Chapter 263: Promotion to Second Circle (Qixi Festival Bonus)

Eyes fixed ahead, Xia De suddenly vanished while running, only to reappear 30 feet away. Because of another use of 【Lalage's Leap】, more cracks appeared around him. The tree canopy overhead remained motionless; it, too, feared those cracks.

His figure vanished once more. After three consecutive leaps, the number of cracks around Xia De was impossible to count.

But this was enough. At this moment, he finally reached the high platform where the statue and holy emblem were placed. The light from his fingertips illuminated more details before him, and thus he saw the text on the metal cube box:

【This is a gift left for the children.】

The statue held this box. It stood to reason that 【Mercury Blood】 had tried many times, but simply could not snatch this Sage-level relic from the statue's hands.

Yet, Xia De was quite familiar with that Old God who wore a jester's hat. Having read the text on the relic, in his current panic, he immediately understood what kind of etiquette was required to take the box from the statue's hands:

"Only a child can take the gift box from the god's hands."

Thus, he held the box with both hands and lifted it gently; the box was immediately cradled in his arms:

"Ha, as expected."

And just as Xia De paused to lift the box, the cracks behind him had already closed in. They seemed to fear the statue and dared not approach the high platform, but they only paused for a few seconds before continuing to move toward Xia De.

The phantom of the woman who had handed Xia De the candle appeared once more. She stood behind Xia De, temporarily blocking those terrifying fissures.

Xia De did not waste time. Holding the Sage-level relic 【God's Gift Box】, he turned to face the streaks of pitch-black cracks in the space behind him.

"Hmm?"

He saw the woman who had helped him temporarily block the fissures, but there was no time to say anything more, for black mist was already surging from the nearly triple-digit number of cracks. The bursts of hissing and roaring gave Xia De a splitting headache, to the point where he could barely hold the box. Strange starlight appeared in the deepest part of the darkness; something was truly about to emerge.

Holding the box with his right hand and pressing his left hand against the lid, he pushed gently. The sliding lid moved, and a gap appeared between the lid and the box body. At the edge of the giant tree's canopy, leaning against the Old God statue, after a second that made Xia De's heart stop, golden light spilled out from the gap.

He widened his eyes as he looked at the scene before him.

Brilliant light, holy light, the light of order—it was not overbearing, but exceptionally solemn; it was not blinding, but rather exceptionally gentle.

At this moment, Xia De faintly heard the singing of children. As the lid was pushed fully open, the golden light also illuminated his face and the transparent woman beside him.

The light illuminated what was before him, illuminated everything, and also illuminated the increasing number of pitch-black cracks in the space ahead. Amidst that holy golden radiance that seemed to suppress all things, the expansion of the cracks ceased.

In the light, Xia De saw the phantom of a giant pupil flash past behind one of the cracks. Subsequently, they slowly contracted until they vanished completely.

"Ha~"

Xia De closed the lid and collapsed to the ground, leaning against the base of the statue. Only then did he feel that his back was soaked through; sweat had drenched his front. The transparent woman wearing robes stood quietly to the side, looking respectfully at the statue that now possessed no power.

The feeling of dizziness arrived belatedly. Even with his eyes closed, Xia De still felt the world spinning.

"This gift is truly... truly thanks to Him, thanks to..."

He muttered to himself, listening to the comfort of the woman's voice in his heart, and it was a long while before he caught his breath and opened his eyes.

If the thing inside the box was also useless, he would really have to use that drop of divinity in his soul.

He opened the lid of the box in his hand again. Amidst the brilliant golden light erupting toward the ceiling, he reached his hand inside the box. There was only one item inside; he grasped it and took it out.

The lid of the gift box then closed automatically.

【What could the gift be?】

She was also looking forward to it.

After the item left the box, the light gradually became faint, possessing only the brightness of a gas lamp. Xia De opened his palm and saw a puppet—a lifelike puppet radiating light, in the image of Xia De Suren Hamilton.

Inside the puppet's chest, there was a faint golden luster; all the light from just moments ago had originated from here.

"This is..."

【... A drop of divinity that existed in the material world, sealed away.】

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

He stood up staggeringly. After the danger had passed, he felt his body was weak, and his legs were even trembling from the overuse of his wonder arts.

Under the tree in the distance, he heard the sound of conversation; it seemed the two ladies had also subdued the Silver-Eyed One.

He looked at the transparent woman praying with her head bowed beside the statue; only at this close range did he understand that she was a soul from the past. Subsequently, he looked at the statue, whispered his thanks, and slowly pressed the puppet of himself in his hand against the position of his heart.

His skin felt the throbbing within the puppet; that throbbing gradually synchronized with the frequency of his own heartbeat. Subsequently, the puppet transformed into golden light spots and dissipated in Xia De's hand, while those golden light spots fluttered around Xia De.

His destiny ring automatically appeared behind him. As the light spots entered his body and soul one by one from different angles, the sense of overflowing power made him unable to help but sigh.

"Why didn't you appear? Am I not currently absorbing divinity?"

