Chapter 599: Winner
Countless pairs of eyes landed on her.
Unlike before, those gazes no longer contained ridicule or disdain.
Instead, they were filled with admiration.
Some young men even looked at her with obvious affection, silently wondering whether they should gather the courage to confess to her.
Many audience members who had previously disliked her had completely switched sides.
Several of them were even enthusiastically waving colorful flags bearing Lana’s name.
Seeing this, Lana casually waved back. She looked so natural that she resembled a famous celebrity greeting her fans.
The audience instantly erupted into excited cheers.
Soon, the host walked back onto the stage.
"The next evaluation will test the quality of your mystic energy."
This particular round wasn’t especially exciting for ordinary spectators.
Most of them couldn’t understand the technical aspects involved.
Usually, they simply waited for the judges to announce the results.
Shelly stepped forward first. She gently released her mystic energy.
A beautiful blue radiance blossomed around her body, flowing like calm water beneath the bright lights.
Several audience members applauded.
Then, it was Lana’s turn. She slowly raised one hand.
The next instant, yellow mystic energy quietly emerged around her.
The entire arena froze.
A few moments later, confused whispers gradually spread throughout the crowd.
"What is that yellow energy?"
"I’ve never seen mystic energy of that color before."
Someone suddenly whispered in a worried tone,
"Don’t tell me..."
"Could this yellow color be some kind of side effect?"
"Maybe she advanced too quickly by using forbidden cultivation methods."
The rumors rapidly spread throughout the audience.
Meanwhile, Lana remained perfectly calm. She simply looked toward the judges.
The expressions on all three judges’ faces had completely changed.
At first, there had only been surprise, then shock and finally, complete disbelief.
They stared at Lana as though she were the most priceless treasure they had ever encountered.
Without the slightest hesitation, Mason abruptly stood up.
"I’ll give you fifty percent of every corporation under my name!"
He slapped both hands onto the judging table. "And all my personal assets! Become my disciple!"
Jessica immediately burst into laughter. "What a shameless old man."
She shot Mason a teasing glare before immediately looking toward Lana.
"As long as you become my disciple. I guarantee you’ll directly enter the International Mystical Cultivation Competition’s Top Ten ranking matches."
She smiled confidently. "No..."
She corrected herself almost immediately. "I’ll personally try to advance you straight into the semi-finals."
Before Lana could even react, Kyle, the host, burst into hearty laughter. "You two are unbelievable."
He shook his head helplessly. "Could you two possibly be any less subtle?"
Then, he turned toward Lana. His expression became incomparably serious.
"I’ll leave one hundred percent of my assets to you. They’re worth nearly ten billion dollars."
His voice echoed throughout the silent arena.
"You only need to agree, to become my disciple."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire audience completely lost their composure.
"What in the world is happening?"
"Why are the judges acting like they’ve discovered some priceless treasure?"
"They’re practically fighting over her!"
Everyone was utterly bewildered. Only Axel understood exactly what was happening.
To every mystical cultivator...
Finding a disciple capable of reaching the second level of mystic energy quality was nothing less than the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
If Lana hadn’t already been his niece, even he would’ve shamelessly competed to accept her as his disciple.
After all, the honour, the glory, the prestige, and the satisfaction of watching someone fulfill the dream every mystical cultivator pursued... those things were worth far more than ordinary wealth.
But he had long since accepted reality.
He already knew there was absolutely no chance Lana would acknowledge anyone as her master.
The fact that she had never accepted a master until now was already proof enough.
Meanwhile, Vincent looked at Lana almost pleadingly.
"Lana! Listen to me! I promise I’ll personally get you straight into the International Mystical Cultivation Competition’s semi-finals."
He quickly added,
"No preliminary rounds. No Top Ten qualification matches. Straight into the semi-finals."
He took another step forward. "Just say yes."
Lana looked at the three judges before chuckling helplessly. "Wow..."
She glanced from one judge to another. "It feels like there’s a bloodbath happening here."
The audience couldn’t help but laugh. Then Lana smiled gently.
"For now, I’d appreciate it if all of you simply gave an honest judgment."
