Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 592 The Supreme Trial
He had seen this tree when he first entered the Temple of Light.

That was when he killed Smaug in the Combined Trials and obtained the 'Seed of Determinism'.

Transcendence was not yet asleep at that time, and told itself that it must obtain the 'Seed of Destiny of Origin Life'. According to Transcendence's statistics, apostles who obtained the seed had a 16.7% probability of breaking through to the ninth rank.

Although Li Xia thought the probability of over ten percent was not high at the time, it was clear that the Hall of Fame considered it to be an extremely high probability.

It wasn't until after Li Xia's third-tier advancement battle, when he became a reserve acting officer, that he discovered a terrifying truth through conversations with other reserve acting officers.

Even a powerful figure like the Hunter, capable of slaying ancient gods and ranked among the top ten in the Hall's assessment of potential million apostles, nearly failed when attempting to break through to the ninth rank.

You can imagine how high a 16.7% chance of breaking through to the ninth rank is!

Li Xia had seen the Primal Tree more than once; it also appeared when the Treasure Chest of Destiny was opened.

He had seen the colossal primordial tree standing in the boundless void, where a dewdrop on a single leaf was a world bubble.

The primordial tree before them undoubtedly looked rather small, likely in its juvenile stage or something similar.

So the Tree of Origin is not a single tree, but rather something like a group?
Li Xia looked thoughtfully at the fruits that shone as brightly as the sun. Could the seeds of these fruits be the seeds of destiny?

However, it did resolve Li Xia's doubts. What exactly was that light that could evolve insects into higher beings, and why did the Pale King possess low-level divinity? Even with the word "low-level," it was still divinity!
Li Xia hadn't figured out the specific levels of divinity yet, but his divinity seemed quite strong; at least when the fight actually started, the Pale King didn't put much pressure on him.

Now the mystery has been solved: that light came from the Primordial Tree. For such a bug-level existence, granting divinity is not an unimaginable thing.

Li Xia's legacy and destiny equipment are essentially obtained from the Tree of Origin, making them incredibly powerful.

Just as Li Xia was deep in thought, the three little ones and the little knight, who had not yet seen the true form of the Tree of Origin, were already dumbfounded.

What I saw was truly breathtaking. In the silent, cold universe, there was a tree larger than a planet, and even the fruit on its canopy radiated brilliant light like the sun.

Especially the little knight, whose body, illuminated by the light of the Primal Tree, strangely began to transform into pure white. This was an opportunity!

Without Li Xia, it might still be the strongest in the Seeking Light World, but it would never be able to reach the canopy, see the true source of the Seeking Light World, or receive the almost endless primordial light.

Even though the vines' peculiar mist neutralized most of the power, the continuous light still caused it to undergo a strange change.

"How come this bird tree grows so majestic and imposing!"

With its eyes wide open and speechless, Black Charcoal simply let out a series of aria-like meows.

Xiaotian was much simpler; its dog brain was calculating how long it would take to finish gnawing on the tree if it used its devouring ability.

Then it crashed, its mouth agape, its dog eyes staring blankly.

Regardless of what Li Xia and the three little ones were thinking, the vines continued to climb until they stopped beside a huge leaf.

"What does it mean?"

Aowu stared curiously at the leaf in front of him, its size unknown but seemingly endless, for a while.

Li Xia tentatively stepped onto the leaf, and ripples of light spread across the crystal-clear, emerald-like surface.

This action seemed to activate something, and vein-like light networks lit up from his toes, extending continuously across the leaves and into the distance.

Within the light screen, an exceptionally magnificent building, resembling a temple, rose from the leaves.

Li Xia glanced at his mission prompts, which pointed to that spot.

"Let's go, that should be our destination."

The veins of the leaves are like a net, protruding on the leaves, like undulating mountains, and the light produced by the fruit illuminates the surrounding area in every detail.

The shadows, reflected through the light, appeared to come alive on the glass-like ground.

Li Xia originally wanted to fly directly there, but it seemed to be shrouded by an invisible force, making it impossible to fly at all. He could only take one step at a time and walk towards the distance.

All around was desolate; there was not even a breeze, only the undulating veins of leaves like mountains, and utter loneliness.

Five figures of varying heights, builds, and shapes were reflected on the ground, their shadows lengthening as the distance between them increased.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the magnificent temple finally drew closer and closer. When they finally stood before the temple gates, they felt as if they had been transported to another world.

