Year 335
Library of Eras – Erasian Core World
The Library of Eras was filled with dwarves. Thousands, millions, billions. Behind the void bubble, here, they made things. Jorkun described the Library of Eras as a world dedicated to magical research, and here, there was plenty of magical research.
There still was magical research.
Not ruins. Not destruction.
“Something is strange.” Edna said, as she took the appearance of a female dwarven knight. The effects of her illusion artifact made all three of them resemble dwarves. “What’s going on?”
It was a functional world. People laughed. People lived. The dwarves drank wine and beer, and they did magical research.
We observed the dwarves around us. We knew that the dwarves here were real, and the things that they did were real. It did not take much for us to realize that there were many real and genuinely interesting magical research and records here.
At the heart of the Library of Eras, Jorkun described, stood a massive Library. The Great Library. Records of all things. All information was public, or so they said. Stella, Edna, and Lumoof, three disguised dwarves, ventured and walked around the great dwarven cities. The cities only covered half of its surface. The rest were farmland and mines.
It stood there, intact. Or at least, the structure was intact.
But it did not take long to uncover the strangeness of it all.
There was an enchantment, a magic of some sort woven into the entire world, because once night fell, a strange pulse of energy radiated from the heart of the world.
[ Domain blocked attempted interference ]
[ Domain blocked attempted interference ]
[ Domain blocked attempted interference ]
It hammered us repeatedly, every day. We could triangulate the source of that interference and noticed it had a few sources spread throughout the entire world.
Stella, as a mage, tried to capture this interference and noticed it had some similarities to Patreeck’s mind abilities, so we spent a few more days observing this interference and soon noticed it was a mind-alteration ability.
We turned our attention to the people, the native Erasian dwarves, and wondered what in the world happened.
***
“Praise be to the Reviver! Praise be to Eras!” The dwarven man praised and prayed before he started work for the day. These dwarves all had a statue, a twinned statue of a dwarven man carving a monstrous looking creature out of stone.
The locals were incredibly happy to explain it.
“This is the statue of the Reviver’s return to the world! Every day, Eras chips a bit of the Reviver’s restraints! One day, the Reviver will return to us, and we will experience wonder and evolution!”
The dwarves were thoroughly dwarves. Not a single shred of them contained any bit of demonic flesh. But they were under the influence of these daily mental suggestions that warped their minds.
“What is the Reviver?”
“Have you missed your classes, boy?” The dwarf looked upset when Lumoof asked.
Lumoof feigned ignorance. “I hit my head.”
“But a refresher is always fine. The Reviver is the god of life, the god of creation! His form is imperfect and everchanging, and even now, his followers across the world wage war on the foul foreign heathens! The heretics!”
“He means us, right?” Stella listened and spoke telepathically.
“Eras, the god of us dwarves, is working painstakingly every day to free the Reviver from the foul effects of the ancient divine curse! Every day, Eras gives a bit of his divinity to the Reviver, and every day, the Reviver grows a little bit stronger! We pray and we worship them every day, so that both the Reviver and Eras regenerates from their long struggle!”
“You think that’s propaganda, or is Eras really working for the demons?”
“More importantly, who is the Reviver?” Stella responded.
There was, to our surprise, surprisingly large amounts of literature on the Reviver recorded in the Library of Eras.
They described the Reviver as the Beast of Life, the one who brought creation and sentience to the world. The myriad worlds were starved of life at the beginning of all time, they were dry, empty.
It was the Reviver and the predecessor beast gods that brought life to the world.
Stella was quick to point out the contradiction with the story we heard from Neira. “Before the War of the Gods, was the war between the beasts and the Old Demons.”
The entire setup and what we had seen so far strongly implied that the Reviver was likely Wadra, or possibly, given the nature of how the Reviver’s description sounded oddly similar to the Ravenous, a descendant of the Ravenous.
The implications were obvious.
“So we are dealing with a large cult sustaining Eras, in order to ‘steal’ Eras’s divinity. Stealing that divinity and this constant worship of the Reviver seems to point towards producing a new god.”
Then the masses of the demons so far? The powerful near-domain demons were not actually meant to ascend to their own domains>
What was the purpose of these thousands if not millions of powerful true demons? Why were they breeding them at such a scale?
Were they an army for a future war, waiting for when their god finally awakens?
Or are we really dealing with a mad Eras, who was using their own power willingly to break out and revive an ancient demon god?
***
Jorkun found that idea absurd.
“No. That was not how the Library of Eras was. I know every single treatise, article, scripture, and book on history written about Eras, in the Library of Eras, and those books are fake! Creations! Fraudulent, forged writings!”
