Chapter 542 - 498: Drawing the Sword
Shi Ming gripped the hilt with both hands, muscles rippling down his arms as he exerted his full force.
"Heave!"
The Stone Sword was ice-cold.
It felt like common stone. Despite being flawlessly radiant, he couldn’t sense any energy from it. It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary greatsword carved from rock, possessing no special qualities whatsoever.
But strangely, even with his current strength, Shi Ming couldn’t budge it an inch.
All the power he channeled into the Stone Sword simply disappeared. It was as if the force was being spread across the entire planet. In essence, he wasn’t just trying to pull out a sword; he was trying to uproot every inch of land, every single stone, and even himself. Under such conditions, pulling it out was impossible. Even making it shift the slightest bit was incredibly difficult.
[This is not an ordinary sword.]
[It can’t even be considered a weapon.]
[This is the external manifestation of the Cosmic Country’s will, born from the union of the First Civilization Cosmic Country and the Divine Country, ’Star’s Home.’ It is pure as origin, sharp as law, impartial as a god, and protective as a father. Only a being whose will is a 100% match, one who can resonate with it, can draw it forth.]
[No two leaves in the universe are exactly alike.]
[A 100% match is therefore next to impossible. In the entire history of the First Civilization Cosmic Country, not a single person has ever managed to fully resonate with it and earn the title ’Hero of the Stone.’]
[Now, the will of the Cosmic Country has been annihilated. The old will is completely dead, making any resonance impossible.]
???
’Impossible to resonate with?’
’Doesn’t that mean no one can ever pull this sword out? That A-rank commission will become impossible to complete, and the ’Hero of the Stone’ title will be lost forever?’
Shi Ming let go of the Sword in the Stone.
The text in his vision continued to flicker as new information surfaced.
[Perhaps there is still a chance.]
[The Eye of Destiny senses that on this planet, beneath the corpse of the dead Cosmic Country, a new will for the Cosmic Country has been born. It is only just beginning to sprout.]
[... (Extrapolating...)]
[...]
[...]
[Interesting.]
[As if by coincidence, this A-rank commission has been given new meaning.]
[This might be its true purpose.]
[When this sword is drawn, it will signify the victory of nascent power over stagnant death. The cycle from A to Z will restart, the will of the Cosmic Country will be reawakened, and the deathly aura pervading the Tomb Star Realm will gradually dissipate. The Tomb Star Realm will break free from the False Gods’ concealment and reappear within the Star Sea.]
[And the one who draws this sword shall receive the brand-new ’Hero of the Stone’ title.]
[Title: Hero of the Stone]
[The hero who possesses this title can deeply resonate with the Stone Sword, which represents the new will of the Cosmic Country, allowing them to perceive one another. The Stone Sword will serve as the hero’s most compatible and exclusive weapon, mirroring their five-dimensional attributes to manifest in the form most suitable for any given situation. In turn, the hero will be the Stone Sword’s most reliable companion, working in concert with it to shape the new will.]
[...]
[This is from Z to A...]
’From... from Z to A?’
’So that’s the effect of the ’Hero of the Stone’ title? It’s basically a completely pure template that can manifest the most suitable form and abilities based on its wielder’s attributes? So its effects are completely customizable?’
’Deep resonance, constantly mirroring the hero’s five-dimensional attributes...’
An idea suddenly struck Shi Ming.
He discovered another use for the Stone Sword—
’By that logic, if I become its wielder, it can sense my Spiritual Power value and relay it to me. If that’s true, then I can complete the second mission from the Eye of the Divine, can’t I?’
[Mission 2: Find Your True Self!]
[The Sea of Spirit is endless, yet it has its shores. Know yourself. Do everything in your power to develop your own Sea of Spirit, discover the precise value of your Spiritual Power, and take control of your untapped potential.]
[Time Limit: Three Years]
’Excellent. Drawing this Stone Sword will bring an unexpected bonus.’
However, the Eye of Destiny hadn’t given Shi Ming a method for drawing the sword. It had only detected that a new will for the Cosmic Country was being born from the old one’s remains. The moment the sword was drawn would be the moment the Cosmic Country’s will fully awakened. When that happened, the Tomb Star Realm would cease to exist, and the First Civilization Cosmic Country would reappear in the Star Sea to begin a new cycle from A to Z.
’This meant that awakening the will of the Cosmic Country was the key to drawing the Stone Sword. And whoever controlled the Stone Sword would be the person most acknowledged by the new will.’
’Becoming the one most acknowledged by the new will of the Cosmic Country was, without a doubt, a huge head start.’
’The advantages were many, with no apparent downside.’
’A newborn creature often imprints on the first being it sees, treating it as a parent. Resonating with a pure, newborn will would be far easier than with an ancient one. Shi Ming didn’t want to take too much advantage of the fledgling will, but the Eye of Destiny had revealed that the five False Gods already sensed the disturbance deep within the Tomb Star Realm and were gathering. They couldn’t enter in their true forms, but there was no telling what other methods they might use to exert their influence here. If they seized the initiative, his own future would become much more precarious.’
’I must seize the initiative.’
As for how to awaken it, Shi Ming had a few theories.
The key lay in "from Z to A."
’Z represents death, and A, a new beginning.’ On this very Primordial Star was a hidden, unrevealed Z-rank commission, issued by a god. Shi Ming had already made up his mind. His next destination would be the [Abyss of the End] on the Primordial Star. He would go, first, for the three million Civilization Stone reward, and second, to see for himself what a Z-rank commission personally issued by a god truly contained, and what its rewards might be.
There was no time to waste.
Shi Ming called out for [Tianwen].
"Tianwen, help me plan the most direct route to the [Abyss of the End]."
Tianwen spun like a real compass and responded quickly—
"The Abyss of the End? That’s a forbidden zone of the Cosmic Country! I heard there’s even a Pillar Stone-level expert personally guarding it! Are you sure you want to go there? How about we go somewhere else? Like the Radiant Star Manor, the Inheritor’s Stele, the Garden of Myriad Stars... these are all the most famous sights on the Primordial Star. Every one of them is much better than the Abyss of the End."
"Tianwen, we’re going to the [Abyss of the End]."
"Alright, your will is my command. Plotting the most convenient route to the [Abyss of the End] now. But please be mindful of the Cosmic Country’s prohibitions at all times, so as not to anger a Pillar Stone-level expert..."
’A Pillar Stone-level expert?’
The Primordial Star was deathly still. Even a Pillar Stone-level expert would have long since turned to dust in the river of time. Shi Ming was absolutely certain that there were no living creatures in the Abyss of the End.
’If there really was one, that would actually be a good thing.’
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