Chapter 111: True Heir of Great Master Bo

Setting the journal carefully back on the desk, An frowned and looked up at the ceiling. 'So I'm in the Lower World? And the journal's owner, apparently a woman, came from the Upper World...'

'No civilization from another planet or continent. Hmm.'

Tapping his fingers quietly on the desk, he closed his eyes. 'Sealing off direct access to the planet... maybe that refers to whatever method the journal's owner and her people used to get here in the first place.'

'Hm, I wonder how travel between worlds actually worked. Probably something like teleportation portals, just far more advanced... Because based on what the journal said, the owner was born in the Upper World.'

'So how does the split between Upper and Lower even work? By the age of the galaxy? By Qi concentration? Or by some kind of racial classification, going by the journal owner's own words...'

'Usually in the stories I've read, a cultivator needs to reach a certain realm to break through the barrier between worlds and reach the realm of “immortals”... Hm, or is the only way to travel between the Upper and Lower World through this so-called direct access?' Leaning back against the chair, An opened his eyes and looked up again, picturing the starry sky he saw every day back at the sect.

'Planet V-90A... Well, even if there's no way to reach this Upper World... let's be honest, what does it even matter to me? I'm just a cultivator who barely broke through to Foundation Establishment. Even if I wanted information on how to get up there, I'd only ever be able to pry it out of cultivators standing at the very top of their sects...'

'So really, I've only got one option, forget about it, at least until I can match cultivation with someone like a sect leader from one of the Four Alliance sects... assuming I don't die first, of course.'

Manipulating the neutral Qi around him, An swiveled the chair 180 degrees, facing a wooden cabinet.

Even before opening it, he could already tell from its Qi flows that it used the same principle as a spatial ring, its interior space expanded far beyond what the cabinet's frame suggested. Swinging the doors open, he found hundreds of rows of clothing. 'So many dresses. Then again, this really was a woman... or a man with some very specific tastes.'

Pulling out thousands of outfits, some far too revealing for public wear, he managed to find two more small notebooks, though to his disappointment, both were empty.

Digging through the mountain of clothes, he managed to find a few neutral pieces, shirts and pants that gave no clue as to which gender they were meant for. Without much thought, he tossed them into his white ring, figuring that given the rate he kept losing his own clothes, whatever he'd stocked up on back at the sect might not be enough.

Closing the cabinet, he stood up and looked at the armchair, unable to decide whether to bring it along or leave it behind. In the end, unable to resist, he pulled it into his ring too.

Looking around one more time, An confirmed he hadn't missed a single strange Qi flow that might've hidden something interesting.

He headed straight for the exit.

Climbing the stairs, he suddenly remembered something. 'Strange that this laboratory didn't have a teleportation device linking to the white candidate room... Or maybe I just couldn't find it, same as with the incubator laboratory. Who knows…'

….

"Outstanding! Congratulations on such a brilliant result! Candidate Mo Fan!"

Feeling a faint ache in his temples, Mo Fan struggled to open his eyes after yet another teleportation and found the now-familiar hologram in front of him, the same one that had sent him off on his last trial not long ago.

Looking down at his own trembling hands, Mo Fan let out a breath of relief. 'Just a little longer and I wouldn't have made it! Only thanks to the system's spatial inventory could I keep replenishing my strength, constantly eating pills, and that radar showing gaps in the formation... Damn, that's the only reason I lasted this long! All thanks to you, system...'

Lifting his gaze, ignoring the hologram's warm smile, he peered past her shoulder at the three other figures standing there.

All three belonged to the demonic path, and were candidates just like him.

Of the three, only one young woman was unfamiliar to him. Tall, with a figure that could stop your breath, especially in that black, form-fitting outfit made partly of leather. Every time Mo Fan looked into her blue eyes, his heart skipped, and the moment she brushed back her dark, wavy hair, his knees went weak.

The first time he'd been teleported into this white room and laid eyes on her, he'd nearly frozen in place, never having seen a woman so beautiful, so mesmerizing. From the hologram's earlier chatter, he'd managed to catch her name through his own scattered thoughts: Wu Xin.

The other two were cultivators he'd already crossed paths with. One was Dors Sern, core disciple of the Blood Moon Sect, bastard son of the Sect Leader Blood Hand himself.

The second, the moment Mo Fan recognized him, he nearly lunged straight at him, only for the hologram to stop him in time. Lu Shen, disciple of the Free Night Sect, the demonic disciple who'd dared kill his good friend right in front of him, Hart Alia. A friend he'd had so many plans for, so many hopes.

