Chapter 370 Tribulations
Weapons clashed without stop.
The Battle God hadn't moved even one step from the place where he was at the start while Yale was attacking when moving as fast as he could.
Both had long ago lost the count of how many times their weapons clashed, but the count had surpassed the million times long ago.
Yale had long ago stopped battling focusing on swords and was constantly changing his battle style and his weapons, and the Battle God did the same.
In fact, it would be difficult having a battle like that in the real world as a normal sword can't become a giant axe in an instant.
While battling, both of them changed the shape of their weapons created new ones nonstop.
Yale seemed to have fun with that battle although he knew that it was quite boring to the Battle God who was treating that battle as playing with his grandson.
Although Yale had never used too much the weapons that weren't a sword or a bow, he got used to all the weapons after battling with his grandfather for such a long time.
Although Yale's level in the real world couldn't be affected by his training in the Timeless Border and it was impossible to train any Laws or Essences there, Yale believed that his battle prowess was at least hundred times stronger due to the experience he gathered battling with the Battle God.
Yale wasn't sure if he would be able to remember that battle after leaving the Timeless border, but he was sure that at least the experience obtained by battling so much wouldn't disappear.
It was sad for Yale that there wasn't a proper way to emulate the elements and the effect of the Time Law, Space Law, Life Law, and Death Law because Yale was sure that he would have improved even more, but the skills generated by the will of Yale differed too much from the real ones and were useless.
"I did it! I finally forced you to move one step!"
After Yale's last attack, the Battle God was forced to move a foot back, which Yale considered quite impressive since the Battle God didn't even move his legs before that moment.
"This is indeed very good for a kid. Well done."
Yale felt that his grandfather finally recognized him even if it was only in kid's standards, but it was far better than the Battle God's previous disappointment.
"The next time you will need to move even more!"
Yale felt that he should be able to make his grandfather move both legs, but at that moment the other party shook his head.
"There won't be the next time to battle between us in the Timeless Border. If you want to battle again look for me in the real world."
Yale didn't understand why his battle-loving grandfather decided to stop the battle at that moment.
"Yale, even if you continue, you won't be able to improve anymore. You aren't conscious of how much you improved. To improve more, you need a real environment and the Timeless Border isn't enough for it."
Seeing that Yale still didn't believe it, the Battle God decided to disclose some information that he considered common sense and that he believed that Yale still didn't know.
"Yale, have you heard about the tribulations? Once someone steps into the Immortal levels there is a tribulation to face related with the Law, or Essence one was trying to advance. However, those like you with soul empowerment wouldn't face anything until the tribulation for becoming an Essence God, and those with at least a Fake Origin Path would only face it when becoming Law Gods skipping the tribulation related to Law Masters, so I bet that you have never experienced one nor heard about it."
Yale nodded his head because he had indeed never heard about it.
"What do you think is the tribulation, for example, to become an Essence God in the Sword Essence?"
Yale though a bit before replying.
"Facing a lot of swords or battling against someone powerful."
For the elements, it was easier to imagine that would be something related to them, but it was quite difficult imagining it for the weapons and martial arts.
"The answer is battling against a shadow of myself. Each level of the tribulation has a different shadow restrained in power to that of the tribulation, and to succeed you need to make the shadow acknowledge you."
Yale felt that it made sense that the shadow was that from the one who created the essences.
"The battle happens in a mental space where the battle restrictions are quite similar to those in the Timeless Border. With your current level, you are already capable of clearing all the tribulations for the Essences I left behind. Martial arts, sword, spear, rod, hammer, axe, whip, and archery. Those eight Essences are the ones I left behind, and you are already capable of succeeding easily in the Essence Tribulation for all of them. Do you understand why you can't improve more here?"
Although there were more types of weapons, the Laws and Essences ended englobing them in those eight areas. A dagger and a saber would still be considered part of the Sword Essence, but a dagger for throwing would enter in the Archery Essence.
"It is difficult to believe, but if you say that I am so capable, then I believe it."
Despite being difficult to believe, Yale felt that if those words were true, then it would be easy for him the day he wanted to become an Essence God with the Sword Essence.
"Don't think about using this experience to your tribulation."
Yale was shocked by hearing that statement.
"Don't misunderstand me. Although I don't know what will happen to your memories of our battle, your experience would remain as long as your consciousness returns to the real world. However, there won't be any tribulation for you in those eight Essences because I have already acknowledged you and as a shadow, I am far stronger than those of the tribulations."
Yale couldn't understand how that could count as passing the tribulation when he didn't even learn the full Essences and fused with them.
"Although this space isn't within the universe, it isn't outside either, that is why it is called Timeless Border. Acknowledging you here is valid since the conditions are even harder than in a real tribulation. Although I must admit that I can acknowledge whoever I want, and that person wouldn't face any tribulation related to those eight Essences, but the tribulations were set to test if the person was really able to control the power of the Laws and Essences properly to avoid them going berserk."
Trying to control Laws or Essences without being strong enough in body, soul and mind would lead to losing the control, and even those who succeed sometimes had their mindsets affected and suffered changes of personality like that red-eyed man who turned into psychopath due to being unable to endure the Darkness Law and the Darkness Essence correctly.
There was a flaw in some tribulations making that one could avoid failing by allowing the Law or Essence to corrupt their minds.
With some elements like the Fire, one would just become more hot-headed, but when it came to Death and Darkness, the results of using that shortcut were far too severe.
A full Essence couldn't be properly controlled by someone who isn't ready, and Yale experienced it himself when he turned berserk after using them. Given his soul empowerment, there wasn't any problem to use Laws, but he couldn't allow going carelessly with Essences. Of course, the eight mentioned by the Battle God were some Yale wouldn't need to worry.
"This feels like cheating for having connections, but I suppose this is also some kind of power."
Skipping two tribulations thanks to the soul empowerment and having a free pass to eight Essence Tribulations was something anyone would go mad to obtain, but it wasn't that easy.
"The advantage of doing a tribulation before needing it is that failing doesn't mean guaranteed death. For example, the Life and Death Trials are a simulation of the tribulation to become an Essence God in Life and Death, and those who surpassed it could avoid facing that combined tribulation, but the real tribulation couldn't be stopped, while the Life and Death Trials could be stopped to save the one experiencing it."
If Yale had recovered the memories about the Life and Death Trials before the war, he wouldn't have lost the control of those Essences, but since he didn't remember anything about it, it wasn't until he recovered those memories and accepted it that his status as someone who cleared them was reestablished.
It wasn't that weird that powerful experts tried to create and use pseudo-tribulations to ensure that their descendants would succeed. After all, the soul empowerment couldn't be inherited endlessly, and usually, only the eldest child managed to obtain it, so letting that child dying in a tribulation would be very bad for them.
However, except for the Life and Death Trials, there weren't any other standardized methods to skip the tribulation. There were some to prepare for it, but that wouldn't prevent the tribulation from happening.
Of course, battling with the Battle God to make him acknowledge you was also a method for those eight essences, but Yale was the third in the story to manage to do that as normal people couldn't even meet with him.