Evander opened his eyes wide as he asked in a shaky voice. "Repeat that once again."
Richard was taken aback by Evander's voice. Before he could open his mouth, he felt Evander's aura fluctuate severely.
He quickly raised his eyes to meet Evander's.
Evander's eyes that used to carry a spark of certainty in them were now erratic. His burly frame shook uncontrollably. He gripped the couch with a hand.
It was as if…a great flood within him.
Despite Richard's strength, he felt severe pressure under Evander's unintentional move.
A trace of blood leaked from his mouth as he smiled. "Master, you have grown up."
With those words, Evander woke up.
He hurriedly suppressed his aura and sat Richard down. It was incredibly rare for him to loose control.
But it happened twice recently.
The first when someone wanted to assasinate Sarah.
The second was when he heard Enigma slaughtered the Astor Clan. That damn…
He shook his head and fed Richard a special potion. Richard's pale face quickly turned ruddy.
"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.
Richard opened his eyes and nodded. "It's alright. I survived even the aura pressure of your father. I guess I won't die so easily."
Then he stood up and even did a few push ups to demonstrate that he's alright.
Evander sighed in relief before thinking of Richard's words. His father's, a Sovereign's pressure.
As soon as Sovereign came up, Evander's mind was quickly pulled back to the previous topic.
If he couldn't become a Sovereign, then his disciple…
"Uncle Richard, did you personally verify Varian reaching Level 5?" Evander asked again. This time, his voice was a bit subdued.
Richard nodded. "I glanced at him after the little girl Anna took Sarah away. His aura fluctuations are unmistakably an entry Level 5s."
Evander slumped on the couch. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't.
After a while, he sighed and walked to the window.
The sun had already set. He could see the red moon in the blue sky.
Evander didn't know why, but he recalled every time he promised Sarah an Earth with a white moon.
Even his own vow…
'I couldn't do it. But he can.' The moment the thought popped up, Evander threw his head back and laughed.
"Yes! He is the One!" Evander turned to Richard and said in an excited tone.
"M-Master?" Richard responded in awkward questioning tone.
Why did Evander react, no, overreact too much?
Even if Varian advanced to Level 5 three or four months before Charles, it didn't mean much.
"You don't understand." Evander shook his head looking at Richard's confusion. "Did you check his level when you first met him?"
Richard shook his head. "I didn't."
"So the only time you knew his level was once he came out of the Tower of Trials." Evander raised the corners of his mouth. "Before he went in, guess his level."
Richard thought of something and his eyes widened. "Peak of Level 4? He advanced to Level 5 in a few hours?"
Advancing at higher levels needed days of preparations. Once the bottleneck was broken, the awakener must fill up their expanded aura reserves. That itself took nearly a day.
Only then would they properly exude the aura of their new level.
If Varian could cut short the process to a few hours, he was a monster!
"No! You're underestimating him. Even I did." Richard shook his head, recalling the meeting with Varian.
"I scanned his level. It was only approaching peak of Level 4. In others words, he was a high level 4. So he reached peak level 4, hit the bottleneck, broke it and advanced to Level 5 in a day or two." Evander explained.
He didn't dare to say his other guess.
Varian might have done all that in a few hours after reaching the Tower of Trials.
Then, he showed the awakening time of Varian and his speed from a Level 1 to Level 2.
"Good lord!" Richard, the calmest man Evander knew covered his mouth in shock.
He was a generation higher than Evander and lived for more than years him. Yet, even he couldn't help but be flabbergasted.
"M-Master, you picked a monster." Richard said, his voice laced with emotion.
Evander was taken back before he shook his head. He looked at Richard and said with a wry smile. "I didn't pick the monster. The Monster picked me."
He played their meeting. In the hologram, Richard saw the other side of the calm young man.
A side of absolute confidence and dominance.
'Why should I make you my disciple?'
'Because I am the best genius Earth can offer.'
When he said those words, Richard felt the conviction in his words. It wasn't his opinion. He was just stating the facts.
Not just Earth. The entire federation had no one to match him.
Richard understood why Varian only focused on training so much that he didn't even bother to check about the Sovereign Treasures or Internal News.
With his talent, he'd be the peak of Level 6 soon. Then perhaps in a year or less, he'd advance to a high awakener.
For such a cadet, what use were factions, news and even missions?
Richard sighed deeply. He didn't know his young master hid so much of his talent.
In fact, both he and Evander didn't know Varian was hiding his trump card. Five Divine Paths!
The hologram recording continued.
'Alright. But if you do not advance to level 5 this semester, I'll terminate the discipleship. Sarah will cut off contact with—'
"Ahem." Evander hurriedly closed the recording and coughed.
Thinking back, he just told that to push him and beat down his 'arrogance.' His actual expectation was Varian advancing to Level 5 in second semester.
"We only need to ensure we don't hinder his growth." Evander said in a solemn tone.
They both knew the implications.
This young man was destined to be a Sovereign. Perhaps, he could even break open the power ceiling and reach a state no one ever knew.
Richard asked. "Should we send a level 9 to protect him?"
Evander thought for a while before sighing. "He has a secret. What if he feels the protector we sent is for spying on him? I don't want to break the goodwill."
Richard thought for a while and proposed. "Then let him be with Anna. Even though she concealed it, I can feel her advancement. She reached Level 9."
The world would be shocked if they found out that a Level 9 Awakener was a maid.
Heck. Even Evander was surprised.
"But Anna…she only listens to Sarah." Evander knitted his brows in frustration.
Anna was deeply indebted to Sylivia. So much that she gave up her post as Athena Earth Branch head and took care of Sarah like a normal maid.
Due to the fact that he avoided Sarah, the relationship between him and Anna deteriorated.
In fact, Evander knew she downright loathed him.
As if to prove it, she never entered the Dean's block. Even when they met, all she gave was a professional smile.
When Sylvia was alive, he helped Anna in combat. Slyivia treated her as sister, so did he.
The reason he was fine distancing Sarah and not send protectors after her was Anna.
"I-I will request Anna." Evander said after swallowing his pride. "Instruct the Military Faction to support Varian unconditionally. Do not ask anything of him."
"Yes." Richard stood up and was about to leave.
"One more thing. Gather the faction heads, I'll convene a meeting. Call Varian by the way, make him a vice head of the military faction."
Richard nodded and shot towards the Amethyst Community.
The Vice heads of Military Faction—Dhruv and Mia were in for a surprise.