Blue Phoenix

Wei was astounded. No matter what Hui Yue had said, he had expected Hui Yue to just be a young generation member because of him having become a God rather recently, yet here he was, not even fifty years of age, and he was already a Primordial Immortal. Even for those born as Gods, this speed was simply too fast.

"I guess your unmeasurable talent is not just for show," he finally managed to say with a shake of his head, feeling slightly deflated.

Wei was rather proud of his own talent which was eight rings, almost nine, but compared to Hui Yue he felt like trash. "At least everyone is trash compared to you," he said trying to comfort himself, and he did not notice the surprise and complicated expression Hui Yue had when his words were said.

"Anyway, what I wanted to point out was that although it might seem like a short amount of time, even such a short amount of time is quite long for me."

What Hui Yue did not add was that even he was unaware of just how swiftly he cultivated due to him having merged with the memories of the celestial wings.

Every time he merged with a new memory his talent would rise. Although in his previous life he was not a genius, he still had an above average talent. This talent had been added to Hui Yue's own.

Having this increase, no one knew how quickly Hui Yue's body absorbed energy, nor how fast he could comprehend the daos now.

Contemplating for awhile, Hui Yue looked at a Pill of Clarity that he had in his hand. Should he focus on the dao of gale, or some other minor dao of the wind, or should he refine more souls and increase his Ancestral Worldpower pool?

Either way was good, but he could not come to a decision, he was uncertain about which choice to make because he feared that if he took one and failed, he would have wanted to take the other.

Gritting his teeth, Hui Yue shook his head, "I will not lose!" he said as his fist was clenched so hard that it trembled and a few drops of blood dripped to the floor.

Wei had regained his mind and looked worriedly at Hui Yue. From the time they had met the first time, Wei had not doubted that Hui Yue wanted to become the next judge more than anything else, but as for why he was so determined, he really did not know.

He understood that it was not his place to ask about something so personal, but he was really curious and also slightly worried about Hui Yue. This was not entirely pure determination and belief in his ability there was also desperation mixed in, a heart-rendering desperation. Seeing this Wei wished that no matter what, Hui Yue would not become so desperate that he ended up trading his life for this dream of his. Although Hui Yue had many hidden tricks up his sleeve, Wei had a hard time believing that this young man would emerge victorious.

Hui Yue soon returned to normal, and a smile appeared on his face. He turned around completely ignoring the pain in his palm which had been cut deeply into by his nails. Looking at Wei, he just chuckled, "I don't know what to choose, so I guess I will try eenie meanie miney moe." He chuckled. In one hand he summoned Ancestral Worldpower, and in the other, he had a Pill of Clarity.

Placing both hands on his back, he started tossing the Ancestral Worldpower from one hand to another and the pill of clarity in the free hand before he closed the hands once more and reached them out in front of him. A smile was on his face as he beckoned for Wei to pick one of the two.

"What are you doing?" Wei asked confused. He had no soulforce, so he was not capable of telling what was hidden within the two hands, all he could do was guess.

"Pick one of the two. In one hand there is Ancestral Worldpower, and in the other, there is a Pill of Clarity. The one you pick is the one I will cultivate. I would do eenie meanie miney moe, but I know which one it ends with so that would be unfair."

The brilliant smile on Hui Yue's face was in strong contrast to the desperate expression he had shown earlier.

Thinking like this, Wei suddenly frowned as he looked at the hands of Hui Yue with great interest because now there were no traces of the blood left.

"Okay, I pick the hand that was just bleeding." He said seriously, mainly because he wanted to check out the wound which was now mysteriously gone. He had not felt Hui Yue use any Ancestral Worldpower, nor had he felt any kind of soulforce or any other energy that could have healed him; it seemed to have just vanished!

What could have made his wound close on its own? Wei was unsure and very intrigued. He finally started to understand that Hui Yue might have many secrets that he had still not used.

What had happened was naturally the green pearl. It was filled with all the lifeforce that Hui Yue had absorbed, alongside his own lifeforce, and when he had wounded himself, if he did not actively ensure that the wound stayed open then it would passively use his lifeforce to heal him. It was in no way as temperamental as it used to be before merging with him.

Hui Yue looked at Wei strangely, "bleeding?" he asked confused before he looked at his two hands before he started laughing. "Ah, you mean that small cut? It has long since closed do not worry, just pick a hand and I’ll know how I should cultivate."

