voice echoed through the hall of the white palace, cutting through the usual noise like a blade.
Instantly, a wave of surprise and curiosity rippled through the crowd. In front of one of the shimmering teleportation arrays stood a handsome young man.
His posture was straight and steady, like a javelin driven into the ground, his face remained calm as he looked at the group of people standing opposite him.
After speaking those words, he paid no attention to their darkened expressions without another glance, he turned and stepped into the teleportation array.
Light flickered... In the next breath, his figure disappeared.
"Damn, who is that guy?"
"The Zhao family? Is it the Zhao family from the Southern Fourth District?"
"Heh, indeed. That person is this year’s top student of the Sacred Academy in the Southern Fourth District."
"It seems the Zhao family wanted to force him into becoming their subordinate. Yet, he refused, angered them, and they took action right away."
The hall was spacious and busy, one of the main comprehensive halls in the regional area of the Human Alliance.
Teleportation arrays, mission boards, and administrative counters all operated here. People came and went constantly, yet at this moment many of them had stopped to watch the scene unfold.
Those who came from the Southern Fourth District began explaining the situation to the curious onlookers.
The Southern Fourth District was one of the ten territories that formed the Southern region of the Human Alliance.
Among the families that ruled within it, the Zhao family stood out. They controlled one of the territories with an iron grip, held great power, and were widely known throughout the Southern Fourth District.
The Sacred Academy served every territory in the Southern Fourth District, students who trained there gained the power of learning and enlightenment.
Every year, the top one hundred graduates earned the right to take the Lord’s assessment, those who passed would become official members of the Human Alliance and step into the High Level class.
Since the Great Cataclysm, humanity had survived and rebuilt only through the strength of the lords. The lords were the true foundation and the living monument of human society.
Over the years, major families had made a habit of recruiting the most outstanding graduates, some families offered fair deals ohers preferred to use their power and influence to force compliance.
The Zhao family clearly belonged to the second group.
"A frog in a well, a mere intern lord, and he actually thinks my Zhao family can’t deal with him!?"
The people standing in front of the teleportation array all wore ugly expressions. An elderly man dressed in luxurious robes spoke with a cold, sinister smile.
Beside him stood a young man with neatly combed hair. He smiled politely and supported the old man’s arm.
"Grandfather, why bother getting angry over someone like this? Don’t worry... With me here, Toji Hisami won’t be able to turn the tide."
"There’s no need to wait for the Lord’s Return Competition in three years. Once I find the right opportunity within these three years, I will eliminate him directly."
The young man was the most outstanding heir of the Zhao family in this generation, and he was also the second-ranked student of the Sacred Academy in the Southern Fourth District.
Hearing those confident words, the old man’s expression softened, and he patted his grandson’s hand and gave a small smile.
"I naturally trust your strength. Alright then, I’ll leave this kid to you."
"I’ve already contacted the main district and made some arrangements. These supplies are prepared for you, take them."
The old man took out a storage bracelet from his robes and handed it over.
Although a hundred people passed the Lord’s assessment every year, the gap between those from ordinary backgrounds and those backed by wealthy families showed itself from the very beginning.
Inside the storage bracelet was a massive amount of resources, enough to let the young man develop rapidly in the early stages of the assessment.
The Lord’s assessment lasted three years.
During that time, every candidate had to develop their assigned territory as much as possible.
With the full support of the Zhao family, the young heir would start far ahead of at least ninety percent of the other competitors.
Meanwhile, Toji Hisami had already set off for the Void Ocean.
After the discussion in the hall died down and the excitement faded, the crowd slowly dispersed. The white palace returned to its usual busy rhythm.
Far away, on a desolate stretch of land, a soft radiance suddenly appeared. A moment later, Toji Hisami’s figure stepped out of the fading light.
In front of him stood a small wooden house. Above the door hung a simple plaque that read "Lord’s Hall."
Toji Hisami’s mouth twitched.
The building was barely twenty square meters, calling it a "hall" felt almost like a joke.
He reached into his backpack, pulled out a gold medal, and activated it without hesitation.
[Welcome to the Void Seal]
[Verifying information... Verification complete]
[Toji Hisami, first place in the 51st Excellence Exam of the Sacred Academy of the Southern Fourth District, sixteen years old]
[Assigned assessment territory: Void Ocean Territory No. 07, binding to Lord’s Hall... Binding successful]
[Initiating activation of Lord’s Talent]
As the final line of text appeared, the wooden Lord’s Hall in front of him shimmered with a sudden, dazzling light.
Power surged into his body. In his mind, vast nebulae began to spin and condense.
[Activation of Lord’s Talent successful]
[Talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence]
[Talent evaluation: Unknown, first appearance]
[Talent ability: As you sow, so shall you reap. Within the range of the Lord’s Talent, there will always be rewards for any effort made]
[Talent limitations: None]
’Oh wow!’
Toji Hisami stood still for a moment, eyes slightly widened.
Heaven Rewards Diligence? A Lord’s Talent that had never appeared before?
As long as he put in effort, there would always be rewards? And the talent carried no limitations at all?
His fingers tightened slowly.
After sixteen long years of transmigration, he had finally reached the point of true transformation.
The Lord’s certificate turned into a glowing tattoo and sank into the skin of his chest.
Without another word, Toji Hisami walked toward the small wooden Lord’s Hall and began collecting the basic supplies that had been prepared for him.