by Yuri Ajin
His tone made the girls sit up abruptly.
Yukie bit her lip. She wanted to look important in front of Lightus, so she thought she could be the one to put Two in his place. But since she was forbidden from even touching that bastard, her hands were tied. But that didn’t mean that she’d give up. She just needed a reason. Any, even the tiniest one...
“Now that that’s settled, I believe we’re done here,” Lightus announced. “Next week, I’ll start my ascension to the mid-level, so the games will start in two months. I’ve already instructed Mia to develop a plan, so you’ll receive your tasks as soon as she’s done.”
“Lord Lightus.” Tassarion sprang to his feet before Lightus rose. “You told us to send the weaklings to level zero. But what if some of them resist?”
“In that case, I give you permission to kill all those who disagree. Of course, in duels. No need for any ceremonies.”
“Thank you, Lord Lightus.” The boy grinned menacingly, bowing. “Will do.”
Chapter 1
CLOUD TRIAL — TEST OF WILL
As soon as the Heavenly Spirit appeared, the attention of all test participants was on him. The cultivators who had gathered from all over the continent instantly fell silent.
“Greetings to all the Chosen Ones, as well as their companions. My name is Airus, and I’m the Guardian of the Cloud Abode.” The Spirit’s voice spread over the mountain plateau. “Today, you have the privilege of participating in the Cloud Trial, and I’m the one in charge of running it. So, let’s not waste time. Let the test begin!”
Airus sharply waved his hand; a flash shot from his palm and into the heavens. For a few seconds, nothing happened. The young cultivators expectantly stared at the sky.
Finally, fifteen seconds later, something shone brightly in the vast blue dome above them. A large object was rapidly falling toward the ground, so quickly that no one had time to react. A tall snow-white pillar, covered with various runes and patterns, landed on the plateau. The ground shook. The artifact weighed far more than it seemed.
“You have to pass three tests during the Cloud Trial. A test of will, a test of talent, and a test of combat,” Airus announced as the dust settled and the participants came to their senses. “In the first stage, you need to enter the barrier that will appear around the Column of Will. The closer you get to the artifact at the end of the first stage, the higher your score will be. Also, the score depends on how long you spend inside the barrier. The trial will end when one of you touches the Column. If this doesn’t happen within seven hours after the start, you’ll all be disqualified... You may begin!”
Airus clapped his hands; his body turned into a whirlwind and scattered into dust. Instantly, the pillar activated, and a translucent red dome with a radius of fifteen hundred feet formed around it.
The cultivators, who stood a couple of miles away from the barrier, suddenly felt strong pressure. Someone’s powerful will suppressed everything around it. Rocks and trees cracked. Frightened, the animals began to scatter.
However, there were no weaklings among the cultivators who came to this Trial. So, in a few seconds, the first participants walked to the scarlet dome. Everyone else followed. The race soon began.
The most talented members of various sects and schools of martial arts, the descendants of aristocratic families and powerful clans — they all wanted to be the first. The cultivators activated their best movement techniques to reach the Column as soon as possible.
And so, when the fastest of them almost reached their goal, they suddenly stopped. Their sense of self-preservation warned them of danger. And since almost all of them were Exorcists, their intuition was highly developed. No one doubted that the threat was real.
They stopped in time and stood near the dome, as it was almost impossible to survive the collision with the flimsy-looking scarlet barrier at full speed.
They realized that getting inside was much more difficult than they previously thought. The barrier created from sheer will was an almost insurmountable obstacle for most of them.
After a couple of minutes, the crowd surrounded the dome. No one got in yet. Some of the cultivators tried to push through the barrier, however, no matter how much physical force they applied, they couldn’t bend it in any way. The barrier only seemed to become stronger in the places they attacked.
Among the participants was one dorgan who completed the Partial Transformation. Using it, the transformed beast, whose strength had increased several times, tried to break through the barrier. He strained his back, arms, and legs, activating the amplification technique. The ground sagged beneath him due to the pressure, and as a result, his fingers were able to pierce through the scarlet film like water. However, not even a second had passed before the force inside the dome began to squeeze the invader even more. The skin on his fingers was instantly ripped off, then the bones broke, and he was thrown back tens of feet.
There were also those who decided to attack the dome with techniques. But the daredevils failed and experienced cruel retaliation. Their bodies were mutilated, and the most persistent ones suffered even bigger damage — the dome hurt their souls. That sight scared the rest of the cultivators who were thinking of following their example.
No one knew how to overcome the obstacle until a minute later five cultivators approached the dome. It was a team of the strongest students of Tael’s martial arts school. This year, they had nearly forty Chosen Ones.
Septus, a handsome young elf with a haughty grin, approached the barrier.
So that’s it. I see. He nodded. I should thank this scum for checking what the barrier can do and saving me the trouble.
Nodding to his team members to back away, Septus placed his palms on the dome. His hands calmly touched the barrier, and, shocking the other participants, he gradually began to push on the dome. After a few seconds, both of his hands passed through. Ultimately, it took him less than a minute to get through the crimson barrier.
