"No way, is he really going to attempt the Veilstone?" Zorath the Silent widened his eyes, staring at Kael. This guy truly dared to think and act—the Veilstone was something countless geniuses over thousands of years had failed to strike. Even for Kael, Zorath the Silent had little confidence.
Unaware that the Veilstone had remained untouched for millennia, Kael felt no such pressure or hesitation. His expression was serious as he gazed ahead.
"This guy wants to strike the Veilstone…"
"Impossible! No newcomer has ever struck the Veilstone before. It's said even Archmages who've reached the ninth tier find it nearly impossible—only a Saint Mage could do it with absolute certainty!"
"Exactly. As strong as he is, he's still far from capable of striking the Veilstone…"
The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion. After witnessing Kael's terrifying display of power earlier, no one doubted his strength—instead, they regarded him with awe. Yet, they all felt his attempt at the Veilstone was reckless.
The Veilstone hung suspended hundreds of meters away, barely discernible from behind the white line. It was as if the stone had completely vanished into invisibility—most people couldn't even locate it, let alone strike it.
Moreover, the Veilstone was made of some unknown material, scattering like mist at the slightest breeze, elusive and intangible.
To strike it, one had to ensure their refined magical power could both collide with the Veilstone and protect it from dispersing—while simultaneously producing a sound upon impact.
Even if one used magic to shield the Veilstone from scattering, producing a sound was next to impossible. The Veilstone had form, yet it wasn't truly solid—expecting it to resonate was like chasing a fantasy.
"No wonder they say no newcomer has ever struck the Veilstone…" Kael noted the difficulty and absorbed the murmurs around him, sighing inwardly.
"Still, since I'm here, I might as well try." Kael had no intention of backing down.
Besides, since this trial was left behind by the Star Legend Orlando, there had to be a way to solve it—it couldn't be unsolvable.
Kael's eyes sharpened with unprecedented focus as he softly chanted an incantation. The glow of the Holy Flame Scepter flared, and magic surged forth like a shooting star. His domain abruptly expanded, resisting the spatial constraints around the Veilstone.
Kael's magic shot forward, but as it neared the Veilstone, it seemed to weaken, as if constrained by some force—unlike his previous two attempts.
Gritting his teeth, Kael intensified his magical output, forcing his spell to break through the domain's suppression. The magic collided with the Veilstone—
But at the moment of impact, the Veilstone suddenly dissipated—without making a single sound!
Kael had failed to strike the Veilstone!
The crowd sighed in disappointment, though their regret was mixed with relief. After all, even many ninth-tier experts might not succeed in striking the Veilstone—only those who had reached the tenth-tier Saint Mage level stood a real chance. Kael's failure was only natural.
"I failed." Kael exhaled softly.
"Just a little more." Amelia also lamented. Kael's magic was terrifyingly refined, enough to break through the domain's suppression—yet it still couldn't make the Veilstone resonate.
The young onlookers gazed at Kael, but not a trace of mockery could be seen in their eyes. Instead, they looked at him with admiration. To come so close to striking the Veilstone was a feat rarely seen in the Sacred Council's thousands of years of history.
"A shame. If he had succeeded, the entire Sacred Council would have gone wild for him…" The old man shook his head, then suddenly chuckled. "Still, this is impressive enough. Even the Star Legend Orlando couldn't have done better at his age."
Zorath the Silent nodded, a flicker of regret flashing in his eyes. If only Kael had struck the Veilstone…
"This kid… is he seriously going to try again?" Suddenly, Zorath the Silent's eyes sharpened as he keenly detected Kael's movements.
Indeed, Kael still wore that eager, undeterred expression—completely unaffected by his earlier failure. If anything, his face now brimmed with confidence.
"Could it be… that he was just testing the waters earlier?" The thought blazed in Zorath the Silent's mind, and his gaze instantly burned with anticipation.
That's right—Kael hadn't gone all out before!
Kael frowned. The Veilstone was indeed incredibly difficult to strike, forcing him to resort to his trump card.
His magic had reached the Veilstone, but it had fallen just short of producing a sound—mainly because the distance was simply too great. If only it could be shortened…
Recently, Kael had unlocked another layer of The Book of Immortality's seal, and with it came a rare incantation—one that might just turn the tide.
At that moment, Kael began chanting an incantation—arcane and inscrutable.
"This is…?" The old man's eyes narrowed as he watched Kael, after finishing the chant, actually take flight!
Not just levitation, like a simple floating spell—but true, unbound flight!
"How is this possible?!" Zorath the Silent was utterly stunned. Flight had always been humanity's dream. Yet for mages and warriors to achieve it, they had to at least reach the tenth tier and manipulate their domain—or master a legendary spell: Soaring Sky Technique!
But the Soaring Sky Technique was an ancient incantation, rumored to have been invented by the elves. With the fall of the Elven Kingdom, the spell had been lost to time.
And yet—here was Kael, wielding it before their very eyes!
"The Soaring Sky Technique… an extinct spell, and this kid knows it?" The old man was equally shocked, though he quickly steadied himself. "But even if he can fly, striking the Veilstone is still nearly impossible."
Kael, as if sprouting wings, soared straight into the sky—level with the Veilstone itself!
Now, he and the Veilstone stood in a direct line, the distance between them drastically shortened. With a cold hum, Kael fully expanded his Lightning Domain. Purple currents surged as his magic erupted, a bolt of lightning lashing toward the Veilstone!
Whoosh! The arc of electricity tore through the intervening space, piercing the domain's suppression—and slammed into the Veilstone.
The Veilstone began to scatter—but Kael flooded it with a sudden burst of magic, skillfully containing the dispersing currents and forcing them back together.
Then—
Dong.
A deep, resonant note echoed, unmistakable to everyone present.
For the first time in thousands of years, within the Eternal Spire—the Veilstone, untouched by any newcomer, had been struck.
"He actually struck it..."
"By the heavens—the Soaring Sky Technique, and what was that purple lightning?!"
"This is insane."
The crowd erupted, utterly spellbound by what they had just witnessed.
Kael descended slowly from the sky, exhaling in relief. Using the Soaring Sky Technique to close the distance and combining it with lightning magic to produce sound from the Veilstone had been an immense challenge. Orlando truly is Orlando—striking the Veilstone really is no easy feat.
"Incredible... absolutely incredible!" Zorath the Silent stared at Kael's retreating figure from afar, sighing in awe. "The Veilstone, untouched by any newcomer in thousands of years... and this kid actually made it resonate. That terrifying control over magic, that astonishing purity of mana, and the legendary Soaring Sky Technique—just how many secrets does he have?"
A gleam flickered in Zorath the Silent's eyes. The stronger Kael proved to be, the more attention he would draw from the Sacred Council—and the greater the benefits he would reap. This kid is sharp. With a display like that, the Council's higher-ups will take notice immediately.
A genius like this? The Sacred Council would spare no effort to recruit him.
The old man wiped cold sweat from his brow. "A prodigy... a true prodigy. Even disregarding the Soaring Sky Technique, this boy is without a doubt the most terrifying young talent the Sacred Council has seen in millennia. How did he even do it? That purple lightning—that was unmistakably the power of thunder..."