As the fragments from the wish pearl converged in the air, they began to form a single, opaque but hollow object about the size of a fist. The golden and azure light of the celestial river below shone through.
The androgynous voice, ever-present throughout the trials, spoke again, projecting a tone of finality, "Congratulations, Lassim. You have collected all the fragments of the wish pearl. This object holds the power to grant you any reward you wish for, one intertwined with the laws of fate itself and bound to you alone.
You may wish for any divine ranked battle technique, or perhaps a special evolving armor to grow with you in future battles, or literally any other item you so desire. The wish pearl will find something best suited to you using its unique weaving of the laws of fate. Even the gods cannot interfere with what it chooses to reward you."
Lassim felt like the other options were good ideas, but he knew what he needed most. He needed to advance and required a divine item to do so. The trials had pushed him to his limits, and if he was to survive what lay ahead with the eventual clashes against the Abyssal will, he had to continue his cultivation and break through to the next step, the Spirit Ascension stage.
"Thank you. I would like to wish for something that will allow me to break through to the Spirit Ascension realm, as my soul crystal is too sturdy and hard with my divine mana," Lassim said firmly, his voice resonating across the zone.
The wish pearl in the air began to glow, reacting to his request, its light growing brighter and brighter until it became a miniature beacon of light. A chain of some kind flickered for a brief moment between Lassim’s heart and the object before turning invisible once more.
The hollow object then expanded, its size increasing nearly fivefold as something began to take shape within. Lassim watched in awe as the light intensified, swirling around the forming object in the center.
Finally, the bright pearl gently floated back down into Lassim’s hands. The light began to fade, and as it did, the outer shell of the wish pearl flaked away into pieces, disintegrating into dust as the energy within it was fully consumed.
What remained in Lassim’s hands was a large scale—no ordinary scale, but one that seemed to shift and flow with a living energy. It was an iridescent azure blue, almost like a fish scale one moment, then morphing to resemble the scale of some other sea beast the next. It was as if the scale had belonged to multiple creatures combined into one.
Lassim marveled at the object, sensing its immense power and connection to water mana. But before he could examine it further, the androgynous voice returned.
"[You have done well, Lassim,]" the voice congratulated him, "[This scale is your reward, a gift from the wish pearl. As the fate laws dictate, it shall help you achieve your goal, though how you use it is for you to discover. My advice once more, do what feels right. May we meet again someday.]"
Before Lassim could ask any questions, the world around him began to shift. The vibrant, glowing trial ground and celestial river and sensation of being watched and applauded blurred and then faded away. In an instant, he found himself back in the underground cave, standing before the entrance to the Water God’s trial.
The transition was so abrupt that Lassim barely had time to register it. He glanced around, realizing he was standing in the same spot where he had first entered the trial.
The podium in front of him hummed softly before spitting out the obelisk fragment he had used to gain access.
The fragment felt different now, weakened, as if it could only be used one more time before disintegrating entirely.
"One more use," Lassim murmured, running his fingers over the fragment. He could feel its fragility, the sensation that it would fall apart after one more activation. "I reckon this is enough for a return trip back to the sect. Thanks for not making me walk all the way back from wherever this place is!"
He tucked the fragment away, but instead of immediately preparing to leave, Lassim paused.
He realized that this location, deep within the cave and away from the distractions of the outside world, might be the perfect place to advance. The serenity and isolation would allow him to focus entirely on the process without interference. Plus, he was ultimately just way too eager to finally advance.
Lassim sat cross-legged on the cavern floor, placing the scale in front of him. It had been the longest he’d waited to advance a single level in his entire cultivation journey so far. He wasn’t sure how many months had passed since he first entered the trial; heck, he was probably a few months past his 15th birthday at this point with the time spent, but it didn’t matter. He felt ready.
The time spent within the trial, combined with his many earlier months of preparation, had brought him to this moment. His rendition of the Leviathan constellation was nearly life-like, and with confidence, he knew that the moment to create it had finally arrived.
