Chapter 79: Convergence at the Requiem Gate

As Sera’s vanguard unit stepped past the threshold, the heavy star-iron doors of the inner chamber slowly groaned shut, locking into place with a definitive *CLANG*.

Instantly, a massive wave of blinding **orange-gold fog** erupted from the center of the chamber, flooding outward and filling the entire subterranean cavern like a tidal wave of primordial fire. The sheer intensity of the light distorted the spatial air pressure, warping the walls and casting long, dancing shadows across the ancient stone.

High above the cavern floor, half-submerged in the swirling orange haze, **Ethan** stood motionless. He had woven a fresh,invisibility barrier around himself by channeling the raw blessing and protective aura of the Dragon-Phoenix Bead. Even within the dense wave of orange fogy energy, his presence remained entirely untraceable. He crossed his arms silently, observing the team as they vanished deeper into the mist-choked chamber.

***

Meanwhile, miles away in the observation chamber high above the central trial grounds, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

The **Vice-Principal** leaned forward, a slow, amused chuckle rumbling in his chest as he stared at the primary scrying mirror. "Well, well... someone has finally breached the inner vault of the Golden Requiem King. If my memory serves me right, that young lady is the daughter of the Northern Duke—the very man who stood right outside these gates decades ago. It seems she came fully prepared."

**Professor Lyra**, standing beside him, adjusted the purple folds of her ceremonial robe and nodded. "Indeed. And look at the retainers she brought along. Several of them carry bloodlines and inheritances quite famous in the outer empires. If teachers were permitted to leave the academy grounds, I would have run background checks on all of them by now... though, to be honest, their combat styles lack the deep historical refinement I prefer to research."

The Vice-Principal glanced sideways at her, raising an eyebrow. "You and your obsession with ancient texts. Everything in the modern era has evolved past dusty parchment and forgotten ruins. Why dwell on the past?"

Lyra shook her head slightly, her violet eyes gleaming with quiet reverence. "What is buried in history can never truly be erased by the present. Countless ancient magus and sovereign warriors had their names stricken from records, yet the miracles they forged still exist in this world. The Golden Requiem King’s inheritance is one such miracle. It is almost a pity that the Principal insists on keeping it accessible as a trial reward... otherwise, some ambitious elder would have plundered it ages ago."

***

Far across the trials, deep within the forest of the peripheral realms, **Arthur**, **Kael**, and **Keklar** had just finished dispatching the monstrous Rank 4 Void Serpent. The massive beast lay dead at their feet, its dark blood pooling across the shattered earth.

Arthur exhaled slowly, raising his right hand as the glowing golden broadsword formed from his *Flame Sword Bone* slowly dissolved into particles of warm, divine light.

Beside him, Kael stared at the fading light with a look of bitter, suffocating jealousy. Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, Kael cursed under his breath:

*’Damn it... What is the point of bringing me into this world if I don’t get a system or any overpowered cheats?! All the natural talent I once had feels utterly worthless compared to this monster’s innate bone-link. Damn it all!’*

A few paces away, **Keklar**—still maintaining his human disguise—stared at Arthur’s chest with ravenous, predatory hunger. Deep within his monstrous instincts, his system pulsed violently, urging him to tear open Arthur’s chest and devour the radiant *Flame Sword Bone*. He had already tasted special mineral ores and beast cores by crushing them with his teeth, and his system rewarded him with unique metallic attributes every single time. The thought of what divine sword bone could do to his evolution made his mouth water.

*RUMBLE—!*

Suddenly, the sky above the entire trial domain fractured violently.

The three young men snapped their heads upward. In a distant sector of the independent plane, a colossal **pillar of blinding orange-gold light** surged vertically into the heavens, tearing through the cloud cover and ripping a massive, jagged fissure across the fabric of space and time.

"What... is that?!" Keklar muttered, his eyes widening as the spatial shockwave rippled outward across all twenty hidden realms. Without a second thought, his beastly instincts took over, and he bolted toward the source of the light.

Arthur and Kael exchanged a sharp, resolute glance. Sensing the unimaginable energy fluctuations, they knew a supreme treasure or inheritance had revealed itself. Without wasting a breath, both dashed forward in pursuit.

Across all twenty hidden realms, every single surviving candidate—whether favored by the Heavens or ordinary combatants—watched as the spatial cracks opened above them, projecting the exact coordinates of the orange pillar into their minds.

***

Inside the sealed chamber of the Requiem Tomb, **Sera** gritted her teeth in pure frustration.

