Out of the Darkness

Chapter Eleven: Out of the Darkness

While the child remained unconscious, he heard a voice in his dreams saying, "You are close to waking me up, do your best."

"What? Who are you, and what do you mean by waking you up? Where am I now?" the child shouted in confusion.

"You will know in due time. Consider me a part of you. We are in your awareness now," the voice patiently replied.

"My consciousness? Did something change within me when I faced the snake? It felt like my inner self was liberated," the child questioned.

The voice chuckled and mocked, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. To call the Sacred Poison Dragon a snake is quite an understatement."

"Why are you laughing?" the child asked, bewildered.

"Apologies, but it's amusing. The poison dragon is far more than a snake," the voice continued.

The child's face showed surprise and intense shock as he muttered, "Dragon?"

Ignoring the child's reaction, the voice calmly explained, "Yes, the peculiar sensation you felt was due to me. To prepare you, I extracted most of the Poison Dragon's source poison from your body."

Though unsure of what source poison meant, the child recognized the benefits it brought. "Did you take advantage of me without my permission or compensation?"

"Your compensation? Don't overestimate yourself, child. The benefits of the poison were intended for me from the start, to elevate my grade. I should actually thank you for inadvertently raising my grade and creating this situation," the voice replied.

"My grade?" the child replied, surprised but not overly confused.

"Our time is up. We will continue this conversation when you wake up," said the voice deeply.

At that moment, the child felt a pulling force, as if a powerful black hole was dragging him away from his current place.

Opening his eyes, the child was met with a soft light resembling sunlight. The rays caused his skin to burn and his eyes to sting.

Fortunately, he realized he was still in the same dark room, now illuminated by faint sunlight.

Soon after, a voice filled the room, speaking directly to the soul of every participant:

"Congratulations to all participants on successfully passing the filtration. As you exit the door in front of you, the real test will begin. This filtration has revealed much about your abilities, personalities, and intelligence, resulting in varied treatment for each of you.

You will be classified into four layers. The third layer is the lowest, consisting of the 27,000 participants who performed the poorest out of the 30,000 who survived the selection. The second layer comprises 2,500 participants who passed the initial phase.

In the first layer, there are 485 participants, and in the highest category, the Sky Layer, there are 15 participants who excelled by all standards in this filtration. Take a moment to adjust to the sunlight, and then leave your caves. Once outside, you will each meet a bronze-armored guard who will provide you with an identification bracelet containing personal information, points calculation methods, classification, and your assigned class. Goodbye, testers."

Taking a deep breath, the child realized that everything he had experienced so far was unrelated to the challenges he would face in the future. The memory of the immense pressure and the gaze of the dragon weighed on his mind.

...

Within a day, the child acclimated to the sunlight.

With determination, the child looked at the door and took his first step out of the darkened room since his rebirth.

As he emerged, a silver-armored knight stood before him, motionless like a statue. The knight had black eyes, white and black hair, and an understated beauty that couldn't be concealed by the filth covering his body.

Despite his outward composure, the knight was inwardly shocked. "This kid adapted so quickly. No wonder."

In a slightly childlike and doubtful tone, the child asked, "Didn't the voice say that you're a knight in bronze armor?"

The silver knight remained silent but tossed a black bracelet to the child, saying, "Keep it as you would your life."

Receiving the bracelet, the child observed the departing figure of the silver-armored knight.

Just as the knight was about to leave, his voice reached the child again. "The rankings in the Sky Layer are not set in stone. You could be the strongest or the weakest. Only time will tell. Oh, and before I forget, there is a river ahead with clothes for you to choose from. Clean yourself and pick what you need. Afterward, a bronze-armored knight will guide you to the assembly area."

Examining the bracelet before sliding it onto his wrist, the child felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had always known how to use it.

Closing his eyes briefly, he reopened them to find a transparent screen displaying inscriptions in an unknown language. Surprisingly, he could understand the text.

Name: Tian Phai (The Empty Sky)

Tier: Heaven tier

Rank: 4

Given Nickname: Realist Arrogant

Martial World: None

estimated strength: Seventh Heaven Profound Sensing

Bloodline: Not Awakened

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