Mixed Blessing System



The 5th stage was exceptional. From a natural point of view, it was impossible to achieve this cultivation. In a way, the Sages escaped the rules of normal living beings in this world.

For example, Lothur could see the rules behind the existence of living beings and inanimate things. His powers could affect entire regions, and he could kill hundreds of thousands of people at once if he so chose.

This was all very extreme, and it could only be achieved with the help of external resources because reaching the 5th stage through cultivation was impossible. Only by using Soul Bones, magnificent items, pills, potions, special resources, and so on, could one achieve such powerful cultivation.

As something that was achieved artificially, being at the 5th stage had its dangers!

Just as a cell that escapes the body's control will eventually be attacked by everything the body has, a being that has reached the 5th stage in this world will be rejected by it.

There were only two ways for a person in the 5th stage to continue living in this world. The first was to endure the five disasters that might befall them during their time at the 5th stage. The second was not to move and hide in special urns that could negate certain laws behind this world.

The second option was the most popular, not only because it made life easier for Sages but also because it didn't interfere with their cultivation.

The first alternative, on the other hand, was the most interesting. Once it was overcome, one would gain many years of vitality, improve one's talent, and no longer have to deal with catastrophes until one ascended to the next level. However, the price for all this was to endure something that could kill you!

The disaster didn't have a set time to reach Sages. Once they reach a certain level, they may experience this complicated situation at anytime. It could happen right after a Saint ascended to the level of a Sage, or it might not even happen while that person was at that level.

Some people advanced quickly and managed to avoid some disasters.

This was the case with Elke and Annaliese, who skipped level 22 and started their Sage cultivation at level 23.

In short, because of these characteristics, there were few Sages on the continent, and few people could maintain cultivation at this difficult stage.

On that day, Lothur sensed that the first catastrophe of his life was coming, and he prepared for it by going to a place far from where he was so as not to harm his people.

He came to the top of a mountain that separated the Three Great Lakes Region from the sea east of Concordia.

From there, he could see the great continent where he lived on one side and the majestic blue sea that stretched for countless miles on the other.

The oceans of this world were quite dangerous. It was said that one could only go as far as 200 kilometers into the sea without much danger. Moreover, one had to be prepared to face challenges that could kill even Sages, and one had to be aware of the risk of never being able to return to Concordia.

But Lothur didn't care about that at the moment and just looked at the dangerous and beautiful sea for a moment before he sat down with his legs crossed and began to meditate.

Hours would pass with him in this position, waiting for what would come.

But then, Lothur felt a beam of energy cut the sky to his head irregularly, making a long journey in about a second.

As he felt a strong current run through his body, he expressed pain but remained focused to endure it as long as he could.

The first of the five disasters was very famous. Level 22 cultivators were tested by 22 thunderbolts to pass the world's first challenge for cultivators of that stage.

But these weren't ordinary lightning bolts you might see in a storm. These were special hardships that could melt Supreme Saints with the first of 22 strikes!

With each new bolt of lightning, however, the destructive power of this tribulation increased, raising the mortality rate of this hard-to-pass test.

But Lothur's skin was thick, and he had a strong will. When he felt some body parts go numb, he stood firm to withstand the next attacks.

While he was going through this difficult time, the sky above him, which had been blue on this sunny day, closed in with gray clouds after the first of the lightning strikes.

The spiritual energy of the area changed, and all the beings in the area felt the presence of death there.

For beings below the 5th stage, that place immediately became the most dangerous place in the world, and none of them would stay there unless they were forced to.

For those in the 5th stage, that place was a glimpse of something they wanted to avoid but would have to experience sooner or later.

Considering how high the level of this event was, living beings hundreds of miles away would notice a strange phenomenon happening at this remote point on the continent.

...

While Lothur was enduring the first of his catastrophes, something that would be twice as hard for him as it would be for ordinary people due to his physical cultivation, some of Leopoldine's enemy specialists had already realized his situation.

One of the men allied with Lenz, who had agreed to come and search Leopoldine for Sages, was watching the northern side of Linn Province when he suddenly looked to the east.

'This feeling...' The level 23 thought to himself as he looked at the area where Lothur was.

He sensed a catastrophe in that area and had the confirmation he needed to say that there were indeed Sages in Leopoldine.

'Good! Not only have I confirmed that there are indeed Sages here, but I also have the location of one of them, who will be very weak soon!' The man laughed after understanding Lothur's situation.

Catastrophes were not easy, and those who didn't die during them would be weakened after it and need some time to regain all their strength or even get stronger.

They didn't take long, but one would still need to spend a few hours in seclusion using various recovery items to return to their peak after surviving such an ordeal.

In the meantime, between the end of the tribulation and the cultivator's full recovery, they would be vulnerable to other people at that stage!

Knowing this, this man at level 23, who had never experienced tribulation before, was moving westward, just like another person who had experienced tribulation in that province was doing at that moment.