But what proof did we have?
“My creator and his assistants worshipped Eras, and not a single one of them worshiped this Reviver! This Usurper has corrupted my creator’s men!”
Hoyia faced the golem, raging but still incredibly restrained. She didn’t fear the golem, even if the golem could give her a decent exercise. She had seen Jorkun fight, she brought him to Lavaworld and witnessed his fury.
The Erasian golem was a war machine, and a damned good one at that.
However, Jorkun refused to entertain Alka or any of the dwarven requests to examine him mechanically. Jorkun claimed that the proper way to learn crafting was to learn it from the master, not through inferior methods from observing creations.
Despite this, Jorkun pointed us somewhere. “Find the ancient golems. Not all of us were sent to the battlefield, some of us ancient Sentinels play other roles on the Core Worlds. Surely there must be some still hidden within the Library of Eras with their ancient programming intact! I do not believe these Usurpers are so thorough that they could remove our true past!”
Usurpers.
That was quite a term.
I remember when I once faced a demonic parasite that described the war between the demons and the gods as a war between the Slavers and the Puppeteers. The Gods used heroes as their puppets, while the demons enslaved worlds to produce demon kings and fight for them.
Was this another form of slavery?
A harvesting of faith?
Or was it a myth made real?
If gods were created from the collective faith of their people, a change in their collective myths, did that also change how the gods behave?
Were the gods vulnerable to the shifting opinions of their followers?
If that was true, if enough of Eras’s believers believed that Eras supported and helped this Reviver, would Eras fold?
What if, just like the [System] was vulnerable to change if a majority voted for specific changes to the [System], the World Faith System also had a similar underlying mechanic.
For powerful gods with many worlds, there was no coherence amongst the worlds beyond certain common abilities and principles. But here, the demons were specifically and deliberately altering the beliefs of their followers.
This was astroturfing to shape opinion, and since opinion affected gods, they transformed the god and corrupted it.
***
It was a conundrum that I had no answer to, and so Hoyia traveled to meet Hawa and Aiva. When Hoyia posed the probability of the followers influencing a god, if somehow a third party gained control over a majority of their followers and could reshape their thoughts, she was greeted with a long, long silence.
It was uncomfortable, when a god manifested themselves but was clearly in thought.
Thankfully, Hoyia had plenty of experience as my matriarch. She was long used to my fits of silence.
“I believe there is a possibility.” Aiva answered. “It is not explicitly stated within the World Faith System, but I am not surprised if such a mechanic was inherited.”
Hawa seemed so disturbed by the idea that he merely said. “Leave. You’ve left me with a thought I must now examine in thorough detail.”
Hawa’s worlds were relatively more consistent, at least when compared with the rest of the four gods. Could it be that he had changed over the years without his own realization?
***
Once more, I cursed the gods. I cursed how stupid they were.
“I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t have thought that there is a possibility that the relationship would be reversed. It is usually the gods that influenced the followers.” Lumoof said while in the form of an aged dwarf.
My three domain holders ventured throughout the Library of Eras and examined the books that claimed to be the origin stories of Eras and the Reviver.
There was not a single mention of how the Reviver is a lie.
Until, that is, when we ventured close to the government institutions that governed a world like the Library of Eras.
There were these twisted Wadrans that carried a strong, demonic taint. They didn’t look any bit dwarven, and yet the dwarves treated them as if they were royalty.
They all radiated a tremendous and powerful presence. Each of them was at least level 100, and here, at the heart of the Library of Eras’s Governing Oracle Chambers, we could feel the pulse of a few [domains].
Someone in there was Level 200, and a few others at least Level 150. At least. Whatever it was, it was still comforting that it still felt weaker than me.
Their domain radiated outwards, and we knew that we sensed each other’s presence.
We were still close enough that we could make out the conversations.
“How goes the hunt for the heretics? The Great Voice of the Reviver grows irritated with how we fail to do such simple things.” One of these Twisted Wadrans spoke as he walked along the streets outside the Governing Oracle Chambers, and into the main streets. They had strangely demonic features, and they would have looked like jet black versions of the demon knights, if not for the long, flowing white robes that they all wore. They spoke in regular tongues, even if it sounded discordant.
A group of dwarven attendants answered. “Commander Shai sends his best men to hunt them down, Lord Wa-Nira.”
“That is what they’ve said before. We must purge the heretics. Those who sully the name of the Reviver and Eras should be punished for believing in such foolish things. If they are not killed, I will have your head as well.”
The dwarven attendants paled, but they quickly assured them of their competence.
