Xia Lian was a fourth-tier High Priest, so the intelligence she had access to was undoubtedly far greater than what a player like him could ever hope to know.
That much was obvious just from the fact that she knew what the Eternity Piercer was.
"Should I wait a little longer?" Shi Feng gazed at the Eternity Piercer, half-buried in the stone slab, and fell into deep thought.
Now that the Eternity Piercer had awakened, he could attempt the inheritance trial at any time. He could certainly take some time to build up his strength first before challenging it, which would give him a much better chance of passing.
After all, this was one of the Ten Great Holy Inheritances. If he failed, the consequences would be catastrophic—just as Xia Lian had warned.
Death.
Chosen of the Heavens were immortal beings who could revive endlessly, but if Xia Lian still said something like that, it meant the price of failure was something no player could accept. The only option would be to delete their account and start over from scratch.
Waiting until his strength improved dramatically before attempting the trial was undoubtedly the most prudent approach.
But after ten years of fighting and surviving in the Divine Realm, Shi Feng knew one thing all too well.
Living in the Divine Realm was like rowing against the current—stand still and you drift backward.
Being cautious alone wasn't enough. Sometimes, to break through to the next level, you had to take risks. And he simply didn't have that much time to wait.
Risk and opportunity were two sides of the same coin.
The sooner he obtained one of the Ten Great Holy Inheritances, the easier his planned path to godhood would become. Shi Feng's confidence in advancing to a fifth-tier class wasn't particularly high to begin with—he had no idea how much preparation that would require, let alone reaching the sixth-tier god-level class, the absolute pinnacle of the Divine Realm. As if that were something easily achieved.
Shi Feng was well aware of his own capabilities. The only reason he was so powerful now was because he'd had an extra ten years of experience in the Divine Realm. The path to godhood wasn't something you could conquer simply by having played a few more years. But if he could change classes into one of the Ten Great Holy professions early on, combined with the plans and preparations he'd already conceived, his chances of reaching godhood would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Shi Feng walked straight toward the Eternity Piercer and grabbed the golden hilt with one hand, trying to pull it free. But no matter how hard he strained, the Eternity Piercer wouldn't budge. Instead, a system notification chimed in his ear.
System: Do you accept the inheritance trial? (Remaining time: 23 hours 54 minutes)
"So that's how it is." Shi Feng let out a bitter smile.
The Eternity Piercer had never intended to give him much time to prepare.
Shi Feng chose to accept the trial.
In an instant, the Eternity Piercer erupted with golden divine radiance, enveloping Shi Feng completely before swallowing him whole. Then, together with Shi Feng, the Eternity Piercer vanished from the room.
"Space teleportation?" Xia Lian stared at the spot where Shi Feng and the Eternity Piercer had disappeared, shock flickering in her eyes.
The entire Stargazing Tower was protected by an immensely powerful barrier—any teleportation magic within it was completely nullified. No one could teleport in or out. Yet the Eternity Piercer had accomplished it effortlessly.
"Hopefully that little fool can pass the trial." Xia Lian smiled faintly at the place where Shi Feng had vanished. "Just awakening that sword drained me to this degree. I'll need quite a while to recover. Charging him only five hundred gold was letting him off way too easy. Next time I see him, I'm collecting every last coin—principal and interest."
As for Shi Feng himself, he had no idea what had just happened.
In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng found himself standing on a dim, desolate plain. Everywhere he looked—across the sky and covering the ground—there were swords. Countless swords. It was a world made entirely of blades.
And in the far distance across the plain, a single mountain peak soared upward, piercing the heavens. At its summit, a faint silver glow emanated, like a lone point of light in the otherwise dark and somber world.