There were few who could recognize that strange phenomenon in the sky, but that did not mean that none existed. There were already some who recognized this in Han Mountain City. Their words shocked the entire city, causing discussing voices to fill the air.
Nan Tian sat on a stone chair situated in the courtyard of an elegant house in the second layer of Han Mountain City. Beside him was a middle-aged man. That man had a pleasant demeanor, as if expressions of happiness and anger seldom appeared on his face. He was holding a cup of wine and was currently drinking with Nan Tian.
That was the moment when the phenomenon in the sky appeared. Faint sounds of commotion wafted into their ears. Nan Tian lifted his head, and when he saw the sight, a shudder ran through his body.
The middle-aged man with the pleasant demeanor also looked over. His eyes remained calm and his expression did not change, but the hand holding the wine cup trembled, and some of the wine spilled out.
"The Awakening of a Berserker who reached the great completion of the Blood Solidification Realm!"
"It doesn’t seem like it’s a Berserker who reached great completion. I once encountered a prodigy who Awakened with 982 blood veins. The atmosphere at that time was even grander compared to this time…"
The middle-aged man was the former chief guest of Lake of Colors Tribe – Ke Jiu Si.
"But it’s still a Berserker who has reached completion of the Blood Solidification Realm. Once a person like this Awakens, even if he has just arrived to the Awakening Realm, he can easily outmatch most of those in the initial stage of the Awakening Realm and become one of the top!
"Since when did someone like this appear in Han Mountain City!" Nan Tian took a deep breath. He might be acting as he usually was, but due to the strange phenomenon, mixed feelings coupled with shock grew in his heart.
"This presence is coming out from the hidden grounds under Han Mountain… Should we take a look?"
A glint appeared briefly in Ke Jiu Si’s eyes.
"No need. If this person is Awakening in such a grand manner, then he must have made ample preparations to defend himself. It’s not worth it if we go and he is mistaken about our intentions. It’s better if we go and greet him once he succeeds.
"It’s impossible for him to fail Awakening like this…" Nan Tian stated languidly.
"Say, could this person be the mysterious Mo Su that has become famous lately?" Ke Jiu Si suddenly asked.
"Hm?" Nan Tian narrowed his eyes and looked at the strange phenomemon in the sky for a while. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head. "I’ve observed that Mo Su before. He didn’t seem like he’d never Awakened. In fact, he seemed like he had originally Awakened, but due to an accident, his level of cultivation had fallen… It... shouldn’t be him."
Ke Jiu Si fell silent. Amidst his uncertainty, Nan Tian looked at the strange sight in the sky, and found that he could not make up his mind.
As these two people fell silent, Xuan Lun was standing in a corner at the third layer of Han Mountain City with a dark expression on his face. As he stared at the strange phenomenon in the sky, his expressions was constantly changing.
‘Who is this person? If he’s choosing to Awaken now, then it must be because he’s preparing to enter Freezing Sky Clan… completion in the Blood Solidification Realm… completion in the Blood Solidification Realm… Hmph, as long as you don’t provoke me, I won’t bother you, but if you block my path, then I’ll test whether the Awakened Berserkers who had reached the completion in the Blood Solidification Realm are truly as strong as they are said to be!’
When the strange phenomenon in the sky appeared, those within Han Mountain City were not the only ones shocked and moved into flurried discussion. The change in the sky also attracted the attention of the three tribes.
Yan Luan’s expression was grave as she stood at the top of the mountain of Lake of Colors Tribe and looked at the sky. Her black hair swayed in the wind. She wore a red robe and looked stunningly beautiful.
‘Awakening in Han Mountain City? I wouldn’t have minded if it was just a normal Berserker Awakening… but you’re one of those rare Berserkers who reached completion in the Blood Solidification Realm. Didn’t you know that people like you are not allowed to Awaken at will at other people’s turfs?
‘Who… are you?!’
Yan Luan hesitated for a moment before she lowered her head and looked at the canyons underneath Han Mountain City. She could feel that the person who was Awakening was there.
However, she did not go forward recklessly. She had come to the same conclusion as Nan Tian. Those who had attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm were definitely extraordinary people. It was impossible for a powerful Berserker like that to not have made any preparations for his Awakening.
Unless they had some sort of scorching hate between them, very few people would go and seek these people when they were Awakening, much less Yan Luan, who was the tribe leader of Lake of Colors Tribe. There were a lot more things she had to take into deep consideration.
Similarly, besides the other people from Lake of Colors Tribe watching the bizarre sight in the sky from the mountain of Lake of Colors Tribe, Han Fei Zi was also looking at the sky calmly. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but no envy or shock.
‘If I Awakened, this will also happen to me. But who is this..? Could it be him..?’
Han Fei Zi frowned as she fell into contemplative silence.
There was a small crowd standing quietly at the mountain of Puqiang Tribe. They were also looking at the sky, but no one was talking. No one knew what they were thinking amidst this silence.
The Elder of Tranquil East Tribe sat at the top of the mountain. Behind him was the tribe leader, Fang Shen, the Head of the Guards, the Chief of War, and others. All of them were looking at the sky, the expressions on their faces constantly changing between shock, envy, and uncertainty.
"Interesting…"
The Elder of Tranquil East smiled faintly.
"Besides Han Fei Zi from Lake of Colors Tribe, this is the second person who has attained completion in the Blood Solidification Realm… but he’s not one of our Tranquil East."
