Meanwhile, outside the city that Zane and Anne just came from, people were finally entering and fights broke out over small treasures, etc.
Meanwhile, a group of twelve 3rd martial realms had made it to the former Wan clan grounds and found the dungeon cell where Terran was.
"This is definitely Terran's ashes, his spiritual signature still lingers on them all be it very faintly…" Someone spoke gravely.
"Who was it?" The leader who had a cloak on making it impossible to see his face asked in a chilly voice.
"I don't know. There are no other spiritual signatures around." The investigator responded.
*BANG*
Someone punched a wall.
"DAMNIT! We gave Terran the key to the earth prefecture! So, whoever killed him, has the key!"
Everyone nodded gravely. The key would allow a group of 12 and the key holder to ascend to the earth's prefecture without having to undergo the trials of the mortal path.
A woman in the group said "It seems I won't be getting my bracelet…"
A man, presumably her boyfriend or husband walked up to her and gently held her hand.
"We will get the bracelet for you, don't worry." He said softly as if she was his most precious person.
She shook her head. "If it's too dangerous, let's just give up on it. I don't want you all to get hurt for a silly bracelet."
"No, we can't give up on it. "
Meanwhile just as Zane was about to leave with Anne the man said "I know it's not much, but here are some thanks for the halberd and for killing that annoying brat."
He tossed over an information jade that contained a map of the mortal, earth, sky, and heaven prefectures.
Zane couldn't help but smile at this. "Thank you, brother." He cupped his fist and left with Anne.
"Whatever you do, avoid provoking that man in the future." The man sternly commanded the rest of the group after they left.
"But-"
*BANG!*
The person speaking was slapped so hard his head exploded.
"Anyone else interested in causing trouble for him or his companion?" The man gravely asked.
No one met his gaze, everyone in the group knew he was absolutely capable of taking all of them on at once. It's why he was acknowledged as the leader.
Meanwhile, Zane decided to begin planning to refine his meridians. Everyone was born with mortal low-grade meridians unless you have a warrior or above as an ancestor in which case at best you will have mortal high-grade meridians.
A mortal mid-grade meridian is equivalent to 2.5 mortal low-grade meridians, a mortal high-grade is equivalent to 10 mortal low-grade meridians. So if he was to convert all his 32 meridians to mortal high-grade meridians… it would be like having 320 meridians.
Such a figure was terrifying even in the higher worlds. The problem is, it takes a lot of resources to refine a single meridian to high grade let alone 32 meridians.
To temper a meridian from mortal low grade to mortal mid grade costs roughly 500,000 lesser spiritual stones. Then 2.5 million lesser stones to get it to mortal high grade. And that's just one meridian. Thus, people often neglect refining their meridians, especially since the techniques to do so aren't exactly easy to obtain.
There's also the fact that the cost increases with each meridian since the meridians are linked with your entire body and refining them strengthens your entire body. On average it's a 25% increase with each meridian you refine.
Doing the math he paled at the number of resources required to refine all of his meridians… He simply couldn't calculate it! It was well into the hundreds of billions!
'My gods… Maybe I should simply focus on one meridian and get it to be as high grade as possible?' Zane couldn't help but think.
[That would probably be for the best, as even warriors and some champions might not have enough wealth to bring 32 meridians to mortal high grade.] Alina advised bringing her opinion to the table.
Zane had to agree.
He sighed.
"Let's go to the mortal firmament tower, perhaps we can get a good skill there." He decided to which she nodded. She had nothing better to do anyways.
After a few days of travel, they arrived at an island floating in the sky above the clouds. It had 5 pagodas.
4 smaller pagodas with 10 floors, one was facing east, another west, another north then south.
The central pagoda was 12 floors tall.
They stopped before the entrance to the central pagoda. This caused people in the surroundings to look at them. Everyone knew the central pagoda was the most difficult and unlike the other 4 pagoda's it could actually injure you. Although all damage was reduced inside, it wasn't by much.
Oliver didn't hesitate to begin walking forward to the main door. He looked at Anne and they smiled at each other before cracking the 12-foot tall doors open and disappearing in a flash of light.
*CREEEK* The door creaked shut.
*BANG*
When the light disappeared Zane found himself in an endless void. In that void 2 lights shined, one illuminated Zane, and the other illuminated his opponent, a human-shaped shadow.
