Chapter 212 - Round 3 & 4

Hundreds of Celestial Jades floated through the air, their faint golden and violet radiance lighting up the dim surroundings. Seated cross-legged at the center of the circular stone platform, between the upper and lower arrays, Cale kept his eyes tightly shut.

With a calm expression, he released his spiritual sense and carefully examined the formations around him.

One after another, the Celestial Jades and seals were set into their designated positions, feeding the arrays an abundant source of energy.

Cale focused first on the nearest formation, slowly establishing control over its patterns before shifting his consciousness to the second.

Taking control of even a single ancient array was no easy feat, let alone two at the same time. The first array was composed of eighteen spiritual seals, interwoven with a staggering 102 circles and intricate patterns. The second was no less complicated, consisting of thirty-two spiritual seals and ninety-one circles and patterns. It was an odd combination, with each formation possessing its own complex structure and its own way of circulating energy.

For an ordinary cultivator, comprehending even one of these arrays would have been an enormous undertaking, one that would drain all of their essence. The sheer amount of origin essence needed just to establish control was equally terrifying. Anyone with even slightly less reserve would have been completely depleted before finishing the first array.

Yet Cale continued without hesitation.

Fortunately, skills like Analyze made such seemingly impossible tasks considerably easier. With each array he studied and controlled, his understanding of formations deepened, and he could decipher their intricate structures with growing efficiency. What would have taken others countless hours of painstaking effort was gradually becoming manageable for him.

Slowly opening his eyes, he smiled. "It’s done. Not entirely, but ninety percent or somewhat more is under my control. I’ll have to deal with the rest as I go forward."

He walked forward, and the moment he stepped beneath the upper formation, hundreds of weapons shot toward him.

"Arsenal of Infinite Heavens..."

Hundreds of portals opened directly above him, spreading out like a ceiling. Each one was a void space, swallowing the weapons as they came in.

"This is a good opportunity to stock up on weapons too."

As he stepped onto the magic formation at the very end, the entire area transformed into an enormous frozen landscape. Jagged ice formations stretched across the surroundings, their translucent surfaces shimmering with an intense cyan-blue radiance. At the center rose a colossal pillar of ice, climbing high into the air like a towering crystal monument. Its surface was covered in intricate, naturally formed layers of ice, and its summit spread outward into dozens of sharp, blade-like projections, resembling a frozen crown. A faint mist drifted through the landscape, lending the scene an ethereal quality.

As Cale completed the trial, he felt the power of ice within his body surge. His affinity and control over the element had improved tremendously, bringing it nearly on par with his mastery over flame. The rewards had far exceeded his expectations.

"Hmm... so it isn’t an ice element as such, but the water cauldron’s percentage does rise with it. It’s up to three percent."

Before Cale could properly react, the scenery around him suddenly shifted.

’That was it? Did this level have nothing else to offer?’

He was thrown into the next trial ground without warning, his body plummeting through the air. Something unexpected happened along the way, though. Another person had been transported alongside him.

Cale adjusted his posture and landed safely. The other individual was not nearly as fortunate. He crashed onto the ground and sprawled out, groaning.

Looking around, Cale found himself in a completely different landscape. Towering blue-green rock formations surrounded the area, their surfaces covered in thick vegetation and patches of moss. Lush grass grew between the uneven stones, and enormous trees and dense foliage filled the background. Streams of shimmering blue and violet light descended from above, bathing everything in an almost mystical glow. The atmosphere was far calmer than the previous trial grounds, though something about the place still felt unsettling.

His gaze eventually shifted to the unfortunate fellow who had landed beside him, and his expression changed slightly.

"Ugh..."

It was Roan.

Of all the people to end up here with, Cale hadn’t expected that one. Still, it looked like the real trials had begun, given that they were in an open world rather than the tower’s selection chambers.

Seeing Roan sprawled helplessly on the ground, Cale found the sight a little amusing. Nevertheless, he extended a hand. "Oi, can you get up?"

From Roan’s perspective, however, the scene looked entirely different.

