Chapter 197: Chapter 196: Carry On My Will
At the end of the staircase, an ancient palace spread out into view, like a ruin at the bottom of the sea. This palace, however, was buried beneath the seafloor, and the stairs led to it through a dark passage.
Warriors from the various tribes stood guard at the entrance, watching as the chosen geniuses from their respective tribes crossed the boundary before the main hall, melting into an invisible membrane as if stepping into water.
The thirty-six tribal geniuses filed in, led by Hill, the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe, and Gold, the Chosen One from the West Ice Tribe.
Jiang Qiu glanced at Gold, but Gold ignored him, walking silently toward the depths of the hall. Fan paid neither of them any mind, quietly taking his place and following behind one of the groups.
The hall was submerged, yet there was no sense of suffocation. Jiang Qiu followed the others to the center of the hall, where he suddenly noticed a solid Square Stele inscribed with thirty-six names.
’Hill, Gold, Fan, Wall... Eight. Thirty-six in total.’
The thirty-six names corresponded to the thirty-six people here. ’The few Chosen Ones are listed at the very top. Is that a coincidence, or is there some underlying logic to it?’
’But without a doubt, this is the list of people who entered the Ancestral Ruins and have a chance to receive the ancestors’ inheritance.’
’Inside the Ancestral Ruins, you must not attack one another. Everyone will peacefully undergo the process to receive the ancestors’ inheritance. Those with purer Luminous Blood will receive a greater inheritance, while those with insufficient purity will still gain some small improvement.
’There will be a stele in the Ancestral Ruins that records the results of each person’s inheritance. That outcome will also foreshadow who possesses the ability to lead the Human Race...’
The rules the Leader had instructed them on along the way echoed in Jiang Qiu’s mind. He stopped to study the Square Stele, but didn’t find anything unusual about it.
Just then, a weathered, ancient voice washed over them from all directions: "Successors, inherit my will."
CLICK—
Suddenly, the hall’s floor was ripped out from under them. Crimson flames surged up from the chasm below. Before the shocked geniuses could even register that the hall was hollow, they had all plunged into water. Only the central pillar supporting the Square Stele remained standing firm.
GLUG...
Caught off guard, Jiang Qiu flailed in the water. Surging currents of scalding water battered his chest and limbs. His wide-open eyes reflected an endless sea of fire.
An orange-red horizon replaced the view of the dim, dilapidated hall. He was submerged, yet he couldn’t see the bottom. Though they had all fallen in together, he was completely alone; the only landmark in sight was the pillar.
The Square Stele on the pillar remained, only now the thirty-six names had been wiped clean. All that was left was the single character, ’Hill’, and nine dim, gray stripes.
[Absorbing Water of Origin]
’If I’m here, I’ll make peace with it.’
Jiang Qiu centered himself, closed his eyes, and spread his limbs naturally. He felt a mysterious energy in the pool’s water tugging at his soul, seemingly drawing out his deepest-seated power.
His progress within the Iron Flesh Realm was skyrocketing. The purity of his Luminous Blood also seemed to be shifting; the final bottleneck was breaking, and he was on the verge of a transformation.
The Water of Origin seeped into Jiang Qiu’s skin, while a faint, ethereal Fiery Flame Spirit Charm scoured his sinews. He could faintly grasp flames flowing within the water.
’These Ancestral Ruins don’t just have the Fiery Flame Spirit Charm, they even contain the aura of Origin!’
A jolt went through Jiang Qiu’s mind. He furrowed his brow, concentrating on the ethereal Origin deep within his consciousness. It was similar to the sliver he had seized from the Demon King, Chen.
’But this Origin seems purer... or rather, more compatible with my own Dao!’
...
As Jiang Qiu entered his pool of the Water of Origin, Gold entered his own. His golden hair floated in the currents of the Soul Ice-infused water, his blue eyes reflecting the Square Stele high above.
’The Ancestral Ruins of the Human Race... a pool of the Water of Origin that transcends time itself... And there’s Spirit Charm here, too?’
Gold opened his hand, letting the formless current stream past his eyes. He couldn’t absorb the slightest wisp of it; it was as if the Soul Ice Spirit Charm was merely for show, something he wasn’t meant to take in.
’After all, no one in the Northern Boundary can wield Spirit Charm anymore. Everyone is restricted by something, so it’s only natural that I can’t absorb the Spirit Charm here either.’
’Even so, the tempering effect of the Water of Origin is incredible. Soaking here for a while is more effective than using the best Treasures of Heaven and Earth our West Ice Tribe has to offer.’
’I can feel it... if I can just get through the trials of the Ancestral Ruins and completely absorb this power, I’ll be able to reach the Steel Bone Realm!’
’And with the additional boons from the ancestors, reaching the Jade Sinew Realm might even be possible!’
’The High Priest said there’s a Square Stele in the trial of the Water of Origin that indicates a participant’s potential,’ Gold mused, spreading his hands. ’The higher the concentration of one’s Luminous Blood, the greater the gifts received from the ancestors. I am a Chosen One with unprecedented talent, nurtured with the full backing of the strongest tribe in the Human Race. My Luminous Blood concentration should be optimal.
’The strongest Chosen One in history was Zhuang from the North Snow Tribe. With only a Bloodline Talent for brute strength, he received the Seven Stripes inheritance. I possess the power to control ice and snow. Why shouldn’t I be able to achieve the Eight Stripes inheritance—or even the unprecedented Nine Stripes and obtain the ancestors’ complete legacy!’
At the thought, Gold’s muscles bulged and his eyes turned bloodshot, as an endless torrent of the Water of Origin assaulted his body.
’I will face this trial of the ancestors with everything I have!’
...
An unknown amount of time passed. On the Square Stele, the character for ’Fan’ trembled. Floating in the Water of Origin, Fan’s cheek twitched and the muscles in his forearm spasmed violently.
’Ever since I entered the Northern Boundary, my life has been nothing but hardship. Even as a Chosen One, a status everyone envies and admires, I’m nothing compared to Jiang Qiu and the others.’
’The East Shore Tribe is a declining Main Vein Tribe with barely any resources. We’re only slightly better off than the minor tribes that broke away from the main branch, and we don’t even have the right to compare ourselves to the South Mountain Tribe.’
’To ensure the tribe’s survival and follow the "prevailing current," the Leader and the Priest chose to seek refuge with the most powerful tribe in the west—the West Ice Tribe.’
’When they found me, the Leader and even the Priest were ecstatic. For a while, they believed the East Shore Tribe would be restored to its former glory.’
’But gradually, as other Chosen Ones started to appear, my own potential was overshadowed again and again, until I became just another face in the crowd.’
Fan also hoped he could prove his talent as the foremost Sword Dao genius of Jiangnan and lead the East Shore Tribe to the pinnacle of history.
’Take Hill from the North Snow Tribe, for example. He’s supposedly a master of the spear—everyone knows that means Jiang Qiu. The guy’s talent for the Spear Dao is undeniable!’
’In fact, when the East Shore Tribe first brought me back and I learned what it meant to be a Chosen One, I was determined to lead this pitiful tribe back to the prosperity befitting a Main Vein Tribe.’
’Unfortunately, the East Shore Tribe had no swords. The few swords they eventually forged were never as effective as spears, and they had to rely on spears for hunting.’
’And my awakened Bloodline Talent is Sword Dao Perception...’
