Time passed in a blur as anticipation for the Proving steadily rose. Eventually, it became all anyone across the South could talk about.
Gatherings, meetings, events… every conversation somehow returned to the Proving.
Still, Zephyrion's routine remained mostly unchanged. He spent most of his time training with the house, then devoted the remainder to training alone within his room.
With the discoveries he had made so far, he felt an even greater need to push himself harder. Especially after the reward for the Choosing arrived.
The house rewarded the top ten participants with mind-enhancement elixirs. The quality depended on rank, with Zephyrion naturally receiving a high-grade one.
Using it allowed Zephyrion to clear the fog all the way to Mark Six of the Vessel Rank.
And within a single day, just like that, he advanced into Mark Six… Authority.
