Kalzara
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Chapter 44: I'll give it five stars, just let me out of here!
🕑 Added 2023-11-10 21:49:33 +0000 UTCThe Grand Elders in the pagoda exchanged worried glances, each one unsettled by the white-robed youth. "We can't possibly admit him into our sect," Elder Tenzin whispered.
Grand Elder Darius, known for his impulsive decisions, nodded in rare agreement. A disciple of such extraordinary talent was more a harbinger of doom than a boon. Assassination attempts from rival mortal sects were manageable, but the pressure from the Venerable sects of the immortal realms was an entirely different matter.
Grand Elder Lydia rose to her feet, "We must inform the sect master immediately," she declared, but Tenzin quickly interjected.
"No, we cannot afford to disturb him during his ascension to the Immortal realm," he countered urgently. Lydia's expression soured, but she reluctantly sat down, recalling the sect master's strict orders not to be disturbed unless the sect faced imminent destruction.
Down in the valley, William's gaze lingered on Kalin, his envy palpable. Any previous thoughts of the white-robed youth being an unremarkable figure had evaporated. Could he be from the same realm as 'him'? The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Dusty, standing nearby, grumbled light-heartedly, "Bet that guy's gonna get the tastiest grub now. Probably never even heard of a potato."
"Maybe he'll share some with you,” Nomed chuckled at his friend's comment. “But you'll probably eat it all before it even reaches us.”
Kalin, observing the reactions of those around him, second-guessed his decision momentarily. Did I push it too far? He quickly dismissed the doubt. No, this should definitely draw out the Supreme Elder.
Grand Elder Wyatt held back a sigh, already having anticipated the outcome the moment the Venerable sect was mentioned. In any other circumstance, the sect would have eagerly concealed the fact that a disciple lit up all five pillars and groomed him in secret, potentially shaping him into the next sect master. But, with the youth’s ties with the Immortal Realm, that plan was off the table. Rejecting him outright wasn't an option either; they had to let things unfold as they would.
Clearing his throat, Grand Elder Wyatt addressed the still-stunned crowd, his voice firm yet diplomatic. "Congratulations, young man," he said, pausing for a moment as he waited for the youth to reveal his name.
"Kalin," the white-robed youth responded.
"Very well, Kalin," Wyatt continued, "when the Supreme Elder returns, you will be under his tutelage."
A faint smile appeared on Kalin’s face as he nodded and made his way back to his place among the other participants, he had received the exact outcome he had hoped for.
With a flick of his sleeve, Grand Elder Wyatt flew back up to the pagoda, and with another gesture, thousands of scrolls cascaded down into the valley.
"Next is the trial of comprehension," Wyatt explained. "You'll find scrolls of different types: blue for healing techniques, red for spiritual techniques, black for formations, and brown for martial arts. Choose the one you feel most drawn to. But be warned," he added with a stern look, "each scroll is marked with a unique formation. Attempting to steal them would be... unwise."
The warning caused a few shifty eyes to dart away, their plans of making some quick coin thwarted.
“The trial of comprehension will now begin, you have six hours.”
The clan youths confidently stepped forward, selecting scrolls that complemented their cultivation paths. But the villagers hesitated, their expressions a mix of confusion and awe. They had never cultivated before and were clueless about which scrolls might suit them. Before, they were brought to the sect, they were given a scroll to learn how to temper their body but the Body Tempering realm wasn’t included in the realms of cultivation.
Dusty, standing awkwardly at the back with Nomed, whispered, "Which one should we take? I don't even know what I'm good at."
"Maybe something that feels right?” Nomed scanned the scrolls with a thoughtful expression. “I heard that's how some cultivators choose their paths."
"Feels right?” Dusty looked skeptical. “Like how a pie calls to me from across a room?"
"Yeah, something like that.” Nomed couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's analogy. “But maybe with less… pie."
With a resigned sigh, Dusty joined the other disciples. After aimlessly scanning various scrolls, his attention was unexpectedly drawn to a neglected one lying apart from the others. It's calling to me... just like pie, he mused with a hint of amusement.
Picking up the scroll titled "The Path of the Gluttonous Titan," Dusty’s eyes widened. The technique described would cause him to grow larger the more he cultivated it. Well, I hadn't made much progress on losing weight anyway, he shrugged as he sat down to absorb its contents, already picturing himself as a formidable, if large, cultivator.
Nomed watched his friend with a fond smile before turning his attention to a black scroll. Intrigued, he unrolled it to reveal a formation cultivation method, named "Intricate Matrix of the Guarding Spirits." He skimmed through the details which explained how to enter the Qi Refining realm. The first realm of cultivation, he thought. I could get a better one from 'him,' but for now, this will do.
Meanwhile, William chose a wind spiritual technique, ‘Zephyr's Whisper’. It was a natural choice, given the Wick clan's renowned talent with the wind element. This should be quick and easy to learn, he thought.
Kalin, on the other hand, picked up a spiritual technique, ‘Blade of the Dawn’. His expression soured slightly upon realizing its quality. A mortal rank technique? he thought disdainfully. In the Immortal Realm, even the most basic techniques handed to potential disciples were of a much higher rank. Suppressing his disappointment, he began studying the scroll. At least this won't take long to master, he reasoned.
***
Huddled in a small cave within the void realm, Slifer estimated that he had been trapped for approximately a week. The frequent, ghastly roars outside caused him to press himself against the cold cave wall, attempting to become as inconspicuous as possible.
These ghostly creatures seemed to perpetually roam the realm, engaging in fierce battles whenever they encountered one another. I guess they have nothing better to do.
