After countless hours of metal working he had transformed the iron ingot into an elegant and profound sword. Using his skills and knowledge of trees he was able to chop of a decent branch from one of th trees and form up the handle and used some of the black metal like carapace from the centipede he had in his bags supspace for the blade guard. The sound he had now gotten use to echoed through the room as the walls crumbled away.
[Ding]
[Third trial complete, required results far exceeded. Calculating causality ... Blacksmith Forge has been acquired, when you have reached the desired location say "Activate Forge" and the forge will be deployed there]
[User is being teleported back to original location]
In a blink of an eye he was back at his cabin, the nauseating teleportation having little to no effect on him after he adapted to it. With his new forge unlocked he quickly began the process of excavating a location close to his cabin for it.
Once more summoning earth and fire in his hands he infused them, creating yet another golem. This one taking far more concentration as he made it three times bigger than the others for the sole purpose of demolition and combat.
In just a few after minutes the 9 ft tall golem cleared out a 20 ft tall and 2200 square ft area, to the right of his cabin. After clearing the debris and double checking the measurements and layout of the opening, he summoned the Blacksmith Forge. The Forge fit so perfect it was as through the cavern was formed around it instead of it being the other way. He decided to carve out some additional pieces of the wall, creating a space with a modest amount of room ores, materials and any refinement he needed to do.
He looked at his watch, seeing that no time had passed in the outside world while he was in the secret realm. He decide to quickly whip up some food and cultivated for a few hours.
Time passed quickly and he noticed that his cultivation had become much quicker. Pondering the matter, he realized it was most likely due to his advancement in his necrotic flames and the Dao of Purgatory Inferno. He had learned through the library he found that cultivation is deeply tied to your individuality and understanding of the Dao.
At this point though it was only about noon, so he decide to attempt the secret realm that interested him most. The Verdant Crucible for the Dao of farming. He immediately selected it and calmly flew through space, arriving in an ancient forest. Life energy permeated through every inch of the forest, coating him in a blissful and holy energy.
He began walking forward through the forest as if something was beckoning him. He quickly reached a clearing once more, as the energy in his surroundings surged and crashed into him. The energy didn't harm him, but its intensity filled his body, dantian, and mind as information streamed into his consciousness.
As if he was a seed germinating he felt his sheer existence raising in power and his mind and dantian firming up as his mind touch on the realm of daos for a moment. Without conscious will he brought his hands together and green energy flowed into his hands. Spreading his arms the world took on a new brightness. In the vast and empty clearing life bloomed around him, numerous flowers, trees, and crops exploded out with him at the epicenter.
As the vast energy subsided he regained awareness of his surroundings, he felt the crops resonating with his existence and a new power flowing into him.
[Ding]
[Trial one complete. User has far exceeded the requirements of the trial, due to your aptitude and control over crops your class has exceeded its limits]
[As the master of plants, life, and rebirth you have transcended the class of farmer and began walking on the heavenly path due to the influence of the supreme Contelation Goddess Verdent Terrestra. Class has advanced to Soveriegn of the Azure Harvest (rank g+)]
"Whoa, I got a new class promotion already. Also my constellations name has finally been revealed. I wonder how much power she's had to expend for me, I must strive harder for her stake". Resolving himself he continues into the forest his desire for strength had gotten another reason and he would not let down his goddess, no matter the cost.
With his new class he could already feel the immense power available to him, it was also if he teleported as he arrived at the next clearing in seemingly an instant. He had felt the nature around him allowing his expedited travel and filling him with energy. This strange energy seemed to coalesce in his meridians, further strengthening and advancing them along with the other completed aspects of his body cultivation.
After arriving the system swiftly gave out his next trial.
[Second Trial: Cultivate and refine the spirit herb seeds, through agriculture one must gain power. Through alchemy transform your heart into the center of your earth and nature qi]
Arriving she the center of the clearing he found a small shack, with several bags of seeds radiating an intense energy and several empty vats for his alchemy needs. There were several books as well detailing how to concoct the pills, and enfuse the earth and nature qi in his heart.
He quickly left the shack after taking stock of everything. Bringing with him the several bags of herbs he head ed out and placed them on the porch of the shack.
He quickly summoned a ball of dirt it elongated hardened and had a flat metal blade grow from the bottom. It had morphed it into a hoe. Before he began tilling the ground, he summoned forth his nature and earth qi and infused it into the ground.
The ground softened and the soil quality was vastly improved, he tilled a 100 square ft area in mere moments. As he willed the hoe morphed shape once again becoming a spade. The planted the spirit herb seeds in the well spaced rows he had made, and quickly covered them with dirt.
With just one glance at the books he absorbed its contents and began meditating in front of the field. He drew out wi from his dantian and imbued it with the required meanings it quickly transformed into earth and nature qi. The qi flowed all around him, it rose in height quickly and towered dozens of feet in the air.
Once he had enough qi gathered he began purifying it. The meaning in the wi vastly improved as he continued the process for hours. Finally when the qi was as pure as he could handle, he opened his eyes and placed his hand just before the field.
The qi gently flowed through his arm and spread in calm waves over the field. The qi infused into every seed in the field, rapidly advancing their growth and allowing him to harvest the in mere minutes.
He took only the plants he needed from each variety and stored the rest of the herbs wrapped up in a tarp in his bag's subspace. Quickly moving through the alchemy shack, he prepared the cauldron and began his alchemy process.
Chopping up and preparing the herbs as stated in the manual, he mixed them in along with a drop of his blood to make the pill be more readily accepted by his body. Then using water he purified with his nature magic, he filled the cauldron to begin his potion.
The water started off as a murky brown, but as it boiled off and he continuously added nature and life mana it developed into little more than a shot glass of glowing red liquid. After straining it through the spout of the cauldron and filling up his flask with it, he quickly nocked it back.
