As Lyren fell on his butt, several things clicked all at once but what stood out was the feel of the stone on his butt which made him realize he was naked. He cursed out loudly as he looked at his entire bare body and his member dangling on below. Now this was beyond expectations. How was he supposed to work naked.
He was glad there were no more spirits in this place who could have pried on his insecurities. He crouched instinctively as he looked around almost as though checking if anyone was watching. He wanted to scream at this but he could not just sit on the stone naked and he stood up. His hands now covering his member.
A drag! It was all a drag!
Lyren did not get much time to contemplate further on his further insights because he was too distracted to think of anything else. He thought he would see his shirt around but it appeared that it too had been consumed.
The golden glow of the array added an extra tinge on his toned body and it was through his periphery vision that he saw the dark spots on his nose or he would not have known that those things he had experienced were somehow reflected in the real world.
It was not supposed to be possible unless the seniors had decided to play a trick on him. He shed dry tears as he realized he had enjoyed the show and he had also been pranked. He was about to take a step forward when he looked at is feet and he saw a change he did not expect.
This was not an aftermath of the show but an aftermath of the amplification of his flames through the awakening ritual. The stone beneath his feet was charred black and his feet imprinted on it. This made him feel a chill because he knew there was no way for him to cause any damage on the stone with his current power yet.
He had a serious look as his mind went back to less pressing issues than his nakedness. The show he had seen might have been interpreted as a show but only he knew just how wrong that was. It was obvious to him that the phenomena he had seen was not the actual thing but the interpretation of his brain.
This was more chilling because it was a clear indication of just how unworthy he was to even practice the sword. He should have felt lucky that he had been able to see the actual performance and grace of the VANTAGELESS BLADE.
Several things clicked. First, he had only managed to witness the first sword and even then, he had been unable to see the word at all. He had gotten key insights from the performance and he felt his progression was going to be faster from then on. This made him feel he was one step closer to his goal.
Secondly, if he had been able to see a blade swing and then the phenomenal, this meant that there were extra 15 swings he had been unable to see. He could not even tell what the embodiment of the first word contained. At first, he had thought that this was a destructive technique but it had also shown him that it was very constructive.
Still, the fact that the first sword could annihilate the planets, it was clear that this technique tended more on the destructive side. He recalled the final sword and the sword actually felt like it carried the weight of the world and he had witnessed it return everything into the void. That was so peak that he wished that he could cultivate it immediately.
Lyren stopped contemplating on the technique so much because he was not going to get anything of importance from it, yet. All it carried was still beyond him. He still had to visit the technique in its world so that he could learn more from it. He also contemplated on whether he was going to look at the other ball of light but he decided against it.
There was yet another urgent matter he was to address. His burned-up channel and palm. Then it dawned to him that he had not felt any pain since he woke. This compelled him to look at his palm and the next sight left him a bitter sweet feeling in his chest.
His palm and channel were fully healed but that was why it was bitter yet sweet. He did not know when it happened but he was sure that the sect mistress was responsible for it all. Probably when he was in the lava lake. That was all he could think about.
Even when she was dissipating, she still had the thoughts of making his journey less painful. Her actions were both from care and also form warning.
She had healed him but had also passed him the warning that he had to be careful because if he did any harm to his body, he would have to live as a cripple. This was why it was bitter sweet. He could only rely on himself from then on.
He sighed as he vowed that he was not going to fail in his mission. Also, it was very unlikely he was going to hurt his channel again because the only reason he had burned it was because the awakening ritual had forced his fresh channel to carry too hot flames it could not withstand. This somehow relieved him but that did not give him the capacity to be careless.
He clenched his fist absentmindedly forgetting its placement as he pressed on his member so tightly his eyes almost rolled back. He wanted to scream as he crouched coming back to his senses. He quickly released it as he fell on his knees. He who had an arrow on his bow had ended up shooting is own foot.
He took some time as he waited for his pain to die down. Later, he went to the core and picked his sword and sheathed it. He had decided that it was no longer worth his time to stay at this training ground as he comfortably walked towards the stairs. It was about time he discovered what lay on the other side of the stairs. The door hinges he had heard kept haunting him.
Lyren could not contain himself as he started running upwards anticipation filling his chest. He did not forget to count the steps and when he reached the 250th step, he first inserted his hand and when it went through, he punched in the air showing his sword as he looked back to see the now distant array that really now looked like a whole structure.
He faced forward as he continued running upwards. He reached the 500th step. Here, he saw a token with completely complex markings on it and obviously, it was the merged one from the two elders.
He bent and picked it but it seemed to vanish into his hand but he could still feel it. After what felt like an eternity later, He was at the 999th step. He stopped because he did not know whether this place had any more tricks up it sleeve. He looked back and it was only the darkness that greeted him.
The array no longer visible. He looked forward and there, the giant proud broken structure stood arrogant. Lyren saw a huge door open ahead of him and it was only one step away from him. The huge pillars he had seen were aged and weathered. The doors appeared to have a rough look on them after treading the enemy time.
Lyren put his hand forward and it went through. His heart beat wildly as he took the step forward and he stood at the peak. Somehow, the stairs seemed to have disappeared after he reached the last step.
He tried to push his hand through but it was stopped by a familiar barrier. It appeared that the array had gone off and there was no going back to light it up anymore.
He fully faced forward and he was about to take a step forward when he felt a whirlpool start forming besides him. He fled so far away from it as he watched cautiously. What had just happened? Was this another test? He held his sword tightly as he watched the whirlpool start to glow reddish at the center.
"Maybe I should run into the hall before something bad happens," Lyren thought as he prepared to sprint towards the open doors…