Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Test Ends II

While Aiden was admiring his newfound abilities, someone else was sulking inside her room.

“When can I see him again?” Ramona mumbled to herself, thoughts of Aiden consuming her mind.

“Master, if you want, we can kidnap him and bring him to you,” a maid suggested emotionlessly.

Bang!

The maid was instantly embedded into the wall. Ramona glared at her angrily. “What if Aiden hates me because of this? What will you do then, huh?” she yelled, her anger visible, as she began to kick and punch the maid, causing cracks to form on the sturdy wall.

The other maids watched silently as their lady vented her frustration. After a few moments, one of the maids approached the damaged wall. A clock appeared behind her, and she chanted, “Reverse reality.” The wall began to repair itself, as if someone had pressed a backward play button.

The maid who had been embedded in the wall stood up and, without hesitation, jumped at the wall again, embedding herself once more.

Ramona snorted at the scene and returned to her bed. “Do anything, but make sure Aiden doesn’t hate me,” she ordered, her voice a mix of desperation and longing.

The maids bowed in unison. The maid embedded in the wall extracted herself and bowed as well, remarkably unscathed. Her clothes weren’t even wrinkled, indicating her incredible resilience. It was clear that both Ramona and her maids possessed extraordinary strength, far beyond that of shown to outside world.

‘In this life, you will be mine,’ Ramona’s eyes glowed dangerously as she thought this. The room seemed to be engulfed in darkness, with only her eyes glowing eerily, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

****

After fully playing with his new abilities, Aiden shifted his focus to his cultivation technique, the Nine Hell Soul Art. This was a top-tier technique given to him by the system, allowing him to harness nine different hellish characteristics at each level of cultivation.

Before reaching Spirit Lord, he had access to only the first level, which granted him Hell Flame—a special flame that indiscriminately burns both material and non-material things. Now, having advanced to Spirit Lord, he had unlocked the second level’s characteristic.

“Second level: Soul Ice,” Aiden murmured. From his hands formed a pale white ice, exuding a chilling, disturbing presence. This Soul Ice was a hellish element that could freeze the soul of any target weaker than his own.

Aiden nodded in satisfaction, dispersing the Soul Ice. Feeling its cold, eerie power, he recognized its potential in combat.

‘With the Hell Flame and Soul Ice, my combat abilities are significantly enhanced,’ Aiden thought, knowing soul injuries were difficult to heal due to the rarity of soul-related resources.

Fully aware of his abilities, Aiden muttered to himself, “Time to activate that Authority.”

Closing his eyes, he entered his Soul Sea, where the Cube hovered silently. Placing his palm on it, the Cube buzzed faintly.

“I’m here to activate my next Authority,” Aiden declared. The Cube buzzed again, projecting a light screen similar to his system interface.

It displayed a list of Authorities. Aiden asked the Cube, “So, I choose from here?”

The Cube buzzed affirmatively. Aiden carefully reviewed the options and selected the one he desired. Runes emerged from the Cube, entering him one by one. Aiden allowed the process to complete, feeling the final Rune integrate into his being.

“Book of Fate,” Aiden whispered its name. After bidding farewell to the Cube, he exited his Soul Sea and used Akashic Insight to comprehend his new Authority.

******

Name : Book of Fate

Rank : Supreme

Level : 1

Ability :

1. Chronicles of Providence: Aiden’s mind opens to the Chronicles of Providence, a celestial library housing records of every soul’s journey through time. Through this authority, he perceives echoes of past events and glimpses of future potentials. The Chronicles grant him the ability to decipher omens and predict significant turning points in the lives of individuals he encounters. Aiden can subtly guide these destinies, steering them toward paths aligned with his goals.

2. Locked

..

******

“Now, I can easily see his opportunities,” Aiden laughed to himself as he read the Authority’s level one ability description.

“I was somewhat afraid I wouldn’t get what I want at level one, but it seems I was worried for nothing,” Aiden thought, then focused on Ivan, activating the ability.

A prompt appeared in his mind: [You need to first touch him for 10 seconds].

Seeing this, Aiden pursed his lips and sighed. “Well, I guess I can’t see it now,” he muttered to himself.

“But at least I know the requirement. I’ll just have to find a way to get close to him,” Aiden thought, thinking on how to approach Ivan without arousing suspicion.

