Chapter 52: Victor's Earth Sovereign Physique
There was something different about the Celestial Earth Clan when compared to the other Hidden Clans. Its grounds lay deep in an ancient mountain range, sprawling across high peaks and low valleys, with stone bridges bridging across wide chasms, and waterfalls cascading down cliffs like silver threads against the rock. While the Skyward Clan had its floating palaces, the Lunar Sect its ethereal forests, the Celestial Earth Clan had built its civilization into the bones of the world.
Its citadel, cut directly into living rock, exuded a sense of unshakable permanence. The stone pillars that lined the pathways were huge, their inscriptions older than recorded history, soft-glowing with the wisdom of ancestors long since returned to the embrace of the earth. Statues of past Earth Sovereigns stood watch over the central temple, their faces worn from time but still exuding a formidable presence. The very air was thick with the essence of the land—an ancient, silent pulse that resonated through every grain of sand and every stone.
For Victor, this place was more than just a training ground—it was the crucible where he would forge his destiny.
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The Weight of Earth
While the other comrades were used to training in speed, agility, and precision, Victor was different. The Celestial Earth Clan believed in the totality of defense and strength, something which fit Victor's naturally resilient personality. His strength would not be that of evasion or striking in an instant; it was that of bearing-to be unmoveable, an immovable tower of strength in the seeming tide of battle.
He was met at the base of the mountain by Clan Elder Gorath, a colossus of a man with flesh like grey stone, his eyes glinting like polished obsidian. His presence seemed to speak volumes of the mountain alone-the earth chiseled a guardian out of its primordial rock. Gorath led Victor to a hidden valley, a place where time was forgotten, without tarrying over formality.
In the middle of the valley, a great monolith rose upwards, its surface inscribed with runes that pulsed faintly with some ancient energy. The mere presence of the stone was overwhelming, radiating a force that seemed to hum the ground beneath Victor's feet.
"To wield the power of the Earth King," Gorath rumbled, his tone low and sonorous, "you must first demonstrate your endurance." He reached a massive hand toward the monolith. "You shall carry the Titan's Burden for seven days and seven nights."
At his words, the towering monolith shook. Cracks appeared in its face, spreading like the veins of a living thing. Then, with a deafening roar, it exploded.
But instead of disintegrating into dust, the fragments started to radiate a ghastly gold light and, suspended in air before Victor, suddenly began surging with energy; before he was able to say anything, shard after shard jetted forward and lodged themselves deep in his body.
A tidal wave of weight crashed upon him, and it was as if a whole mountain had settled upon his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. The sudden pressure upon his bones groaned as his muscles shrieked in protest, as if all fibers in him were crushed under the earth.
Yet, as his knees buckled, Victor clenched his fists, refusing to fall.
The Elder watched, his face impassive. "Good," he whispered. "Now, rise."
Gritting his teeth and growling in defiance, Victor struggled against the weighty pressure, forcing himself up. It was inch by inch, but he would not yield.
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The Trial of Endurance
The first night was unbearable.
Victor's body throbbed in agony, his breathing ragged and shallow. He could not sleep-if he ever let his guard down for even a moment, the weight would crush him. His mind teetered on the brink of exhaustion, but he refused to let go, clutching the ground beneath him as if it was his lifeline.
And on the third day, something shifted. A body threatening to break with every breath, shifted. The bones filled in and firmed, the muscles toughened, hardened, and far, far more easily now, the energies of the earth moved through him. He could feel it in the hum of the land beneath him, that steady cadence which seemed the unchanged rhythm of Nature's strength.
With this, from the seventh day on, the pain began to lessen. The burden had grown less heavy-it was natural upon him now, a part of himself. His body had grown shining with the latticework of golden flesh. Where he trod, earth responded; as he moved a step, beneath his feet it shook, adjusting itself to reflect the strength arising in him.
Gorath walked up to him and nodded in approval. "You passed the first stage. Now it's about time you woke up your true self."
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The Earth Sovereign's Awakening
Victor was taken deep underground, down tunnels in which veins of ore glowed to light their way. The deeper they went, the more substantial the earth's energy wrapped around him like an invisible shroud. They finally arrived in a big chamber deep underground where a throne made of stone dominated the center of the hall.
"This is the Seat of the Earth Sovereign," explained Gorath. "Only those destined for greatness may sit upon it.
Victor stepped closer, his whole being tugged by the throne's ancient power. The moment he laid his hands upon the armrests, the whole chamber shook. The throne pulsed with energy, surging through him and filling his mind with knowledge forgotten-the Celestial Earth Arts, techniques lost to time.
Then, the final step happened.
And then there appeared before him a colossus: stone and gold, towering so hugely that the very air seemed to bend in homage.
"You are worthy," he boomed, the voice reverberating off the chamber. "Now, take the final step."
The creature stretched out his huge hand and placed it on Victor's chest. A burning heat flashed through him, and he felt in that instant a cosmic shift had taken place. The power of the earth responded to his call, bending to his will.
A golden aura exploded from Victor's body, shaking the entire mountain range. The stone beneath his feet vibrated with him, bending to his will. When he opened his eyes, they gleamed with a power older than time itself.
He had awakened the Earth Sovereign Physique.
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The Power of an Unbreakable Force
When Victor emerged from the chamber, all of the Celestial Earth Clan stood before him. Warriors and elders, all disciples; they all knelt. None said a word, but it was enough that their heads were bowed.
Victor wasn't a warrior anymore.
It was a force of nature.
Ripples spread on the ground with each step.
Shocks of air broke with every fist, spreading across the valley.
The power of the Earth Sovereign Physique-the unmatched strength it gave him both in offense and defense-made him an unbreakable shield and the spear that none could block. He stared ahead into the horizon, to where the dark clouds of war were gathering, and Victor fisted both his hands.
The war against the Dark Apostles was far from over, but he could now shake the heavens with his power-and stand against whatever would come with unyielding strength.
The Earth Sovereign had risen.