Chapter 1699: Feeling The Pressure? Grey didn't expect Faction Leader Bertram to speak about his father, but he didn't think too much about it. His father was a famous figure in the Aurora Continent, and rightfully so given his cultivation stage and his strength. Ezekiel and the others suddenly thought they figured out why Grey was acting in the way he was, his father was a Half God expert who seems to be regarded as the brightest genius over the past hundred years. Having such a figure as a father will naturally make one feel pride over the rest. Even most of these geniuses in these ancient Factions don't have a Half God Plane Elementalist as their father. Seeing the gaze of Lord Dante on him, Grey bowed, offering his respect. "Since you guys are here, it actually happens to be the time of the year when our rankings are decided in the Faction. The higher your rank, the better the spot you'll get for your cultivation in the vein." Lord Dante said, giving Ezekiel the look for him to continue with the explanation. "In the Pyro Faction, strength is the number one ruling factor. And to acquire more strength, you have to always have a good cultivation spot in the vein..." According to Ezekiel, every ten years, the youths are tested, and their performances will determine where they will be able to use for their cultivation for the next ten years. Of course the cultivation stage of each individual is taken into account to maximize the benefits, as well as the cultivation talent of these youths. If one is more than a hundred years old, they aren't regarded as young talents any more, and they can no longer compete for any position below the First stages of the Sovereign Plane. According to the rules of the Pyro Faction, an Elementalist must get through the First three stages of the Sovereign Plane before they clock a hundred years old, or else the Faction will stop all its help in assisting said individual. Anyone above fifty years of age isn't allowed to participate in any event below the Sovereign Plane. This method has helped the Pyro Faction grow multiple geniuses over millennials without any issues. Grey didn't have any problems with their rules, he's nowhere near fifty, and is already on his way to the Late stages of the Sovereign Plane, so he was safe. A few of the youths from the Pyrmond Faction didn't feel comfortable, as there were some who were very close to the fifty year benchmark, and they were still just entering the Late stages of the Venerable Plane. It couldn't be helped, the Pyrmond Faction only recently started recruiting some high caliber geniuses after Grey's fame spread across the Continent, and it has only been a few years. After listening to Ezekiel's explanation, the group got the general overview of what was happening. It's basically a ranking competition and anyone could participate, just within your cultivation stages. "Is there anything else that can be gained other than having a good cultivation spot?" Grey inquired, not that he wasn't curious about this cultivation spot or anything, it's just that if only increasing his cultivation is all he wanted, he wasn't too interested in staying in one place for an extended period to do that. Breaking through to the Seventh stage will only take him some time, but he will be able to achieve it anyway, so there was no point in feeling this place was extra special. "Those in the top ten are rewarded with an item or cultivation technique from the Faction's reserves." Ezekiel mentioned. "Oh, that's interesting." Grey's interest was piqued. "You should take them there now since there's nothing else to do here." Lord Dante suggested, before adding, "We were waiting for your group before we head there ourselves." Faction Leader Bertram ordered the youngsters to follow Ezekiel and his group, while the others followed Lord Dante and the Elders. The Grand Elders and Elders weren't part of the younger generation, so they naturally had no reason to participate or follow them there. Grey and the others followed behind Ezekiel quietly, with Grey's eyes always staying sharp as he made sure to catch everything that passes his view. This was the first time he was visiting an ancient Faction that had people living in it. The group walked through the Faction grounds before getting to the arena, which was already abuzz from the noise of the crowd cheering. Seeing the large colosseum-like place, a few of the youths from the Pyrmond Faction could feel their hearts racing. This isn't compared to what they've been doing in the Aurora Continent, this was a chance for them to increase their cultivation, and not just that, but also prove to these people that even though they were an ancient Faction, they weren't different from them. But seeing Ezekiel and his group, they couldn't help but ask themselves if they truly were on the same level. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 Looking at things from this perspective, all their gazes landed on a particular silhouette, and that was Grey. In their group, he's probably the only one who can easily leave this place with a performance that will shock this entire ancient Faction. 'Will he be able to produce another miracle like before?' Some of those who had traveled with Grey during the battle with the Syphilis Faction knew all about Grey's performance, and how completely different he was when it came to these battles. They knew he didn't go all-out against Elder Benedict, as they've seen how crazy Grey could get once his hands were forced, and Elder Benedict unfortunately couldn't achieve that. Thinking about all of Grey's feats, they suddenly stopped thinking about how they would perform, and all focused on just his performance alone. If Grey could get a breathtaking performance like he has always put up, then there's a high chance that this place will be rocked by the end of this event. Grey didn't know all eyes were on him, nor did he feel the weight of the Faction's prestige resting on his shoulders. The truth was, not just the Faction, but the view these people had on the entire outside world can be changed by his performance here today... if he agrees to fight, that is...