MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1286: Connection And Power

Anthony tore his gaze away, not bothering to focus too much on the Core Elder, or he might be accused of staring lustfully or something like that. As his attention focused back on the distance beyond the horizon, he heard ten pairs of footsteps approaching from behind him.

Anthony, who had been leaning forward on the deck, rose upright as he turned, his eyes landing on Tory Hale and the other disciples who were walking towards him.

As they arrived, Tory Hale was the first to speak as a smile graced his lips.

"Anthony, it’s been a while. I guess you’ve been good," his words were calm and smooth.

Anthony smiled at Tory as he spoke, "It seems you’ve gotten stronger once again. Your Law comprehension skills are simply too great."

Tory’s lips couldn’t help but twitch. He had met one of the Inner Elders and traded all his contribution points for a greater artifact that could protect his mind, but even now, Anthony seemed to be bypassing his mind, which told him that Anthony wasn’t exactly reading his mind like he had guessed.

Indeed, Tory’s ability had blessed him with another Law at the Law Embodiment Stage just yesterday, as he had hit the one-year mark at the time.

The other disciples didn’t react, as they didn’t know the hidden meaning behind what Anthony had said. After all, everyone just assumed that Tory had some sort of Physique or Bloodline that helped with his Law comprehension speed.

Tory shook his head and decided not to dwell on the fact that he had just wasted his contribution points on what he had thought was a solution but wasn’t, as he gestured towards the disciples standing beside him.

"Anyway, since we are all entering The Sleeping Hollow and would be working together if we appear at the same place, I thought everyone should introduce themselves and get familiar with one another, at least before we cooperate fully at The Sleeping Hollow," he spoke, his tone calm and suggestive.

Anthony’s sky-blue eyes shifted towards the Above disciples. He had no particular hatred or judgment towards them after what happened a few days back; that was just a minor skirmish. He wasn’t one who burned all bridges just because of a single incident, especially one as minor as this.

Seeing Anthony’s eyes turn towards them, one of the three girls stepped forward. She was also at the Foundation Star Monarch Rank, as she too had broken through.

"My name is Lora Vake. Nice to meet you, Null Anthony," she stated as she stretched out a hand.

Anthony didn’t hesitate and clasped her hand as he accepted the handshake. She didn’t talk about the Laws she had comprehended. None of them wanted to talk about them now unless they were actually cooperating within The Sleeping Hollow, as they didn’t want to feed Anthony with information, just in case they don’t find him at The Sleeping Hollow.

Information was their trump card for when Anthony challenged them for their rank when they returned from The Sleeping Hollow.

But unknown to all of them, Anthony didn’t have the strength or the time to challenge them for their so-called Above disciple ranking. He was uninterested in such things, as he didn’t need the resources the sect gave them. All he needed was a thought, and everything would be solved.

And with that, a man stepped forward this time as he introduced himself as Hillary, another stepped forward, his name Lin, then a girl named Lawrence, and the final girl was called Jane.

Anthony simply nodded at their names as they said nothing else. He couldn’t help but wonder why they were here if they weren’t going to get off their high horses and speak like normal people. As for Anthony himself, he didn’t need to introduce himself, as he was popular enough.

Tory could feel a headache coming. He had brought these nine to introduce themselves, and they had just stated their names and remained silent.

"Are we done?" Anthony asked, his eyes shifting towards Tory, who seemed to have led them here.

Tory gave a weak smile before he nodded. With that, Anthony turned and walked away as he headed towards the deckhouses that were on board. While he might be open to being friends and talking with them, he wouldn’t do so while putting on some sort of air of superiority.

Seeing Anthony choose a room and disappear into the distance, Tory immediately frowned as he turned to his fellow disciples and spoke.

"Seriously, was that the best each of you could come up with? Just your names?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Another Above disciple called Jerry spoke, "Tory, why are you trying so hard to be friends with that guy? Look at how he ignored us and walked away without even saying his name or a word to us," he stated as he shook his head. "Yes, he is strong, but so is everyone on this ship, and we don’t necessarily have to depend on him to survive The Sleeping Hollow. If that was the case, we wouldn’t be here in the first place," his tone was logical, but that was if he was talking about another person who wasn’t Anthony.

Tory could only sigh, but before he could speak, Lora Vake spoke first.

"He didn’t say anything because there was simply nothing to say. You already know his name, so he didn’t have to say that," she stated, her black eyes shifting towards the deckhouse Anthony had entered.

"And it’s not that we necessarily have to depend on him to survive, but you would be stupid if you don’t acknowledge the strength he possesses. He possesses about six Laws at the Embodiment Stage, and those are the ones that we know of, as there could be more," she continued speaking. "And in a place like The Sleeping Hollow where we are entering, having someone of that capacity as an ally is extremely paramount. After all, in The Sleeping Hollow, the highest survival rate ever recorded is nineteen percent," she added, then paused, her eyes shifting towards Jerry as though allowing him to understand her words.

"And The Sleeping Hollow aside, connection is just as important as personal power within the Hellinder Realm and Ecliptica Galaxy, as it goes hand in hand with personal power. Anthony himself is a connection we need, and he is also power," she continued. "He got to his level in merely three days. Who knows how strong he has even gotten in the four days we didn’t see him, and how strong he would become if he survives The Sleeping Hollow?" she stated as she analyzed. "Imagine how strong someone like that would be in a single year, or even a decade," she stated in finality.

The other disciples fell silent as they began to think about it. Lora Vake was the smartest amongst them when it came to planning, analyzing, and things like that.

"If he is so great or going to be a powerhouse in a year, why didn’t you kiss his ass or something?" Jerry asked.

Lora Vake shook her head as she replied, "At the end of the day, friendship and relationships can’t be forced. All that matters is that we’ve introduced ourselves for now," she replied. "No matter how bad it might have gone, we can still become familiar within The Sleeping Hollow and during battles. And besides," she turned as she began to walk away, "only those who survive The Sleeping Hollow can form the connection at the end of the day." Her words echoing as she left.