Marcus turned the Bodhi Stone over in his hand again, staring at it with growing disappointnt.
"Seriously?"
The description floated before him while he reread the effects for what felt like the tenth ti.
’Grants clarity of mind. Can be consecrated...’
Useful, sure. Respectable even. But it was nowhere close to what he had hoped for. What he wanted was the legendary Bodhi fruit, the one rumored to grant players a second class. That kind of reward could completely redefine a character’s future. Compared to that, this felt like receiving a beautifully wrapped gift box that turned out to contain practical socks.
The difference lay in rarity. The true Bodhi fruit was Saint grade. The stone in his hand was only Divine grade. Of course it lacked the power to unlock a second class.
Then again, Marcus quickly reminded himself, if the reward had truly been Saint grade, the guardian would have been a Divine Beast instead of a Mythic Beast. And if that had been the case, he would not be standing here right now. He would probably still be lying dead sowhere inside the First Emperor’s Tomb, regretting every life choice that led him there.
He exhaled and shook his head, amusent replacing disappointnt.
"Alana, I got the Bodhi Stone."
No matter how he looked at it, stealing a Divine grade treasure directly from under a Mythic Beast’s nose was still an achievent worth celebrating.
"Lily, I’m almost out. Babe, your boy’s coming back. Ti to power level you."
Marcus opened his chat window and fired off ssages one after another, unable to hide his good mood.
"Master, you got it? Is it Saint grade? What does it do?"
"Marcus, hurry back. Everyone’s been waiting forever."
"Really? Bro, bring it. I want to ride my Violet Thunderwing Steed!"
Their excitent made him grin. While chatting, Marcus lazily circled the area around the First Emperor’s Tomb atop Blackie. Unfortunately, aside from endless rows of stone soldier statues standing motionless like eternal guards, there was nothing else worth looting. The remaining three Spirit tombs were still sealed tight, and despite flying around several tis, he could not locate any proper main entrance.
’Whatever. Ti to head ho.’
"Alright," he said into the chat, "I’ll turn in the quest to Liam, then I’ll co find you guys."
He closed the chat and pulled out the Thousand Mile Conch Liam had given him earlier.
"Calling Liam Windrunner, King of the Mountains."
Players could not directly contact NPCs, so this conch served as a temporary communication link. A system notification appeared imdiately.
Ding!
[Stonehaven, you are now connected to Liam Windrunner. Communication ti: five minutes.]
"Stonehaven? You’re done already? That fast?"
Liam’s voice carried obvious disbelief.
"Co pick up at the First Emperor’s Tomb," Marcus replied flatly.
He did not feel like explaining everything. If not for the Nine Leaf King Flower, this so called trial could easily have gotten him killed several tis over. Hearing Liam sound doubtful only made him slightly annoyed.
A chuckle ca through the conch.
"Stonehaven, inside the mouth of the Mystic Turtle statue you’ll find a map. It will guide you out of the Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation. Once you exit, travel due north."
Marcus guided Blackie toward the enormous turtle statue while Liam continued giving instructions.
"About a hundred miles north lies a grove of Ironwood trees. Behind the grove is a stream roughly fifteen feet wide. Follow it upstream. At the source you’ll see a boulder carved with a Twin Serpent pattern. Stand before it and say, ’Balance of forces, open the way.’ Soone will co to receive you."
Marcus blinked.
"Boss... a hundred miles? I’m definitely getting lost."
He reached the statue’s mouth and quickly located a rolled scroll hidden inside. Still, he could not help feeling cheated. Before entering the tomb, Liam had promised to pick him up personally. Now suddenly he was being sent on a long wilderness trek.
Just as he opened the scroll, Marcus froze and sucked in a sharp breath.
"What happened?" Liam asked imdiately.
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
Marcus cleared his throat, feeling faintly embarrassed.
Actually... Liam was not being stingy. He looked down again at the item description, and his eyes lit up.
—
Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation Map: One of the Dreamland Continent’s top secret formation diagrams. Using this map allows the holder to learn how to freely traverse the Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation, one of the Ten Great Secret Formations.
—
A wide grin spread across Marcus’s face.
Good thing Liam had not co to retrieve him. Otherwise he would never have obtained sothing this valuable. Learning to navigate a major formation permanently was far more useful than a simple escort.