My three domain holders picked up on this and concluded that if we wanted to know the truth, we too, had to find the heretics of Eras.
***
“Alright.” Thankfully, no one sought us out. Though our domains touched with the domain within the Governing Oracle, there didn’t seem to be an outsized response from the local security force. “What should we do, actually? We have a few things we can work on. One, we can look for the Ancient Golems, like Jorkun suggested. There must be some ancient golems left unactivated across the entirety of the Five Core Worlds.”
The dwarven dwellings on the Library of Eras were incredibly well made and thoroughly luxurious. Still we swept them for magical observation tools, just in case.
“But are we assuming all the five core worlds are the same?” Edna said. “We’ve only seen one.”
“I have a feeling it is.” Stella countered.
“Let’s visit the other four core worlds. I have a feeling that we are only at the tip of what we’ve seen so far.”
“What of these heretics? Surely there is more to what we’ve seen so far.” Stella said. “If there are heretics, then they must be hidden. Their opponent is someone in the level 200s. That is not someone any rebel or heretic can easily defeat.”
“Should we even bother?” Lumoof countered, though I knew Lumoof actually wanted to. But he still wanted to play the devil’s advocate, and consider other options.
Edna, however, strongly believed in helping. “If we know these Revivers are not truly the real gods, what is happening here can be nothing more than an elaborate lie. That makes these heretics the people we should help. Think about it. The demons and whatever is behind this gains something by crafting this elaborate plot. By messing with it, we weaken the faith in this Reviver. I believe that is good.”
“Then let’s split up.” Lumoof nodded. “Myself and Stella will explore the four other core worlds, while you try to beat these guys to the heretics. You will rescue the heretics and figure out what they are.”
“If they are worth rescuing.” Edna said.
***
Forge of Eras
Stella and Lumoof’s next goal was to visit the other Erasian Core Worlds, just to check whether they still survived.
We arrived on the Forge of Eras just to find it also vibrant and thoroughly alive, and unfortunately, under the very same societal brainwashing and historical erasure as the Library of Eras.
Every day we heard them speak of the Reviver.
The Forge of Eras was a world with holes. Large, gigantic pits where weapons were tested. Large underground chambers where massive projects were built.
The two domainholders didn’t have to look far, because we found more of the enemy.
There were at least three domainholders here, and their appearance was quite like that of the Wadrans, but twisted into demonic forms. Unlike the Library of Eras, we were not so lucky to stumble upon any of the heretics or talks about them.
Maybe they were just exceptionally well hidden.
Jorkun described the Forge of Eras as a massive forge-world, where Eras made most of his great works.
Here though, we noticed that there were massive war machines clearly equipped with divine weapons.
Weapons made of a strange mix of Erasian and demonic energies.
Here, the craftsmen of Eras worked with the demonic energies, and referred to them as the “Reviver’s Spirit.” They were supervised by the domain holders, as even from a massive distance, we could spot a twisted, half-dwarven, half demonic creature that was likely in the Level 200s.
The locals referred to him as “Divine Lord Ghul-Dah.”
The half-demon seemed to even notice us, as he kept looking in our distant location, as our domains seemed to brush each other repeatedly. We did not plan for an engagement just yet, so we quickly retreated and explored more workshops where there were no enemy domainholders.
We visited workshops of the dwarves led by lower ranked dwarves, and we noticed that they were constructing Rift Gates. The demonic rift gates that we’d seen so often in so many worlds were made here!
Their construction required a massive divine structure that carved their operational qualities into the steel.
Here, void crystals were aplenty. The air and space itself was so thick with void crystals that any regular empty crystal would quickly accumulate void energy.
“We’re dealing with multiple Level 200 plus domain holders. But what do you think they are for?” Stella said. “But don’t answer. You know what worries me? They might have a pantheon. Just like us. If they are Level 200 plus there must be one.”
Lumoof frowned. “I was expecting to see demons somewhere, and yet all we’ve seen are these hybrids. They clearly didn’t ship the true demons here. Where do you think they sent them?”
“I don’t know, but let’s go find it.”
***
Crucible of Eras
The Crucible was brainwashed just the same. Crucible was the largest, most heavily populated of all the dwarven worlds, and there were rift gates that linked all the core worlds together, except for the Store of Eras.
Billions lived here, and on the Crucible, there were also large temples and structures dedicated to the worship of the Reviver.
Eras was pretty much relegated to a supporting character with the Reviver’s role turned central.
“Ridiculous!” Jorkun screamed when Hoyia shared the image back to the golem. “These people commit blasphemy against their true god!”
