Step.
Tharvonis took a tired step forward, but just as the Varnari was kinda lost on what to do—since he had clearly lost—would he now be teleported outside? But at the same time, there were TWO Inheritance Pedestals…
Considering all that, he was somewhat unsure what to do, but he received an answer in the form of a message that, for a moment, made him freeze. A hint of joy passed on his visage as he extended his hand outward.
He extended it toward the Inheritance Pedestal that was still ‘untouched,’ the other having been ‘used’ by Mikael and having lost some of its luster, in a way that the Varnari instinctively understood that, as it currently was, it was ‘empty.’
Freeze, Twitch.
Tharvonis froze and then slightly twitched as Mikael had done previously, and to the latter, who had experienced the same, it was clear that the Varnari genius was currently receiving his rewards in the form of a large amount of information, which explained his ‘reaction’...
‘Another Soul Cultivation Method or… is it something else? Both are possible, considering the Spirit said that both of us would be rewarded, but it didn’t specify the quality of rewards depending on one’s position in this “race”.’ A glint passed in the handsome cultivator’s eyes as he observed Tharvonis integrating something.
Seconds passed with Tharvonis integrating this ‘something’ while staring at ‘nothing’—clearly reading the Spirit’s messages—before a glint of joy flickered in his eyes and then—
{Both Trial Takers have finished Phase 1 with exceptional results and have received their rewards which, for Trial Taker 1 (the fastest), is the acquisition of the Soul Cultivation Method: (High-level Soul Manifestation Art) Phantasmal Core Consolidation Method}
{But this isn’t all, as Trial Taker 1 also receives a ‘bonus reward’ allowing him to skip Phase 2 and Phase 3 and directly reach the Final Phase, which is the Optional Phase 4, where this Trial Taker may choose whether he wishes to participate for the possibility of obtaining greater rewards while facing greater danger!}
{As for Trial Taker 2 (the slowest), he receives his reward, which is the acquisition of the Soul Cultivation Method: (Mid-level Soul Manifestation Art) Seven-Cycle Soul Reforging Method, while also obtaining the same ‘bonus reward’ as Trial Taker 1}
Gaze.
As these messages appeared before him, Mikael’s gaze was instinctively attracted to Tharvonis, who did the same!
Instantly, both cultivators understood that the messages they were currently receiving weren’t ‘private’ like before. No, both men were receiving the same messages!
Before either of them could delve on this subject, the Spirit overseeing Lord Qe’thuun’s Inheritance once more began to ‘speak’.
{Both Trial Takers have received their rewards and must now make their choice on whether they wish to participate in the optional Phase 4, which is the following one:
Trial Name: Lord Qe’thuun’s True Inheritance (Soul Cultivation Methods Only)
Trial Phase: 4
Description: This is a brutal Trial where only ONE Trial Taker can be left alive by the end of it!
If or when the Trial Takers accept to participate in this Trial, they will receive two hours to recover from participating in the previous Trial Phases before both are teleported right outside the Inheritance, at the same location in which they first entered it.
At that moment, Trial Taker 1 and Trial Taker 2 will have to fight to the death, with the winner gaining it all!
Note: The other Trial Taker may not be the only danger…
Important Rules:
1st: There is no rule—the only rule is to be the last one alive, to become the greatest winner!
Reward: When Phase 4 is finished by having one of the Trial Takers die, the other can pick up the Soul Cultivation Method obtained by the now-dead Trial Taker during Phase 1.
If he does so, and then brings both Soul Cultivation Methods in the form of manuals beside each other, the two methods—(High-level Soul Manifestation Art): Phantasmal Core Consolidation Method and (Mid-level Soul Manifestation Art): Seven-Cycle Soul Reforging Method—will fuse together!
Their fusion will cause both manuals to merge into a single one, revealing the original Soul Cultivation Method of Lord Qe’thuun, and this method is: (Mid-level Path Formation Art): Soul-Core Rebirth Codex.
