Ragon couldn't comprehend what was happening as he plunged deeper into what felt like an endless abyss.
"He didn't tell me this was going to happen! What the heck?!" Ragon shouted, his voice echoing uncontrollably in the pitch-black void.
The fall seemed endless....time itself stretched thin until at last a faint glimmer appeared below. His pulse quickened as the bottom was near.
Instinct surged through him. Clutching the vihuela tightly, he struck the strings. A sharp vibration rippled outward, the sound waves pushing against the abyss itself. The force propelled him upward in a wild spin before he finally landed squarely on his feet.
A grin broke across his face. "Hah! I never thought I'd be able to use music arts like this!"
He had always heard stories of warrior gods who wielded music as a weapon, but the concept had seemed absurd. And yet here he was, wielding it instinctively after only minutes of trying.
The darkness around him suddenly stirred. With a crackling hiss, the cave walls ignited in violet flames, bathing the chamber in eerie light. Shadows danced across jagged stone.
Ragon narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm… let's see what's next."
He walked forward cautiously, noting the rows of stone figures seated in ancient chairs. Their features were half-eroded, faceless guardians frozen in silence.
But as he drew closer to one, it twitched. Its head snapped up, eyes blazing with purple light.
Without warning, the statue lurched forward and swung a stone hand at his face.
Ragon reacted instantly, raising the vihuela as a shield...
CRACK!
The weapon shattered into splinters.
Ragon froze for half a breath, staring at the fragments in disbelief. "Damn it. So much for understanding music arts any further…"
He dropped low as the stone guardian lunged again, its speed far greater than its bulk suggested. Purple light burned in its eyes like twin flames locked on prey.
Ragon rolled backward, then flipped, landing nimbly a few feet away.
"Great," he muttered, shaking his head. "They're fast too."
The guardian stomped forward, stone joints grinding like thunder. And behind it, the other seated statues began to stir one after another, their purple eyes flickering awake.
Ragon gauged their strength at a glance each one radiated the power of a four-star warrior.
He raised his hand, summoning a radiant orb of divine energy. "Let's see how you handle this."
The nearest statue lunged. Ragon hurled the orb into its chest. BOOM! The impact sent it reeling backward, cracks spider-webbing across its torso as purple mist hissed from the fractures.
Before he could press the advantage, the rest of the stone guardians stirred. One by one, their glowing eyes flared to life, and they advanced in unison.
Ragon smirked, golden energy crackling around both hands. "Alright then. The hard way it is."
Because of his deep bond with the elements just as he had taught Thera he required no lengthy incantations. Spells that should have taken moments to weave answered him instantly. Advanced magic, cast as easily as breathing.
His connection felt like a cheat of the heavens themselves.
With a sharp motion, he unleashed a spiraling wave of golden energy. It tore forward like a gale, slamming into two of the guardians and sending chunks of stone flying.
"Not bad," he muttered, dusting his hands. "But let's turn things up a notch."
He traced a sigil in the air, a glowing circle humming with divine resonance. From its core, a rain of golden arrows shot forth, piercing through the advancing guardians. Their stone bodies cracked and split, purple mist pouring from the wounds.
Not wasting a heartbeat, Ragon dashed forward. Sliding beneath one guardian's legs, he thrust both palms upward. A focused blast of Runic essence tore through its torso, obliterating it in a single strike. The statue collapsed into rubble, scattering across the chamber floor.
The last figure held its ground, its eyes glowing brighter before releasing a violent pulse of purple energy. The shockwave blasted Ragon backward, sending him skidding across the stone floor.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. "Alright, big guy… let's finish this."
Bringing his hands together, he summoned a massive golden spear of condensed divine energy. The weapon pulsed with raw power, humming in his grip. With a sharp thrust, he hurled it straight at the guardian.
The spear struck with devastating force piercing through its chest before exploding in a blinding flash. The impact shattered the statue completely, scattering fragments into dust as a cloud of purple mist swirled where it once stood.
The mist drifted toward Ragon, wrapping around him and seeping into his skin. A sudden rush of warmth surged through his veins, his divine energy swelling in response.
