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Chapter 147: Return to the Snow Peak

A peaceful night passed, and the anticipated attack did not come.

On the morning of January 9, 1377, the main force of the Expeditionary Army, representing the Saint of Bright Light, had safely emerged from the canyon and crossed the Holy Belgen Mountains, known as the “Wall of Heaven,” arriving at the true eastern part of the Holy Kingdom.

Early in the morning, at the temporary resting camp of the Expeditionary Army, the Soul arrived as scheduled beside the Bright Crystal Beast Car where Miss Vilyric and others were located. Miss White Fox had also been waiting here alone.

“I’ve met Miss Xī.”

“Well, you’re quite punctual.”

The girl, standing on the hill and gazing at the vast plains to the east of the Holy Belgen Mountains, turned around. With her white fox mask obscuring her expression, she merely nodded indifferently.

Today, the Soul was dressed particularly formally. Although still clad in that gray outfit that seemed to be magical gear, with seven long swords hanging from his waist, his short gray hair was tidily styled, clearly groomed for this occasion. On his ten fingers were four rings of various shapes, and at the collar was an ancient-styled brooch.

These were evidently of high quality, at least above the rarity level of magic equipment, and it was obvious that he had prepared them for today’s assessment.

If Vilyric didn’t know the backstory, she might have thought the guy was gearing up to duel some strong foe.

Unfortunately, he was about to miscalculate.

The Gray-clothed Swordsman deeply bowed after showing enough attitude, then asked, “Miss Xī, may I ask what today’s first test is about? Will it be conducted here?”

Since the other party got straight to the point, Miss White Fox was too lazy to waste any more words and simply shook her head.

“Of course not, follow me.”

After a night of marching, the Expeditionary Force wouldn’t be packing up to leave immediately, so Vilyric had plenty of time to prepare for the “test” she impulsively devised last night.

Coincidentally, she hadn’t found a suitable candidate to carry it out.

Instead of heading east, she took the Soul back into the Holy Belgen Mountains.

With their at least legendary-level strength, climbing dangerous peaks posed no problem, but to reach the seven to eight thousand-meter height of the Wall of Heaven was still a considerable effort for a non-flying Soul.

Naturally, certain subsequent actions would unfold.

“Here, put this on.”

As they approached the foot of the mountain, Miss White Fox turned back and tossed a particularly oversized object toward the Gray-clothed Swordsman.

“Uh, what’s this…?”

Instinctively catching it, the Soul held the folded silver-white metal wings and various unknown accessories, sounding particularly puzzled.

“Artificial Flight Wings 179… But whatever, just call this thing Artificial Flight Wings. It was given to me by Vilyric; you should know her, right?”

Upon hearing this, the Soul immediately looked enlightened.

“Oh, it’s that one, no wonder. Miss Vilyric indeed always does many unreasonable and shocking things. It’s not surprising she would pull out such a peculiar item, but… it seems you two really have some connection…”

Hey, hey, what do you mean ‘unreasonable actions’? You sly little…

A few ‘井’ symbols flashed under the mask, but given her position as Xī, the lady couldn’t say much. She could only suppress the urge to retort and pretended to nod seriously.

“I do have some connection with Vilyric, but that has little to do with what comes next. Your test… starts now. First, here’s how to use this device, listen carefully, I’ll only explain once.”

“Ah! I’m ready!”

In the tense and serious expression of the Soul, Miss White Fox roughly described the basic principles and operating steps of the Artificial Flight Wings, helping him put them on.

“… That’s it, got it?”

“Um…”

Seeing the Gray-clothed youth pondering and nodding slightly, Miss White Fox didn’t mind and continued on.

“Now, let me lay it out in advance. If something this simple, that even an ordinary village girl could master easily, requires repeated attempts for you to grasp, maybe you should abandon any thoughts of pursuing swordsmanship and head back home to farm instead.”

She pointed at the towering snowy peak nearly shrouded in clouds above.

“I’ll wait for you at the top of this mountain for fifteen minutes. If you don’t show up before then… you know what that means, right~”

After confirming the Soul had heard and understood her instructions, Miss White Fox lifted her steps and took flight towards the peak as if defying gravity.

In less than a minute, Vilyric had landed in the snow at an altitude of over seven thousand meters.

The summit of the Wall of Heaven felt like a completely different world compared to the foot of the mountain.

While spring was gradually approaching down below, the temperature at this snow-capped peak, where snow didn’t melt year-round, remained well below freezing, with bone-chilling winds howling down from the north, making one shiver uncontrollably.

Ordinary beings, without proper warming measures, would find it hard to withstand the extreme cold here for long, even legendary beings.

After all, legendary figures are still limited and troubled by common external and internal factors such as lifespan, diseases, climate, and stamina; they are just slightly more powerful versions of ordinary creatures.

Speaking of this matter, it’s essential to mention certain things that have never gotten a clear classification.

If we were to categorize the beings of this world conceptually while ignoring racial traits, the Priestess believes they could be divided into three kinds.

At the top, legendary beings that occupy over 99.9% of the world are called “Ordinary Beings.”

Exceeding biological limits and possessing life spans of at least a thousand years, “Transcendents” are difficult to constrain by the mundane—such as political power, harsh climate environments, or even basic needs like food and shelter. The most iconic form of this is the individuals at the pinnacle of Transcendents, the mythical beings.

Of course, the distinction between Ordinary Beings and Transcendents is not as clear-cut; many races, despite not reaching transcendent strength, can still possess lifespan, survival capabilities, and various advantages close to that of Transcendents, so it’s just a broad categorization.

Finally, beyond that, reaching the limit known as a Pseudo-God and gaining the power that could topple the heavens and a near-eternal life through divine standings that represent the essence of concepts is what defines a “God.”

This gap is not something that can be bridged by mere race.

Clearly, the Soul had not reached the level that the Priestess termed a “Transcendent,” and overall, he appeared to be just an ordinary, slightly odd human, making it a great challenge to reach this spot within fifteen minutes.

Vilyric had no intention of making it difficult for him; after all, there’s no free lunch in this world. Wanting greater power and mastery requires demonstrating the appropriate qualifications or paying a corresponding price.

Biting cold winds whipped past her ears as the White Fox girl stood atop the snow peak, gazing at the clouds and mist between the mountains, her hands clasped behind her back, silently awaiting.

Five minutes, seven minutes, ten minutes…

Time ticked by second by second.

Just as the fourteenth minute arrived, heavy footsteps crunching in the snow behind her finally sounded.

She didn’t turn around.

Only when the footsteps crossed the snow peak into her vicinity did the White Fox girl lightly nod.

“Well, just on time. You always get the timing just right~”

 

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