He looked out the window, cooking his next move. “Maybe I can challenge him to a duel or sparring match. That would give me an excuse to get close and touch him,” Aiden mused.

” or just see him and congratulate him for winning today’s first Rank” Aiden thought and then just leaned on his bed and closed his eyes.

The next day, arriving at the spectators area, Aiden looked around and saw Ivan sitting alone, just like the other winners of their respective days.

Aiden then went near him and said, “You know, having friends is a good thing.”

Ivan, who was gazing at the arena, turned his head upon hearing Aiden. “I would like to be alone.”

“As you wish.” Aiden shrugged and left.

Ivan, after seeing Aiden leave, relaxed himself, his back drenched in sweat. “What was that monster?” he mumbled to himself. His spirit allowed him to see everything about an individual, but when he used it on Aiden, he felt as though he were gazing at a superior being. All his instincts screamed in terror; he felt as if he were facing an unfathomable entity who could kill him with a single look.

Ivan controlled his breathing. ‘No, this time I won’t fail. I have reincarnated myself to become the Supreme Emperor; he can’t come in my way,’ he thought, his eyes flashing dangerously. ‘Although he is like someone unfathomable, he has yet to grow. Right now, he is nothing but a weak brat, and I am someone who was just few moments away from attaining the position of Supreme Emperor ‘ Ivan thought to himself and began to strategize how to deal with him.

Aiden, unable to touch him, felt regretful. “Man, I wanted some good information,” he thought and sighed. He then went near the old man and sat with him.

The old man turned to look at him and said, “Congratulations.”

Aiden frowned and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

The old man smiled slightly and said, “On your breakthrough, what else?”

Aiden pursed his lips and asked, “How do you know?” He couldn’t help but think as he was constantly using Falsify to deceive even the world, much less this old man who was clearly not above this world. It was all thanks to his Akashic Authority. He had used all his opportunities to raise this Authority’s level higher than any other.

The old man chuckled and said, “Well, you were the one who first used Spirit Sense on me.”

Aiden’s mouth widened a bit at the silly mistake he had just made. He couldn’t help but feel a slight fear at the old man’s revelation.

“Worry not, I am not going to ask why you have been hiding your strength all this time, nor am I going to ask whether you are going to harm Ravan Kingdom or not,” the old man said seriously, seeing Aiden’s wary look.

“Why?” Aiden asked, looking at the old man, as his Akashic Authority told him he was telling the truth.

“Because I know you don’t have any ill intentions toward our kingdom or toward Chloe,” the old man said as he gazed back at him.

As Aiden listened to him, he kept his Akashic Authority active, and it confirmed that all the old man’s words were true without any lies.

Aiden removed his gaze and said, “Thank you for believing me.”

“Honestly, I don’t know whether I could reveal my talents. The other princes and princesses would surely attack me the moment they knew of my talent. Because of me, a bloodbath would occur in Ravan Kingdom, and I didn’t want that,” Aiden sighed and said. “Also, I— I was afraid of the potential dangers that could befall me due to my overbearing talent,” Aiden said, smiling warily.

The old man, silently listening to him, raised his hand and patted his head. “Why think too much?”

He shook his head as Aiden turned to gaze at him.

“If I hadn’t inspected you the moment you arrived carried by those two princesses, I would have thought you were some old coot disguised as a child,” the old man laughed and said.

Aiden couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been overthinking things. It’s just… I don’t know how everyone would have reacted.”

The old man nodded. “There’s always a ‘what if.’ But sometimes, you need to trust that things will work out. Keep your wits about you, but don’t let fear dictate your actions. You have great potential, Aiden, and it will take you far. Just make sure to use it wisely. And always remember this old man’s advice: keeping secrets from your loved ones will come back to bite you more fiercely than that secret could have.”

“Believe me, I know it from experience,” the old man said, smiling ruefully.

Aiden nodded, contemplating the old man’s words. ‘Yes, no matter my intentions, I have lied to them, and that is my mistake.’

He then looked at the old man and said, “Thank you. I will always remember your advice.”

The old man smiled. “Good. Now, let’s watch the rest of the matches. There’s still much to learn from observing others, even for someone with your talents.”

Aiden chuckled at the old man’s teasing and turned his attention back to the arena.