“Young man, by the look of you, you must be wondering why you repel the conferral of all seven great classes. Given that you obtained a Hero’s Badge, such a situation isn’t strange at all. Because for a true hero, bearing these ordinary classes would instead smother his talent and his power, and so they meet with instinctive rejection. Just as with Wuming back then. He, too, repelled the conferral of all seven basic classes.” Kong Xiu gazed at the white octahedral jade before him, his voice gentle. Had he not loosed that roar earlier, his image in Ye Tianxie’s eyes would have been entirely that of a mild old man of immortal grace who had attained the Way.
“Then what class did Wuming end up with?” Ye Tianxie asked, the words hidden class flashing through his mind at the same time. A hidden class — a special class transcending the seven basic ones; players called all such classes “hidden classes.” A hidden class wasn’t necessarily stronger than an ordinary one, but it invariably possessed some special quality. At the same time, hidden classes were generally unique, and exceedingly few in number. Hidden classes had existed in Skyholder and Slaying Gods as well, and in any virtual game, those who possessed one never numbered more than ten. And he had never been among that number. In other words, he’d never advanced into any hidden class, but had trodden a peak no one could surpass by way of the ordinary classes, playing strictly by the rules.
“The Lone Wolf!” Ye Tianxie’s question sent a flicker of reminiscence across Kong Xiu’s face, as though he’d recalled some unforgettable past.
“The Lone Wolf?” The name of the class left Ye Tianxie rather astonished. A name like that sounded more like a monster’s than a class’s.
“Surprising, isn’t it?” Kong Xiu gave a chuckle, wearing an I-knew-it expression. “The Lone Wolf… that is his class, and it will only ever be his class. Because that class was born of his own power, and its name was one he gave it himself. And his power was drawn forth with my assistance. To put it another way, the reason the Lost Continent could produce an unmatched Wuming is entirely because of me.”
The first half of this Kong Xiu spoke with perfect solemnity — but as he came to the latter half, that old face of his could no longer disguise a smugness so thick it all but lifted him off the ground. Ye Tianxie quietly docked another five points from his impression of the man.
With a temperament like that he calls himself the strongest Magus, an enlightened master… enlightened my ass!
Such were his inner thoughts, but the requisite expression still had to be produced. Ye Tianxie turned his face and fixed a blazing gaze full of worship and yearning on Kong Xiu. The look on his face left Kong Xiu supremely satisfied, and his smile turned gentler still. “Young man, that you could obtain a Hero’s Badge with attributes and a level like yours, and that you instinctively repel the conferral of the seven basic classes, shows that — like Wuming back then — a powerful force lies latent within you. It’s only that you haven’t discovered this force yourself. Young man, am I right?”
Ye Tianxie nodded. A powerful force… Could it be that his own innate strange power, so unlike other people’s, had actually affected this world’s version of himself? Or was there some other reason?
“Heh heh, never mind. In truth, I have long been waiting for a powerhouse like you. Because only a powerhouse who can obtain a Hero’s Badge is a true powerhouse — and one who can repel the conferral of the basic classes is a powerhouse among powerhouses. So when I saw you today, my emotions nearly showed signs of slipping out of control… because perhaps another Wuming is about to be born!”
Ye Tianxie: “…”
“This jade is called the God-Summoning Stone. It could be said to be the Lost Continent’s most precious and most miraculous stone, and only this one exists in all the Lost Continent. It was bestowed upon our City of Heaven’s Stars by the supreme deity of our Lost Continent — the Goddess Xiyao — and His Excellency the honorable city lord then bestowed it upon me, that I might use it to guide true heroes. Wuming became Wuming only with its help.”
Kong Xiu led Ye Tianxie up to this strange jade, explaining slowly as they walked. As they drew nearer, a feeling of ever-greater gentleness washed over them. Up close, one could clearly see that beneath that hazy white glow, this enormous jade called the God-Summoning Stone was in fact a transparent body. The white light spilled out of that transparent body in a most uncanny way.
“The marvel of this God-Summoning Stone lies in this… so long as one connects one’s power to it, it can precisely reveal the strength of the power that person possesses — and that power includes all latent power as well. At the same time, with the guidance of my magic added, a person’s latent power can be gradually awakened. Back then, this was how Wuming’s power was awakened. From the awakening of his power to its complete fusion into his own strength took less than three years in all. He was a true genius.”
In this short span of time, Ye Tianxie had already heard the name “Wuming” from Kong Xiu’s mouth again and again. And each time the name was mentioned, the expression the old man couldn’t help revealing wasn’t approval or admiration, but plainly a kind of smugness… Clearly, his repeated mentions of Wuming came not from reverence for the Lost Continent’s foremost expert, but from using him as a foil to set off just how remarkable he himself was for having awakened Wuming’s power.
Ye Tianxie spoke up. “You mean to say…”
“That’s right! Some powerful force undoubtedly lies latent within you. Now, let me see just how strong your latent power is… whether it might approach Wuming’s, back in the day!” Kong Xiu nodded. Most displeased, Ye Tianxie heard the name “Wuming” from his mouth once again.
Why don’t you just change your name to Wuming and be done with it!
“What do I need to do?”
“Come, place your hand on the God-Summoning Stone, close your eyes, cast out stray thoughts, and make no unnecessary movements. That will do.” Kong Xiu said, standing at Ye Tianxie’s side.
Ye Tianxie nodded, stepped forward, extended his right hand, and pressed his palm to the jade before him. At once a warm, smooth sensation came through his palm, with nothing else out of the ordinary. Ye Tianxie closed his eyes all the same, breathed out twice, and his mind swiftly settled into calm.
“The reason the God-Summoning Stone has eight faces is that it is formed from eight different power crystals joined together. When a person’s power connects with it, differing strengths of power will cause these eight power crystals to react differently. For a truly ordinary person, his power generally isn’t enough to make any power crystal react at all, while an expert can make the lowest power crystal light up. And an expert among experts… such as myself… can make two crystals light up. So — do you know how many power crystals Wuming’s power caused to react, back in the day?”
Ye Tianxie: “…” He held his posture, eyes closed and mind clear, slowly feeling his own aura seep faintly through his palm into the jade before him.
(End of Chapter 60)