Paragon of Sin

Since the exchange of tributes between Wei Wuyin and Borus Yusang, the discussions were non-stop. The Ascended that had witnessed Wei Wuyin's True Draconic Form and subsequent suicidal detonation using an uncountable number of pellets that instantly exploded left a heavy impression on their hearts, and to remove this weight, they spoke to their allies in a rambunctious and animated manner.

While Wei Wuyin sat calmly amongst the other members of his squad, namely Zi Fu and Tai Hao, there were glances levied his way without end. Even the other Battalions learned of this matter. They were involved and affected, and when news of Wei Wuyin's existence circulated, most notably his survival, he became an instant enigmatic sensation.

Borus Yusang was barraged with questions, including Wei Wuyin's origins and why a human had joined their titan race. The speculation was intense, and it further evolved when guesses that he was sent by a foreign human force to kill Cai Liuyang.

A few titans belonged to forces that were in direct opposition to Cai Liuyang's clan, so they wanted nothing more than for her to die. She was far too talented and demonstrated amazing combat strength alongside being phenomenally beautiful. There were far too many geniuses seeking her out. A few Ascended here belonged to clans that tried to intiate an interracial marriage agreement, but to no avail.

To these few, they thought it was an absolute pity that Cai Liuyang had met a fiery death. There were some who even speculated that Cai Liuyang survived, and that the explosion was a masquerade to capture her for another reason. Supposedly, she was born with a unique physique that was sought after by numerous male cultivators. However, her obstinate and cold demeanor left those suitors helpless.

The discussions lasted for hours. Considering the fiery explosion engulfed the majority of the Battlefield they were active in, eliminating a large portion of both racial armies, it made sense that the conclusion was a tad bit accelerated. Unfortunately, they still had to wait the full twelve hours until the War Spirit summoned them.

Wei Wuyin was quiet, observing the Identity Rune that was bestowed to him. During this idle time, he had tidied through Jing Jiu's entire life and all his knowledge. It was quite in-depth, far beyond his own. The experiences of a Blessed was quite varied and intricate, truly.

When he compared his own experiences to Jing Jiu's, he realized their lives were quite rich in events and developments. They've never stagnated unless it was deliberate. The most interesting detail of this was the cultivation method that Jing Jiu took two hundred years to cultivate, delaying his rise to the Astral Core Realm.

The Cultivation Method was an ancient legacy that derived from some being that Jing Jiu speculated to be an Ascended Sovereign or higher. It was extremely difficult to cultivate, for him at the time. It was named: Forsaken Zenith, Unto Origin. Its was quite aptly put, and it caused Wei Wuyin's thoughts to fiercely stir.

This was a method to cultivate a Natal Origin Soul, shattering the limits of Zenith and Entering into the Origin. It was referred to as the Z.E.O Method by Jing Jiu due to it being unnamed, merely having a title that was more of a brief synopsis.

How could this not stir Wei Wuyin's mind? This was a self-cultivated method to exceed Zenith State and enter Origin State, the very same state that all his Astral Souls had evolved into after their deliberate interference and manipulation of the Sky World Lightning Tribulation!

According to the method, the user has to refine origin into essence, intermixing the 99 Qi Essences and 1 Mana Essence with 1 Origin Essence. However, this Origin Essence must be self-generated by slowly gathering and condensing ambient mana continuously. Essentially, exactly what those four knuckleheads had done by forcefully compressing the golden-colored lightning mana of his Sky Ruler Astral Tribulation.

This took Jing Jiu two hundred years to do as a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and Wei Wuyin had no doubt of the validity of this method. He had theorized something very similar, but he could never quite figure out how to replicate the phenomenon of Sky-World Lightning Tribulation. With this method, he realized his thinking was wrong.

He didn't need to replicate the phenomenon; he was the phenomenon! Despite this mind-blowing realization, to actually have others cultivate it themselves was quite difficult to navigate. That said, he now knew what the Origin State was and its benefits. It was a natural step of cultivation, but profoundly difficult to reach. According to this, its a crucial step to ascend to the Heavenly Saint Stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, the Sixth Phase.

Without it, failure was guaranteed. Furthermore, it allowed a cultivator to gain a form of higher control of the world's mana, elevating one's cultivation limits, and allowing for an easier time to comprehend Mystic Intent. To his surprise, according to this, Jing Jiu's Origin State was incomplete.

As for why Wei Wuyin hadn't experienced any profound insights to Mystic Intent, he truly needed to reach the peak of the Mortal Dao to have such rights. There was no way to break this requirement, because the Mystic Dao can only be touched by those at the apex of the Mortal Dao, according to the Cultivation Method anyhow. It was an annotation from another expert that explained, not outright written.

