Chapter 450: Trial of Perception
Entering their minds was a fragment of an ability, however, this ability was very different from anything these young experts had ever seen. It did not require Qi, nor did it require spiritual energy or elemental affinity. It was not even a skill which required Wu Wei or could be considered a Wu Wei art.
Just getting to understand what kind of attack this was, and the basics of it, was not simple. Fortunately, the bull had not set a time limit for how long it took to comprehend.
The first day slowly crept by as everyone was in a deep trance. From time to time, one could see their brows furrow or their lips form a small smile depending on what they were experiencing.
While this was a difficult test for many of them, it was a piece of cake for Cai Jie. Cai Jie had been a God before, and he noticed that the fire that entered his body was not any normal energy, but clearly Ancestral Worldpower. This attack they were trying to complete obviously dealt with Ancestral Worldpower. For this trial, it relied on one’s understanding of the laws and energies reactions to them.
Cai Jie had previously understood laws and Ancestral Worldpower. He had fought using this energy, and although it was an incomplete ability, creating it from scratch was in no way difficult for him. Though the more he pondered on the things he had learned from the bull, the more he understood about this ability and the deeper he sank into contemplation and amazement. Although he knew about Ancestral Worldpower and their attacks, he had never seen such an attack which took the energy within one’s body and directly transformed it into something else.
While Cai Jie was focused on the sheer depth of the ability, everyone else slowly came to the conclusion that the energy they needed to use was the kind that they had absorbed during their travels through the wastelands. As for what kind of energy it was, none of them knew, even Cai Jie had not known before he was able to associate it with this strange attack. By now he finally understood why his body was that much stronger than it had been before. Heavens, his body which was at the Saint rank was already merging with the Ancestral Worldpower of the Godrealm! It was no surprise that his body was simply too strong compared to anything he had felt before.
While everyone was in a deep trance, cultivating and understanding the ability which had been passed into their minds, the bull was quietly seated at the side. He observed every one of them. A gentle smile was on his lips, and his eyes were full of expectations. “How many of them will manage to get through this obstacle?” He wondered as he looked into the sky above.
“The Trial of Strength was created by the Azure Dragon. The Trial of Perception was created by the Vermilion Bird. The two are different, and although both are god beasts, this one was far more challenging. This ability is just some scattered thoughts that lord Vermilion Bird came up with in a few minutes, and the attacks that could be created from it were many. I only once saw the actual attack; the attack which lord Vermilion Bird wished for it to become. This Phoenix Descent is not as simple as these mortals might think, but then again even if they manage to just make it into an ability which illuminates the world around them, then I have to let them pass. Still, I cannot wait to see the day when a supreme expert will arrive who is capable of perfecting the full Phoenix Descent I saw lord Vermilion Bird make himself.” The bull sighed to himself as he looked at Cai Jie. He had the feeling that perhaps this genius was capable of creating a miracle.
“The air around this expert is already growing hot. The Ancestral Worldpower within his body is boiling as though he is already creating an attack. To have gained an understanding of the power used for this attack so quickly, and even being able to create remnants of the attack from doing nothing but meditating, he truly is a genius!” The bull continued to sigh in praise.
Looking at everyone, he found that all of them seemed to be giving their all. Most of them had beads of sweat on their face that trickled downwards. Frowns and tight lips could be seen on all faces apart from one.
Looking at Hui Yue, the bull was completely dumbfounded. There was nothing. His face was as serene as though this was a meditation session. No energy leaked outside his body and his entire demeanor was that of complete ignorance.
“Is he not aware of how difficult this challenge is?” The bull wondered to himself. “Perhaps he was not at his peak condition when the challenge started, and he is now letting himself reach his peak condition before he starts to understand the attack.” Thinking this, the bull felt better, but after three days the young man was still the exact same while everyone else had changed for the worse.
Flames had spontaneously combusted on the others time and time again. Their faces were filled with traces of determination and understanding, and their innermost thoughts were clearly expressed on their faces, though Hui Yue was still as serene as ever. “Has he given up?” The bull thought confused, but no matter how much he thought about it, he could not reach a conclusion.
Just as he was about to ponder some more over the question the first person opened his eyes.
The first person to open his eyes was Lao. The moment his eyes opened a flame could be seen within his pupils, but it quickly vanished as he stood up and headed towards the bull.