Note: The fusion of both manuals must occur only after one of the two Trial Takers has died, or else both manuals will self-destruct. Trying to cheat Lord Qe’thuun’s will should—and will—be punished!}
{Now both Trial Takers need to make a decision on whether they want to participate in this dangerous but rewarding Phase 4!}
{If even a single one of the two Trial Takers refuses to participate in Phase 4, the Trial will be canceled and both Trial Takers will be teleported to safety.
In such a case, even if the two manuals are brought together, they will neither self-destruct nor merge to form the Soul-Core Rebirth Codex, meaning that hostility between the two former Trial Takers would be meaningless.}
“...”
The moment both geniuses finished reading the Spirit’s messages, silence fell upon the room as the air grew heavier, an invisible pressure filling the space.
What was notable was that the human and the Varnari had radically different reactions—the human didn’t show much outward sign, aside from a raised eyebrow and a faintly curious glint in his eyes, while the Varnari…
Tharvonis’ visage underwent a wild surge of emotions, shifting rapidly from joy at the reward promised to the winner of Phase 4 to excitement at the thought of finally being able to battle this warrior who had outpaced him earlier in the competition!
Boil.
His blood began to boil with excitement, after all he would have been content with a simple spar, but now… now it was a battle to the death!
How could he not be happy?
It was like a ‘dream’ come true, and because of that, the warrior couldn’t contain the excitement and battle lust surging within him, an aura so fierce it seemed to weigh down on the room itself as he directed his fighting intent straight toward Mikael.
“Oh!?” A small sound escaped Mikael as a battle-hungry grin—mirroring the one Tharvonis currently wore—appeared on his unbelievably handsome visage.
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Crackle, boom, rumble.
The invisible auras carried by both men spread through the room before meeting in the middle, coiling and clashing for dominance at the edges of the chamber as the air itself twisted under the strain, faint distortions rippling outward while lightning-like illusions flickered and crashed against one another in a storm of power.
Neither of the two seemed interested in backing down as the pressure and tension continued to rise, building and building, until it truly looked as if they were only a heartbeat away from clashing, but then—
“Ah!”
Tharvonis’ sky-high battle lust suddenly deflated like a popped balloon as his gaze landed on Mikael, and through the haze of his excitement, he noticed—no, remembered—Mikael’s cultivation realm, which was ‘only’ at the 1st layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm!
That realization instantly shattered his earlier enthusiasm, draining away the battle lust that had consumed him and replacing it with a heavy mix of gloom and disappointment.
The shift in his emotions immediately affected reality itself, as his once battle-ready aura and presence became dull and dejected, stripped of all their former power; the fierce clash of auras that had dominated the chamber moments before suddenly turned faint and tame.
After all, Tharvonis had previously forgotten it because of how impressive Mikael was, but the exceptional human warrior was actually nearly an entire Major Realm below him and consequently…
Consequently, Tharvonis lost all interest in battling Mikael—not because he looked down on him or believed him to be weak, but simply…
Simply because, as a proud and even somewhat arrogant warrior, Tharvonis profoundly disdained to ‘bully the weak,’ and this was ten times truer when it involved someone he respected, like Mikael!
And if he were to fight Mikael now, he knew he would be incredibly advantaged because of his far far higher cultivation realm.
Previously, he had lost in a fair competition against this human, so what kind of weak-willed Varnari would he be if, after losing in a fair ‘battle,’ he then used an unfair advantage to ‘take revenge’ and bully him?
Sigh.
A deep, gloomy sigh escaped Tharvonis, which, to be honest, somewhat confused Mikael—the latter not really understanding why the Varnari’s mood was changing so quickly, shifting from joy and excitement one moment to gloom and disappointment the next…
Raise.
Tharvonis’ head, which had been tilted downward, slowly rose as he stared at the empty air before him and gloomily spoke, “Inheritance Spirit, I want to forfeit my participation in Phas—”
“WAIT A MINUTE!”
Tharvonis was cut mid-sentence as Mikael’s booming voice resounded through the chamber. At first, he didn’t quite grasp why the Varnari was speaking, but the instant he understood, he interrupted without hesitation!
