A Will Eternal

“I hate that cyan trial by fire! I didn’t know what I was doing, otherwise how could I, Bai Xiaochun, have placed only in the 490s?

“I’m definitely going to get my star higher. I’m going to get past the cyan part of the rainbow and into the blue portion! Actually, I’m going to go all the way to the violet trial by fire! Just wait until next time and watch me do it!” The decisiveness in his voice could sever nails and chop iron, and his entire person seemed to radiate a valiant air.

Big Fatty Zhang and Master God-Diviner were immediately shaken, and stood there a bit awkwardly for a long moment.

“Don’t be discouraged, Xiaochun,” Big Fatty Zhang said finally. “I heard that when you pass the blue trial, you leave a statue behind that other people who take the challenge have to beat in a fight. Of course, that also means that you have to beat the statue left behind by the previous winner. But you shouldn’t have any problem next time you challenge the trials. You’ll definitely leave your own statue behind!”

“That’s right, Junior Patriarch. The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect is huge, so you getting into the top 500 is already a huge accomplishment. I’m sure that next time, you’ll make even a bigger stir!”

As they persuaded him, his gaze softened a bit. However, as he looked down from the sky, the regret and defiance could still be seen in his expression.

Master God-Diviner and Big Fatty Zhang weren’t quite sure what to make of the situation, so they offered some more encouragement. In the end, though, Bai Xiaochun still didn’t seem to be in a very good mood. Finally, they clasped hands and left.

As soon as they were gone, Bai Xiaochun’s expression relaxed, and he looked very proud of himself.

“Hahaha! My performance was spot on. Xu Baocai really earned his keep this time!” Thinking back to the expressions on the faces of Big Fatty Zhang and Master God-Diviner, his excitement rose. However, that was when another beam of light appeared, flying toward him, within which was none other than Chen Manyao.

As she approached, Bai Xiaochun once again looked up, clasped his hands behind his back, and put a defiant expression on his face. The profound gleam once again filled his eyes, and before she could even say anything, he said, “Don’t try to convince me! I hate that cyan trial by fire….”

And to Chen Manyao’s astonishment, he went on to repeat exactly what he had said to Master God-Diviner and Big Fatty Zhang.

Chen Manyao was taken aback, and almost felt as if she didn’t know this version of Bai Xiaochun who was standing in front of her. “Xiaochun, you don’t need to feel bad….”

Over the course of the following several days, whenever people came for a formal visit… they would see this version of Bai Xiaochun, and hear the same words. As a result, the admiration and respect they felt for him continued to grow.

Three days later, Xu Baocai finished wrapping up matters in the Live Forever Tavern and was promoted to Sky Quarter Rainbow. The very first thing he did was go to Bai Xiaochun’s immortal’s cave, where the two of them hunkered down for a long meeting. Afterward, Xu Baocai requested a sizeable sum of merit points for operating expenses and then made his way off, bursting with smugness and pride.

Xu Baocai really did have some unique methods for digging up information and spreading rumors, and in this situation, he was using his talents to the absolute limit. As he propagated stories about Bai Xiaochun being a Chosen, several different tales about Bai Xiaochun began to spread. Some of the stories praised him, and others belittled him, and there were actually some aspects of each story that contradicted the others. However, that only led to more people talking about the subject.

Before long, Bai Xiaochun’s name was well known in all of Sky Quarter Rainbow. Of course, Bai Xiaochun had his own role to play; he went out every day to places where disciples gathered, his hands clasped behind his back, looking defiant and lost in thought. Of course, the cultivators on Sky Quarter Rainbow weren’t familiar with Bai Xiaochun, and so from what they could tell, he looked like the picture of a proud Chosen, whose determination and confidence ran deep in his bones.

Because of that, many cultivators began to look forward in anticipation to the next time Bai Xiaochun challenged the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials.

To be the center of such attention on a daily basis left Bai Xiaochun’s heart bursting with joy. Of course, he had long since gone to buy the seven-colored mistysea grass, which had been the entire reason he had challenged the trials to begin with.

After combining them with the ingredients he had already prepared, he went into secluded meditation for a few days and concocted a medicinal pill that could be used to forget the self.

