Chương 414: Chapter 413: The Chosen One

Former Vessels who survived their divine possessions were granted positions of immense honor and responsibility within society. They became advisors to city governors, instructors at the cultivation academies, or leaders of the major guilds. The compensation alone would be enough to secure Xiaoxiao's education and future, but more importantly, it would grant her the social status to make her own choices in life. Of course, not all Vessels survived their experiences.

The battles between descending gods could be intense enough to destroy the mortal forms they inhabited. But even death while serving as a Vessel was considered the highest honor, and the families of fallen Vessels received generous pensions from the state, along with recognition that would open doors for future generations. What made the opportunity even more precious was its rarity and selectivity.

The divine beings who descended seemed to prefer young vessels, typically choosing cultivators between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. More mysteriously, they never selected anyone who had advanced beyond the Third Scale, and even that was rare. Historical records showed that the highest cultivation level ever chosen was a single Fourth Scale practitioner, nearly a century ago. No one understood why the gods imposed these limitations.

Some scholars theorized that higher-level cultivators were too set in their ways to serve as effective vessels. Others suggested that advanced practitioners had spiritual signatures too complex for divine possession. The most common theory was that the gods preferred vessels they could easily control and discard. Whatever the reason, it meant that Mo Yuhang's weak cultivation might actually work in his favor.

His Second Scale abilities, while embarrassingly low for his age, still fell within the acceptable range for divine selection. Mo Yuhang understood the risks, but he also understood the alternatives. Without some dramatic change in their fortunes, Xiaoxiao would grow up in the same poverty that had defined his own life, her natural talent wasted for lack of proper cultivation resources. He couldn't let that happen.

"Brother," Xiaoxiao said quietly, settling beside him on their threadbare couch, "the other children at the Conservatory say there's going to be a Descent soon. Is that true?" Mo Yuhang nodded, his expression growing serious.

"The City Lord announced it yesterday. Two divine beings are expected to arrive within the next few days, seeking Vessels for some kind of conflict." Xiaoxiao's eyes widened with excitement and apprehension. Like all children in the realm, she'd grown up with stories of the Descents, the rare occasions when beings from the heavens chose mortal forms to inhabit. The last one had occurred five years ago, and the entire city had celebrated for weeks afterward.

"Do you think you will be chosen?" she asked, though her tone suggested she already knew that was unlikely.

"Of course," Mo Yuhang replied, forcing confidence into his voice.

"I've been preparing my whole life for this opportunity." Despite not truly believing it himself, for Xiaoxiao's sake he had to try, he had to believe that effort and determination could overcome natural limitations.

The next morning brought confirmation that the Descent was imminent. Harmonic alarms rang throughout the city, announcing that all citizens should gather in the Central Plaza for a divine manifestation. Mo Yuhang closed the warehouse early, collected Xiaoxiao from her lessons, and joined the massive crowd that was assembling in the city's heart. The Central Plaza could hold nearly fifty thousand people, and it seemed like every citizen in the region had come to witness the event.

Families clustered together, pointing excitedly at the sky and speculating about which of their children might be chosen. Young cultivators stood in prominently visible positions, some already demonstrating their abilities. Similar displays of talent were occurring in plazas across the entire realm, all hoping to be the one to attract divine attention. Mo Yuhang saw Liu Wenqing, the most talented student at the Conservatory, moving through the crowd with her usual confidence.

She was surrounded by a small entourage of admirers and family members, all of them clearly expecting her to be chosen. Her cultivation had reached the peak of the Third Scale at only sixteen years old, and her mastery of harmonic manipulation was genuinely extraordinary. The sight of her made Mo Yuhang's stomach clench with familiar jealousy and inadequacy. Liu Wenqing represented everything he could never be: naturally gifted, socially connected, and virtually guaranteed for advancement.

If the gods were looking for powerful vessels, she would be an obvious choice. But as they found a spot near the plaza's edge where he and Xiaoxiao could observe without being crushed by the crowd, Mo Yuhang looked down at his little sister's upturned face and felt his resolve harden. He couldn't afford to be realistic about his chances. He couldn't afford to accept his limitations. His sister's future depended on him finding a way to transcend everything that had held him back.

"Look!" Xiaoxiao suddenly exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pointing skyward.

"The heavens are opening!" Above them, the musical sky began to shift and swirl, its flowing notes arranging themselves into complex patterns. The very air began to vibrate with harmonics that went beyond normal hearing, creating pressure that made everyone in the plaza fall silent. Then the heavens truly did tear open, and two figures began to descend. They appeared as beings of pure light at first, but as they drew closer, Mo Yuhang could make out more details.

Both possessed human forms, but their presence carried a weight and authority that made his cultivation base tremble in recognition of their supreme power. The first figure was female, radiating an aura of perfection that made the air around her sing with complex harmonies. As she descended, flowers of pure sound bloomed in her wake, creating a trail of musical beauty that left the crowd gasping in wonder.

The second figure was male, and his presence felt different - more primal, more connected to forces that existed beyond music itself. His aura carried hints of growing things, of life and transformation, of power drawn from sources that their world's cultivation system could barely comprehend. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The female deity touched down first, landing gracefully in the center of the plaza.

