Paragon of Sin

Of course both Wei Wuyin and the old man were well aware that spiritual strength wasn't all-powerful, as there were numerous other factors that determined strength. The key and most crucial being cultivation level. Even if Wei Wuyin's spiritual strength was terrifyingly strong, what was that before the Worldly Domain of a Realmlord?!

A Timelord's Temporal Dissonance?!

A Starlord's Star Implosion?!

Could Spiritual Strength overcome these innate qualities of a higher cultivation level? Perhaps, but this didn't factor in the level of cultivation methods, exquisite spells, grand formations, bloodline abilities, and so much more external factors, such as armaments, talismans, pellets, etc.

Only fools would think a single aspect of cultivation made you invincible. While it might make you terrifying in your cultivation phase, maybe even invincible within it, it wasn't a guarantee to jump cultivation levels. Furthermore, a vast army of ants can topple an elephant if the elephant was careless.

It wasn't that simple. But this didn't take away from Wei Wuyin's outrageous reveal! The entire True Desolate was reeling at this measurement of Spiritual Strength, unable to speak or discuss, unsure what to say or who to say it to. Some even held such disbelief that they called into question the legitimacy of the test, if the mirror was actually working, or other insidious things that went against their faith.

Grand Priestess Si De could feel the air become thicker, suspicions abound. Even she held doubts for a brief second, swiftly dispelling it after Wei Wuyin received the second mark. This was a confirmation that his display was legitimate, even the Divine Lord himself had accepted it. 

"39,300! Our Divine Lord has bestowed you, Holy Candidate, with his blessing of approval. You have been deemed by the Divine Lord as worthy!" She said these words, even stated twice with a rephrase of her intent in a sentence, and ended it with a strange chant that was echoed by the other hooded members.

This shattered the looming thoughts of cheating and suspicions. After all, to them, their deities were infallible. How could a mere mortal trick their Divine Lord? It was such a preposterous thought that if someone suggested that possibility, they might be stoned to death by the crowd for such blasphemous words.

But Wei Wuyin was extremely amused, not by his outrageously high Spiritual Strength, he was very aware of that, but by the Grand Priestess not knowing his name. For some odd reason, he found it quite hilarious that he was essentially an unknown and they all unhesitatingly accepted him. 

There was also a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes concerning that as well. 

The outsider young woman was the same as him, never referred to by name. In fact, none of the candidates had to register or declare their identities prior to participating. It was as if they didn't have the right to be known, and this was accepted by everyone present. It was a fascinatingly bewildering custom.

So he could only accept her words with a faint smile as she referred to him as 'you' and 'Holy Candidate'. 

'I realized it before, but it is quite strange. The customs, traditions, religious beliefs, and style of living is wildly different from my starfield. I wonder how different other starfields are, other cultivation civilizations.' Wei Wuyin recalled the old man's words about how the enslavement of alchemists was active in some areas and not in others, highly dependent on if a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist existed there or not.

He couldn't help but wonder how a starfield with multiple Mystic Ascendants in open conflict would look like, thinking about the shattered starfields he'd come across. Would it be that devastating? That destructive where no life remained?

It certainly wouldn't be like his own starfield thousands of years ago. None of those Mystic Ascendants were in open conflict, each with their own objective and goals, held together by the mysterious glue that was the King of Everlore and complicated past relationships.

It was only after the departure or disappearances of these figures that exceeded Mortal Limits that the lesser cultivators at the Astral Core Realm fiercely clashed for ruling rights, territory, or egos, instigating numerous wars and eventually leading to the Myriad Monarch Sect, who once ruled the starfield, into a corner of suppression. 

The Grand Priestess soon calmed the crowd down. She announced that only three Holy Candidates remained, left to face the hardest test—the Test of Martial Power!

Unlike the first two tests, the Test of Holy Talent & the Test of Spiritual Might, the test of Martial Power was considered the most difficult due to its static testing measurements and lethal potential. To pass the third test, a cultivator has to claim victory against a selected member of the temple that was three full phases or cultivation beyond them.

Yes, three!

It was this very reason why there was not a single cultivator that reached the Spatial Resonance Phase, only the two outsiders that abruptly arrived! Because this test meant Wei Wuyin and the young woman would have to face genuine Realmlords! Furthermore, there was no defeat or surrender.

It was a battle to the death—it'll only end when one of them is lying lifeless.

Only through this can the true strength of these Holy Candidates be fully displayed, with no trump card left unused and no strength held back! The temple members have never shown a shred of mercy, with numerous Holy Candidates losing their lives in this test! 

The handsome young man, this so-called dark horse of the competition, was a Soul Idol Phase cultivator, forcing him to face a cultivator at the Gravity Emission Phase, the Sixth Stage of the Astral Core Realm! While he was talented, and it wasn't as exaggerated as facing a Realmlord, those at the Gravity Emission Phase still had three full phases of cultivation advantages. Furthermore, these experts had their own spells, arts, armaments, and trump cards. It was considered the hardest for a reason!

