Chapter 217: Shocking everyone
After a brief moment of surprise, Alex had already guessed who had arrived.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he calmly stood up.
"Let’s go meet them."
Suddenly, Berdin appeared in front of him, his face filled with unconcealed excitement.
"Brother Alex, please come with me. There are guests here to meet you," he said eagerly.
"Is that so? Then please lead the way, Captain," Alex replied with a smile.
"You do not have to call me Captain anymore," Berdin answered mysteriously.
Alex simply smiled without asking any questions.
The two of them walked side by side through the headquarters.
Soon, they arrived in front of Berdin’s office.
It was the grandest room within the faction, so naturally the honored guests had been received there.
Even before entering, Alex could vaguely sense several overwhelming presences inside.
From his estimation, every single one of them was at least a Grade 5 entity, with some perhaps even reaching Grade 6.
Taking a slow breath to calm himself, he prepared for the meeting.
Berdin gently pushed open the door.
"Excuse me, Instructors. I have brought Alex here," he said respectfully as the two stepped inside.
The instant Alex crossed the doorway, an unimaginably terrifying aura descended upon him.
It felt as though an ancient primordial beast had fixed its gaze directly upon his soul.
"Damn... they’re unbelievably powerful," he thought inwardly.
Even under such overwhelming pressure, Alex remained calm.
"Hello. I am Alex Moriarty. It is an honor to meet all of you."
A trace of surprise flashed across the faces of the elderly instructors.
"Not bad. Your heart is remarkably steady," a middle-aged man said with an approving smile.
"I am Varian Grimsmith, Head of Recruitment for Origin Academy."
"Would you mind if I checked something first?" he asked warmly.
"Please. Go ahead," Alex replied with a nod.
A scanning device instantly appeared in Varian’s hand.
Although similar to the one Berdin had used earlier, this version looked vastly more advanced.
The device emitted several rays of light as it thoroughly scanned Alex’s body.
[Bone Age: 17.5 Years.]
"It is exactly as your grandson reported, Nolan," Varian said while turning toward the elderly man beside him.
Nolan stroked his long white beard with a proud smile.
"Do not look so smug as though you accomplished something," Varian snorted.
"Hahaha! Enough wasting time."
"Proceed with the real test," Nolan laughed.
Varian nodded before putting away the scanner.
This time, he took out a perfectly smooth white crystal sphere.
"Alex, place both of your palms on this."
"I am going to examine your talent."
Alex’s heartbeat skipped for a moment.
"System... can this reveal my other talents?" he asked inwardly.
[Do not worry.]
[Such primitive tools cannot bypass my restrictions.]
Alex quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment both of his palms touched the sphere, dazzling golden light erupted from within.
The entire room was instantly illuminated.
Everyone’s eyes widened with excitement.
"It is a Celestial Grade talent!"
"Quickly!"
"Check how many locks it has!" another instructor shouted excitedly.
However, Varian did not respond.
His face gradually turned pale as disbelief filled his eyes.
He swallowed hard before speaking.
"What happened?"
"Is it really that bad?"
"Nine complete locks?" Nolan frowned.
Varian slowly shook his head.
"His Celestial Grade talent..."
"...is completely unbound."
Boom!
The words exploded like thunder inside everyone’s minds.
"What did you just say?"
Nolan instantly shot to his feet.
"Check it again, you fool!" he roared.
Varian glared back.
"Old bastard, I have already checked three times."
"There is not a single lock."
"The talent is completely unbound."
Nolan collapsed back onto his chair with a dull thud.
Beside him, Berdin’s legs also gave out as he fell onto the floor in utter disbelief.
Alex looked around in complete confusion.
"What exactly is happening?" he asked inwardly.
[I have no idea.]
[It appears something significant happened during the past few eons.]
The System sounded equally puzzled.
"Oh my God..."
"Oh my God!"
"We must notify the Principal immediately."
"Seal the entire city!" Varian shouted in a trembling voice.
Without hesitation, the other three instructors and Nolan nodded.
Brilliant divine light erupted from their bodies as they simultaneously activated enormous sealing formations.
At the same time, Varian took out a communication artifact.
"Um... Sir."
"May I know what happened?" Alex finally asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.
Varian slowly lowered the communicator.
When he looked at Alex again, it was as though he were staring at the most precious treasure in existence.
His expression became incomparably gentle.
"Alex, please sit."
"What would you like to eat?" he asked warmly.
Meanwhile, Nolan and the others completed the city’s sealing formation.
The way they looked at Alex had completely changed.
It was almost as though he were an emperor, while they were merely humble subjects desperately hoping to earn his favor.
"Brat!"
"Why are you still standing there?"
"Hurry and bring the finest food available in the entire city!" Nolan barked at Berdin.
Berdin immediately jumped to his feet.
He nodded so vigorously that his head nearly blurred before disappearing without another word.
Alex could only stare blankly.
What on earth were these people doing?
"Alex."
"Let me explain."
Varian took a deep breath before speaking.
"Within the Genesis Realm, Celestial Grade is considered the highest talent a person can naturally possess."
"However, Heaven does not grant such power freely."
"It places nine heavenly locks upon every Celestial Grade talent."
"The greatest genius this realm has ever produced still possesses three remaining locks."
Varian paused briefly before continuing.
"Berdin is also a Celestial Grade talent holder."
"He has only five locks, which already places him among the supreme geniuses of the Genesis Realm."
"But your talent..."
"...has no locks at all."
"Not one."
His voice trembled.
"This has never happened before."
"Never."
"You are the very first existence in recorded history to possess a completely unbound Celestial Grade talent."
Inside Alex’s mind, the System suddenly exploded with disbelief.
[What nonsense is this fool talking about?]
[What heavenly locks?]
[And Celestial Grade is far from being the highest talent in existence.]
Alex nearly burst into laughter after hearing the System curse for the very first time.
"Looks like something truly happened while you were gone."
"We’ll investigate it later," Alex thought inwardly.
Suddenly, an unimaginably terrifying aura descended outside the city.
The entire city instantly fell into a deep magical sleep.
An elderly man calmly stepped through the enormous barrier that Nolan and the others had created.
Without causing the slightest disturbance, he vanished.
"The Principal has arrived," one of the instructors said excitedly.
The next instant, the old man silently appeared inside the office.
Alex immediately sensed something extraordinary.
This was not spatial movement. It was a far more profound ability.
"A Grade 7 entity..."
"A Meta Existence..." Alex thought silently.
"Greetings, Principal."
Everyone in the room respectfully bowed.
The elderly man merely gave a slight nod.
"Is this the young man?" he asked while looking directly at Alex.
"He is," Varian replied respectfully.
The Principal calmly observed Alex for several moments.
"Young man."
"Would you mind showing me your talent?"
"There is no need to worry."
"No one outside this room will sense your presence."
Alex nodded.
"Arch Angel Transformation."
Boom!
Boundless holy light erupted from Alex’s body.
His entire figure gradually transformed into pure radiant light.
Sixteen magnificent wings unfolded behind his back.
A brilliant crown of light materialized above his head, making him appear like a true divine being.
Everyone inside the room unconsciously held their breath.
Even the Principal’s expression changed dramatically.
For a fleeting moment, every person present felt an overwhelming urge to kneel before Alex.
Fortunately, they managed to suppress the instinct.
"Young man..."
"Can you truly heal my grandson?" Nolan asked with trembling emotion.
His eyes had already become moist with tears.
Alex looked at him calmly before speaking.
Then he dropped another bombshell.
"And if everything you said about these heavenly locks is true..."
"I believe I can also remove one or perhaps even two locks from Brother Berdin’s talent."