Li Xia looked at the temple built of huge stones, covered with traces of weathering, which looked like it had existed for an unknown amount of time. Just by looking at it, one could feel the vicissitudes of time.

"This temple is quite peculiar; I wonder whose shrine it is."

Aowu rested his chin on his hand, carefully examining the object. Hei Tan even tried to take out his camera to take a couple of pictures, but found that he couldn't take any no matter what he did.

Xiaotian was still out of commission, and the little knight was like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden, never having imagined that there was such a vast and beautiful view above him.

Li Xia took a deep breath and took the lead in climbing the high steps. The shadow of the temple slowly enveloped the group. After entering the gate, beams of light pierced through the skylight at the top of the temple, pointing obliquely to the ground like swords, with dust flying inside the beams of light.

The temple and the leaf are two completely different worlds.

A sudden realization dawned on Li Xia: this temple must have been placed here by the Hall of Light, and the Tree of Origin merely provided the space or something else.

"Boss, look here!"

The three little ones and the little knight had already separated and were wandering around the temple as if they were sightseeing.

Awoo was standing by the wall in the distance, with the other two little ones beside him, and the little knight looking up at them curiously.

Li Xia was taken aback, only then noticing the rows of statues standing along the wall dozens of meters away. Perhaps due to the difference in light and shadow when she first entered the temple, she hadn't noticed them before.

The statue is of a man with a smile on his face. It is exquisitely carved and looks lifelike. Even the folds of his clothes are clearly visible. He is holding a staff in his hand.

There is also an inscription on the base of the statue.

Robert Green

[Fourth-tier Apostle, Sixth Seat in the Second-tier Arena, Fifth Seat in the Third-tier Arena, Eighth Seat in the Fourth-tier Arena]

[Died in the 9th year of the Void Calendar of the Fourth Light Era, during the Primal Trial]

"This is... an Apostle???"

The howling sound was somewhat distorted. If I'm not mistaken, this is actually a statue formed from the corpse of an apostle?
"should be--"

Li Xia's gaze was fixed on the text below: Fourth-tier Apostle, Sixth Seat in the Second-tier Arena, Fifth Seat in the Third-tier Arena, Eighth Seat in the Fourth-tier Arena.

From any perspective, the apostles before us are absolutely top-tier experts. Those who can enter the top ten at the second tier may not be able to enter at the third tier, especially lone wolves and independent individuals.

As the rank increases, the system built by each apostle gradually becomes richer and more complete.

Some apostles are just lucky; their skills are powerful at lower levels, but their actual strength is insufficient to support their ranking, so they naturally fall behind.

Some apostles have difficulty developing their skill systems at lower ranks, lacking key pieces of the puzzle. They will naturally become stronger as their rank increases.

The most typical example is the mage. As a ranged damage dealer with extremely high firepower, all melee apostles know that to fight a mage, you have to get close. Therefore, controlling your position is the most crucial element of combat for a mage.

Therefore, mages with teleportation and those without are completely different concepts. Second-tier mages with teleportation are extremely rare, while third-tier mages with teleportation are only considered decent, and by fourth-tier, they are just ordinary. "This person is very strong!"

To be able to reach the sixth seat in the top ten even in the second tier, where mages are at a disadvantage due to the lack of teleportation, and to be in the top ten in every tier, shows that their strength is absolutely not to be underestimated.

But even such a powerful figure died in the Primal Trial.
Then Li Xia looked at the statue next to him. It was a male apostle with one hand on the hilt of a sword. He was tall and slender and had a stern expression.

Killian Vaughn

[Fourth-tier Apostle, Fourth Seat in the Second-tier Arena, Third Seat in the Third-tier Arena, Fifth Seat in the Fourth-tier Arena]

[Died in the 23th year of the Void Calendar of the Fourth Light Era, during the Primal Trial]

Void Calendar —

Li Xia focused his attention on the year of his death. He knew about the Void Calendar, a method of dating commonly used within the palace.

For example, it is currently the 34th year of the Void Calendar. The year here is completely different from the year in reality. It is only the subconscious projection that makes it translated as the year.

