The Prodigies War

The Spirit Lantern was resplendent. Casting thousand beams of divine lights upon the world, it looked exceptionally bright and vibrant at night. 

This was the first Spirit Lantern lit after the fourth test began, but it was already such an astonishing spectacle. 

It beamed brilliantly!

This indicated that the spirit power had reached the top level of the Cyclic Derivation Stage.  

One’s spirit was like a lantern, illuminating one’s body. As long as the primordial spirit lived forever, the Spirit Lantern would remain forever bright.  

In the process of forging the dao and becoming a king, the spirit was the most important. 

Why were Life Death Stage cultivators able to transcend the five cultivation stages?

Why was the King Stage called the Life Death Stage?

The key lay in the words life and death!

For cultivators, the spirit was connected to the secret of life and death!

Death was said to be like an extinguished lantern. Once a cultivator’s spirit was annihilated, it also represented real death. 

Therefore, the spirit was the key to seeing through life and death and becoming a king.

The stage beyond the King Stage was the path to longevity, a more lofty and magnificent realm of cultivation, where one sought the path to compete with the sun and moon in brilliance and to live as long as the earth. 

……

The genius talents who participated in this Dao Lantern Festival all had ambitions of embarking on the king’s path in the upcoming battle of the great age. 

Almost all of them were aware of the importance of spirit power in forging the dao and becoming a king.

So, when they saw someone first set off the phenomenon of Beam Brilliantly from the Spirit Lantern, they couldn’t help feeling wonder-struck.  

Who could it be?

Who would have such strong spirit power?

The group of geniuses very quickly saw a wave of spirit power that was as white as snow and filled with a forever-lasting aura pouring into the Spirit Lantern. The owner of the spirit power turned out to be Bai Lingxi. 

“It’s her! She’s a successor from the Longevity Land in the South Wonder World!”

Everyone’s surprised expression was tinged with envy and yearning.  

“I heard that each of the Spirit Lanterns hold a different secret and is also imbued with a mysterious aura that has immeasurable benefits on tempering spirit power.”

“That’s right, the brighter the light bloomed from the Spirit Lantern, the greater the benefits you will get. This is a secret that our elders specially told us.”

Discussions broke out in the crowd. 

Anyone who reached the end of the thousand-foot-high void had earned the qualification to light a Spirit Lantern, but a lot of consideration was still required to know which one to light. 

The Spirit Lanterns danced above the void like stars orbiting the sky.

Some were as far as the depths of the sky and some hovered visibly close by. 

“Based on what happened in the previous Dao Lantern Festival, the higher the Spirit Lantern is, the higher its grade, but correspondingly, it is also more difficult to light.”

“Don’t be too ambitious, we have all reached the end of the thousand-foot-high void and are all qualified to light a Spirit Lantern and pass the test. This is already much better than those who have been eliminated.”

“Indeed, let’s get started then.”

During the conversation, some experts were already searching for a suitable Spirit Lantern and attempting to illuminate it. 

At the same time, numerous experts were still struggling up the void and some were eliminated from the test. 

……

Lin Xun didn’t impatiently act, and instead he continued to observe and investigate the lanterns. 

The Spirit Lanterns glistened like polished glass and gemstones and radiated an ancient aura. Their mysterious sheen made them look like stars dancing in the sky from afar. 

“Huh?”

Lin Xun noticed that, unlike other experts, peerless geniuses such as Ji Xingyao, Yu Lingkong, Mu Jianting and Lei Qianjun also didn’t act recklessly, but instead spread their spirit power across the void to observe and communicate with the lanterns. 

For example, Ji Xingyao’s spirit power was producing clear cries as it transformed into a snow-white celestial phoenix that spread its wings and twirled around the Spirit Lanterns.

While Yu Lingkong’s spirit power transformed into a splendid golden bell and produced resonant sound waves to check out the different Spirit Lanterns. 

However, the most eye-catching had to be Mu Jianting, a successor from the Jade Emptiness Temple. His spirit power had transformed into the shape of a yin-yang fish and slowly spun in the void.

Additionally, the spirit power of other peerless geniuses also presented different wonderful visions.

There was no doubt that they had all mastered spirit arts and wouldn’t hold back to find the most suitable Spirit Lantern for them. 

This was the foundation that successors from ancient sects had. They never had a lack of resources, secret arts and inheritances. Coupled with their outstanding talent and aptitude, they could easily surpass ordinary people and shine on the cultivation path. 

For example, a successor like Yue Jianming who came from an ordinary sect in the Fire Spirit province would never receive a secret spirit art inheritance.

In other words, only the best ancient sects and clans in the world held secret spirit art!

Lin Xun noticed that many experts had managed to reach the top of the thousand foot high sky and successfully light a Spirit Lantern. 

However, the Spirit Lantern lit by most people was only an ordinary grade, as indicated by the bloomed light, and barely passed at the Shine Brightly level.  

