Appraisal

[Prepare for appraisal…]

Fang Yuan found himself in a space between dream and reality. It was an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex net, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was truly breathtaking.

"What a marvelous thing, this spell is!" Fang Yuan thought.

"Which Dead God or something else is the caster of this spell?"

Instinctively, Fang Yuan understood that he was seeing the inner workings of the Nightmare Spell. He also couldn't help but think that it looked a lot like the celestial equivalent of a neural network.

"Is the Spell alive?"

"Is caster alive? So, many mysteries, yet, so little is known."

This was a question that countless people had been asking themselves for the past few decades. The best answer they had come up with was that there was no way to know. The Spell was neither alive nor dead; neither sentient nor mindless.

It was more of a function than a creature.

But Fang Yuan was in no longer in the mood to ponder about these questions. He had too little information to do anything.

He was eagerly awaiting his boon.

The Spell was still appraising his performance.

However, the first reward had nothing to do with it.

[You have received a Memory: Lamenter]

'Yes!'

Fang Yuan felt a slight smile froming on his lips. He was almost ready to see the description of the memory.

This Memory belonged to Master of Lamentation, who was an awakened terror — which meant that the Memory itself was of the Awakened rank.

Getting it was a stroke of incredible luck!

There were seven ranks to everything in the Spell.

These ranks were, in order of growing power: Dormant, Awakened, Ascended, Transcendent, Supreme, Sacred and Divine (with the exclusion of Nightmare Creatures, who were ranked as Dormant, Awakened, Fallen, Corrupted, Great, Cursed and Unholy).

From the Spell's point of view, Fang Yuan was a dormant human. Having a Memory of a higher rank than his own soul core would be of great help once he enters the Dream Realm. The power gap between different ranks simply could not be underestimated.

He wanted to take a look at the Lamenter, but there was no more time.

The Spell was done with its appraisal.

Here in the void, its voice didn't sound subtle and familiar anymore. Rather, it seemed like the universe itself was speaking.

Fang Yuan held his breath, listening.

[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]

[A nameless youth stuck in dream found himself in a battlefield in the wake of a war. Running from swarms carrion eaters the youth finally a reached ruined Temple of War. He joined the Feastival Of Struggle, tamed a sword, received blessing of war, broke the dream and killed the master of the dream.]

[You have defeated a dormant beast: Twilight Scavenger.]

[You have defeated dozens of dormant War Wraith.]

[You have defeated an Awakened Terror: Master of Lamentation.]

[You have received the War God's blessing.]

[You have achieved the impossible!]

[Final appraisal: glorious. Your perseverance shall break the heavens, itself.]

That final part was not really necessary, as far as Fang Yuan was concerned. He was Fang Yuan, an insignificant character. He didn't need the praise from the Spell.

He felt like his chances of evolving his Aspect to an Supreme, or even Sacred one were pretty high as he achieved the impossible.

His overall power will be dependent on the rank of his soul core, which would remain dormant until much later, but the rank of the Aspect itself would do wonders for his overall potential.

[Dreamer Fang Yuan, receive your boon!]

He was an Aspirant no more. He is no longer a powerless mortal.

[You have been bestowed a True Name: Abyss Walker.]

The smirk on his face finally fromed a grin. A true name! He had received a true name!

He has become one of the chosen few to accomplish such feat — and in his very first Nightmare to boot! Not even all of the Saints could boast of having one. And nothing less would have been acceptable.

But the spell didn't stop there.

[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]

"What kind of a question is that?!"

Fang Yuan said "yes".

[Dormant Aspect Struggler is evolving…]

[New Aspect acquired.]

[Aspect Rank: Divine.]

Fang Yuan was finally satisfied.

[Aspect Name: Defyer.]

***

"Divine... it's Divine. It is a new feeling to have top level potential naturally."

Fang Yuan silently summoned the runes and found the lines describing his aspect.

Aspect: [Defyer].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Description: [You are a borne spirit of freedom. No shackle, no chain, no order can stop you. Nothing can bound you. You will break every shackle, every chain, every order, every obstacle on your way. You will defy Earth, defy Heaven, defy Gods and defy Fate.]

Innate Ability: [Demon].

Ability Description: [You can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature killed by you, as well as of any human.]