If it wasn't so difficult, numerous Holy Candidates would've long since become a Holy Child! 

Wei Wuyin held a slight frown while the young woman was quite solemn. Even she, an outsider from a higher cultivation civilization, understood that the difficulties of this test was unfathomably high. While she had the absolute assurance of safety with the old man present, unable to lose her life, it was still a challenge she felt most pressured by. 

Even with her bitter cultivation, rich resources, and vast superior legacies, the difference of three levels of cultivation wasn't an easy feat to overcome, no matter what your cultivation base. Furthermore, the higher your cultivation became, the more difficult this particular trial was.

"Nervous?" Wei Wuyin coolly slid over beside the young woman, asking with a faint smile. He was shocked that she emitted a faint fragrance from her body that was quite attractive. This was the first time he caught himself enjoying a particular scent so much. From the faint gloss of her skin, he could tell she had applied some unique skin lotion, making him feel slightly invigorated and energized with every breath.

His eyes slightly constricted as he realized the lotion stimulated mental energies, focusing the mind, easing one's comprehension of various things. That must be extremely expensive! If he had to guess, it had to be roughly a peak-tier eighth-grade Alchemical Paste. He didn't know what recipe, however. 

He did know that paste wasn't fully restricted to paste, even including soap, lotion, cream, semi-liquids, gels, and ointments. It was a very broad category. The Waters of Life, which he used to soak Zuhei's dying body in during the Grand Spirit Trials, was a semi-liquid substance. It was akin to amniotic fluids mixed with hardened mud. 

While Wei Wuyin was startled by the young woman's lotion, she was startled by Wei Wuyin's approach and casual attitude. Here she was mentally preparing herself, yet this youth was asking her if she was nervous. 

She gave him a sidelong glance and a soft hmph as a reply. 

Wei Wuyin didn't mind her attitude, continuing: "Will you be okay facing a Realmlord?" He wasn't too concerned about her safety, but more concerned about the old man acting, disrupting everything and completely ruining his plans somehow. 

However, when she heard the concern in his voice, she frowned with dissatisfaction. While Wei Wuyin might be extremely handsome, might have a large Spiritual Strength, be unfathomably young and talented…

Wait...where was she going with this?

She lost her train of thought for a moment, only to find it after a brief flash of confusion. 

Right!

Even if he was all those things, she wasn't so easy to court with a little bit of that! She had suitors lining up in droves of the most elite tier with the greatest background, so she wasn't easily swayed by a single outstanding feat or two. 

She rolled her eyes, sending a spiritual message: "Don't you know? The minimum to maintain your status as a Chosen is having the ability to overcome three phases of cultivation, no matter your cultivation level. And that's towards true elites, not the ordinary, third-rate cultivators here."

Wei Wuyin was instantly startled by her words. "What?! So Chosen Realmlords have to fight Mystic Ascendants?" He was shocked by the implication, but his words had nearly caused the young woman to fall over on the spot, looking at Wei Wuyin with disbelief soon after.

She thought he was making fun of her for not clarifying or attempting to make a joke to arouse her interest and engage in conversation a little more. After all, he was a Chosen Candidate of the True Element Sect, right? He should at least be aware of this basic requirement. She rolled her eyes again, completely ignoring Wei Wuyin. 

Wei Wuyin realized his words were a little ridiculous. A mortal fighting against those who've broken Mortal Limits would be like an ant trying to fight an eagle. He was just ignorant of so many matters. At the moment, he felt the pain of being the frog clawing at the well. 

'Cultivators here are considered third-rate to her, but the cultivators in my starfield are even worse. Does that make them fourth-rate or fifth?' Bitterly thinking with a wry smile, Wei Wuyin looked at the Grand Priestess Si De perform some strange handseals. She seemed to be sending mental energies through space, interacting with some hidden formation in the sky.

This caused him to look up, his Celestial Eyes brightly lit with activity. 'Oh? So that old ghost is overseeing the selection. Makes sense.' He observed the faint aura of Wang Yutian, the ghost-like being from beyond that controlled the Myriad Dao Palaces. It seemed he was enabling the events, acting as this Will of Desi.

After he determined this, he grew confused. This confusion grew to an unsettling amount in a blink of an eye, unable to be settled no matter how much he thought about it.

He observed Ai Juling, the young woman, and the other eight contestants, and he heavily furrowed his brows until they nearly became vertical. 

"...Didn't the old ghost say it was utterly impossible to form Elemental Origin Intent without Genesis Essence? How come there's so many who have? How come there's been so many? Why is it the requirement to obtain a token if the token is required to form it." He quietly murmured this, unable to drive these questions out of his thoughts.

Before, Wang Yutian had said with utter certainty that comprehending Elemental Origin Intent without Genesis Essence was impossible. While Wei Wuyin was an exception, obtaining the complete blueprint from the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation. According to the old ghost, one NEEDED a Token of Elementus that held Genesis Essence! Yet, there were ten others present with it! And while the young woman could be somewhat explained due to her mysterious origins, the others simply couldn't.

...How did he not notice this before?!