As Teddy opens his eyes, a sensation rushed through him that he never felt before. He felt powerful like he could take on a group of soldiers and leave untouched.
This cave was special. It was a realm separate from earth yet connected at the same time. No wonder why he felt like he couldn't leave.
The spirit from before appeared hovering over the altar.
"Now that you have broken through to the ascended stage, you must undergo a series of trials. Each trial will test your cultivation and will. There isn't many trials. However each trial isn't what they seem. Remember this and you will survive. Forget this and you will fall like many before you."
The spirit's words were like a bucket of ice cold water being thrown all over Teddy. He knew cultivating the Devine Heavenly Cultivation Arts alone wouldn't let him to leave this place.
Now it appears that he will have to face some trials to prove his worth before he can leave. He knew it was too good to be true.
As these thoughts filled his mind a sensation overtook him. The cave around him went pitch dark one second and he found himself in the middle of an elaborate room.
In the middle of the room was some a set of clothes. Not just any clothes it was a shirt, pair of pants, and a trench coat.
Now the shirt wasn't any old shirt but it was white with almost a reddish colored metal armor on the front and rear of the shirt. It was almost as if the armor and shirt were woven together.
The pants were the same way as the shirt and so was the trench coat except the only armor it had was on the shoulders.
All of the armored parts of the garments had a golden-silvery look to them.
There was red and white electric arcs dancing around this set that was before him. You could feel the power flow off of it.
Teddy reached out his hand towards the set of clothes. He wanted to touch it but he almost felt an alarm in his heart.
It was like he knew he shouldn't because he has yet to pass some kind of test or trial.
Almost to confirm his feelings about this set of clothes, the red and white electric arcs started to become even more intense. And some kind of force pushed him back a few steps.
Then the words rang out in his head from the spirit.
"Each trial wasn't what they seem."
Teddy instinctively searched inside of him. He felt that the new power he gained he could circulate it.
That's right he's a cultivator. Maybe he could suppress this power protecting the garments.
He began circulating that power until he felt like he could overpower whatever power was protecting this set of armored clothes.
As soon as he felt the power coming off the clothes was suppressed, he reached for them.
The moment his hand touched the armored clothes a blinding light shown out and in an instant the armored clothes disappeared from in front of him.
"What? What's going on? What happened?"
Teddy kept mothering this for a few seconds then he looked to his right. There was a mirror there.
As he stared at himself in the mirror he saw an unbelievable sight. The armored clothes was on him. He couldn't believe it he was wearing the armored clothes.
Then the spirit appeared before him.
"Congratulations cultivator. You have passed the first test. A test of your understanding of the cultivation world. You were able to see the power lurking inside you. You were able to control the power inside you. That spiritual energy will save your life more times than you will ever be able to count."
Teddy's head was twirling. He was dumbfound and couldn't believe what he was hearing. His life truly has changed.
The spirit continued uninterrupted.
"This may be the first trial but it is the most important. Understanding how your spiritual energy flows is the greatest awareness a cultivator can have. As such these garments are now yours. They have been bound to you. This realm has created them specifically for you. The name of these garments is the stormforge remnant."
The stormforge remnant? Teddy couldn't help but wonder why such a name.
The spirit explained what these garments were.
It explained that the garments were created for lightning cultivators. It would enhance a lightning cultivators abilities.
Lightning was one of the elements from the Devine Heavenly Cultivation Arts. And out of the different elements condensed within the Devine Heavenly Cultivation Arts, lightning with the element that was most suitable for Teddy.
That is why this realm created a lightning based armored garment for him. This garment would enhance the lightning attributes that Teddy was bound to cultivate in the future.
The spirit then began to disappear. Teddy knew this was a sign that the next trial was going to being soon.
As to almost verify his thoughts the spirit spake one more time before fading.
"The next trial begins. Remember everything isn't what you think it might be."
With that, the spirit vanish and almost instantly a clap thunder ring out.
Next thing Teddy knew, the room he stood in disappeared replaced by rolling plains and storm clouds. Thunder and lightning danced across the sky.
What was the meaning of this trial? Teddy talk long and hard. It took Teddy awhile to realize what was going on.
He needed to cultivate. This was a cultivation trial. But this seems too simple.
Nevertheless, Teddy sat cross legged and began to cultivate. It wasn't long before he felt something off.
The balance of spiritual energy was wrong. It felt thick and almost dark. He didn't know why the spiritual energy felt like this but he did know that it wasn't right.
Then, almost instinctively, Teddy rolled to his side. A spear flung and stuck into the ground right where he'd been sitting.
So he was correct. There was more to this trial than cultivation. As Teddy looked around he didn't see anyone. Where did the spear come from?
And an epiphany hit him, Teddy started circulating lightning elements in his body. Immediately the lightning in the storm almost seem to merge into his body.
The intensity of the storm started to fade a little bit.
When Teddy felt he had absorbed enough of the lightning element, he released a strong electric blast spreading out in every direction.
Sure enough several spirit barbarian warriors materialized around him. In an instant their spirit bodies imploded and an electric orb was all that remain.
Teddy collected these orbs. There must have been over twenty of them.
As he looked around the storm seemed to calm. So the spirits was controlling the weather?
The spirit that has been guiding him up till now appeared again.
"Congratulations on passing this trial. There are powerful forces in this world. We cannot underestimate them. Had you gone back to cultivating and not figure out what was going on, those spirits would have killed you."
Teddy was in awe. He just listened as a spirit continued to speak.
"Not many has passed the first trial and even fewer this second one. It's been three hundred years since the last individual has passed this trial. But even he was unable to pass the next. It's been over a millennium since the last cultivator past the next trial. That cultivator of course was me."
It confused look appeared on Teddy's face. If this cultivator passed the next test then why is his Spirit here? As to answer this unspoken question the spirit continued to speak.
"Once you have passed all of the trials, your spirit will be bound to this place. Your spirit will not be allowed to move on until a new cultivator passes the trials. It would be your responsibility to find such a cultivator."
Things are beginning to make sense to Teddy. Now he just needs to pass this final trial and he can get out of this place.
The spirit spoke one more time.
"I would not be eager to leave. If you're distract yourself with the outside world you will perish here. These trials are not for the faint of heart. This next trial though it is easy it is also the most dangerous."
A staff and bag appeared before Teddy. When he grabbed the stuff a name came to him. Tempest Staff, this thing was called the Tempest Staff.
The Tempest Staff controlled storms. He can conjure lightning, cause it to rain, or even cause mighty winds. This staff was truly powerful.
The bag was some kind of magical storage bag. All of the electric orbs that he had gathered from those spirits ended up being stored in this bag.
The bag wasn't big on the outside but the inside was immeasurably large. He hung the bag around his waist and turn to face the spirit again.
It was at this point that Teddy found himself in a black room again. The next trial possibly the last one was about to begin.