344: Challenger of the Ritual Trial

Chapter 343: Challengers of the Rite Trial

Three days later, on the summit of Snow God Mountain, in the eastern part of the Eternal Frost Forest.

Vivian, clad in a snow-white robe, danced gracefully on the sacrificial platform. At times, she soared like a startled swan, and at others, she bent and spun like a crouching rabbit.

Brilliant, multi-colored luminous dust danced around Vivian, following her steps and swirling on the sacrificial platform.

There was not a single spectator below the platform, because Vivian was performing the sacrificial dance, which only the great and noble Snow Goddess was worthy of appreciating.

Snow fell from the sky, and the stone sacrificial platform was cold and hard, yet Vivian stood barefoot with her jade-like feet, without a single complaint.

She had been performing the sacrificial dance for a full day and night, yet her movements remained perfect, without the slightest hint of slackness.

Her professional level, as high as seventy-nine, prevented Vivian from feeling physically unwell, but she could no longer continue.

Because she had danced the sacrificial dance for so long without hearing any divine sound, the immense spiritual blow made Vivian feel on the verge of collapse.

Soon, during a difficult turn and jump, Vivian twisted her ankle and made a mistake.

She fell from the sacrificial platform, but fortunately, the soft snow broke her fall, and Vivian felt no pain.

Whoosh—

A cold wind swept past, messing up Vivian's neat bangs, but she didn't fix them, instead staring blankly at the gray sky.

"Great Snow Goddess, why do you no longer grant divine sound... Have I lost the qualification of a Snow Maiden?"

In the nearly thousand years since becoming a Snow Maiden, Vivian had never encountered such a terrible failure in the matter of the rite.

Each sacrificial dance lasted only ten minutes, and after the dance, she would be able to hear the divine sound, and the Snow Goddess would answer Vivian's questions.

From trivial matters of daily life to major international affairs, the kind Snow Goddess would answer all questions.

But in these past few days, Vivian had performed the sacrificial dance hundreds of times, yet had never heard a single divine sound.

It was as if the Snow Goddess had disappeared!

Of course, there was another possibility: that she, Vivian Snowland, was no longer a person who could communicate with the divine!

"Great Snow Goddess, I am your most devout follower. Please tell me what I have done wrong. Why have you abandoned me..."

Vivian wept profusely, like a rain-soaked pear blossom. More than losing the divine office of Snow Maiden, she feared being abandoned by the god she worshipped.

Suddenly, a voice sounded in Vivian's mind. She immediately sat up straight, concentrating intently.

Unfortunately, this was not the divine sound of the Snow Goddess, but a transmission from a priest.

"Vivian-sama, I apologize for interrupting the divine communication rite. Just now, two of your direct disciples have arrived: Leon and Donald..."

Listening to the priest's transmission, Vivian showed irritation. She was on the verge of collapse because she couldn't hear the divine sound. How could she have leisure time to entertain her two troublesome disciples?

Regarding Leon and Donald, Vivian unceremoniously classified them as troublesome disciples.

After all, one went to become a bounty hunter, and the other went to become a mercenary, both going against her teachings—utterly rebellious!

Just as Vivian was about to sternly refuse, the priest transmitted again: "They also brought two challengers, saying they want to undergo the Rite Trial..."

Upon hearing this, Vivian was stunned. How many years had it been since she heard the term Rite Trial?

One must know that the Rite Trial was known to only a very few people, basically only the high-ranking priests of the Snow Goddess Sect and the top brass of the three great Elf families understood it.

Although as the most outstanding Snow Maiden, Vivian possessed the Ice Mist Lotus Body and could bestow the sacrificial kiss upon those who passed the trial.

But in the nearly thousand years since Vivian became a Snow Maiden, no one had come to participate in the Rite Trial, not a single one.

The reason was simple: those who knew about the Rite Trial knew that its difficulty was ridiculously high.

The Snow Goddess Sect has a history of nearly a million years, yet the number of people who have passed the Rite Trial and successfully received the sacrificial kiss is less than the fingers of one hand!

Over time, the Rite Trial became less and less known, and even many generations of Snow Maidens, during their tenure, did not have a single person come to undergo the Rite Trial.

