Lilian's eyes remained glued to John's scythe, as if she were unable to peel her gaze away from it. John smiled knowingly, as he had the same reaction the first time he had seen the weapon.
The scythe was made from the most profound materials possible, and was Daoist Eternal Weapon's finest creation. Its demonic-origin blade was beyond sharp, seemingly able to cut through anything. Its shaft, made of the mythically rare Stellar Void Ore, emanated a dense aura of death, far greater than the aura emanating from Lilian's weapon.
It was Daoist Eternal Weapon's finest creation, and was most likely one of the most profound and powerful weapons in the world. For a scythe-wielder like Lilian, it was as if she had just seen the most amazing treasure appear before her; a treasure she would desire above all else.
After staring at the weapon for quite some time, she finally snapped out of her dazed stupor and looked up to John for a moment with a questioning gaze. John smiled, as he knew what she was thinking.
"I had this made by Daoist Eternal Weapon," John explained.
"What?" Lilian exclaimed in shock. Everyone knew who Daoist Eternal Weapon was, and how hard it was to get him to make a weapon. "How?" she couldn't help but ask.
"It's a long sto…actually it's not that long," John replied, "I won his seal at an auction, and then had him make this for me. That's pretty much it."
Lilian raised a scrutinous eyebrow at John's story, as she was sure there was much that was left out, but didn't ask for more information. That was not important at the moment. Her gaze returned to the scythe, and she finally reached her hand out slowly towards it.
Her hand wrapped around the shaft of the scythe, and it felt perfect. It was as if the weapon was made for her, and her alone. She felt entranced by it, and her hand tightened around the shaft to pick it up.
"Huh?" she mumbled in surprise. She had tried to lift the weapon, but it had not moved an inch. She gripped tightly again and used more power this time, but the weapon didn't move at all. Her other hand reached out to assist, but despite using both hands, the weapon wasn't moved at all.
After a brief struggle, she stopped trying to lift the weapon and gave up.
"How much does this damned scythe weigh?" Lilian asked John with slight displeasure at not being able to wield it. John's face was slightly apologetic, as he realized he had just set her up for failure. He had been so caught up in comparing scythes, that he had forgotten to account for its weight and her restricted cultivation.
"Over a million pounds," John shrugged, not knowing the exact weight, but knew it weighed at least that.
"A million pounds?" Lilian repeated. "You brat, did you do this to watch your master fail?" she huffed.
"No, I didn't," John shook his head. "I just forgot about your restricted cultivation for a second is all."
Lilian scoffed at his words.
"I might not be able to wield this weapon even with my unrestricted cultivation," she scoffed. "Why the hell did you get yourself such a weapon made? Can you even use it?"
"It was Daoist Eternal Weapons condition for making the weapon," John shrugged helplessly. "He said he only makes World Expansion grade weapons, and refused to budge."
Lilian scoffed again, but didn't say anything further. While she wanted to use the scythe, she was unable to pick it up, let alone wield it.
"My scythe will be more than sufficient for this battle," she said, averting her eyes from John's scythe. John returned his scythe to his spatial ring, and then quickly changed the subject again, asking his master about what she had been up to over the last few years.
Lilian answered his questions vaguely, her voice and expression becoming more and more distracted, as if her thoughts were elsewhere. She eventually stood up, her expression serious.
"The time has almost arrived. I need to prepare myself for the battle to come," she said, her voice and expression completely serious, and then walked away from John.
John nodded and remained silent as he saw her move a distance away, and then sit down once more. Her eyes closed, and her aura was withdrawn within. She was clearly preparing herself mentally for her battle with Zeras, making sure she was in the optimal state of mind and body. John could feel a dense and profound aura slowly building within Lilian, as if she were a primordial beast slowly awakening from a deep slumber.
On the other hand, Zeras was seated in a slouched position, casually inspecting his sister from afar, as if the battle to come was nothing more than a game to him. He smiled as he watched her serious preparation, although the smile was not one of good intentions.
The minutes passed by quickly, and without being a second late, the artifact spirit golem appeared in the center of the arena.
"The next battle shall now begin," the golem exclaimed. "Zeras. Lilian, please make your way into the aren-" Its voice cut off as it noticed both of them had arrived in a flash, before it could even finish its sentence.
They stood a dozen feet apart, silently inspecting the other. Lilian's expression was calm yet cold, as if she were about to partake in the most important battle of her life. Zeras smirked in reply, as if he found his little sister's reaction amusing, and also as if he did not consider her a threat worth taking seriously.
"Why are you looking at me with such a cold gaze, my dear little sister?" Zeras asked, his voice almost as if he were hurt by her expression. However, the small smirk in the corner of his mouth betrayed his words.
Lilian offered no reply. This brother of hers was now dead to her, and she just had to make it so in real life as well. Wasting words on him was not worth it. Zeras smirked at her silence, as if that was more amusing than any reply she could have given him.
"You both know the rules by now," the golem said. "The first one to be knocked unconscious, or give up, shall be declared the loser and be eliminated from the trial. Begi-"
"Wait," Lilian said, interrupting the golem's proclamation of the start of battle. It paused and stared at her.
"Yes?" it asked monotonously.
"For this fight, I request that it be a fight to the death."
