Gathering at the Spiritual Oasis

"My name's Wahvu Erridas, and I'm a twelve year old cultivator in the latter stages of the Awakening Realm!"

"I currently possess three natures of true energy, and I'm suuuper close to completing my Awakening and discovering my inherent nature!"

Gilgamesh walked next to the young boy and listened attentively to what he was saying.

They crossed over sand dunes and trudged through some scant rocky terrain, making their way under the blazing light.

"My name's Gilgamesh. I'm just a wanderer."

Wahvu looked firmly at Gilgamesh and blinked, "Odd name. Are you a cultivator?"

Gilgamesh shook his head, "Why do you ask?"

"I don't see any bags on you, or rings on your fingers, so I assumed you just didn't need protection from the heat, or water- or anything."

"You barely have any clothes on, too!"

Wahvu eyed Gilgamesh suspiciously, as though he did not believe he was not a cultivator. It didn't make sense. How could someone sane walk through the land like this without proper clothes or water?

He had to be a cultivator!

Noticing the way Wahvu looked at him, Gilgamesh laughed weakly.

"The truth is, I have no idea how I got here ...or where here is. I just wound up here by accident."

"Hmmm..." Wahvu was even more suspicious now, and he narrowed his brown eyes.

"I'm being honest. I woke up in the ocean, and I swam to the shore. I've been walking since then."

"So you weren't actually going to watch the Tournament? Then why are you walking? Where do you even think you're going?"

"Heh, heh," Gilgamesh meekly rubbed the back of his head, "I have no clue. At least now I know where I'm headed."

Wahvu sighed, "Granddad really did say that there were all kinds of strange people in the starting ground."

Their conversation continued for quite a while as they walked through the scorching desert, under the blazing light of a Book Collection. It seemed that the light would never subside as they went on for hours and hours.

Gilgamesh came to learn that Wahvu belonged to a sect native to the Desert, and was the grandson of an Elder. He had some free time after completing a mission, and decided to go observe the tournament of another sect while he was out travelling.

Gilgamesh also learned that the entirety of this new continent was nothing but desert. It was a harsh land with terrible terrain, but the natives adapted to survive, and were able to use their cultivation to make life bearable.

Night only came here once a year, and lasted for two months. During that time, which the natives called the 'Eve of Culling,' Wahvu said it was common for sects and clans to wage war with one another.

That period had already taken place for the year, three months ago.

Gilgamesh learned that any and all water in this desert continent was created through the use of true energy, meaning that, as ironic as it sounds, water-based natures were the most common on the desert continent.

As for the Spiritual Oasis, not even it was a natural water source. It was created by the most powerful and revered cultivator in the entire Desert: the Empress of the Sands.

She was a powerful cultivator that was rumored to possess twelve natures of true energy before completing her awakening, thus making her a Twelve-Star Awakened.

Wahvu explained that, when in the Awakening Realm, a cultivator would have to constantly refine true energy natures in order to slowly awaken their inherent nature. By forcing natures of true energy to align themselves with their own souls, the inherent nature was bolstered and aided in its awakening.

This was a process Gilgamesh did not entirely understand, as his own understanding of inherent natures was somewhat flawed.

The Mother of Scriptures had crafted a system of power within the isolated Bookspace that adhered to Gilgamesh's identity, thus the way inherent natures worked in that Bookspace played a big part in why he was so powerful there.

"Inherent natures are like eggs- that's what my Granddad says- that need to be nurtured by things suitable for it."

"If you attain a true energy nature and try to refine it, you either fail or succeed. If you fail, its cause the nature was rejected by your soul, meaning it cannot align with your inherent nature. If you succeed, then it's just the opposite."

"A high quality inherent nature can force a lot of true energy natures to align with it, and vice versa. When you reach your limit, that's when you make your breakthrough and become Awakened."

Gilgamesh understood, "So the Empress of the Sands had twelve natures of true energy, thus she's a Twelve-Star Awakened. I guess that means her inherent nature is a Twelve-Star Nature."

Wahvu nodded with a slightly pained, know-it-all expression, "Well, technically. An inherent nature that can align with six or less natures is considered to be a Mortal grade nature. Between seven an twelve would be Immortal grade." 

Gilgamesh nodded while noting that Wahvu's aim in life was to become a Six-Star Awakened, and realized that the quality of true energy natures in the library would, naturally, make them that much harder to acquire.

