Wang Wei no longer said anything to Liang Shixian regarding his ideals and goals. He took out the book about the Soul Path and reread it with greater focus.
Liang Shixian did a lot of research on the soul beforehand. He studied incense, different cultivation systems, and spirits; he even traveled to the Ghost Immortal World, which was a world that focused on cultivating the soul to the point of entirely abandoning the body.
From the book, Wang Wei saw that the latter included many studies in the Soul Path, even suggesting that all God Kings abandoned their bodies to achieve an Immortal Soul.
Other methods included fusing Immortal Qi or some other forms of energy with the soul, using a massive amount of incense, cultivating an immortal body before sacrificing it to nourish the soul and turning it into an Immortal Soul, and finally, using other resources like the law to elevate the soul to another level.
After reading everything carefully, Wang Wei frowned: “Why don’t you try modeling the soul after an Emperor? If a soul has the quality and quantity of an Emperor, it will become an Immortal Soul.”
“I know the easiest way for the Soul Path to become a reality is to have a Great Emperor use their Grand Dao Source to temper a mortal soul. But, as I said, I don’t want my path to have anything to do with them.”
“And as I said, you will have to rely on them.”
“Yes, but I can reduce the amount of influence they have on my path.”
“Fine,” said Wang Wei as he contemplated. He activated all his spirit particles, acting like a super-computer as he analyzed many things.
“I think I may have a way that used incense,” he said a few minutes later.
“Really? What is it?”
Wang Wei did not immediately respond: he took out a highly binding contract before inscribing it with his Divine Sense. Liang Shixian looked at the contract and hesitated.
“Since I come to see you, I’ll put my faith in your character. There is no need for the contract.”
“I admire your nobility. But, we should never mix business with personal beliefs. The contract is for both our peace of mind.”
Liang Shixian thought it would help their future cooperation, so he agreed. However, after reading the contract, he frowned: “Why are all the rules about secrecy? They seem a little too harsh.”
He could not reveal any information, and the rules even involved his memories and soul; the contract would prevent anyone from getting information from him–even if it meant killing him.
“The method I came with involved some secrets I do not want to get out before I prove the Dao, hence the harshness. If you want to remove these clauses, it’s fine. But, I won’t share the method I came up with you until I prove the Dao.”
Liang Shixian shook his head as he did not want this; he did not want to wait that long. So, he decided to accept the clause and continued reading. Once finished, he added a few clauses as well:
Wang Wei had to use other means not involved with the Emperor’s Path, and the final division of merit would be decided based on the ingenuity method he thought of.
So, after a few debates and back and forth, the two signed the contract with their souls before taking an oath to their Dao. Finally, Wang Wei told him the method he thought of for the Soul Path.
The required secrecy was because this method involved another one of his plans after becoming Emperor that would affect the entire Endless Void. He did not want the information to leak and cause trouble.
With his mouth slightly opened, Liang Shixian looked at him: “You’re crazy and ambitious. But I’m glad I chose you.”
He had eyes on both Wang Wei and Chu Luo as his partner and chose the former after close observation. Chu Luo had an unapproachable vibe that kept most people at a distance.
“If your plan works, shouldn’t there be no need for a Great Emperor?”
“That’s possible but very unlikely.”
“I figured.”
Afterward, the two discussed the plan’s possible success and the division of merit. Once everyone was satisfied with the outcome, Liang Shixian left; he had accomplished his primary goal of coming here.
He did not want to leave yet since he still hoped to get his hands on the inheritance despite knowing it was improbable. So, he decided to watch to the end to see if there was an opportunity.
Time passed, and it was time for the combat aspect of the trial. Wang Wei flew to the plaza and saw two podiums facing each other, with six seats. The one on the left with his name on the second seat had the words “Lower Seeded Player,” while the other had the title ‘Upper Seeded Player.’
Wang Wei shook his head as he could tell Lord Spirit used these titles to raise contradiction and fighting between these two groups. Without saying much, he sat in his position.
Not long afterward, everyone arrived. Chu Luo sat on the first seat, Wang Wei on the second, Ji Langfang on the third, Tong Ruobing on the fourth, Shi Qian on the fifth, and Jingwu Hua on the last.