Su Ming did not know that the Awakened presence triggered by the increase of his blood veins had caused a change in the sky, which forced all the people who were in the hidden grounds to sit down cross-legged and meditate to resist their rampaging Qi and the intimidating pressure that fell upon them.
Neither did he know that the change in this place had attracted the attention of the world outside. As of now, Su Ming was simply sitting cross-legged in the cave as his blood veins continued increasing. It had now gone from 952 blood veins to 963!
They were still increasing!
963 blood veins. That amount had already surpa.s.sed Han Fei Zi’s. The blood veins shone with a shocking blood-red light on Su Ming’s body, as if it did not want to just stop at dyeing the cave red, it wanted to turn the cave into a sea of blood.
As his blood veins increased, a faint feeling of Awakening appeared at the bottom of Su Ming’s heart. This feeling gradually became clearer. An urge that seemed irresistible slowly formed, making him want to lift his arms and draw out his very own Berserker Mark!
At the same moment as the blood veins in Su Ming’s body continued increasing, the people who were near the mountain cave in the hidden grounds and could not leave turned pale. Their expressions were overcome with terror; they were nearing their limits.
Once they could not resist it any longer, what awaited them was their bodies exploding and the blood veins being sucked out!
"This… is… a Berserker who attained completion of the Blood Solidification Realm Awakening!"
Some of the people had already guessed the answer. Yet once they did, they lost their courage to continue resisting. Deep despair rose within their hearts.
A normal Berserker Awakening would not cause such a change in the weather and would usually quietly choose a safe place to Awaken. Only those who had attained completion in the Awakening Realm would evoke such a change in their surroundings. At the same time, anyone who got too close and did not have a similar amount of blood veins as that person would crumble and break down, like how a sword shatters when it strikes a piece of jade, the moment he successfully Awakened.
Every single person had their eyes trained on the place, but that would not save the nearly 100 people who were dragged into this.
Su Ming’s breathing grew rapid. His right hand rose up slowly. The feeling of Awakening became even stronger and more distinct. He was even certain that if he wanted to, he could Awaken at that very moment!
However…
‘I haven’t found the materials suitable for me to synthesize my Origin Awakened Berserker Vessel. If I Awaken now, I can only use the item left behind by He Feng… Also, I have a feeling that if I suppress the urge to Awaken, my blood veins… will still increase!’
Su Ming’s right hand was trembling. He needed an incredible amount of willpower to suppress the urge to Awaken. A brilliant s.h.i.+ne appeared in his eyes. Within that s.h.i.+ne was resolve and ambition!
‘963 blood veins only allows me to attain completion for the Blood Solidification Realm… I don’t want to Awaken at completion. If I’m going to Awaken, then I’ll try and manifest more than 980 blood veins to attain great completion for the Blood Solidification Realm!
‘If I don’t want to Awaken, then I’ll leave it at that, but if I Awaken, then I will make sure I have no regrets!
‘I only lack Sky Flute Branch for Spirit Plunder now. Tranquil East Tribe is searching for it for me. The isolation grounds for Han Mountain’s ancestor’s might be in disarray now, but if they want to get it, it shouldn’t be a problem for them.
‘If I Awaken, I wonder if this Spirit Plunder can serve as my Origin Berserker Vessel! I can’t rush into this… I can’t rush…’
Su Ming’s eyes flashed and veins popped out on his face as he suppressed his urge to Awaken. He forced his right hand down.
The instant he forced his right hand down, his body suddenly started trembling violently. Booming sounds reverberated through the air. Suppressing that urge was akin to forcefully quelling lava that was originally going to erupt. Yet by doing so, it naturally made the explosive power that was stored in his body become stronger.
Rumbling sounds echoed in the air, and Su Ming immediately felt as if his body was going to be torn apart. Going against the urge to Awaken and reversing the process of Awakening to gain more blood veins was an act that was clearly not allowed.
As the rumbling sounds started in his body, Su Ming’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth started bleeding, but his eyes just became brighter.
"I will decide when I want to Awaken, not nature, and not any deity!" Su Ming muttered, and the moment he did so, his blood veins increased instantly by 10. They went from 963 straight to 973!
It only continued from there, 974, 975, 976…
As his blood veins increased, that feeling as if he was being torn apart became stronger, but Su Ming could sense that with each additional blood vein, his strength once he Awakened would increase.
Once the blood veins in his body increased to 979 and he only needed one more vein before he attained great completion of the Blood Solidification Realm, that urge calling him to Awaken came cras.h.i.+ng into his will like a wave, making him instinctively lift his right hand once again.
At that moment in the world outside, the strange phenomenon in the sky grew in size. The clouds tumbled out in all directions and let out rumbling sounds. The golden light was so bright it was piercing, and it looked as if it was going to turn into the statue of a deity!
The nearly 100 people who sat cross-legged in the hidden grounds located in the canyons and were resisting the pressure were bleeding out of their mouths. Their eyes were filled with despair.
In the mountain cave, Su Ming stared at his raised right hand with a cold look and said slowly, "So, this is Awakening? It’s like some sort of summoning… but today, I will not Awaken! This is my will!"
Su Ming lifted his head and stared above as if he saw through the mountain cave the faint statue of a deity slowly materializing in the sky.
"Fine control!"
Su Ming closed his eyes. His blood veins stopped increasing abruptly at 979, and with fine control, they started quelling down from their irritable state, going into hiding one after another.
"I will decide my own fate!
"I rarely hanker after things, but that’s not because I’m don’t have any desires. If I’m going to go for something, then I’ll definitely aim high!"
Su Ming wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth, then a cold smirk appeared on his lips.