The Prodigies War

Tens of thousands of talented geniuses from different regions of the West Infinity World took part in the Dao Lantern Festival. 

But at the end of the third test, only a thousand odd people remained. The elimination rate was undeniably shocking. 

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“Lin Xun, we’re almost there.” Yue Jianming heaved a sigh of relief. He had been anxious and tense all this time, worried that something bad would happen again. He hadn’t relaxed for a bit. 

Lin Xun woke up from his meditation and got up on the lotus petal, gazing into the distance. He exuded an ethereal and elegant air especially with his clothes billowing around him. 

After defeating Sha Liuchan, they hadn’t encountered any more trouble so Lin Xun took the rare opportunity to stabilize his cultivation. 

Moreover, as he drifted along the sea, his state of mind was constantly being tempered and now it was as tough as a boulder that had been hardened over thousands of times. It wouldn’t waver even if winds were blowing from all eight directions. 

This had an immeasurable beneficial effect on his great dao cultivation. At least, when he made a breakthrough in the future, ordinary tribulations would have little effect on his state of mind. 

“I can feel my state of mind has become cleansed, refreshed and improved. In addition, my dao path has become much more stable,” said Yue Jianming.

Not only Lin Xun, but Yue Jianming and other genius figures must have also benefited massively from this test.

“We’re here.”

As the coastline came into sight, Lin Xun noticed that many experts were already on the shore, looking relieved. 

When Lin Xun looked back and saw the magnificent roaring waves of the sea, he couldn’t help feeling reluctant to part with it. 

The sea might be dangerous, but it was a paradise land for tempering the state of mind. If he could train here for a period, his state of mind would transform tremendously. 

Unfortunately, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

……

The fourth test was called Spirit Lantern Illumination which tested one’s spirit power. 

Before the test began, thousands of experts, including Lin Xun, were teleported to a wilderness area via the dao talisman in their hands.

Darkness shrouded the world. 

Lanterns were floating as high as ten thousand feet in the sky. 

Each one was around the size of a fist and shone with a silvery lustrous shine like they were polished gemstones. 

They were Spirit Lanterns, a treasured item cast from a divine material called True Emptiness Spirit Crystal which had long vanished from the world.

Divine material!

Those two words were enough to show how rare and precious the Spirit Lanterns were. 

“This level tests one’s spirit power. This ten-thousand-foot void is filled with astral wind, fiendish qi, turbulent air flow and tribulation lightning. To light a Spirit Lantern, you will need to manipulate your primordial spirit power to maneuver in the thousand feet high sky.”

“The stronger your primordial spirit, the greater your chance of passing this test. Based on the past Dao Lantern Festivals, the fourth test is the most difficult even if the elimination rate isn’t the highest.”

A group of experts discussed the next trial with serious faces.

Those who could pass the first three tests and reached this far had to be the top figures among the talented geniuses, but none of them dared to let their guards down now.  

Yue Jianming whispered, “In this test, you don’t need to worry about being attacked because once someone launches an attack, they will be eliminated immediately.”

Lin Xun nodded, glanced around and saw Sha Liuchan in the crowd. He was perfectly composed and didn’t at all look like someone who had just been defeated. 

He even smiled slightly when he met Lin Xun’s gaze and made a throat-slitting gesture. 

The provocation in his action was too obvious. He knew that Lin Xun wouldn’t dare to make a move in this wilderness.

“That guy is too thick-skinned.” Yue Jianming frowned.

Lin Xun asked, “Have you ever eaten shark meat?”

Yue Jianming said blankly, “I don’t think so.” 

Lin Xun smiled. “After I kill that guy, then we can have a taste of this type of seafood. I have eaten black nightmare dog meat before and it tasted amazing, but I don’t know what shark meat tastes like.”

Yue Jianming’s expression turned strange. This guy not only has guts but also weird cravings.

Seafood?

The nearby experts’ expressions also changed. It was the first time that they heard someone treat Sha Liuchan, the saint of the Ocean Shark Clan, as seafood. 

Sha Liuchan’s face went dark. He couldn’t maintain his calm anymore as anger and hatred were burning his heart like flames. 

Demon God Lin, when we get to the Ancient Dao Lantern Tree, I am going to make you understand what is worse than death!

A wave of dao sound echoed through the night sky like the sound of heaven, and the still and silent Spirit Lanterns began to sway in the air. 

Shua!

All eyes instantly shifted that way. The fourth test began!

……

Outside of Cangwu Mountain. 

“The fourth test has begun. It’s rumored that in ancient times, only the top super sects have the tradition of the Spirit Lantern Illumination. If a disciple was able to light a Spirit Lantern, it indicated that their spirit power was strong enough to illuminate their own cultivation path and search for the true secret of the absolute apex king stage.”

“That’s right, one’s spirit is like a lantern illuminating your body. The primordial spirit lives forever, and the Spirit Lantern is always bright. Anyone who passes this test has the potential to forge the dao and become a king with a boundless future!”

Many influential figures discussed this trial with one another. 