In reality, one year in the Void Calendar is roughly equivalent to a standard unit of time. It is a calendar system devised by the Hall of Light based on certain comparisons and adjustments made according to the flow of time in the Void.

But what does this Fourth Age of Light mean?
Li Xia remembered that when he killed the Old God, there was a similar notification, something like: "Slay an Old God: Eris of Fate (Fifth Era)".

What is the relationship between the Fifth Age and the Fourth Age of Light here?
As strength increases, things that were previously invisible begin to emerge, yet at the same time, it's as if a layer of mist obscures everything, allowing only a glimpse of a massive, chilling shadow behind it.

It has a terrifying feeling, like having advanced spiritual vision and being able to see things you couldn't see before.

After a moment's thought, Li Xia directly asked the question in the hall:
"What era are we in now?"

After becoming the acting third seat in the reserve force, his authority was undoubtedly greatly enhanced, and even this seemingly useless question received an answer from the Hall of Light:

[Honorable Reserve Officer, acting third in line, currently in the Sixth Era]

The Sixth Era?

Li Xia pressed on, asking, "What marks the beginning of each epochal transition?"

[Starting with the Great Collapse of the Void, each collapse marks the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.]

What does "collapse" mean?

This refers to the fact that everything within the void will collapse and cease to exist.

The text that appeared in the Hall of Light paused for a moment.

Only the palace is eternal.

Only the palace is eternal.
These words carried an extreme domineering aura, which even the Great Collapse of the Void could not affect the hall in the slightest.

But the Temple of Light tells the story as if it were an ordinary fact.

Li Xia closed the panel. The collapse of the void and the change of eras were too far removed from him. It was enough to know about them; there was no need to delve into them. Delving into them would only cause unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, Li Xia suspected that if he continued to ask, the hall might not tell him anymore, because things that are too advanced cannot be expressed in conventional language. Just like when the hunter explained the key points of breaking through to the ninth level to the black fire, special methods were required.

Li Xia then looked at the statue next to her.

Lena Sinclair

[Fourth-tier Apostle, Ninth Seat in the Second-tier Arena, Eighth Seat in the Third-tier Arena, Fifth Seat in the Fourth-tier Arena]

[Died in the 25th year of the Void Calendar of the Fourth Light Era, during the Primal Trial]

Aston Gray

[Fourth-Order Apostle]

He died in the Fourth Age of Light.

Felix Morgenstein

[Fourth-Order Apostle]

He died in the Fourth Age of Light.

Li Xia looked at the statues faster and faster, and the dates on the statues became increasingly blurry, even impossible to discern. In this enormous temple, there were tens of thousands of statues!
The statues lined up in a complete circle around the wall, and just looking at them gave off a silent power.

"No way... So many people died in this trial, boss?? And they all seemed to be powerful figures."

Awoo opened his mouth:

"This mortality rate."

Li Xia took a deep breath; he was equally shocked by what he had seen:

"But from another perspective, these statues have been here for a very, very long time, and everyone who comes here can see them."

Even so, they continued to participate in the trials one after another.

This, in fact, demonstrates the importance of the trial!

He looked up at the stairs and said in a deep voice:
"Continue, let's go check the second floor!"

The second floor is no different from the first floor, still filled with statues, except that the era below has changed to the Fifth Era, and the number of statues here is equally exaggerated.

The third floor, which is the Sixth Era, was surprisingly quiet. There were only a few hundred statues on it.

Something was wrong. Both Li Xia and the three little ones sensed the problem. Even if we only calculated based on the proportions below, there should have been at least a thousand statues in the Sixth Era, even if it hadn't passed. There must be some reason that caused the number of people participating in the trial to drop sharply!

"Incarnation!"

Li Xia suddenly spoke in a low voice, as if she were talking to the three little ones, or as if she were talking to herself.

"Incarnation?"

"Yes, currently, fourth-tier avatars can be bought with money, and there are very few apostles coming to the World of Seeking Light!"

Li Xia looked at the apostle before him and said in a deep voice:

"I suspect that the existence of the avatars caused the number of people participating in the trial to drop sharply."

Although there is no evidence, the transformation was too easy, too simple, and even a bit illogical.

Even if there were a fixed quest that could summon an avatar, things wouldn't be like this now; one could be bought for just a few hundred thousand Hall Points.
Moreover, there are agents interfering behind the scenes in the Seeking Light World!

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)