Her gaze swept across the crowd with the casual assessment of someone evaluating livestock, and Mo Yuhang felt a chill run down his spine. The stories about vessels dying in divine service suddenly felt much more real. Her attention settled on Liu Wenqing, who had positioned herself prominently near the front of the crowd. The girl's peak Third Scale cultivation blazed like a beacon, clearly marking her as one of the most capable potential vessels present.

"You," the goddess said, her voice carrying clearly across the plaza despite being barely above a whisper.

"You will serve." Liu Wenqing dropped to her knees, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"I am honored beyond measure, divine one!" The goddess gestured, and Liu Wenqing's body began to glow as the divine possession took hold. When the light faded, the girl stood differently, straighter, with eyes that held knowledge and power that no mortal in this lower realm should possess. Mo Yuhang felt his heart sink. One god had made their choice, and it hadn't been him.

That left only one remaining opportunity, The male deity still hung in the air above them, his presence casting harmonics across the entire realm as he surveyed the hundreds of thousands of hopeful candidates below. Mo Yuhang could feel the being's attention sweeping back and forth, some incomprehensible divine sense evaluating each potential vessel.

"Brother," Xiaoxiao whispered, her small hand slipping into his.

"You should try do something. I know you're not as strong as the others, but you're the smartest person I know. Maybe that matters too." Her words struck him like a bell. Here was his seven-year-old sister, who had seen him struggle with cultivation for years, who knew better than anyone how far behind he was compared to his peers, and yet she still believed in him. She was right. This was his chance. Perhaps his only chance.

He couldn't just stand there praying to be chosen, he had to demonstrate that he was worthy. Taking a deep breath, Mo Yuhang stepped forward from the crowd and raised his voice, channeling what little Harmonic Essence he possessed to make his words carry across the plaza.

"Divine one!" he called out, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

"I know I am weak! I know my cultivation is pathetic compared to others my age! But I offer you something they cannot!" The crowd around him gasped in horror. Several people grabbed at his robes, trying to pull him back into anonymity, but he shrugged them off.

"Fool!" someone hissed.

"You'll doom us all!"

"The guards will arrest you!" another voice warned. Indeed, Mo Yuhang could see the city guards in their gleaming armor beginning to push through the crowd toward him, their faces grim with purpose. Disturbing a Descent was a serious crime, punishable by imprisonment or worse. But Mo Yuhang pressed on, his voice growing stronger with each word.

"I offer you a vessel that knows struggle! A vessel that has fought for every scrap of progress! These talented disciples have never known true hardship, never faced impossible odds and refused to yield! If you seek a vessel with an unbreakable will, then look upon me!" The crowd was in uproar now, people backing away from him as if his audacity might be contagious. The guards were only twenty paces away, their hands already reaching for their restraining talismans.

"I may be weak in cultivation, but I am strong in determination! I may lack talent, but I possess something more valuable - the absolute refusal to surrender, no matter how hopeless the situation appears!" Mo Yuhang's heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst, but he forced himself to stand tall as he delivered his final words.

"If you need a vessel that will never give up, never break, never stop fighting no matter what forces oppose us - then I am the one you seek!" The plaza fell into stunned silence. Even the advancing guards paused, their faces showing a mixture of horror and grudging admiration at his brazenness. Mo Yuhang stood there, breathing heavily, suddenly aware of what he had just done. He had just publicly declared himself worthy of divine attention in the most audacious manner possible.

The guards would arrest him any moment now, and his life would be over. But then the male deity's expression shifted, showing what might have been curiosity or interest. He began to descend, his impossible presence growing stronger with each foot he came closer to the ground. The city guards froze mid-step, their hands falling away from their weapons as divine attention focused on the very person they had been about to arrest.

"He's coming toward us," Xiaoxiao breathed, her voice filled with wonder and terror. Mo Yuhang felt his knees begin to shake, but he forced himself to remain standing. This was his moment. This was his chance to change everything. The deity touched down in front of him, close enough that Mo Yuhang could see the swirling energies that surrounded his form like living galaxies. When the god spoke, his voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"You swear to serve me with everything you have?" Standing before the godly presence, Mo Yuhang's throat suddenly became so dry that he could barely speak, but he managed to force out the words.

"I swear!" Behind him, he heard Xiaoxiao's sharp intake of breath, but she remained silent, understanding that this moment was too important for interruption. The god studied him for a long moment, and Mo Yuhang had the uncomfortable sensation of being examined down to his very soul. He was acutely aware of how inadequate he must seem - an Early Second Scale cultivator with no special talents or remarkable achievements. But then the deity nodded and stepped forward.

The sensation of divine possession was unlike anything Mo Yuhang had imagined. It wasn't violent or painful, but rather like being gently pushed aside within his own mind while something infinitely vast and complex took control of his physical form. Mo Yuhang found himself watching through his own eyes as his hands moved without his conscious direction, flexing and testing the capabilities of his body. His voice spoke words he had not chosen, carrying tones and inflections that belonged to someone else entirely.

"Yes," his mouth said in a voice that was his but somehow different.

"This will do." And Mo Yuhang realized that his life, for better or worse, would never be the same.