The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 167: The Grueling Lava Platformer

"Combine our Eins?" Oscar felt the pressure continue boring down on him. It was not as bad as the pressure from his training in the dark waters in the Abyss Prison. However, the issue was he had to consistently hop between platforms rather than last a certain amount of time.

He looked behind him to see Serena had gotten up. Her wavy red hair was messy, and sweat flowed down her neck. "Are you alright?"

Serena licked her dry lips. "I can handle. But what does this mean to combine our Eins?"

Oscar stretched his hand out. "Give me your hand. I have an idea of what it means."

Serena backed off a little from the sudden request. But she quickly regained her sense and held Oscar's hand with a hint of a blush on her cheeks, feeling slightly frustrated. Her hands gripped tightly in a way to try crushing Oscar's fingers.

It was fine when she initiated, but she didn't like others taking the lead.

"Now circulate our Eins," Oscar ignored Serena's little tantrum and sent his Ein flowing outward. There was a minuscule difference in pressure from before. Next, he exploded his Ein to the fullest, feeling the pressure alleviate more.

Oscar entertained using his Reis to add more resistance but looked at Serena. The trial's rules were specific in that both needed to get through the exit. Even if his Reis could help him get through, he couldn't leave Serena alone. The pressure built to the point where a single Greater Apprentice Exalt could not overcome it with their Ein.

"Hurry up!" Oscar shouted.

Serena focused, and her yellow Ein burst out to the max. Her flaming yellow Ein combined with Oscar's in a torrent of yellow and blue with green streaks in between that expanded to an area around them. But the pressure was still bearing down on them heavily.

"Pour more! We need to go all out!" Oscar unleashed everything he had.

Serena followed suit. Her eyes widened as the pressure was lifted to the point where she felt almost normal again.

"Let's jump!" She shouted with a wide smile. Her hand dragged Oscar, who was surprised by her initiative, but he focused and sprinted with her. Their eyes locked onto the stone platform.

Right by the edge of the entrance, Oscar and Serena leaped toward with their Eins in full blast. The intense heat from the rivers of lava under them did not have too severe an effect due to their overwhelming Ein. Together, they landed on the stone platform and ceased their Ein.

Oscar sat on the floor, covered in sweat.

Serena struggled to stay standing but also gave in. The pressure was still bearing down on them, so they fell flat on their backs.

"Good job," Oscar said.

Serena turned her head toward Oscar and said, "To you as well."

The bubbling and steaming of the underground lava cavern were drowned out by the labored breathing of Oscar and Serena. The stone platform on their back was surprisingly cool despite the hot lava surrounding it, providing much-needed relief from the stress. The pressure still made it uncomfortable for them to breathe properly, but it was fine while lying down.

Oscar closed his eyes to concentrate and recover his breathing. He entered Ein meditation to recover as much Ein as possible. His body and Ein would have been in a worse state if not for his 'Ein Awaken'.

With 'Ein Awaken', his Ein slightly recovered during the vast output he did. He urged Serena to hurry up earlier because he suffered from the side effects of keeping 'Ein Awaken' running. However, this wasn't a golden ticket to victory because his Ein was around ten percent rather than zero.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Next to him, Serena was still breathing heavily with a red face from exhaustion. She had overdone her Ein to near depletion and felt her body run cold.

"Focus," Oscar noticed her uneasy condition. "Close your eyes."

Serena didn't respond. Her green eyes closed shut.

"Breathe together with me. One. Two. One. Two." Oscar repeated himself, breathing in and out with each number.

Oscar's words were like a breeze of relief that helped Serena regain control. With each controlled breath, her complexion grew better. She quickly entered Ein meditation to recover her Ein; a vast torrent flowed into her, and Oscar, in his Ein meditation, could see it was on par with Phillip's.

There was no doubt in his mind that Serena was a Grade Seven Exolsia. With this realization, Oscar frowned a bit, thinking about how he should deal with her in a potential fight. With his insane training schedule, he couldn't find the time to go to the free duels, so he hadn't fought a Grade Seven Exolsia since Phillip.

