447 Smelting Trial End (1/2)

Raven could be found lying on the ground while panting heavily.

His robes are all messy and his hair dishelved. If one looked closely, they would see how his limbs were slightly trembling as he panted for breath. His face were covered with dirt but despite all of this, his eyes remained clear and filled with determination.

The reason he ended up like this is because he went all out with his techniques, of course without displaying his Spacetime Laws.

Using nothing but his fists and legs, he destroyed a large amount of forest around him. The scale of destruction was as large as a whole nation. And this was done by him in a span of mere hours, which was something incredible.

During his onslaught, he used his raw strength to devastate everything that he comes in contact with. Partnered with his Destruction Laws, he truly became a humanoid calamity.

Raven had been doing this kind of activities during the last year of the smelting trial. He truly tested his limit in this seclusion of his, completely getting used to his new found strength to the point that he could control it by pure instinct.

What made his truly happy, is the fact that he saw it…

He saw the barrier that will lead him to the next Concept of Destruction: Shattering.

Law of Destruction has five total Concepts, they are: Breaking, Shattering, Pulverizing, Disintegration, and Annihilation. So far, Raven already reached the acme of the first concept and couldn't improve on it anymore, which caused his Destruction Laws to become slightly stagnant.

The Breaking Concept of Destruction Laws allowed him to break anything he comes into contact with. As his mastery gradually rose, he was able to see and interact with Fault Signs. These Fault Signs are signs of imperfection and it is represented by lines, marks or points on his surroundings. Once Raven interacts with them, he could cause a wide area of Destruction, which means ganging up on his was just a bad idea.

With his mastery of the first Concept, although he could interact with the Fault Signs at will, he could still see and use them multiple times within a day. Sadly, as time went on, this became more and ineffective to Raven. Specially now that he could achieve the same result just by unleashing his pure physical strength, which completely defeats the purpose of mastering the first concept.

Right now however, Raven just saw and felt the barrier separating him from the first concept to the next. This might be due to the fact that Raven didn't want to give up on his Destruction Laws and proceeded to meditate upon its profundity every single day.

That and along with his avatars who studied the 99 Destruction Seals, caused his horizons to widen and allow his stagnant speed to resume once again.

By the time he unfolded all the mysteries behind the first seal, he might also be able to break the barrier which prevented him from gaining enlightenment for the second concept of Destruction Laws.

***

”Hmm?”

A frown appeared Raven's face as he felt some sort of movement close to him. He sat back up despite his aching body and looked around to see where the sensation was coming from.

When he turned around, he could see a swirling portal opening behind him. This startled him for a bit before he remembered something.

”Ah right, this might mean that the Smelting Trial is already over.”

As soon as he came up to this conclusion, the badge that he hid on the pocket of his robes suddenly emitted a buzzing sound. He took it out and sank his perception within. As soon as he did so, a brief message appeared on it.

'The Smelting Trial is over. You are placed 10th on the rankings. Do remember to keep what you just experienced as a secret. This is not a threat but a warning. You'll find no peace within the sect once you revealed this matter. Once you arrive at the sect, choose the 89th abode as your dwelling.'

Raven's expression turned quite serious upon reading this message. As soon as he finished reading it, the message dissipated like smoke and could no longer be found. No traces remained at all, which caused Raven to think that whoever sent this message truly wanted to keep this matter a secret.