BXBX NOVEL Chapter 267: Groupchat
[Moss Lady]: The newbie succeeded on his first try. Impressive.
[Howler]: Oh, oh!? Really? Which trial, though?
[Moss Lady]: Trial of Mind
[Howler]: Oh, damn! That's neat
[Eunuch Wei]: It seems that our lobby's going to be more lively this time.
[Howler]: Eunuch Wei! It's been a while! How are you doing? How's the wife? How's your kids?
[Eunuch Wei]: Fuck off, brat.
[Howler]: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
[Hawkeye]: Chat's active again, yay!
[Moss Lady]: Hawky girl! I missed you. It's been a while since I've seen you. When are you returning to the trials?
[Hawkeye]: Mossy, hey! Sorry, I haven't been active; my world's too hectic, and I have a lot to do. If things go according to plan, I should return within a year. Wait for me! xoxo
[Backpack Fatty]: Hey, people.
[Morning Wood]: 'Sup!
[Howler]: Lovebirds! Are you engaged now?
[Backpack Fatty]: Not yet. Brother Wood is playing hard to get. I need to stroke him hard, it seems.
[Morning Wood]: Die, you two.
[Backpack Fatty]: KYAHAHAHAHAHA
[Howler]: BWAHAHAHAHAHA
[Hermit]: Noisy
[Hawkeye]: Grandpa Hermit! Hello! Hello!
[Hermit]: Settle down, little girl. I can feel your energy all the way here.
[Eunuch Wei]: If the newbie ever manages to join this room, I think he's going to have a massive culture shock with how chaotic we are.
[Morning Wood]: He?
[Howler]: Yo, Brother Wood, cool it. Have mercy on the newbie!
[Backpack Fatty]: It seems that I have competition.
[Morning Wood]: Die a thousand times, you two!
[Hawkeye]: Aww, I was hoping that the newbie would be a girl! There are too many boys here; it's unfair!
[Moss Lady]: He's not that bad, girl. He was handsome and a gentleman. Mama approves!
[Hawkeye]: Really? 🤔
[Moss Lady]: Image.jpg
[Hawkeye]: HAJSKRMRODHAH
[Howler]: He's hairless!
[Backpack Fatty]: Damn! So handsome! What is he?
[Morning Wood]: 🤩
[Morning Wood]: Wait, no! No! It's supposed to be this 😑
[Eunuch Wei]: Whatever helps you sleep at night, Woody.
[Moss Lady]: Hawky, girl? Are you there still? Don't tell me you fainted.
[Hawkeye]: ASKDNFBDJSMKH
[Howler]: Damn, she's malfunctioning.
[Hawkeye]: Okay, I'm good. I think
[Hawkeye]: I was eating when you sent that, and I legit almost died. My food is all over the room now, eww.
[Hawkeye]: How old is he, by the way?
[Moss Lady]: I knew you were going to ask 😂😂
[Moss Lady]: Technically, he's too young for you. He's only 20–25 years old, from what I sensed.
[Moss Lady]: But I think that he's from a race that has short lifespans, so traditionally, he's old enough to marry. Though I did sense that he's already devoted to two people,.
[Hawkeye]: awww
[Backpack Fatty]: Too bad, huh? Brother Wood?
[Morning Wood]: Shut up, fatboy.
[Howler]: Well, at least he's not like Eunuch Wei.
[Eunuch Wei]: I will strangle you, furboy.
[Howler]: 😳 yes, please 🥵🥵
[Eunuch Wei]: I-...
[Hermit]: You all are getting too excited. We don't even know if the boy will actually make it far enough to join us.
[Howler]: There goes Grandpa Pessimism again...
[Hermit]: Shut it, kid. I'm not pessimistic, just realistic.
[Hermit]: It's fairly easy to qualify for the tower. Gaining achievements, on the other hand, is way harder. You brats, of all people, should know that.
[Moss Lady]: Hmm, you're not wrong, but... I believe the newbie has promise.
[Hermit]: What did you see?
[Moss Lady]: a young boy forced to carry the entire weight of his race. A child that has come too far to fail.
[Hermit]: ...
[Howler]: Damn
[Eunuch Wei]: That's...
[Backpack Fatty]: Now that... that changes things.
[Morning Wood]:...
[Hawkeye]: crying
[Hermit]: Good luck to him, then...
