Chapter 268: Heavenly Golden Flames of Hope Arts
Listen While Reading (Very Recommended): Classic of Mountains and Seas
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The Heavenly Empress imbued the Golden Flames of Hope into my strange soul, trying to refine my Cosmic Heart into a Heart of Hope. We both didn’t know what would happen, but she was confident it wouldn’t endanger my life at the very least.
FLUOSH!
The golden flames became a river, coursing through my Spiritual Body little by little, slowly gathering within my chest, circling the Cosmic Heart. The heart, in response, emanated gentle waves of cosmic energy.
Slowly, the energies assimilated the Golden Flames of Hope, and the refinement process started. The blue-colored core slowly started to change, becoming brown, then yellow, then gold.
I don’t know how much time it has been as I saw the entire process within my Spiritual Body, but it felt like it was just seconds.
Slowly, the cosmic crystal was refined and evolved by the power of Hope.
I never thought it would work?!
And above all, Sepa!
She was helping, controlling the cosmic energy to successfully assimilate and refine the heart with the power of Hope.
Her body as a whole was changing as a result too, the Golden Flames of Hope fusing into her cosmic blue-colored body. Slowly, she evolved, becoming brighter, as if made of pure light.
“I’m evolving too?! My body…!” Sepa muttered. “I have never felt this sensation before… This feeling of liberation, of… happiness? This is Hope?”
As Sepa wondered, I saw visions, visions of my master’s past; they were mostly images or scenes of her past, of the struggles she went through.
The Hope she was giving me was the one she felt for me—the Hope I had brought to her after I had saved Zero One and told her that there was another way.
I saw her childhood friends cheering for her.
I saw her fighting against bandits, thieves, and rapists.
I saw her fighting against corrupt sects, where they held slaves as materials to be used.
I saw her slaying the mightiest of demonic cultivators.
And I saw her mourning too…
Mourning all those she lost, mourning all those that couldn’t make it.
Her friends, her childhood friends, were no longer in this world.
But despite all the despair she felt, slowly, the people that remained around her, the people she met in her travels, all lit up the flame of hope within her heart.
And she continued her journey, the never-ending path of the righteous cultivator, one filled with even more hardships than the rest.
Struggles, bloodshed, tears, and happiness.
By giving me her Hope, I felt like I had lived a bit of her own life; I saw a glimpse of what she was and what she is now.
Her growth as a person, and how she slowly rose from a young and naïve girl into the incredible person she has become now.
Master…
The more I see your life, the more I admire you!
Thank you for giving me your Hope.
I will not waste it.
FLAAASH!
I opened my eyes at long last, as I saw a beam of pure golden light surge from my chest.
Under my pale skin, the cosmic core had changed its color.
It was no longer blue; it had become completely golden.
It shone so brightly the light could easily be seen beneath my skin.
I felt the power of both Cosmic Energy and Hope Essence flowing through me, combined with one another.
[Congratulations! You have absorbed the Essence of Hope and successfully refined your Heart into a {Heart of Hope}!]
[You learned the [Heavenly Golden Flames of Hope Arts: Tier 1] Spiritual Martial Arts!]
[Your [Cosmic Heart]: [Rank 1: Novice Star (Initial Stage)] has increased to Middle Stage!]
[You gained +1.000 Cosmic Energy.]
[You gained +2.500 Ki!]
[The Constellation sealed inside of your Cosmic Heart, Sepa, has undergone a Special Existence Evolution!]
[The Sealed Cosmic Throne {Trillion-Legged Millipede That Swarms The Cosmos} has evolved into {Trillion-Legged Golden Millipede That Brings Hope to the Cosmos}!]
[She has developed the Epic-Grade Trait: [Beacon of Justice and Hope]!]
[As a result, you have inherited the Trait.]
Hope and mercy?! Wait, so because my heart evolved, she also went through an evolution despite being a damn constellation?
And that title is so corny for her, I bet she’s cringing really hard.
Also, I inherited the Trait she acquired, so it’s possible for her growth to also become reflected on me just like it happened in vice versa right now, which is fantastic.
