POV Víctor Ollés

  Dark storm clouds blanketed the sky. Occasional sparks of

  lightning rolled within the clouds, not yet able to break free and

  unleash their might upon the court mage below.

  It was late in the evening, and the sun was setting. While the storm clouds reached far, they couldn’t quite touch

  the horizon so the sun was framed between the dark clouds and the tan

  ground. A bright orange illuminated the area where Víctor would take on

  the [System]’s challenge.

  The Cult Leader and the others stood with their backs toward the sun; their shadows stretched far into the clear patch of

  land, only for the tops of their shadows to distort under the energy of

  the formation.

  Víctor stood in the center of the formation, staring up

  at the heavens as the final seconds of the countdown ticked away.

  Then

  the timer finally reached zero.

  KRRAACK!

  BOOOM!

  The first lightning strike descended in a flash and struck the formation.

  It held.

  Electricity crackled as the power of the tribulation

  lightning spread across the dome surface of the formation. Countless

  bright yellow arcs covered the surface while a small fraction of the

  energy pierced the shell and entered the formation, saturating the air

  inside with a powerful electrical energy.

  Víctor grimaced from the pain in spite of the fact that

  only a fraction of the energy actually reached him. Once he dealt with

  the initial shock, a triumphant smile formed on his face. His work, his plans and ideas, had been proven right.

  A second strike hit the formation and more lightning essence filled the dome.

  When the third hit, Víctor could no longer hold on to his smile.

  The formation worked as planned, but the might of the

  tribulation was still extraordinary. His formation protected him from

  the initial impact but most of the energy of each lightning strike still

  entered the interior of the formation. He was, for lack of a better

  term, bathing in pure destructive electricity.

  It was by design.

  His idea was that this would enable him to increase his

  chances of surviving yet avoid sacrificing too much of the purifying

  benefits of the tribulation. The original plan was pure protection, this

  was something he was only able to add due to the extra preparation time.

  He had discussed and planned out several ideas and

  formations with Formation Hall Master Jum in the past months. This was

  one of the previously scrapped ideas. It would have been impossible to

  create such a formation in under an hour, but the [System]’s unexpected

  lenience changed things.

  There was less damage done to him, but the pain was still

  beyond anything he had ever experienced. And it only increased with

  every new bolt of lightning.

  Safi, Gawen, and Eduard

  Everybody had been anxiously waiting for the lightning

  tribulation to begin, but the sudden flash of light accompanied by a

  soul crushing noise still caught them all by surprise, everyone except for their lieutenant, turned cult leader, of course. He was the only one of them with any experience when it

  came to tribulations. Not only in terms of enduring one himself but also

  as a witness. None of the rest of them had ever seen one up close with

  their own eyes. Víctor, as the most veteran of them, had been privy to more information and insight than the rest of them from his alma mater, but even he had never truly experienced one up close, not before

  facing his own right now.

  Safi, Gawen, and Eduard all flinched and used their hands

  to cover their eyes in a futile attempt to shield themselves from the

  intense bright light of the initial lightning strike. They had all heard

  about the tribulation for their entire lives but nothing could prepare

  them for the real thing.

  In Calindor, parents would use the tribulation as a sort of bogeyman.

  “Don’t go into the woods alone; if the monsters don’t get you, a tribulation will!”

  “The [System] has a special tribulation for children who stay up too late!”

  “Hear that thunder in the distance? That’s a child facing a tribulation for not listening to their parents!”

  The list went on and on. Anyone who grew up in the

  Calindor Federation was told the same things. As you got older and the

  scary stories transitioned into a very real possibility, if your limit allowed, some chose to

  avoid it entirely by desperately refusing to level to 50, while others

  were resolved to overcome the bogeyman of their youth and climb to new

  heights.

  The three of them had heard the Cult Leader describe what

  it was like to witness a tribulation, but mere words couldn’t do it

  justice.

  It shook them to their core.

  Not just the sight and sound of it, but the feeling of

  dread that poured down from the heavens. It spread throughout their

  entire bodies from the vibrations in earth and the static in the air.

  There was even a pressure in the atmosphere around them, not unlike Baz’

  gravitational pressure from his Nascent Soul, except all-encompassing,

  like they were at the bottom of the ocean.

  They weren’t the only ones who were shaken. A handful of

  the most senior demonic cultivators were also there to witness the

  tribulation.

  POV Haru

  While she wouldn’t have to face a Major Accomplishment

  Tribulation like the court mage, Haru would, at some point, hopefully face a

  Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation. And those were even more intense—if

  the Demon Lord’s was anything to judge by—but still quite similar in

  general in their nature.

