Uh , - Kruta hesitated , not sure what she was talking about . - I don’t know . I’ll work on it? -
Fine , - Thousandflames relented , her eyes lighting up with excitement . - You’re too soft , but you’re still a kid . How about this? My little niece is undergoing some training herself . She should emerge in two years or so . Until then , I’ll toughen you up a bit . Whether I bring you or not depends on your performance . -
The thought of being tormented for two years was too much to bear . Not even the Left Imperial Palace was worth that . He’d just be happy with his partly-finished seal and see if it was enough to bring him over in three years . But how do you turn down the discipleship of a crazy Supremacy without getting toasted?
Well? - Thousandflames said , her voice like a thousand roaring flames again .
You didn’t . Kruta was trapped . He could see it in her eyes . There was no room for rejection .
Disciple greets master , - Kruta said , feeling something wet pour down his cheeks .
Sweat from the heat , no doubt . He surely wasn’t crying .
Disciple . . . - Thousandflames said , a radiant smile spreading across her face . - Would you believe that I’ve never actually had a disciple? -
Kruta’s mind was a mess after being repeatedly dragged between joy and despair . But he roused himself . Maybe it wasn’t so bad? Maybe things were finally lining up for ol’ Kruta . Even being an in-name disciple of a Supremacy came with benefits most could only dream of . Being the sole disciple of one?
An opportunity like that was almost at the same level as the trial in the Left Imperial Palace . However , his new master’s next words threw him right back into the pit of despair .
Well , never one that was fated , anyway . -
77
NUCLEUS
Zac flashed forward , appearing by the gates of his mansion . The powerful waves of energy greeted him by burrowing into his body , akin to a gentle caress . Like a missing part of himself coming home . There was no mismatch , and it barely took him any effort to make the energy his .
Was this how it felt to be a cultivator? Zac shook his head and continued toward a cultivation chamber he rarely entered . It used to be a conventional chamber with custom arrays based on your blueprint . The arrays helped cultivators speed up the formation of their Core Nuclei , but those things didn’t work on him .
As such , the room had mostly gathered dust , except when he occasionally secluded himself to ponder aspects of his Core Formation or Cosmic Forge] . The energies were gathering there , meaning it had already been rearranged for the next step . Zac first sent out a short message to Catheya and Ogras , confirming he’d succeeded and was entering seclusion .
I’m secluding myself , - Zac said out loud after receiving two answers of well-wishing .
Affirmative , - Null said . - Your final tally is 130 , 784 Mana , granting you a fourteenth-echelon breakthrough environment . Your special requirements have been accepted . All other features of the Cosmic Gallery have been deactivated . -
Null was clearly following protocol , but Zac could hear her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anticipation . Null had a lot riding on this , just like him . If he failed his breakthrough , Null would be no more , no matter how splendidly he’d performed over these past seven years . Succeed , and Null would be awarded a true soul , becoming a permanent resident of the Perennial Vastness .
And being the guide to a fourteenth-echelon cultivator with such a unique blueprint probably came with additional perks .
Thank you for all your help over the years , - Zac smiled . - I won’t let you down . -
Thank you for working so hard , - Null answered . - Good luck . -
The next moment , the connection between him and the bracelet was cut , and it disappeared soon after . He could no longer sense the guide’s presence , and she didn’t answer his calls . Zac tried sending Catheya another prompt to confirm the situation . As expected , nothing happened . The outside had been sealed off .
Core Formation was the ultimate goal for those visiting the Perennial Vastness and the guests’ final opportunity to provide Sendor with something he could use for his undertaking . There could be no distractions at this juncture .
The gates of the cultivation chamber swung open as Zac approached , and he was surprised to see it led to a spatial gate . This wasn’t what he’d heard from Null when putting forth his requirements for his Core Formation . Normally , the Perennial Vastness would add the Core Formation arrays to the chamber , which your mansion’s Mana domain then empowered . With no one to ask about the situation , Zac simply stepped through .
The surroundings shifted , and Zac found himself standing on a disk far up in the air . The scenery far below was quite familiar between his manor to the range of sanctified mountains stretching across the horizon . He’d been placed on a floating platform five hundred meters above Mount Illumination .
Zac felt like he’d replaced the gargantuan Buddha he’d seen when first stepping onto Mount Illumination , feeling somehow connected to the lands . The mountains also formed a vast natural formation , generating unfathomable amounts of energy .
Energy which was flowing toward Mount Illumination .
The gateway disappeared behind him , and incredibly complex runes lit up beneath his feet . The whole ten-meter disk was an array , and its activation was the beginning of a huge transformation of the surroundings . First , five smaller array disks flew out from beneath the platform , each emitting different aura fluctuations .
They were part of his special requests , but he didn’t get the chance to properly inspect them before the whole universe shook . One moment , the expansive vista was the same one he’d gazed at for years . The next , the air was filled with multiple sets of threads that hummed with power and pulsated like a heartbeat .
The threads formed a huge tapestry that stretched farther than Zac could see , filling the world with gold , black , and steely grey . Some tapped into the mountains , siphoning and transforming their energy reserves . Others dug into the ground or even reached deep into space . Many connected with Mount Illumination below , which eagerly supplied its already transformed energy .
The scene reminded Zac of when Yrial imparted him with a piece of his Dao , where threads had descended from distant stars . Vast amounts of energy flowed toward the ancillary arrays , who further refined the payload before depositing it on the platform .
The tapestries’ attunements were almost an exact match to his Daos , and the energy density atop the disk approached a level where they could be considered liquified Natural Treasures . A mortal with a shallow foundation could almost form a Cosmic Core using the ambient energy alone .
This kind of benefit undoubtedly came courtesy of reaching the thirteenth echelon . He didn’t just get to usurp the energy of Mount Illumination ; the whole mountain range became fuel for his breakthrough . Such treatment was one of the keys to forming his core without too many impurities . The Dao Threads were far from enough to fully satiate the demands of someone like him , but they would lessen the number of treasures he’d have to throw into his Duplicity Core by a third .
The tapestries of Life , Death , and Conflict were connected to the outer arrays . Conflict had two to itself , while the other Daos got one platform each and shared the fifth . There was also a fourth set of threads , which was quite different from the other three , and connected to all five ancillary arrays .
However , they didn’t extract any energy from the surrounding mountains nor channel energy into the outer arrays . The hidden tapestry simply accompanied the three sets of thread like a shadow , emitting weak fluctuations .
It would have taken Zac a while to notice the fourth tapestry if not for his intimate familiarity with what the environment represented . The threads portrayed his path , depicting his blueprint , where the fourth tapestry was the Void . And while it wasn’t nearly as stable or energy-dense as the other elements , Zac was quite surprised the Perennial Vastness managed to form something so closely resembling the real thing .