As far as Samael was aware, the first of these trials was known as the Mirrors of Clogged Fountains, and evidently enough, it was a maze—but also a race.
In fact, the first two trials were races to access the third and final trial.
'…How can I take advantage of this…' His thoughts churned as he ran his fingers through the thick waters below.
He wasn't worried in the slightest about passing this trial, the next, or even about being fast enough to access the final one. No—what he was mulling over was both how to do so and how to take advantage of these trials while doing so.
He had to pass each trial in the most marking of ways to accomplish his goal, but he also had to strengthen himself in the process.
And observing these waters—so full and overflowing with qi—Samael involuntarily smiled as an idea popped into his mind.
He knew exactly what this liquid was. It was known as Puffer Sark Bloodmead, a substance that absorbed all ambient qi. But more importantly… those who drank it would not only have their bodies strengthened and purified—their qi sensitivity would rise.
And here, there was an entire ocean of it.
Obviously, Samael couldn't drink it all. In fact, he couldn't drink any of it, and those who designed the trial were well aware of that.
The sheer density of qi contained in these waters would explode anyone who consumed it and instantly kill them.
Samael was greedy, but he wasn't that greedy—no, he was much, much more greedy than that.
'It seems my luck isn't so bad after all.'
Immediately, Samael sat cross-legged over the ocean of Puffer Sark Bloodmead, ignoring the maze and race for the moment.
Plans had changed. And now, he would break into the third stage of awakening.
Following the Qi Circle and Elemental Spark stage came the Spiritualisation stage—a stage as easy, if not easier, than the Elemental Spark stage.
In this stage, all one had to do was harmonise their mind and body to a state of oneness, which would further anchor and root the effects of their rings, allowing their bodies and minds to enter states known as spiritualisation.
States where their entire being shifted and turned to elemental forms—a state of oneness with their element and affinity.
And this was exactly what Samael needed to carry out his plan. Though he hadn't originally intended to break through now due to another idea, the opportunity set before him was even greater than what he had planned.
WHOOOOSH!
In nothing but a breath, Samael's body and mind linked and bridged into one another—so fast and seamlessly that it seemed like they'd been crying for it since the moment of his birth.
The moment this link formed, his Qi Ring externalised and further deepened their connection, sinking its roots through him as it did so, elevating itself yet again.
Samael, in such a state, felt his affinities more clearly than ever before—and even in such a pivotal moment, he couldn't help but laugh.
Samael had six affinities, but unlike what most would believe, they weren't anything impressive or law-shattering like time, space, chaos, or even fate—no, they were much more different than those.
Much more useful. And among them, the one he used the most was a simple one.
Water.
BANG!
Samael achieved the Spiritualisation stage of awakening and immediately, the storm of qi that had been building up around him muted.
The churning of the waters below ceased, and his reflections in the countless mirrors around began to fade.
He immediately entered a state of spiritualisation, becoming water itself as he seamlessly infused into the ocean below.
Just like that, he vanished and dissipated into it, assimilated and gone—only leaving his robes and metallic arm-wraps behind.
Silence echoed.
.
.
.
.
Talent, to the Tharims, didn't matter in the slightest—at least, not its tangible form.
But to most of the world, it did.
In fact, talent was separated across three categories: talents related to qi, manifested through special Qi Roots; talents related to flesh, manifested through Heavenly Constitutions; and finally, talents of the Soul, manifested in ways too complex to explain.
And Samael had none of those.
In none of his lives had he ever had any sort of talent. In fact, in his first life, he'd been born heavily crippled and poisoned.
But reincarnation after reincarnation, he was born healthier and healthier—until he finally began to be born with a decent start.
But it had never stopped him, in any of his lives, from achieving his goals. And it was for the simple reason that he could simply forge them himself.
On that front, he possessed the same mentality as the Elders of the Tharim Lineage.
And now, he would take his first step toward that—his first step toward forging a Heavenly Body.
———
Moments passed, and the ocean of Bloodmead remained still and unmoving.
But suddenly, ripples began to dance across its surface.
Samael's Qi Ring manifested atop the ocean—alone and without his figure. Slowly, it began to expand and grow, rapidly becoming so large it engulfed the entirety of the ocean.
But it didn't stop there.
The maze shattered—its mirrored shards falling from the skies like divine starlight—as the ring expanded to engulf the oceans of the other participants.
Confusion began to arise across their faces as the entirety of the maze collapsed, and the world felt like it had come to its end. But this only deepened when, across the surface of the waters, glowing runes of gold, amethyst, and crimson began to manifest.
They all looked up to Samael's massive Qi Ring—fear surging from their depths along with uncertainty and doubt.
But just when it seemed like nothing would happen… it all collapsed.
—
Samael's Qi Ring retracted—dozens of times faster than it had expanded—and along with it, the oceans of Puffer Sark Bloodmead seemed to be pulled along, concentrating and densifying to form a humanoid figure.
The countless tons of waters repeatedly condensed and gathered, compressing over and over again to form a single human body.
Condensing to reform Samael's body.