The resulting pill glowed with seven-colored light that reflected in Bai Xiaochun’s proud eyes.

“This time I’m definitely going to gain enlightenment of the Living Mountain Incantation!” Spirits soaring, he thought back to the stone golems he had encountered in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trial, and felt more confident than ever about succeeding. Medicinal pill in hand, he flew out of his immortal’s cave and headed to Myriad Star Rainbow, and the Ravine of Endless Mountains.

Outside of the ravine, he once again saw Stonemountain, sitting there on the boulder, looking very much like a monkey.

Yet again, Bai Xiaochun was unable to determine the level of Stonemountain’s cultivation base. Furthermore, there was something about his aura that seemed similar to that of the stone golems. After staring for a moment, he clasped hands and bowed. “Bai Xiaochun offers greetings, Elder Brother Stonemountain.”

Stonemountain’s eyes opened, and he looked at Bai Xiaochun for a moment before giving a rare smile and then a nod. Not saying a single word, he waved his hand.

Instantly, the ground trembled, and the familiar stone hand stretched out. Bai Xiaochun leaped up onto it, whereupon his vision swam and he was teleported away. When things were clear again, he once again found himself in a strange world, with countless mountain peaks stretching out in all directions.

This time, his eyes shone with confidence as he retraced the path he had followed last time until he found the mountain that looked similar to the stone golems. Once he found it, he settled down cross-legged on the giant’s head.

Then, he produced the medicinal pill he had just concocted, hesitated for a moment, and gritted his teeth.

“I acquired the Living Mountain Incantation back when I got all of the legacy seals from that legacy zone. If I don’t cultivate it to completion, it would definitely be a big waste. I have to succeed this time!” Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the medicinal pill he had created to forget himself.

“To meld with the mountain,” he murmured, “first forget yourself, then forget the mountain. When you wake up, you will be the mountain, and the mountain will be you….” Following the methods described in the Living Mountain Incantation, he began to seek enlightenment of the structure of the mountain, and then meld with it. He tried several dozen times, until it became something of a reflex to do it. Only then did he place the medicinal pill into his mouth and swallow.

Once the medicinal pill sank down into his belly, it melted, transforming into warm currents that filled his body, creating something of a stream leading to his head. Then rumbling sounds filled him, almost like thunder from the heavens. At the same time, his mind began to devolve into chaos, eventually becoming a complete blank.

Although his mind was a blank, he remained seated there just as before, trying to gain enlightenment of the structure of the mountain, and then meld with it.

Time passed. Three days later, Bai Xiaochun was still sitting there motionless. He had forgotten about himself, and his mind was a complete blank. He had even forgotten about the golem-like mountain he was seated upon. His mind seemed to be completely devoid of thought.

Eventually, on the seventh day, some simple thoughts appeared in his mind. More days passed, and the thoughts seemed to slowly converge, transforming into the outline of a stone golem.

That outline looked very similar to the mountain beneath him, and also the stone golems in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials….

Another half a month passed, and Bai Xiaochun still had not woken up. The image of the stone golem in his mind was growing more and more complete, and increasingly lifelike.

**

Meanwhile, out in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, something happened that rocked the entire sect; even the sect leader was shaken deeply.

Gongsun Wan’er… challenged the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials!

At first, few people paid much attention to her. However, as her star rose, people began to notice the unique methods she was using to pass the trials, and more people started to pay attention to her!

In the red trial by fire, she became a god of death within the sea of lava, slaughtering beasts the entire way and using their corpses to cross the sea. The other disciples in the trial by fire with her were completely shocked to see her make a bridge of corpses!

In the orange trial by fire in which the stone golems were fighting each other, all the other disciples cowered in fear, whereas she simply walked straight through. In the yellow trial by fire, she did the same thing by simply walking casually across the metal being forged. In the green trial by fire with the lightning, she actually absorbed much of the lightning through her mouth as she walked across the bridge.

Most shocking of all was that in the cyan trial, her mere appearance within the trial caused the vengeful souls to tremble and hide away. Only the soul emperor showed up to fight her, and in the end, they fought to a draw!!

The entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was shocked by what had occurred.

After all, the soul emperor’s power was equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage!