Sign-In System: Starting With Invincible Physique

Chapter 56: Zephyrus

Rhain’s body tensed slightly.

His pupils glowed with faint golden light as his gaze pierced right in the depths of the hall.

Nothing.

The grand hall was entirely empty. There was not a single trace of a life force.

Rhain’s expression remained unreadable.

"Where are you?" Rhain asked cold, his voice carrying not a shred of fear or awe.

The ancient voice let out a low, resonant chuckle.

"Come inside the hall, young man."

Rhain stilled for a moment.

He calmly assessed the situation.

Even if this was the ancient expert who had created this False Hollow Realm, and had any intention to harm him, he could just wait until Rhain steps into the hall on his own.

There was no reason to alert him by calling him like this.

Therefore, he decided to take a look.

He unhurriedly walked past the shimmering lake and stepped through the towering entrance of the grand hall.

The interior was huge.

Lining the expansive walls were rows upon rows of towering bookshelves filled with countless thick manuals.

Scattered throughout the room were heavy weapon racks. Halberds, swords, heavy sabers, spears, and all kinds of weapons rested on them.

And in the center of hall was a perfectly circular jade-white platform.

Rhain’s eyes swept the surroundings meticulously, his golden-ringed pupils still searching.

"You do not need to be so wary of me," the ancient voice suddenly rang again.

This time, it originated from the exact center of the room.

"I am right before you."

Rhain turned his gaze toward the jade-white platform.

Suddenly, strands of essence converged above the platform, weaving together until a translucent, illusory figure materialized in the air.

Rhain’s dark grey eyes openly measured the apparition.

It was a man.

Despite the ancient, heavy tone of his voice that sounded thousands of years old, his age looked to be only around thirty.

He possessed a handsome, sharp face that radiated majesty. Long, immaculate white hair cascaded loosely down his back.

His upper body was completely exposed, revealing a perfectly sculpted, broad-shouldered physique layered with dense, powerful muscles.

On his lower half, he wore flowing, dark obsidian-silk robes, bound tightly at his waist by a thick silver sash.

The man floated a few inches above the jade platform, his hands clasped casually behind his muscular back.

He looked down at Rhain, his profound eyes carrying the burden of life’s ups and downs.

"You possess a calmness that is extremely rare for someone of your age." the man praised with a smile.

Hearing man’s praise, Rhain’s expression didn’t change at all.

"Are you the one who created this False Hollow Realm?"

Rhain met the man’s profound gaze, and asked without beating around the bush.

The man stilled for a fraction of a second.

Then, he threw his head back and let out a hearty, booming laugh.

"Direct and entirely without pretense! I like it!"

After a while, man stopped laughing and nodded his head slowly.

"Indeed."

He admitted, his imposing aura naturally radiating an innate, transcendent nobility.

In the outside world, my name has likely been buried by the long river of time. But in my era, the Verdane Continent knew me by my title."

"I am Lord Zephyrus."

Rhain listened quietly, without saying a word.

"I forged this False Hollow Realm to find a suitable candidate to inherit my legacy."

Rhain’s golden-ringed pupils flickered slightly.

An unimaginable powerhouse’s inheritance.

"For this exact purpose," he continued, "I left hundreds of pocket realms wandering independently across the entirety of the Verdane Continent."

He let out a reminiscent sigh.

"But time is absolutely merciless. Over the endless millennia, many of those pocket dimensions have completely collapsed and vanished into the void. The power of the surviving ones has severely degraded."

Zephyrus looked around the massive hall.

"When I first forged this specific pocket dimension, it was stable enough to easily accommodate Core Formation Realm experts. Now? Its spatial laws have decayed so badly it cannot even endure the presence of a Spirit Manifestation Realm cultivator."

He turned his profound gaze back to Rhain.

"Fortunately, before this pocket dimension also collapses into nothingness... you came."

A rare trace of surprise flashed through Rhain’s eyes.

"Are you saying I am being chosen for your inheritance right now?" Rhain asked.

Zephyrus slowly nodded.

"Yes. But do not misunderstand. My true inheritance is not located in this Hollow Realm."

Zephyrus waved his hand dismissively at the towering bookshelves and heavy weapon racks surrounding them.

