“Who is this guy?”
“Look at his ears… So weird.”
“Sssh! What if he hears you?”
The four Spirit Realm Cultivators spoke among themselves in hushed tones, speculating upon the nature of the challenge giver.
[He’s a High Elf, and no, he can’t hear you. That’s just an illusion.] I said out loud. The man sitting on the throne didn’t react, clearly only triggered by certain words or actions.
“Really? How can you be so sure?” Irit asked doubtfully. “He seems pretty real.”
[Trust me…] Even from higher Realm people, I could at least feel the presence of their Souls. That thing had nothing. No Soul, no life.
“What’s a High Elf?” Ruth asked, confused.
[You know the Drow. These guys are their ancestors. They nearly went extinct 10.000 years ago.]
“How do you know all that? Also, how do we know you are telling the truth?”
[Why would I lie?] I countered Naran’s question. The man had no answer for that. [Anyway, you should probably stop wasting time and focus on learning the technique. I don’t know about you guys, but I can survive being here for a long time, so I’m not really in a hurry.]
“Uh…” Sonic nervously voiced. “We should probably focus, guys.”
Apparently, they didn’t have that many resources left. I took a comfortable position on my throne and closed my eyes. It was time I learned the Immortal Blood of the Divine Path technique. A Body Cultivation art without an equal. Something suitable for the true gods.
----------------------------------------
It took me some time, but by carefully analyzing the words, I was able to remove the useless fluff and bring out the essence of the technique, bringing it down from a complex mess into a more manageable, straightforward instruction manual.
Not to get into too much detail on how or why, but the Immortal Blood of the Divine Path technique was split into four major parts.
Bone marrow, heart, veins, and lastly capillaries.
To simplify, at first, a technique would be used on the bone marrow to enhance it, increasing the power of the blood which would then serve as a catalyst for enhanced growth. The heart would be improved next, for the empowered blood would become thick and viscous like pitch tar. Hard and viscous like a solid, yet somehow still a liquid. A powerful heart would be needed to pump that stuff through the body.
There was a warning saying that once the process started, it could not be stopped. The control of the Cultivator had to be perfect since, if the concentration slipped before the entire technique was completed, the pressure would tear a man apart from the inside. Everything had to be prepared beforehand, enough for months of uninterruption.
Even eating or sleeping was out of the question. It really was a trial of… endurance?
[Wait… Were the golems wisdom and this is endurance? But the guy said this is wisdom…?] I rubbed my forehead, frowning. Was there a way to stop the golems from attacking? There probably was. Also, the trial lasted only an hour or so, so how could that be called the trial of endurance?
I was getting more confused the more I thought about it.
In the end, I decided to forget it and just do it. Whether it was an endurance challenge or a wisdom one, it made no difference. I focused and took hold of my Qi, slowly bringing my entire body under my absolute control. Even the subconscious processes only did what I told them to.
I forced my focus deep into my bones, into the marrow, and began to change it, piece by piece.
----------------------------------------
Story of my life. I had underestimated the difficulty of the task. According to my internal clock, ten days had gone by, and I had barely made any progress. I was beginning to suspect the technique was made for people on the cusp of reaching the Demigod Realm, and not the middle of the Spirit Realm.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The other four, despite being on a higher Level than me, made no progress whatsoever and gave up trying after only a week. Weaklings. With a mentality like that, they would never reach godhood.
I, on the other hand, achieved a minor success. I managed to convert a few of the blood-producing cells in my bone marrow into a newer, more enhanced form. I immediately set them to work producing new blood to enhance my power, but that’s when I discovered a problem.
I was becoming constipated. Not the normal kind, mind you, but a new, more insidious kind. My bone marrow was getting stuffed with the new denser blood, and no matter what I tried, the pressure inside my bones kept increasing gradually over time.
Pain. There was so much pain! It was like I had a burning blade stuck in my femur, constantly shooting rivers of lava through my bone marrow. I was barely able to focus at moments. All my brain power was focused on keeping the process going and the production of blood contained.
I knew that the Immortal Blood of the Divine Path technique said that the process would be slow, but at the rate I was going, it would take me years to finish! Maybe even decades! There was no way I could live like that, with so much pain for so long.
