Klaus and the others left Grey to go ahead with his study as they started to explore the cave. The cave was quite large, and they could see a few passages. They knew if they headed in that direction, they would be able to see a few things.
"Should we go that way?" Klaus asked.
"It's best we stay put." Alice said, "We just absorbed some good stuff, we can use it to strengthen ourselves."
"Besides, he's the only one who can ensure our safety. If we move recklessly and he isn't there, we might get in a whole lot of trouble." She added.
Reynolds nodded to her words.
Klaus sighed, "You guys… forget it. Let's wait for him."
"If only Void were here." He muttered after seating begrudgingly.
He wasn't into staying idle, but Alice was right. Grey was the only one who could teleport them out of this place in case of any danger, and he was presently studying the array he was also interested in. So instead of causing him any trouble, it was best he stayed put and watched him. There were a few things he could still do before Grey was done.
On the other side of the lava waterfall.
The young lady and her group finished the trial after over thirty minutes. She was the only one able to defeat her opponent, the others were beaten. Even though they lost, they still gained some benefits from the Phoenixes.
She didn't recall seeing Grey and his friends leaving this place.
"Where could they have gone to?" She asked.
No one from her group could answer. They were all engrossed in their battles and couldn't keep an eye on Grey and his friends as they left.
"We should head out, there's nothing here. I think they've gone out." Someone said.
The young lady looked towards the volcano with a skeptical look, but didn't think too much about it. She felt maybe she was overthinking it. There was a good chance the group of four had walked out of this place already.
"Let's go out." She said and took the lead.
While they were leaving, no one else had managed to get to this stage.
Walking through the portal, they appeared outside the volcano.
Seeing the people staring at them, they all felt a sense of pride. They all got to the last stage, and that was an amazing achievement.
The young lady however was searching for someone, someone he couldn't find in the crowd.
Most of the people who entered the volcano had come out after not being able to advance to the next rounds. At least ninety percent of the people that entered the volcano were out, only a few were still trying to get past the stages.
Some of them would eventually give up, while a few would be able to get to the next stage with sheer tenacity. Those who can break through their limits will experience a short growth spurt that will see them advance at a faster pace for a short period.
Seeing that neither Grey, nor any of his friends were present, she walked over to the middle-aged man and the other Elders who were seated in a secluded place.
She bowed to them, and seeing all their attention on the screen where she just stepped out, she knew the only other thing of interest there was the lava.
"Uncle, did he go through that lava?" She asked.
"You guessed right, he managed to pass through." The middle-aged man replied.
"But… how can he pass through? That place is very dangerous." The young lady found it hard to believe.
"Your Teacher will explain more about it. For now, you can join the others. We will reward the few who weren't able to get to the last stage." The middle-aged man said.
The last stage was the main reward, for Fire Elementalists, it was a holy trove for them as it will make them grow quickly. But anyone who didn't get to the last stage will be rewarded according to their performances.
Although it looked like the Phoenix Faction were losing, in truth, they were gaining a lot. Being able to create ties with so many young geniuses was a very important part of their Faction.
These young geniuses will grow to feel indebted to them and will in most cases come to their aid if needed.
This was a ploy to get more people to not only join the Faction, but also avoid having any issues with them.
Imagine offending a powerful Faction that has ties across the world. Just the thought of that was frightening. Only someone with a death warrant would want to have a feud with such a Faction.
The Phoenix Faction was so smart with this move that they ensured it was only done once every fifty years. This will give the geniuses time to grow, and some would even send their offsprings to this place.
The middle-aged man addressed the young group and started handing out rewards. He looked around and saw a figure missing. It was Flint, the young genius of the Old man. He was on the verge of getting to that last trial.
The middle-aged man felt it was good for Flint if he managed to get to the last trial. He would be able to increase his strength. His only concern is that, if Grey were to step out and Flint tries to attack him again, he would be in serious trouble.
Flint is known for his unyielding attitude, after almost always being on top, and then getting bested by Grey with a single attack he would want a rematch.
Grey was stronger, but Flint would not believe this. The middle-aged man was very certain of this.
'I wonder how he would react if he was beaten again.'
The middle-aged man thought of something and shook his head. The Old man who was Flint's Teacher had a bad temper and might come for Grey if he heard that he beat up his precious student.