Jorkun claimed that the Crucible was the greatest home of Eras. There, the worshippers, humans, dwarves, and all other craftsmen dedicated their blood and flesh to the pursuit of greater knowledge.
What we found was a sacrificial altar where volunteer dwarves and humans regularly offered their young to the Reviver in some kind of divinely-ordained blood ceremony. The locals claimed this would speed up the Reviver’s return.
It was also on the Crucible that we learned that the strange Wadran-Demonic Hybrids were referred to as the Reviver’s Descendants. The Descendants were royalty in both name and power. The religion placed the Descendants as the ones closest to the Reviver, and so the Erasian believers must do their best to aid the Descendants in their quest to restore the Reviver.
A statement Jorkun found absurd.
But Jorkun also did not recognize these hybrids. They were not there when Jorkun was made. In his memories, he only remembered the Wadrans, and these hybrids only retained a semblance of the Wadrans, but none of their disposition.
Alka, naturally reviewing the findings from the comforts of Darkgard, proposed outright annihilation of the five core worlds. In his words, “It’s a shame, but whatever they are attempting to do will only bring forth a God that is outright hostile to the rest of us.”
It was swiftly rejected.
These were real, living dwarves. Misguided and misled for centuries if not millennia, we didn’t want to be slaughterers of living beings if we could help it.
Our enemies were simply these Descendants of the Revivers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~………..
Chapter 45: Chapter 42: A Sword Brings the Snowfall
At the edge of the cliff, aside from Li Hao and their group, there were many others who lingered, glancing around from time to time.
Clearly, a fall from the cliff would mean certain death, such a peril made many people hesitate.
And on the iron chains, at this moment, there were seven or eight figures, each displaying their divine skills, cautiously moving forward.
Some were composed, walking on the iron chains. The swaying chains were like ocean waves, but they didn’t seem to affect them in the slightest, as their feet stuck firmly as if glued.
Others had their arms spread wide, struggling to maintain balance, slowly and tentatively walking.
There were also those who chose a less graceful but extremely stable method, which was to hug the chain and inch along…
If it were merely a matter of crawling over the chains, nearly everyone present could do it, but without a doubt, this challenge was a test of courage.
Who wouldn’t tremble with fear in the face of such a great height?
“If you lack even this much courage, how do you dare face demons?”
Among the seven who had just passed the test, a young man dressed in fancy clothes had a cold expression. He took the lead and leapt up, landing steadily on the chain.
Clearly, he chose an elegant approach, simply walking across, and moreover, he even had his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a calm and composed air.
This young man’s actions immediately caught the attention of many bystanders, all surprised, and soon some recognized his identity.
“Sleeves edged with cloud patterns, he’s from the Su Family of Yunzhou!”
“The Su Family? I’ve heard they are one of the three great noble families in Yunzhou, with profound heritage.”
“No wonder this lad is so bold; the borders of Yunzhou are rife with demon occurrences, he must have practiced his bravery long ago.”
Many people talked among themselves, and those who were hesitating showed struggle in their eyes.
“Hao, let’s go too.”
Seeing someone go ahead, Li Yuanzhao was slightly uncomfortable and spoke to Li Hao.
Li Hao was looking around at the edge of the cliff, but he didn’t see anyone from Tan Palace Academy, which made him feel a bit puzzled.
Logically, Tan Palace Academy should have sent someone to meet them here; otherwise, what was the point of sending the invitation?
“All right.”
Unable to wait for someone, Li Hao could only agree to Li Yuanzhao.
“Hmph, there’s no way to cheat in this challenge.”
Si Xiaolan sneered at Li Hao; clearly, she was quite infuriated that Li Hao had used his background to skate through the first challenge, feeling it was unfair.
“Is that so?”
Li Hao looked at the girl in surprise, wondering if she dared to mock him without knowing his family’s status. But he didn’t demean himself by quarreling with her.
“How does that saying go?”
Li Hao thought for a moment and responded to her: “Little sister, when you’re out in the world, it’s not just fists or having someone behind you that counts.”
“Hm?”
Si Xiaolan frowned, that sounded very similar to what she had said earlier?
“Because having someone behind you isn’t enough; you also need someone before you!”
Li Hao chuckled lightly at the young girl, then lifted his head, his eyes revealing a transcendent indifference, and spoke softly:
“Little brother, come!”
“Hao, you want me to carry you?”
Li Yuanzhao understood well. He had heard from the elders at home that Li Hao had poor aptitude and could only practice body refinement. He had also never seen Hao practice, so he had anticipated this method and would never let Hao face embarrassment.