As he lifted his head, the first thing he saw was Cale standing against the brilliant light filtering down through the sky. Cale’s long hair swayed gently in the breeze, his handsome features softened by the radiance, and his outstretched hand seemed almost divine.

For a brief moment, Roan forgot how to breathe.

’...An angel? Wait, is this what it feels like to be chosen by fate? He’s even extending his hand toward me... Could this be a proposal?’

Roan shook his head, trying to clear away his impure thoughts.

’Good heavens! If this is a dream, I never want to wake up!’

He stared at the offered hand, then slowly raised his gaze to Cale’s face, a peculiar smile beginning to form on his lips. He had clearly misread the situation entirely.

Cale sighed inwardly. ’If not for the advantages of your position, I would have killed you myself!’

Roan practically sprang to his feet and grabbed Cale’s hand with both of his own. His face lit up with an enormous grin, and he held on as though he had just found an amusing new toy.

"Thank you! You’re truly a lifesaver!"

Cale blinked, slightly taken aback by the enthusiasm. He tried to withdraw his hand, but Roan showed no intention of letting go. If anything, Roan’s delight grew as he gazed at Cale, still holding on tightly.

It wasn’t until Cale gave his hand a firm shake that Roan finally loosened his grip. "You go your way, I’ll go mine, alright?"

Roan couldn’t help feeling that this encounter was turning out to be the luckiest moment of his life.

"Can’t we go together?"

Cale sighed. "Oh, come on. I can feel a strong hint of a lightning pool around here, and it should be helpful to me. But what about you?"

Roan thought for a while, then smiled. "I’ll protect you from invaders, then."

Cale narrowed his eyes. "Will you, now?"

’Who knows what this guy would do if I close my eyes.’

As Cale continued deeper into the area, he began noticing the remains of numerous ancient structures scattered across the land. Some were little more than broken pillars, while others appeared to have once been enormous buildings, now reduced to crumbling walls and collapsed foundations. Despite their ruined state, traces of former grandeur could still be seen in the intricate carvings covering their surfaces.

However, one thing was common to almost all of them- dragons.

Whether carved into ancient pillars, engraved upon stone walls, or depicted in faded murals, images of dragons were everywhere.

It wasn’t particularly surprising, considering that Vaeloria had once been a continent ruled by dragons. What Cale hadn’t expected was for the inheritance itself to have some connection to them. His original objective was simply to complete the formation of his Lightning Cauldron. Anything beyond that would be an unexpected bonus. If this place also held some kind of ancient dragon inheritance, it would undoubtedly be a considerable gain.

Meanwhile, Roan remained unusually quiet, following a few steps behind Cale without saying a word.

’This place sure has some secrets, huh.’

Roan called from behind him. "Hey, look, there’s something here."

Cale turned around to find Roan pointing at something partially buried in the ground. It was another broken pillar, but unlike the others, its surface was covered in rows of strange writing.

Cale approached and brushed away some of the dust before studying the inscriptions.

"Carvings and drawings are simply part of human instinct. Even prehistoric people did them quite often, but this writing..."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the unfamiliar characters.

"Oh, I remember this."

In his previous life, Cale had taken the time to learn numerous languages, and this was one of them, or rather, an very very ancient predecessor of a language he had once studied. The problem was that this version was considerably older. Over the countless years, many words had shifted their meanings, while others had evolved into entirely different expressions. A direct translation could easily lead to misunderstandings.

Still, being able to recognize the language was already a promising start.

Using telekinesis, Cale lifted the long, broken pillar out of the ground. Dust and loose soil crumbled away as the massive piece of stone slowly rose into the air. On closer inspection, its surface appeared to be made of quartz, with a faint crystalline sheen that caught the surrounding light.

Cale steadied it, brought it closer, and began reading the inscriptions.

After deciphering the first few characters, his expression turned somewhat peculiar.

The very first line was surprisingly amusing.

[It’s all gone... we’re all dead...]

"What a cheerful way to begin... where’s the dear diary?"