Hui Yue was not acting happy; he was genuinely happy when he was with Wei. There was something about this guard that made him feel calm, but mainly he knew that Wang Ju Long had sacrificed her life to ensure that he would keep smiling, that he kept living, and he would ensure that her sacrifice was not in vain.

"Okay, I still pick the hand you wounded," Wei said once more, but instead of discussing it, Hui Yue just shrugged his shoulders and opened his hand. Inside was a small round pill which was the Pill of Clarity.

"That answers that question I guess," Hui Yue said lightly before he stretched his body and smiled at Wei. "I'll be going into seclusion for a week’s time. We'll see how long the pill lasts."

Wei felt that something was wrong, but he was incapable of putting his finger on exactly what it was. The sudden change in emotions was shocking, and even now when he seemed so happy and carefree, there was something about him which made Wei feel worried, yet he said nothing. He just nodded his head. He wanted to ask something but hesitated for a moment then closed his mouth soon after.

Hui Yue left the room with a chuckle as he saw the strange expression on Wei's face before he entered the meditation room where the smile quickly faded, and he closed his eyes as he sighed.

"I am trying to smile, trying to be happy. I will do my very best to do as you want me to do. At least I feel comfortable around Wei, but I must have made him uncomfortable just now."

The reason Hui Yue had been so out of character was because a sudden fear had overwhelmed him. He had been filled with the fear of whether or not he would be able to win this trial successfully, and thinking about this, his grief had taken over.

He did not want to worry Wei and had instantly become cheerful to hide his previous emotions, unfortunately, it made him seem even more suspicious.

"Oh well… At least I found out what the next thing to focus on will be!" he sighed to himself.

When Hui Yue was alone, he was not the cheerful and happy person. All he could think about was Wang Ju Long's sacrifice and his unyielding love for her. He felt his heart being stabbed over and over again, but this was a pain he did not wish to share with anyone else.

"Okay time to start," Hui Yue sighed as he sat down in the middle of the room. He opened his mind and felt the many different daos of the wind surrounding him. All of them pressed down on his mind, and he was unsure which one to pick first.

Opening up himself to one dao at a time, Hui Yue gained some insights into them all and learned what they represented before he finally decided to pick the dao of gale.

The dao of gale was rather ferocious. This dao had many ways it could be used to attack, and it was also able to be used for some defense. It did not do much for Hui Yue's speed, but it still allowed more techniques to use while attacking.

"I might not be able to merge the daos with one another, but I should be able to layer them, and by using more than one at a time it will increase their strength."

"Yes, I have a great ability in mind," Hui Yue smiled as he thought of something which should be able to become a great attack. This attack would work by layering the dao of the sword with the dao of gale, but he knew that as things were right now, he would not be able to do so.

"Time to eat this pill. Thank you Huli," he grinned as he popped the pill into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he felt the dao of gale surrounding him. Very soon it felt like his head was exploding from all the information that was flooding his senses about the dao.

A pained expression was visible on his face as he was seated in the meditation room, yet no one knew what exactly he was experiencing when he was comprehending the dao.

Hui Yue had a bloodline from the great roc which made him much more talented in everything which had to do with the wind, and on top of this, he had taken a Pill of Clarity concocted by the Alchemist God. There was no way he could comprehend a dao any quicker than the speed he was right now. He could feel a splitting headache as his mind was almost being torn apart by all the information that was forced into his mind.

The days went by in a rush. One day after another passed by as Wei stood outside the meditation room with his arms above his chest, ensuring that no one interrupted Hui Yue. Although they were within the room, he did not let his vigilance drop for even a moment.

While Wei and Hui Yue were busy, the entire Second Court of Hell was filled with bustling sounds and festivities.

The rumors that all the judges were gathering in the court had long since spread to the city, and everyone felt excited about the fact that the judges were assembling and that soon a new judge would be appointed.

The city never slept as it was bustling with life. Wayfarers from everywhere gathered in the city to hear who would be the new judge, and the citizens discussed all they knew about the ones participating in the trials.

Day by day the atmosphere grew even more intense but the people in question, the participants in the trial, had no way of knowing. All of them were seated in their meditation rooms cultivating, and getting ready for the last trial. They were preparing for the tournament that would change their lives!