As Derick stepped down from the shuttle, his boots touched the polished floor of the trial zone, and the air subtly shifted.
This was the trial's reception area. Every candidate, without exception, was required to report here first before being escorted by staff into the actual trial grounds.
Derick moved forward without hesitation.
The reception hall soon opened before him.
It was circular in shape, constructed from a special snow-white composite material, and spanned tens of thousands of square meters. The sheer scale of the hall was overwhelming, yet its pristine surface reflected no warmth only order and authority.
Suspended high above the center of the hall was a massive black sphere. From a distance, it resembled a miniature planet hovering in place.
Along the curved walls were vast murals realistic, almost alive depicting dragons locked in battle with towering humanoid beings of equal size. Some of these figures possessed white skin, others black, blue, or hues beyond naming. Yet all of them shared three unmistakable traits.
Two Horns crowned their heads.
Wings stretched from their backs.
And their skin glowed faintly, radiating light that matched their own hue.
The battles frozen across the walls felt less like art… and more like memories.
The vast majority of candidates for this trial came from different planets, and besides, he appeared late at the venue, so there were not too many people in the hall right now, roughly numbering around 500 to 600.
Quickly glancing around and seeing no familiar faces, he started moving towards the receptionist he had spotted behind the reception desk.
A blonde beauty in her twenties received Derick with the Dragon Spirit Clan crest pinned on her chest, indicating she was a member of the Dragon Spirit Clan.
"Are you here to participate in the assessment?" the blonde woman asked icily.
Xia Fei approached the woman with a slight smile. "My name is Derick McCall, registration number 50001."
The blonde woman had a handheld AI computer in her hands that she used to enter Derick's registration number into it, which promptly displayed Derick full details.
Immediately, her tone shifted from cold to warm and bright. "You're one of the specially invited candidates?" she asked respectfully.
Derick nodded but did not say anything further.
"Follow me. There are other specially invited guests who arrived not that long ago as well."
Derick followed the woman to the front desk to retrieve a slim watch.
It was white in color, and while it looked like a watch, the projected screen did not show the time. There were only three buttons on it, and it had Xia Fei's name and registration number engraved on it.
"This watch is used for communication and positioning. Wearing it will let us know your position, whether you've violated any rules, and your physical condition, if you are in a critical condition in the trial it will teleport you to safety. If anything were to happen, you could also get in touch with the command through the call function. Please put it on yourself right now."
Derick put the watch on his right hand, and suddenly, the device automatically clipped onto his wrist, not disengaging no matter what he did.
"You need to wear that watch until the end of the trial. We'll help you take it off when that time comes, so until then, there's no way for you to remove it on your own, no matter what happens. Of course, there's no way to take it off as long as you don't break your wrist," the blonde-haired woman explained.
After briefing him on the rules of the Trials, the blonde lady took him to the east corner of the hall, where he met someone or some people he did not expect to see.
Sitting on the sofa towards his right was a pale-skinned individual he was not familiar with, dressed in a white and blue T-shirt accompanied by blue beach shorts, with sunglasses resting on his face and a straw hat on his head, his legs crossed and stretched on top of the sofa. A typical beach attire and behavior. On his left hand rested a big tiki mug with a straw in it, which he used to sip from once in a while, and in his right hand was a newspaper something that was very odd in this era, when there was literally cutting-edge technology that could be used to look up news on the web in seconds.
Towards his left was a lady dressed in traditional Chinese attire. She sat on the sofa, a blue-and-white hanfu flowing around her. Wide sleeves draped over her lap, and the pleated skirt fanned softly beneath her. A slender silver hairpin held her hair in place, and the gentle sway of the fabric lent her a serene, elegant presence.
Sitting by her side was a man dressed in a blue and black business suit, the crisp white shirt and narrow black tie giving him a sharp, commanding presence. The tailored fabric hugged his frame, every line precise, exuding quiet confidence. They were the main center of his attention and the cause of his shocked expression. They were Rui Yan and Dillard, sitting side by side.
Maintaining his calm, he first walked towards the man on his right side, offering a handshake while introducing himself. "My name is Derick McCall." Still concentrating on the newspaper, the odd-looking man returned the greeting with a sweet, somewhat intoxicated masculine voice. "The name's Rodrigo. Nice meeting you too."
Hand still in the posture of a handshake, Derick had no option but to bring his hand down, turning toward Dillard and Rui Yan. He approached and sat down to the left, close to Rui Yan.
Still with a calm expression, he asked, "Thought you weren't going to attend the Trial? And as a trial candidate? Why?"
Turning towards him with a faint smile playing on her lips, Rui Yan replied, "The relationship between the King of Kings and the Big Seven Clans is not as simple as it seems to the public eye…"
She abruptly stopped while staring in the direction of the odd-looking man. Quickly turning his gaze around, Derick caught the retreating gaze of the strange man.
Rui Yan's voice reached his ears again, saying, "I can only tell you more when you are officially a member of the clan."
Quickly catching the subtle meaning behind her words, Derick turned to Dillard and spoke casually, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"So, bro," he said, as if nothing of importance had just been implied, "how's everything been going?".....
Derick, Dillard, and Rui Yan were now locked in a light conversation, discussing the last trial and its participants, the flashy moves, and speculating about what this trial was going to be like.
And then the door creaked open, and a new individual stepped in, attracting the gaze of everyone in the room.
An individual in a blue coat stepped in.
Huh, all blue?
> — Deva Description —
(Lore Reference)
An average Deva stands nearly four meters tall, with the average human barely reaching their chest. They possess light-brown skin, and two small black horns protrude from the upper sides of their face. White, bird-like wings extend from their backs. Devas seen in the Second Realm.
Upon reaching the Third Realm, slight variations begin to manifest. Their height increases modestly, while their skin tones start to diverge based on the elemental affinities they resonate with most. Their horns grow larger and gradually darken, often matching or complementing their evolving skin tones.
In the Fourth Realm, their height remains largely unchanged from the Third Realm. The primary difference lies in their horns, which fully shift in color according to the secondary elements they are bound to. Their skin also starts to glow the same color as their body
However, Deva royalty does not strictly follow these established norms.