Mysterious Tomb [2]

[The Fallen Emperor's Second Test: Knowledge]

[The Fallen Emperor was a being who exceeded the limits of his race, and the constraints that tied them down. By eliminating the main weakness all beings from his race possessed, he rose above all, becoming an unparalleled existence.]

[To pass the Emperor's trial, use the provided materials to showcase your knowledge of secondary professions.]

Artemia looked at the floating system window curiously. Frankly, she wasn't expecting a test like this at all.

When Atlas mentioned that this tomb belonged to a Behemoth, Artemia almost couldn't contain her excitement.

What kind of beings were Behemoths?

Not only were they mythical existences, but they were also beings who sought strength above all else. Putting it bluntly, they were muscle-headed idiots.

And this type of person was Artemia's favorite. After all, she was one of them as well.

Yet, after passing the first test with flying colors, taking only half an hour to crush the boulder, she found herself in a situation where she could no longer proceed.

Her forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Father always said I should at least learn the fundamentals, but I ignored him because he's an annoying old fart. Tch, I can't fall here, or else I'll never hear the end of his nagging."

[Huntress of the Night chuckles in amusement.]

"Oi! If you're going to follow me along, at least be of some help! How can you just laugh at me from the sidelines?!"

[Huntress of the Night holds back her laughter.]

[Huntress of the Night asks what else you want her to do.]

"You can…well…ah, fuck it! Whatever!" 

Artemia huffed and ignored the Goddess that kept her company. It wasn't like Artemis' presence was something new to her.

Artemia shook her head once more and walked forward, arriving in front of three long tables that decorated the otherwise empty area. 

These three tables corresponded to the three major secondary professions: Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Formation Arts. 

The Alchemy table was naturally filled to the brim with herbs and special resources like beast blood. There was even a cauldron to the side in case one wanted to concoct a pill.

The Refining table was stacked with metals and minerals that radiated profound auras on their own. Although there wasn't a forge present, there were a few smaller tools one could use to create simpler pieces and show familiarity with the present materials.

As for the Formation Arts table, the materials seemed a bit more random. There were strange flags, vials of beast blood, herbs and metals, and various other resources that didn't seem to mesh well at all.

But that was a given. Formation Arts were far more elusive than Alchemy or Refining. The process of creating formations and also their uses were too many in number to count.

Artemia's brows remained creased as she looked over her options. Of these three, the only one she even had a small chance at succeeding in was Artifact Refining.

"My specialization isn't fire, but if I can't even do this much, I'll be a disappointment to my race," she muttered under her breath.

Mustering up any slight bit of confidence she could find, Artemia walked up to the Artifact Refining table. Taking a few choice metals into her hand, she slowly got to work attempting to do something with them.

However, whether or not she would succeed was another story altogether.

***

'Hmm, this is troublesome as well…'

In front of Atlas's eyes were the same three tables Artemia had seen prior. Not long ago, he'd finally shattered the boulder and passed into the 2nd test. 

It was only after passing the first test that he realized there was a 2-hour time limit. With the 1 and 1/2 hours he took to finish, he was truly cutting it close.

But that was in the past. His attention was currently focused on the task ahead.

Atlas's brows creased in thought. Although he was fretting, it wasn't quite for the reason one would expect.

'This is too suspicious. Have there truly been multiple members of the race who…'

'However, it would not be strange for such a thing to happen. If the Behemoth race idolized his achievements…'

Atlas's thoughts were complicated. Before one could reach its end, it would halt as another train of thought overtook it.

Frankly, Atlas's mind was a chaotic mess. After all, it was too suspicious.

The friend he thought of dearly, the one he was reminiscing about only moments prior, in Atlas's memory, only he was able to raise the Behemoth race through knowledge. Only he was able to break the stereotype.

Although an unknown amount of time had passed, with that man's personality, Atlas doubted he had taken any disciples.

But that thought only made his suspicions worse.

Atlas shook his head and cleared his mind. Spiritual energy revolved through his body following the Five Element Scripture's circulation route, further calming him.

'It is too early to jump to conclusions. He is not the type to die so easily.'

With that thought in mind, Atlas sauntered over to the Formation Arts table.

Actually, though his level couldn't be said to be high, he did have a small bit of experience with Formation Arts.

The very old friend he was concerned about was extremely interested in them. Back then, he'd always go on the strangest tangents.

"Brother, you simply do not understand! Formation Arts are the most wondrous form of power! They are humanity's attempt at competing with the Heavens! To think that I, a lowly member of the Behemoth Race, was able to discover this before even you!"

Atlas smiled wryly at the old memory. With how that old fogey went on and on about Formation Arts, how could he not pick up a thing or two?

Atlas's hands moved swiftly. From the table, he picked out two vials of beast blood, a stalk of Soul Grass, and two kilos of Diorite Silver.

Squatting to the ground, Atlas dipped his finger into the first vial of beast blood and used the blood to begin drawing strange symbols onto the ground.

'This is the blood of the 2nd rank beast, Violet Glimmering Ape. This beast has incredible vitality and bloodthirst, so the remnant blood collected from it is equally fierce.'

Beasts were usually called in the same fashion as human cultivators, by their realm, but they also had a second classification that measured their species' potential. 

In the mortal realms, this classification spanned from Rank 1 to Rank 4. 

Rank 1 beasts would never go above the Qi Seed Realm, while rank 2 beasts could enter the Earth Sage Realm at most. Rank 3 beasts could touch upon the Law Sea Realm, while the most terrifying Rank 4 beasts had the potential to form their World Cores.

Although this ranking didn't mean much to martial cultivators, it was incredibly important for those practicing secondary professions. A beast with more potential would have far more potent blood, which would thus be exponentially more effective in the three crafts than lower-rank blood.

As for the Rank 2 Violet Glimmering Ape blood that Atlas was currently using, it was just the right level for him. He wouldn't be able to control beast blood at Rank 3 or above.

After he finished drawing the blood symbols, Atlas took the Diorite Silver into his hand. This type of metal was far less pure than normal silver and almost qualified more as a rock than a metal, but it was exactly this property that Atlas needed.

His hands lit aflame, melting the Mortal-Grade metal down to its essence and using it to trace the blood lines he previously made, creating an intricate lotus-like pattern with their combination.

And after this step was done, Atlas took the Mortal-Grade Soul Grass, ground it into a powder, and sprinkled it across the pattern's surface.

When all the steps were done, Atlas stepped back and patted off his hands.

'This is the lowest grade formation one can make. It barely has the power to be considered Mortal Grade. If that old fart saw me today, he would never let me hear the end of his bickering.'

Atlas smiled at the old memories in his head. They seemed to surface far more often in this environment, though he didn't question why.

Just as casually as he walked up to the table, Atlas sent a wisp of his qi into the formation he just created.

And just as he expected, it lit up with a subtle glow.