After the meeting with the Yin Clan, Xu Jianwei led Zhang Yuexuan to what appeared from the outside to be an unremarkable palace.
"This place is…?" Zhang Yuexuan asked, her face full of doubt as she turned to Xu Jianwei.
"This is the most important and sacred site of the Moon Vein and the Yin Clan—the Temple of Moon Worship," Xu Jianwei answered with deep reverence.
"The Temple of Moon Worship!" Zhang Yuexuan repeated. Though she didn't fully understand, a solemn awe stirred within her heart.
"This is where you worship the moon?" Zhu Ziyang asked thoughtfully.
"Yes," Xu Jianwei nodded.
Truthfully, if not for the current desperate circumstances, she would never have allowed two outsiders to enter this ancestral sanctuary. But Zhang Yuexuan had personally named Zhu Ziyang and Jiang NanNan to accompany her. Though Xu Jianwei was reluctant, she could not refuse.
After all, the truth was simple: the Moon Vein and the Silvermoon Priesthood now needed Zhang Yuexuan far more than Zhang Yuexuan needed them.
Why?
Because the Moon Vein had withered, the Yin Clan was in decline, and Xu Jianwei's own lifespan was running short. To find another descendant with a Moon Martial Soul would be like searching for a needle in the sea. And even if such a person existed, the chance of their talent rivaling Zhang Yuexuan's was slim at best.
Most important of all, even if such a person were found, would they be willing to inherit the burdens of the Silvermoon Priesthood and take on the broken remnants of the Moon Vein? No one could say. At any time, the current royal house could decide to completely wipe out what little remained.
By contrast, Zhang Yuexuan herself had options. If this plan succeeded, she would gain a royal identity; if it failed, she could simply return to Shrek Academy as a teacher. She had many paths of retreat, but the Moon Vein and Yin Clan had none. For them, it was either risk everything now—or be annihilated in silence.
"Please, enter," Xu Jianwei said, opening the palace doors and gesturing for the three to step inside.
The sight within left them all breathless.
The palace's interior bore no resemblance to its plain exterior. A vast space stretched out, supported by nine massive silver columns. The floor gleamed with polished jade tiles. At the center rose a ten-meter-tall statue of a woman, her face blurred with time, but her form enchanting and graceful. Her hands were extended upward as though offering something unseen to the heavens. Though the hall had no windows, light poured through it, sparkling motes of gold drifting in the air.
Before the statue stood a three-meter jade stele. Upon it, in golden script, were inscribed four characters: Silvermoon Goddess.
"This," Xu Jianwei said reverently, kneeling before the stele, "is the faith our Moon Vein and the Yin Clan have worshiped for generations—the embodiment of the moon, the Silvermoon Goddess."
"The Silvermoon Goddess?!" The three exchanged startled glances. Zhang Yuexuan and Jiang NanNan were simply surprised, but Zhu Ziyang's mind turned quickly. He asked, "Are you truly worshiping a deity?"
Xu Jianwei blinked, then shook her head. "You misunderstand. We worship the moon itself. The Silvermoon Goddess is but the moon's incarnation. In fact, the faith in the moon within the Sun Moon Empire has lasted tens of thousands of years. The image of the Silvermoon Goddess was only created twenty thousand years ago, after the Yin Clan's first ancestor received and passed the Trial of the Moon.
"This statue was carved in that ancestor's likeness. At first, her features were clear, but over time they blurred. Our forefathers believed this was a divine sign—the moon's response to our faith."
"What a tale…" Zhang Yuexuan and Jiang NanNan exclaimed in awe. Then Zhang Yuexuan asked, "So, Great-Grand Aunt, you brought us here just to worship this statue?"
"Of course not." Xu Jianwei shook her head. She stood and moved beside the stele. "Xuanxuan, kneel here and pray sincerely. Then the moon will grant you a trial from above—the Trial of the Moon. It is the greatest gift our faith offers."
But Zhang Yuexuan hesitated. "Great-Grand Aunt, could you explain first? What exactly is this 'Trial of the Moon'? I don't feel at ease."
Xu Jianwei gave an awkward smile. "Ah, I was too hasty. Let me explain.
"The Trial of the Moon is a divine miracle discovered by our first ancestor. Any who bear the bloodline of the Moon, if they pray with sincerity, will receive a trial from the moon. If they can complete it, they will gain the blessing of the Silvermoon Goddess."
"A trial? A blessing?" Zhang Yuexuan and Jiang NanNan looked at each other, bewildered. "What kind of trial? And what kind of blessing?"
"No two trials are the same, so I cannot tell you," Xu Jianwei said helplessly. "But the blessings, I know well. Since our first ancestor, at least one person of every generation has passed a Trial of the Moon. Most received soul power enhancement. A few gained an extension of their spirit ring ages."
"What?!" Zhang Yuexuan and Jiang NanNan cried in shock. Even Zhu Ziyang's face grew grave. A trial that enhanced cultivation and rings… wasn't this just like a God's inheritance trial?
"That's right." Xu Jianwei's eyes shone with pride. "My own trial was the Violet-Level Fivefold Test. I was blessed with five levels of soul power. Without that, I never would have reached Titled Douluo."
"There are levels?" Zhang Yuexuan asked.
"Of course," Xu Jianwei explained. "The Silvermoon Goddess listens to the moon's will and descends with trials of five grades: White (one test), Yellow (two or three tests), Violet, Black, and Red. The higher the grade, the harder the trial, but the greater the blessing.
"When I was fifteen, with soul power only in the thirties, I needed sixty years to finish my five Violet tests. But you, Xuanxuan—with your talent and cultivation—you will surely receive at least a Black trial, perhaps even a Red one."
"Red?!"
"Yes. In all history, the Red trial has only appeared twice. The first was to our founding ancestor, the second to the Silvermoon Empress herself. If you receive it, you will be the third."
Zhang Yuexuan's eyes widened. Even Jiang NanNan was breathless.
"So, only those with Moon blood can attempt the trial?" Zhang Yuexuan asked.
"That's right," Xu Jianwei said. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, "And it is best if the one is an unmarried maiden, for the moon symbolizes purity. Xuanxuan, you should still be…"
She did not finish, but Zhang Yuexuan's face flushed red. "Yes…" she whispered.
Xu Jianwei chuckled kindly. "No need to be shy. You're not so young anymore. But enough—go and pray."
"All right." Still blushing, Zhang Yuexuan knelt before the stele as instructed.
Zhu Ziyang's curiosity grew stronger as he watched. What kind of trial would Zhang Yuexuan's talent earn her? And what about Jiang NanNan?
But more than that, he wondered: was this Trial of the Moon truly tied to a god's inheritance? And if so, which god? The Silvermoon Goddess? The Moon God? Or another entirely?
His heart burned with questions.
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