The first participant was finally inside.
It left many shocked as they all saw that neither physical strength nor techniques could shake the dome. Septus only slightly strained his muscles. There was no hint of him using some sort of unnatural power to get inside.
Everybody around froze in confusion, struggling to understand how the aristocrat managed to get through. However, there were also those who figured out the elf’s secret. Those who had excellent intuition and those who knew the story way too well.
“I’ve read about this,” Malvur said quietly so that only his team members could hear him. He didn’t really try to hide his words, though, considering that he knew that some cultivators in the crowd possessed super-sensitive hearing. “It’s called the Will Cover.”
Kai, An’na, Shacks, and Ailenx immediately turned to him.
“We all have an Energy Cover,” Malvur continued. “It gives strength. And protection. But it can’t protect you from everything. In battles, weak cultivators need protection from the will of strong masters, or they may lose consciousness. That’s why the Will Cover was invented.”
“I think I get it. Is this what you mean?” Shacks asked, closing his eyes and materializing his will around himself.
Malvur approached him and placed his hand on the archer’s shoulder. This was the only way he could feel someone else’s will. Only a few Exorcists in this world knew about the fact that you could manipulate your will to sense things. That was the trick that Kai had used in his fight with An’na to protect himself against her Will of the Sword.
“Yes. Almost. But your Cover is full of holes. You have to condense it and improve it.”
“Understood,” Shacks replied, and then immediately assumed the lotus position, plunging into his inner world to form a full and strong Will Cover as soon as possible.
“You can all handle it. It’s easy,” Malvur said. “But there’s no need to rush. Don’t go into the dome right away or you may damage your soul.”
“And you?” Ailenx asked.
“I’m gonna go now. I have a good command of the Cover,” he said calmly, glancing at the dome. Other cultivators were already gathering around it, as they also figured out how to pass through it.
“I’m coming with you!” An’na said, looking at Shacks and Kai with a smug grin. But neither the meditating archer nor the indifferent swordsman paid any attention to her, which made her cross her arms, annoyed. “Fine.” She turned around, heading toward the barrier.
“Good luck,” Malvur said and followed her to the dome.
Glancing at Shacks and Ailenx, who had already prepared for this, Kai stood still. He could create the perfect Will Cover at any moment since he had reached a high level of will control. But he was in no hurry to follow his teammates.
Kai liked to benefit from every situation. And the Cloud Trial was no exception. That was why he came close to the barrier and then sat down to meditate. He was going to not only pass the test but also use it for his development...
Meanwhile, the other cultivators began to pass through the dome. Many aristocrats knew about the Will Cover, and it wasn’t difficult for perceptive Exorcists to master it on the spot. In just half an hour, almost all the participants were ready to try to pass through the barrier.
However, even those who mastered the Will Cover faced another obstacle — even with the protection, not all participants could withstand the pressure created by the Column of Will.
So, many cultivators still couldn’t get through. They were able to bend the scarlet veil or even stick their arms, legs, or shoulders inside, but they weren’t destined to do more than that. The will of such participants wasn’t strong enough to maintain the protection inside the dome.
Ultimately, almost half of them remained outside.
As for those who were able to get inside and stay there, only a hundred of them kept walking forward. The rest, having entered, simply sat down, and no longer moved. They got into the dome and just tried to stay there. But the pressure of the pillar was incredible, and it made them lose their concentration. Their will weakened, the Cover fell off, and they were thrown out. Many wished the first stage would end as soon as possible so that they no longer had to endure this terrible pressure. After all, the longer they sat there, the higher the chance of getting injured was. They didn’t really care about their body being hurt. However, no one wanted their soul to get damaged.
That was why everyone who couldn’t move watched the one hundred brilliant cultivators as they slowly made their way to the Column. They did so step by step because the pressure grew stronger the closer they got to the pillar. That worried them even more since the stage might not end at all.
The closest to the artifact was Septus, who went inside first. A couple of steps behind him was An’na, who quickly caught up with the aristocrat. It was much easier for her to be under the dome than for the rest of the participants since she had the Will of the Sword, which she actively used for protection. It was much more effective than the regular Will Cover.
The third was Malvur, next to whom were several more aristocrats.
“Shit!” One of the elves swore through clenched teeth. He was sitting inside right next to the barrier because he was too weak to move under such pressure. “I wish they’d finish soon.”
“Me too,” a member of his team said. “I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to pass the Cloud Trial, but I didn’t think that the first test would be so difficult! I don’t know how much longer I can stand this pressure...”
“It’s even worse that we can’t get out to rest. I saw someone over there try, and they couldn’t go back in. It looks like some blocker was set up for that.”
“Don’t panic,” came a third voice. “See the first guy? That’s Septus Shylix, the Shylix family heir. Such a genius will reach the Column. We just have to wait.”
“The Shylix? Of the seven great families?” The elf was surprised.
“Seven great families?” someone asked.