Standing in front of the bull he bowed deeply. “I wish to display the ability I learned after submerging myself in the fragments I was provided. ”Lao said seriously, and with a nod from the bull, the young boy took a step forward. “”Ha!” He called out as flames appeared all on his arm, soaring into the sky above. Moving his arm these flames followed and it was clear that the young man’s offense had greatly improved with this attack.
“I understand that this is not the true Phoenix Descent, but I named the ability the Fire Glove of the Vermilion Bird.” Lao said humbly, and the bull nodded his head, approving of the name. It was clear that it was far inferior to the original Phoenix Descent, but it was also an ability Lao had been able to create by relying solely on the understanding he had gained. It was an amazing ability considering the short amount of time he had used to reach this point. The bull was secretly impressed by this child’s perception.
“You have passed this trial!” He said with pride in his voice. “Wait for your comrades to also pass through the trial. I will suggest that you train your Fire Glove of the Vermilion Bird more so that you can use it in the trials to come.”
Hearing this, Lao nodded his head and thanked the bull. Sitting down, he started analyzing this new ability he had created.
The Fire Glove of the Vermilion Bird was not a simple attack. It roused the Ancestral Worldpower within Lao’s body and brought forth his hidden potential. It was so strong that it increased his fighting skills all around. It did not only improve his strength but also his speed, vision, reaction time, and so on.
Combining the Fire Glove of the Vermilion Bird together with his sword fingers was already enough to make him frightening. The attack he had created was truly terrifying.
The second person to awaken was Wang Ju Long. She was not able to create an ability similar to the one Lao had made, but she had also created a flame-based technique. Her flame was similar to an elemental affinity flame in that it lived within her middle dantian. This flame made it possible for her to burn her Ancestral Worldpower, and finally, she had found a flame which made it possible for her to become an alchemist.
She called this flame the Flame of New Beginnings as it symbolized the beginning of her journey down the path of alchemy. This would help her become an even more established poison master. To be able to make actual pills now was simply a dream come true.
This flame was not only capable of being used to refine materials, but it could also be used in battle. Its abilities were very much similar to the flame Hui Yue controlled, although this flame was still slightly inferior to the blue flames of Lan Feng.
The bull, who had already been shocked to see the flame attack Lao created, was even more shocked when he saw the attack Wang Ju Long made. It was a flame similar to an elemental affinity, something which he had never seen before. This was an eternal flame which would never die and always lived within her middle dantian. This flame was constantly being supported by the Ancestral Worldpower within her body. Thinking of this, the bull was at a loss for words, and even with his high intelligence and perception it was impossible for him to even imagine what kind of thought process the woman had gone through to manage to create a flame like this from the Phoenix Descent he had imparted into her mind.
The next to awaken was Deng Wu. His attack was also outstanding. It managed to create a flaming armor on top of his soul shadows, making them even stronger than they had been before. Also, the flame had gained some netherworldly aura, making it much darker than any of the other flames. When wielded by Deng Wu himself it was almost as though a purple light had joined in with the red flames, and the flame seemed as though it could burn a hole in space itself. The flame was incredibly potent but with this outstanding power came a high consumption rate and he could not keep it up for long before all the Ancestral Worldpower within his body would be used.
By the time Deng Wu awoke it had already been a full eleven days from the trial start, but even so, Hui Yue was still sitting in place, looking as serene as ever. All the others had chaotic energies surrounding their bodies while their clothes were drenched in sweat.
Although this had shocked the bull, it was not something which surprised or shocked the friends who had followed Hui Yue, instead, all of them trusted his ability to get through this test.
While waiting for others to awaken, the three who had already passed the trial with glamor were all focused on adjusting their attacks. They were increasing their abilities and familiarity with these attacks so that when needed they could rely on them later. Although they never knew what they were going to experience, they could not help but feel that something was definitely not as simple as it seemed. They thought that they would have to show their strength at least one more time to be allowed through the trials. As such, honing their strength was the best they could do.
Another three days went by before the next person woke up, and this time it was surprisingly Sha Yun who awoke. Her entire body was filled with wounds when she woke up. Her scales had been shattered and blood was dripping from her mouth, but with a determined look she stood in front of the bull. Looking at him and with a slight bow, she prepared to show just how amazing her fire ability had become. For someone who controlled Earth usually, Fire was not something she feared, but the fire she had created was nothing like what any of the others had made. She had managed to fuse the Phoenix Descent together with her control of Earth and the technique she came up with allowed the ability to create magma and fully control it.