But first, he had to figure out how to use the scale.
He picked it up, examining it closely, trying to sense what he was supposed to do. The scale was smooth and cool to the touch, radiating a faint but potent energy. Lassim hesitated, unsure if he should eat it or try something else.
Taking the voice’s suggestion on what feels right quite literally, on a whim, he bit into it, but the scale was far too hard, and his teeth barely left a scratch. It also left a distinctively salty flavor that covered his tongue and lips.
"[That’s not it,]" Lassim thought, shaking his head at his own silliness.
He decided to try charging it with mana instead. As he infused the scale with his energy, it began to glow softly, but still, nothing significant happened.
Frustration started to creep in, but Lassim refused to give up.
"Come on," he urged the scale, "Help me advance to the Spirit Ascension stage!"
The moment the words left his lips, the scale pulsed with a powerful surge of energy as if sentient or being controlled.
It vanished from his hands, reappearing inside his heart world and moving swiftly toward his soul crystal.
Lassim immediately entered a deep meditative state, focusing all his attention on controlling and guiding the scale as it approached his soul crystal.
As the scale drew closer, it began to expand, growing larger and more malleable. He could feel how soft it now was with his spirit sense, almost fluid-like, and Lassim carefully maneuvered it to cover every millimeter of his soul crystal.
The crystal glowed with an intense azure light as the scale fused with it, wrapping around it like a protective shell.
Lassim felt an overwhelming pressure focus on him for some reason as the fusion continued, but he remained calm, focusing on the task at hand.
The scale seemed to be integrating itself into his soul crystal, altering its very structure. After a few more moments, the scale had completely disappeared, leaving behind a soul crystal that now bore the same odd, shifting texture as the scale.
"[This is it,]" Lassim thought, preparing himself for the advancement.
He then spent a few moments concentrating in meditation to allow his progenitor marks to work speedily, restoring his divine mana back to full capacity as it had been drained from the final battle.
Once he was ready, he followed the procedures he had read about in the books, gathering his mana and striking his soul crystal with it.
The reaction was immediate. The entire crystal shattered into millions of tiny fragments, each one glowing with a pure, blinding white light.
Lassim felt a sense of urgency—as the books had dictated—he was on a time limit to get everything into place before the dust ran out of energy. This was the most dangerous part of the process.
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He quickly began shaping the fragments, gathering them together to form the image he had committed to memory. The shape was the life-like Leviathan, riding a massive tsunami wave, breaking free of chains.
The level of detail was unprecedented, the most realistic and intricate constellation ever seen in Nexaria. No one had ever created a soul constellation so special, so unique. They hadn’t ever needed to wait so long before shattering their soul crystals on the first or second attempt.
Why would anyone spend months or half a year or longer like Lassim had been forced to if they could just immediately and easily advance to the next glorious and respected stage of Spirit Ascension?
But just as the last piece of glowing soul dust slid into place, Lassim felt something shift.
That massive pressure he had felt earlier suddenly became an overwhelming weight, a presence that felt like it could crush the entire world, focused on him.
His heart world trembled under the pressure, and Lassim’s full attention snapped towards where the constellation had formed.
In that moment, a figure appeared next to the Leviathan constellation. A naked woman with fish-like fin features across her body and slithering long tail behind her appeared; her presence radiating an aura of immense power. Her eyes, as deep and shifting as the ocean itself, fixed on Lassim with a mixture of disdain and curiosity.
With a voice that echoed with the roar of a million sea beasts, yet softened by a feminine tone, she spoke, "[Tsk. Tsk. When do you water parasites ever learn... Now, what’s so special about you…,]"
She turned from staring with her vertical slit eyes at Lassim towards his newly formed constellation, "[HUH!?... If you dared to use my likeness, at least make it accurate! These scales here are all wrong, and my wings should be much more terrifying than this. All of this is wrong! However, I do like you adding the breaking of the chains…]"