Chapter 308: Trial Rewards And… A Miracle?
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As we moved back to master’s inner realm, a new notification popped up.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have completed the Trial’s Floor 3 Mission]: {Find the Truth about the Spatial Distortions and Stop Whatever is Coming from Them!}
[You’ve done the impossible and stopped the worst possible scenarios from happening… twice!]
[The Demon King was stopped, and Song was not turned into one; the invasion was stopped, and the Constellations were also slain as they possessed the imperfect Demon King.]
[You’ve managed to save this world; even if it’s a simulation, the people that inhabit it are all thankful for what you’ve done.]
[Because of this, all the rewards you will receive are also those of the next trial you were able to skip.]
[Rewards]: [Divine Golden Ki Pearl (S Rank)] x60 [Divine Hope Ki Pill (S Rank)] x60 [Divine Body Refinement Pill (S Rank)] x60 [Divine Martial Core Refinement Pill (S Rank)] x60 [Martial Arts Enhancing Scroll: Heart of Hope (S+ Rank)] x20 [Martial Arts Enhancing Scroll: Blank (S+ Rank)] x20 [Spirit Body Refinement Pill (S Rank)] x30 [Golden Heaven Pearl (S++ Rank)] x6 [Golden Heaven Ring of Hope (S Rank)] x1 [Golden Heaven Sword of Hope: Beautiful Yellow Flower Qin Xiuying (SS+++ Rank)] x1]
The amount of rewards was ridiculous! It was two trials into one, after all, so it was a ton of items! So many that I was sure I could get to the next Realm with these alone.
And also the equipment… a ring and that sword—it’s a named weapon too!
Qin Xiuying, huh?
I think it’s a name that means “Beautiful Flower”.
If it’s a named item, then I’m sure Master once wielded it.
It might even be one of her weapons of old…
To think she would give it to me like that.
I quickly took it out of my inventory as we moved to her golden palace; the sword’s golden brilliance was mesmerizing.
It emanated a natural Aura of Hope too, and it was imbued with several jewels of Hope Essence that had been crystalized.
Its blade was long and beautifully curved, the tip resembling the petal of a flower. The handle was also decorated with gold metal like that.
This metal was also strange, imbued with a lot of Hope.
By merely wielding this weapon, I felt like my reserves of Hope Essence increased!
It was the same with the necklace and perhaps the ring too; these are special items that were made by her using Hope Essence.
“It seems you’re already checking your rewards, Anna…” she smiled. “Eager, aren’t you? That sword… Right, I left that as a reward for you! I’m glad you got it.”
“Wait, I had a chance to not get it?” I wondered.
“If you underperformed, it wouldn’t have been yours. But if you got it, it means you did perfectly!” she giggled. “Her name is Qin Xiuying; she is the first Hope Sword I created using my Hope Essence and my Creation Technique. I wielded it all through my first years as an Immortal and kept upgrading it over hundreds of years. She’s my friend, but I’ve neglected her and left her behind as I created stronger swords. I think she hates me now… So I thought that it might be better for someone else to wield her now—a new soul, someone fresh—but that has inherited my legacy.”
“I see… Thank you, master! I’ll make sure to take good care of this sword,” I nodded. “It’s amazing as it is! And I’m sure she doesn’t hate you. if anything… Her Aura constantly flickers as you get closer. She probably just missed you.”
“Is that so…” she sighed.
As we reached the golden palace, master caressed the sword blade.
“I’m sorry, my dear Qin Xiuying. But as a weapon, you would one day get replaced,” she said harshly. “However, that does not mean that your life as one ends now. Anna is a budding talent, someone with even more potential than I am… I’m sure she’ll bring you to even higher heights and even different worlds. Would you remain by her side, as perhaps… the last request of mine to you?”
The blade’s aura flickered a bit, suddenly resembling a gentle hand made of gold.
She caressed her master’s face.
“We shared so many memories, didn’t we?” master giggled. “I hope you can get many new memories with her…”
The hand slowly retrieved back, and then it patted my head.
“Huh? Oh, thanks…”
“I think she likes you. Bear in mind, she’s almost as old as I am; she’s an old lady, so please treat her with care, alright?”
“Sure! Thank you for accepting me, Qin Xiuying!”
The hand patted me a second time before dissipating; the sword’s aura then disappeared.
It seems that Qin Xiuying has quite literally a soul and mind of her own, just like Gram! That’s pretty amazing.
However, unlike Gram, who can just directly talk to me, it seems that Qin Xiuying is a shy girl and can’t talk.
But she likes expressing herself through her Aura of Hope, which she can shapeshift in many ways.
“Now, let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?” master asked. “Who is that woman you just brought into the trial out of nowhere, Anna?”
“Eh? Ah!” I gasped, realizing that Sara was here all along.
