Chapter 54: The Silvermoon's Judgment: A Prodigy's Test
The journey with the Whispering Frontier Caravan culminated at the foot of the magnificent Silvermoon Mountains, a sight of breathtaking beauty that Liam, Sael, and Lyra had already glimpsed from afar. But the reality of it was even more profound. Colossal white spiritual pagodas, their spires reaching for the heavens, glowed with an internal light that seemed to draw all of the world's spiritual energy towards them. Grand training grounds hummed with a serene, yet immense spiritual pressure, and countless disciples, clad in pristine white, moved with disciplined grace. A massive defensive array, a shimmering, complex tapestry of light and power, enveloped the entire complex, its spiritual pressure making even Sael's Nascent Soul Realm cultivation feel like a fleeting dream.
They were greeted by Elder Seraphina, her face a mask of cold beauty, her eyes like chips of a winter moon, but with a subtle, undeniable flicker of curiosity. She was the very image of a powerful, arrogant genius, and her aura, though serene, was that of a Nascent Soul Realm, Peak Stage expert.
"Welcome, Honored Guests," Elder Seraphina's voice was a soft melody, yet it carried an immense authority. "The Silvermoon Sect welcomes you. I am Elder Seraphina, and I have been anticipating your arrival. The Celestial Court has spoken of you, Liam of the Starfall Empire. Your victories, your ascension, and your compassion for your people have not gone unnoticed. I am intrigued by your unique core, your unparalleled power, and your unwavering resolve." Her gaze was cold and piercing, yet Liam could sense a profound curiosity, a desire to unravel the mystery that was him.
Liam returned her gaze with a calm, unwavering confidence. He had faced Dao Lords and ancient beasts. A Nascent Soul Realm expert's pressure, while immense, no longer shook his core. "I am Liam, and these are my companions, Sael and Lyra. We are honored to be here, Elder Seraphina. We seek knowledge and a path to higher cultivation."
Seraphina's eyes, cold as the winter moon, swept over Sael and Lyra, a flicker of surprise in their depths as she sensed Sael's Nascent Soul Initial Stage cultivation. "Your companions... they are also Nascent Soul experts?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "This is a truly rare sight. It seems the Outer Reaches have been hiding some true geniuses." Her words, though polite, carried a subtle challenge.
Sael's eyes blazed with a fierce loyalty. "My loyalty is to my Emperor, Elder Seraphina. My power... it is for him. He is my protector, and I am his." Her voice was a low growl, her whip materializing in her hand, a silent threat.
Lyra's gaze was filled with unwavering faith. "My clan's knowledge of spiritual resources and our healing arts are at his disposal, Elder Seraphina. His ascension... it is my destiny to be a part of it."
Seraphina's gaze lingered on Liam, a flicker of something akin to admiration in her cold eyes. "A powerful and loyal entourage. It seems the Celestial Court was right to be intrigued. But talk is cheap. Your power, your uniqueness... it must be proven. The Silvermoon Sect is a place of rigorous tests. I have arranged for an assessment. It is not just to see your power, but to see if you are worthy of our resources, of our respect, and of our time."
She led them through a sprawling courtyard to a grand, circular hall, its walls made of polished white stone. Inside, several other elders were already seated around a large, shimmering table, their faces solemn and expectant. At the head of the table sat the Sect Master, a woman whose aura was so vast and profound it felt like the very cosmos.
"Welcome, Honored Guests, to the Silvermoon Sect," the Sect Master's voice was soft, yet it filled the hall with an undeniable authority. "Elder Seraphina has spoken of your unique talents. We will begin your assessment. It is not a trial of battle, but a trial of your very essence."
The first test was a test of spiritual purity. A massive, crystalline orb, humming with a serene spiritual pressure, was placed in the center of the hall. Liam was asked to place his hands on it and channel his Nascent Soul energy. He did so, and the orb, instead of glowing with a normal spiritual light, blazed with an incandescent golden brilliance, so pure and bright that the entire hall was illuminated. The elders gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief. A purity of essence that surpassed even their most ancient and revered texts.
The second test was a test of combat prowess. A formidable, Golden Core Peak Stage elder, a master of the sect's 'Moonlight Blade Arts,' was summoned to a grand training ground. Liam was asked to spar with him. Liam, his Nascent Soul power pulsating, accepted the challenge. He didn't use a powerful technique. He simply used his Nascent Soul power, his 'Celestial Wind Arts,' and his 'Ocean Blast,' in a subtle and strategic way. He dodged every strike with an ethereal grace, and with a single, precise 'Ocean Blast' to the elder's core, he defeated him without causing any injury. The elder, a master of his craft, was in shock, his face a mask of awe and disbelief.
The third test was a test of spiritual fortitude. A powerful, Nascent Soul Realm expert, a master of the sect's 'Moonlight Illusion Arts,' was summoned. Liam was asked to enter a spiritual labyrinth, a place where his mind, his soul, and his greatest fears would be tested. He entered, and in the labyrinth, he faced his deepest fears, his past traumas, and his greatest doubts. But his Nascent Soul, a beacon of pure cosmic light, shattered the illusions, and he emerged, not just unharmed, but with a new wisdom, a new understanding of his destiny.