"This… this energy," he murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Hmmm, not bad. It's good for cultivation."
He immediately sat cross-legged, channeling the flow of purple energy through his body. His breathing steadied, the cave vibrating faintly as his aura grew stronger.
A few minutes later, the last trace of the mist vanished into him. The entire cave began to shift the rubble melted away, the darkness fading until the chamber gleamed with soft golden light.
"You've done well," a calm voice echoed.
Ragon looked up. Before him stood a younger version of the monk, yet powerful.
"Who are you?" Ragon asked, still alert.
The figure smiled faintly. "I am Ashar....the creator of this trial and the guardian of this legacy. You've passed the first level of the test. Congratulations."
Ragon raised an eyebrow. "You're the same monk I saw earlier?"
"Yes," Ashar replied, observing him closely. 'He carries divine energy… he must be a child of a god, the monk thought. This boy will have chances I never did.'
But Ashar quickly hid his thoughts, maintaining his composed expression. "You have taken your first step toward inheriting my legacy," he said aloud.
Ragon tilted his head, unimpressed. "Your legacy?" He gave a small sigh. "I'm not really interested in inheriting some pitiful monk's path."
Ashar's calm expression faltered. Rage flared in his eyes. When he was alive, even peak-level immortals had knelt before him, begging for a single lesson and now, this boy at the star stage dared to mock him.
Ashar clenched his fists, barely restraining his temper.
Ragon crossed his arms casually, scanning the chamber as if bored. "Old man, young man, whatever you are....I'm only here for treasures that can help train beginner-level warriors and mages. I don't need some legacy about sitting in caves and pretending to be holy."
Ashar's eyes widened, his composure finally cracking. "You! Why would you say such a thing?"
Ragon smirked. "Because it's true."
Ashar was genuinely taken aback by Ragon's blunt comment.
"It's true that most monks were celibate," Ashar began sharply, his tone edged with irritation, "but that doesn't mean inheriting a monk's legacy requires celibacy. Those are rumors...nonsense spread by people who don't understand our ways."
His eyes hardened as he continued, "And who says I don't have training for other paths? I wasn't just a monk sitting in meditation all day."
Straightening his posture, Ashar's tone grew proud. "I was an abbot, a leader of a great monastery. Under me trained warriors, mages, elementalists, and spiritual cultivators. I hold manuals powerful enough to forge an army capable of shaking empires."
He folded his arms, his faint glow pulsing with restrained pride.
Ragon, entirely unfazed, mirrored the gesture with a lazy grin. "You really should've led with that instead of talking vaguely about your 'legacy.'" He gave a teasing smirk. "And I'm glad we've cleared up that whole celibacy issue."
Ashar's ethereal form flickered in mild annoyance, but before he could respond, Ragon suddenly froze. A strange pulse coursed through his body subtle at first, then steadily growing stronger.
"This… this is the sign of a breakthrough!" Ragon exclaimed, his eyes widening in realization. "I knew that purple aura wouldn't just vanish. I need to fuse it completely with my divine energy before it disperses."
Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged, closing his eyes as his body began to emit a blinding white glow. The light spilled across the dark chamber, illuminating every corner with divine radiance.
Ashar's expression shifted from irritation to astonishment. "He's… awakening his spiritual veins already?"
He leaned closer, observing the streams of light dancing across Ragon's skin. "His spiritual channels… they're fully open. No resistance, no impurities…"
Ashar's voice dropped to a whisper of disbelief. "He has over a hundred spiritual veins… impossible. That's beyond mortal limits."
In the world of cultivation, both warriors and mages relied on spiritual veins to advance. A normal person had ten; geniuses had fifty. A hundred was the mark of immortality.
But as Ragon's energy climbed, the count kept rising—120… 130… 150.
Ashar stepped back, stunned. "This defies every principle of cultivation I know. He's still mortal, yet his vessel… his potential…" His tone softened, awe overtaking pride. "He's using the remnants of my puppets' essence to strengthen himself. Turning a trial into a cultivation chamber… how brilliantly reckless."
Ashar's gaze lingered on the glowing figure before him. "Who exactly are you, boy?" he muttered under his breath.