  She, like all the other demonic cultivators, had grown up in the Red Sea where reaching level 10 was considered rare and impressive.

  Haru had heard the word ‘Tribulation’ only once before

  all this. When she was a young sproutling and began working with her

  mother weaving baskets. She had met the daughter of a traveling

  merchant. Throughout their travels, the merchant’s daughter had heard

  myths and legends about a mighty tribulation, and she couldn’t stop

  talking about it to everyone she met. Haru had brought the topic up with

  her mother but was shut down immediately.

  “Time wasted on fantasizing

  about nonsense is time spent not working!” her mother had said.

  Even with everything she had learned and seen since the

  foundation of the cult, the tribulation was still astounding. To witness

  such raw power left her, and all her fellow demonic cultivators, speechless.

  POV Baz

  The Major Accomplishment Tribulation soon reached its

  peak where the lightning struck one on top of the other. A solid bright

  yellow pillar of lightning connected the heavens and earth. The

  formation Víctor’s had worked so hard on setting up held on for dear

  life. It was so saturated with tribulation energy that it was impossible

  to see anything beyond its bright surface. It was lit up like a bright

  light bulb stuck to the ground.

  “By the gods!”

  “Is he still alive?”

  “How could anyone survive this?”

  “Please hold on!”

  Everyone voiced their shock and anxious thoughts, to no

  one in particular. The deafening rumble of the thunder meant no one but

  Baz could even hear them. Some had to fight their own urges to rush in

  and save Víctor while others were just awestruck, their concern for

  their friend and colleague overshadowed by the pure spectacle of it all.

  Baz was the only one who could see what was happening

  inside the formation. While all of the senior demonic cultivators had

  learned the [Spirit Union] Technique, they hadn’t automatically gained

  the same System Skill as Baz did back in the day. They weren’t breaking

  new ground, after all. Added onto that was the fact that with his breakthrough

  to [Nascent Soul] stage, the [System] had fully incorporated the

  cultivation path, effectively cutting off the cultivators from the

  general Level System, and the Skills that came with it.

  As a result, they only had the pure [Spirit Union] Technique to rely on.

  The main difference was the lack of detail and clarity,

  as well as a weaker ability to pierce through objects. They could, of

  course, extend their spiritual sense through walls and other obstacles,

  but those obstacles naturally offered some resistance, which meant their

  senses were limited in a way Baz’ wasn’t. In this case, they

  couldn’t pierce through the surface of the formation due to its extreme

  essence density.

  Inside, Víctor was on his last leg.

  Even with a long history and experience with battles,

  mages were rarely as accustomed to enduring pain as warriors were. The

  court mage had collapsed to his knees and was convulsing from the

  electricity coursing through him. He had already pulled forth a resolve

  from deep inside which the man himself didn’t even know existed.

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  As quickly as it began, the pillar of lightning sputtered out.

  A dome on the ground, shining brightly in the dark of night, was all that remained. Moments later, that too flickered off.

  Everything turned from bright as day to pitch black in mere moments. It was shocking to all the onlookers how quick the transition happened. Even their powerful

  and supernaturally heightened senses struggled to keep up with the

  sudden darkness.

  “Víctor!”

  “NO!”

  Safi and several others called out in terror. Baz

  certainly understood why—something deep down, something instinctual in

  their very souls, screamed that the bright light suddenly turning completely dark was symbolic. As if the light emitted from the tribulation was the flame

  of his life and the pitch black of night was his life extinguishing.

  With the tribulation over and the danger gone, they rushed forward into the clearing.

  “Are you alright? Please, Víctor, answer me!” Safi

  shouted. Their senses gradually adapted to the darkness, and the group

  surrounded the man.

  Baz was the only one who kept his calm. His spiritual sense was watching the entire time, he

  already knew the outcome. A smile crept up on Baz’ face as Víctor’s

  breathing settled.

  “Please stop screaming… My head is killing me,” the court mage said softly.

  No one listened.

  Screams and cheers erupted, the sound was almost enough to contend with the memory of the now defeated tribulation.

  With the tribulation succeeding, the Formations Arts became the cult’s next big project.

  Formation Hall Master Jum had already spent years

  experimenting,

  but this was the magical art’s first test, one it passed with

  flying colors.

  For the next few months, plans were carefully laid out

  for a massive formation around the entire Mansan range. It would

  separate the mountain range, and the cultivators who lived there, from

  Mujin and the rest of the outside world, turning Mansan to an isolated

  cultivation paradise.

  The mountain range wasn’t large by the standards of this

  world, but it was by no means small. There was a great deal of land to

  cover in order to surround the base with a formation.