She casually stretched her shoulders. "And officially announced me as the winner."
She looked at the time before adding with complete seriousness,
"I still have to go home. My boyfriend is making noodles for me."
The instant those words left her mouth, the entire arena became silent.
Everyone stared blankly at Lana.
This girl had just revealed something as precious and legendary as yellow mystic energy...
Three internationally renowned judges were practically offering their entire fortunes just to accept her as a disciple...
Yet, the only thing she cared about was getting home in time to eat noodles cooked by her boyfriend.
The contrast was so absurd that many people almost forgot how to react.
A few seconds later, someone in the audience suddenly shouted,
"Oh my God! I finally understand!"
He pointed excitedly toward Lana.
"With Yellow Mystic Energy..."
"Doesn’t that mean she can fight cultivators above her own level?"
He swallowed hard before continuing,
"No, she can probably defeat opponents who are at least five cultivation levels stronger than herself!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire stadium exploded into discussions.
"What?! So Yellow Mystic Energy is actually that terrifying?"
"No wonder the judges went completely insane!"
News spread at astonishing speed.
Within minutes, the entire nation was discussing Lana.
Everyone wondered the same question.
How had a genius of this calibre remained hidden until now?
Even the leaders of numerous mystical cultivation associations had already begun contacting one another.
Many of them were practically fighting over the opportunity to recruit Lana as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Lana acted as though none of the commotion had anything to do with her.
She quietly stood on the stage.
Patiently waiting or, at least, she wore an expression that suggested she was being patient.
In reality, every passing second tested her patience a little more.
’How long are these people planning to keep arguing? I just want my noodles...’
Just as she was on the verge of shouting at everyone to settle down, a powerful voice suddenly echoed throughout the arena.
"What a mess!"
The voice carried undeniable authority.
In an instant, everyone turned toward the source.
An elderly man slowly walked into the arena.
His appearance was... unique.
He wore an ordinary pair of trousers and a brightly coloured, outrageously funky shirt that looked completely out of place in such a formal setting.
A pair of oversized black sunglasses rested on his face, making him look more like a tourist than a respected expert.
Several people’s lips twitched involuntarily at his unusual fashion sense.
However, the moment they recognised him, every trace of amusement disappeared.
He was Mark Hellcat, Jessica Hellcat’s father and the current president of the Mystical Association.
Mark looked at Lana with a calm yet authoritative gaze and spoke in an even tone.
"Harper told me that you aren’t interested in joining the Mystical Cultivation Association."
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone’s attention immediately shifted beside Mark. Only then did they notice the elderly man standing there.
It was none other than Harper, the branch headquarters’ chief and the head of the Mystical Association in Xila City.
Soft whispers instantly spread throughout the arena like ripples across a still lake.
"Why is President Mark here?"
"Did he really come personally?"
"Is he here because of Lana?"
Lana merely raised an eyebrow before looking at the old man with a faint smile.
"Old man, forgive me for being impolite, but could you tell me how your wildcard entry suddenly happened here?"
Mark’s lips twitched helplessly. ’This girl... she really has no fear.’
He looked at Lana before replying patiently.
"Harper had already told me that you were an outstanding candidate and that I should pay close attention to you."
"I bought the ticket here today because I wanted to personally examine your cultivation level and the quality of your mystical energy. Now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I can confidently say that your mystical energy is indeed exceptional."
He paused briefly before continuing. "So, I’m here to make you an offer."
Lana frowned slightly. "Will I get the results first or not?"
Her voice sounded genuinely irritated this time, carrying a trace of suppressed impatience.
Seeing her expression, Mark’s lips twitched once again.
Without another word, he slowly turned toward Jessica, Mason, and Vincent.
The three of them instinctively lowered their heads in embarrassment.
Every one of them had once received personal guidance from Mark. Yet here they were, behaving like schoolchildren arguing over something trivial.
Jessica awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck before letting out a dry laugh. "I’ll announce it."
She cleared her throat before speaking loudly. "I declare Lana the winner."
Vincent immediately nodded. "I agree."
"So do I," Mason added with an awkward smile.