Death... and me

Well, the only one that actually saw what was happening was Kentucky, but he continued explaining, 'The shadow isn't that big. At the very least, it isn't even close to being as big as the ancient beasts we've found so far. It's more or less half of my size.'

Hurio then mentioned, 'Not all ancient beasts are the size of mountains. There are some who are small, although those are more difficult to find. However, they're just as dangerous, or perhaps even more dangerous than the big ones since it's harder to spot them, especially in a snowstorm like this.'

Kentucky nodded in response and continued to observe. The Dragon Tail Group was gathered around the pond, and they seemed to be channeling their Divine Energy into the pool. The shadow in the pond moved faster and faster the more energy they poured into it. Suddenly...

*Bang!*

An explosion of water and energy blasted out of the pool before a creature that looked like a small dragon came out. Just like the ancient beasts that Rean's group saw so far, this one was also completely white. Kentucky thought the Dragon Tail Group would immediately run away at the sight of the ancient beast. However, they remained composed... no, to be more specific, they seemed to be a bit excited to see the dragon.

The small white dragon then looked at Celso's group with a completely emotionless expression. In fact, it really didn't have any emotions at all. It was the same as the marks Sister Orb mentioned, a being that simply existed to fulfill its orders, a puppet of some kind. It was then that a voice echoed in everyone's minds, asking, 'Are you the Dragon Mark holders from this time?' Surprisingly, Rean's group also heard that. However, the Dragon Tail Group thought they were the only ones hearing that. The small dragon didn't tell them anything about the presence of Rean's group, although it had obviously noticed them.

Their leader, Celso, immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, sir. We require the recognition of the Initial Dragon Mark so that we can aim for the second mark. As always, it's our Dragon Tail Brotherhood that will hold the Dragon Marks, so sir should have no issues with that."

The small dragon nodded after hearing that. 'Indeed. The Dragon's Mark is only one of the ten beast marks available for taking in this Lost Star Realm. I'm not the only one who distributes the Dragon Marks, but it's hard to locate us in the first level. Nevertheless, the marks can only be given to the five most worthy cultivators or demon beasts in the vicinity. Those are the rules. Should I start?'

Celso and his members got even more excited after that. It turned out that the five of them were sent into another entrance so that they could look for one of the Dragon Mark Ponds. The same thing happened with the rest of the Dragon Tail Brotherhood disciples, who also separated into groups of five.

The rest of the top ten powers did the same thing as them. It's just that the marks they were looking for were not the Dragon Marks. Instead, they had an agreement that each of them would look for a specific beast mark to prevent meaningless competition before they reached the third level.

Of course, Rean's group had no idea regarding that. They just followed the Dragon Tail Group to see what they were up to. Nevertheless, they could figure a few things out since the small white dragon's Divine Sense message also reached their group.

Celso then looked at his companions, and they nodded at each other before Celso gave the small dragon the order. "No problem, sir. Please start." They already received the instructions from their elders that the small white dragon would always say the same thing. After some time, they understood that as long as only five people were close by, only those five would receive the marks. The same was the case for the other marks.

The small white dragon nodded after that, and its body began to shine with white light. Rean could feel intense Light ELement while Roan was able to feel a huge concentration of Yin Energy. Light was Yang, but it seemed like the beasts in this realm were similar to Kentucky. Kentucky could use both Yin and Yang Energy as well as Dark and Light Element, all at the same time, and that small dragon was doing exactly that.

Suddenly, Rean, Roan, Hurio, and Kentucky felt an acute pain in their foreheads. That small ice blue mark then began to change shape, changing into the form of ice blue wings.

As for those among the Dragon Tail Group, Celso felt the same pain as the mark on his forehead changed into the same shape. Not too long after, the pain subsided, and the ice-blue wings soon took a very lifelike appearance.

However, Celso's companions looked at him with confused expressions. "Celso, are you alright?"

Celso rubbed his forehead before he looked at his companions. Naturally, he noticed the problem. "Why haven't your marks changed?"

His companions looked at each other and shook their heads. Obviously, they had no idea why they still had the same round ice-blue mark as everyone who entered the first level.

Immediately, Celso looked at the small white dragon and asked, "Shouldn't the mark be given to the five most worthy people in the vicinity?"

The small white dragon nodded with a bleak expression. 'The five Dragon Marks that can be given through this dragon pool have now been distributed. I shall seal myself until the next Lost Star Selection happens.' Unfortunately for them, before Celso's group could say anything, the small white dragon dove into the pool. Following that, the pool froze entirely, and the snowstorm quickly covered the pool a moment later. It soon transformed to look like the rest of the scenery, and no one would be able to tell that this place had a pool before.

Celso and his companions were not idiots. When the dragon mentioned that the Dragon Marks had been distributed, they immediately understood that they weren't the only ones close by. "Find them! We can still take their marks by killing whoever stole the other four marks."