This might be entirely correct.

As for the incomplete Origin State, this was due to Jing Jiu lacking refinement of a certain material. It was called a World Gem and it contained Sky-World Lightning Essence. When Wei Wuyin learned this, he unintentionally made a strange face.

Ori was just gleefully laughing. Its tone was exceptionally mocking and proud, mainly because the Sky-World Lightning Tribulation offered this very material, yet the quantity was pitifully low. This was also mentioned in the method itself. But four Astral Souls of his went wild, elevating the Sky-World Lightning to the utmost limits and refined it.

They cultivated the method without knowing of the method. He was uncertain how to feel about this. Jing Jiu missed that opportunity because it just wasn't possible for him. How unfortunate was that? He sacrificed two hundred years to establish an unprecedented foundation that'll allow him an easier time to become an Earthly Saint, in theory, and the possibility to become a Heavenly Saint! It was totally worth it.

Knowing these benefits, Wei Wuyin felt even more thrilled at reaching the Star Core Phase in the future. The Zenith Origin State offered such advantages?! Mystic Intent? A crucial requirement for Heavenly Saint? These Astral Souls of his made their own fortune, directly snatching from the heavens to aid in their cultivation.

There was more as well; he discovered a unique set of arts and spells that used a bow and arrow, perfect for Yao Houyi. This Blessed really benefited him greatly.

After organizing his entire gains, Wei Wuyin lifted his head and felt that continuous gaze on his face. Zi Fu was still staring at him through her helmet. He was truly helpless against this, because she wasn't the only one, but she was most certainly consistent.

Wei Wuyin coughed lightly to clear his throat, turning to her and asking: "Is there something, Soldier?"

Zi Fu was silent for a long moment, not breaking eye-contact despite being confronted. With a deep inhale and soft exhale, she seemed to have made up her mind. "Can you-"

DZZZZZZT!

Just as she was speaking her mind, the halos above their heads started to rapidly buzz. A total of twelve hours had now passed!

All the titans stood up respectfully, standing upright and focused. Zi Fu halted her questions and performed a similar action, as if it was a form of salute or display of respect. Wei Wuyin wasn't certain of it due to Jing Jiu having no details regarding this event. He was new to the Battlefield as well, just recently earning the qualifications after becoming a Starlord.

If Jing Jiu was alive, this would be new to him as well. However, Wei Wuyin wasn't going to break away from the crowd and stood up, upright and tall. He looked at the buzzing halos that vibrated with a strange sound frequency.

RUMBLE! DOOOOOOSH!!

Without warning, a square platform fell from the sky like lightning. It was a cube, with stairs carved into its four sides leading upwards to the top. The cube itself was at least a hundred meters high and was a shade of white in color. It greatly resembled the white light from Long Chen's Seed of War.

It landed on empty space between all the Battalions present, as if predetermined, about a mile away from everyone. The tens of thousands of titans present all had their eyes brighten and excitement exuded from their pores. A few were even grinning crazily as if they had witnessed the greatest event in their lives. These few were definitely Ascended who claimed the lives of other Ascended in their level or assisted in their demise. They were thrilled by this development like children being told the candy store was free for them.

Borus Yusang was outright losing his image as a Battalion Commander with his greedy grin. It was quite embarrassing, even slightly ugly. But not a single person paid any attention to him. They were all focused on that single cube.

Wei Wuyin was unable to see the cube, his spiritual strength and spiritual sense still wasn't at its fullest potential, especially since he resealed all his Astral Souls again. The mile long distance caused him to forfeit his ability to observe.

After the buzzing of their halos stopped, Borus Yusang regained his prestigious demeanor and imposing air, directly commanding with a thunderous boom.

"Alright! It's time to claim your War Souls! Remember, if you decide to store your War Souls and not trade them, use your Identity Rune! They're specifically designed to store them, and can be extracted and traded after your departure from the Battlefield. As a reminder once again, you must acquire ten War Souls to earn your right to leave! If ten War Souls are not earned, you will be required to remain in the Battlefield! Any deserters will be killed with EXTREME PREJUDICE!"

These words came from Borus Yusang, yet they were said by every Battalion Commander across the entire Battlefield, be it titans, humans, or celestials!

When those words were said, the halos of all the mortal soldiers started to rapidly thrum with a deep hum. The vibrations it emitted caused the bodies of these tall titans to tremble, yet this only caused these titans to become happier.

"First Squad! Ascend the War Spirit Altar!" Borus Yusang commanded, issuing that order. Those a part of the 1st Squad lifted their excited bodies and strode towards the War Spirit Altar with excitement, pride, conflicted emotions, some melancholy, and some anger.