"Why not aim higher than six," Gilgamesh asked out of pure curiosity.

Wahvu shrugged, "I guess because I know my limits."

Gilgamesh fell into thought. He hadn't thought about cultivation at all since arriving in the Library. He had once cast a cursory glance at his sea of energy and saw that it was completely dried up, much like the Desert he was walking in, but that was all he ever did.

In that moment, he wondered just how hard it would be for him to acquire a nature of true energy- if he were to ever try.

Him and Wahvu were currently scaling a giant dune when Gilgamesh just barely noticed distant treetops. As they got higher, they saw the full length of those enormous palm trees, and the full grassy landscape directly below them.

There were apricots, figs, olives, dates, wheat and corn all in demarcated sections around a massive pool of freshwater, glistening mesmerizingly in the light of the bright Book Collection above.

"There it is, the Spiritual Oasis!"

Wahvu increased his speed, kicking up sand before sliding down the other side of the dune, leaving a long trail behind him. Gilgamesh smiled thinly at the boy's excitement, then continued at his steady pace.

Looking down at the Spiritual Oasis, he saw people gathered on the grass, sitting or standing amongst the crops, chatting or just enjoying time alone under the shade.

From every direction, people were slowly pouring into the giant oasis, encircling the pool at the very center.

There were groups of youngsters led by elders, groups of youngsters led by youngsters, lone elders, lone youngsters, random cultivators in cloaks, and upon closer inspection there were even people sitting atop the tall trees.

Wahvu ran off and took a seat in the grass.

It was only when Gilgamesh finally stood on the grass of the Spiritual Oasis, and felt the coolness of the shade, that he noticed all the people around were gazing in one particular direction.

When he, too, did the same, his red eyes glowed most enchantedly.

On the surface of the water, atop an isle of solid ice, a woman was sitting on a throne made of ice crystals. The aura of freezing cold emanated from both the throne and that woman, and her frosty blue eyes gazed off into space most unnervingly.

Although she appeared lost in thought, she also seemed ready to kill anyone that dared to look her directly in the eyes.

Her features were rosy, and her hair as white as snow-- glistening just the same; each strand of hair like a freshly fallen snowflake.

She wore a golden dress that seemed to contain the quintessence of the desert itself. Each thread was like a sandstorm, endlessly flowing and blowing across her figure, obscuring it in a most mystifying way.

Even so, it was not hard to notice her voluptuous form!

Gilgamesh was taken aback when he saw her, and tried to recall the last time he had seen such a beautiful woman that could move his heart completely- even if only temporarily.

He could not!

"There she is..." Wahvu whispered.

"The Empress of the Sands..."

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed, and he slowed his breathing, only just realizing it had quickened a bit. "So that's her, huh? She does seem powerful."

Wahvu's little fists shook with excitement as he sat on his knees, "I know, right... I can't wait for the tournament to begin."

Him and Gilgamesh sat together in silence for quite a while, staring only at the Empress of the Sands. Soon enough, though, they fell back into idle conversation.

As the scheduled time approached, more and more people arrived from all corners of the desert. The Spiritual Oasis was quickly packed with people, numbering more than seven million, and there seemed to still be others arriving every other minute.

However, once the time approached, all eyes turned to the Empress of the Sands as she stood up and cleared her throat.

With a voice cold as ice and rough as the desert sand, the Empress made her announcement.

"I welcome you all to my Spiritual Oasis for yet another Tournament of Talents."

Everyone perked up, not daring to continue engaging in their own conversation. All were silent, and Gilgamesh looked on with interest.

"Some of you may have attended the last Tournament a thousand years ago, and so you know what the process is like. For the others, this is your first Tournament, so I shall explain the rules again for your sake."

"My retainers have scouted the entire continent, and invited a number of talented individuals. They will engage in a contest of power and natures in a series of battles, and a winner shall be decided. Prizes shall be awarded only to those in the top ten."

"Once the final victor of the tournament is decided, and at that point only, will the spectators be allowed to issue challenges to any of the top ten contestants. Of course, if any one of you manages to win a battle, the prize will be passed on to you."

"That is all." The Empress of the Sands blinked, and a frosty chill seized control of the wind, sending out an icy blast of air.

"Let us begin."

A cacophonous uproar filled the Spiritual Oasis as millions of people cheered in unison, celebrating the start of a grand spectacle.