….

The moment every disciple present heard the hologram's words of congratulations, aimed at the only righteous disciple among them, Dors Sern's face darkened at once. Lu Shen, by contrast, watched him calmly, the same way he’d shown when Mo Fan lunged at him earlier, clearly turning something over in his mind.

The most unexpected reaction came from Wu Xin. She studied Mo Fan closely, a strange interest flickering in her eyes.

….

"Candidates!" Dissolving before their eyes, the hologram reappeared a short distance away, instantly pulling every bit of attention toward herself. She pressed her hands together in front of her chest and looked over all four of them with a smile.

"Only one trial remains before you! A trial that tests your very character! Your will, your ambition to stand at the summit, beside true greatness! Beside the Heavens themselves, and Great Master Bo!" Turning her back to them, she raised both hands.

Crack!

The white wall behind her split apart, revealing a view of a volcanic crater, a staircase running right up its center, climbing toward the sky.

"My creator! My great forefather! Great Master Bo built this final trial with his own miraculous hands! Only the Great Master could have conceived of such a thing! Only he possesses a mind this brilliant!" Turning back to face them, the hologram's eyes carried the look of a long-lost fanatic, her very structure flickering at the peak of glorifying her creator.

"So the one and true heir will be whoever climbs the highest?" For the first time, Mo Fan heard her voice, soft and gentle, yet somehow cold at once, like a warm, fine rain falling on a scorching day.

Looking over at Wu Xin, Mo Fan faltered slightly, caught off guard to find her gaze already on him, and that faint smile on her lips.

'A smile like that could conquer kingdoms. And honestly, why deny it, it's already conquered my heart.' Fighting to keep a composed, unbothered expression, Mo Fan pushed back the improper thoughts that smile, capable of hypnotizing anyone, kept stirring up.

Seeing the strange look on his face, Wu Xin nearly laughed out loud, but held it back and turned her attention to the hologram instead.

"Candidate Wu Xin! You are absolutely correct! Well said!" Nodding a few times, the hologram turned to the others. "Every step tests your will. Every step, a new trial. Every step, both your new fear and your old one!"

Spreading her arms wide, her expression suddenly turned serious and cold, the flat affect of the machine she truly was showing through. "Show Great Master Bo exactly what his heirs are capable of! Prove yourselves worthy of his attention! Attention equal to that of the Heavens themselves! Go!"

Whooosh!

Before any of them could even fully process her words, all four were teleported to the base of the first step.

Looking around, Mo Fan realized the width of the staircase was split into four separate lanes, divided by walls of formation.

Glancing right, he saw Wu Xin looking back at him too.

Catching his gaze on her, she smiled, gave a small wave, and started climbing the stairs.

'Wu Xin...' Getting lost in the sight of her once again, watching her climb the steps with such grace, Mo Fan drifted for a moment. 'No! Not the time for this. I need to start climbing. Once I've won, then there'll be time for Wu Xin.'

Reaching the first step, he looked it over and nodded to himself. 'Alright, system! Your turn now. Don't let me down.'

Lifting a foot and setting it firmly on the first step, Mo Fan felt his shoulders suddenly grow heavier, and an instant later, the pressure vanished, as if it had never been there at all. 'Heh! Just as I thought, that's pressure from energy. My system's handled things like this before, easily. Thanks to its functions, I've avoided freezing up under crushing pressure or energy effects plenty of times.'

Smirking, lowering his head so no one would notice anything off, he started climbing the steps, one after another.

'Probably better to slow down a little... Might look suspicious otherwise. Who knows if the hologram has some hidden motive.'

Taking his time, Mo Fan kept climbing, deliberately dialing back his pace, staying just behind the other three.

.

.

After several hours of nonstop climbing, Dors Sern was the first to start showing signs of weakness.

'H-how is this happening... I-I have to hold on... I can't give up!' Glancing around, seeing his three rivals still holding relatively steady expressions, Dors Sern started to panic a little. 'The blood of the Blood Hand runs through me! The Sect Leader's own blood! I can't disgrace him! I have to, no matter what, climb h-higher than the rest!'

….

Behind him, dead last, Mo Fan climbed slowly, stepping onto each stair, pausing briefly, then moving on.

'My master told me Devil Bo isn't really who everyone thinks he is. He's just some collective figurehead for a faction from the Upper World... and our planet belongs to them, forgotten property, basically, like some old country lot my grandparents left me back when I lived my first life on the Blue Planet.'