Li Hao smiled faintly and patted his shoulder.
Li Yuanzhao got the hint and bent over obligingly.
Li Hao didn’t hesitate and jumped onto his back, then waved at the girl beside him, who was staring in astonishment:
“See you on the other side.”
No sooner had the words fallen than Li Yuanzhao, unable to wait any longer, dashed forward, leaping tens of meters and landing directly on the chain.
The chain shook violently, but Li Yuanzhao, with Li Hao on his back, moved with the swaying, his feet sticking to the chain as if glued.
Without waiting for the chain to stabilize completely, Li Yuanzhao then ran at full speed as if on solid ground.
With his Cycle Heaven Realm Perfection, and years of practice of cultivation techniques and stance foundations in the martial arts field, this challenge was a piece of cake for him.
Upon seeing the figure dashing swiftly on the chain, everyone on the bank, aside from Si Xiaolan, widened their eyes in disbelief. They had seen show-offs before, but nothing this fierce. It was as if he was on land, right?
Besides, they might not even run that fast on solid ground!
Moreover, he was carrying someone!
Once they recognized the clothes of the two men, someone with sharp eyes identified them as from Qingzhou’s premier family, and realization dawned. Still, they couldn’t help but feel a bit of shock, for they say seeing is believing, and today’s encounter exceeded all rumors.
Before long, the elegantly dressed young man who had gone onto the chains first was overtaken by the swiftly running Li Yuanzhao.
The latter, walking leisurely with his hands behind his back, was unperturbed until a gust of wind whooshed by his side, and only then did his face show a hint of surprise…
Soon, Li Yuanzhao reached the other side.
The chain a thousand zhang long, spanning the horizon, threading through the mist between the mountains.
The figure of Li Yuanzhao running had dispersed much of the mist, and upon reaching the other side, his landing immediately drew the attention of many nearby.
Li Hao patted his shoulder, jumped off his back, and looked around.
Clearly, they were not the earliest to arrive. There were quite a few people who had passed the earlier stages lingering here.
And in front of these “candidates” were the disciples of Tan Palace Academy, dressed in the academy’s uniform. They were all seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing black and white attire that gave off an elegant and ethereal feel.
Of course, this look was flattering on the attractive ones, whereas on those with sturdier builds or less remarkable features, it became a bit of an eyesore…
“Who is that person? He’s so impressive!”
“He ran here? With someone on his back?”
“One dares to carry, and one dares to be carried!”
“Shush, be careful, they seem to be from the Divine General Mansion of the Li Family…”
Dozens of bystanders discussed animatedly.
Li Yuanzhao stepped forward and approached a young man from Tan Palace Academy, asking, “Is there a challenge here?”
“Correct, this is the last one.”
The young man clearly recognized Li Yuanzhao’s identity, since after having studied in Qingzhou City for several years and being not far from the Divine General Mansion, it would be hard not to know him.
“To pass this challenge, you need to last a round against us.”
If the first challenge was to test one’s foundational skills, and the second was to test martial courage, then the third challenge seemed to be a bit of showing the newcomers who’s boss.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao’s eyes instantly sparked with a fighting spirit eager to try: “Please enlighten me!”
He said this, then gave a fist salute as a military courtesy, and then he backpedaled a few steps, assuming a fighting stance.
“You may select a weapon,” the young man reminded with a smile.
“It’s just one round, not necessary,” Li Yuanzhao said.
The young man’s eyes flashed slightly, feeling a bit slighted, but remembering that the people of the Li Family were said to be geniuses, he didn’t take it too seriously and was somewhat curious to test the waters.
Immediately, he too abandoned using a sword, raised his fist, and advanced with body-rolling punches.
The force of his punches created wind, ferocious like a tiger pouncing and a wolf biting.
Li Yuanzhao, however, moved with a twist of his footwork, as slick as an eel slipping into a hole, moving fluidly before suddenly whipping around to smash out with a punch in return.
With a loud thud, their fists collided, and the young man actually stumbled back three steps, while Li Yuanzhao merely rooted his stance and remained steady on the spot.
The young man’s face showed shock; although he hadn’t used his full strength, that punch had the power of ten thousand pounds!
Equivalent to a practitioner of around the third layer of the Zhou Tian Realm!
This was well beyond the standard for an entrance test, after all—the minimum requirement being the perfection of the Power Passage Realm.
Did he almost lose face by a misstep?
“At least it’s the strength of the fifth or even as high as the eighth layer of the Zhou Tian Realm, or maybe the Cultivation of a top-tier Qi Circulation Skill, or a Meridian Opening Skill!”