Meanwhile, Serena was surprised at seeing Oscar's vortex of Ein that fed into his core. 'He's a Grade Five or Four Exolsia? He maintained first place for a while with that Exolsia. No, in the first place, it's wild that he's taking the exam at all. How tricky. How can I deal with him when the time comes?'

Time passed and the two fully recovered. Oscar felt the heat getting to him and took off his blue jacket, throwing it aside but keeping the badge on his white long-sleeve shirt.

"What are you doing?" Serena shouted.

"It's hot. What's the use of having the jacket on? I'm sure the Pavilion would provide a new one for me."

Hearing that, Serena looked at her blue jacket that was dirtied by the dirt and slightly soaked in sweat. She considered taking it off as well but glanced at Oscar for a moment before turning her eyes away. She would not take off her clothing.

Oscar looked in the distance with a grim look, making Serena stare as well. "We need to hurry up. There's only a day, and we already spent quite some time here."

Above them was a banner that constantly changed, showing time ticking down. It was saying they only had twenty-three hours and thirty-four minutes.

Serena sighed and nodded. Her hand stretched out toward him. "Guess we have no choice."

Hours passed as Oscar and Serena continued to jump from one stone platform to the next. Their bodies were getting run ragged. The mental and physical drain of constantly running their Ein to the max and then near depletion was taking its toll on them.

On the platform they had just arrived on, a stone tablet said this was the halfway point. Oscar looked up and saw there were only fourteen hours left.

"Let's rest here for some time. We need some sleep."

At this point, Oscar had been awake and undergoing the Inner Hall Promotion Exam for over twenty-four hours without sleep. His plan to sleep in the safe zone was ruined because of this sudden trial. At the very least, he needed to sleep a little.

"So tired!" Serena felt her jacket was incredibly heavy and quickly removed it without hesitation. Her white long-sleeve shirt was heavily soaked, showing the outline of her pink underwear. Realizing what she had done, Serena quickly covered her chest and shouted, "Don't look!"

However, her flustered and angered expression broke when she saw Oscar lying asleep. His eyes were closed shut, and soft snoring came from him. She stared blankly at Oscar for a moment before sighing in relief that he didn't see through her wet clothes.

"Tired…." Serena also fell down, using her jacket as a pillow. "This trial is such a pain."

…….

Oscar woke up and rubbed his eyes to wipe away the drowsiness. He looked up and saw the remaining time was twelve hours. "Twelve hours, we're cutting it short."

To his side, Serena was sleeping peacefully.

Oscar glanced at her and hastily turned away. He could see some forbidden clothing through her wet shirt. With no choice, he shouted, "Wake up!"

"Hurg?" Serena's breathing cut short as she sat upright. Her eyes were droopy, and her bed hair was wild. "What time is it?"

"We have twelve hours to go," Oscar said.

"Oh…." Serena groaned, but then her eyes popped open. "Oh!"

She got up and put on her jacket, buttoning it up. "We need to hurry!"

Oscar and Serena continued their combined leaps through the stone platforms. On a particular platform, they recovered and got up.

The lava began to churn, and the ground quaked.

"Look!" Serena pointed. Her green eyes glinted with excitement.

In that direction was another large stone door that appeared. Unlike the entrance, this one was wide open, attracting their eyes. After such a grueling journey, they were finally near the end.

Oscar looked at the three platforms ahead of them. These were the last three platforms; however, the time showed they had ten minutes left. Ten minutes was not enough to clear the three platforms in time because it took everything they had to get on one.

If they could leap from one platform to the other quickly, it was possible, but if they ran out, there was no chance. Oscar's face darkened, as did Serena's.

"Dammit!" Serena stomped her foot on the ground in anger. "Are we going to lose just like that?"

Oscar checked the three platforms, measuring the distance they needed to cross. He clenched his hands and said, "I might have a way."