Nobilis of War novel Chapter 67

"His talent is at the Earth Degree!" Mathew cried out excitedly.

"What?!" Elsa's eyes widened as she exclaimed. She could not believe what she was hearing. 'How's that even possible? I remember that his talent was at level one of the Black Degree when he entered the Ilmen Sect. How did his talent upgrade so much? That's impossible! But, Mr. Xiao is a cultivator of the Grand Realm. He would not make such a mistake. Then how to explain it?' Elsa racked her brain for a logical justification.

Their discussion didn't distract Darren. He was absorbed in the sword marks carved on the wall. He brandished his sword and chiseled the sword moves he understood from the patterns.

When he finished the fifth one, Mathew nodded with satisfaction. Mathew was not surprised any longer as he had learned that Darren's talent was at the Earth Degree.

Why was Mathew astonished to learn that Darren's talent was at the Earth Degree? Mathew, a legendary being, had met tons of martial arts talents over the years, including several cultivators who had talents at the Heaven Degree. But Darren's presence was beyond his expectation.

He had never met a cultivator whose talent was superior to the Earth Degree in over three hundred years. The most talented person he had met was a cultivator whose talent was at level eight of the Black Degree. Since he was very gifted, the boy was chosen to come here thirty years ago.

When Darren finished the sixth one, there were no more pictures of sword moves in his mind.

Darren uttered a sigh of relief. When he turned to the cliff wall, he looked at the six patterns he had carved and shook his head. There were one hundred and eight marks on the wall, but he had been able to grasp only six. He felt disappointed with himself.

"The sword intent on the wall is so complex. I can only understand six," Darren said with disappointment.

"You've done a great job, kid!" Mathew said to Darren, as he pointed his finger at him. He then continued, "The best cultivator I've witnessed took three days and finished eleven patterns. And his talent was at the Heaven Degree. He passed away about seven, no, eight hundred years ago. I can't remember how long it has been. But, anyway, you have done well."

The information Mathew shared with Darren astonished him. A cultivator with a talent at the Heaven Degree could only grasp eleven patterns, which proved how hard it was to understand sword intent.

"Darren, why's your..." Elsa stammered.

As she looked at Darren, complex emotions reflected on her face. Elsa could tell that Darren had many secrets, especially his upgrade in martial arts talent. She could not figure out how Darren had improved his talent. She had also witnessed a dark aura, like a demon, around Darren. But she wasn't sure about what she saw because it was hard to observe Darren clearly during the powerful conflict between him and Jerome. However, when she and Darren arrived here, Darren behaved normally. Elsa felt uncertain and doubted what she had seen.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I can't explain that. I have my reasons. I'm so sorry!" Darren knew what Elsa wanted to ask when he read her facial expression.

"All right! I understand. After all, everyone has secrets that they don't want anybody else to know. I promise I will never tell anyone about what I saw today. I'll keep your secret." Elsa answered as a flash of disappointment crossed her face. She knew that a genius like Darren was far beyond her in many aspects. And so, she convinced herself that it was better that she didn't know everything in detail.

"Thanks a lot, Elsa!" Darren answered as he bowed to her with his hands clasped.

"Come on, Darren! You don't have to bow every time you speak to me. I'm so flattered. After all, you are more talented than me." Elsa was sincere. Since she got along well with Darren, Elsa stopped being cold and expressionless as before. She was nicer to Darren.

"All right! You two! Now is not the time for you to discuss that. You can enter the door in the cliff now. Remember this, boy! A series of crucial tests will begin soon. It is uncertain that you will pass the first. You will learn what the first test is when you go through the door. Come in now."

As soon as Mathew finished, a shining golden rune appeared on the cliff wall. Then the earth shook, and the cliff split and opened like a door.

A dazzling white light enveloped Darren and Elsa in the next second. In a flash, they disappeared from in front of the cliff wall.

After momentary darkness, they were greeted with a scenic view that was as real as the outside world.