“Have you been living under a rock?! How can you not know about them?! The seven great families are the descendants of the seven great elven heroes thanks to whom our race survived the ancient war! They are the strongest aristocrats in Tael! They don’t even give their children names ending in ‘x’ to honor our ancestors, since their last names are already the names of those seven great heroes!”
“I was just kidding! I knew about it,” the elf lied shamelessly. “Hey! Look at that idiot! Does he think he’s already inside? He’s been sitting like that for an hour! Ahahaha...”
The elves turned to look at the man who was meditating right in front of the barrier, but who never entered it.
“Looks like the fool gave up. He realized that he couldn’t get inside, and decided to practice next to the barrier.”
“Or maybe he just wants to come in later when someone finally gets close to the pillar?”
“That’d be pointless. The Guardian said that the time we spend inside would affect the final score. And if he gets in only for a second, he probably won’t be able to go to the Abode. Also, there might be some minimum threshold for passing. But come on, just look at that rat. He’s a human and, more importantly, a mortal! He doesn’t have the Master’s Will. How could he even get in?”
“I’m more interested in how a human mortal even got to the Cloud Trial. Who sent him here?”
“Who knows? Maybe he joined a Chosen One. It’s unlikely that he received the mark. It doesn’t even matter. We shouldn’t waste any more of our energy talking. We don’t know how long we’ll have to sit here.”
***
The second hour of the test had begun. The participants were getting closer and closer to their goal. Airus observed the scene, floating in the clouds.
What a rare gem! I never thought that I’d get to see an Exorcist who has the Will of the Sword in this era. I wonder where this girl is from, he thought, watching An’na, who had already passed Septus and was now twenty paces away from the pillar. But it was rather difficult for her to move. There are plenty of other talented people here, too. This year has been surprisingly fruitful. I think at least seventy participants will make it to the List of Ten Thousand.
Airus used the Column, inside of which was a particle of his own will, saturated with the desire to subjugate everything around, to observe the potential students. This was why the pressure inside the dome was so aggressive. His will also didn’t allow foreign energy and Forces to get inside the sphere of its influence. As long as they stayed inside the participants’ bodies, the pressure didn’t react in any way. However, as soon as someone tried to use them, his will immediately attacked the ones with increased power.
So... There are four hundred and thirteen participants inside. That girl will reach the Column in about half an hour. During this time, about forty more will drop out. Well then, it’s time to get ready for the next stage... What?! Airus suddenly froze when he felt an anomaly. Who is this?
***
Kai finally finished his meditation. Opening his eyes, he looked at the scarlet film in front of him, which just rippled, slightly trembling. He finally got what he wanted...
Chapter 2
CLOUD TRIAL — TEST OF TALENT
“You got what you wanted. That’s good,” Rune’Tan said. “But was it worth it? Was it worth wasting soul energy if you weren’t in danger of dying? You already lost a lot in the battle with Greenrow, and now you lost nearly two decades of your life.”
“And yet you helped me use it,” Kai retorted.
“Well... I don’t really care about your life expectancy. Your behavior is just so weird...” the old man muttered.
“You’ve been living inside my spirit world for almost six years now, so I can see when you’re lying to me. Don’t worry. I’m confident in my decision. First of all, you’re just overly fixated on soul energy since you now have a very small amount of it. But I haven’t really lost that much. And second, if there’s a place in this world where I can get a Spirit Fruit with the soul attrib
ute, it’s the Cloud Abode. And I have to get the best possible results in this stage of the Trial. That’s why I was willing to take the risk,” Kai replied. “The sacrifice is worth it.”
“Whatever you say.” Rune’Tan didn’t argue further.
Kai got up and reached out to the barrier, but he didn’t touch it. The scarlet film began to bend as if something invisible was pressing on it. That something was his will, woven in a special way.
As soon as he saw this red dome, he remembered how his battle with Greenrow on Earth had ended. More precisely, the moment when Greenrow first captured him, and then began to completely suppress his consciousness with his incredible Master’s Will.
Kai didn’t think much about it then, but now he saw the similarity. This dome and the way Greenrow used his will were quite similar. It seemed that this wasn’t just a manifestation of the Master’s Will, but a special manipulation of it.
Like weaving energy into patterns and thus creating techniques, but with a slight difference.
With this came the realization that the dome’s power wasn’t used only to suppress weaker opponents. There was something more to it.
Under normal circumstances, it’d take Kai a lot of time to study such a thing, time that he simply didn’t have now. That was why, having activated Ultimate Focus and opened the Mind Gates, he began to saturate these two abilities with soul energy. It allowed him to enter Enlightenment — a state of higher concentration.
Having done this successfully, Kai was able to gain an understanding of how he should use his will to be the most efficient he could.
The barrier kept bending. To simplify the task, Kai raised his other hand and focused. He was going to enter using only his will, which was different from the method with the Cover.
Hmm... Another gem. Airus looked at Kai. This kid was able to give his will the shape and essence that match the outer side of the dome, the task of which is to repel everything that touches it. But how could he, an ordinary mortal, do this? Could his will be close to the Master’s Will level? He had to go through many trials that could easily crush most cultivators to achieve this...