Some lit Spirit Lanterns couldn’t even be considered as Shining Brightly.

Regardless, the Spirit Lanterns demonstrated the strength of the genius figures’ spirit power. 

Buzz!

All of a sudden, in an incredibly high place in the night sky, a snow-white celestial phoenix formed from Ji Xingyao’s spirit power illuminated a Spirit Lantern and caused an explosion of astonishing waves of energy and blinding light rays!

It shone splendidly with a thousand beams of light!

However, it wasn’t over yet. Under astonished gazes, the Spirit Lantern grew brighter and brighter until it resembled a huge sun hanging in the sky, casting light upon the universe!

The spirit grade of Midday Sun!

“Fairy Ji is indeed worthy of being called the leading figure of the younger generation in the West Infinity World. Given the spirit power she showed just now, she can easily forge the dao and become a king.”

“Amazing! It’s rumored that Mu Cangxue, the sect master of the Unsolved Mystery Sword Alms, produced the Beam Brilliantly vision with his spirit power when he participated in the Dao Lantern Festival at a young age. This means that Fairy Ji’s spirit power is stronger than that of Elder Mu Cangxue back then!”[1]

A chorus of exclamation, envy and admiration rang out. 

“Congratulations Xingyao, given your spirit power, I am sure that you will rise above the others in the battle of the great age and ascend to the absolute apex king path!” Yu Lingkong congratulated her. 

“Brother Yu, you are over praising me.” Ji Xingyao replied indifferently, “If I’m not mistaken, Brother Yu has already locked on a Spirit Lantern, is that right?“

“Xingyao, you indeed have sharp eyes.” As Yu Lingkong smiled, the golden bell transformed from his spirit power suddenly roared and rumbled.

Clang!

Then, a Spirit Lantern was lit. Its endless divine brilliance illuminated the vault of heaven while it hovered in the sky like a blazing sun. 

From afar, his and Ji Xingyao’s Spirit Lanterns seemed to form a grand phenomenon of the double sun illuminating the universe.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

The audience was stunned into silence. 

In previous Dao Lantern Festivals, it was already amazing to see the phenomenon of the Midday Sun once, and it would cause a sensation.

But this amazing vision happened twice in a row. This had never happened in the past!

“This Dao Lantern Festival is indeed different from the past. There are unprecedented blessings and opportunities. Perhaps, this is a sign of the coming of the great age!”

Many people couldn’t calm their emotions. 

After that, peerless geniuses such as Mu Jianting, Lei Qianjun, Zhongli Wuji and Qing Lian’er all illuminated their own Spirit Lanterns. 

Their performances were equally astonishing and set off waves of exclamations and uproars, but the grand phenomenon of Midday Sun hadn’t appeared again.   

Strictly speaking, their spirit power hovered between the level of Midday Sun and Beam Brilliantly, which was enough to be considered remarkably rare in the previous Dao Lantern Festival.

But when compared to Ji Xingyao and Yu Lingkong, they were still a little inferior in this Dao Lantern Festival.

Lin Xun had begun to act. He guided his spirit power to the higher places in the void, checking out one spirit lantern after another.

But he still hadn’t found one that suited him. 

He wrinkled his brows.  

Could it be that higher-grade Spirit Lanterns are rarer?

His spirit power had reached the highest point in the void, almost at the same level as the spirit lanterns that were lit by Bai Lingxi and Yu Lingkong.

But there were only a few Spirit Lanterns at this height and none of which he could light.

“Ha, Demon God Lin, isn’t your spirit power very powerful? Why haven’t you lit up a lantern yet? Could there be something wrong with your spirit?”

Sha Liuchan roared with laughter. Naturally, he wouldn’t miss out on the chance to ridicule and mock Lin Xun.

“That’s for sure. Didn’t you see that there are quite a few Spirit Lanterns near his spirit power? This only proves that his spirit power isn’t good enough to light lanterns to the level of Midday Sun!”

“Lin Xun, weren’t you very arrogant? Why do you look so dispirited now? Come on, come on, show off your power as a demon god and light up a Spirit Lantern for us to admire.”

His old enemies including Qing Lian’er and Zhongli Wuji also took the opportunity to attack him.

At this high altitude, they were not worried about provoking Lin Xun and having to deal with his retaliation. 

Although the other experts didn’t say anything, they all looked a little bemused. Demon God Lin had been unstoppable so far and leapt to the thousand-foot-high void in the most powerful manner. 

In the process, he targeted five experts from the Blue Luan Clan and the Zhongli Clan and caused them to be eliminated.

That made everyone believe that his spirit power was absolutely strong so he could compete with Ji Xingyao and Yu Lingkong for the top spot.

But now… 

He couldn’t light a Spirit Lantern!

Many people frowned in puzzlement. Could it be as Sha Liuchan and the others said, although Lin Xun’s spirit is strong, it is damaged in some ways that prevent him from illuminating a Spirit Lantern?

1. Yes this contradicts a previous chapter ☜