Intelligence and the Fiend Examination
"However, although it's easier for Midgods to fuse Profound Mysteries, it's also easier for them to die. Think carefully about the gains and losses." Rog said this primarily for Gray's sake.
Domir's talent was only average, but Gray's was fairly good. At the very least, he had the potential to fuse two Profound Mysteries. If he started fusing them as a Midgod, he might even manage three or four. But if he waited until he became a Highgod, his achievements would be destined to be limited.
"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, my lord." Gray was thrilled. He simply hadn't known before that Profound Mysteries could be fused. Now that he did, he was sure he could do it.
"Lord Dimont, Mr. Rog, sorry to have kept you both waiting." Not long after Rog finished advising Gray, Deen respectfully approached them. A blue Metallic Lifeform shaped like a flying eagle had already been brought to a stop, ready for the two of them to board.
To "escort" Rog and Dimont to Golden Feather City, Deen had no time to spare for his newly expanded tribe. He personally led several hundred Midgod warriors into the Metallic Lifeform, leaving only Morgan to watch over the tribe.
"My lords, there are all kinds of food and drink inside the Metallic Lifeform. If you need anything, just tell my Metallic Lifeform, Laki." Deen warmly saw to the two of them, but he could also tell that their ambitions lay beyond his tiny Deen Tribe, so he naturally didn't press the matter any further.
Golden Feather City was ten million li from the Deen Tribe. In a Material Plane, even a god-level expert would have taken a very long time to fly there.
And this was the Infernal Realm!
The Metallic Lifeform flew for dozens of days. They encountered bandits several times along the way, and each time Deen, a Highgod, appeared and shouted them off.
That was the advantage of having a Highgod in the group. When bandits saw a Highgod Fiend, they would usually choose to retreat. Although Rog and Dimont were powerful, when it came to intimidating the bandits of the Infernal Realm, having Deen step forward was actually more effective.
After all, there were very few Highgods among the bandits of the Infernal Realm.
Most formed small gangs of dozens or hundreds of Midgods, doing no more than robbing passing Midgods and Lowgods.
The two entered the city with the main group from the Deen Tribe, then went their separate ways. Deen, who had been on edge throughout the journey, breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid the two would stay with his tribe. How could his little temple accommodate two great gods like them?
After entering the city, the first place Rog wanted to visit was the Fiend Castle.
The green castle, carved with a giant face and a single horn, left a deep impression on them both.
Upon entering the Fiend Castle, their first impression was of its vast emptiness!
Despite the enormous space, only a few hundred people were drinking and chatting. Rog looked closely and saw that each of them wore a medallion on their chest.
"So those are Fiend medallions." Rog studied them thoughtfully. The medallion was a mark of a Fiend's identity. With one on display, even bandits wouldn't dare target its wearer lightly.
The two soon found the counter for Fiend applications.
An old man was in charge of reception. He glanced at them and asked indifferently, "Applying for the Fiend examination?"
"That's right," Rog replied. "How do we apply?"
"It's simple," the old man said indifferently. "Pay me ten thousand Inkstones, and I'll register you. Then all you have to do is wait. Once there are enough people for the examination, someone will notify you."
They both understood. The Fiend examination couldn't be taken immediately upon application.
"May I ask how long that will take?"
"Usually about a month. Once we have a full quota of one thousand people, you'll set out," the old man said lazily.
"Sign us both up." Leaving aside the money Rog and Dimont had earned from killing Highgods, they had each received one hundred thousand Inkstones for joining the escort team. They had more than enough to pay the registration fee.
After leaving the Fiend Castle, the two visited Muya Castle and Black Sand Castle.
First, they sold off their earlier spoils. Kasaer's heavy sword and Wilson's spiked mace were both fairly good Highgod Artifacts, and the two High Godheads could also fetch a considerable price. After selling everything to Muya Castle, Rog had amassed a fortune of roughly two hundred million Inkstones.
Most of that wealth had come from Wilson. As the chief of a tribe, he had accumulated considerably more wealth than an ordinary Five-Star Fiend.
With that money to draw on, Rog had the confidence to buy other things at Muya Castle and Black Sand Castle.
There were quite a few valuable treasures in the Infernal Realm, such as Soul Gold Beads that could strengthen the soul, Godslaying Arrows that could kill Highgods, and Deathgod Golems. But those things were simply too expensive, so Rog bought only a handful of things: a lightning-attribute Highgod Artifact saber, a suit of defensive armor at the Highgod Artifact level, several Metallic Lifeforms, and Deathgod Golems.
"Let me see. Just as I expected, if a Rule expert takes the 'specialization' path, they can likewise reach a level equivalent to having fused multiple Profound Mysteries while still a Midgod. And it's also easier for a Midgod to take this 'specialization' path." After reading the book in his hands about cultivating the Four Edicts, Rog understood the reason.