The potent fluid quickly spread through his body after drinking it and entered into his blood stream. He sat on one of the floor mat seats laying around and with his fully focus concentrated on the potent mana. He drew it toward his heart with the authority he had over it, from his drop of blood.
As more and more of the mana reached his heart, the tissues heated up rapidly. An evolvution to his already enhanced heart was occurring and his body was slowly adapting to said process.
He continued struggling and sweat poured from every poured in his body as he strained it to enhance the organ. Minutes quickly turned to hours as he continued the intense transformation of his heart.
Finally he slumped against the floor and breathed out shakily. He felt his body replenishing its strength rapidly as life giving nature mana flowed through his veins. He felt the last huddle of his body refinement quickly nearing as the earth mana flowed through him and enhanced the tissues it entered.
[Second Trial complete, required results far exceeded. Calculating causality ... Alchemy hut of the Origin has been acquired, when you have reached the desired location say "Activate hut" and the hut will be deployed there]
"Just like the forge trial I got the Achemy hut, but I wonder what's up with its name. Maybe it has some type of special ability". He pondered but quickly put it aside, he would observe more about it when he returned to his cave.
As he stood up, he felt an excessive amount of knowledge linking together. Numerous concepts which previously felt disconnected and hazy, became clear and he heard the iconic ding as his eyes glowed with newfound power.
[Dao of Alchemy (Introductory), learned by completing a masterpiece pill of refinement exceeding your current level of power]
"I knew it was the right idea to train in these secret realms, the profits just won't end" Having said the he made his peace with the clearing and continued his journey to the next trial.
He moved through the forest even faster now that his body refinement had advanced and continued to do so each moment. The third clearing appeared before him, but it was strange compared to the previous ones.
He could feel an ominous aura radiating from the center of the clearing where a pedestal stood with vines growing on it and overgrown weeds surrounding the pillar seemingly absorbing some of the aura he felt.
Bracing himself he entered the clearing to start his third trial, it took a while but finally the system reacted.
[Third trial: Purify the corrupted forest spirits from the affect of the cursed ring on the pedestal of the god of corruption]
After he finished reading the trial details his surroundings erupted which chaos. The vines and weeds began to manifest the spirits within them and spells began flying in his direction. The spirits dark forms cackled as they launched a myriad of attacks his way. Quickly dropping into a firm stance he forcefully raised his hands upward from his knees to directly in front of his head.
As he did so an extremely sturdy earth wall rose along with his motion. It blocked the spells but took decent damage from the sheer number of attacks.
He began wracking his brain for solutions since he was meant to save the currupted spirits he couldn't rely on his attack power, after all he didn't want to see what failing a trial would result in.
The attacks kept raining down and John stood tall, he strengthened his resolve even as the wall collapsed he did nothing.
Or so it seemed, as the attacks honed in on his exposed form, one by one the detonated as the hit within a 200 ft radius of him. The air simmered with green and brown as his heart beat faster, not out of panic but by his will. He had long since refined and enhanced his heart and the pill had brought it even further above the standard even for much more advanced cultivators.
His body was slowly being elevated to this level and his physiques was being fueled by this new power source. This made him realize that every trial and secret realm he finished would advance every aspect of his being even without realizing so.
As he stepped forward the withered ground under him began recovering. Grass, flowers and even the soil revived as he emitted an aura of immense life energy.
Step by step the land recovered and a wave of green and brown energy flowed all around him. Each step increased the range of this wave until the whole clearing was coated in the potent energy.
Meanwhile the forms of the spirits began morphing from dark, sharp, and vicious monsters. They smoothed and within the hearts of each spirit a translucent blue spread outward until the entirety of the creatures had become devoid of the rampant spreading darkness. He became the embodiment of creation and life as it blossomed all around him.
He arrived directly before the pedestal and grasped the ring sitting in the middle of the flat surface with his left hand. As he did so a mass of black tenticles exploded from it and quickly charged up his left arm. Black ooze flowed from the tentacles as the ring tried to corrupt him.
A drooping lizard like head formed from the ooze as John's movements completely stilled. In a shrill voice the creature spoke pridefully, "You fool, to think you'd actually pick me up on your own. Your body and soul now belong to me". The ghastly creature chuckled as the tentacles and ooze continued growing almost reaching his shoulder.
A booming laugh echoed out as a bluish-white flame engulfed his arm. He felt as if a man of blinding light and overwhelming heat placed his hand on his shoulder and he felt the words coming out of his mouth unconsciously "Who decided that". Pride whelled up from deep within him as he forcefully spoke while his flames began consuming the pitiful creature. "I am the one who decides and for you, the only fate is death". He clenched his fist and the flames intensified as the tentacles exploded one by one.
"You fool, how dare you be so prideful when you only amount to this much" John spoke as a gleam filled his eye. An emotion he never felt began filling him as he watched the wicked apostle of such a heinous daemon die at his hand.
"How can an insignificant being like you withstand my control". The shrill voice echoed out as the creature barely held on from complete destruction.
"Its obviously because you're weak, now accept your death with dignity". An enormous aura of pride exploded out of John's body as the creature's form began breaking apart. As the grasp of death tightened its hold on the beast, understanding dawned on it as the aura enveloped is soul. Only one thing ran through its mind as it faded into the abyss of death.
'How did I not see it sooner, this can only be the might of a Sovereign'
[Trial three complete, accomplishments far exceeded the requirements. Calculating causality ... Artifact Ring of Corruption equipped (bound to right index finger). Awakened Dao of farming: 1st tier (Mastery). Awakened Dao of Pride 1st tier(mastery), Necrotic flames have evolved due to your mastery over the Dao of Pride, gaining an aspect of the Purgatory inferno: Inferno of pride]