Stopping on another step, Mo Fan looked up. 'He also keeps telling me representatives from there are coming soon to pick a few promising disciples from every sect. That I need to make it to the Upper World. He's always pushing me to cultivate, to master techniques, to try to understand Qi... like I even need any of that.'

'I've got a system that'll open every door, every possibility, for me. If I'm not worthy of being one of these promising disciples, heh... then no one is!'

'One way or another, I'll end up in the Upper World. I know it, that's my destiny, my path to stand above the Heavens themselves!' Lowering his head, he kept climbing. 'Ever since I learned about the Upper World, my desire to get there hasn't faded at all, if anything, it just keeps growing. With my talent, and my system, there's no doubt they'll notice me!'

'Together with you, system! I'll achieve absolutely anything I want!' Clenching his fists until they went white, imagining the moment he'd finally stand in the Upper World, he started picking up his pace.

"Hm?" Dors Sern suddenly sensed something and looked to the side. Watching Mo Fan overtake him with ease, dropping him into last place, he very nearly lost his balance and fell. 'H-how?! I can't let this happen!'

Gathering every bit of strength he had left, Dors Sern sped up too, trying to catch back up.

But the harder he pushed, the further Mo Fan pulled ahead, leaving him further and further behind. 'I-I can't lose! H-how am I supposed to crush that bitch, Mo Uer, wh-who's always hanging around my father, if I can't even beat some righteous bastard?! Pathetic! Pull yourself together!'

Moving with an easy grace, hopping from step to step, Wu Xin suddenly turned her head, sensing something behind her.

"Oh? I was wondering when the only righteous candidate among us would finally show what he's really capable of." Watching Mo Fan draw closer, Wu Xin hid her smile behind one hand and caught his gaze, staring intently into his black eyes, trying to read the shift in his emotions. "You know, I was starting to get a little disappointed, thinking you'd really end up trailing behind in last place forever..."

Drawing closer to her, hearing her soft, alluring voice worming its way into his mind, looping like some kind of spell, crowding out every other thought except the desire to hear it just once more, to drown in it.

'A-a voice amplified by a charm technique?' Snapping back quickly, Mo Fan slowed slightly.

'The system managed to dispel her charm! If not, I would've been in serious trouble!' Shaking it off, he sped back up, nearly drawing level with her.

Watching him closely, seeing his eyes return to normal, Wu Xin looked genuinely surprised. "Hmm, you managed to break my technique that fast? You really are a genius, exactly like my master said..."

Drawing even with her, Mo Fan smirked. "Though your technique is strong, and I wouldn't mind drowning in the illusion of that intoxicating voice of yours, just not here, and not now." Casting one last glance her way, he overtook her and pulled ahead.

Watching his back, she covered her mouth slightly with one hand, but made sure her next words carried clearly. "Mo Fan, oh Mo Fan, you just keep getting more and more interesting. Maybe my master was right, this world really is full of fated encounters."

Closing her eyes and whispering something, Wu Xin kissed her own palm, opened her eyes again, and blew.

Instantly, a nearly transparent projection of lips shot forward at tremendous speed, passing straight through the formation's wall without any trouble at all, and attached itself to Mo Fan's clothes.

Seeing her technique had worked, she smiled and continued climbing at her own steady pace.

Climbing higher still, neither Mo Fan nor his system noticed a thing. His entire focus stayed locked on the back of the last of the three ahead of him.

Mo Fan's expression turned serious at once, unconcealed killing intent leaking from his eyes.

Drawing level with him, Mo Fan didn't even look his way, afraid he might lose control. "Lu Shen. The moment I claim the inheritance, I'll find you, wherever you are."

Pulling several steps ahead, he added, almost a whisper, but pitched just loud enough to be heard. "And I'll take that filthy head of yours off your shoulders."

….

Trailing behind, Lu Shen, weighed down by the trial's crushing Qi pressure, couldn't afford to open his mouth, afraid of wasting what little strength he had left. 'Ugh! I need to keep my inner balance... It's already clear I won't be taking first place. Eh... unfortunately my strength's running out, but that doesn't mean I don't have a plan for getting out of here if it comes down to it. Just need to hold my balance... and keep moving forward.'

Feeling the back ahead of him grow farther and farther away, a cruel, crooked smirk spread across Lu Shen's face. 'The moment I get out of this Sacred Land, the first thing I'll do is tell my master and my clan all about you. And then you're finished.'

