The Vast Expanse Shrine is one of the two trials by fire for the disciples of the Vast Expanse School, with the other being the Transcendence Path. It is located on Mount Vast Expanse of each of the nine respective sects.
Although it was called a shrine, it was actually a tower with a total of ten levels. In all of the nine sects, only disciples who reached the mountain could qualify to be listed in the top 100 of the Vast Expanse Shrine.
Participation[]
Only disciples under the Dao Realm are allowed to partake in this trial. They must take 10 different trials, and one's ranking is determined by how little time one takes to finish each trial. Anyone who could take first place in the rankings on one of them, would rock all of Planet Vast Expanse, and would become a Vast Expanse Chosen.
Trials[]
Staircase[]
Even before one can enter the Vast Expanse Shrine itself, one must walk 100,000 stair steps all up to to the Vast Expanse Shrine. These steps exert terrifying pressure on those walking them. Until the first 1,000 steps, a bell tolls for every 100 steps. Then, until the first 10,000 steps, a bell tolls for every 1,000 steps. Then, until the 100,000 steps, a bell tolls for every 10,000 steps. More than 99.999% of the disciples don't even manage to reach the Vast Expanse Shrine. This means that those who manage to reach the Vast Expanse Shrine are the top 100 of the respective sect.
Inside the Vast Expanse Shrine[]
The shrine tests the following:
- Willpower
- Talent: Suitability to cultivate the techniques of the Vast Expanse School
- Talent: Blood
- Talent: Blood vessels
- Talent: Arteries
- Talent: Bones
- Talent: Meridians
- Cultivation base and Divine sense, as well as judgement and observation
- Creativity; Creation of a divine ability
- Test the strength of the previously created divine ability
The Legend of Fang Mu[]
Meng Hao's clone, Fang Mu breezed through the first level due to the experiences of his true self. The second through the seventh level tested latent talent, and it used the latent talent of Patriarch Vast Expanse as the benchmark. And since his talent was almost the same as Patriarch Vast Expanse, he got first place on all. The eighth level required his use of the fourth demon sealing hex due to his insufficient cultivation base. The ninth level required him to create a divine ability, and Meng Hao used this time to further perfect his Seal the Heavens Hex.[citation needed] The tenth level tested the strength of the divine ability created in the ninth level.
100,000 indicated that the divine ability was powerful enough to use on Dao Realm experts. 1,000,000 was the threshold for Dao Lords, and 10,000,000 for Dao Sovereigns. 100,000,000 was for 7-Essences Paragons. 1,000,000,000 was for 8-Essences, and as for 9-Essences… the number was 10,000,000,000 and higher. With just five out of nine seals of his Seal the Heavens Hex, Meng Hao got a score of over 100,000,000,000, subsequently, the testing stone exploded. With just five out of nine seals of his Seal the Heavens Hex, Meng Hao realized that he could kill even Peak 9-Essences Paragons.
After ten years, Meng Hao came out of his secluded meditation and visited the Vast Expanse Shrines in the other eight sects. Needless to say, he summoned eight tenth heavens and got first place on them all. This entirely solidified his status as the "Number one Chosen of the Vast Expanse School".[citation needed]