Seriousness appeared in the young man’s eyes. Indeed, the rumors were not false; the scions of the Li Family were like demons, stacked with countless resources, far surpassing their peers.
Other people, seeing the young man falling into a disadvantage with a single punch, were all astonished, looking at Li Yuanzhao as if he were a monster. Is this the prodigy from the Divine General Mansion?
At this moment, the chains rattled, and several figures leaped up and landed, notably the youths from the Su Family of Yunzhou and Si Xiaolan among others.
Other students from Tan Palace Academy immediately relayed the rules to the newcomers, and upon hearing the requirements, their expressions grew somewhat solemn.
After all, to have qualified for Tan Palace Academy, they must meet the threshold of genius, but their opponents had endured several years of hard training, making this move not easy to counter.
Si Xiaolan’s mind raced as she glanced at Li Hao next to her, and seeing that he was still present, a trace of annoyance inevitably shone in her eyes. She knew that he had an invitation, and he would most likely bypass this challenge.
Compared to those of them who struggled through various dangers to pass the challenges, his path was practically a walkover, such was the disparity of their origins.
“It’s your turn,” said a tall and burly young man beside Li Hao.
Li Hao smiled lightly, and under Si Xiaolan’s “as expected” expression, he took out his invitation: “I have an invitation.”
He had no intention of wasting energy here, like Li Yuanzhao, bullying others.
“An invitation?”
All eyes turned with a mix of surprise and envy.
The tall and burly young man was briefly stunned, having heard some rumors already. He frowned slightly, examined the invitation for a moment, and then returned it to Li Hao:
“Although you have an invitation, you still need to undergo basic testing; I can ease up a bit.”
Li Hao was taken aback.
The young man who had tested Li Yuanzhao, along with the other Tan Palace Academy students in charge of testing, all secretly facepalmed. Oh no, that stubborn streak had struck again.
“Come on.” The burly young man’s body surged with flowing Qi, ready to strike at any time.
Li Hao couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know what an invitation means?”
“I said I’d hold back. You at least need to show something, or others might think our Tan Palace Academy caters to the powerful and grants easy access through the back door,” the burly young man stated seriously, his earnest gaze fixed.
Li Hao fell silent.
It’s said that there are a thousand different types of people, and evidently, this burly young man belonged to the more straight-laced, stubborn sort.
“Pfft…” Si Xiaolan couldn’t help but laugh out loud, her bright eyes delighting in Schadenfreude as she watched Li Hao.
She had thought he was going to slip through easily, but now he met a unique individual. She even began to think that the burly young man’s rough exterior was looking rather dashing.
“You can use any weapon you like.”
The burly young man spoke earnestly, pointing to the nearby weapon rack.
Li Hao felt somewhat helpless, but he wasn’t angry with the earnest young man; after all, being thorough wasn’t a fault.
He approached the weapon rack, selected a sword, and came back to face the burly young man.
“Using a sword?” The burly young man’s gaze shifted slightly and he nodded, “Then you make the first move.”
He also drew the sword from his back, his eyes revealing the seriousness of a swordsman.
“You go first,” Li Hao said.
“If I strike first, you might not get a chance,” said the burly young man word by word.
“…Fine.”
Li Hao exhaled, and with a casual flick, he flourished his sword.
Swordsmanship… Falling Snow.
“Huh?” Si Xiaolan suddenly felt as if snowflakes were drifting in front of her eyes, sensing a chill frost attacking her body, prompting her to look up:
“It’s autumn, why is it snowing?”
Chapter 46: Chapter 43: ABCD
Is it snowing?
No.
But before the eyes of everyone, it seemed as if snowflakes had suddenly begun to float down.
These snowflakes were found within the area where Li Hao stood, within three feet of the sword’s edge.
Each flake carried the chill of piercing cold, a reflection of sword light, much like the name of the swordsmanship itself, Falling Snow.
The level was—true form…
In front of Li Hao, the burly youth’s pupils contracted rapidly, standing still in shock.
In his view, the countless snowflakes were like a storm sweeping through, tumultuous, yet that storm was grasped in the palm of the young man, as if holding the Power of Heaven and Earth!
The biting cold did not sweep over him, only… from within the storm, a flurry of snowflakes gently began to fly out, drifting across his own cheek.
Cool.
The burly youth subconsciously reached out to touch it, feeling a sense of pain, but saw no blood.
His gaze solidified, his body taut where he stood, gripping the sword like a brave swordsman, but his arm trembled without any further action.
Soon, as if in the blink of an eye, the snowflakes that filled the sky like an illusion disappeared.
