Chapter 159 — Heaven's Recognition and the Abyss's Fury
The divine spirit hovered silently above the arena, fresh from its forced birth. Its body—half metal, half manifested world-energy—glimmered with abyssal traces polished into divine order by Lin and Tian's combined forging.
Its eyes—dark, silver-swirled, newly awakened—swept across the radius of the arena.
Then it spoke.
Its voice sounded like a blade scraping against the edge of reality:
> "Master… shall I demonstrate my might?"
Every disciple leaned forward.
Every elder tensed.
And Lin—who had forcibly forged a pseudo-demigod abyssal being into a Divine Artifact—could only nod.
---
1. The Divine Spirit's Demonstration
The divine spirit bowed slightly, then raised its arm.
A faint pulse of abyssal energy, refined now into something geometric and crystalline, flickered between its fingers.
The Sect Master narrowed his eyes with mild curiosity.
The next moment—
BOOM.
The divine spirit vanished.
Not through speed.
Through erasure of presence.
A single instant later, cracks webbed through the arena floor, each one lined with shimmering metallic veins.
Disciples screamed and scrambled away.
Elders activated defensive shields.
Then—
A shockwave erupted from the center of the arena.
A perfectly circular blast of refined abyssal force, compressed so tightly it didn't spread in waves—it cut outward like a spinning blade.
It shaved off one of the arena pillars.
Cracked three stone formations.
And sent two protective elders stumbling backward, coughing blood.
The Sect Master lifted a single finger.
He tapped the air.
The shockwave dissolved instantly.
Just like that.
Lin's breath hitched.
He remembered the scene as if his mind replayed it for him:
Rowan couldn't have survived that.
The Cloudsky Sect Master couldn't have dissolved that attack so casually.
In the lower realm, this level of power could have shattered continents.
But here?
It was a demonstration.
The divine spirit reappeared beside Lin, kneeling on one knee.
> "Demonstration complete, Master."
The arena exploded into chaos.
---
2. The Sect's Reaction
Whispers turned into shouts:
> "He forged a divine being—into a weapon!"
> "Tian matched him blow for blow! How strong are these two?!"
> "Did you see that attack? That was at least early demigod level!"
> "No—pseudo-demigod! Maybe even stronger!"
Meanwhile, the senior elders stared down at Lin with a mixture of:
wonder
disbelief
fear
and unspoken respect
Elder Rowan's beard trembled, his eyes glistening.
> "He… he actually succeeded.
He surpassed everything I taught him.
And everything I thought was possible…"
The Sect Master finally raised his voice.
It boomed across the battleground like a decree from heaven.
> "Silence."
The entire sect instantly obeyed.
---
3. Invitation to Become Direct Disciples
The Sect Master floated down from the spectator's platform.
Each step he took rippled the air.
He stood before Lin and Tian, hands clasped behind his back.
His aura was calm, serene—
and utterly bottomless.
Behind him, the divine spirit bowed, intimidated despite having been a pseudo-demigod itself mere minutes ago.
The Sect Master spoke:
> "Lin. Tian."
Both immediately bowed deeply.
> "You have both exceeded the limits expected of outer disciples."
"And even inner disciples."
"And even core disciples."
The sect held its breath.
The Sect Master raised his hand—
And tapped each of their foreheads lightly with a finger.
A golden sigil burned into their skin for a brief moment before fading inside their sea of consciousness.
> "As of this day—
You are both my direct disciples."
Gasps erupted around the arena.
Someone fainted.
Tian staggered, face pale with excitement and disbelief.
Lin simply lowered his head in gratitude, though inwardly his thoughts raced:
The Sect Master… is far stronger than we imagined.
Why would someone like him accept me as a disciple…?
As if reading the question in Lin's heart, the Sect Master smiled faintly.
> "Your path is the path of creation.
Tian's is the path of destruction."
"Such duality would be wasted without a proper teacher."
---
4. Rowan's Reward
The Sect Master turned his head toward Elder Rowan.
> "Elder Rowan."
Rowan immediately dropped to one knee.
> "Yes, Sect Master!"
> "You have taken on a student who has shaken the foundations of our sect.
For this, you will be rewarded."
A jade badge appeared in the Sect Master's hand.
It glowed with runic patterns that made even Tian involuntarily tremble.
> "From today onward—
you are promoted to High Elder Rowan."
The arena thundered with applause.
Rowan's eyes reddened.
He bowed repeatedly, voice cracking.
> "T-thank you… Sect Master… thank you…"
Lin smiled softly.
He owed Rowan more than he could ever say aloud.
---
5. The Abyss Reacts
Far away—
in the Abyssal Sea of Ruptured Stars,
the region where the Ancestor once ruled—
a disturbance spread outward like a spiritual earthquake.
A colossal vortex of abyssal qi churned.
Abyssal beasts rampaged madly.
Hundreds of rifts flickered open and shut.
A new, terrifying voice echoed through all the abyssal strata:
"WHO
DARES
STEAL
THE CORE OF THE ANCESTOR?!"
The abyss was awakening.
Worse—
It was angry.
Terrified abyssal scouts tore through space, racing along the scent of the Ancestor's stolen qi.
And they found it.
A thin thread, stretching between realms.
Leading…
toward the Titan Realm.
Their collective scream reverberated:
"FOUND.
FOUND!
THE THIEF HAS BEEN FOUND!"
---
6. Announcement of the Abyssal Rift Crisis
Back in the arena, the Sect Master's expression hardened slightly.
> "Abyssal activity is stirring."
"Our rift has become noisy… too noisy."
Murmurs spread instantly.
> "Another eruption?"
"Again?"
"But we just stabilized it last month!"
The Sect Master raised a hand.
> "Quiet."
He turned to Lin and Tian.
> "Disciples, prepare yourselves."
"The Abyssal Rift near our sect has become unstable.
I will be sending teams to cleanse the surrounding region."
> "You two will accompany me."
Lin's heart tightened.
Tian's eyes lit with battle intent.
---
7. Ending — The Sect Master's Plan
The Sect Master looked at both of them with a sharp gleam in his eye.
> "Your foundations are excellent."
"But your cultivation paths are still rough and unrefined."
He stepped between them.
> "I will personally refine both of your paths."
"Your bodies, your laws, and—"
His gaze fell on Lin's divine spirit.
> "—your artifacts."
He turned, robe billowing like a storm.
> "Tomorrow, we begin."