54 Hari : 20 Jam : 30 Menit : 05 Detik.
Pertarungan Raja yang Terpilih di Everworld tak pernah sesuai dengan dugaan siapa pun. Kekacauan tak terbendah lagi, lingkungan yang semakin menakutkan, dipenuhi dengan kematian, ketakutan, dan ketenaran. Di antara para Terpilih dan Terpilih Gelap, segelintir orang telah menunjukkan tenaganya yang menakutkan, mengejar peluang sebagai makhluk tunggal atau kelompok.
Di sepanjang planet sempit ini, pertempuran tak pernah reda sejak kejadian zona keberuntungan terus muncul, seolah tak terbatas. Tak Butuh lama bagi para Terpilih yang punya pikiran cerdas untuk menyadari sifat aneh ini — meski sudah hampir sebulan bertarung dan mengintai, zona-zona keberuntungan surgawi dan harta bumi terus muncul dengan sendirinya.
Hanya ada satu penjelasan logis:
Everworld sedang menciptakannya!
Belum pernah terdengar sebelumnya sebanyak ini, begitu pun dengan jumlah keberuntungan dan Pengawal Nasib yang ada. Tak pernah ada pula sejumlah besar peluang yang bisa diraih!
Zona keberuntungan di Everworld entah mudah dijangkau dan sering diperebutkan, atau sulit ditemukan dan dipenuhi bahaya mematikan yang bisa membuat kulit dan jiwa seseorang kabur. Bagi zona kelas empat, kabar para Timelord yang gagal merebutnya menyebar seperti api, banyak di antaranya bahkan kehilangan nyawa dalam usahanya!
Keunikan Everworld ini meningkatkan sifat magis dan mistisnya hingga beberapa tingkatan, menjadi bahan bakar bagi mereka yang ambis dan berani mencari keuntungan untuk masa depan mereka. Kompetisi semakin memanas dengan setiap hari yang berlalu!
Perkembangan paling menarik adalah munculnya kelompok-kelompok aneh.
Ada para Penyihir Surgawi yang disebut Heavenly United. Kelompok ini tersebar tip-tip informasi dengan mahal, memberikan pembaruan tentang aksi para Terpilih, hasil pertarungan, dan potensi keberuntungan yang luar biasa. Mereka keuntungan kecil sambil membuat markas operasi. Karena ukuran Everworld yang kecil, mereka yang berada di level Realmlord, Timelord, hingga Starlord bisa dengan mudah menemukan lokasinya, membayar biayanya, lalu berangkat dengan tujuan dan pengetahuan yang jelas.
Mereka juga mendirikan Pos Pos Surgawi — pohon emas aneh yang menerima batu esensi atau material lain dalam bertukar informasi tertentu secara spiritual. Hal ini memungkinkan para Terpilih dengan cepat mengumpulkan informasi tanpa harus ke markas.
Informasi paling diburu adalah status hidup-mati para Terpilih dan lokasi potensial. Meski planet ini sempit, menemukan kultivator amat sulit karena zona keberuntungan yang muncul secara acak dan pertempuran yang tak henti-hentinya. Di samping itu, terlalu banyak jebakan yang ditematikan para Terpilih untuk para Terpilih.
Sebuah Timelord marah karena Heavenly United merilis informasi tentang dirinya, lalu menyerang markas mereka dengan ganas. Tapi saat sampai, tempat itu kosong. Saat pulang, sebuah buruan planet-wide ditempatkan di atas kepalanya yang akhirnya membuatnya diburu dan dieksekusi oleh sekelompok Terpilih yang serakah. Sejak saat iti, hampir tidak ada yang mau bersinggungan dengan marah-marah Heavenly United.
Namun Heavenly United bukan satu-satunya kelompok yang terbentuk; misterius bagi banyak orang, para Alkemis pun mulai bermunculan.
