The day of the contest finally arrived, and Caleb, along with his fellow competitors, donned their training uniforms. The beast skin material was very comfortable to wear but offered no protection to the body. It also weighed very little, allowing the wearer to use 100% of their body flexibly and at full power. They made their way to the contest venue accompanied by Lieutenant Judas, a stream of contestants slowly made their way to the venue, each one radiating confidence and power. The spectators were gathering at the venue, excitement was also in the air as people discussed the contestants. Bets could be heard as people enjoyed the environment in expectation of the event.
The instructors guided the contestants to the centre of the venue. The venue had a centre platform with an inscribed array, and there was a large open space around the centre ring that only contestants could go into, no one including the instructors was allowed to pass. A row of screens was installed facing the spectators.
"Gather round, I am a knight under the emperor, you can call me Sir Mark. I will be in charge of this contest!" a man spoke in a loud voice. "45 candidates were selected for the contest, why is there one person missing?" The blue-haired knight asked.
"Sir Mark, Masti overindulged himself in debauchery and died from blood loss," someone replied without making themselves known.
"You mean to tell me that the young man who died of blood loss because his penis was stuck in another boy's backside was a candidate?" Everyone had heard the story, it was one of the most talked-about stories due to the compromising position the boy was in when the doctors had to pry the corpse of Masti out of his buttocks.
"I can't believe this, the levels of the candidates are decreasing every contest. This is a serious event that holds the door to a better future for each of you, yet someone can't keep it in their pants for a few days."
The mood on the stage was awkward, and the candidates were getting uncomfortable. Masti's problem had left a bad impression on the knight, causing all of them to be placed in almost the same category.
"You have all been briefed by your instructors. I don't want to go over it all again. Let's get the contest over with," he announced. He walked to the location of the screen, indicating that the performance of the contestants will be displayed to the spectators in this format. Only the knights have spectator access to the trials. Each contestant's name, a small photograph, and the number of kills were displayed on the screen.
"Brace yourself, the array has been activated," were the last words the contestants heard before they were transported into an illusory world. This array was not like any that Caleb and the others had come across in their academies. The imperial training array was built by the best formation and array masters of the human race. It served as a vital training ground for knights to test their immense powers without destroying to their surroundings.
The template of the trial was the same for all contestants. Each contestant was sent to defend a city in the illusory world. Caleb found himself standing outside shut city gates. In front of him was a horde of demons of varying strength. Unfazed by the situation, Caleb had been fighting demons for the past year and a half within the crystal ball. He held his weapon tightly, entering his battle stance.
Wave after wave, Caleb fought valiantly, refining his spear skills and contemplating the development of new techniques. He was trying to achieve an efficient way of killing that involved using the smallest amount of effort but dealing an adequate amount of damage. One of the skills Caleb has mastered over his time in the academy, he thought about how to use this skill with the strength of his body to achieve the best effect with his spear. As the contest progressed, the numbers on the screen indicating the number of kills for each contestant rapidly increased.
As continents got eliminated, the mission in the illusionary world also changed, from defeating waves of demons to defending a caravan against waves of thieves and protecting civilians against raiders. The final challenge only started when there were only 10 contestants left in the array.
The final battle was against a demonised version of themselves, this copy not only copied their physical appearance though demonised, it also perfectly copied their skill and level of mastery of their weapons as soon as they entered the stage for the final battle. The only way to defeat oneself was to advance past what they were when they entered this battle, be it faith cultivation, body cultivation, enlightenment on the use of their skills or weapon arts.
Standing in front looking at what he would be like if he were to become demonised made Caleb feel uncomfortable. The dark aura and heavy bloodlust displayed by the copy was a bit intimidating, the streak of blood around his red spear was sickening. Caleb knew the spear's colour should be black, but the amount of blood from victims had left a stain on the spear to change its colour. It was a demonic practice to bathe weapons in blood to strengthen their qualities.
"You cannot win, why don't you surrender!" the demon said. "Oh wait, you will never surrender!" He laughed, "I can only beat you into submission. You will see the great power of the demons." The two engaged in a fierce battle, both employing thunderbolt skills and executing the same spear art.
It was do or die, the two Calebs were similar, they fought the same way. Caleb could only think about using the skills he had been working on. The chain lightning-imbued spear shot at the shadow Caleb, he was not expecting it, he marvelled at the weak art, "How do you expect to win with this spear art that you haven't even mastered?" The demon started pressuring Caleb, gaining more ground with each attack as Caleb retreated. Things were not looking good for Caleb, but he was sure that he could come up with at least one move that would overpower his clone.
In a daring move, Caleb unleashed a new technique he had been working on. Channelling the chain lightning skill into his spear, he concentrated all the power of lightning to the tip of the spear as it flashed with an intense blue light, lightning arcing in every direction. Without giving the clone any time to realize the extent of the new skill, Caleb struck out his attack, creating a beam of lightning, piercing the unaware clone who looked in disbelief at the skill.
Caleb was teleported out of the illusionary world onto the stage. He could see several contestants, including Soho and Osmos, who had been teleported out earlier than him, sitting on the stage watching the scoreboard. He eagerly glanced at the screen to check his score. To his astonishment, he saw "Rank 1 - 500 kills" next to his name. Soon, one by one the remaining contestants were teleported out, and their names of the top 10 rankers were displayed on the board, and only Alex and Dara from Caleb's team made it to the top 10.