Li Hao casually tossed the sword back onto the weapon rack, sliding diagonally into the sheath, and with the clang of the hilt closing, like ice breaking, the burly youth snapped out of his trance, his body jolting, and the rest of the people also woke up from their shock.
Just now, everyone seemed to have fallen into a dream.
But was it really a dream?
The scene became eerily quiet.
Not until Li Hao’s smiling voice broke the silence, asking, “Now, can I be said to have passed the test?”
The burly youth came back to his senses and stuttered, “You, you’ve won.”
There was no exchange of blows, as they were not evenly matched, and he didn’t even have the courage to draw his sword, losing thoroughly.
The other students of Tan Palace Academy were watching Li Hao in horror, having thought that Li Yuanzhao was already valiant and peerless, never expecting there to be someone even more exaggerated.
What sort of swordsmanship was that?
It was surely of a peerless level, even displayed at the pinnacle of perfection!
No wonder they thought so; although the Falling Snow Sword Skill was of high grade, under the might of its true form, even a peerless and perfect swordsmanship would seem a bit inferior…
“What exquisite swordsmanship!”
“My God, it was like seeing an illusion, I actually saw snowflakes!”
“Me too, that’s too exaggerated!”
“Swordsmanship from Divine General Mansion has to be top-notch, he couldn’t possibly have practiced it to perfection, right? How long would that take?!”
As the crowd came back to their senses, they all looked at Li Hao with shock.
Having long heard of the reputation of Divine General Mansion, today they truly had their eyes opened.
Si Xiaolan stared blankly at Li Hao, with such masterful swordsmanship, there was no doubt that Li Hao had qualified to pass the first two challenges on his own merits.
Was this the caliber of his peers in the Divine General family? Were they all truly such supernatural beings?!
“Hao brother!”
Li Yuanzhao next to him was even more excited, not expecting Li Hao’s swordsmanship to be so profound. His vision was naturally higher than those of the other noble family descendants, recognizing this as the Falling Snow Sword Skill performed by Sister Xue’er.
But the level at which Li Hao displayed it clearly surpassed that of Sister Xue’er from those days; he even felt it surpassed perfection.
Li Hao smiled at the excited Yuan Zhao, not saying much.
His heart held a trace of nostalgia, wondering what level that little girl in the Sword Cottage had reached with this sword skill.
Recalling the days of instructing her in the courtyard, his lips curved into a slight smile, but soon he gathered his wits and asked the burly youth in front of him:
“So… which way next?”
“Ah? Oh… just walk straight this way, there’s a teacher waiting for you all up ahead.”
The burly youth hurriedly replied, his eyes betraying involuntary admiration.
The starting point of royal and noble families truly was incomparable to ordinary people.
Li Hao nodded and led Li Yuanzhao past the burly youth, casually walking up the path’s steps.
Behind them, people watched their silhouettes disappear before snapping back to reality.
At that moment, someone suddenly thought of a question:
“Why do they have invitations? Could it be because their strength meant they didn’t need to be assessed at all?”
As this remark emerged, the others came to a realization, immediately falling silent.
They had assumed it was due to the illustrious background of the Divine General Mansion and felt somewhat resentful, but now they let it go.
Si Xiaolan’s pretty face changed slightly, biting her lip, realizing she had misunderstood the other party.
Tan Palace Academy had stood for hundreds of years; how could it be a place that sought cheap fame, stooping to curry favor with the powerful?
Inside the mountain of Tan Palace Academy, on a vast stone tablet plaza.
There were many young figures gathered here, all gazing intently at the tablets in the plaza, contemplating the Cultivation Techniques inscribed upon them.
On the edge of the plaza, however, sat two old men in a corner, with a chessboard set up between them, engaged in a game.
“Aiya!”
Suddenly, one of the old men, lost in thought and rotund in figure, seemed to have a sudden realization and slapped his thigh vigorously, “I almost forgot, there are still two invitations I haven’t gone to escort.”
“You mean from the Divine General Mansion?”
The gray-robed old man opposite him looked up, puzzled, “It shouldn’t be a big deal, right? The young ones from the Divine General Mansion can easily pass the test. Even if you don’t escort them, they’ll be able to make it here.”
“If it were anyone else, that’d be fine, but have you forgotten? That child of Marquis Xingwu is a cultivation dud, only capable of Body Refinement. It caused quite a stir about ten years ago, and now it has quieted down.”
The rotund old man hurriedly got up, saying, “If he falls during the second trial and dies, then we’d be in big trouble!”