After all, if the Varnari forfeited, wouldn’t it be too much of a loss for him?
He would lose this precious opportunity of ‘easily’ obtaining a Path Formation Soul Cultivation Method, and consequently, he was reluctant to abandon it!
And that wasn’t only because of the ‘ease’ of obtaining it, but also because he understood the preciousness of this Cultivation Art, and that it would probably be his only chance of obtaining Soul Cultivation Methods for a long, long time to come, considering how far above his current Cultivation Realm these Arts were!
Because of that, and also because he knew that it would be extremely helpful for his Soul Research—research which was far behind compared to the rest for rather obvious reasons…
Because of that, he was reluctant to let this opportunity go, and consequently, the greedy part within him wanted this Phase 4 to happen even though he knew the risks it implied.
And that was without even mentioning the warrior side of him which, much like Tharvonis, felt a surge of excitement at the thought of having a real and worthy fight—a thought that made his blood boil and his heart beat faster in anticipation!
“Hmn?”
Tharvonis turned to look at Mikael with an inquisitive gaze, and to Mikael’s relief, the Varnari wasn’t teleported away; fortunately, Tharvonis’s abandonment hadn’t been finalized since he hadn’t finished his sentence.
“I want and WILL participate in Phase 4. I am interested in the idea of fighting you!”
Mikael didn’t speak any superfluous words and went straight to the point, making his stance perfectly clear!
He wasn’t sure why Tharvonis wanted to forfeit, but considering the Varnari culture, he had his doubts, and consequently, he understood the importance of making his stance clear!
Skip.
Ba-dum.
Hearing Mikael’s words, Tharvonis’ heart skipped a beat before beginning to pound harder as his warrior spirit, which had been dulled by disappointment, once more awoke from its slumber.
Crackle, rumble.
His aura surged again, pressing heavily upon the room as hints of excitement returned to his visage.
“Are you sure, Mikael Angelini? As the Inheritance Spirit said, this will be a fight to the death, with only one of us walking away alive—and I need to remind you that I am at the Peak of the Spiritual Foundation Realm, while you are only at the 1st layer!”
Clash, zaap, crackle.
“I understand the situation perfectly well, but… I am confident!”
As Mikael said these words, his aura and presence suddenly multiplied, erupting outward and colliding with Tharvonis’ own as the two stood meters apart, their power clashing with earth-shaking intensity!
“...”
For a moment, Tharvonis didn’t know how to react, but then—
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Good, good! I wasn’t wrong about you, Mikael Angelini—you are a True Warrior!” Tharvonis’s booming laughter filled the room, his voice carrying both approval and admiration.
Retract.
The Varnari genius then retracted his aura and presence, stopping the previous aura clash before he did a small bow toward Mikael, “You have my respect, Sar’khaen, may our battle be Legendary!”
Smirk.
Mikael’s smirk grew a little wider, more unhinged and battle hungry, as he heard Tharvonis’s words that implicitly said he accepted to participate in Phase 4.
This was made even truer by Tharvonis using the word Sar’khaen, which in Varnari culture was the highest sign of respect one could give to another warrior.
“You also have my respect, Sar’khaen, and I return your words—may our battle be Legendary!” declared Mikael while doing a bow that was extremely similar to the one Tharvonis had done moments ago.
At that instant, both warriors’ gazes locked before, without further ado, they spoke at the same time:
“I accept to participate in Phase 4.”
“I want to participate in Phase 4.”
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A/N:
Damn, that’s so beautiful that I’m nearly crying!
Mikael talking with somebody who ISN’T a woman for so long and with so much respect… I think this is a world record, even his Master didn’t receive Tharvonis treatment!
Now… the only thing to decide is what will happen with Tharvonis?
Even I aren’t 100% sure, but I am currently ‘hesitating’(not really but let say this) between three options with option 1 having something like 75%, option having like 20%, I don’t think it will happen because while interesting it’s… meh!
And finally option 3 which has like 5%, this option wouldn’t make much sense, this is just a stray thought I had and I thought that it would be funny so I ‘entertain’ it.
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— End of Chapter —
