A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5873

The young enforcer re-examined Jared, the smirk on his face replaced by cautious respect. "Very well, sir. Since you insist, step onto the trial platform. Three assessments await you—a cultivation reading, an attack trial, and a defense trial. Follow me."

Jared dipped his chin and walked beside the enforcer toward the designated testing area.

The first trial was a test of cultivation.

On the stone platform lay a Spirit-Measuring Crystal. To pass the trial, one merely had to rest a hand upon its cool, translucent surface and pour in a thread of celestial energy. The crystal would answer—its shifting colors revealing both the depth and purity of that energy.

Many cultivators tried to fool such tests. Some suppressed their true cultivation level behind layered veils. Others swallowed pills that puffed up their aura for a single deceptive hour.

If the examiners judged only by the aura each candidate released, mistakes were inevitable.

Yet before the Spirit-Measuring Crystal, no trickery could stand.

So far, every contender had sparked red, then orange, then yellow—signals of Levels Five, Six, and Seven of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

When Jared's turn came, he placed his palm upon the crystal. Slow and steady, he guided a wisp of chaotic celestial energy into the stone.

A faint white glow answered him, indicating Heavenly Immortal Realm Level One, the lowest tier of the realm.

The young enforcer's eyes narrowed, contempt bleeding through his polite mask.

Murmurs rose. Fingers pointed. A dozen half-smothered laughs danced across the courtyard.

The burly man whom Jared had cowed earlier bared his teeth, new malice glinting in his gaze.

Everyone knew the crystal never lied. Jared, it seemed, was truly a Heavenly Immortal Realm Level One cultivator.

Relief flashed across the brute's face. He was no longer afraid.

That crushing aura from before—surely it had been some fancy trinket and nothing more.

Emboldened, the brute shifted his weight, eager to stride over and teach the newcomer a lesson.

Alas, he had barely lifted a boot when the crystal pulsed again.

White turned to storm-cloud gray. From that gray, seven halos bloomed—crimson, amber, gold, jade, azure, sapphire, violet—whirling faster and faster until they wove a swirling fog the color of unshaped chaos.

"W-What is happening?" the enforcer stammered, his voice cracking.

He froze, lips parted, the registration slips trembling in his clenched fist.

In all his years overseeing entry trials, he had never seen the crystal react that way.

Around him, the crowd fell into anxious whispers that rustled like dry leaves.

The burly man's eyes bulged. His raised foot hovered in mid-air, then lowered very, very gently.

Jared understood at once.

His chaotic celestial energy housed everything—murderous intent, the Power of Dragons, the Power of Three, and power from different fire nascences. The tangled forces confused the crystal, sending it spiraling beyond any scale it recognized.

"Perhaps there's something wrong with the crystal," Jared said mildly. "Shall we proceed to the next trial instead?"

The young enforcer stood with the registration slip trembling between his fingers. A heartbeat of doubt flickered across his face before he cast a questioning glance toward the elder reclining a short distance away—Earthfire Pavilion's appointed overseer for the day's trial.

The elder's eyelids lifted, their depths reflecting a quiet furnace. He studied Jared for a long, pressurizing moment, then gave a slow nod. "Proceed."

The second assessment tested raw destructive power.

Three specially forged Trial Pillars rose inside the arena, each calibrated to mirror the defenses of a Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivator at Levels Five, Six, and Seven.

From ten yards away, every contender had to launch an attack, and damage to the chosen pillar would reveal the true weight of their strike.

Those who had passed so far managed only deep gouges in the Level Five pillar, while a rare Level Six talent scratched its higher sibling.

The Level Seven monolith, however, remained pristine and untouchable.

The supervising elder's eyes snapped open again. A blade-bright glint cut across his stare as he fixed on Jared, intent on stripping every secret from the young man's soul.

Jared, as if he had merely brushed dust from his sleeve, turned toward the third station.

Next came the defense test.

Three Combat Puppets waited inside the ring, each able to unleash the force of a Level Five, Level Six, or Level Seven Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivator.

Candidates were required to stand motionless, endure three blows, and let their injuries declare the truth of their resilience.

Jared stepped into the marked circle, boots clicking once against the stone before falling still.

"Select your puppet grade," the enforcer said, reverence softening the edges of his voice.

"Let's go for the Level Seven," Jared answered casually.

A fresh wave of cries broke over the spectators.

A Level Seven Combat Puppet wielded genuine, bone-shattering power. Even a Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Seven would hesitate to swallow three hits unguarded—yet Jared, whose aura barely brushed Level One, had just demanded it. Was he so utterly arrogant about himself, or did he just not care?

"Sir, a Level Seven Combat Puppet is exceedingly powerful. Perhaps you would prefer—"

"It's okay. Let's begin," Jared interrupted the enforcer, gentle yet immovable.

The enforcer looked to the supervising elder. A faint nod came in reply.

"Activate the Level Seven Combat Puppet. Unleash the first strike!" he announced.

A crimson, three-story automaton stirred to life. Scarlet lamps blazed in its eyes. Its right arm rose; molten light pooled around its fist, heat rolling through the arena like the breath of a forge.

Boom!

The punch split the air, a blazing projection screaming toward Jared's face, trailed by a shock wave hot enough to sear stone.