Paragon of Sin

"The Grand Spirit Trials BEGINS NOW! To all participants: Good Luck and SURVIVE!" A voice explosively echoed throughout the world, kicking off the start of the trials. The sound waves of this voice washed over the entire planet while various formations linked with spatial energies were activated, settled within certain areas. Randomly, all participants were sent off, their bodies shrouded by indiscinerable comets as they shot into the planet's surface.

It was a grand sight for those who were spectating, with a scene similar to a meteor storm striking the planet.

The Grand Spirit Trials was unlike any competition in the last millennia, with the four hegemons participating and including their nurtured elite geniuses. A clash of talent, resources, and luck was bound to begin, with the likelihood that various geniuses will fall today. This caused the blood of these youths to burn, wishing to establish their mark in the history books and claim their names as the victor amongst all the youths of the starfield.

While the San Clan was excluded from this competition, by choice it seems, those in the know were aware of their fruitless nepotistic practices that caused their pool of talent to be narrow and fragile. Despite the overabundance of resources gathered by the starfield's forces and offered as tributes, their desire to keep their bloodline pure and defined had led to the decline of their talents.

It was merely due to their two invincible Realmlords that their positions as the leader of the starfield remained uncontested today. If this situation changed…

Before long, all the geniuses had landed. The trial had truly begun.

Woosh!

Boosh!!

A comet of spatial energies crashed in a forest within Junia, located on the western hemisphere of the planet. The surroundings were rich and lush, filled with tall trees, vines, and shuttling noises. The whistle of the wind instilled a natural ambiance alongside a scent of uncertainty.

The slender figure within the comet was slowly revealed as the spatial energies started to dissipate. A male, a beastman, with scarlet eyes and bare feet was standing tall. His long silver hair was styled in a rope-braided ponytail that reached his ankles, and two lockets of hair hung before his forehead on both sides. His pale face and its features were beautiful, like a silver moon that hung within the night sky.

It was merely his scarlet eyes that caused a difference, containing a calm yet feral light.

Zuhei calmly let out a breath.

Swish!

His slender figure was immediately overtaken by a large, burly figure seven times his stature. A shadow was overcast and before a movement could be made, a pair of hair, muscular arms were lifted and crushed towards his head. A grunting roar followed, primal and vicious.

BOOM!

The two arms landed on his figure. The ground quaked, and the location he stood shattered and the earth fragmented into shards and bits. Those arms belonged to a large primate. It had black hair and feral eyes, seemingly mad and filled with profound violence. It was an ape that stood over fifteen meters in height and seemed like a small mountain. Despite its size, its speed was swift.

"Fuck. I can't even take a look without being attacked?" A calm, slightly annoyed voice resounded beneath the burly arms of the ape. The dust soon settled. Zuhei stood calmly with his two arms pushed upwards as if holding the sky, but within his arms were two sets of powerful arms.

The ape seemed mad. It roared with a ferocity that exceeded anything an intelligent creature could unleash. Zuhei frowned, his eyes lifted slightly as he regarded this star beast that had attacked him without provocation. Its strength was not little, capable of crushing an ordinary Sky Ruler beneath its muscles with relative ease.

"A Black-Earth Ape?" Zuhei recognized the beast. It was a Black-Earth Ape, a creature with its bloodline unlocked. It had a physical strength that could rival ordinary Soul Idol experts. Furthermore, it could harness unique earth-attributed bloodline abilities.

At the center of this ape's brow was a unique silver-colored star that was brilliantly bright. It was a mark that could not be ignored.

"If a World Sea youth had met you, wouldn't you have ended their life without warning? This trial is interesting." Zuhei smiled, but this smile was filled with a savagery that could cause untold nightmares for children. His gorgeous looks distorted by the unfathomably dense killing intent and vicious light within those scarlet eyes of his.

Even the Black-Earth Ape flinched. But as if humiliated by its momentary feeling of fear, it raged and lifted its arms. Without hesitation, it smashed again. And again. And again. The force crushed the surrounding earth and created a crater of at least a hundred meters. Considering this was a planet, not a continental flat earth, this feat was exceptional.

After dozens of smashes, the Black-Earth Ape grew exhausted. Despite its innate strength, every full-powered blow exhausted an immense amount of physical energies, which translated to a loss of stamina. Simply these attacks had caused its breath to become short. However, a blissful smile of relaxation emerged on its expression as if lifted its arms and turned away. Furthermore, its body shrunk to five meters.

Clearly, its titanic size had been a bloodline ability unique to it, increasing its physical attributes by a considerable degree.

From the crater, "You're quite careless, aren't you?" Steps echoed as Zuhei walked out, his robes untouched and not a single speck of dirt was on it. He seemed entirely uninjured and unaffected. The ape still, slowly turning its head in shock.

"Since I formed my Soul Idol, I've been wondering how strong my physical body had reached. Unfortunately, you're unable to harm it. Too bad." Zuhei finally left the crater.

The formation of the Soul Idol was accompanied by the ceaseless refinement and improvement of one's spiritual energies. Spiritual energies were the combination of physical, mental, and essence energies, so an improvement from it meant those three energies had been greatly improved.

