Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Shortly before Everhearts proclamation in a expansive room with walls smoothly carved out of the plateaus stone, dozens of cultivators pushed themselves forward against the pressure of the area. Oskar felt his muscles straining as he was nearly forced off his feet. One section ahead of him he saw Devon, likewise struggling to resist the pressure of the area.

The rules of their current test were simple. Reach the furthest point that one could without collapsing. Some candidates attempted to improve their results by moving as swiftly as possible, but the second part of the rules resulted in that rarely being to their benefit. The participants location over a certain period of time was averaged- thus, if someone could run from the front of the room to the back but collapsed at the end, they would only count as having reached the middle. The participants instead needed to match their stamina and the strongest place they could resist, moving as far as they could quickly while not going too far and suffering defeat.

The weight bearing down on Oksar was oppressive energy, but he welcomed it. Though he now practiced the Ninety-Nine Stars, his first experience in cultivation had been in mines where the natural energy was far too dense for a normal human to operate. Even without any training as a cultivator he had been able to feel the energy there, and he had chosen to let it inside to slow the pressure instead of trying to hold out against it. That could have easily been the wrong choice- if so, he would have died slightly sooner. Of course, he wasnt dead and in fact had set himself down the path to power with his decision.

He used that same experience now to let the pressure flow through him, easing the burden on his body. The effects were easy to discern- Oskar had reached his current point next to several cultivators in early Spirit Building, and he felt he could go further. Not much, but at least to the next section where the pressure would increase strongly once more.

Ahead of him, Devon seemed to be relying on another method to continue forward- pure grit. Though he was certainly using all of his technique to lessen the pressure on himself, he kept moving forward through the power of will, despite his body trembling in exertion and pain.

At least half of the participants had already collapsed, with some of those who rushed ahead despite the stated rules being the first. Their rewards would be the least, though Oskar wasnt certain that the rewards themselves mattered. An area like this required powerful formations- the likes of which even the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars would find too expensive to sustain for long periods. It was an excellent training method, though Oskar knew that if he tried to use it as his only training method he would end up quite flawed. Notwithstanding that its effects would be most helpful for body tempering, diversity in training was important. Energy was extremely important to a cultivator, but Anton had taught him that properly making use of whatever energy was available for training and combat was more important.

The energy flowed over him and through him, and though it wasnt in a pure form where he could absorb more than a modest amount into himself, he took advantage of what he could. He carefully guided it through his meridians starting at his head and exiting his feet with the greatest portion he could handle diverted into his dantian where it would be refined and used as his own.

His steps forward were slow and determined, bringing him to the edge of the next section. Every minute one or two more people were unable to continue, some ahead and some behind. Oskar stepped forward and felt a weight crash down on him. It was like a full tub of water, washing over him and destabilizing him. However, he withstood it. More than that, he comprehended it. Personal control of energy was important to Oskar, and hed resolved that his first step into Spirit Building would be Spiritual Connection. It couldnt wait for the prime tempering, and thus completing it first was the most efficient. As he stepped forward, he felt himself also take the more metaphysical step into Spirit Building. He wasnt at the completion of the eleventh star and wouldnt be for some time, but fundamental changes were starting inside of him.

He continued forward, each step feeling as if he had a boulder on his back. He could push himself further than he had thought, though each step took several seconds to complete. He could barely raise his feet off the floor, and ahead of him Devon was merely shuffling his own feet. Yet the two of them continued to make progress. Oskar soon found himself one section further than hed thought he could reach, though he merely stood across the threshold with his body trembling, fearing he would stumble if he continued. Devon stayed ahead of him, stopping before the threshold to the next section for some time before flinging himself forward. Oskar thought he could hear Devons bones creaking- though that may have been his imagination in the relatively quiet hall. Before he collapsed ten seconds later, Devon had made it not just through one section but into the next as well, though barely. When Devon collapsed, he did so with a contented sigh.

...and thus I propose this particular course of action, Anton concluded. He looked at his current companions- including Firdaus, who had been included in the discussion.

Having expected strong disagreement, Anton was pleased when Catarina was the first to speak- and in support of his ideas. I concur with the idea. Even if it does not go well, it should not diminish our relative standing in the competition.

Im not sure, Velvet said. How will we enforce anything? What if we help someone and then they refuse to contribute in turn?

There is an entire month here, Anton said. Well take things one day at a time. If someone decides that one hint or piece of assistance we give is so valuable that they wish to take it without contributing in return, we shall simply ignore them. Of course, I am not suggesting we try to work with absolutely everyone. We should take stock of those who might be amenable to teamwork with other sects. I do believe I would immediately discount the Heavenly Lion Sect as whole, though that might be unfair to some of their individual members.

Probably not, Firdaus said. Nor do I think they would agree to cooperate in any fashion.

We should take careful stock of the allegiances of those involved, Hoyt commented. There are more than direct enemies of the Order, and some of those who are technically neutral are allied with them. Being as open as possible is fine, but we should not cross that line.

Fair enough, Anton agreed. Perhaps more in-depth examinations of people before we make the offer, then. Though of course we should coordinate with the Order and the Grasping Willow sect. As for Cloudtop Summit, Anton looked to Firdaus, What do you think? The personal offer to you will remain open of course, regardless.

I cannot say Cloudtop Summit is an ally of the Order, but we are certainly not enemies.

Neutral is fine, Anton said. Even with excellent training conditions, one month is still merely that. We shouldnt significantly impact another sect on the whole, and even if we somehow do they should be more inclined to be friendly towards us. This might drive a rift between certain groups but honestly cultivators arent naturally inclined to get along anyway.

Nobody had hard objections to the plan- but some were cautiously optimistic about the possibilities while others were just cautious. Before they could even determine if theyd actually be able to accomplish anything useful, they were first going to seek out their allies and ask about the other areas. It wouldnt do to miss out on the basics.