And things were getting worse, not better. As I slowly chipped away at the mountain of progress, the pain was getting worse!
But, despite all the pain and immense discomfort, I didn’t dare to give up. Power, true power waited for me, a real chance at godhood! I couldn’t stop. I just had to endure.
----------------------------------------
Another few weeks had gone by and I was at my limit. Things were only getting worse as I continued, and despite consulting the technique multiple times over the weeks, there was no solution. Just endless pain and misery.
[Aaaaaaaah! I can’t do this anymore!]
My leg exploded and my indestructible bone opened a tiny hole, letting the pressure out. I cut away the transformed bone marrow and scooped out the new, more viscous blood. It was dark crimson and hard like stone. A red crystal. No wonder it didn’t want to flow out.
The new stuff needed pressure to become liquid, and I clearly wasn’t capable of producing enough of it. Most things solidified under pressure, but in rare cases, such as with water ice, the increased pressure turned it into a liquid instead.
My leg slowly healed without the offending parts, and I collapsed on my throne, sighing with relief. A month of hard work, ruined. But I didn’t care. Completing the technique was impossible, at least with the power I had. The others were no different, having given up a long time ago.
With my mind finally free of pain, I could focus on the Immortal Blood of the Divine Path technique again. I read through it over and over, looking for a clue. There was none.
Exhausted, I leaned my head to the side, looking at the golden writing and at the four major steps required.
Bone marrow, heart, veins, and lastly the capillaries.
I frowned. It didn’t make sense. What was I missing?
Bone marrow, heart, veins, and lastly the capillaries.
I read just that part again. And again. And again. My blood pressure suddenly skyrocketed and my eyes opened wide.
[SON OF A BITCH!]
I shot up in rage and blasted the sleeping High Elf in the face. The energy went through him and exploded behind him, but he did open his eyes.
[The technique is backward! Starting with the bone marrow, my ass! Are you trying to kill me?!] I shouted.
The golden writing disappeared at once and the entire room dimmed, focusing the light on the raised platform. A slow clap was heard coming from everywhere at once. Then others joined and soon the only thing we could hear was incessant clapping.
“Congratulations Challenger!” The High Elf’s voice boomed across the grand hall, and the clapping ceased. “You have completed the Trial of Wisdom! Your eyes saw through the deception, and your mind found the truth. Now the true Immortal Blood Undying Body technique is yours. Keep it secret, keep it safe.”
“Safeguarded for thousands of generations, it is now finally in your hands. Be proud, for you are now part of history.” The man continued. “Unlike many, who mindlessly rush into the fray, you are now one of the few who join the Council, who think before they act, who consider, before they do.”
I seriously wanted to slap the guy to death for the insults. He just called me stupid to my face! Alas, there was nothing I could do but listen to his nonsense. At least it seemed it was nearly over.
“And now, for the promised reward!” A gilded chest rose from the ground, all fancy-like. My heart nearly skipped a beat. “The Divine Essence Pill! Take it, for you have earned it. May it illuminate your Path and lead you to greatness like it has done for many who came before you.”
The illusion disappeared and the throne behind it split in two, revealing a tunnel behind it.
At the same time, the golden chest opened and I could hear quiet gasps from the others. I gulped and stepped forward, more nervous than I had ever been. At the same time, I was so excited. A Divine Essence Pill!
“How is it, how is it?”
“What does it look like?”
Excited calls came from behind me, but I had eyes for a single thing. I reached the chest, eyes wide as saucers, and looked inside. My expression fell.
“Oooh! Is it good?”
I reached inside and grabbed my reward. I lifted it up and squeezed it in my hand. Dust fell between my fingers. I began to laugh.
“Um… Gerald?”
I don’t know what I was thinking. A pill surviving 10.000 years in the Lower Realm and remaining unscathed? What a joke.
I gripped the chest and tore it apart just in case, but there was nothing left inside it. No hidden compartment, no secondary reward. In a way, it was poetic justice. I didn’t properly solve the trials, and so I got no reward. Pure depression.
[Let’s go.] I grimly said and entered the tunnel without turning back. There was nothing left for me there, only bad vibes and painful memories, and I didn’t need those.