Seriously, I was so busy with everything I just couldn’t think about her!
Dammit, she’s… Where is she?”
“Right, she brought someone; I saw her!” Wai Tian nodded.
“It was a ghostly woman, a bald monkey like her…” Yin Sheng said.
“But she had paler skin and long silvery-white hair, as well as red eyes!” said Zero One. “Can we meet her? Who is she! Is she from your world, Anna?!”
“I think I know her… She must be a Hunter from master’s world,” Fang Shuan said. “But it’s certainly strange; how did you bring her here, master?”
“It was through a summoning spell I possess that summons my familiars and…”
As I explained them Sara’s identity, she appeared out of my shadows, looking slightly… if not very, afraid and confused.
“I-I’m Sara, yes… Um, I am from Anna’s world…” she muttered. “Earth. You people… aren’t from Earth, right?”
It seems I’ll have to explain to Sara what’s going on...
“Yes, this world is named Bestia!” said master. “Welcome aboard, Sara. I feel within you a soul connection with my disciple akin to Fang Shuan. You must be one of her familiars then. An Undead, perhaps? You’re very interesting, composition-wise. A ghost?”
“I’m not a ghost…” Sara muttered. “Now Anna, please introduce me to these people!”
“F-Fine, calm down, okay? I’m sorry…” I sighed.
Like that, I introduced them to Sara, and she introduced them to her. I also told her almost everything I’ve told these people already: the trial, being sent to another world through the whims of constellations as a challenge to grow stronger, and so on. Including the time dilation to calm her down.
“S-So that’s how it is…” she muttered. “Can’t you send me back?”
“I can’t, I’m sorry… This ability only summons things,” I kept apologizing constantly.
“I… well, it’s fine,” she sighed. “Honestly, I’m still afraid, but this is new too! New experiences… new things. Maybe it’s not so… so bad? At least your new friends seem friendly! I-I… I hope we can get along?”
She was trying very hard to act friendly despite being afraid deep down.
Dammit, I better help her out as much as I can…
“Sure!” Wai Tian nodded. “A friend of Anna is also my friend!”
“If you’re a servant of milady, then I am your esteemed junior,” said Yin Sheng.
“Yeah, let’s get along,” Fang Shuan nodded.
“I-It’s an honor to meet another human!” Zero One was also a bit nervous.
"Well, another pea in the pod,” giggled master. “We shall see what we can do with her… Tell me, Sara, do you know martial arts?”
“No?” Sara tilted her head. “I only fight using my weapons and magic, so… I’m quite unexperienced on that.”
Although she couldn’t use Mana here, she can use phantasmal powers and shadow powers that come from her own undead body.
“I see! Your body is unique; it's dead yet also alive; I think we can work with that,” master smiled. “You’re welcome to stay with us; we will introduce you more to this world as we go.”
“T-Thank you so much,” Sara nodded.
“Alright! Welcome back then; you barely spent all the time I thought you would in there,” laughed the Heavenly Empress, welcoming us back to her palace. “However, you learned everything I wanted you to learn, both in history and also in terms of fighting and martial arts. I saw you all fighting, improving, and learning. There is not a single person here that didn’t discover their powers and even came out with new ways, further refining them.”
She wasn’t wrong; everyone, including me, was able to surpass our limits and reach even higher heights in that fight.
And yeah, me in specific… Well, I did learn a lot of new tricks; I even comprehended much better what Myriad Self Arts truly was and how to improve it even further.
I was able to fully solidify my Aura, unify it even better, and also add more powers to it, realizing this was a Martial Arts born not only from the many Egos I had but from every Skill and other power I’ve collected.
Even the equipment itself, their Auras and buffs, their effects, and their powers, they all added to the Martial Arts I had created…
“The challenges were hard, but that difficulty is what will push you towards surpassing your limits. However, I am sure you must all be quite tired. So for now, you’re free to rest. Tomorrow too, we’ll simply talk about what you learned and also meditate. Then, the following days, we’ll move into further cultivation, martial arts training, and a couple of smaller tasks and challenges until the time to depart comes. After you go back to the Heavenly Demon for another fifteen days, you will return to me again, this time, hopefully with him by your side… so we can finally begin the last fight.”
“So everything’s already decided, huh?” Yin Sheng nodded. “Very well, thank you, master.”
“I’ve indeed learned many new ways to use my strength…” Fang Shuan said. “Thanks to your help for everything. Even now, these rewards are outrageously generous… I am merely a servant, an undead raised by my master Anna, to receive such rewards…”
“Don’t be humble, Fang Shuan,” said the Heavenly Empress. “You may serve Anna, but you’re still your own person; these rewards are yours to use and yours to become stronger. Never forget that.”
“Thank you, master…” said Wai Tian, bowing her head. “I will never forget your kindness…”
“Thanks a lot too!” Zero One said. “For everything, really!”
