Wei Wuyin berjalan perlahan menuju True Desolate, menikmati pemandangan megah dan sangat disambut dari peradaban yang aktif, kuil agung, dan pasir emas di sekelilingnya. Setiap napas yang diambilnya berbeda dari di luar pasir emas, tidak lagi terasa lengket dan keras, dipenuhi aroma dan perasaan yang menyenangkan saat esensi astral memasuki tubuhnya.
"Tanah kultivasi yang damai di dunia yang penuh kematian dan kesunyian, disebut Kota Suci memang tepat." Inilah pertama kalinya Wei Wuyin benar-benar menyadari mengapa lokasi ini begitu dihormati oleh manusia dan elf sekalipun. Bahkan kota-kota bawah tanah tidak memiliki esensi astral yang kaya seperti ini, masih memiliki bau kesunyian yang samar.
Di kanan dan kirinya ada pelancong segala jenis, dari ahli hingga kultivator tingkat rendah yang menapaki tanah berbahaya mencari selamat dan kesempatan. True Desolate pasti memiliki setidaknya beberapa juta orang di bangunan-bangunan banyak di kaki gunung, tinggal di sana dan menunggu hari ujian, dengan lebih banyak lagi berjalan aktif mencari satu hal atau yang lain.
Terpesona oleh penemuan ini, ia segera mencapai pusat kegiatan dan tersapu oleh arus lalu lintas kaki. Tidak butuh waktu lama baginya untuk bergaul dengan penduduk dan pengunjung, penampilan tampan dan pakaian hitam yang tidak biasa menonjol. Kebanyakan memakai abu-abu, putih, atau emas, warna-warna lebih terang dari hitam.
Meskipun menonjol, tidak ada yang menegurnya atau menunjukkan rasa jijik. Ia disambut dengan senyuman di mana pun pergi dan belajar cukup banyak. Sementara pengunjung kurang banyak bicara, terutama para ahli, penduduk lokal yang tinggal di kota penuh energi dan kegembiraan. Cukup menular.
"Upacara Suci Anugerah Ilahi berlangsung dalam beberapa jam lagi! Seluruh kota penuh dengan berkah ilahi! Aku merasa hari ini adalah hari kelahiran Holy Son baru! Atau Daughter!"
"Banyak sekali ahli di sini! Kudengar dari teman bahwa tidak hanya pemimpin manusia dan suku Elf Pasir Kelabu yang hadir, tapi semua sembilan kandidat juga di sini! Ini pasti akan menjadi Upacara Suci paling megah dalam sejarah Tanah Sunyi!"
"Grand Kings? Pemimpin Elf? Melihat mereka semua memasuki Kuil True Desolate beberapa saat lalu, tapi mereka tidak terlihat SEHEBAT itu, tahu kan? Taruhan aku bisa mengalahin mereka."
Dunia bergemuruh dengan gosip dan harapan, terasa seolah hari ini adalah hari Holy Son atau Daughter akan menghiasi Tanah Sunyi. Wei Wuyin juga terpikat.
Ia segera mengetahui tentang Upacara Suci Anugerah Ilahi. Menurut orang-orang tua yang berpengetahuan luas di kota, Upacara Suci adalah sebuah kompetisi, dan kompetisi yang sangat sederhana namun terkenal sulit untuk diikuti.
Syarat pertama mengeliminasi miliaran ahli dan jenius, memerlukan pemahaman Niat Asal Elemen. Syarat kedua bahkan lebih buruk, usia tidak boleh lebih dari tiga ratus tahun.
Ahli Alam Inti Astral tingkat paling rendah dan fondasi memiliki umur hidup sedikit lebih dari seribu tahun. Pembatasan tiga ratus tahun mengeliminasi banyak individu yang mengabdikan hidup untuk memahami Niat Asal Elemen dan baru menyelesaikannya setelah batas itu tercapai.
Syarat ketiga untuk Upacara Suci adalah menjadi Putra atau Putri Kesunyian, artinya harus memahami Niat Bumi Sunyi. Ini bahkan lebih sulit, karena memahami sembilan niat tingkat standar, menggabungkannya, lalu memahami Niat Bumi tingkat tinggi semuanya dalam tiga ratus tahun bukan hal mudah. Bahkan untuk jenius iblis.
Semua upacara sebelumnya hanya memiliki tiga kandidat atau kurang, kadang tidak ada, yang sangat masuk akal. Tapi tahun ini total sembilan!