Fang Yuan's heart as tranquil as ever like an ancient monolith.

The Spell began to speak again:

[The First Seal is broken.]

[Awakening dormant powers.]

Fang Yuan felt something waking up inside of him. He clutched his chest and stared into the darkness, trying to understand what was happening. The feeling was not painful or unpleasant, yet it was like nothing he had ever experienced. It was as though his soul was being shaken awake, infused with strange new energy.

Fang Yuan had never felt something like this before.

However, that energy did not come from some outside source. Rather, it was coming from within, as though it had always been there, sleeping.

The energy filled every fiber of his being.

Fang Yuan felt his emotions becoming clearer and sharper. Then, his body began to change, too. He felt as though a miniature star was burning in the center of his chest: waves of heat were radiating from it, slowly reaching his stomach and shoulders, then his arms and legs, then his hands and feet.

Under that heat, his bones, muscles, organs and blood vessels were being rebuilt and revitalized.

Fang Yuan felt like he was being reborn. He was becoming stronger, faster, healthier.

It was euphoric.

With each second, his transformation was becoming more profound.

New kind of confidence settled in Fang Yuan's heart. He was not a weak, powerless mortal anymore. He was not as vulnerable against anyone with power who would wish to stop him, as his mortal self was.

After some time had passed, the star burning in his chest finally cooled down. The heat was replaced with a soothing warmth. That warmth washed over Fang Yuan's body, taking away all the aches and discomforts that had been accumulated there over the years. Then it moved up, reaching his brain and, finally, his eyes.

His vision strangely doubled.

He could still see the void populated by an endless pattern of stars. But he could also see something different.

A silent, flowing sea illuminated by a lonely radiant sun.

From his previous knowledge, Fang Yuan knew that this was his so-called Sea of Soul. But he also knew that it was supposed to look quite different.

For starters, it was supposed to be much more stagnant.

The star hanging above — the visual representation of his soul core — was supposed to be burning with bright light, filling the Soul Sea with a warm, blinding shining.

However, Fang Yuan's soul was full of vitality and life. But the sea- It was flowing. Ever flowing. And thick white fog was hiding the horizons. He was walking against the flow.

"Is this a copy or something comparable to the Reverse Flow River?"

"That's strange."

He took a look at the radiant sun. At a closer examination, it actually turned out to be transparent. The star has appeared to be as tranquil as his heart.

He looked the white fog. He felt a sense of doom from the fog. Anyone who will get swallowed by the white fog cannot come out of it again.

Fang Yuan turned back to the only celestial body in his soul sea and finally spotted a sphere of light orbiting around it, as though caught in the soul core's gravity well. A subtle smile appeared on his face.

This is his first Memory: Lamenter.

The Spell's voice suddenly pulled him out of the Sea of Soul.

[Awakening Aspect Ability…]

'This is it. The moment of truth,' Fang Yuan thought.

Divine Aspect or not, his immediate future still depended on the first Aspect Ability he would receive. His role in the Dream Realm would be based on its characteristics.

If it was a combat ability, he would be most useful on the frontlines of the bloody battles against the Nightmare Creatures. If it was tied to sorcery, he would likely become a powerful, but fragile ranged fighter.

If it was something having to do with utility, he would be a vitally important part of the behind-the-scenes workings of the Dream Realm. He will have to get creative. He could even become a healer. Healers were very rare.

[Aspect Ability acquired.]

[Aspect Ability Name: Ultra Sense.]

Fang Yuan summoned the runes. He wanted to go to the description of his new ability right away, but then decided to give his overall information a look first.

Name: Fang Yuan.

True Name: Abyss Walker.

Rank: Dreamer.

Soul Core: Dormant.

Soul Fragments: [32/1000].

Memories: [Lamenter]

Echoes: —

Attributes: [Perseverance], [Spark of Divinity], [Monolith],[Fate Breaker], [Blade of Struggle],[Reincarnator].

Aspect: [Defyer].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Abilities: [Ultra Sense].

Aspect Ability Description: [You have an unnatural ability to sense, sense the world.]

'What is that supposed to mean?'

Fang Yuan began to read the description again, but at that moment, a new set of runes appeared just below it.

Simultaneously, the Spell's voice resounded in the black void.

[All power has a price.]

[You have received a Flaw.]

[Your Flaw is: …]