"Congratulations to those who made it into the top 10, the reward for making it this far is a bit special this year," Sir Mark announced. "The Emperor allows the future powerhouses of the human civilization to access the imperial faith pool, which is only opened once every 100 years. It is called a pool because the faith energy has liquified over the years and is highly concentrated. The rest of you don't worry, there are also rewards for participating. Each of you will receive a faith core pill, something that can help you start building your faith core or even advance the core into a world."
The spectators slowly dispersed from the venue. It was entertaining for them to witness the rise of human powerhouses, but they had to continue with their lives. The 34 contestants not in the top 10 received their rewards and were led back to the representative areas. The top 10 made their way to a palace.
Approaching the palace, they were greeted by a series of impressive courtyards, each more breathtaking than the last. Wide pathways lined with intricately carved stone statues, vibrant gardens with meticulously manicured plants, and shimmering fountains contributed to the palace's majestic ambience.
The main structure of the palace is an architectural masterpiece. Its facade is adorned with elaborate decorations, including intricate carvings, gold leaf embellishments, and colourful murals depicting historical events and legendary figures. The roof features upturned eaves and ornamental tiles, symbolising prosperity and good fortune. Guarded by dedicated knights, the palace exudes an air of authority and security.
"We will not be entering the palace from the front. You need to be summoned by the Emperor to walk through the front gates, remember that" the group was led by Sir Mark to the rear of the palace where a massive golden metallic gate stood in front of a cave.
"You should know this, the energy gathered inside is highly concentrated. Absorbing it will cause your body and meridians to be in terrible pain. You can lose consciousness during the process, so if you cannot take any more, either stop cultivating or leave the pool. Inside the pool, there are 10 platforms where you can refine your body or increase your faith cultivation using energy. You can only stay inside the pool for 3 months. How much you can absorb is up to you."
One by one, they entered the pool area, leaping onto separate platforms surrounding a lake. Caleb sat cross-legged, his spear resting on his leg, and prepared himself for cultivation. He was eager to cultivate, knowing the crystal ball space can allow his mind to disconnect from his body, allowing him to manage the pain better. But things were not going according to that plan. To his surprise, he found that he couldn't enter the crystal ball space to block out the pain. The crystal ball spawned, creating a vortex that pulled more faith energy into his body than usual, causing the amount of pain he was feeling to be at the highest level possible. The agony he experienced was unlike anything he had felt before, as if tiny ants were running wild inside his body, biting at everything in their path.
Within Caleb's inner space, the crystal ball, which was embedded into the crystallized faith energy, slowly transformed into the core as it pulled granules of faith energy ground from the contact of its motion and the crystallized faith energy in the inner space towards it, building the faith core. Caleb was in too much pain to notice, but he was slowly progressing in Deacon Rank without him knowing.
The first month of pain had almost driven Caleb and the others insane, their perseverance tested as they pushed themselves to the limit. Caleb used the first month to upgrade his body, flying through the Earth Rank as he broke into Heaven Rank. Without allowing him the joy of advancing, the crystal ball pulled in more energy since Caleb's body could now handle more of the pain. In the second month, Caleb's Faith Core had been created, allowing him to easily advance into Deacon Rank. The vortex absorbing the faith energy never reduced but increased, causing him more heartache.
Due to Caleb sucking in most of the faith energy, there was a shift in the energy in the pool. Although the others did not know what was going on, they only felt that the pain was a bit manageable. If only they could see the cocoon of faith energy surrounding Caleb, they could imagine how much pain he would have been in.
In the final month, Caleb realized that his body was stabilizing by itself, and his faith core had steadily been increasing, almost the size of a small world. He decided to start his study on the second song of the Song of Solomon Scripture for the heart. He aimed to achieve the "Heart like Glass" stage, a testament to his willpower and pain tolerance.
After the three-month cultivation period, the faith energy in the pool was completely depleted. Each person radiated newfound energy, a clear sign of significant improvement in their cultivation. As they emerged from the pool, they were greeted by Sir Mark.
"This is the first time we have ever sent 10 people into the pool, and not a single one of you gave up during the three-month stay," he commended. "Head to the gathering hall; there will be an announcement later in the day."
Caleb and the others gathered. They were soon joined by the other contestants. The students discussed their experiences and improvements. Excitement was in the air as they talked about the miraculous pool. Sir Mark brought the discussions to an end as he revealed the dire state of things. He stood before them in a strange demeanour, broadcasting the Emperor's decree.
"The demons have started a war against Humans. The human city in FireBlaze, West Mash City, has fallen due to the treachery of the Benja Clan, which had become a vassal clan serving the demons," he said. The room fell into a tense silence as Sir Mark controlled his aura, concealing his killing intent. It was time to sound the war horns, it was time to prepare for battle. The students couldn't help but discuss the sudden turn of events, but a knight quickly silenced them.
"Quiet!" the knight barked.
Sir Mark spoke again, his voice laced with urgency. "Demons have returned. We have been betrayed, and we need to expedite your training. You have all been selected to attend a specialized training camp to help you develop into leaders that we need in the war. War is upon us."
The students were left stunned, pondering the events unfolding before them. The rules had changed, and their training was now intertwined with a looming war against the demons. Uncertainty filled the air as they awaited further instructions and prepared for the challenges ahead.