“Um, thank you for your hospitality?” Sara didn’t know what to say.
“Ahem! Although I appreciate your gratitude, I don’t think it’s time to talk like this yet… We’re not going anywhere, right? So let’s enjoy the moment and eat something first. You must be quite hungry, right?” she asked.
“I’m really quite hungry, yeah…” I nodded.
“Then let me cook something for everyone. Today we’ll enjoy a big feast together,” she said. “I’m in a very good mood, you see~”
She was very happy indeed!
And we did have a tremendous feast. Master prepared an immense amount of food for everyone.
I ate so much of her food that I felt like I would burst like a balloon at any moment.
When we finished eating these heavenly dishes, we just passed out. Sara included.
After several hours of sleeping, I woke up in my room in her palace; the comfortable golden sheets were very soft.
“Hahh… How long did I sleep?” I wondered, yawning. “Well, it’s already night, huh?”
I checked the clock at my side, realizing it was around 8 PM.
I guess it’s soon going to be time for dinner; I better prepare and wake up.
I noticed my pets were all sleeping on the bed, cuddling with me.
It was very hard to move away from their grasp without bothering them.
Cute little things.
Well, they aren’t that little, but they’re cute little things to me.
I also noticed Sara sleeping on the couch right by my side; she had drunk a lot of alcohol, so she was completely out.
Somehow, as a ghost, alcohol still affects her, huh?
“Now…”
I sat down cross-legged over the terrace, and as I glanced at the night sky, I checked all the items I received again.
“Hmm, they’re all consumable, so I might as well just eat everything, right?”
I licked my lips, taking a bottle of water from my inventory.
“Ah, I’m finally well rested…”
Suddenly, I heard Sepa’s voice; she emerged from my heart, wrapping her long body around my neck.
“Good morning, little goober.”
“Goober?! What’s with that? A new insult?”
“A slightly derogatory term, but it also means I care about you.”
“Seriously… I tried to kill you by using a monster I tried to possess, then I was imprisoned in this stone, which you absorbed to not die, and now… You’re suddenly caring about me?”
“Well, we’ve gone through life and death situations, right? So I think it’s fine to care a bit.” I explained as I ate the pills and drank water one after another.
“Okay, but I don’t like it! S-So stop!” Sepa groaned, hissing at me before crawling around the room.
[“Hah! Well, she says she doesn’t like it, but that bug is very happy to be with you, Anna! She’s just stuck up and dislikes talking about emotional stuff!”]
“Shut up, you old, dusted sword; I didn’t mean it in any other w-way!” Sepa groaned.
[“Well, you gained a new title related to Hope and Justice, so you’ll naturally become nicer too, Sepa! It is your destiny, hahaha!”]
“Grrhh, do you want me to take a bit off your damn sword?!”
As the two discussed, I continued taking the pills until I finished them all and then quickly absorbed their powers together into my body.
FLAAASH!
Immediately after, I felt an incredible surge of power, my physique, spirit body, martial core, and heart of hope rapidly improved.
My power was rising, and the realization of my personal Martial Arts continued to grow stronger.
If I can use those Martial Art Scrolls…
Then perhaps I can finally awaken it officially as my own Martial Arts, recognized even by the System!
Let’s do this.
.
.
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As Anna and everyone else left the trial, the image of a hopeful future that never happened remained still—their smiles, their happiness, recorded forever within this tower.
The small version of the Heavenly Empress, a Will made by her to oversee the trial, glanced at this image with reminiscing eyes.
As a Will of the Heavenly Empress, she shared most of her memories and knew the pain she went through.
This ending… it was everything she could have ever hoped for.
“Those brats… They really did a wonderful job, and in their first try, no less!” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Now what even is my purpose? Will I remain here forever? Watching this?”
As she sat over the clouds and glanced, she couldn’t help but smile and shed a small tear.
“Well… Maybe it isn’t so bad either… this beautiful ending.”
Crack…
“Hahh… If only Master could take me outside, but I think that’s just impossible. Huh?”
Crack, crack…
“That’s… a crack?!”
The Trial Will Spirit moved towards the crack she saw, realizing it was within the body of…
Him.
“Why is it appearing there? What’s… happening? Some error in the simulation? But that’s impossible; this simulation was created using a Small Fragment of the World’s Records, it should be impossible to break or malfunction! Yet…”
Crack…
CRACK!
Something emerged as the cracks spread—a hole through space and time.
And the small, feathered hand of a boy crawled out before the rest of his body started trying to get out as well.
“E-Eh…?”
“Mama? Papa? Where are you? What’s going on?”
“EEEEEHHH?!”
“Oh! You look like mama…”
“E-Emergency! EMERGENCY! MASTERRRRR!”
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