Wei Wuyin watched as they began to ascend the stairs. It didn't take long before they reached the top. At that point, he expected a grand War Spirit to descend or a phenomenon exceeding the Alchemic Dao manifestations!

However, what happened left him feeling uncertain. After a few minutes, roughly five, the 1st Squad simply walked down. But not all of them, some weren't present. He expected this, but he didn't see any War Soul or grand phenomenon. Still, those that wanted to leave the Battlefield were sent back home. That much he knew.

A few amongst the squad had expressions of disappointment and frustration. Some were holding back their tears, revealing exhausted expressions, far from what they had shown when they walked towards the War Spirit Altar. They clearly did not reach the ten War Souls quota to leave or hadn't earned enough to acquire what they wanted. Unwilling to depart after learning this, they stayed to fight more in the hopes of obtaining more.

Borus Yusang then commanded the 2nd Squad to move. They did so but in lesser numbers. The other Battalions functioned the same way, sending one squad after the other. They were orderly and there wasn't much fuss, but the mood of others was starting to decline after the 20th Squad returned with almost all of them staying, unable to leave.

The benefit of a short run was a higher chance of survival, but it also cost many their chance to earn enough War Souls. This continued until Borus Yusang called out:

"49th Squad!"

Wei Wuyin's mind stirred into activity, expectations filling his thoughts. He brought his measly squad of three towards the War Spirit Altar. Just as he was about to take the first step, a voice sounded out from behind him.

"Sir!"

Wei Wuyin realized it was Zi Fu. He turned and gave her a lifted brow of curiosity. Zi Fu didn't hesitate, directly asking: "Can you, if you have enough, get me an Elixir of Spiritualism!" She spoke out her greatest desire, a desire she couldn't hope to claim on her own.

Wei Wuyin was startled.

Zi Fu realized her words were abrupt and selfish, so she hurriedly added: "I know what I'm asking of you is costly, but I-"

"No need to explain," Wei Wuyin interrupted her, continuing with a bright smile: "It takes incredible courage to make such a big ask from a stranger. However, I feel like we have some fate together. What do you think?"

Zi Fu was startled. Her breathing stalled for a moment. What? Fate together? While she was a soldier at heart, willing to fight for her desires and to grasp her own fate, even die for it, she was still a being with emotions and thoughts. Wei Wuyin's smile was astoundingly perfect. Her titan-sized heart raced slightly at the implication.

Wei Wuyin laughed softly, "If you agree to leave the Battlefield after, and take this-" flipping his palm to reveal a spatial ring after a pause, he continued: "with you everywhere, then I'll do it. As long as I have enough War Souls to give, of course."

Zi Fu was fiercely taken aback. She looked at the ring and beneath her helmet, bit her lips. She didn't know what the ring was, so she was unsure.

Wei Wuyin added, "It's not harmful to you, your force, or the titan race. You have my word. In fact, there's alchemical resources in here as well. I'm quite intrigued by the prospect of seeing a true Spiritualist. Or will you pass up this opportunity?"

Tai Hao just watched, totally shocked by this event. He didn't know how to proceed, so he just observed silently from the sidelines. However, he wondered if Zi Fu would accept or reject such a dubious condition.

Zi Fu didn't actually wait for long to decide. She grabbed the spatial ring and nodded, "I will. I swear t-"

"No need," Wei Wuyin interrupted again. She clearly wanted to swear an oath, but he didn't think it was important to do so. However, he hadn't decided what to do with Zi Fu yet, but this will open up some possibilities for him.

Then, Wei Wuyin turned to Tai Hao, flipping his palm again to reveal another ring, "This has ninth-grade products inside, of various tiers. You can take it and keep the ring on you at all times or refuse. Your choice."

Tai Hao was taken aback. He glanced at the spatial ring and didn't even need to think, grabbing it and inspecting its content. His eyes widened in disbelief. This was far more than what he could obtain from what he wanted from the War Spirit!

"I'll do it."

Wei Wuyin kept his bright smile, nodded, and started to walk up towards the stairs leading to the peak of the cube. When he did, he felt his halo vibrate. As he climbed further up, the halo on his head started to vibrate with such intensity that he felt his entire world throb!

DZZZZZZT!!!

Then as he reached halfway, the entire cube started to wildly shake! Wei Wuyin sensed a large disturbance above, and he heard the outrageous exclamations from Zi Fu and Tai Hao, including those who shouted in shock, awe, wonder, surprise, and fear from afar!

He lifted his head and he felt his body lighten!

'So there is a phenomenon!'

Just as that thought shot through his mind, his body was engulfed by white light and shot forward, scaling the stairs in the matter of moments. Shortly after, the white cube started to emanate a radiance that blinded everyone! Including Ascended!!