Prepare for some blinding beauty.

[Translator/Editor: otwentyfirst]

[Host: justreads.net]

[Oct. 18th, 2018]

The deep depressions in the ground looked like the remnants of a battle. Looking closely Feng Wu guessed they were created with some kind strong acid. Feng Wu wrinkled her brow as she balanced herself on the uneven ground and pulled out her map. Little did she know something extraordinary was happening in the outside world.

Zhongyang was a beautiful prosperous city. The skies were clear with cloudy days a rarity. However on this day the clouds rolled in black and dense, swirling ominously with lightning flashing through the layers. It was as though Judgement Day was approaching, leaving people feeling frightened and hopeless.

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me the Demon race is going to appear again!” A resident stood looking at the sky when suddenly the clouds swirled forming into a dark whirlpool almost like a tornado. The residents became even more restless as they talked with each other.

“No, that’s unlikely. The convention between the three kingdoms have restrictions against that. The Demon race can’t enter without permission from the Demon Lord. There’s no other way for demons to enter the human world.”

“Oh you don’t know. I heard there are a lot of cracks in the s.p.a.ces between the kingdoms. And a lot of lesser demons are sneaking in through there. This vortex in the sky is so weird. It’s definitely a precursor to an incursion.” Someone muttered as he patted his chest.

“You think too much. Even if there are demons trying to sneak in through the cracks, which demon would be stupid enough to do it in Zhongyang? Wouldn’t that just be committing suicide?” This person disagreed with the second man.

Many people nodded their heads listening in on the conversation, afterall the most powerful people gathered in Zhongyong. With the exception of the Demon King, no demon would dare enter, and that included those in the demon n.o.bility.

Everyone’s fears calmed down and only curiosity remained. Such a huge amount of energy coalescing...who or what could it be?

The residents weren’t the only ones wondering. Other major forces in the city had already taken appropriate measures out of caution.

The atmosphere in the Sacred Temple was a lot less tense. Two young men were watching the sky as the energy continued to surge. From a casual glance they appeared to simply be two beautiful men in their twenties. Their beauty was unparalleled and beyond compare.

The golden-haired one spoke. “This kind of energy… something is about to cross over.” His gaze toward the sky was warm and gentle.

“What could create such a strong energy reaction?” The dark-haired man smiled slightly. His smile made the air around him sparkle. Had there been unopened flowers in the background they would have surely unfurled their petals, casting their morning dew away and bent their heads toward him. His beautiful gaze clearly showed his interest in the sky.

“It has the scent of a magical artifact. Could another heavenly seal be sent down by one of the G.o.ds? I haven’t heard news of one doing so.” His face held a hint of doubt.

A heavenly magical artifact from the Heavenly realm could descend if a seal and powerful force were released at the same time Each object was indescribably powerful with the ability to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth.

Ten thousand years ago when the world was in chaos and about to collapse, the high G.o.ds had sent down eight divinities to protect peace in the mortal realm.

Once the cataclysm was averted, the eight divinities wanted to find a way to maintain the peace everyone had fought so hard to gain. Eventually they came upon the idea of conferring their powers to eight individuals in the human world. These eight would bear the burden of protecting all of humanity. They earnestly asked the Heavenly Lord for help. Touched by their sincerity the Heavenly Lord allowed the human world to keep the eight divinities.

The eight divinities were themselves seals representing the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Additionally there were also four more seals representing the heavens: Heaven, Earth, Sun and Moon. Each seal had control over their attributes, the seals of the seasons for the seasons, while the seals of the heavens controlled the heavens.

The eight divinities would each chose the person who was most compatible with them and confer their spirit and powers to that person. Another person would be chosen for each successive generation as the current generation pa.s.sed on.

Because of their incredible powers, only eight seals were allowed on Earth. A new seal would not descend without good reason. This was why the two men were so surprised.

“The aura is getting more powerful. Should we stop it?” asked the dark-haired man, the sky reflecting in his eyes creating an unusual luminescence. A flicker of something flashed in those beautiful crystal-like eyes before disappearing as quickly as it came.

After a moment of thought, the golden-haired man lightly shook his head. “No. We do not need to. It seems to be a heavenly artifact and not a seal. Since it has already come to this world then it surely has its own desires. It will find the one most suitable to be its master.”

“True.” The dark-haired one nodded his head in agreement. With the decision made the two sipped their fragrant tea while watching the changes in the sky.

The density of the clouds kept increasing until finally a thick bolt of lightning flashed and cut through the vortex of clouds. After breaking through the clouds the light seemed to hover with uncertainty in the air. Finally it seemed to make a decision, choosing a direction and suddenly disappearing.

“That aura, it was definitely an artifact!” one man exclaimed.

“Yes! I saw it too! Based on its aura, it has to be an artifact,” spoke the person next to him.

“I couldn’t tell if it was a staff or a sword. I’m a swordmaster. If it’s a sword, I hope the sword will recognize me. I would definitely become a peerless swordmaster, my future bright!” A young swordmaster dreamily looked after the streak of silvery light.

His words broke the spell of awe everyone was under and an immediate uproar swelled up from the crowd of people outside. These pedestrians suddenly chased after the light with hope in their hearts.

Everyone’s thoughts ran along the same lines: First find the artifact, worry about getting its recognition later. With it, surely even G.o.dhood was possible!

These thoughts swirling around made everyone restless; the entire city was humming with energy.

Meanwhile…

The three teachers watching the entrance to the virtual world were completely unaware of recent events. They were preoccupied with watching the examinees through the viewing mirror.

This year’s candidates weren’t the best quality, but they weren’t bad either. There were even a few promising talents in the batch who would surely become forces to be reckoned with given proper training.