“That…” The gray-robed old man was startled as well, after all, that was the only son of Marquis Xingwu. He quickly said, “Then you’d better hurry.”
The rotund old man nodded and immediately blew a whistle. A gust of wind sounded, and a large bird with a wingspan of seven or eight zhang rushed from afar, drawing the attention of many young figures in front of the stone tablets. The bird slowly descended in front of the old man.
“I’ll wait for you…” said the gray-robed old man.
As he watched his friend ride away on the bird, his mood for chess disrupted, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Had I known this would happen, wouldn’t it have been better to send out five invitations in the beginning instead of having an extra trinket?”
As he spoke, he looked down at the chessboard.
Suddenly, the more he looked, the more something seemed wrong, and he cursed out loud, “You son of a turtle, running away when you’re about to lose!”
The rotund old man was Shen Yunqing, indeed not light at all; he rode the demon bird, hurrying toward the second trial.
Apart from escaping the game of chess, he was genuinely worried about the situation at the second trial, hoping that the old man Tang there knew of the child’s circumstances and would help him across the cliff.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he saw on the mountain path below, two figures walking side by side, clothed in brocade and emitting a distinguished aura.
And that dress and pattern, he was all too familiar with—it was from the Li Family of the Divine General Mansion!
“Hmm?”
Shen Yunqing was astonished and immediately commanded his mount to descend.
Bird cries and fierce winds descended from above; Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao both stopped in their tracks and looked up, only to see a massive demon bird with three eyes landing a few zhang off the ground, right in front of them.
Sitting behind the bird’s neck was a short old man, stretching his neck to look at them, seemingly finding something that confirmed their identities, and immediately, a smile appeared on his face. He jolted off the bird’s back with a leap.
He waved his hand, letting the demon bird fly off on its own, then cheerfully addressed the two, “You two must be the young masters from the Divine General Mansion, right? I’m not sure which branch’s young masters you are. What are your names?”
Seeing how polite the other party was, Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao were not overly surprised; after all, their lineage was too illustrious, and ordinary people would be very polite and considerate upon meeting them, even prominent figures.
“This is my brother, Li Hao, and my name is Li Yuanzhao.”
Li Yuanzhao spoke, with a touch of naive zest, but his small eyes revealed a hint of shrewdness.
Shen Yunqing instantly glanced at Li Hao, and a long-absent memory resurfaced in his mind—the child who had been named by Emperor Yu for the Li Family about ten or so years ago, seemingly Hao… Li Hao.
It was him.
Shen Yunqing’s face betrayed no change, and he nodded slightly to them both, smiling, “They haven’t made things difficult for you, have they? Come on, I will take you to the gathering spot ahead.”
He assumed they had come all this way unobstructed by showing their invitations.
Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao were unfamiliar with this old man, so they didn’t speak much along the way.
The three of them walked leisurely; Li Hao’s gaze swept around, admiring the scenery between the mountains, and thought to himself that the environment of Tan Palace Academy was indeed pleasing. If he were to stay here regularly in the future, at least the view would be comforting and refreshing.
Soon, the three reached the end of the plaza.
Here were gathered hundreds of people, surrounding three giant stone tablets.
“What is this…” Li Yuanzhao looked questioningly at Shen Yunqing. Among those gathered, he also saw Li Yun and his sister, who had arrived at the mountain earlier; both were among the group of people surrounding the least crowded stone tablet.
“Those who made it here qualify for entry to Tan Palace Academy and are considered official disciples.”
Shen Yunqing stroked his beard and explained with a smile, “But, while all are disciples, there are varying degrees of talent. Our Tan Palace Academy divides disciples into Grade A, B, C, and D, based on each individual’s talent, to prevent mixing of the mediocre with the exceptional, and to avoid the less talented dragging down the more talented, or the more talented bullying the less talented.”
“So, we have these three stone tablets here, inscribed with three different Cultivation Techniques, ranked as low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade!”
“They each have different levels of difficulty.”
“Within three days, those who comprehend the high-grade Cultivation Technique will be classified as Grade A; those who comprehend the mid-grade Technique, Grade B.”
“Those who comprehend the low-grade Technique within three days will be Grade C, and those who don’t comprehend any Technique within three days will be sorted into Grade D.”
Shen Yunqing said with a smile, “If you end up in Grade D, there will be a reassessment for the last three ranking students each term. Should they fail the reassessment, they will be advised to leave and discontinue their studies.”
Li Yuanzhao listened with sudden understanding.
Li Hao asked, “And what if one doesn’t heed the advice?”
The smiling Shen Yunqing was taken aback at the question, “Advised to leave but refusing to quit?”