Way of the Knights

Chapter 829: Grand Banquet

—

Divine Realm's Grand Youth Meet is the true craze right now. 

Everyone was aware of it and talks about it. It shook Divine Realm to its core since many people weren't expecting such a grand event to occur. It's the first of its kind, a welcomed one truly. 

There were a lot of people who are expecting great things from this. They can't wait to see what's about to happen. Thankfully, Raven was kind enough to broadcast the live feed within the seal in every world present within the Divine Realm. 

A lot of people were actually jealous about this whole event – these people are the ones that didn't weren't chosen to participate since they were too old already. 

Less than 300 years old is the requirement for someone to participate along with the cultivation standards. It's a shame for those who went past that limit since they're missing out an such a grand event. 

There's only a day left of preparations for the participants. Some of them already made their decision. Majority of them chose to work with a team, only a few chose to go solo. 

Some people already found some hidden treasures which shocked the audience. They didn't expect that they could claim the treasures that soon since the Endless Wave of Abominations hasn't arrived yet but in hindsight, they should've known. After all, Raven already announced the start of the meet a few days ago. 

While people cheered for their favorites, a grand banquet was taking place at the Dawn Council. 

Here, a large number of guests appeared. Most of them are peak experts of the Divine Realm – Empyreans and Divine Knights. Some of them were known to public, some chose to live as hermits. Either way, all of them are here through the sincere invitation of the council. 

If this was the previous Dawn Council, there's no way that they'll be able to gather this many people to attend to their banquet willingly. They'd have to use under handed tactics to do so. 

Then again, the current Dawn Council has already proven itself time and time again. They didn't need to use any kind of under handed methods to force them to come, only a sincere invitation. 

The Grand Youth Meet was also a chance for these people to form connections. The Dawn Council is willing to help them in this regard since its their goal for everybody to get along. Though their personalities may clash, they all gave Dawn Council face and acted decently within their turf. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Raven's sonorous voice echoed across the hall filled with people, all eyes were on him. He raised a cup and said: "Thank you for coming. I wasn't expecting these many people to come actually so seeing all of you here really warms my heart. A toast to all of you!" 

The rest raised their cups as well and joined Raven. They drank their wines and marveled at the celebratory atmosphere within the halls. 

"Enjoy yourselves. Only a few hours left before we release the first hurdle for our participants. We'll display a real-time-feedback that all of you can watch so please, make yourselves comfortable." 

After saying that, Raven gave each of them a curt nod. The banquet continued and the celebratory mood filled their hall once again. 

Raven looked around and saw the Lucas – the ex-Sect Master of the Ancient Elysium Sect and a few people he knew from the sect. He smiled and approached them. 

Lucas saw his heir and a bright smile appeared on his face. He raised his cup and Raven did the same. After taking a sip of their drink, Lucas asked:

"How have you been?" 

"Busy." Raven answered, chuckling lightly. "Always busy. Can't get a break. Got to clean up a lot of mess before I can rest anyways." 

"You're lucky that you have that many Avatars then. At least you can do many things at once. If I was in your position, I would've aged faster already." Lucas snorted. 

"Speaking of that…" Raven looked around and didn't see Alwina – Lucas's wife. "She didn't come with you?" 

"…ah that? Uh." 

"Say, less." Raven gave Lucas a knowing smile and nodded to him. "I understand. Congratulations."

"Thanks." 

Raven made a decision to not point out Lucas' reddening cheeks. Raven's just happy that things are going great for Lucas, he deserves it after maintaining the peace within the sect. 

He raised his cup and offer another toast to his predecessor. 

"Send my regards to her. I wish for her happy and healthy pregnancy." 

"Thank you." Lucas nodded and hit his cup with Raven's. 

They talked for a bit before Raven excused himself. He opted to socialize on behalf of the council since he's their leader. 

Due to Raven's reputation, nobody dared to slight him even though he's young. To them, Raven's already an absolute figure. He stacked one grand achievement after another, a proof of his abilities and his passion. 

Even the pettiest here behaved politely in his presence. 

Hours passed just like this. At some point, Raven got tired of hearing all sorts of praises for the things he did but he didn't show it to his face. He returned what he received from them and gave off a good impression to people he talked to. 

It wasn't just him, the rest of the council members were also socializing as well. They were being good hosts for everybody who chose to attend the banquet. The supply of food and wine were almost endless. The atmosphere was light and joyous. 

Eventually, the time to witness some action arrived. Raven walked at the center of the hall and gathered attention to himself once more. 

"Everyone, I am glad that you're enjoying yourselves." Raven said, "May I advise everyone to search for seats. We're about to witness some real action from the youngsters."

"Do watch out and enjoy the show. If any of you are interested about a particular candidate, you can view their personal information a the documents prepared by our very own, Laughing Dragon. There's also a badge in there which will allow you to control the point of view to give you a better watching experience."

"The rankings will be updated monthly, we will display them here so be on to the look out for that. For those who are searching for Heirs, you can send a message to Laughing Dragon if a candidate manage to inherit it."

"Aside from that. Please take it easy and let the youthful scene entertain you." 

After saying that, Raven waved his hand numerous screens of light appeared out of nowhere. One for each person. 

With Raven's advice, all experts found seats to enjoy the show. Each seat has a pile of documents and a badge that they can use to adjust their personal view. 

As soon as everybody was seated. Raven sat on his own seat along with the rest of the council members. He raised his hand patted their table. 

Light blossomed a seal appeared at the table. This was the same seal where the participants were. A small display could be seen from above the seal. 

Raven then took something out of his spatial ring. It was a dark glob of pulsing flesh. It looked disgusting so he didn't hold onto it for too long since he didn't to disturb somebody's appetite. He placed the black pulsing flesh onto the seal and the seal absorbed it. A few seconds later, Raven spoke:

"Time's up, Youngsters. The Endless Wave of Abominations will now begin." 

All participants heard his message and felt tense. Then, a sharp fluctuation swept everywhere. A disgusting and repulsive aura caused their skin to crawl. Roars were heard everywhere and the pseudo-Divine Realm trembled. 

Everyone braced for impact, they looked at their surroundings with a sharp gaze. It didn't take long before they discovered shadows emerging and felt the thick and repulsive aura closing in. 

Then, chaos ensued.

Fights occurred. Explosions were set of everywhere. The world became colorful due to the lights of battle taking place. 

The audience were entertained. They cheered for their favorites even though they knew that of them could hear it. Even the experts were affected. 

The hot-bloodedness of youth ignited their passion and made them feel nostalgic. Moment where they fought with their lives on the line. Camaraderie and carnage. Everybody was entertained. 

The council members discovered how immersed everyone was and shared knowing looks with each other. 

Suffice to say, the event was already a success. But of course, this isn't the end of it. This is just the first phase and it'll last for two years. This will be a rich-experience for everyone, more so the participants themselves. 

Some of the experts were already making bets against their close friends. Others were just enjoying the scene and watching in leisure. This event surely gave them a much needed breather from the stale and uneventful lives they go through everyday. 

There were some participants who were already ejected out of the seal due to getting killed. There are some who were some smart in their approach. A plethora of methods were used to deal with the Endless Waves of Abominations so everything was fresh. 

Now, they only need to wait for the real starts of this competition to rise.