Chapter 203: Completing the Trial, Bountiful Rewards!

Sterl couldn't help but look around at the now calm surroundings. He decisively retrieved the Heart of Soul Convergence from his small world.

It was a peculiar heart of a pale green hue, pulsating steadily in his hands and emitting wisps of dark smoke.

Sterl simply pressed the heart against his chest, and in the next second, the Heart of Soul Convergence liquefied and merged into his body.

Sterl felt a slight but noticeable enhancement in his life force.

"However, the effect of Requiem of the Soul still needs to be tested to determine its damage potential," he pondered.

The mere fact that Requiem of the Soul deals true damage means that, as long as it's not disappointingly weak, it should have a significant impact in battles.

For instance, Sterl's Celestial Stars Finger, as a single-target burst attack, can ignore an opponent's defense, but only defense. Damage reduction, immunity, invincibility, and a myriad of other effects can still mitigate Celestial Stars Finger's output, whereas true damage bypasses everything. As long as it hits, it chips away at the opponent's life force.

Even if the skill attached to Heart of Soul Convergence doesn't deal high damage, it might still serve as a crucial finishing blow in critical moments.

Moreover, for Sterl, Requiem of the Soul is essentially a bonus; whether it's strong or not, he can accept it!

...

Sterl then sat down and meditated briefly, leveling up as he absorbed some experience.

Suddenly, he felt his body lighten, and a bright light appeared before his eyes.

Immediately, Sterl found himself standing in an area composed entirely of pure light, surrounded by other players who had passed the trial.

The group began to chatter excitedly: "Such high-quality rewards!"

"We can join the Hall of Valor directly? I'm in!"

"Passing the extreme trial automatically raises our rank by one level? And we can refuse challenges for five years? I've hit the jackpot!"

...

Everyone was in a state of euphoria, marveling at the generous rewards.

Until Sterl appeared. Out of caution, he maintained his previous disguise as a white-clad assassin.

After a brief moment of silence, all the players excitedly swarmed around him: "Big Boss! We made it through thanks to you!"

"We'll never forget the life-saving grace you showed us earlier!"

"Boss, why not form a guild in the Hall of Valor? We'd all follow you!"

"From now on, just say the word, and we'll all pledge our loyalty to you!"

...

The players were partly looking to latch onto his success but were also genuinely offering Sterl their greatest asset—their loyalty to this legendary figure.

These players, now in the Hall of Valor, were considered talented. While most couldn't single-handedly defeat a legendary figure like Sterl, they were still accepted into the extreme trial through standard means.

However, if they were to band together, they would form a considerable force.

Not to mention, there were a few others who also had the potential to qualify for the extreme trials in the Hall of Valor.

Then—

[Based on your final contribution and performance scores, you have unlocked the top-tier reward pool for the extreme trial. You may choose two rewards.]

[Additionally, you have received an extra reward of two identity levels. You may upgrade your identity level at any time, and for ten years after the upgrade, you may refuse challenges from anyone.]

[You have earned 20,000 contribution points in the Hall of Valor.]

[You have received two Hall of Valor Insight Vouchers (These vouchers allow you to access over a hundred different insight venues provided by the Hall of Valor.)]

"Not bad!" Sterl thought, struggling to suppress his laughter.

Two selectable rewards, though he wasn't sure what they were yet.

But the other gains were immense!

First, the two-level identity upgrade, coupled with the ability to refuse challenges—though the latter wasn't as important. The key was that raising his identity level by two was highly beneficial for Sterl!

Based on his previous experience, he could guess that having a higher identity level in the Hall of Valor would smooth his path to development. Moreover, considering he had previously taken Willis's identity level, he could boost his identity by three levels in one go, which was an enormous advantage.

Moreover, this aligned with Sterl's low-profile development style. If he directly challenged those with high identity levels, although he could gain the same benefits, he'd immediately become a well-known prodigy in the Hall of Valor, wouldn't he?

Sterl thought it was fine to show his strength appropriately but not to reveal everything.

In addition, the 20,000 Hall of Valor contribution points would allow Sterl to quickly convert the benefits of his upgraded identity level into tangible advantages.

"And there are even Law Insight venues??"

"Truly, a faction operated by countless deities has a strong foundation!" Sterl thought, feeling a bit pleased.

To access worlds where one could comprehend laws typically required working for the various deity factions.

Currently, Sterl's Moon Law was perfected, while his Flowing Water Law was incomplete, and there was no way to advance further. However, with the Hall of Valor's two Law Insight Vouchers,

even if they didn't do much, Sterl believed they could at least help him advance his Flowing Water Law a bit.

The power boost from this law was considerable, and if perfected, it would be immensely powerful.

After claiming all the other rewards, which were directly sent to his inventory by the Hall of Valor, Sterl began selecting his rewards—

"The Hall of Valor's reward pool should be quite valuable."

"But just two choices? Isn't that a bit too few?"

Sterl raised an eyebrow slightly, then quickly browsed through the inventory.

He soon realized that the exclusive reward pool for extreme trials was indeed highly valuable! And being able to choose two items wasn't actually too little!

Firstly, the equipment category offered items of legendary level and above, with diamond-level equipment as the baseline.

Moreover, if he chose diamond-level equipment, one reward could grant a set, ranging from three to five pieces.

The skills category also included sets of at least two gold-tier skills, each with twenty legend points, which were top-tier. Selecting these skills would also come with an additional eight legend points, allowing players to immediately partially activate the skills and use them in combat.

The consumables category was also impressive, offering items similar to the Essence of the Moon, with sixty units per set, and one reward could be exchanged for two sets.