'My family controls three whole Assassin Leagues! I only need to say your name once... every last Mo Fan in this entire lower world will lose their lives in a single night!' Eyes burning, savoring the thought of what was to come, Lu Shen couldn't even hide his bloodlust in that moment. 'Besides... I still need to decide what to do about my Immortal Flame. Should I believe what that wanderer told me, or was he trying to mess with my head? So much time's passed, and that thought still won't leave me alone...'

"Hey, Brother Lu. Don't you think you're radiating a bit too much negativity?" Lu Shen was caught off guard by a soft voice behind him. Turning, he found Wu Xin already just a few steps behind him.

Drawing level with him, she only spared him a glance. "Maybe that's exactly why Junior Sister Shishi broke off your arranged marriage?"

Hearing that, Lu Shen nearly boiled over, a hair's breadth from lunging at her, completely ignoring the formation wall standing between them.

"Eh, like I said, way too much negativity..." Shaking her head, she kept climbing, leaving him standing there, face red, veins bulging across his whole body from sheer fury.

….

Deciding to slow back down again, Mo Fan climbed steadily but carefully, never forgetting to look like the climb was growing harder and harder for him.

.

.

Nearly two more hours into this performance, he finally reached the second-to-last step.

Right past the final step stood a barrier, patterns of shimmering color drifting across its surface.

Clenching his fists and taking a breath, Mo Fan stepped forward, straight through the barrier, and crossed it without any resistance at all.

"Congratulations, true heir of Great Master Bo!"

The moment he passed through the formation, instead of an empty platform, an endless expanse opened up in front of him. The hologram appeared beside him, along with a stone pedestal holding an open book.

Smiling, hands folded at her chest, the hologram bowed deeply toward Mo Fan.

Glancing back, he noticed the other three, still climbing the stairs, had slowed considerably. Watching the flows of lava rise and fall outside, he realized time itself seemed to be moving slower out there.

"True heir, this is a separate chamber running on accelerated time flow. A brilliant technology, developed by Great Master Bo himself!" Following his gaze, the hologram offered the explanation at once.

"If you please!" Gesturing toward the book, she took a few steps back.

Studying the pedestal from a distance, he finally stepped forward and approached it.

Mo Fan looked down at the open book, specifically its table of contents. "Knowledge and Understanding. Crimson Inferno Federation. Volume 1."

On some instinctive level, he knew he needed to touch the book.

Reaching out, he pressed his palm against it. A flood of information immediately began pouring into his mind.

"AgH!" Grabbing his head with his free hand, he doubled over in pain.

Trying to mentally command his system to shut off the pain, it ended just as fast as it had started.

"A-ah!" Once the transfer of information finished, the book released his hand, and he collapsed to the ground from the shock, both hands now clutching his head.

"Congratulations, true heir Mo Fan!" Dropping to her knees in front of him, bowing until her forehead touched the stone floor, the hologram froze in that position.

A few seconds later, finally regaining his senses, Mo Fan looked at the still-bowing hologram.

'S-so much knowledge. It'll take forever just to sort through all of it. Sigh... shame the system doesn't have a function for that- Hm? Wait! Really?! You actually have something like that?' A smile suddenly spread across his face.

'Great, sort it all by category and let me know once you're done.' Feeling his head grow considerably lighter, the pain fading sharply, Mo Fan frowned again.

Somewhere in that flood of information, he'd caught something about the privileges he was now entitled to, as the recognized true heir.

Getting to his feet and straightening his robes, "Teleport me to the control room." He looked at the hologram and gave the command.

"Command accepted. Executing." A flat, mechanical voice suddenly rang out from nowhere.

Whoosh!

Recovering from the teleportation, Mo Fan opened his eyes and walked up to a metal table surrounded by hundreds of screens. "Sector-"

Closing his eyes, he pulled up the map that had been transferred to him through the book. "Sector A6-E11. Show every day of footage from this space, starting from when the Sacred Land opened this time." The moment he gave the command, every screen lit up at once, each showing the exact same location, just on different days.

"Stop! Track the person in this frame." Spotting someone running past one of the surveillance devices feeding the footage, his face tensed, and he gave the command.

Every camera instantly synced to the same recording, a girl carrying a metal hammer, several disciples around her sacrificing themselves, giving her a chance to escape.

"Track her." Giving the next command, the recording started playing, the screens shifting to follow her without ever losing sight of her. 'Ru Meng... I'll find out what happened to you!'