Slifer had managed to observe a pattern in their behavior; for approximately one hour each day, they would disappear, providing him a brief window to explore and attempt to use the Dimensional Slide technique to escape. But, frustratingly, every attempt to open a portal back to his world ended in failure.
His thoughts drifted to the whooping 1000 Karmic Credits he had squandered on gambling, cursing the stingy system for not providing anything useful to escape this predicament. Would a simple teleportation card have been too much to ask for? he lamented internally.
Sighing, he looked up at the new cards in his arsenal.
Name: Critical Block Card
Description: Block a critical strike.
Name: Reflection Card
Description: Creates an energy barrier that reflects attacks back at the attacker for 20 seconds.
Name: Peak Slifer Aura
Description: Releases an aura mimicking the original Slifer at his peak.
Name: Another Face
Description: Allows the user to change appearance for up to 6 months.
Name: Avatar
Description: Creates a complete clone of the user that can independently cultivate. Warning: The avatar cannot access the System or its cards.
Slifer couldn't help but scoff at the Peak Slifer Aura card. Now that I'm supposedly an Ascendant cultivator, this card is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine, he thought with a hint of irony. What am I supposed to do? Scare off Voidwalkers with a Nascent Soul aura?
The Another Face and Avatar cards, while intriguing, did little to alleviate his current dilemma. The idea of creating an avatar that could cultivate on its own was fascinating, yet it wouldn’t help him escape this desolate realm.
"Great," Slifer muttered to himself, "a clone in the void realm would just be a bonus snack for those Voidwalkers. Two for the price of one, how generous of me."
Slifer released a heavy sigh, filled with regret for wasting a thousand Karmic Credits on gambling. In reality, the credits weren't wasted, the few cards he had won were worth over 10,000 credits when added together, and he already had a few ideas on how they could be used...after he escaped.
But it was a harsh realization that the system wasn't going to hand him a convenient escape this time. He called up the system panel and focused on the Dimensional Slide technique.
Name: Dimensional Slide – Level 1
Rank: Obsidian
Description: Allows the user to transverse through the Void Realm
Upgrade Cost: 1000 Karmic Credits
This was his last shot; he had hesitated to upgrade the technique before, doubtful that Level 2 would make much of a difference.
But now, he had no other choice.
With a mix of reluctance and hope, Slifer selected the upgrade.
-1000 Karmic Credits
A serene wave washed over him as knowledge about the Dimensional Slide technique poured into his mind.
Ding!
Space Mastery: 5%
At least this feels somewhat enlightening, he mused.
Once the influx of information ended, Slifer realised that the description for the Level 1 technique had updated. His face turned an unhealthy shade of red as he read about the 97% failure rate in the void realm due to spatial instability.
Why wasn't this mentioned before? he thought, his fist clenching in frustration. I wouldn't have dared to jump into this forsaken place with those odds!
Turning his attention to the Level 2 description, Slifer's expression softened slightly.
Dimensional Slide Technique - Level 2
Rank: Obsidian
Description: Allows the user to transverse through the Void Realm
Success Rate in Void Realm: 60%
Upgrade Cost: 2000 Karmic Credits
60%... Not great, not terrible, Slifer contemplated with a half-smile. Even with my luck, I should be able to make it work if I keep trying.
If he knew before what Level 2 entailed, he would have upgraded the technique much sooner but there was no use complaining now.
He settled down to wait, planning his escape during that one quiet hour when the void beasts took their daily smoke break.
***
After an agonizing few hours that seemed like days, Slifer couldn’t hear any more noises from outside the cave. Slowly, he stood up and tiptoed to the entrance. He kept his spiritual sense reined in, knowing it would be akin to holding up a sign saying, 'Free buffet, all you can eat!' in the presence of the phantom beings. His eyes swept the desolate landscape, alert for any hint of danger. Seeing nothing amiss, he let out a relieved breath.
“Time to get to work.”
Focusing qi to his fingertips, he made a carving motion as he attempted to rip open a portal through space. A small tear began to form, and a smile started to spread across his face. But just as quickly, the space quivered, and the portal snapped shut.
"I knew it was too good to be true to work on the first try," he grumbled under his breath.
For the next hour, Slifer persisted. Time and again, he tried to create a stable portal, but each attempt ended in failure. At one point, a portal did form, but it vanished before he could leap through.
Slifer knew all too well that probability could be a fickle thing. It's like flipping a coin. Even with a 50% chance, there's no guarantee of an even split between heads and tails…or getting the side you want even once, he thought, trying to rationalize his string of bad luck. It's all about chance, and right now, mine seems pretty rotten.
"Come on, come on," Slifer urged himself, his attempts growing more frantic. He was running out of time; the phantom beasts would soon return. Failure was not an option, as opening a portal with those creatures nearby would be tantamount to suicide.
Then, after numerous attempts, a portal began to form again. This time it looked stable. As it fully materialized, Slifer couldn't help but let out a triumphant cheer.
“This place is definitely getting a bad review!” With that, he leaped towards the portal, but mid-jump, something caught his eye – a phantom beast materialized out of thin air, its gaping maw opened wide ready to swallow him whole.
Slifer's heart skipped a beat, and in that moment of sheer panic, he took back his previous statement. “I'll give it five stars, just let me out of here!”
Author's Note
If you are already a member of the $6 tier, you can upgrade to the $10 by paying the difference ($4) if you want access to latest chapters. The Immortal Tier has 14 advanced chapters ahead of RR!
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Comments
tonright
when you catch a new chapter right at upload so you are forced to wait the max amount of time for the next one ugh -_-