Although cultivating Rules didn't require fusing Profound Mysteries, only a deeper level of understanding, comprehending too many different and varied aspects at once would naturally hinder a deeper understanding of each one.
A Rule was like a forest. Whether one could become a Midgod or Highgod in a Rule depended on the total number of trees that made up the forest. But combat power truly depended on the tallest, strongest tree. If other weeds and saplings grew around that tree, they would instead hinder its growth.
"If I divide the depth of a Rule into levels corresponding to the number of fused Profound Mysteries in a Law, my Soul Ray is only at the second level, still a considerable distance from the third. As for Heart of the Undead, it's only at the first level." Over the past two hundred-plus years, Rog had focused on the Laws of Lightning, so he had inevitably fallen behind in the Death Rule.
After finishing the guide to cultivating Rules, Rog involuntarily looked at another piece of intelligence.
"An earth-shaking battle between the Purple Blood Fiend Dinos and the Blackwing Fiend Blake in the Azure Peak Mountains..."
The Purple Blood Fiend was still alive, and there was no news of the Four Divine Beasts Clan being hunted by the Eight Great Clans. It seemed that at this point in time, the four Sovereigns, including Azure Dragon, were still alive. But Rog had no way of guessing exactly how long it would be before they fell.
"Looks like I'll have to wait a long time before I can meet Linley." Rog very much wanted to meet someone he had always admired, but since they couldn't meet for the time being, he let it go.
"I'd better improve my strength first. Although I fused three Profound Mysteries in one go in a relatively short time, I still don't have the slightest idea how to fuse a fourth." His current strength was fairly good. He couldn't be called an unrivaled expert, but he was capable of venturing out and training in the Infernal Realm.
"Since I won't make any headway with the Laws of Lightning in the short term, I'll focus on comprehending the Death Rule first." Leaving aside his talent in other aspects of the Death Rule, he was fairly gifted in the Soul Ray. At least, he didn't feel that he would encounter any major bottlenecks before reaching the third level.
About half a month later, Rog received notice at the hotel that the examination was starting.
Outside Golden Feather City, a large Metallic Lifeform bearing a Fiend design flew toward the distance.
They had just boarded the Metallic Lifeform under the guidance of the Fiend Castle staff, but Rog had already seen no fewer than ten Highgod Fiends board it as well. It seemed the examination mission wouldn't be so simple.
Inside the Metallic Lifeform, Rog and Dimont rested with their eyes closed. Even when other Midgods tried to talk to them, neither responded. After all, the two of them were on an entirely different level from ordinary Midgods. There was no need to mingle with these little fellows.
They and the other Fiend examination candidates had already spent two days flying in the Metallic Lifeform, and its destination would be the site of their examination mission.
The Metallic Lifeform flew for roughly half a month before finally landing on a mound. At last, the person in charge from the Fiend Castle appeared. He was a handsome man with a pointed horn on his forehead; his true form apparently wasn't human.
"Everyone, listen carefully."
The man was responsible for explaining their mission.
"Your mission is to obtain a Black Raven Token from one of the guards of Blood Raven Castle. Under normal circumstances, every guard should have one. If they don't, you can only blame your bad luck. Of course, if you manage to obtain a Blood Raven Token, that will also count as passing." The handsome man then changed tack.
"But I must warn you: guards with Blood Raven Tokens are all Highgods at the very least. You'd better think carefully." With that, the person in charge smiled and stepped aside. Two Highgod Fiends took his place before the crowd.
Judging from the looks of awe the other Highgod Fiends gave them, these two certainly weren't ordinary Highgod Fiends. They were most likely Five-Star Fiends or even stronger.
"Everyone, we know you're here to take the Fiend examination." A voice like thunder rang out in the minds of the thousand people, Rog included. It came from a sturdy black-haired man who looked very steady. "We're different from you. Our mission is more dangerous than yours. I hope you won't hold me back. That's all."
"Our mission is to kill the lord of Blood Raven Castle. According to our intelligence, he's a veteran Six-Star Fiend who cultivates the Laws of Fire. Naturally, Sairon and I will deal with him, and the other Highgod Fiends will deal with the other Highgod Blood Raven Guards. Your opponents will only be Midgod guards." The speaker was a breathtakingly handsome man who looked like an elf, with an exceptionally graceful air.
"As long as you're careful, you'll have a fairly good chance of surviving. Now, all one thousand of you, follow us. Let's set out together." With that, the black-haired man and the elven man led the veteran Fiends and the more than one thousand prospective Fiends toward the well-known Blood Raven Castle.