  Fortunately, the people of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult

  had spent years leveling up and had reached a decent average, at least

  among the active workers. That meant they could use their supernatural

  strength and [System] guided Skills to make good time.

  Simple formation flags wouldn’t work for something of that scale.

  Large pillars of a dark, marble-like stone were hauled from a quarry several weeks worth of travel away.

  The demonic cultivators of Formation Hall worked with the

  mages of the capital to enchant the pillars to work as large and

  complex formation flags.

  It took several more months to transfer, enchant, and place the formation pillars around the mountain base.

  Once they were installed, vast currents of natural

  essence flowed from one pillar to the next, not as a singular river but

  as several smaller streams, braided together in a complex pattern.

  ***

  After many years of construction, the Mansan Mountain

  Range—and the central mountain peak in particular, had completely

  transformed.

  The mountain of the Demonic Citadel—as they came to call

  the cultivation complex constructed on Mansan, the demonic cultivators’

  new home—had the grey of harled stone rather than the tan sandstone more

  common in Mujin.

  Combined with the water feature and decorative gardens on

  the main square, the Demonic Citadel felt like an entirely different

  world from cult’s capital.

  Formation Hall was one of the largest buildings

  constructed on the peak. As with most buildings in the eastern

  continent, it was in the style of a pagoda. However, the architects

  focused more on grandeur than tradition as it stood five stories tall.

  In the heart of the Formation Hall main building was a

  room with a dark boulder as a centerpiece. It was of the same material

  as the formation pillars and sunk down in a pit in the middle of the

  room.

  Metal grates bridged the gap over the pit, between the

  floor and the boulder. Such that only the top half of it was properly

  visible.

  That top half of the boulder was sculpted to match the shape of the mountain range and stood as tall as a man.

  All around the edges of the room stood smaller formation

  pillars, otherwise identical to those placed around the base of the

  mountain range, covered in carved patterns. Each formation pillar on the

  outside was connected and paired to one in the room.

  “Demon Lord, sir, I think we’re finally ready to activate

  the [Grand Demonic Mist Formation],” Formation Master Jum said

  excitedly. His hair was a mess, breathing ragged, and dark robes

  scuffed. Dozens of other formation masters scurried around the room,

  ensuring that everything was working properly.

  The grand formation was the result of months and months of hard work without much of any rest, based on years of research.

  Baz stood in front of the sculpted boulder, hands behind

  his back, and appreciated the replica of their new home. “You’ve worked

  hard, Formation Hall Master.” He smiled and turned his attention to the

  formation hall master. “Let’s finally see all that hard work come to

  fruition,” he said.

  Formation Hall Master Jum beamed as he walked up to the center boulder and pressed his palm against its warm surface.

  With a push of essence, and a carefully planned out intent, the formation activated.

  The boulder emitted a soft glow, which moments later

  spread to the formation pillars in the room as lines of essence glowed

  along the floor.

  Starting from bottom, the carved patterns of the pillars lit up. A small shock wave burst forth and the air thrummed.

  A white mist billowed through the metal grates and

  gradually spread around the entire boulder. When it settled, a ring of

  mist surrounded the boulder, reaching up about a third of the way from

  the base.

  Everyone who stood outside to watch the formation

  activate—which was most of the demonic cultivators—saw that same mist

  billow up at the base of the mountain and surround the entire mountain

  range.

  “Congratulation, Formation Hall Master. This is truly an incredible achievement,” Baz said.

  The man of the hour almost didn’t hear him though, over

  the distraction of several grand [System] notifications. A veritable

  stream of essence, gifted by the [System] engulfed him. The same

  happened to everyone who had worked on the grand formation, albeit to a

  lesser degree.

  “Thank you, Demon Lord.” A proud, almost maniacal smile

  was plastered on his face. The man’s obsession had just been reinforced,

  many times over. “This is only the beginning!”

  The entire room was ecstatic. All of the formation

  masters were stunned and thrilled in equal measure. Not only did the

  [System] reward them all with essence, but they also received powerful

  Titles that would make future formations easier to set up and far more

  powerful.

  Soon, the mist around the boulder began to light up with

  several small dots, and they all excitedly watched every single dot as

  they appeared.

  It was the one of the main reasons why the formation was

  such an achievement. Not only would the mist cover and hide parts of the

  mountain range from view, there were also several functions built into

  it.

  The mist in the control room was connected to the true

  mist outside—and whenever anyone or anything entered the mist, a dot

  would light up.

  Blue dots were animals, yellow dots were monsters, green for demonic cultivators, and finally red for intruders.

