Chapter 338 - Discerning Fate
In the Inquiring Mountain that was under the control of Grandmaster Vredral, Noah was sitting on the lush greenery outside of his expansive dome-shaped dwelling that felt too much like a cathedral.
His eyes were closed as he had {Fate"s Disciple} activated, his body gaining a l.u.s.ter of gold as wisps of light converged above him and ever so slowly descended onto his body in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. He felt like he was some wizened being pondering on life as numerous Fate Lines descended within the next few hours, his face that of calmness and peace as the environment around him was really too conducive for this sort of mental state.
He was actively condensing Fate Lines while expanding his senses to cover the well-ordered plants that held an array of colors surrounding the location where he and Athena stayed on this Inquiring Mountain, many of these plants creating snaking paths that went up or down the mountain as simple roads were visible.
The mountain was thick with essence everywhere you turned, causing one"s body to bubble in excitement just by being there. He remained in this state as he thought back to the events of the past few days, being interrupted when he heard the familiar voice of a particular War Princess.
Noah"s sharp eyes opened as he received a message from his "Senior Sister" Athena who was staying alongside him in a similar expansive dwelling on the same mountain.
"Master is calling for us."
The message was curt and simple, Noah cutting off the mana he was supplying to {Fate"s Disciple} as he got up with a calm expression and began heading out.
It had been over a month since his intrusion into this 7th Celestial Star, the gains being nothing short of stupendous as he was able to get his hands on a myriad of skills and abilities.
This was especially so in the last month as after he pa.s.sed the point of 10,000 Fate Lines, he began receiving techniques of even higher tier every few days as he advanced forward and collected more Fate Lines.
The one thing he didn"t like was the fact that no matter how many times he tried, condensing a maximum of around 100 Fate Lines was always the limit everyday, no matter how much longer he chose to active {Fate"s Disciple} with his expansive energy. This had only allowed him to ama.s.s a bit over 3000 Fate Lines this past month. While this seemed like a small number to him, it was actually a monstrous rate to anyone who heard it as it had exceeded any metric set before!
In the 7th Celestial Star, a rumor had begun to spread about a genius under the tutelage of Grandmaster Vredral that shone even brighter than the War Princess.
Noah thought about this War Princess that he had regularly sparred with this past month, one of the few things he came to learn about her being her love for battle. She never went past the relations.h.i.+p of a Senior Disciple teaching her Junior, and always kept their talks short as all that seemed to be on her mind was learning about fate and battle!
Even this was something unique as while Grandmaster Vredral watched their interactions, he mentioned to Noah how Athena had never given this level of treatment to any past disciples before. There was a level of interest and importance she placed on Noah as the both of them carried the t.i.tle of those with a n.o.ble Fate!
None of this mattered to Noah though, keeping his mind on the prize as he kept being spoiled with techniques and Spirit Stones freely.
Under the guise of his monstrous talent and the numerous treasures they handed him, he had publicly shown Grandmaster Vredral that he had a breakthrough into the Void Realm a few days ago!
The Grandmaster nodded deprecatingly at this level of genius as he advised Noah to take a slower pace and consolidate his foundation, having no need to rush through the ranks in this manner.
At this point in time though, Noah could be considered a full-fledged Red Robed Celestial, his Fate Lines being a bit over 13,000 at this moment!
His thoughts gradually came to a close as he neared the monastery at the peak of this Inquiring Mountain that was under the control of Grandmaster Vredral, coming face to face with the aged figure and a Red Robed Athena standing respectfully by the side.
The Grandmaster donned his usual golden robe that dr.a.p.ed over his body, hiding an aged figure that palpated with power. One could see the numerous wrinkles that covered his face, along with the abundant white hair and a long beard that shone with l.u.s.ter and vitality, making one think of both age and power.
"You have surpa.s.sed all my expectations so far, and now have the chance to join in on an extraordinary mission that would have fallen solely onto the shoulders of Athena. Yet, this is also a mission that involves something special to you, thus granting you possible partic.i.p.ation."
