Chapter 7: Catching The Brown Digger

"I understand, cousin, I won't let my temper escalate too far, but now that I started talking, I won't simply let them go!" Razil assured Lizen.

Not saying anything in return, Lizen lowered his hand from Razil's shoulder to give him the stage yet again.

"You three, who said that you can leave!" Razil turned to Ur, Anet and Fi Han. The two young men reluctantly were being gripped by Anet with the intention to separate from the crowd and go to their seats.

"Everyone, if you want some pacification, surround them until I'll finish saying my peace. If you're worried about foul language, I promised my cousin to restrain myself. From here on, I'll earnestly justify my behavior". Although still unwilling to change his mannerism, Razil tactfully spoke to sway the crowd in his favor.

"And if we don't want to listen?" Uri asked after being forced by the crowed to stay.

"You don't have any choice". Razil proclaimed.

"Uri, Anet, this people just seek to humiliate us, but they won't go as far as starting a fight. We should not be so cooperative, let's see if they are steadfast on raising a commotion". Fi Han said angrily. As the leader of the Disciplinary Class, he was prone on doing what is right, regardless who wrongs him.

"Humph!" A female member of Lizen's group snorted at Fi Han. "You want the event's management to interfere? This east corner of the hall meant for socialization, but there are no rules here stating that we all need to be polite toward each other. On the contrary, a commoner like you would not know, but while our friends fight in the west corner, this side was allocated for the rest of us to verbally demonstrate who has better bearing!"

Although having said it with a mean attitude, the female member of Lizens' group spoke the truth.

Rarely there would be people like Anet and Fi Han, who were born in the low and middle classes, in event such as the Martial competition.

There were two reasons to explain the girl's, and most of the crowd's, attitude and from the very beginning how Uri, Anet and Fi Han were able to accompany Zax and the rest to such a high level event.

First, unlike Molten Core and many other groups and associations, Eden Formation has a majority of students from regular families in its student body; therefore, students from high class families that enrolled to the school often develop a friendly disposition with their classmate whatever their social status is.

Second, the three were able to come mostly due to their positions in school, which entitled them the right to accompany Zax and the rest. Only Anet required a little help from superintendent Ten to be permitted to spectate the competition, but even that was dealt easily, since her position as Don's Tal and the overall connection of Don to the Dauch family.

"Forget it, let him vent his disgruntlement. Let them all if they want to. We came here to support our friends, not to enter disputes. The fighting stage will ultimately declare the righteous side".

Uri came from a big merchant family that dealt with the nasty and genial of Kingdom Earth's high echelon. The general status of his family was that of a high class, but to maintain this status his family depended a lot on the more prominent families that accepted their business.

"Very magnanimous of you to say it, kid". Razil continuously referred to Uri in derogatory tone, even though their ages were not much apart and their cultivation levels were the same.

"Everyone, I'll be blunt", Razil announced, not that he was subtle before, but the crowd listened attentively anyway. "I think that Eden Formation's representatives are a joke! The school went above and beyond to gather four participants, two are graduates with no achievements to themselves, one is a little girl that attained the title 'Peak', and well ... I'm willing to admit that has potential, but far from being fit to participate in the competition in her current cultivation level. And last one, supposedly their best one, is another so called 'Pearl' that has nothing to his name other than an old rumor about taking down a second rate great family".

Razil, similarly to a great number of people present, was well informed about the identity of nearly all the participants. Because Eden Formation released a statement couple of years ago about Zax being its first Pearl, anything about his life in Kingdom Earth, other than his mist condition, was uncovered to a certain degree.

"That's exactly the group that was invited to sit in the adjacent seats to the Supreme Rulers' platform! On the other hand, participants like our Neyrar Ram of Molten Core, Salin and Silvia, the reputable twins of Crescent Arms, who are real Pearls, and others, were shunned to the sidelines".

The fundamental reason that Razil, and those who nodded in approval to his words in the crowd, were full of scorn toward the Eden Formation's group, was the face they lost when superintendent Ten and the elderly female third realm expert obstructed them from getting to the arranged seats, and instead let the less than mediocre Eden Formation's group have them.

Razil continued. "I will speak now for Neyrar Ram, since I came to support him today. Consequently, if anyone wants to speak for the other participants, be my guest after I'll finish". He turned to the crowd before fixating his stare once more at Uri, Anet and Fi Han.

"Let me say it first, our Molten Core school sent three participant to the competition, each of them far more adequate than any of your four. But I won't waste everyone's time and only use the most worthy comparison to prove the qualitative difference between our representatives".

"In your group the 'Pearl' and chief representative is but a brat with nothing behind but the backing of his school and that's it. Even the Dauch family is not genuinely behind him so it won't seem that the students of your school belonged to them. On the other hand, our Neyrar Ram is an exceptional genius and has the backing of various factions. He is the exalted Tal of the best bodily cultivator in Kingdom Earth, the Zoearth family and our Molten Core school are behind him and most important, even though he doesn't belong to any great family, his father is one of the founders of the Core Breaker Guild and the recent and last third realm expert of our Kingdom Earth!"

...

Swallowing his wrath, Zax listened to every word of Razil's biased comparison. When he reached the end of his sentence, Zax's pupils contracted and a tempest stirred up in his sea of consciousness.

"Recent and last third realm expert" Razil's words resounded incessantly in his head.

'Kingdom Earth has only one more third realm expert?!'

One was Supreme Ruler Ariel, the second was Supreme Ruler Trey, the third was Supreme Ruler Ar Yen and the fourth and the fifth were superintendent Ten and the old woman.

A figure flashed in Zax's mind. A man with bare upper body and short needle like black hair, at the back of his neck was a tattoo of a spiral cube and wearing black sturdy long pants with six pockets on each side and sleeves that are crammed inside his dark green shoes.

This was the man who came out of the second Savage Cave, the man who consumed the oval shaped treasure with dark attribute and broke through the third realm. He was a human, he should be that Neyrar's father, and if he is the remaining and sole third realm human expert of Kingdom Earth, then he is the one who led Carl to his death!

"Zax!" Don yelled. Her expression was odious and a layer of azure mist energy was released to protect herself and Susuya while vice principal Mizuri, Jalal and Muri-Mer also defensively discharged their mist energy.

Zax stood in his place, his mind whirling. He did not hear Don and his body exuded churning kinetic energy, embedded with his killing intent.

"Breathe". A relaxed, elderly voiced reverberated in Zax's sea of consciousness. He suddenly became aware of his surrounding and pacified the kinetic energy that was exuded beyond his body.

A skinny, almost bony hand was resting on his head. Superintendent Ten was the one who put his mind at ease. Luckily, the mantle he erected before prevent outsiders from noticing Zax's outburst.