The elders, who had watched Liam's every move, were in a state of shock and disbelief. This was a genius of a kind they had never before seen. His power, his purity, his unwavering resolve... it was all too perfect. The Sect Master, her eyes filled with a profound sense of wonder, smiled. "Liam of the Starfall Empire," she said, her voice a soft melody, "you have proven your worth. You are a genius of a kind we have never seen. The Silvermoon Sect welcomes you, not as a guest, but as a revered figure, a beacon of hope for our sect's future. We will offer you our vast resources, our most ancient texts, and our most powerful techniques. You will be a beacon for our sect's future."
Liam smiled, his heart swelling with a mix of pride and anticipation. He had done it. He had proved his worth. He had made a name for himself. He had made a home for his people. He had ascended to a new realm of power, and he was ready for the ultimate challenge.
But even as he celebrated, he felt a sudden, profound spiritual fluctuation. A colossal, raging inferno of power, an aura that dwarfed all others, descended from the south. The entire Silvermoon Sect trembled, and the sky itself seemed to be on fire. Patriarch Inferno, a man who had now ascended to the Dao Lord realm himself, a testament to his sheer, unyielding will, stood at the forefront, his Nascent Soul aura a raging inferno, his eyes blazing with a mad obsession.
"You have come to your end, little worm!" Patriarch Inferno's voice, amplified by his immense Nascent Soul power, resonated like a thunderclap, silencing the entire battlefield. "Your secrets, your legacy, your power... they are all mine! I will strip you of your soul, and your people will be incinerated into dust!"
Liam's gaze hardened. He saw Inferno's Nascent Soul, a small, ethereal replica of himself, a reflection of his obsession, his ambition, and his boundless greed. But he also saw a flaw, a subtle instability, a weakness that was born of a forced breakthrough, a lack of true spiritual refinement.
"Your Nascent Soul is flawed, Patriarch," Liam's voice, resonating with a serene, otherworldly power, cut through the din of battle. "Your ambition has blinded you, and your soul is tainted by hatred. You will not ascend. You will not command. You will only perish."
With a flick of his wrist, Liam unleashed his Nascent Soul power. It was not a physical attack. It was a direct assault on Patriarch Inferno's Nascent Soul. A boundless expanse of pure, cosmic energy, a sentinel of the stars, surged from Liam, tearing through Inferno's Nascent Soul aura, and striking him directly.
Patriarch Inferno shrieked, his eyes wide with utter horror. He felt as if his soul was being torn asunder, shredded into cosmic dust. His Nascent Soul, flawed and unrefined, was no match for Liam's pure, cosmic essence. He was a master of fire, but Liam was a master of the cosmos, of creation, of destruction.
"Impossible!" Patriarch Inferno shrieked, his voice filled with a primal fear. "You are a monster!"
He unleashed his most powerful technique, the 'Infernal Judgment,' a colossal beam of pure, destructive fire, at Liam. The sky itself seemed to be on fire.
Liam met his gaze, his eyes blazing with a fierce resolve. He didn't move. He simply became one with the air, a phantom of the cosmos. The beam of 'Infernal Judgment,' a force of nature itself, passed through him, as if he were not even there. It hit the ground far behind him, incinerating everything in its path.
Patriarch Inferno stood frozen, his eyes wide with utter horror. His ultimate technique... it had been useless! He saw Liam, unharmed, his form now a shimmering, golden mirage, a true master of the void. A primal fear, a fear of the unknown, gripped him.
"This is your end, Patriarch," Liam's voice resonated, coming from all directions at once. "You have lost." He appeared directly in front of Patriarch Inferno, his hands glowing with a golden light. He didn't use a powerful technique. He simply placed his hands on Patriarch Inferno's chest.
Patriarch Inferno's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?"
Liam channeled a pure, concentrated burst of his Peak Stage Nascent Soul energy directly into Inferno's dantian. It wasn't destructive. It was corrosive. It would not kill him instantly, but would slowly and painfully consume his core from within, a fate worse than death for a cultivator.
Patriarch Inferno let out a silent, agonizing scream, his body trembling violently as his peak-stage Nascent Soul began to unravel. He looked at Liam, his eyes filled with a terrifying mix of pain, hatred, and a dawning realization that he had underestimated the power of the Star Emperor's legacy. He had been defeated, utterly and completely.
Liam, his hands glowing, stood calmly, his figure a golden beacon of triumph. The Blazefire Sect's army, their Patriarch vanquished, now broke and fled in complete disarray, their morale shattered. Sael and Lyra, their own battles won, rushed to Liam's side, their eyes filled with a fierce pride and unwavering devotion.
Liam looked at the defeated Patriarch, then at his victorious tribes. He had done it. He had protected his people. His power was proven, his destiny, sealed. His journey as the Star Emperor was no longer just about cultivation; it was about laying the foundation for a new, powerful order.