A new Trait made my entire Soul tremble; my Phantom Dao Roots trembled as the Phantom Dao Branch was beginning to feel more real.
I’m getting there, slowly.
But anyways…
Yeah.
This feeling… It was incredible.
I looked at my hands as a tiny golden flame appeared.
It didn’t exactly have the power of flames to burn others, but it resembled a flame, made of Spiritual Ki of the element of Hope.
“We did it…?”
The Heavenly Empress nodded, smiling at me with a gentle giggle.
“Anna, you’re now the second wielder of the power of Hope in the entire world… Congratulations, my disciple!”
And she hugged me tightly with her big arms and her wings.
Feeling her warmth, combined with her motherly hug, I couldn’t help but hug her back just as tightly.
What is this sensation?
I feel so happy…
It has been a long while since I was ever hugged like this.
From a figure that could be like a mother to me.
Without realizing it, I was crying, tears falling over her shoulders.
“Thank you, master… I won’t disappoint you.”
“I know you won’t; I have high hopes.”
Heh, Hopes, the pun made itself.
“I feel tired though…” I sighed. “But I want to learn more, these flames…”
“For now, you should spend the rest of the day practicing,” she said. “I have matters to attend, so simply sit down and… Well, play around, experiment. Tomorrow the real training shall begin.”
She patted my shoulders and quickly walked away; she had other disciples she had to check on after all.
“Okay, thank you, master!”
She was much nicer than that old crow, who would kick me around or throw me down a pit full of monsters instead of letting me take it easy for once.
“Sepa, how do you feel?”
Though I was curious about her, just what was happening with Sepa right now? I was honestly a bit curious and also worried.
Constellations are tied to their Titles a lot; that it suddenly changes means they have also changed tremendously.
It means their Story, their Tale, has changed and given a very big twist towards a new direction if the title changed like this.
It means that Sepa’s journey hasn’t ended yet and that it is still developing.
“I’m… fine… Ugh, but my entire being has changed! Even though I am supposed to be a sealed constellation, thanks to being merged with your heart, if you change and improve the heart, I’ll also get stronger!” she said in surprise. “I evolved… I am no longer a being that represents swarms; I’m still a millipede but look! I am all shiny! I represent hope!”
FLASH!
She materialized in front of me in her reduced form; she looked like a floating lamp now, so bright that it almost made me blind! And that’s saying something when I mostly wield the light element and I’ve gotten used to its brightness.
“Yeah, you do!” I laughed. “It’s really funny... But it’s nice, I guess? Like… Wait, are you being unsealed over time?”
“I believe so; the stronger your heart becomes, the more the seals wear down, the more I regain my powers,” she said. “But it’s also weird; now that I’ve changed, as I regain my former powers, they might also mutate.”
“Interesting…” I nodded. “Hmm, once you unseal yourself, you aren’t going to try killing me, right?”
“…Maybe.”
“Sepa! We’ve gone through a lot! We’re friends now!”
“Eh… The very reason I’m sealed right now is because of you… It’s not easy to forget. I used to be a very prideful Constellation; you know?”
“You were bullied by everyone; stop lying.”
“W-What? NO! I was Lord Anubis’ favorite!”
“I think he probably mocked you; I bet he called you his pet or something…”
“He did, but he always did it because he loved me like a pet…”
“Sepa, get real.”
“…”
She started crying a bit.
“You don’t have to be so harsh…”
I never thought I would see her weeping like this.
Damn, I feel a bit bad now.
“Hah… Okay, sorry.”
I petted her head; she was shiny and lustrous, as if made of gold; she was also smooth to the touch.
“But you already know I killed Uroboros if you try to attack me… I will have to defend myself,” I sighed. “But you’re free to go, escape, or do whatever you want. I won’t chase you down or try to seal you.”
“Really?” she wondered.
“Our hearts are one, so you can immediately tell when I’m lying or not, and I’m being sincere right now, Sepa,” I said.
“Hmm, I know… okay,” she sighed. “You know, I am just a big fucking bug; getting so emotional is just not my thing.”
“I get it… For being a bug, you talk like an angsty teen though,” I commented with a smirk.