Through her starlight monocle, she watched the spatial cracks widen across the sky outside, projecting the location of the inheritance to every corner of the trial grounds.

*’The spatial seals on the tomb have backfired,’* Sera thought angrily. *’By breaking the final barrier, the energy resonance has broadcasted the inheritance location across the entire academy plane! Not only are the contestants from the other trial realms going to arrive here any second, but anyone currently inside this dark realm will converge on this chamber instantly. I have to claim the legacy before my father’s dream turns to dust!’*

Standing quietly in the shadows just outside the chamber doors, **Ethan** watched the frantic expression on Sera’s face with cold detachment.

A quick system appraisal of Sera’s status flashed in his mind: despite her powerful *Secret-Seeking Eyes* and top-tier ice techniques, her current **Fate Points stood at a modest 3 million**.

*’3 million Fate Points...’* Ethan analyzed silently. *’Clearly, she isn’t the true destined protagonist of this specific legacy. If my past-life memories serve me right, this inheritance was originally seized by an imperial prince, only to be violently stolen away by a mysterious shadow cultivator who was subsequently expelled from the academy for breaking the rules... Though I can’t quite recall the thief’s exact name.’*

Seeing Sera and her vanguard step fully into the orange-hued fog of the inner chamber—where the door instantly vanished behind them—Ethan didn’t hesitate. With a silent leap, he dissolved into a wisp of shadow-mana and slipped right through the threshold after them.

***

Outside, the spatial cracks near the tomb ruptured completely.

*SWOOSH!*

**Kael** was the first to dive headfirst through the swirling temporal fissure, landing heavily on the stone floor right outside the Golden Requiem King’s entrance. Moments later, **Arthur** and **Keklar** burst through adjacent spatial tears, their boots hitting the ground in rapid succession.

Seeing that Arthur and Keklar were right behind him, Kael didn’t dare hesitate. He sprinted frantically toward the massive star-iron doors, disappearing into the inner hall.

Scores of other elite candidates—all under twenty years old and possessing Rank 3 combat strength—poured through the spatial cracks from various hidden realms, swarming into the massive subterranean cave until it was packed with hundreds of aspiring youths.

Arthur, Kael, and Keklar reached the threshold of the inner inheritance room, where the shattered remains of the twelve-foot **Silver Guardian** lay scattered across the floor, still radiating residual runic energy.

Without a word of warning, **Keklar** walked straight up to the fallen giant. Ignoring the viscous, shimmering metallic fluid leaking from its armor joints, he knelt down, ripped off a chunk of flesh-like runic metal fused with beast-marrow, and shoved it directly into his mouth, swallowing it whole.

Arthur and Kael grimaced in absolute disgust, watching him with looks of utter disbelief.

---

> **[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CONSUMED ANCIENT SILVER-GOLEM FLUID & RUNIC CORE RESIDUE]**

> **[Gained New Ability: Spatial-Heavy Impact Resistance (+25%)]**

> **[Gained New Ability: Metallic Iron-Skin Hardening]**

---

Keklar wiped his mouth, a satisfied, savage grin spreading across his face. He felt his physical density surge exponentially. Just as he was reaching down to tear off another piece, a sudden rush of wind heralded the arrival of another figure.

A young man with long, wild jet-black hair and intense red eyes dropped from the cavern ceiling, landing gracefully beside the fallen Silver Guardian. Without blinking, the black-haired youth grabbed another chunk of the metallic remains and began devouring it with feral, animalistic hunger.

Keklar froze, his fake crimson eyes locking onto the newcomer. For a brief second, a cold shiver ran down his spine. The stranger looked utterly bizarre... almost eerily similar in aura to Keklar’s own monstrous nature.

Keklar frowned, a flicker of profound curiosity crossing his face, but he quickly dismissed the oddity, turning his attention back toward the glowing orange fog of the inner inheritance room.

All of them felt a strange sense of mystery emanating from the orange fog beyond the gate. It was as if countless secrets lay buried within it, secrets that could only be uncovered by venturing inside.

However, there was also an undeniable sense of danger. Even though they were inside the academy and possessed tokens that could teleport them back to safety, entering the fog did not guarantee their survival. Their lives could still be in danger.

Yet, despite the risks, they had no choice but to enter, because greed was there.

[If you’re enjoying the story, please consider supporting the novel with votes and Power Stones. Every Power Stone motivates me to keep writing and improving the story.]