Chapter 718: Forging the Heroic Soul!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“I’ve heard that there is also a group of alien-race students. Some of them are descendants of Holy City’s slaves but were especially promoted by the teachers because of their natural-born talents. Others are geniuses brought back by the teachers from the Fifth Dimension. Although they have not partic.i.p.ated in any tests, they are absolutely not to be underestimated, especially when they have been chosen by a teacher. There really is a galaxy of talents. I used to think that the Holy Land was only made up of humans from Earth, but now it seems like I had a limited outlook. I’m afraid that the 30 of us actually make up for less than a third of the freshmen quota.”
“Oh, it’s unfortunate that w.a.n.g Zhong and Mo Wen didn’t come with us. If we lost to the descendants of alien races or locals, us, the so-called elites from Earth, will become a joke.”
“Don’t worry, isn’t there still that girl from Tianjing, Scarlet? I’ve heard that there are a few powerful ones from the Empire this time as well.”
Several people said similar things. After CHF, w.a.n.g Zhong and Mo Wen had indeed reached another level in the minds of everyone: one inaccessible to them. Even Scarlet, who was originally buried in oblivion, made a name for herself due to being highly valued by people in the Holy Land. When people began to look at her in a different light, Carolyn, Vladimir, Gui Hao, and the others appeared to fall short. Even though they had also achieved extraordinary Dharma Idols, they could not be compared to Scarlet, who everyone began to think highly of, let alone to the two abnormally powerful dudes. Under the same conditions, those two would definitely become much stronger once they entered the Heroic Soul Stage.
Except for Gui Hao, who often sneered at the remarks, the others, such as Carolyn, remained silent and chose not to respond to these remarks. Actions were better than words. And the CHF was already in the past. After forging the Heroic Soul and entering the Holy Land, they were already in another world. Everything was reset. Although they had once lost to those two, they all believed that they would not lose again, now that they were in a whole new race.
Even though they had several days to make a decision, that was still insufficient time. After all, they had just arrived at the Holy Land and did not know much about the place. Everyone began to try and find out everything they could about the Holy Land through their channels and various other means. Within their small circle, the ‘Federation Gang’ exchanged the information they had obtained with each other in order to make better-informed choices, judgments, and preparations. They could then decide on which cultivation force suited them better.
Women were afraid of marrying the wrong man, and men were afraid of getting into the wrong profession. If they chose a wrong cultivation direction, it would signify that their lives were over.
This was a place where one could achieve one’s dreams. It was a place where one could fulfill one’s aspirations, but, at the same time, it could also be the burial ground for those dreams. That was especially true at the initial stage, where every single choice would determine the route of one’s future. Thus, every decision should be made with careful thought.
The Holy Land was known as the city of dreams, and it was definitely not just empty words.
It was obvious that anyone who could manage to come here would not be defeated by this new environment or crumble under this small amount of pressure. Instead, their will to fight would be aroused. Young and fearless, all of them seemed determined to break out of their past statuses. Who could emerge on top in this brand new challenge?
Everyone had a chance after all; even a n.o.body like Scarlet had experienced a reversal of fortune.
The people of the Holy Land was still in the midst of preparation for their path of cultivation, but w.a.n.g Zhong, in the desert, had already gradually walked deeper into his cultivation journey.
The Morradis Pink Desert had already become a thing of the past. In just 10 or so days, w.a.n.g Zhong had crossed the first destination and entered the second area marked by Mu Zi — the Inca Ganges River.
Although the place had the word river in its name, there was not a single drop of water visible. This vast desert was actually drier than any other desert in Tutankhamun. Its name was merely derived from this galaxy — the Milky Way. As it was extremely dry here, all creatures that had died here would be absorbed of all water at an astonis.h.i.+ngly fast speed, automatically becoming a natural mummy which would never rot and be preserved for all eternity.
The place seemed bleak and desolate, while also being absolutely terrifying. Even the most tenacious creatures, like sand lizards, sand scorpions, and even plants like mutated aloe, were rarely sighted here. In this vast and seemingly endless thousand-mile desert, there was nothing but sand and dry air. Even w.a.n.g Zhong could barely feel the presence of water elements in the air. The temperature was also scarily high, but at night, it would turn so cold, as though the place aimed to freeze everything. The dry freeze would absolutely make people feel forlorn and bitter, thus making this place known as one of the worst environments on the planet.
The area seemed to be full of malice toward anything that had life.
But unlike other places which had been blocked by thick radiation layers and haze, the sun in the sky appeared particularly dazzling in this area. The bright light made him feel that the whole world had become a whole lot bigger. That was the sign that his horizons had been expanded, while at the same time hinting that there was progress on a spiritual level.
w.a.n.g Zhong liked this comfortable feeling. The size of one’s horizons also determined the size of one’s mind and mentality in certain aspects; it was just like how people who lived near the sea would be more unrestrained and open-minded as compared to people who lived on narrow city streets. The vast desert also allowed w.a.n.g Zhong to experience this feeling. In fact, although the distant sun in the sky was already too bright for him to stare at with the naked eye, and without anything covering it, it felt closer to him than usual.
