Chapter 247: The winner

The art was slowly being transmitted into Li Meng's mind. All 18 volumes were slowly being passed to him. Once the whole art was imprinted in his mind, Li Meng opened his eyes.

"The whole 18 volumes have been passed down to you. If you someday managed to rise through the Heavens and come out on the other side, I wish we could meet with each other. I would love to compare my art with the art you would have formulated at that stage."

Everything that the voice was referring to managed to cause shock within Li Meng's eyes. After the whole art was transmitted into Li Meng's mind, a ball light emerged out of the stone. It then rapidly moved towards Li Meng's body and penetrated it.

"If you are ever able to step into the Saint realm, this ball of light will help you in forging the path ahead. I hope you will survive long enough to experience this fortune."

"Is master alive or dead?"

"Even I am not certain about that. All I can confirm is the section you are talking with is just a remnant will I left behind in this world. I hope you could develop my art to an absolutely new height and achieve your dream to become a dominator of this world."

"I will give it my all. I hope ancestor is safe wherever he is now."

"I would also like to inform you of the fact that some of the fate lines around you are acting quite strangely, with some becoming more and more violent. You should always take care of the Karma you left behind. Any unattained or bad karma is going to hinder your path in future."

"I am aware of every single karma I ever came in contact with. I am sure I will fulfill all the promises I made to my ancestors."

"Good. I would also like to inform you that this is not the only piece of inheritance I have left for the next generation. Within the Thunder Academy stands the other core art which I created, The body of Lightning Devil."

"I am just a newcomer to the Academy and only aware of one or two core arts, senior."

"Are you aware of the Thunder-god body art?"

"I am aware of the senior. It is said to be the core art of thunder academy when it comes to body refining."

"Body of Lightning Devil was something which I created with that art as the basis. I had a loftier goal in mind to create an art which surpasses the Thunder-god body. It was only when I reached the peak that I understood the many mysteries."

"Thunder-god's body is one of the four core inheritances of Thunder Academy, along with two other arts. The creator of this art has gone through the same passage as me and rose through the Heavens. The art was quite profound. Although I developed the body of Lightning Devil, I could only rise to the eighth level of this art with all the eighteen levels I created."

"Even during my time, practicing Thunder-god's body was extremely difficult and dangerous. It was only when I managed to create Lightning Devil art that I understood, some profound meanings could only be achieved through danger. The Academy was already side-lining the Thunder-god body art and replacing it with my art."

"I would prefer for you to practice both. Thunder-god's body is quite difficult to begin cultivation in. Hence starts with the Lightning Devil body. I created the art with the specific objective of enhancing the body top bear through the refining of other arts. It is the easiest inheritance to get your hands on."

"I hope you can gain that figure's legacy. It is even more mysterious than mine. I was just about to reach the level but wasn't able to because of some shortcomings. You, on the other hand, get the opportunity to prepare and proceed properly."

"Since the master is someone who stood at the top of the world, I would like to ask you about the view from there. What does Dominance all over the world truly mean?"

"Dominance refers to multiple things, but if I had to summarize it into a single word, I would say strength. If you become strong enough, you have dominancy over those who are weaker than you. When you stand at the very top and are stronger than this world itself, only then could you call yourself the Dominator of this world."

"The view from there is truly lonely. I hope you can hone your mentality to the extent capable enough of bearing this process."

"I will try my best." Li Meng gained a lot through this encounter and hence was prepared to go through the hardships to attain the peak.

"You are the best seedling I ever managed to encounter. I hope you won't betray my expectations."

...........................

The stone finally grew dim, followed by the completion of the last incense stick of time.

All the participants were forced out of the restricted zone and the elder in charge appeared in front of them.

"I hope all of you have given it your best. You will now move one by one and enter the examination halls, where the elders will inspect your understanding of the art. The top ten performers will move into the next round, and the one with the best performance will win the round."

The participants rounded up and began to enter the examination hall one after the other. After some time it was finally Li Meng's turn. He entered the room to find an old man sitting alone.

"I greet the senior"

"State your name and credentials."

"I am Li Meng from the Thunder-god hall situated within the wasteland."

The elder was surprised to hear this. He had heard about Li Meng's achievement in the first round. That wasteland of a place had someone who could win the first round. 

"What did you comprehend from the stone stele." The motive of asking was what were the laws and movements which he managed to comprehend in such a short time.

"I comprehended the first two volumes." Li Meng said casually.

The elder instantly stood up from his seat. He couldn't believe his ears. Did Li meng just said the first two volumes?

"Boy, are you trying to make me laugh? Just gaining insights into some intents is too much of a burden, much less two whole volumes."

"I am telling the truth, senior. I have comprehended the first two volumes."

"Show the art to me."

Li Meng nodded and began to showcase the art. He had managed to perfectly sync with the illusionary figure and hence his movements were chiselled to perfection. The elder's mouth hung open from the view in front of him. Li Meng went from the first volume to the next one and continued his practice.

When the movements finally ended, all he could see was an old man standing in the middle of the room with shock in his eyes. It took him a moment to come back to his senses.

"Your evaluation is complete. Please move out of the room." The elder's voice instantly changes into one of extreme cordiality.

........................

The evaluation finally ended and all the participants were awaiting the results.

The elder in charge got his hands on the list and began to announce the names. The 10th ranker was announced first and then moved up the chain.

"2nd rank Chu Xiao." The elder from the Chu family was shocked to hear this. Their young miss came in second.

"Ranked 1 and the winner of this round, Li Meng." All the participants and audience members were spellbound. Just what sort of monstrosity is this boy?