Setelah memenuhi ketiga syarat, mereka berpartisipasi dalam tiga kompetisi berbeda. Selama mereka memenangkan ketiga kompetisi, mereka akan mendapat Lencana Keilahian dan gelar Anak Suci.
Saat Wei Wuyin pertama kali mendengar ujian-ujian ini, ia awalnya percaya butuh Lencana Keilahian untuk berpartisipasi dan mengklaim yang lain, tapi ia salah. Siapa pun bisa berpartisipasi, Lencana Keilahian tidak diperlukan. Lebih jauh, niat aslinya bubar.
Ia bermaksud menunggu kompetisi selesai, menyusup ke larik True Desolate, dan merebut Lencana Keilahian dengan paksa dan sedikit tipu daya. Jika didapat oleh Holy Son atau apapun, ia akan merampasnya.
Sayangnya, ia dulu menemukan tidak ada formasi ofensif atau defensif dalam larik True Desolate, murni formasi kualitas hidup. Selain itu, terlalu banyak variabel di Grand Kings dan Pemimpin Suku Elf Pasir Kelabu yang disebut, Para Master Sembilan Klan Elf Besar.
Ia mencurigai kekuatan mereka mencapai Tahap Kedelapan Alam Inti Astral, Fase Mata Temporal, dan ia tidak memiliki keyakinan mutlak untuk melarikan diri dari pengejaran salah satu, apalagi selusin setengah. Tanpa larik kuat untuk mengunci mereka, ia akan berada di posisi prekaria.
Soal merampas dari pemenang kompetisi, itu satu-satunya pilihan tersisa mengingat keadaan. Anda bisa diandalkan, dan jauh lebih mudah mencuri lencana dari Holy Son atau Daughter yang baru saja berhasil. Jika ingin menjaga profil rendah, ini pendekatan terbaik.
Tapi...
Selain penemuan itu, detail Upacara Suci Anugerah Ilahi adalah rahasia terbuka. Semua tahu apa yang diuji, hanya tidak tahu seberapa hebat seseorang untuk mendapat pengakuan di setiap kompetisi. Kompetisi itu sendiri sangat sederhana.
Yang pertama adalah uji bakat. Membandingkan usia dengan basis kultivasi. Setiap Kesengsaraan Astral memerlukan pemahaman dan fondasi kuat untuk diserang, jadi basis kultivasi terkait usia adalah indikasi bagus dari bakat relatif.
Yang kedua adalah uji fondasi kultivasi. Menguji kekuatan spiritual. Jiwa Astral, atau Roh Kultivasi, adalah aspek paling menentukan dari fondasi seseorang, dan kekuatan spiritual didefinisikan oleh kombinasi kekuatan fisik, kekuatan mental, dan kemurnian esensi yang bercampur membentuk Jiwa Astral. Cara yang sama energi spiritual didefinisikan oleh energi fisik, mental, dan esensi.
Yang ketiga adalah uji kekuatan tempur. Sementara bakat dan fondasi kultivasi penting, Holy Son atau Daughter tidak boleh kekurangan kekuatan bela diri. Jika seni, mantra, dan kendali kekuatan astral seseorang kurang, maka seperti bayi memegang palu perang. Kamu punya alat, cuma tidak punya kemampuan menggunakannya efektif.
Ujian-ujian ini mungkin sulit bagi orang lain, bahkan beberapa tidak percaya diri di area ini, tapi ia memiliki keyakinan penuh. Baik bakat, fondasi, atau kekuatan tempur, ia merasa tidak kekurangan satupun.
Wei Wuyin bermaksud mengacak hal, bertindak melawan sifat alami profil rendahnya, jadi tidak akan menyembunyikan diri! Biarkan seluruh dunia sadar akan dia, tahu dia di sini! Ia akan berpartisipasi menjadi Holy Son!
-----
Saat Wei Wuyin bergaul, membuat keputusan yang mengguncang dunia. Dua individu, seorang wanita muda dan seorang pria tua, bermain permainan papan di taman bermain. Jarak singkat di sana, sorak gembira anak-anak manusia dan elf bergema saat mereka bermain bebas dan tanpa beban. Musik murni untuk telinga.
Pria tua mengeluarkan suara dengung sebelum mengambil bidak, menyebabkan alis wanita muda bergerak. Saat bidak diletakkan, wanita muda merasa tubuhnya jadi lemah saat ia menerima kekalahan.
"Lagi!" Dengan semangat pertarungan di matanya, ia bahkan tidak menunggu, mengatur ulang papan.
Pria tua tertawa, menepuk lututnya. Lalu, matanya bersinar samar saat menoleh. "Sepertinya anak muda itu kembali."