"Wow! Unbelievable! The world behind the cliff wall is so gorgeous!" Elsa marveled.

Lush greenery covered this fascinating world. Flowers bloomed everywhere–their scent filling the air. Birds sang, like a song woven together. In front of Elsa and Darren was a great lake that glistened under the sun. A breeze stroked the meadow and the lake, refreshing them with the flower's fragrance. What a peaceful and serene world!

"All right! The tests will decide whether you are qualified to enter the Starry Tower or not. Here is the first test among the five that you have to complete."

"Mr. Xiao, what should I do to pass the first test? And what will happen if I pass all five tests and enter the Starry Tower?" Darren asked out of curiosity.

"I will tell you about the first test in detail. But you'd better forget the thought of passing all five tests or anything about that. You need to try your best to pass the first three tests. Then you and your companion will have the chance to be teleported to the outside world. Don't attempt the next two tests. It's impossible for a cultivator with a talent at the Earth Degree, like you, to pass the final two and get into the Starry Tower.

The treasure my master left behind is in the Starry Tower. For several millenniums, I have witnessed the death of over twenty talents at the Heaven Degree during the fifth test. Only seven cultivators I know of succeeded in all five tests and gained entry to the Starry Tower. But, all seven died in the Starry Tower. So, I don't know anything about what is in the Starry Tower. And my master never told me. Remember everything I have said, boy! It's for your good. Leave here once you have passed the first three tests. Okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Darren answered with a bow to Mathew, with his hands clasped. "Thank you for your kind reminder!" he said sincerely.

"But Mr. Xiao, you are a cultivator of the Grand Realm, a legendary being. Who is qualified to be your master? What's his cultivation base?" Elsa asked the question she had been curious about since Mathew mentioned that he had a master.

Darren also yearned for the answer, but he didn't dare to ask the question.

"Ha-ha!" Mathew laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "What a wonderland this world would be if it were as simple as the way you kids think! Don't be curious about things you shouldn't know, kids! But I can promise you a special award, boy. If you pass the first three tests, I will tell you what you and your companion are curious about."

When they heard this, Darren and Elsa didn't ask him more questions. What mattered most for them now was to pass the tests.

"The first test is called the Sword Killer. That is the most basic examination for the preliminary sword intent. What you need to do is to jump into the lake and kill anything you see. The more you kill, the higher your score will be. When you take down thirty-six targets, you will pass the first test. Got it?

One more thing, the second you are in the lake, all of your cultivation bases will go back to zero."

After Mathew finished, he pointed Darren toward a giant stone tablet. When Darren looked in the direction Mathew was pointing at, he saw many words closely carved on the tablet. Mathew continued, "You can look at the tablet first. It's where I usually make notes about the participants. I have listed their names and relevant information on the tablet. I also wrote down the names of the cultivators who died in the lake during the test. I hope that would be helpful for you."

"Thank you so much, sir!"

Darren then walked closer to the tablet. There was information on the hundreds of participants, like their name, talent level, the number of targets they had killed, and so on.

"Name: Roy Yan

Age: 21

Cultivation Base: the second stage of the Mysterious Realm

Talent Level: level four of the Black Degree

Target Amount: 86

PASSED"

"Name: Jonas Wu

Age: 18

Cultivation Base: the ninth stage of the Mysterious Realm

Talent Level: level one of the Earth Degree

Target Amount: 1

DIED"

"Name: Elvis Ju

Age: 20

Cultivation Base: the ninth stage of the Spirit Realm

Talent Level: level one of the Black Degree

Target Amount: 97

PASSED"

...

Darren frowned as he read more. He could tell that talent level was not the key to pass the first test. Then what was the crucial condition to kill as many targets as one could? What was the secret to pass the first test?

But Darren was left with no time to think about that. He was pushed into the lake by a gentle force. What big secret hid under the peaceful surface of the great lake?