Paragon of Sin

'Everlore Association?' Su Mei's heart raced. The King of Everlore was a figure of the utmost prominence within the entire starfield. For the last eight thousand years, his achievements had defined entire eras, and propagated a near mythical legend. However, he wasn't a myth!

He was real!

Undoubtedly!

Yet they were just told that there existed an organization with his name. The questions in these youths' minds, Su Mei's included, were wildly surging! They had to know more, and if they could ever meet such an extraordinary figure.

A male youth with a sturdy build and firm eyes, vigorously rubbed his bald head to comfort himself before he worked up the courage to ask: "The King of Everlore is here? In this starfield?"

His question caused the clamoring youths to quiet down, their gazes focused on the middle-aged man like obedient students seeking out knowledge. 

San Luoyang slightly smiled, seeing the ardent desire to meet their idol, but after a while, that smile lessened as a heavy light suffused from his normally calm eyes. The only reason they took action to save that starfield, or even to conceal it from the Tiangou for millenia, was because of the King of Everlore's imprint on their history.

"If you wish to know about the King of Everlore, first overcome the trial before you. This will determine your future, likely the height you'll reach in your lifetime. Do not ignore the importance of this moment." His expression grew stern, giving these passionately curious youths some advice. 

With this reminder, the youths tried to calm down. But the lingering questions invigorated their thirst for knowledge, and some couldn't help but have the distinct hope that the King of Everlore, this legendary figure, was alive and thriving in this new starfield.

How many here wished to earn his favor? To become the next hegemon that rivaled the likes of Grand Monarch Wu Yu, the Divine King Han Xei, Sacred Elven Queen, or the Demonic Abyss Master! A single moment could rewrite their entire destiny.

While they had Qingye Ying, the Princess of Everlore, and Wei Wuyin, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, they weren't nearly as great or legendary as the King of Everlore, still just babies trying to grow. After all, the King of Everlore developed beings that exceeded the Astral Core Realm! The best Wei Wuyin had accomplished was a Realmlord, and only one.

The difference was incomparable.

"At this moment, there are ninety-eight different forces present. A wide-variety of choices, but I'll explain how the ranking system for the forces in the Aeternal Sky Starfield works so that you better understand your choices. If you decide not to choose any of the forces present, or are unwilling to be an entry-level member of such a force, then you can openly refuse to do so, and we'll place you in one of the three Domains. You can then traverse the Aeternal Sky Starfield yourself and search for a force that suits your needs." 

San Luoyang's words shocked some of the youths. This was quite a generous manner to conduct recruitment. While they could already be considered recruited, they still had the right of choice.

According to San Luoyang, the forces were ranked by two tiers, the Mortal Tier and the Mystic Tier. Those forces within the Mortal Tier had no officially recognized Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators within their ranks, while those in the Mystic Tier did. 

This might be simple enough, but there were further divisions for Mortal Tier, and they were divided by metallic titles, and the complexities of divisions and endorsements. Similar to the value of mortals, they were divided into Bronze, Silver, and Gold-rank. 

Bronze-rank forces had at least one Timelord at the helm, overseeing the entire force, and they were the lowest force recognized by the starfield or the various domains of the Aeternal Sky Starfield. If a force had no Timelord, but the off-shoot backing of a Starlord-level expert, they would similarly be classified as Bronze-rank.

Silver-rank forces had Starlords as leaders, reaching the peak of the Astral Core Realm. These forces were the most numerous amongst the entire starfield, because they lasted the longest. Bronze-rank forces without the endorsement and oversight of Starlords were incredibly fragile, oftentimes crumbling in the early stages of development. While silver-rank forces were established, long lasting, and had a stable foundation.

Gold-rank forces had the controversial Mystic Star Phase, the dubious Tenth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, cultivators as the highest level. They represented the peak of the Mortal-tier, touching at the edge of the Mystic-tier. They were quite short-lived, however. Those so-called leaders have lost lifespan in their attempt to ascend, so they were almost always at the precipice of declining to Silver-rank.