Just 10 days ago, there still existed many thoughts in w.a.n.g Zhong’s mind. But now, his aim was only to take things one step at a time. He would proceed with determination to perceive the world in his own way, which would transcend complex a.n.a.lyses. It would solely be a feeling of having integrated into nature.
His body could naturally absorb the little bit of water that existed in the air to supplement himself. It was similar to breathing, and he could stand as still as a stone to restore his strength. At those times, his body would be in a state where only the bare minimum of energy would be expended. He would seem to be stone, which could make mutated beasts pa.s.s him by without taking a second look.
Of course, he was still a distance from Mu Zi, who could move at high speeds while maintaining a non-living state. However, he had already begun to understand the type of power Mu Zi wielded, which was a type of transcendental control over his own body.
In the eyes of Mu Zi and Aiolos, in order to become a powerful existence, the first thing was to have a powerful body. That did not mean that one merely needed to be muscular. It was just like how the Tyrants would remake themselves through various means, just to help their fragile human bodies develop a better sense of adaptability. This kind of adaptability needed to be more durable, more resilient. Things like simple muscle strengthening and soul protection were far from being enough.
Life. Death. Dryness. Loneliness. Abundance. On one side was a desert filled with silence and loneliness. On the other side, there was an oasis filled with vitality. w.a.n.g Zhong was using his instinct to mind travel. He could now maintain this state for a very long time and even understood Mo Wen’s reason for practicing the Closed Eyes meditation. Basically, Mo Wen was also seeking the same state.
Ultimately, power experts utilized different means but will eventually reach the same goal. Although they might be miles apart, they were all pursuing the same thing. Shortcuts were not part of their goal. What they focused on was how much power they could attain in the future.
Having performed exceptionally well in the CHF, it was expected for w.a.n.g Zhong to have almost forged his Heroic Soul, but he was going further and further away from that instead. He had even completely forgotten about it. Yes, as w.a.n.g Zhong traveled further into his journey, he had begun to gradually forget everything he was taught in the Heroic Soul Academy.
It was like forgetting himself.
Suddenly, the bright sky began to darken and an unfamiliar aura filled the atmosphere. w.a.n.g Zhong looked up, squinting, and immediately noticed that a circular black shadow was moving rapidly in the distant sky. It was slowly blocking out the sun, little by little.
Almost like it was consuming the sun, bite by bite.
This was an ancient celestial phenomenon known as a solar eclipse. w.a.n.g Zhong knew about it, but basically n.o.body had ever seen it in this era, especially in this delicate realm.
w.a.n.g Zhong stopped in his tracks with his head raised and eyes closed. He was taking in the changes around him.
It could be seen that a portion of the sun had already been engulfed by darkness, as though something had taken a bite out of it. In no time, more than half of the sun had already been blocked, leaving only a boat-shaped portion of the sun.
At this time, the sky had already dimmed, and the sun no longer appeared to be dazzling. The original vast desert land was quickly “engulfed” in this dim light, and the remaining sun grew thinner, making the entire place grow darker as well. The sun eventually had become as thin as an eyebrow, and then quickly disappeared into the darkness.
At this moment, it appeared as though it was the end of the world in the desert, and w.a.n.g Zhong’s body seemed to have lost all vitality as well.
At the same time, in the Hero’s Continent, mountains and rivers away, Mo Wen stood on top of a mountain. He was surrounded by a boundless, dangerous jungle, looking up at the sky. He appeared calm as his Soul Power continued to increase as though there was no limit. This place was considered a blessing for him as he had been stuck in a bottleneck previously. It was unimaginably huge and filled with endless possibilities.
In the desert, w.a.n.g Zhong concealed all his vitality and power, as if he was merely a grain of sand. The whole world instantly turned gloomy, as if a door of heaven was closed, letting the earth fall into darkness.
Darkness and Light. Death and Life. Illusion and Reality.
In w.a.n.g Zhong’s Soul Sea, the Fate Stone was still slowly rotating, as if bringing along heaven and earth and forming a brand new universe in his body. Previously, it was completely impossible for w.a.n.g Zhong to understand this kind of thing, one with infinite power and mystery; but at this moment, following the power of heaven and earth, w.a.n.g Zhong felt the power of the natural order contained in that mysterious light.
After being consumed entirely, a glint of light was revealed, suddenly reviving the deathly silent world; because with death comes new life. Although the dawn was filled with darkness, light was bound to appear. Life and death were not only contrasting but also interdependent.
This particular moment of joy, similar to rebirth, did not need to be suppressed. He only needed to live in the moment.
w.a.n.g Zhong’s body began to radiate with a strong bright light, seemingly coming from within. This bright golden color was unlike any kind of light seen on earth; restricted by earth’s chromaticity, it was impossible for such powers to be produced.
A few miles away from the desert, a person shrouded in blankets and traveling at high speed could be spotted. It was worthwhile to have encountered such a rare full solar eclipse, but what the h.e.l.l? Why was there an expert at the Heavenly Soul Stage undergoing trials to evolve to a higher power here???