"Heh heh..."
He unrolled the scroll completely.
Ding!
[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have obtained the Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation Map. You may now traverse the formation freely.]
His mood instantly improved.
Unfortunately, Liam’s voice returned before he could celebrate for long.
"Get lost? Stonehaven, if you cannot handle sothing this simple, then you fail the trial. You have one day to reach Harmony Peak and find . Alone. Bring anyone else, and the trial ends. You will never see again."
The connection cut off. The conch fell silent in Marcus’s hand.
---
High above the clouds, at Harmony Peak, Liam Windrunner stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky where two opposing currents of energy spiraled together in constant motion.
"Stonehaven..." he murmured quietly. "I didn’t expect you to give up so quickly."
Truthfully, Liam had never believed Marcus would complete the trial.
Stealing the Bodhi Stone required confronting a Mythic Beast, a challenge normally suited for players around Level 80. Marcus had not even reached Level 50. Success should have been impossible.
Perhaps, Liam thought, the young adventurer had finally learned sothing valuable. Hardship and restraint. The wisdom to walk away from temptation.
Marcus was clever, greedy, and endlessly searching for shortcuts. Liam had intentionally assigned an impossible task hoping to teach him that so treasures could not be stolen through tricks alone, that sotis survival ant abandoning opportunity.
The early call through the conch convinced Liam of only one thing; Stonehaven must have given up.
Strange, though. That boy never willingly walked away from loot. Maybe he never even tried for the eagle. Maybe he quit before truly starting.
Liam had absolutely no idea that Marcus had already succeeded.
---
"Harmony Peak..."
Marcus scratched his head while flying north. What kind of na was that? It sounded suspiciously suggestive.
Was Liam planning to teach so kind of mysterious harmony cultivation technique? So secret dual cultivation thod?
Marcus smirked despite himself.
A little embarrassing, maybe, but not entirely unwelco. Then again, with his current abilities, he doubted he needed that kind of assistance anyway.
He shook his head firmly.
’Stop overthinking. You’ll find out soon enough.’
"Giddyup!"
Blackie surged forward, entering the Golden Dragon Divine Sky Formation.
The mont Marcus crossed the boundary, a clear mountain path revealed itself before him, winding naturally through space as if reality itself rearranged to guide him out. Without the formation map, the area would have been a deadly labyrinth. Now it felt almost welcoming.
More than twenty minutes of twists and turns later, he erged from the formation.
When he glanced back, a shimring golden portal hovered in the air behind him. It had not existed during his earlier visit with Liam. Now, thanks to the map, he could return to the First Emperor’s Tomb whenever he wished.
’Nice.’
Then annoyance returned.
Liam had put him on a tir.
Marcus wanted nothing more than to return and see the girls, but instead he was forced north toward this mysterious Harmony Peak.
The journey stretched across nearly a hundred miles of harsh terrain. Jagged cliffs, dense forests, and territories filled with monsters above Level 70 made travel dangerous even from the air. If Blackie had not been capable of sustained flight, the journey would have been nearly impossible. Even so, Marcus occasionally encountered aggressive flying monster flocks and had to veer off course to avoid unnecessary fights.
’What kind of place even is Harmony Peak?’
Curiosity slowly replaced irritation.
After more than ten hours of continuous flight, he finally spotted the Ironwood grove Liam had described. Massive dark trees rose like iron pillars from the earth, their bark gleaming faintly under the sunlight.
Beyond the grove flowed a clear stream roughly fifteen feet wide, fast moving and bright as polished glass. Marcus and Blackie paused briefly to rest before following the current upstream.
Rumble...
About thirty minutes later, the sound of rushing water grew deafening. The stream narrowed and accelerated until it ended abruptly at a towering waterfall nearly five hundred feet tall, crashing violently against jagged rocks below.
Marcus hovered near the base, scanning the surroundings.
"This is Harmony Peak?"
The na sounded grand, almost romantic, yet all he saw was a massive waterfall and rugged stone cliffs.
Still, Liam had been specific: The boulder. Twin Serpent pattern.
Marcus began searching carefully around the falls, eyes scanning every rock face for the carved stone that would reveal the true entrance.
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