Zane could feel it had the same foundation as him, 32 mortal low-grade meridians, 1st martial realm foundation with a former demi-deity as a martial spirit, and 2 saint cores, one paragon flame core, and one heavenly lightning core.
This made him narrow his eyes 'The golden dragons, really are terrifying. I didn't even feel myself being scanned.'
[Level 1: 1 opponent of equal foundation. Begin when ready.] A monotone voice resounded in his head.
Zane didn't hesitate to bring out the heaven and earth sword, his specter clone as he called it did the same bringing out an identical blade.
He shot forward channeling his blood and spiritual energies through his body.
*Ding*
Both parties collided.
*BOOM!*
Zane opened his mouth and fired a paragon fireball causing an explosion before leaping backward avoiding a strike while using his sword to deflect the sword strike upward and push past the clone's defense. The clone leaped back.
When he and Anne began 2 screens appeared outside of the pagoda showing their battles, everyone was surprised to see Zane's intense battle.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BANG!*
*DING!*
*BOOM!*
*CLANG!*
Both parties were holding little to nothing back colliding several times in just a few seconds.
Brilliant displays of lightning, fire, martial arts, and swordplay were displayed.
Zane had long contemplated how he can improve himself, he often thinks about what he would do if someone were to do something in a certain fight, etc. In fact, on his way to the ruins, he let his subconscious pilot his body while his consciousness was in illusions that Alina created for him to train. He understood that if he wanted to survive alone, he needed combat skills.
Zane suddenly brought out a dagger in his left hand and stabbed past his opponent's defense that he opened stabbing through its neck and slicing it off. The body withered away while he backed up.
*BOOM!*
The shadow exploded into nothingness.
This caused some people to stare in awe.
"Such an intense battle… Who the hell is he?"
"I think I recognize him, he's a black dragon called Rudman, besides that his background is unknown. The other is a hell shock wyvern, Anne, she is the first daughter of the southern hell shock wyvern king." Someone who saw them transform at the gate spoke.
"Both of them are amazing…" The bystander commented.
"Agreed."
Zane looked around after killing his opponent.
[Congratulations, you have completed level 1 of the mortal firmament tower. Your performance is being graded… Complete. Your performance has been graded as heaven grade. Your reward for clearing this floor is 1 heaven-grade spirit tempering pill. Continue to the next floor via the teleportation pad when ready.]
Zane grabbed the pill that was hovering in the air and put it in his spatial storage necklace and stepped on the pad.
A bright light flashed and he found himself in another void. This time there were 2 opponents.
[Level 2: 2 opponents with identical foundation. Begin when ready.]
Zane looked at the heaven and earth sword.
"Split." He commanded.
The sword shined as it split into 2 swords, the golden heaven sword, and the golden earth sword. The earth sword entered his hand while the heaven sword floated around him.
This scene stunned many.
"Oh my god, it's a sword that can split!" Someone voiced out in shock.
It sounded silly, but the thing was such swords were actually not that common as it required a lot of knowledge and finesse to allow them to merge and separate at will.
It was really difficult to make such a sword. The number of such swords on the 3rd island could be counted on 3 hands.
The 2 shadows did the same but didn't attack.
Zane simply smiled. He grabbed the heaven sword in his other hand and positioned them so they would cut anything on his sides as he went forward. Kicking his foot on the ground wings grew on his back, those wings flapped and he instantly broke the sound barrier before the 2 specters could react.
*BOOM!*
*SHING!*
The 2 specters died instantly unable to react.
This stunned everyone.
[Level 2 completed: Performance is being graded… Saint grade. You may choose one of 3 rewards.]
[1). 6 Petaled Golden Dragon Lotus]
[2). Golden Dragon Ranger Shield]
[3). Moonlit martial grass]
Zane didn't hesitate 'Moonlit martial grass'
[Moonlit Martial Grass has been selected.]
A blade of violet grass with a glowing white tip appeared in the air which he didn't hesitate to put in his storage necklace.
He smiled afterward. This blade of grass could nurture his martial spirit.
With that, he went to the 3rd floor.
*ZING*
A/N: Apologies there was no chapter yesterday, put in the wrong date for auto-release I think. The good news is it allows will allow me to keep 1 chap ahead without needing to spend all day writing XD.