Mereka membuka sebuah lokasi di Everworld yang menjual produk, seperti produk untuk pemulihan energi atau antidotum racun yang sering muncul di lingkungan Everworld. Karena produknya dirancang khusus untuk lingkungan yang mematikan dan berantakan ini, tempat ini akhirnya disebut sebagai Stasiun Evershield.
Dengan menguntungkan tanpa harus berisiko atau bergerak, ini adalah mimpi yang tepu bagi mereka.
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Pada minggu ketiga, mereka yang mahir dalam Seni Penempaan memutuskan membuka cabang anak di Stasiun Evershield untuk memperbaiki senjata astral-graded yang rusak.
"Haaaa! Haaaa!" Napas terengah-eneng beberapa kultivator terdengar di bawah pohon besar yang daunnya setinggi manusia dewasa. Diameter dahannya butuh tiga orang dewasa untuk memeluknya, dan pohon ini benar-benang raksak, melebihi seratus meter tingginya. Ia menyediakan tempat yang selalu berada di naungan.
Di akar pohon ini, lima kultivator muda duduk bersama. Di antaranya adalah Yi Yun — separuh manusia elf — beserta dua Senior Nyonya — Ming Yuling dan Qiao Shulin. Ming Yuling pucat padi seperti roh, sedangkan Qiao Shulin sedikit lebih baik, lengan dipaksa masih terbuka, mengalirkan darah segar.
"Biarkan aku melihat lenganmu," suara lain terdengar di samping Qiao Shulin, membuatnya sedikit gemetar, tapi tidak melawan saat sang pemilik suara memeriksa lengan dipaksenya. Selembar energi kayu dan es yang enak, segar, dan menyegarkan mengalir ke lengan Qiao Shulin, membuatnya mulai membaik. Vitalitas yang cerah dan energi fisik yang halusnya membantu, menampilkan sifat kuat seorang Penyempurna Tubuh.
"Haaa...terima kasih," kata Qiao Shulin serak, menekan keinginannya untuk tersenyum karena dekatnya kontak mereka.
Ming Yuling yang cendering punya kaki gemetar mendukung pohonnya. Ia melihat interaksi itu, lalu memandang pemuda tampan bertunjuk mata abu-abu yang baru saja menolongnya tepat waktu, dan merasakan emosi yang tak bisa diterangkan. Ia sangat familiar dengannya.
"Kamu Lin Ming, ya?" tanyanya seraya sesak napas.
Pemuda tampan bertunjuk mata abu-abu itu memang Lin Ming!
Yi Yun akhirnya mengambil napas dalam-dalam, tubuhnya diam-diam menyerap mana di sekitar yang mengubahnya menjadi energi fisik melalui Dunia Internalnya yang unik ukurannya, memungkinkannya untuk mengganti stamina yang habis. Sekali lagi, ia puas dengan efek Metode Jalan Martial, Dunia yang Tertutup.
Jika Wilayah Tersegel tahu dia adalah seorang biasa yang memiliki Dunia Internal, ketika biasanya hanya Para Tuan Setengah Fana yang telah menyempurnakan tubuhnya hingga ke batas kel extremes bisa melakukannya, akan ada kekacauan.
Lin Ming mencium perubahan tenang di mana. Ia mengerutkan kening, lalu sekilas memandang ke Yi Yun. Sebagai seseorang dengan Origin State, ia menyadari gerakannya yang samar.
"Apakah dia juga memiliki Origin State?" Lin Ming agak terkejut betapa bisa seorang hibrid manusia elf mencapai tingtinggi ini.
Perkataannya menguatkan kepercayaannya bahwa rumor sulit dipercaya. Apakah darah elf benar-benar semakin rendah?
Kelompok lima ini ngobrollah sejenak, bertukar kata sopan dan perkenalan. Meski Ming Yuling dan Yi Yun belum pernah bertemu Lin Ming atau Bai Yuxi secara pribadi, tidak ada pertidaksepakatan dalam interaksi mereka.
Tiba-tiba, udara mencekam. Lin Ming dan Yi Yun tubuhnya lurus seolah-olah tersengat. Mereka menatap ke barat. Qiao Shulin dan Bai Yuxi menyusulnya. Yang terlambat adalah Ming Yuling, yang tidak merasakan apa-apa, hanya mengikuti pandangan mereka. Saat ia memandang, pupilnya membesar karena takut, mengkilat di putih mata.
"Bagaimana mereka bisa menemukan kita begitu cepat?" desisnya yang panik. Energi kultivasinya otomatis berputar, siap bertarung, tapi energi dan Astral Force-nya hampir habis. Ia tidak bisa bertarung.
Lin Ming mengerutkan kening saat merasakan aura familiar — Heavenly United. Jika cukup bayar mahnya, Penyihir Surgawi dari Heavenly United akan membantu melacaki setiap kelompok. Hal ini membuat Lin Ming marah tapi juga tak berdaya. Heavenly United berani bertindak melawan orang lain, tapi saat seseorang bertindak melawan mereka, mereka akan mengeluarkan pengumuman burON untuk menggoyangkan dunia!
"Itu bajingan itu," sumpek Yi Yun sambil menggenggam purnyanya.
"Bagaimana mereka bisa kejam seperti itu?" tanya Bai Yuxi dengan rona tidak puas.
"Tidak menggoda,
Qiao Shulin melihat ke Yi Yun, matanya agak berantakan. "Inti Spirit-Bound Lotus bisa dipakai untuk membuat produk bertingkat Mystic-Bumi, dan daunnya untuk beberapa produk teraik puncak kelas sembilan. Nilainya luar biasa."
"Spirit-Bond Lotus?" Lin Ming terkejut saat memandang ke Yi Yun. Itu adalah salah satu hal yang bisa membantu seseorang menjadi seorang Spiritualist!
Belum sempat dia mengerti informasi ini atau membuat keputusan, kelompok dari Istana Solar Zenith bersama rekan-rekannya sudah hampir. Pemimpin mereka meneriakkan teriakannya,
"Kau tidak akan bisa lari dari kami dalam hidup ini!"
54 Days : 20 Hours : 30 Minutes : 05 Seconds.
The Everworld Venture of the Chosen King Competition had proved far from anyone's initial anticipation, causing hectic chaos and an increasingly dreadful environment of death, fear, and fame. There was no small number of talents amongst the Chosen and Dark Chosen that proved themselves fearsome, seeking and seizing opportunities, either as a single entity or a group of entities.
Across this tiny-sized planet, battles unfolded ceaselessly as fortune zones kept emerging, as if infinite. It didn't take long for the keen-minded Chosen to discover and realize this peculiarity of the endless emergence of heavenly-blessed environments and earthly treasures despite nearly a month of constant fighting, including their constant scouring.
There was only one logical reason:
The Everworld was creating them!
It was unprecedentedly unheard of for this many opportunities and Fortune Sentinels to exist, equally as relevant, it was unprecedentedly unheard of for this many opportunities to be seized!
The Fortune Zones across Everworld were either easily accessible and therefore highly contested or difficult to find and littered with lethal dangers that could make one's skin crawl or soul flee. For grade four zones, news of Timelords failing to seize these zones spread like wildfire, with many even losing their lives in their attempts!
This uniqueness of Everworld elevated its magical and mystical nature by several levels, serving as fuel to those ambitious and courageous enough to seek out gains for their future. The competition only increased in intensity with each passing day!
The most interesting development was the establishment of strange groups.
There were Heavenly Seers, referred to as the Heavenly United. Those of this group were wildly disseminating information at a hefty cost, giving updates on various Chosen feats, battle outcomes, and potential areas of astounding fortune. They earned a small fortune as they established bases of operations. Due to the tiny size of Everworld, those at the Realmlord, Timelord, and Starlord could easily locate them, pay the fee, and easily depart with purpose and knowledge.
