Chapter 530 Fria Ascends (1)
Chapter 530 Fria Ascends (1)
After several days of preparation, Fria positioned herself in the direct center of a large plain while Charlotte and the other four friends spread out an equal distance from each other in a circle around her.
It was the same location that William had Ascended from, though it had since been terraformed into its current state. It was now a worldwide recognized location for Ascensions.
At their feet were dozens of high-level Artifacts and natural treasures meant to support Cultivators during a Tribulation, which were gathered from pooling the resources of several hundred smaller Factions spread throughout all of Efretta.
In the past, collecting so many Artifacts would have taken a normal Tribulation Transcendence Cultivator hundreds of years, but Fria and the group managed to do so in only two days. Most of which was credited to the Frostile Faction, which already had a majority of what they needed in their treasure vaults.
The sheer number of Players across Efretta also greatly contributed to their collection efforts, since Blacksmiths and Array Masters had become several times more common than before.
With the influx of several masters of trade, high-level Artifacts that were once as rare as a phoenix feather were now obtainable even from the lesser-known Auction Houses.
"This sucks!" Carl complained out loud. "Why are the Tribulations like this now? It used to be as easy as reaching the Ninth Stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, then Boom! Portal!"
"Be honest, Carl. You're just mad that we made you give away your defensive Artifacts." Yuming spoke at a normal voice from hundreds of meters away, but at their Cultivation Realms, it was as if they were in a small room together.
"Yeah, and now I won't have any left for when I Ascend! Whose idea was it to place another Tribulation at the very end of our Cultivation journey?! It wasn't like this until after Will Ascended!"
Yuming sighed, "Then you know exactly whose fault it is. Who could it be other than William? That guy doesn't fear death; death fears him. Changing Tribulations sounds like something he'd do."
Little did they know that William simply sent Tribulations because the System recommended it. He didn't even consider the fact that there was no need for an Ascension Tribulation, and he could just create the portal directly.
After all, a Tribulation could be defined as many things. He could send down a Lightning Bolt at the level of Qi Refinement and it would count as a Tribulation, allowing him to avoid any consequences, though the rewards given to the Cultivators would be adjusted to that level.
"Can y'all shut up! She's trying to focus!" Tia glared at the two.
The plain turned silent once more while Fria sat cross-legged on the ground. With her natural talent, both her Cultivation and Soul Cultivation had reached the peak of what was allowed within the Mortal Realms, so all she needed to do was survive the final Tribulation.
The problem was, Fria wouldn't be defending herself at all!
When the last strand of Spirit Qi was added to her Cultivation Base, dark clouds formed overhead and spread for several hundred kilometers. The Tribulation had yet to begin, but Fria could already sense Ascension-level danger from the first Lightning Bolt.
The word talk was highly emphasized here, but everyone's hearts were beating so fast that they didn't have time to acknowledge Fria's statement. They returned to their positions and channeled their Mana into the other treasures, preparing for Fria to switch to her main body.
"Alright, it's on you all now. Take care of me!" Fria said as she promptly logged out of the World. Since the Tribulation had been initiated already, Fria's body would continue to undergo the Tribulation, though she had no way to protect herself.
An instant passed before Fria found herself in her main body on Reius, which was lying in a cryopod-style bed that she'd used her Magic to create. Its defensive power was at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, allowing her to play Otherworld Prime without worrying about any outside factors.
She explained the situation to her grandparents, giving them hugs and offering to visit from time to time when she became stronger. Fria didn't know how long she would be away from Reius, or when she would be able to return, but she was confident that if William could, so too could she.
With teary eyes and a burning desire to grow stronger, Fria sped towards the nearest government-approved Tribulation Site and sat down cross-legged to refine the ambient Mana into Spirit Qi.
Just like on Efretta, Fria only needed to commit one more strand of Qi into her Cultivation Base, pushing her into the Ascension Realm directly. In this World, gaining Soul Strength was incredibly easy for her, since she simply had to Cultivate near large former battlefields or graveyards.
The Tribulation clouds gathered just like before, though this time William's surprised voice could be heard from above. "You're already at the peak? Wha—"
William's voice spread and echoed around the World in an overbearing manner, causing many religious individuals to bow and pray from right where they stood. The soundwaves seemed to catch William off guard as well.
Fria laughed out loud while William's pause became awkwardly long. She couldn't believe this idiot had become the God of this World.
Seconds later, William finally spoke again, "Ahem. You've done well to get this far. Defeat my trial and continue to Cultivate well."
His presence retreated from Reius, while the first Lightning Bolt prepared to drop. Fria wasn't as strong on this World as she was on Efretta, but the Tribulation Transcendence aura hardly threatened her regardless.
An ethereal blue greatsword appeared in Fria's hands and extended for several kilometers in the sky. Fria swung overhead and met the first Lightning Bolt, cleaving it in two and nearly splitting the clouds above.
The second Lightning Bolt didn't wait for Fria to recover and followed the trail of the first, to which Fria pulled upwards in the reverse direction. Bolt after Bolt, from the third to the seventh, Fria used her incredible Soul Strength and skill with the greatsword to easily defeat them.
Back on Efretta, Fria's second body reached the same stage of the Tribulation, though the situation wasn't nearly as calm...
"Fuck! I can't hold it anymore!" Carl gritted his teeth as his last defensive treasure turned to dust. "Tia, take over!"
One of Carl's summoned Beasts at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm temporarily took over and held its ground against the seventh Lightning Bolt. Even though the Beast's strength was at the peak, its body became riddled with scars the moment it touched the Lightning.
LRAB