Grandmaster Vredral"s aged face shone with splendor as he spoke, Noah putting his right hand on his chest to respectfully greet him as he continued to listen. The Grandmaster waved his hands as a projection of two worlds appeared in front of them, Noah observing closely as he recognized a few features from one of the worlds!
"We will test your proficiency in the Absolute Techniques of Fate that you have been studying to see whether you will qualify for this mission. In front of us lies your home, the World of Cultivation, and the Magus World. We have noticed a particularly significant level of disorder between these two worlds that could propel into something even more chaotic. Use [Fate Discernment] and tell us of your findings."
Noah"s eyes latched on to the projection of two Prime Worlds as they slowly rotated in front of him, his mind thinking to the skill that the Grandmaster mentioned, as well as the Absolute Technique it was connected to!
[Fate Discernment] was a singular ability from the biggest boon he had received from the Celestials so far, an Absolute Skill that actually allowed him to get even closer to the truth of this abstruse Supreme Law of Fate, containing abilities that finally opened his eyes to understand why Celestials held their monstrous level of power.
<> :: A technique of unknown origins that holds tremendous power. The mysteries of the Law of Fate can slowly be understood while this technique is in use, allowing for the user to gain knowledge of possibilities and the constant movements of the River of Fate. Abilities include Fate Discernment, Fate Traverser, Fate Concealment, and Fate Harvester.
[Fate Discernment] :: The clouded and abstruse fates of different ent.i.ties or beings became easier to see. Strict conditions must be met for any usable information to be discerned.
[Fate Traverser] :: As one that is proficient in the workings of fate, you have more of a leeway over your own fate. This ability allows you to traverse to the most favorable outcome of your fate.
[Fate Concealment] :: The user"s own fate or the fates of their targets can be made hard to decipher, where others will not be able to find exactly where fate will take them.
[Fate Harverstor] :: An ill-advised ability given to the Herald of Fate that allows them to pluck away the good fate of others while steering away from a bad fate. It is an ability that requires enormous forethought, as it can lead the Herald of Fate into areas they should not peer into.
Over the past 30 days, he received four abilities in total that made the Absolute Skill, <>!
This was the first Absolute Ability that Noah obtained which held the low amount of 4 abilities, but each one was shocking in itself as he received a first-hand look at how the Celestials operated and used their power.
The Grandmaster in front of him had asked him to use [Fate Discernment] on two planets, a tremendous task that would require an enormous source of essence and extreme use of Fate Lines to be able to perform well! Yet, this was his first barrier for this mission that was already on Athena"s shoulders.
He thought of the possibilities of what could have occurred between the World of Cultivation and the Magus World as a few ideas came to mind, but he focused on the task at hand as he prepared to use [Fate Discernment] on these two worlds.
Athena and Grandmaster Vredral were watching closely as they personally knew how hard it was to manipulate the Law of Fate and be able to discern the fates of entire planets.
Yet to Noah, this was the simplest thing as he did not even know how to manipulate mana, much less being able to manipulate the law of fate!
He did what was always made available to him- the act of simply casting the skills he held in his stat panel as the System he held did the rest, his thoughts simply watching as [Fate Discernment] moved the lines of fate in his body in unique ways as it began searching for something.
The ability mentioned that strict requirements had to be met for fate to be discerned, and the biggest requirement was that the caster had to know exactly what being or ent.i.ty they were casting the skill for, as well as what they wanted to know from it!
Noah"s thoughts focused on the illusory images of the World of Cultivation and the Magus world as his eyes closed, a layer of golden light wrapping around him as he soon began to receive images and wisps of information that he never knew existed.
Grandmaster Vredral watched from the side while shaking his head in amazement, Athena looking forward as a sharp light pa.s.sed through her eyes. Even to these monstrous beings, they had to admit that this disciple in front of them was too monstrous!
Being able to so seamlessly cast [Fate Discernement] and even be able to get it right on his first try, just exactly how much of a monster was he?!