They even established Heavenly Outposts, which were strange golden trees that accepted essence stones or other materials for certain degrees of information transmitted spiritually. This allowed these Chosen to quickly acquire information without having to go to their headquarters.
The most sought-after information was the life and death statuses of various Chosen and potential locations. Despite the tiny size of the planet, finding cultivators was extremely difficult due to the randomly sprouting fortune zones and continuous battles. Moreover, there were far too many traps being established by Chosen for Chosen.
There was a Timelord that was infuriated by Heavenly United releasing information about him, so he launched a fierce assault on their headquarters. But when he arrived, it was empty, and when he left, a planet-wide bounty was placed on his head that eventually led to him being hunted down and executed by a group of greedy Chosen. Since then, almost no one had any intentions to get on Heavenly United's downside.
However, the Heavenly United was not the only group that had formed; strangely enough, Alchemists began to sprout as well. They established a location in Everworld that sold products, such as battle-related and survival-related products. These included products for energy recovery or antidotes for poisons often seen in the Everworld environment.
Eventually, the location was referred to as the Evershield Station. Due to their specialty products designed for the deadly and hectic environment of Everworld, this name caught on. These groups began to rack in gains without having to risk their lives or move, a literal dream.
-----
By the third week, those with talents in the Art of Forging decided to establish an auxiliary branch to the Evershield Station to repair damaged astral-graded armaments.
"Haaaa! Haaaa!" The labored breathing of multiple cultivators resounded beneath a large tree with leaves as big as an average adult human. The thickness of its branches needed at least three full-grown men to hug it, and the tree itself was massively tall, reaching over a hundred meters in height. It provided a constant source of shade.
At the base of this tree were five cultivators, all young. Among them was Yi Yun-the human-elf hybrid, and his two Senior Sisters-Ming Yuling and Qiao Shulin. Ming Yuling was incredibly pale, resembling a ghost, while Qiao Shulin was a little better, her arm had a horrible bone-deep gash that still leaked fresh blood.
"Let me see your arm," Another voice resounded beside Qiao Shulin, causing her body to slightly tremble, but she didn't resist as the owner of the voice inspected her arm. A wisp of a pleasantly cold and refreshing mixture of wood and ice energy infused into her arm, causing the gash to noticeably begin to heal. Her vibrant vitality and refined physical energies assisted as well, displaying the fearsome qualities of a Body Refiner.
"Haaa...thanks," Qiao Shulin hoarsely said, stifling her bodily urge to blush from their close contact.
Ming Yuling's legs teetered on the verge of collapse as she leaned against the large tree. She caught sight of this interaction, looking at the handsome grey-eyed youth that had assisted them in the nick of time, and felt indescribable emotions. He was extremely familiar to her.
"You're Lin Ming, right?" She asked breathily.
The grey-eyed handsome youth was none other than Lin Ming!
Yi Yun regained a bit of his breath and energy. He couldn't help but spout out after hearing the name: "The Archaic Chosen?" That name had grown incredibly popular not only in the Elementus Domain's social circles but in the Aeternal Sky Starfield as well. This was especially so because the Archaic Chosen was briefly listed in the Immortal Hero Ranking shortly before it was removed and replaced by the Immortal Monarch Ranking.
Lin Ming seemed entirely unaffected by the title as he nodded. While that appellation had once brought him dissatisfaction and anger, it was now a source of pride, a reminder that his beginnings did not define him.
"It's been a while, Big Sister Shulin." The fifth of the group was a young woman with a tall, curvaceous figure, who wore sky-blue leggings, and a matching long-sleeved top with a midriff, exposing her fat-free, lean belly. She was Bai Yuxi! The granddaughter of Han Yuhei, the Guardian of the Elements.
Qiao Shulin gave Bai Yuxi a slight smile, her eyes reflecting her state of joy at reuniting, especially now.
Just a few days earlier, Qiao Shulin, Yi Yun, and Ming Yuling were caught in a contest for fortune. A group of Chosen from the Solar Zenith Palace and its subordinates, one of the top-tier organizations of the Star Sanctum Starfield, had contested them for it. Unfortunately, the treasure was a unique Earthly Treasure that binds with the target at first contact after receiving its approval, and Yi Yun miraculously obtained it.