The only Gold-rank forces that survive long-term are generally those who have the endorsement and backing of Mystic Tier forces, receiving means to extend the lifespan of those Mystic Star Phase leaders. 

The Mystic Tier was simple, and wasn't simply graded. There were only two classifications at most, and that depended on the force's structure and purpose. Some had no classification.

In the Aeternal Sky Starfield, there only existed four types of recognized factions: Clans, Pavilions, Sects, and Associations. Each of them were defined by their own hierarchy and functionality. 

Clans were not necessarily bloodline-restricted, but a group or faction ruled by a single main bloodline. It resembled a Monarchy intermixed with traces of Democratic practices and divided power amongst representatives with patriarchs, matriarchs, elders, and councils formulated and divided by bloodline or strength. They resembled nations, but their lifeblood was the bloodline that established it, hence the name: Clan.

When a Clan fell, or were overtaken by an internal conflict, the scene was very similar to a rebellion of a nation or a coup d'etat. The ruling bloodline's main tree is either replaced by a lesser purity or removed altogether.

Clans in the Mystic Tier were divided into two ranks: Noble, & Imperial. 

Those at the Noble-rank have 'true' Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators, at the Second Stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, at the minimum. As for Imperial-rank, it wasn't very defined by their minimum requirement because it usually required being the strongest existence in the starfield. Therefore, Imperial-rank depended on the limits of the era. It would generally refer to the strongest Clan.

Pavilions, in their simplest forms, were businesses. They operated on business principles, oftentimes neutral, connected, and extremely wealthy. They functioned for the purpose to facilitate the needs and convenience of the other forces while expanding their reach. They even operated and maintained a variety of starfield-wide events and rankings.

Pavilions in the Mystic Tier were divided into two ranks: Chrome and Golden. 

This wasn't defined by their overall strength, but their reach. If they reach at least five percent of the overall Aeternal Sky Starfield, they were considered Chrome, and if they reached ninety percent of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, they were Golden. 

It was clear the monopoly of business was defined. There were only two Golden-rank Pavilions and four Chrome-rank Pavilions.

Sects established themselves off unique cultivation methods or doctrines, functioning in certain ways to grow a powerful and were often highly competitive. They, too, had bloodlines within their ranks, and were often jointly ruled by several clans with a similar purpose. The majority of sects were products of mergers of lesser clans that sought to survive in chaos. 

Sects in the Mystic-tier had no division of ranks. They were all classified as World-rank, explicitly outlining their reach, but developing a sect was a difficult venture that required a strong unity. Sects had the highest failure rate due to internal conflict out of the four forces. 

Despite that, they were considered the most terrifying because, if strongly united, sects eclipsed the other forces in power and scope. 

Lastly, Associations were specialized forces that offered a variety of unique resources or skills. There were assassination associations, alchemist associations, forging asssociations, talisman associations, and more. They were defined by their specialty, and thrived on exporting their speciality and importing resources. 

They had no ranks, and were defined by the two tiers. If an association was in the Mortal Tier, then they'll be referred to as Mortal Associations, and the same rang true for Mystic Tier.

After explaining it all, San Luoyang said: "While there are hundreds of thousands of Mortal Tier forces in our glorious starfield, there are only sixteen Mystic Tier forces that exist throughout the entire starfield. They are referred to as the Eight Noble Clans, Three World Sects, Two Golden Pavilions, Two Mystic Associations and the Imperial Clan.

"However, these are only the ones within the Aeternal Sky Starfield that have settled in our space. Keep that in mind," San Luoyang cryptically warned, but those who were keen realized the implications. These youths' expectations were at an all-time high, seeking to join these forces that had cultivators that rivaled those like Grand Monarch Wu Yu and the Divine King Han Xei!

However, San Luoyang's next words shattered all their hopes in mere moments.

"Out of these sixteen forces at the Mystic Tier, only the Everlore Association is present here today tor this recruitment. The rest are Silver and Gold-rank forces.. So, let's see if you have the qualifications to join them!" San Luoyang smilingly said.