Gerakan wanita muda mendadak berhenti, matanya juga bersinar dengan kecemerlangan yang sama. Kerutan bibir menunjukkan ketidakpuasan.
Pria tua tertawa dengan senyum lebar, "Sepertinya rencanamu tidak akan berhasil. Kamu harus membuang bidakmu dan ikut sendiri atau dia akan dapat lencana itu. Dan jika dia mendapatkannya, aku tidak akan bergerak, hehe."
Kerutan bibir wanita muda berubah jadi mendongak. "Kita butuh satu barang saja, bukan apa-apa. Kita bisa tukar." Dia berkata singkat, mengabaikan pria tua, terus meletakkan bidak demi bidak.
"Dia di Fase Resonansi Spasial, sama seperti kamu. Tidak mungkin dia akan menyerahkannya dengan sukarela. Faktanya, itu mungkin tujuannya. Kamu yakin tidak akan ikut?" Pria tua mencibir, jelas berniat nakal.
"Sudah?" Dia terkejut halus, menoleh ke atas sebentar. Kultivasinya mencegah dia melihat kedalaman kultivasi Wei Wuyin. Setelah lama, dia menghela napas. Dengan nada kejengkelan, berkata: "Baik."
Pria tua tertawa, "Bidak Pion dibuang, dan Ratu memasuki medan."
Namun, ia mencoba menatap ke dalam Wei Wuyin sebelumnya dan menemukan dia tidak bisa lagi melihat detail pasti, hanya tingkat kultivasinya.
Wei Wuyin slowly walked towards True Desolate, taking in the grand and much welcomed sight of active civilization, the grand temple, and the surrounding golden sand. Every breath he took was different than outside the golden sand, less stuffy and harsh, filled with a pleasant smell and feeling as astral essence entered his body.
"A peaceful cultivation land in a world filled with death and desolation, to be considered a Holy City is quite apt." This was the first time Wei Wuyin truly realized why this location was so highly regarded by humans and elves alike. Even the underground cities were devoid of such rich astral essence, still having a faint lingering scent of desolation within it.
At his right and left were travelers of all types, from experts to low-level cultivators trekking the perilous lands searching for salvation and opportunity. True Desolate had to have at least a few million within the numerous buildings around the base of the mountain, living there and awaiting the day of the trial, with more walking about actively searching for one thing or another.
Awed by this discovery, he soon reached a hub of activity and was washed by the surge of foot traffic. It didn’t take long for him to mingle with the locals and visitors, his handsome appearance and abnormal black outfit standing out. Most wore grey, white, or gold, lighter colors than black.
Despite standing out, no one admonished him for it or showed him any contempt. He was welcomed with a smile wherever he went and learned quite a lot. While the visitors were less talkative, especially the experts, the locals that resided in the city were brimming with energy and excitement. It was quite infectious.
"The Holy Ceremony of Divine Bestowal happens in a few hours! The entire city is teeming with the divine blessing! I feel like today is the day we have a new Holy Son! Or Daughter!"
"So many experts are here! I heard from a friend that not only are the leaders of the humans and Grey Sands Elven tribe here, but all the nine candidates are here as well! This will certainly be the grandest Holy Ceremony in the history of the Desolate Lands!"
"Grand Kings? Elven Leaders? I saw them all enter the True Desolate Temple a while back, but they didn’t seem THAT impressive, y’know? I bet I can take’em."
The world was aflutter with gossip and hope, feeling as if today was the day a Holy Son or Daughter will grace the Desolate Lands. Wei Wuyin was similarly intrigued by this.
He soon learned about the Holy Ceremony of Divine Bestowal. According to the well-informed old hands in the city, the Holy Ceremony was a competition, and it was an extremely simple competition yet notoriously difficult to enter.
The first requirement eliminated billions of experts and geniuses, requiring Elemental Origin Intent to be comprehended. The second requirement was even worse, as one could not be older than three hundred years of age.
A typical Astral Core Realm expert at the lowest level and foundation had a lifespan of a little over a thousand years. The three hundred year restriction eliminated many individuals that dedicated their life to comprehending Elemental Origin Intent and only completing it after that limit was reached.
The third requirement for the Holy Ceremony was to be a Son or Daughter of Desolation, meaning they must comprehend Desolate Earth Intent. This was even harder, as comprehending nine standard-level intents, merging them together, and then comprehending a high-level Earth Intent all within three hundred years were not easy feats to accomplish. Even for a demonic genius.