It was called the Spirit-Bond Lotus, and it was classified as a pinnacle astral-graded Earthly Treasure that could boost one's innate cultivation of Spiritual Energy, Spiritual Strength, Spiritual Aura, and improved usage of Spiritual Force. The only way to seize it was to slay the one who bounded with it and retrieve it from their corpse. More importantly, the Spirit-Bond Lotus can be used at the Mystic Ascendant Realm to create a flawless Incarnation at one's exact cultivation! Even Ascended beings would fight for it.
As a grade four classified fortune, the group refused to back down, understandably, and began hunting them at the behest of their leader. They were relentless and ferocious! They chased them for several days!
To think they would all meet then, especially at such a time. Lin Ming and Bai Yuxi jumped right in, beating them back before Bai Yuxi used a trapping tool that sealed the entire group for an hour. Her timely assistance allowed them to escape.
Lin Ming, Bai Yuxi, and Qiao Shulin had met in the Golden War Realm, having traveled together after several events alongside Tang Xingyun. They fought together, even against the First Commander of the Ascendants-Hong Chunhua!
Yi Yun finally took an incomparably deep breath, his body surreptitiously absorbing the ambient mana as a miraculous change occurred within his body, converting mana into physical energy via a uniquely refined and small-sized Internal World, allowing him to rapidly replenish his depleted Stamina. Once again, he was satisfied with the effects of the True World, Martial Way Method.
If the Sealed Regions knew that he had an Internal World as a mortal, when typically only Demi-Mortal Lords who've refined their bodies to absurdly great limits can do so, there would be an uproar.
Lin Ming felt the quiet shift in ambient mana. His eyebrows furrowed as he briefly glanced at Yi Yun. As someone with an Origin State, he noticed his subtle action. "Does he also have an Origin State?" Lin Ming was somewhat taken aback by how a human-elf hybrid could develop to such a level.
This reinforced his belief that rumors were hard to trust. Was the Elven bloodline truly inferior?
The group of five talked for a while, exchanging pleasantries and introductions. Despite Ming Yuling and Yi Yun having never met Lin Ming or Bai Yuxi personally, there was no disharmony in their interaction.
Suddenly, the air grew tense. Lin Ming and Yi Yun's spines instantly straightened as they looked to the west. While slower, Qiao Shulin and Bai Yuxi followed closely after. The slowest, Ming Yuling, didn't sense anything and merely followed their gaze. When she looked over, her pupils constricted out fear rippled across the whites of her eyes.
"How did they find us so quickly?" She panickedly exclaimed. Her cultivation base instinctively circulated as she readied herself, but her innate energies and Astral Force were near empty. She couldn't fight.
Lin Ming frowned as he felt a familiar aura, "Heavenly United." If they paid heavily enough, the Heavenly Seers of Heavenly United will assist in tracking down any party. This left Lin Ming feeling infuriated but also helpless. The Heavenly United dared to act against others, but the moment someone acted against them, they sent out bounty notices to turn the world against them!
"Those bastards," Yi Yun cursed as he clenched his fists.
"How can they be so ruthless?" Bai Yuxi questioned with a dissatisfied frown.
"It's not unexpected," Qiao Shulin said, glancing at Yi Yun, her eyes a little conflicted. She added, "The Spirit-Bound Lotus' core can be used for a Mystic-Earth graded product, and its leaves for quite a few known peak-tier ninth-grade products. The value is incredible."
"Spirit-Bound Lotus?" Lin Ming was taken aback as he glanced at Yi Yun. That was one of the things that can assist one in becoming a Spiritualist!
Before he could properly process this information or make any type of a decision, the Solar Zenith Palace's group alongside their allies was already nearing. Their leader laughed heartily, "You won't be able to run from us in this lifetime!
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