Vivian never expected that she would encounter challengers for the Rite Trial, and two of them at that.

However, after a brief thought, Vivian quickly came to a conclusion.

It must be her two troublesome disciples acting foolishly, bringing people here to participate in the trial without proper reason.

Now, the Eternal Frost Forest is ravaged by snow disasters, causing heavy casualties among the followers, and she herself cannot hear the divine sound... There are already enough vexing matters.

"Hmph, they really know how to cause trouble for their master!"

Vivian put on the white mask symbolizing solemnity, preparing to go scold Leon and Donald.

But halfway there, Vivian suddenly remembered something.

Historically, those who could pass the Rite Trial would also become people who could communicate with the divine, able to hear the divine sound just like a Snow Maiden!

If one of those two challengers could succeed... would they be able to establish contact with the Snow Goddess?

And if she could hear the divine sound, then the current blizzard would undoubtedly be resolved easily. The omniscient and omnipotent Snow Goddess would definitely provide a perfect answer.

All difficulties, it seemed, could be perfectly resolved.

Thinking this, Vivian couldn't help but start to feel a little anticipation, hoping that someone would truly pass the Rite Trial later.

However, Vivian soon found her own naivety laughable, as the probability was simply too pitifully low.

...

Meanwhile, in the reception hall of the Snow Goddess Temple, Dick and his companions, who had changed into snow-white robes, were chatting and waiting.

Fama was the most excited, constantly trying to subtly get information from the priest, hoping to understand the Rite Trial as much as possible to increase his chances of passing.

After all, regarding the Rite Trial, Dick had only given a rather vague description, and Donald and Leon didn't know much either.

The Rite Trial is a spiritual trial, primarily testing willpower. Those who pass can receive the sacrificial kiss, which is the legendary Ice Mist Lotus, thereby extending their lifespan by a thousand years!

That's all Fama knew. As for the specific details of the trial, he had no idea, and Dick hadn't said anything.

"Respected Mita-sama," Fama quietly handed over a beautifully packaged box of cosmetics, flattering, "Snow God Mountain is cold and dry. Please, you must accept this box of high-grade moisturizing cream."

Mita was a Snow Elf over five thousand years old and the priest specifically responsible for receiving foreign guests. Her rank was not low, so she naturally knew some specific details about the Rite Trial.

Seeing this, Mita stroked the silver hair at her temples and lightly coughed, saying, "This... isn't this a bit much?"

Fama had already done his research and knew that Mita was a very "flexible" priest. After all, her job was to receive foreign guests, and she had certainly profited from it over the years.

"You have toiled for the Snow Goddess Sect for thousands of years. As a follower, my admiration for you is like the surging river, endless..."

Fama flattered her profusely, then casually said, "This small gift from me is merely a token of my respect. This is how it should be between friends."

Hearing Fama say this much, Mita went along with it.

"Serving the Snow Goddess is the highest honor, how can you speak of toiling..."

Although Mita was still being polite with her words, one hand quickly slipped the moisturizing cream into her pocket.

What Fama called a small gift was something he had bought many years ago at an auction for eight-figure gold coins.

Originally, Fama had planned to give it to Vivian, who was responsible for presiding over the Rite Trial, but he worried about it backfiring.

After all, Vivian was different from Mita; she was a true servant of the divine, and such a borderline gift would instead feel like an insult.

As for Mita... she absolutely loved being 'insulted' with money by others.

No woman doesn't love beauty. Mita was over five thousand years old and was about to enter menopause, so she happened to need skin care.

The gift Fama gave could be considered catering to her preferences.

Dick witnessed the entire process from the side, but he just smiled without speaking. He knew what Fama wanted to do.

He just wanted to ask some questions about the Rite Trial, such as... the difficulty level of the trial, the consequences of failing the trial, and so on.

Dick had not told Fama these important pieces of information, otherwise, he wouldn't have obediently come here to court death.

If he knew that in a million years, the number of people who had passed the Rite Trial was less than the fingers of one hand, he probably would have turned hostile long ago.

And the most terrifying thing was the price of failing the trial: instant death. This alone directly deterred almost everyone who wanted to try.

Dick only told Fama about the benefits of the sacrificial kiss, but he didn't mention a single word about the other drawbacks.