The past ceremonies held all had three or less candidates, sometimes none, which was perfectly understandable. But this year there are a total of nine!
After one reached all three requirements, they participated in three different competitions. As long as they beat all three competitions, they would be awarded the Badge of Divinity and the title of Holy Child.
When Wei Wuyin first heard about these trials, he originally believed one needed a Badge of Divinity to participate and claim another, but he was wrong. Anyone could participate, a Badge of Divinity was not required. Furthermore, his original intentions were scrapped.
He intended to wait for the competition to be completed, hijack the True Desolate arrays, and claim the Badge of Divinity by force and a hint of trickery. If it was obtained by a Holy Son or whatever, he would just plunder it from them.
Unfortunately, he first discovered there were no offensive or defensive formations within the array of True Desolate, purely quality-of-life formations. Additionally, there were too many variables in these so-called Grand Kings and Leaders of the Grey Sands Elven Tribe, the Nine Great Elven Clan Masters.
He suspected their strength reached the Eighth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, the Temporal Eye Phase, and he didn’t have absolute confidence in escaping the pursuit of one, let alone a dozen and a half. Without a powerful array to lock them down, he would be in a precarious position.
As for plundering from the winner of the competition, that was his only option left considering the circumstances. It was reliable, and it’ll be much easier to steal away the badge from a newly accomplished Holy Son or Daughter. If he wanted to keep a low-profile, this was the best approach.
But...
Besides those discoveries, the details of the Holy Ceremony of Divine Bestowal was an open secret. Everyone knew what they tested, just not how great one needed to be to obtain recognition in each competition. The competitions themselves were extremely simple.
The first was a test of talent. It compared age to cultivation base. Each Astral Tribulation required comprehension and a strong foundation to assail, so your cultivation base in relation to your age was a good indication of relative talent.
The second was a test of cultivation foundation. It tested spiritual strength. The Astral Soul, or the Spirit of Cultivation, was the most defining aspect of one’s foundation, and spiritual strength was defined by the combination of physical strength, mental strength, and purity of essence intermixed to form the Astral Soul. In much the same way spiritual energies were defined by physical, mental, and essence energies.
The third was a test of combat strength. While talent and cultivation foundation was important, a Holy Son or Daughter couldn’t be lacking in martial might. If one’s arts, spells, and control of astral force was lacking, then it’ll be like a baby wielding a warhammer. You have the tools, just not the ability to effectively use them.
These tests might be difficult for others, some even lacking confidence in these areas, but he had complete confidence. Be it talent, foundation, or combat strength, he felt that he lacked none.
Wei Wuyin intended to shake things up, act against his innately low-profile nature, so he wasn’t going to hide himself away! Let the entire world be aware of him, know that he was here! He was going to participate to become a Holy Son!
-----
As Wei Wuyin was mingling about, making a world-shaking decision. Two individuals, a young woman and an old man, were playing a board game at a playground. A short distance away, the joyful exclamation of human and elven children resounded as they played freely and without worries. It was pure music to the ears.
The old man made a humming sound before he picked up a piece, causing the young woman’s brows to twitch. When the piece was placed down, the young woman felt her body go soft as she reeled in her defeat.
"Again!" With battle spirit in her eyes, she didn’t even bother waiting, resetting the board.
The old man chuckled, slapping his knee. Then, his eyes glowed faintly as he turned his head. "It seems that that youngster is back."
The young woman’s movement abruptly halted, her eyes glowing too with the same brilliance. A twist of her lips showed her dissatisfaction.
The old man laughed with a hearty smile, "It seems your plan isn’t going to work. You have to discard that piece of yours and enter yourself or he’ll obtain that badge. And if he obtains it, I’m not making a move, hehe."
The young woman’s twist of the lips transformed into a pout. "We just need one item, it’s nothing much. We can trade for it." She briskly remarked, ignoring the old man, continuing to place piece after piece.
"He’s in the Spatial Resonance Phase, just like you. There’s no way he’s going to give it up willingly. In fact, that might be his objective. Are you sure you won’t participate?" The old man grinned, clearly up to something mischievous.
"Already?" She softly exclaimed, turning her glowing gaze upwards for a moment. Her cultivation prevented her from seeing the depths of Wei Wuyin’s cultivation. After a long moment, she sighed. With a tone of annoyance, she said: "Fine."
The old man laughed, "The Pawn is removed, and the Queen enters the field."
However, he tried to peer into Wei Wuyin’s depths earlier and discovered that he could no longer see exact details, only his cultivation level.
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!