“It’s merely because we’re tuned as one!” she roared furiously. “Your emotions and how you are... somehow affect me in ways I don’t like! SHAAAH! RAAARRGH! SHYAAAGH! Is this how you want me to act then?! I’ll bite your head off!”
She started nibbling my head very cutely.
I just can’t take her seriously in this form…
But really, I didn’t know my emotions and even my personality could affect her own heart. I suppose that’s also because our hearts are one.
I can remember she was much colder before the whole fusion thing happened; she mostly did that only because if I died, she would also die.
But now, it feels like she has indeed changed, for the better or worse.
“Sepa?”
“Grrrhh!”
“Sepa, come on…”
“What?!”
“What are your new powers?”
“Ah…”
She quickly flew in front of me and then closed her eyes.
Suddenly, golden flames appeared around her body.
“I got something like that crane! I think this is golden flames of hope or something. Pretty neat trick!”
“It’s not a trick though, but yeah, it’s very powerful; they charge based on the hope that you generate for others, so it’s not an easy-to-use power.”
“I guess I’ll be relying on you to use it properly… I got a new Trait at least!”
“You mean, OUR Trait, right?”
“Wait, you got it too?!”
“Looks like any new Trait you’ll get will be shared between the two, so get used to it, little centipede.”
“Not fair! That’s my progress, not yours!”
“I don’t make the rules here…”
As I talked with her, I decided to check out the new Spiritual Martial Arts, the power of the Heart of Hope.
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[Heavenly Golden Flames of Hope Arts: Tier 1]
[Comprehension Progress]: [0%/100%]
A Spiritual Martial Art that combines both the power of Spirituality and Martial Arts created by the Heavenly Empress of the Murim World of Bestia, Hue Xian. These Unique Martial Arts Techniques work differently than any other ever created in his world, or perhaps in any Murim Worldline ever.
By cultivating the Hope Essence that has been created by the disciple’s allies and friends after being inspired and instilled with the emotion of hope, happiness, or inspiration and combining them with Ki, it is possible to activate the power of the {Heart of Hope} and unleash this power as Golden Flames with the ability to transform into anything.
The more Hope the allies of the disciple harbor, as long as it is related to the disciple, the more Hope the disciple can harvest from them and the stronger its essence will become, growing their Heart of Hope stronger and gaining the ability to further refine the power of the Golden Flames of Hope. However, the disciples themselves cannot employ their own Hope, and will always need the one from allies, friends, and family.
This is a power that is said to be able to grow indefinitely, and it can take upon a myriad of forms and shapes depending on each Inspiration, Dream, and Hopes of those sharing their powers with the disciple. From weapons, shields, and armor to healing wounds, creating burning flames, freezing ice, bright light, platforms to move, wings to fly—as long as there’s enough output of this essence and Ki, it can take on endless forms.
Naturally, it can also be used to fight with specific, special techniques; such techniques channel the powers of Hope to their extreme and unleash devastating attacks that can even hurt a foe’s soul, shatter their defenses, disable their techniques, and even sap away their own Ki.
There’s close to nothing this Spiritual Martial Arts cannot do, but it is usually extremely hard to cultivate, and only a chosen few who have experienced true bonds and have a relentless personality capable of inspiring the masses can properly wield this power.
The way the Flames of Hope manifest will always be unique between each wielder of this Spiritual Martial Arts; even though the Master might also possess a Golden Naginata of Hope, their disciple’s Naginata might manifest completely differently than them.
These Martial Arts will only progress when the growth of your Heart of Hope aligns with your available Techniques. New Techniques will become available through both discovery and growth of the Martial Arts. The Heart of Hold can grow as it absorbs Hope Essence and is refined.
{Heart of Hope (Tier 1)}: [Growth: 1/100%] [Hope Essence Storage: 1.000/1.000]
Available Techniques:
[Heavenly Golden Flames of Hope Weapon Materialization (Tier 1)]
[Spiritual Healing Golden Flames of Hope (Tier 1)]
[???]
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Oh, this was much more complicated than I had imagined, perhaps quite like the Demonic Seals too!
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