At this stage of cultivation, the foundations of the Astral Core Realm was being established, and it was related to these four energy types. With all these energies combined, including spiritual energies, Astral Force was produced.

With his Soul Idol formed and his cultivation advanced, even his body had received an unnatural increase that was abnormal. With Wei Wuyin's support, he had reached heights that were only told about in past legends.

"Let's see if your body can withstand my full strength," Zuhei's bad habits were clearly awakening as he challenged the Black-Earth Ape. It roared in response. In the face of any challenge, it would never retreat. Furthermore, how could it?

It grew three times its size, reaching fifteen meters and seemed like a small, black mountain. Now that Zuhei could clearly see its transformation, he noted that it was summoning forth immense bloodline energies to execute this transformation. Its physical energies were improved, expanded, and reinforced. This was the reason its strength could reach ordinary Soul Idols. Without it, it might be merely as strong as a Sky Ruler in terms of overall strength.

Zuhei's scarlet eyes effused Slaughter and Battle Intent. He lowered his body, like a wolf ready to pounce. As he did, his heart pounded fiercely as his Astral Soul reacted. His mouth revealed sharp canine teeth and a row of pearly white. Behind Zuhei's back, a nine-hundred meter spiritual image formed. It was vague and distinct, nearly ethereal and transparent, but it contained savagery that overtook the world.

The image formed a silver wolf with scarlet eyes. It was stepping on a flowing river of sanguine blood and emitted an intense and bloodthirsty light from its eyes. Its aura was unyielding and vicious as it stepped upon the river, as if it was its god! Surrounding it were nine thick white rings that exuded abundant spiritual strength.

This was Zuhei's Soul Idol! A Silver Wolf, Fenrir! It was formed by his Astral Soul, formulated by his Astral Soul! The Sirius Soul of Blood Force!

The Black-Earth Ape let out an unexpected shriek, its heart and spirit feeling stifled and suppressed as the image toppled its form and released unfathomable spiritual pressure. It gawked, its battle-ready state crumbling as it gazed upwards with widened eyes. It felt fear.

Zuhei didn't hesitate as he shot forward, his figure like silver lightning that flashed to the ape. His hands were a claw as it swiped forward at the ape's head. It was ruthless and held nothing back. In the matter of a millisecond, the head of the ape had been removed from its neck.

Its head had turned into a gush of brain matter, black hair, white bone, crimson blood, and a sliced set of eyes. Its death was swift. Zuhei landed behind the ape. He looked towards his hand and saw its flawless skin, not a single drop of blood on it. His movements had been so fast that he had been untainted by the bodily fluids of the ape.

Just as he felt satisfied by the kill, his Soul Idol fading away, his heart wanting more as his mouth slightly opened, Slaughter Intent blazing endlessly within, his jade tablet emitted a faint light. He retrieved it out of curiosity and saw the number that was reflected on its surface.

Myriad Monarch Participant.

Soul Idol Cultivation.

Spirit Points: -5.

His left eyelids began to twitch. Right, he can't kill.

"Fuck." He had forgotten. His heart of slaughter and battle was too strong, so he held nothing back in his attack. Unlike his fight with Duke Zhao where he was under explicit orders, he was given no instructions and let loose. His actions had caused the death of the Black-Earth Ape and thus the penalty of his points.

To make up for this, he would have to capture an additional beast of that level. "Fuck it all. Anyways, it doesn't matter this round. The true trial is the next one." Indeed, this round was just an accumulation of points, but the next round allowed challenges and plundering of other points. Why would he bother himself with this round?

Thud! Boosh!

Just as he was about to walk off, ignoring the large collapsing body behind him, his jade tablet lit once more.

Myriad Monarch Participant.

Soul Idol Cultivation.

Spirit Points: -5.

Qualification for Next Round: Not Met.

He was taken aback by the sudden additional line. Did that mean he needed to have a positive score to move on? This wasn't mentioned before. When his thoughts reached this point, he audibly groaned with a rather loud 'fuck'. It made sense, but he disliked it nevertheless. He shrugged off his discontent, not willing to be a child about these matters.

He spread out his spiritual sense and felt immediately impeded by a powerful force. Frowning, he realized there was a formation in effect that suppressed the spiritual senses of others. This meant finding beasts would be fairly difficult and rely on both luck and effort. Fortunately, while it was suppressed, he could still observe the surrounding hundred miles.

He carelessly picked a random location and departed like a vanishing shadow.

What Zuhei hadn't realized was that the killing of beasts was not simply an act of his. To survive, holding back was difficult, and running away from stronger beasts was nearly impossible. Therefore, these participants would fight and kill to preserve their lives, leaving them with a negative score. If one overestimated their strength, provoking a beast stronger than them, they could only cry and depart early.

Either to the yellow springs or back home.

The first trial might seem irrelevant on the outside, but it was also an elimination round. With a limited amount of beasts available throughout the planet and a long four-month term, the battles will be fierce and heated. Panic soon settled in the hearts of many.

They realized...

This trial wasn't so simple.