Chapter 75: The Saintess Selection
–Sea Concubine Palace, Saintess’s Quarters
“The demeanor… of a legendary being…?”
Submerged in the cool water, her clothes discarded, the blue-haired girl muttered to herself, a dazed expression on her face.
No matter how much the little fox beside her splashed water on her eyes and nose, she remained unresponsive.
Ever since returning from Sea Moon Peak, Gong Lianyue had been in this anxious state, her body tense and weak.
The only legendary being to have ever visited the Sea Region in thousands of years was the Snow Monarch. And this legendary creature from the Wind Realm was simply referred to as the Wind Realm Overlord, its name and characteristics unknown, no records to be found.
And she, a mere Dawn and Dusk Stage Spirit Master, was supposed to offer a gift to this being, a creature whose breath could annihilate an entire civilization…?
Of course, Gong Lianyue had never considered trying to contract with it. Although, besides the popular wish-fulfillment novels, there were cases of Spirit Masters contracting legendary spirit beasts, those were the results of years of preparation and the combined resources of an entire realm.
It was rumored that the true purpose of the Sea Region Alliance’s Saintess selection was also to attract a legendary being, though after thousands of years, there had been no success.
Escorting the Swallow God, meeting the Overlord… this trip to the Wind Realm filled her with dread.
“What should I do…?”
Gong Lianyue sighed, then, as if remembering something, reached out and pulled a thick book from the void—from her Crystal Chamber.
She had borrowed it from the library on her way to Sea Moon Peak: [The Complete Compendium of Elixirs and Treasures].
She would first see what that Void Moon Stone, the reward from the second level of the Soul Prison Trial, actually was.
The girl quickly flipped through the pages, searching from rare to common, then back to front, repeating the process several times, before finally finding the entry for the Void Moon Stone in an inconspicuous corner.
[Void Moon Stone: When made into jewelry, it imbues the wearer with a moonlight aura. Useless for spirit beasts, cannot be used for refining, and arguably the most pointless naturally occurring high-grade gem.]
Well, just from the description, it sounded useless.
In this era, any material related to enhancing the Spirit Master themselves was generally considered somewhat… pointless, let alone one that couldn’t even be used for refining, crafting weapon-type spirit beasts or artifacts…
And a moonlight aura—
As far as Gong Lianyue knew, there was no sun or moon in the Sea Region. The sky’s color was simply the result of the dense water spirit energy, a vast azure expanse.
When she had asked about it as a child, the other kids playing in the mud with her didn’t even know what the sun and moon were. Some adults knew, but they said they were things from other realms.
This world didn’t even have a moon. What use was a Void Moon Stone?
Her voice trailing off, Gong Lianyue froze, her spirit energy sensing the heavy, silver Steel Moon within her soul core.
[Steel Moon Chapter of the Heavenly Full Cold Moon]
Wait, could the Void Moon Stone be related to that page of the Lost Scroll?
However, something felt wrong. Logically, everyone who cleared the second level received a Void Moon Stone. So what was its real purpose for others?
Splash!
Snapping out of her gloomy thoughts, Gong Lianyue grabbed the misbehaving, water-splashing little fox and dunked its head underwater.
“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~~~~”
With the matter of the Swallow God settled, and while the ransom and procedures were being prepared, the delayed final round of the Saintess selection resumed.
Apparently, the Cold Court had been impatiently sending messages every day, urging the Sea Concubine Palace to hurry.
According to tradition, the Cold Court couldn’t begin their own Grieving Saintess inheritance ceremony until the Sea Concubine Palace had chosen their Sorrowful Saintess.
·Saintess Selection·
The final four challengers were the Saintess Candidates Bai He, Hong Tao, and Qing Yu, along with Lei Ji, who was just one spot away from becoming a candidate.
They were the Sea Concubine Palace members who had performed the best in the Wind Valley trial, collecting the most enemy tokens.
The four girls would compete in a tournament-style format, the final victor earning the right to challenge the seemingly untouchable Sorrowful Saintess.
The difference in strength was vast, the hope slim. In the eyes of most Sea Concubine Palace members, this wasn’t a competition for the Saintess position, but for the future positions of the Six Concubines…
The Six Concubines, a prestigious title within the Sea Concubine Palace, second only to the Saintess.
The Saintess selection was held in the Sea Dou Hall, the largest venue in the Sea Concubine Palace, capable of holding nearly a hundred thousand people.
The Sea Dou Hall was originally used for military training, but it was now mostly used for ceremonies and banquets.
“I heard that not only the Ice Shield Palace and the Cold Court, but other Sea Region factions, and even a large number of Spirit Masters from the Winter Floating Sky are here!!!”
“They’re not here for the Saintess Candidates, are they? They must be here to see the Sorrowful Saintess fight.”
“But what if the Sorrowful Saintess doesn’t use her Saint-rank, and just defeats the challenger with a high-rank spirit beast…?”
“Then it’s none of our business. The Sea Concubine Palace isn’t paying for our travel expenses~~~”
The stands were packed with tens of thousands of spectators, filling the entire venue, the noise deafening.
High above, in a floating box at the top of the Sea Dou Hall, invisible to the ordinary audience…
A blue-haired girl with an amber necklace and teardrop eyes sat on a crystal throne-like chair, her expression cold, her back drenched in an unnoticed cold sweat.
Beside her, Shui Qinghou, her hair styled in two large Mickey Mouse buns, slumped in her chair, her head resting on her arm.
Besides Gong Lianyue and Shui Qinghou, five other dignified women in masks were present.
The Six Concubines of the Sea Concubine Palace…
Gong Lianyue could feel their curious gazes, making her scalp tingle and her body stiffen.
Her teacher had only said that the view would be better and less crowded up here. She hadn’t mentioned that this was the Six Concubines’ viewing box!!!
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