As for the other participants, they sat on the side of the two podiums.
Lord Spirit manifested with her eerie smile.
“I know many of you have been anticipating this moment for some time. As such, I won’t waste your time. Let’s begin.”
She pointed her finger to the first seat on the other podium.
“The number one seeded player from the upper dimension is Xiao Tiandi, owner of what is considered the best physique for cultivation–the Innate Dao Source Physique.”
A light beam came from the sky, descending on the first seat. Then, a young man dressed in ordinary, almost shabby clothes appeared. He glanced at the other group for a moment before closing his eyes, laying on the chair as if he did not care for anything.
Everyone could see dirt and plant leaves on his hair, but he did not seem to mind. These Heaven Chosen were speechless, wondering if this man was naturally arrogant or if he genuinely did not care for anything–even his personal appearance.
Lord Spirit ignored these people’s confusion before continuing.
“The second seeded player is Shi Ruolan; she was born with an Emperor Bones, meaning after she reached the peak of the Mortal Realm in cultivation, all she has to do is activate her bone, and Heavenly Dao will lower a [Heaven Will] for her to prove the Dao.
“Moreover, the Heaven Will is specially created as only she can use it, and give her a 10% chance higher than normal to become an Eternal Emperor.”
The participants looked at Lord Spirit, their eyes asking if she was joking, but the silence indicated otherwise. Then, one participant stomped his feet on the ground before flying back to his mansion. A few people followed him.
The words “this is unfair” could be heard from them–even from a distance.
Meanwhile, a young woman appeared in the second seat. She had a blue hanfu and short hair–which was quite surprising to many since only monks or nuns cut their hair. And after Buddhism’s destruction, the practice has become less prominent–except in a few martial worlds where it is more common for women to cut their hair.
But even then, it is still not as commonly seen.
Shi Ruolan looked at the opposite team and waved her hand in enthusiasm. However, she quickly realized something and stopped. Instead, she became serious and cupped her hands before bowing slightly to them.
The others returned the salute.
“The third place goes to Ao Tianyi,” said Lord Spirit. “One of the most talented younger generation of the Primordial Dragon race. For those who don’t know, Primordial Dragons are Chaos Lifeforms born from pure or Orderly Chaos Qi; they are a race that does not exist in the Endless Void.”
A young man dressed in tight white martial clothes appeared, with two horns on his head. He looked at the opposing team with disdain before looking at the people next to him.
“I understand not being first, but how could I lose to her?”
“Didn’t I slap you around the last time we met?” said Shi Ruolan with a gentle smile.
“I had just shed my scale and was still in a vulnerable state; how does that count.”
“You dragons always have an excuse for your defeat,” replied Shi Ruolan while shaking her head; she decided not to engage with this prideful idiot.
“The fourth place goes to Xi Shangyan, a member of the Celestial Race,” Lord Spirit announced. However, everyone was confused–including Wang Wei–since they’d never heard of such a race.
Ao Tianyi sneered even more after seeing these people’s reactions.
“The Celestials are a unique race born in the Source Qi Space from Immortal Qi gaining sentience and condensing a body, similar to the spirit race. As such, they have an unparallel talent for the Immortal Path.
“All Celestial races are born with an inactive Immortal Mansion in their bodies; they do not need anyone’s help to become Immortal Venerables. On top of it all, 80% of them who decide to become Immortal Venerables are Insurgents.
“And that’s because their unique Immortal Mansion can give birth to four types of unique Immortal Qi: Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heaven. Yellow Immortal Qi grants them battle prowess on par with Third-Class Emperors, Profound Immortal Qi corresponds to Second Class, Earth to First Class, and the potent Heavenly Immortal Qi grants battle prowess on par with Eternal Emperors.”
The participants looked at a beautiful woman with black hair and a long golden robe; her beauty was unparalleled, on par, if not surpassing Xu Shi. Not to mention, she had a cold and natural noble aura emanating from her body.
Most people did not care about her beauty as they were still shocked at the fact such a powerful race existed. These Heaven Chosens always knew that Heaven and Earth were unfair, but they did not think it was to this point.