【This is a gift for you, there is no danger, I do not need to appear.】

Her murmuring voice carried a smile; it seemed she was also very satisfied with this gift.

Xia De nodded, reaching out and watching the light spots continuously surge into his body. Subsequently, he looked up at the statue again. For an instant, the statue that originally had no face seemed to grow one, and it smiled at him.

But after blinking once, the statue was just a statue without power.

He did not speak again, but instead looked up at the giant tree that dared not move in the slightest. Azure light illuminated his face, and he heard the voice in his ear:

【The town that vanished, He is studying the manufacturing method for the most realistic toys. In the very end, He will meet you again.】

【Relic - God's Gift Box, grants you brand new power.】

"Contact with this relic gave me a wonder art? Or a curse?"

The light spots gradually vanished. Xia De took one last deep breath, and all the remaining golden light spots were absorbed into his body. The brass-colored ring behind him was almost dyed golden. Black-iron colored spiritual light gathered; this was the whisper power obtained from the relic.

【Outlander, you have inscribed the Black-Iron Whisper Spirit Rune - Toymaker.】

【Outlander, you have obtained the wonder art - Toy Making. Using any fabric as a casting material, you can turn items into toys.】

On the destiny ring, a brand new black spirit rune appeared. But this was not the end; the power overflowing from the second drop of divinity pulled the four spirit runes of the first circle into resonance, and the four-colored spiritual lights linked together—

The enclosed underground space began to wind. Xia De closed his eyes, his feet left the ground, and his body floated in the air.

And the two ladies who were walking over while supporting each other happened to see this scene. In their two pairs of eyes, this scene was reflected—this scene that was not normal:

Miracle - Echo, the golden-colored spirit rune detached from the ring body and appeared on Xia De's left side; faintly, the phantom of the ancient tree overlapped with his body.

【The appearance of the Outlander causes stable time to echo toward the past.】

Profanity - Gluttony, the silver-colored spirit rune detached from the ring body and appeared on Xia De's right side; faintly, the phantom of the man in the blood-red suit overlapped with his body;

【Not just anyone can devour the power of the banquet host.】

Enlightenment - The Little Match Girl, the brass-colored spirit rune detached from the ring body and appeared in front of Xia De; faintly, the phantom of the little girl carrying a basket and barefoot overlapped with his body;

【A kind heart is not power, but helping others is also helping oneself.】

Whisper - Toymaker, the black-iron colored spirit rune detached from the ring body and appeared behind Xia De; faintly, the phantom of the young man wearing a jester's hat overlapped with his body.

【This is a gift granted to you.】

The overflowing divine power caused the four spirit runes to resonate, thereby causing the destiny ring behind him to rotate at a faster speed. In the eyes of Miss Anate and Miss Beiyasi, the four-colored spirit runes surrounded Xia De in a quadrilateral shape and gradually contracted inward. Four strange phantoms overlapped with his body; what was about to happen was a sublimation in the true sense.

Steam mist drifted out from an unknown place, completely enveloping Xia De. The sound of bells rang out, steam overflowed, steam whistles shrieked, and hymns began.

A giant hammer head fell from high above, preparing to strike the high-speed rotating blank ring behind Xia De.

【Guide a drop of divinity to imbue the spirit rune you prepared for the "Words of Sublimation".】

She reminded him softly.

In the rotating destiny ring, the golden divine light dissipated again, and subsequently, all this dazzling radiance converged on the 【Echo】 on the left. The giant hammer fell; the abnormal advancement method caused the entire ground to shake.

The tree canopy overhead rustled; it was afraid. As for the two ladies, they were completely unable to understand what was happening at this moment.

The two drops of divinity turned back into one. At the same time, the white mist around his body dissipated, and Xia De's body slowly descended. He opened his eyes and looked behind him; the double-sided brass destiny ring belonging to a Second Circle sorcerer slowly rotated behind him. Among the four spirit runes of the first circle, the 【Echo】 he had washed with a drop of divinity was now illuminating the surroundings with bright golden spiritual light.

When he possessed twelve divine spirit runes, he would complete the final sublimation. At this time, it could only be considered the starting point.

Merely the power of the overflowing divinity pushed him to the Second Circle without any rituals or material assistance. The light gradually converged, and all anomalies vanished. His feet touched the ground again; at this moment, the sense of overflowing power in his body gave Xia De the illusion that he could punch through the ground.

"Detective, have you advanced to the Second Circle?"

Miss Beiyasi's surprised voice came only then, but it was filled more with doubt:

"Even advancing from the Middle Circle to the High Circle doesn't have such an anomaly... Diviner."

"Hmm? I'm here."

Miss Anate, who had not yet recovered, looked at her:

"What's wrong?"

The young female sorcerer looked at her with quite a bit of anticipation:

"He is really amazing. In a while, when I undergo the ritual to become an Chosen One, can I also have such a, um... can I also have such an amazing scene?"

This question stumped the purple-eyed diviner. She looked up and down at Xia De, who was smiling very happily at this moment, and then looked at the woman's soul praying to the statue, and said hesitantly:

"I'm not sure either."