“It’s not that simple to light a Spirit Lantern. How the Spirit Lantern is lit can also determine their potential to become a king.” Granny Jin He suddenly said aloud, “In general, the power of the Spirit Lantern is divided into three levels: Shine Brightly, Beam Brilliantly and Midday Sun.

“These three levels have nothing to do with a cultivator’s aptitude and potential, but are instead related to one’s spirit power. Those with ordinary spirit power can only illuminate Spirit Lantern to the level of Shine Brightly, while those with stronger spirit power can light a lantern to the level of Beam Brilliantly. 

“As for the level of Midday Sun…it is hard to say. It concerns the innate nature of one’s spirit, so even a true Saint won’t be able to know for sure.

“Mu Cangxue, the sect master of the Unsolved Mystery Sword Alms, successfully lit up a Spirit Lantern to the level of the Midday Sun when he participated in the Dao Lantern Festival years ago. Now, in fewer than one hundred years, he has ascended to the Life Death Stage, risen to the pinnacle of the world, and is only a few steps from entering the Saint Stage!”

This secret amazed everyone. 

They never knew that Mu Cangxue had performed so well in the Dao Lantern Festival. 

“It seems like your Unsolved Mystery Sword Alms will soon have another person as remarkable as Sect Master Mu Cangxue,” someone exclaimed. 

“Ji Xingyao is indeed a rare, talented girl, but the other peerless geniuses are not inferior to her.” Other big shots also expressed their opinions. 

Granny Jin He shook her head. “You are wrong, this fourth test has nothing to do with aptitude or talent, but instead tests one’s spirit. Also, this Dao Lantern Festival is unlike the previous in that many unpredictable situations will likely happen during the Spirit Lantern Illumination trial.”

Everyone thought over her words. 

……

The night was as dark as ink. 

In the wilderness, a group of experts were sitting cross-legged on the ground, activating their primordial power with all their strength and racing up the thousand-foot-high sky.

Suddenly, a splendid array of colors burst forth from the heads of the experts, painting the sky like divine rainbows. 

Some of those waves of spirit power were bright and pure, while others were condensed and deep.

Some were as bright red as fire, burning fiercely.

Some were abundant and powerful, rising like smoke.

This was the grade of their spirit. It was very difficult to rank them in normal times, but in this fourth test, the spirit power of thousands of geniuses would be assessed. 

The weaker ones would be eliminated. 

The stronger ones would have the opportunity to illuminate a Spirit Lantern and from the power bloomed from the lit Spirit Lantern, they could pry into the innate nature of their own spirit. 

It was utterly silent as rays of spirit shot into the sky one after another like rainbows emerging in the night sky, glowing with their own brilliance. 

But soon, the silence was broken by pained groans and grunts. 

In the sky, the astral wind cut the sky like blades with an ear-piercing whistle that resounded across the air. The wind was not ordinary as it contained the power of annihilation that could disperse the spirit of a cultivator.

At the same time, black fiendish qi was engulfing the area. Once one’s spirit power was contaminated, one would lose their mental ability from the endless illusions disturbing their mind. In severe cases, their spirit would be destroyed. 

The higher it was in the void, the more dangerous it was. In addition to the astral wind and fiendish qi, there were turbulent streams of light rushing around like rapids.

There were also wisps of tribulation lightning that looked as fine, ethereal and illusionary as light, but they each contained the deadly power to obliterate the spirit. 

As time passed, experts were seriously wounded and collapsed before their spirit power could reach the high altitude. 

As they groaned and screamed, they were eliminated from the competition with deep unwillingness and bitterness.

Some experts performed amazingly, passing through several obstacles in one go— crossing the astral wind, withstanding the fiendish qi, and passing the turbulent streams of light to reach an even higher altitude in the void. 

Ji Xingyao was a perfect example of this. Her spirit power was white as snow, ethereal and sacred. She rushed straight up like she was unstoppable, speeding past everyone else. But when she reached the area full of tribulation lightning, her pace slowed, and she had to fight with all her strength.

There were a few other people who led in front like Ji Xingyao, such as Yu Lingkong, Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun.

They were peerless geniuses. Since they were crowned with the title of peerless, their aptitude, talent, cultivation level and spirit had to be superior to ordinary cultivators.

During this process, Lin Xun seemed very low-key. He had long cultivated the soul of the primordial spirit, so he did not worry whether he could pass the Spirit Lantern Illumination test. 

At this moment, he was sensing and observing the different energy in the void with his spirit power. 

The astral winds, fiendish qi, and turbulent streams of light...were all being carefully studied by him. 

He viewed it as cognitive training. Not only would it widen his horizons and improve his cultivation knowledge, but it also had immeasurable benefits on his cultivation path in the future.

The so-called cultivation was a process of viewing heaven, earth, and oneself. The search for the great dao was also an understanding of the world and oneself.

The higher one’s cultivation level, the more one had to understand the nature and essence of heaven, earth and the great dao. Otherwise, one would make little progress on their cultivation path.  

Pu!

Suddenly, Lin Xun inadvertently noticed a gush of spirit power catching up to a group of geniuses with astonishing speed and soon overtaking them!