**
Cedric was unaware that his fellow challengers were talking about him. His focus was completely on his recent gains.
**
[Challenger Profile:]
Name: Dawnbringer
Age: 23
Race: Human
LE: 1-star Planetary Grandmaster Lifeform
Potential: A+
Achievements: Trial of Mind (1st Stage: 5%)
Points: 0
**
Despite feeling way stronger than his previous self, his Life Evolution rating still remained at 1-star Planetary Grandmaster Realm. He had no idea why this was the case, but there's no way that he'd be mistaken about his own strength.
He didn't mind this too much; what's more important to him was to consolidate his new strength and memorize the 『Nine Suns Empyrean Codex』 as intimately as he could.
Since it's a cultivation technique, it would certainly take time for him to master it. He didn't feel confident about doing it within the 10-year deadline since it's too profound.
Speaking of deadlines, he gets it now.
The 10-year deadline to clear the 1st Stage of the Trial of Mind ticks while he's within the tower and freezes if he leaves.
Yes, he can leave in between, but he's also on a time limit since he couldn't stay indefinitely in the Tower of Prodigies. According to what the system AI told him, his qualifications for the tower expire once he reaches 100 years old outside.
To summarize, Cedric has two timeframes that he has to observe: time inside the Tower of Prodigies and time in the real world.
So long as he's yet to reach the age of 100, there's hope of him advancing further and further into the trials to gain more achievements and become stronger.
Truth be told, just having the 『Nine Suns Empyrean Codex』 was already a massive gain for him. This cultivation technique could take him to the [Grand Solar] realm of life evolution, which should be more than enough to free his world and protect it.
And since he's allowed to take back as much spiritual water as he can, Cedric could totally elevate humanity and Prime Earth into an unprecedented age and bring them glory like no other. As time passes, geniuses will eventually be born, and one of them might qualify for the Tower of Prodigies and go further than he could if he couldn't make it far at all.
But with all that he had seen so far, especially the things that's within his reach, how could Cedric not yearn for them?
With his expanded horizons, how could he sit still? He could do so much more with the resources available here. A bright future was ahead of him, so how could he stop here?
Swoosh!
Golden flames billowed around him with intensity. The heat and brilliance it contained were certainly greater than what he could manage before gaining his new cultivation technique. Cedric had already consolidated his new strength, but he didn't end his training there.
It's such a strange sight because Cedric was soaking in the C-grade Spiritual Lake right now. The waters of the lake did nothing to douse the flames he's emitting; if anything, the lake was not affected at all.
His body was greedily devouring the spiritual waters of the lake. The 1st Extreme Sun Aperture on his core madly devoured the energy it contained in the waters, making the golden nebula look more solid than before.
This aperture is the one and only one that Cedric has opened currently. It has been two weeks since he got the codex, and the 1st Extreme Sun has yet to show any real visible change.
He discovered that after exhausting himself to his limits, the absorption of the aperture increases significantly, which in turn makes his progress slightly faster. However, it's still not fast enough for Cedric's liking.
Cedric opened his eyes after his last session and released a sigh.
"I guess I should first see what the rest of the skills I'll get from the Ancient Stone are before I decide which one to take to Intermediate Mastery," he muttered. "That said, given how this trial was meant for prodigies, I should expect a real challenge."
Cedric then looked up and stared at the bright skies above him.
No matter how much he looked at it, he felt as if he couldn't get enough of it. This is what a real sky should look like: clear and blue, vast and filled with white clouds. Being the Sun Sage, Cedric had no trouble staring directly at the sun. He knows that the one in here was a fake one, but it felt more real than what the House of Light made for human civilization.
It's even way better than the improved version Cedric recently created.
"Soon," Cedric muttered to himself, "I'll restore Prime Earth to how it should've been without those space pirates."
"I will return the true sky to my people. I will let them see the real sun, moon, and stars. I'll break open the sky, shatter the plans of the Demon Race, and eradicate them completely."
"I will return freedom to us."
"...and if I'm lucky, I'll register humans as new members of the alliance, hopefully with me as its chairman."
Cedric submerged his body deeper into the lake as he closed his eyes, immersing himself in his hopeful dreams.
"I don't aim for much. I just want to borrow the prestige of the council to give us, humans, a chance to prosper."
"As for me, I'll see how far I can go. Wherever my fate and destiny take me, I'll be fine with it. I just hope that my future family is fine with that too."