Jun had expected mockery, all manner of derisive remarks, and poorly hidden sarcasm to pepper him as he mounted the stage.
What he hadn’t expected, was to be barred from participating entirely.
From out of nowhere a hand appeared to bar his way. Glancing up from perfectly manicured fingernails, he met the eyes of Elder Shao, a look of undisguised distaste twisting the pretty man’s features.
“That is far enough,” he snapped. “Please,” the man sighed. “Let us not waste any more of everyone’s time than is absolutely necessary? I believe we all know what the outcome of such a paltry attempt will be. Resign now and you may be partially compensated for the entry fee.”
Jun’s mind latched onto the “may,” in this theoretical reimbursement.
“You know, I’d really like to give it a go, if that’s alright with you. It’d be a bit of a letdown to come all this way and not at least try.”
The man’s eye twitched, no doubt at the very intentional lack of deference.
“If… you insist,” the man practically hissed, before begrudgingly removing his hand.
Willfully ignoring the Elder’s lingering glare, Jun cheerily leapt up onto the platform, humming a random tune to himself as he marched towards the trial stone. In reality, he wasn’t nearly as confident as he made himself out to be. Even still, that didn’t mean he was without a plan. It’d been an enlightening experience, watching the others attempt the trial over and over.
The kind of rare opportunity for study he suspected was very much the point, seeing as the trial had been set up so that he would essentially fail the written exam before he’d even arrived.
In that time, he’d learned a few key lessons.
Some of which, thanks in part to the pantheistic workshop, he’d already been loosely aware of. For instance, the ways in which they manipulated their auras. Contrary to how he’d gone about things in the past, once gathered, they appeared to steep the item of their choice with their aura, somehow reinforcing it, while simultaneously enhancing its force potential.
This was a stark departure from how he’d used his [Cutting Hand] mantra, for instance. Now he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he made to saturate as opposed to sheathe his hand in cutting aura. How much of a difference would it’ve made?
That said, minor improvements aside, if he really wanted to guarantee he passed this trial, this in spite of the clear animosity their resident examiner had repeatedly shown towards him, it was quite obvious he’d need to go above and beyond.
Which meant merely matching, or even moderately surpassing the general standard probably wouldn’t cut it. And that was where his risky gambit came into play. The very same he’d been preparing ever since he’d picked up on the trick of saturating one’s aura. And had only begun to truly feel confident in after seeing what Shao Luang had managed with only fifteen seconds of continuous compression.
In no time at all, Jun was standing before the massive boulder. It really was so much larger up close. Hopping out of the shallow trench that’d been scored into the platform following Shao Luang’s attack, Jun casually circled the trial stone—taking in the truly prodigious crater Elder Shao’s progeny had left, humming contemplatively to himself, and otherwise unabashedly stalling for time.
It was only when it looked like an increasingly red-faced Elder Shao might actually step in, that he figured he’d stalled for long enough. With a jolt of both nervousness and anticipation, Jun pulled his right arm free from the inner folds of his robe. Immediately, he had to fight hard to suppress his innate reaction to the uncanny sight. The audience of proud cultivators, on the other hand, held no similar compunctions.
Audible gasps and sharp expletives rippled throughout the courtyard.
Even Elder Shao’s eyes widened at the sight. At the sight of his hand. Well, arm really. At the shimmering silver cast his skin had taken, rising all the way up to the elbow. Indeed, most of those that could properly see the change were similarly aghast.
Not that he blamed them. It was fairly bizarre.
And it was only possible because of an otherwise inconsequential boon. One which he’d received weeks ago and had very nearly forgotten.
|Builder Archetype: Condense| (Unique)
At the cost of increased energy expenditure, make corporeal a universal mystery for which you’ve touched upon previously.
He’d been clueless as to how exactly this boon was applied for the longest time.
Now though?
He thought he had a better grasp as to what it was capable of, and the possibilities of such a powerful boon, if applied correctly, were honestly staggering. His first clue had been his competition. It was difficult, if not outright impossible, to gauge the unique benefits of a thing with only one point of data.
Until now, he’d been operating under the assumption that just about everyone could do the things he did.
And while the extent to which that was or was not true remained to be seen, he’d actually been given a rather explicit hint that spoke to the contrary.
Put simply, his ascendant boon had been labeled unique.
It hadn’t really registered with him at the time, but being designated as unique by the system was no small thing. It often meant you were one of the few beings in existence to ever receive that specific trait. We’re talking single digit numbers here, people.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
With that in mind, it couldn’t possibly be the case that every single applicant here also owned the exact same ascendant boon. And yet everything he’d seen thus far more or less mirrored the extent of his own abilities, at least where the concept of crushing was concerned.
Which could only mean there had to be more.
Which ultimately got him to thinking on the crystalline nature of his aura blades. Well, that and the nature of leaves. Simply put, his aura blades weren’t just particularly dense conceptual manifestations. They were real blades with real weight and heft to them.
