The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Celestial Mountain Academy is situated on the tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest.

It’s one of the tallest peaks, and before the apocalypse, no human dared to climb it. Of course, a few mountaineers actually managed to reach its summit.

Some attempted and died. Others gave up halfway, and some used unconventional methods to try to get there. There were even reports of people skydiving onto the top of the mountain.

It was a daring feat that sparked trends, encouraging many to attempt it. Of course, this also resulted in numerous deaths, but humans tend to find joy in challenging the impossible.

Humans are curious creatures. Even if something is dangerous, someone always wants to test whether it truly is.

The more they risked their lives, the more they seemed to gain the courage to risk them further. It was human nature.

Long story short, many died trying to climb that mountain. It was, to say the least, very strange.

Perhaps that’s why, when humans gained the ability to evolve beyond their naturally weak selves, one of the first things they did was explore that mountain.

Reports say that many strange and bizarre things about the mountain were discovered before the apocalypse. However, most people didn’t pay much attention to them back then.

There have been reports of humming sounds, unnatural weather patterns, and unexpected discoveries, such as strange carvings on some stones around the mountain.

At one point, a video showing a strange liquid river was discovered. However, the person who recorded it died before he could return with a full report. Despite this, the short video trended online because it captured parts of the river.

Since there wasn’t much additional information, most people dismissed it as a conspiracy theory. But everything changed when the Overlords explored the mountain.

They uncovered many astonishing things that immediately prompted them to construct structures around the area.

Initially, they planned to turn it into a tourist attraction. However, after uncovering some truly mind-boggling secrets, they decided against it.

Instead, they built an elite academy around the site, and since then, it has been used as a training ground for Earth’s most promising young warriors.

Earth’s strongest fighting force is now based on this mountain.

Decades after the academy’s establishment, it has produced thousands of elite fighters who would bring hope and triumph to the world when released onto the battlefield.

The mountain is divided into three segments. The first is the Outer Section, where first-year students reside after entering the academy. Explore hidden tales at empire

They will be nurtured as Outer Disciples until they become Saints and manage to pass the Inner Disciple exams. After that, they will ascend the Stairway to Heaven.

If successful, they move to the Inner Sections, where the nurturing becomes even more intense.

There, one must rise through the ranks: from Sage to Great Sage and, ultimately, to Sovereign before earning a chance to climb even further to the final segment, known as Celestial Peak.

It is said that since the academy’s founding, only a handful have managed to ascend to the third segment.

Of course, by “a handful,” they mean 66 individuals—each one an elite of the academy and its pride. All of them are Sovereigns or higher. However, this part is rarely the focus of most disciples.

The real excitement lies in the second segment. In the second segment, where the Inner Disciples reside, thousands of students are currently happy.

The reason was simple: the fresh Outer Disciples batch was coming. This meant that the Inner Disciples would soon have a new pool of recruits to choose from as their subordinates.

The academy had eight factions, each boasting thousands of members. However, due to the competitive nature of these factions, most went out of their way to recruit new Outer Disciples to strengthen their ranks.

This was one of the many reasons why they all looked so pleased. By selecting a strong group of subordinates, their chances of earning more Celestial Points and resources would also increase.

It was all about the grind, and to be the best, one needed to have the best under them.

Currently, inside a rather luxurious apartment, a silver-haired young lady sat with a smile on her face.

Seated around her were two other women, each possessing a striking beauty that could mesmerize anyone.

“Sister Lucy, Klaus is finally coming to the academy, right?” Asha asked. She was one of the first women Klaus had noticed after his awakening.

Back then, she and her elder sister, Nia, had wanted to recruit Klaus into the academy. However, one thing led to another, and they became friends instead.

At first, it was just friendship, but as the days passed, both Asha and Nia became increasingly infatuated with him.

But time hadn’t been on their side back then, as they had to rush back to the academy, and ever since, they hadn’t seen Klaus. Of course, they could use phones in the inner section, but not for calls, as that would be too distracting.

So, they could only watch the news and marvel at all the amazing things Klaus had been doing.

They weren’t like Lucy, who could talk to him anytime because of the Paragon Mark on her.

“Yes, he’s coming, which means trouble is also coming,” Lucy said with a loving smile.

“I can’t wait to meet him again. I’ve missed him dearly,” Asha said, her cheeks tinged with a small blush. She turned to her sister, Nia. “What about you, big sis? Don’t you miss him too?”

Nia’s cheeks turned red. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Asha raised an eyebrow. “Stop fooling yourself, sister. I know how you secretly stare at Klaus’s photo every night before you go to sleep,” she teased.

“Oh, really?” Lucy smiled, amused at the revelation that the innocent and shy Nia was actually that bold in private.

Nia, unable to find a place to hide her embarrassment, buried her face in her sister’s chest.

“She’s such a shy one. I just hope she can be more assertive once Klaus gets here,” Lucy said, then looked at Asha.

“And you, make sure you don’t chicken out when you see him. I know you’re waiting for Anna and Lily, but you’ve only known Klaus for a month, tops. You might be confident now, but who’s to say you won’t freeze up when the time comes?”

“I know, big sister Lucy. I’ll do my best to stay confident—unlike this old shy baby,” Asha teased, nudging Nia playfully.

“Well, that’s to be expected of someone with her talent. Assassin talent tends to make one much shyer around the opposite sex,” Lucy said with a knowing smile. “That said, I’m sure once Klaus is done with her, she’ll straighten up.”

Nia, peeking at Lucy from the corner of her eye, quickly turned away, blushing deeply.

“Ah, well, she’s not the only one. Those two are just as flustered,” Lucy remarked, shaking her head.

Asha smiled knowingly and asked, “You’re talking about the sword user and the spirit master, right?”