  That was an extraordinary accomplishment in and of

  itself, but that wasn’t all. The formation also disoriented any who

  entered it. Unless you were a cultivator, you would find yourself

  walking in circles and losing any sense of direction.

  If someone were to stumble their way

  through the formation, not only would the cult's formation masters see them coming, they were

  also planning on having Killing Formations scattered about as a second line of defense.

  The cult was always working on helping the weaker members

  level up and improve, and these killing formations would be projects

  given to all members of Formation Hall. Formations would be set up, one

  next to the other, to cover all sides of the mountain range.

  It was a policy inherited from how they organized the

  construction workers dedicated to the Demonic Citadel and the Cave of

  Latent Demons. They had leveled up greatly by constructing important

  facilities for the cult, but they also recruited new workers regularly.

  These new workers were given smaller tasks, like constructing sections

  of the stairs and pathways that spanned the entire mountainside.

  The entrance to the Demonic Citadel at the base of the

  mountain, just past the [Grand Demonic Mist Formation], led to a

  staircase that stretched all the way up the mountain.

  Those stairs went past the defensive towers and walls,

  and continued up to the residential district, the houses and living

  quarters for the cultivators. There were thousands of courtyard villas

  strewn across the mountainside. Paths and connections were also built

  between each building.

  Further up the mountain were all the facilities the

  Heavenly Demon Divine Cult might need: training facilities, cultivation

  chambers, resource warehouses, blacksmiths, alchemical workshops,

  medical clinics, and the list went on.

  At the highest levels were the main buildings for the

  different Halls. Formation Hall was the first to be formed, but Baz had

  plans for more. Construction Hall was already underway.

  Also at the same altitude was the library, several

  stories tall. The first floor was mostly filled with general knowledge

  books on all kinds of topics. Something the natives of the Red Sea had

  lacked all their lives due to the isolation of the region. Now, they

  were all encouraged to learn about anything and everything.

  On the second floor were the basic Technique manuals Baz

  had spent a great deal of time and effort to write, as well as many

  Techniques devised by other demonic cultivators. On the higher floors

  were far fewer manuals, only the most powerful and complex Techniques

  which currently existed were found there.

  At the very peak of the mountain stood the Temple of the

  Heavenly Demon. Baz’ home. It had been renovated and expanded time and

  time again.

  Baz had little to no need to sleep

  anymore. Instead, he spent his time on his cultivation and

  Techniques—which at his current stage was, in some respects, the same

  thing.

  He had previously only had an idea of what it meant to

  cultivate the soul, but now, after his experience with the assassins of

  the Whispering Reaper Guild, he understood.

  To cultivate the soul was, in part, as simple as

  nurturing and growing his Soul Seed by consuming the veil between the

  physical and the spirit. It could be done manually over time. Through cultivation and a focus on the Soul Seed, it would naturally expand.

  The best way, however, was through enlightenment. It was

  an abstract concept that he still hadn’t fully wrapped his head around, but as his understanding of the natural laws that governed the world

  improved, so too did his soul.

  It wasn’t just the natural laws that were important,

  however, a better understanding of himself and the connection between

  his physical body and his spirit also improved the development of his

  Soul Seed.

  The best way to improve his understanding of both himself and the world was through meditation and training.

  During his fight with the elder of the Whispering Reaper

  Guild, Baz had experienced an epiphany. In that moment, he understood

  himself better than ever, and that understanding was built on a

  foundation of years of training.

  The outside area of the temple had expanded quite significantly.

  Now there was a large flower garden, practically a field

  of magical flowers that improved the density of natural essence, with a

  gazebo on one side, at the end of the cliff, overlooking the vast

  territories around Mansan, and on the other was his personal training

  ground, now reinforced by formations.

  Baz stood on the training platform and swung his sword according to his hearts desire.

  His Sword Art did not guide him, he guided it. The [System] was not allowed to influence him or the path of the sword.

  In his mind, he replayed every swing of his sword since

  the first time he ever held one, the one he found in the goblin cave in

  the Valley of Remembrance. He emulated every swing, utilizing his now decades of experience to make each swing the best version of itself possible. For each arc of the blade, he let his memory guide his intent according to his state of mind at the time of the original swing.

  Excitement. Hunger. Anger. Fear. Ambition. Curiosity. Indignation. Desperation. Shame. Hope.

  During his life, he had swung his sword with a near endless range of emotion. Each as valid and powerful as the next.

  A smile crept onto his face as he moved around the

  training ground. There was no need to limit himself to a single emotion,

  or intent. His sword was all encompassing.

  The [Unyielding Sword of the Demon God] knew no bounds.

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