When they shattered, the pieces didn’t simply dissolve into etherial energy, they became flying shards of deadly crystal. They were the liquid vapor stuff of his aura, condensed into a form so compact, that they took on an actual physical presence.
In that same way, the leaves inside his dantien started out as wind, were then condensed into a higher energetic state, after which they were able to hold far more potential energy, per unit, than his spirit winds could handle alone. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together from there.
The result, after a fair bit of trial and error, had been this—an arm that shone the color of chrome.
Not waiting for someone to come to their senses and try something hasty, Jun raised an open palm, and, gently, placed it against the scarred surface of the trial stone. With the absurd amount of aura he’d managed to pack into his arm over the last forty-five minutes, it distinctly felt as if he had a bomb strapped to his arm.
A particularly volatile explosive that threatened to go off at any second.
Wanted to go off, by all rights.
Was constantly trying to go off, for no other reason than ‘it was the concept’s nature.’
And the only thing making sure it did not do that very thing—and in so doing take with it him, all of the young hopefuls, hell, the whole damned sect and a good chunk of the countryside besides—being the tight chains of his iron clad will.
All that was to say there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he was going to be bumping it up against anything he didn’t explicitly want dead more than he cared to beat this trial. Instead, he simply created a small mental funnel, and released all of that pent up energy in a singular direction.
The area in front of him, quite literally disintegrated.
There was a blinding flash followed by an all-consuming roar of apocalyptic proportions. Both of which lasted for what felt like an eternity. When at last, after his ears had finally stopped their ringing, and Jun dared to rapidly blink his eyes open, he was immediately greeted by… well, nothing.
Or no, to be more exact, he was immediately presented with the stark absence of any trial stone, any semblance of the stage it’d once sat upon, or, for that matter, any of the surrounding compound unfortunate enough to have found itself within a forty-five-degree radius of him.
Utter devastation, in other words. All that was left to commemorate the once grand and storied courtyard, a prodigious trench carved into the earth and littered with bits of rubble and scraps of debris.
Slowly, Jun turned. Facing a sea of white-faced spectators. Somewhat guiltily, he locked eyes with Elder Shao. The beautiful man, normally so aloof and outwardly superior, flinched.
“So!” he tried. “Does this mean I made it into the sect?”
Frustratingly, Jun never actually received a definitive answer.
image [https://i.ibb.co/rw6tMBB/IMG-2711.png]
*Ding!*
Congratulations!
You have successfully completed a |1 Star| ranked trial.
OBJECTIVE CLEARS
Main Objective: Show moderate proficiency with the Basic Mantra [Iron Fist].
Incomplete.
Secret Objective: Improve upon, then show moderate proficiency with the Basic Mantra [Iron Fist].
Complete.
Hidden Objective: Defeat Shao Luang of the Iron Fist Sect in open combat.
Incomplete.
Hidden Objective: Defeat Elder Shao of the Iron Fist Sect in open combat.
Incomplete.
Secret Objective: Defeat more than half of the Iron Fist Sect’s Grand Elders in a single attack.
Complete.
TITLES OBTAINED
*Ding!*
A temporary title has been awarded due to your performance within the trial world.
|Mammoth Slayer| (Limited)
Earned by defeating multiple opponents that were effectively two cultivation realms above you.
+ 1 celestial dew to body, mind, and spirit.
You are now less likely to be affected by things like aura suppression.
*Ding!*
A temporary title has been awarded due to your performance within the trial world.
|Giant Slayer| (Limited)
Earned by defeating multiple opponents that were effectively three cultivation realms above you.
+5 celestial dew to body, mind, and spirit.
You are now much less likely to be affected by things like aura suppression.
*Ding!*
A temporary title has been awarded due to your performance within the trial world.
|Titan Slayer| (Limited)
Earned by defeating multiple opponents that were effectively four or more cultivation realms above you.
+10 celestial dew to body, mind, and spirit.
You are now far less likely to be affected by things like aura suppression. (Note: These effects are only applicable whilst within a simulated trial.)
(Note: by completing a sufficiently high ranked trial, it is possible to transform a temporary title into one that is functional outside of a simulated space.)
RENOWN BONUSES
With one exception, the mark you left on this trial world was minimal. You have formed no alliances, though you have made an enemy in the Iron Fist Sect, now the Fallen Iron Fist Sect. Given the state in which you left them it is unlikely such enmity will bear much fruit. Their enemies, however, may look upon you favorably.
You are no more or less likely to find yourself in an advantageous position at the start of later trials.
Acclaim Bonus: NOT APPLICABLE
Notoriety Bonus: Fallen Iron Fist Sect
GREATER ALIGNMENTS
You have yet to commune with either heaven or hell. Your soul remains pure and untainted.
Heavenly Alignments: NOT APPLICABLE
Demonic Alignments: NOT APPLICABLE
Complete Further Trials to Discover your Star Ranking.
(Note: the more difficult the trial, the higher your overall ranking will be.)
Trials Completed: [1 of 100]
Overall Performance Rating: A+