Chapter 306: Essence of Creation

At the end of that day, the trio returned to the faction’s residence.

Before retiring, Priam handed his leader’s emblem to Dandara, granting her full authority and access to the resources needed to train the soldiers.

Currently, adding up the gains from the previous disputes and the massive reward from the latest mission, Priam had accumulated such an absurd amount of points that, even if he tried to spend them recklessly, it would be difficult for him to go broke.

Any resource the outer branch had to offer was completely at his disposal. However, at his current level of power, almost nothing there actually made a difference.

Dandara had already warned him that the main sect used a completely different currency.

When he was finally promoted to the inner sect, Priam would have to convert all his accumulated points into Prisms. Even so, since it was a place where everything cost astronomical amounts, this fortune would only be enough for his first steps in his new home.

After entering his cave and sitting down on the stone bed, Priam felt completely energized and filled with renewed determination.

He took a deep breath. Now he was certain his mother had been right: from time to time, you had to slow down and relax.

"Hehe..."

A soft little giggle echoed beside him.

It was Mirra.

Priam turned his head and saw the little girl staring at him with a radiant, contagious smile.

"I can feel what Pry feels! We’re gonna have fun together lots and lots of times again, right?"

Priam gave a slight nod. "I hope so."

Going out with Dandara had really been nice. Priam hadn’t expected it, but being by her side made him feel good.

Why? Maybe their energies just matched. From the first time he met her, he felt like he would get along well with her.

Even before they really knew each other, they could both understand what the other was thinking. It was an immediate synergy and connection.

After the initial excitement passed, Mirra settled into Priam’s lap and entered a meditative state.

Priam had done a good job teaching her that there was a time for everything. Now, it was time to focus and study so she could raise her own level.

With the little girl settled down, Priam took out the Jade Slip and began assimilating all of its knowledge.

...

Celestial Cloud.

Priam had already heard about this mysterious place when he visited the Ylisse Clan for his coming-of-age ceremony.

"Finally, at the center of the universe lies a vast region called the Celestial Cloud. This place is a mysterious and deadly territory, whose true value is only known to those who have surpassed the level of Mages." (Chapter 19)

Back then, the High Elder had said very little about the place. Now, after absorbing the information contained in the Jade Slip, Priam finally understood the terrifying truth behind those words.

The Celestial Cloud existed at the very center of all the universes of the Ur-World—a domain inaccessible to any ordinary Mage.

Inside that pulsating and terrifying nebula rested endless rocky planets, comets, gas clouds, and cosmic dust. Everything there lay frozen, inert, and silent, waiting for a Sage to awaken it.

Where had all of this come from? Priam had his suspicions: other worlds.

To begin this journey, every Level 9 Mage Master had to learn the connection technique and head to their sect’s Heavenly Sanctuary. There, through ancient inscriptions, their consciousness could safely connect to the Celestial Cloud.

Using his willpower and control, the Mage had to choose his first unclaimed cosmic body.

The first choice for anyone could only be something small and cold: a comet.

The key to this process was the Creation Rune—the same one Priam had received during the sect’s welcoming ceremony, which he had diligently nurtured in order to rise through the Mage Master levels.

Upon reaching Level 9, the Mage used a special technique to make the Creation Rune condense a Creation Seed. This seed had to be implanted into the chosen comet, establishing a bond.

Once the process was successfully completed, the seed would germinate, and the comet would leave the Celestial Cloud, becoming an active celestial body wandering through the universe.

As it germinated, the seed would grow deep roots throughout the meteor. These roots functioned similarly to a Mage’s meridians, capable of absorbing and accumulating a primordial energy: the Essence of Creation.

There were no details about what exactly this Essence of Creation was.

But the Essence of Creation was the true source of a Sage’s power—a type of energy a thousand times denser and more devastating than Ether.

Priam realized that his previous understanding had been wrong. Sages didn’t gain a second Jade Core in their physical bodies. Instead, each celestial body under their control acted as an external power core.

Through the link created by the Creation Rune, a Sage could extract the Essence of Creation accumulated within their celestial bodies and channel it into themselves, keeping it within their meridians.

They still retained their original Jade Core, using Ether normally for everyday tasks. The Essence of Creation, being incomparably more precious and limited, was only invoked when the Sage entered a truly deadly confrontation.

A comet was only the first step.

To advance from Level 1 to Level 2 of the Enlightened Rank, it was necessary to master at least 13 comets.

The more celestial bodies under their command, the greater their power reserve. It also increased the speed at which they could replenish it.

The next stage required something infinitely more complex: controlling a celestial body capable of supporting life—a planet.

When making the Creation Seed germinate inside a planet and removing it from the Celestial Cloud, it had to be placed in a solar system capable of nourishing it.

That was why the sects were indispensable; they owned and managed vast free regions in the mortal plane specifically for this purpose.

As soon as the planet stabilized in a suitable environment, the power of the Creation Seed accelerated the emergence of life. It wasn’t a process that took billions of years like Priam had studied on Earth.

In just a thousand years, the first simple forms of life would begin to emerge, increasing the density of power sent to the Sage. In ten thousand years, complex ecosystems would appear. In a hundred thousand years, intelligent races could already inhabit the surface.

An Enlightened Sage had a life expectancy of approximately 500,000 years. If they managed to cultivate a dozen life-filled planets during that time, they could advance to the second Rank and become a Philosopher Sage.

At the Philosopher Sage Rank, their life expectancy doubled, allowing them to live for up to one million years if they reached the highest levels of the Rank. To advance through the first three levels, they had to cultivate an increasingly larger number of life-filled planets. After that, however, the scale changed completely: advancing further required them to create a star — a Sun.

Once they were capable of creating several hundred Suns, each filled with planets and life, while maintaining perfect control over all of them, they could finally advance to the third and final Rank of the Sages: the Exalted Sage.

An Exalted Sage had a life expectancy of more than five million years.

Controlling more comets was also useful, since it was a faster and easier way to gain a little more power. Some Sages controlled hundreds of comets. Even gas giants were useful; they were considered Mega Comets, providing much more energy.

But nothing compared to a planet with life and a Sun. That was why they couldn’t advance in level using those things.

Everything clicked in Priam’s mind. In the mortal plane, every comet, planet, or Sun belonged to some Sage.

In the divine plane, sovereignty over celestial bodies belonged to Immortals. There might be places in the mortal plane dominated by Immortals, but there were certainly very few of them.

That explained the warning from the Elder Leader about why no Sage could simply set foot on a planet in the mortal plane: the presence of another Sage would be detected instantly and interpreted as an extremely serious territorial invasion.

After all, these celestial bodies could be stolen.

In fights to the death between Sages, the winner would often take possession of all the celestial bodies belonging to the defeated. And when a Sage died of natural causes, their sect would transfer custody of their possessions to another member, preserving the sect’s assets.

It was the fastest and most direct way to strengthen a Sage... however, the risk was extreme.

If an individual’s strength and control weren’t enough to withstand the weight of the celestial bodies under their command, the energy overload would cause their body and soul to explode. It was impossible, for example, to give a Sun to a Level 1 Sage Enlightened.

In the end, talent, absolute control, and aptitude remained the supreme laws of existence.