"This place is merely a trial ground. One of hundreds I scattered across the world. My actual, complete legacy is hidden within the main pocket dimension I created to keep my legacy safe for hundreds of years."

Zephyrus floated slightly closer, looking down at Rhain with a gaze full of deep appreciation.

"I have watched your actions since you stepped through that spatial vortex. I am extremely pleased with your decisive, ruthless character and your completely incomprehensible talent."

His voice turned solemn as he suddenly asked.

"Tell me, young man. Do you wish to inherit my legacy?"

Rhain looked at the ancient expert floating before him, and simply gave an indifferent nod.

"Sure."

Zephyrus’s majestic face violently twitched.

The corner of his mouth uncontrollably spasmed.

In his era, peerless experts and emperors of massive dynasties would have lined up for thousands of miles, willingly kneeling for decades just to receive a single, passing word of advice from him.

And now?

He was practically handing over his entire life’s legacy on a silver platter, and this brat couldn’t even be bothered to fake a single smile!

Zephyrus forced himself to swallow his immense frustration.

He let out a dry cough to mask his sudden awkwardness.

"Good," Zephyrus said, his tone slightly stiff.

He slowly raised his muscular right arm and gently waved his hand.

A streak of dazzling golden light shot out from the towering bookshelves.

It hovered in the air, slowly descending until it floated just half a pace in front of Rhain.

The light gradually dimmed, revealing an ancient martial art.

"This is the final test," Zephyrus stated, his imposing aura returning to its former dignity.

"If you can successfully comprehend the martial art within a day, you will be granted the right to enter my main pocket dimension."

Zephyrus looked deeply at Rhain, his eyes flashing with a faint hope.

"Only then will you have the chance to truly receive my inheritance."

Rhain reached out and effortlessly grasped the ancient manual.

He lowered his head and looked at the cover.

[Epic-Grade Martial Art: Heavenly Severing Palm]

Epic-Grade.

In the entirety of the Greymist Region, even a Rare-Grade martial art was treated as the ultimate foundation of a sect.

An Epic-Grade art was something that even Spirit Manifestation Realm experts wouldn’t dare to hope for.

Zephyrus floated above the jade platform, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest.

Of course, Zephyrus knew exactly how absurd his criteria were.

A martial art of Epic-Grade was highly profound.

For a normal genius, just comprehending the opening stance would take years of meditation. To fully master it could take an entire lifetime

To ask a boy at the Essence Awakening Realm to comprehend such martial art in a day was as difficult as soaring in the sky.

But Zephyrus’s standards for his sole inheritor were outrageously high.

He did not actually expect Rhain to master the technique.

He only wanted to see how much of the foundational essence routing Rhain could decipher within twenty-four hours. If the boy could grasp even ten percent of the opening circulation, it would prove his talent was monstrous enough to inherit the legacy.

"Take your time, young man," Zephyrus advised in an encouraging tone. "Do not be disappointed by the complexity of the routes. Focus your mind. You have exactly one day."

Rhain didn’t respond.

He simply flipped the ancient manual open.

His dark grey eyes, ringed with faint golden light, swept across the complex, profound essence circulation routes.

Eyes of Truth.

Under the Heaven-Grade optical ability, the dense and obscure text was broken down to its most fundamental laws.

Coupled with the comprehension speed of his Abyssal Sovereign Physique, the knowledge was assimilated in the blink of an eye.

The profound mysteries of the Epic-Grade martial art flowed into his mind like water pouring into a bucket.

No bottlenecks. No resistance.

Zephyrus watched the boy quietly.

In his era, he had seen peerless prodigies and heaven’s chosen.

Even the most monstrous among them would need at least half a day just to grasp the introductory concepts of this manual.

He wanted to see how good is Rhain compared to those prodigies.

One minute passed.

Three minutes passed.

Five minutes passed.

Snap.

Rhain casually closed the heavy manual.

Zephyrus frowned deeply.

A thick trace of disappointment flashed through his profound eyes.

"What is wrong?" Zephyrus asked, his tone turning slightly strict. "Have you already given up? The complexity of an Epic-Grade martial art is indeed overwhelming, but to quit after merely five minutes—"

"I have learned it," Rhain said flatly.

The words completely silenced the words that Zephyrus was going to advise.

He stared at Rhain without blinking as if he had turned into a statue.