The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

The moment the man appeared, everyone quieted down and turned toward him. His presence immediately commanded respect, considering his aura was that of a Transcendent.

Of course, aside from Klaus, none of them picked up on his cultivation base. All they could see was a powerful person who must be respected. Naturally, they were all giving him that respect.

His gaze scanned everyone around. When his eyes passed over Klaus, he paused for a split second before moving on.

<He’s a Spirit Master, isn’t he, Senior?> Klaus asked, noticing how intense the gaze was.

[Yes, brat. That is one powerful Spirit Master you shouldn’t mess with. But you don’t have to worry—your soul is pretty safe from attacks.]

Klaus sighed and focused his attention on the instructor.

“My name is Victor Kael. I am the head instructor of the Outer Section of the Celestial Mountain Academy. This means, without the Dean around, I am the highest authority here,” the man introduced himself.

Everyone started murmuring.

The reason? He was very famous. In fact, aside from the Overlords, he was one of the few widely known on Earth and regarded as humanity’s strongest defender.

Victor Kael was, as most warriors called him, the Eclipse Warden.

It is said that when he is on the battlefield, neither allies nor enemies can get near him. This is because of his signature soul technique called Eclipse Dominion.

It’s a domain-type skill that, when activated, submerges the entire 12-kilometer radius around him into a state of lifelessness. Aside from him, nobody else can fight within the domain—unless their soul is strong enough to withstand its effects.

As for his backstory, he was once a mercenary before the apocalypse, but he changed his heart when his team was devoured by a monster a few weeks into the chaos.

Now, he is one of the most powerful instructors in the academy, and soon, his legend will again turn the world upside down.

“I know many of you have questions that will be answered. But before that, let me take a moment to say a few words before we get you all settled in.

“First, I’d like to emphasize the rules because they are the most important thing you must follow. Your guardian instructors have already gone over most of them, but there is one crucial rule that will not be tolerated under any circumstances:

“No killing of fellow disciples while you’re here. If you have any grudges, you can settle them in the arenas. Of course, even there, killing is not allowed. Well, permanent killing is not allowed.

“Unless both parties agree to a death match. In that case, you may kill each other in a special Arena designed for that. But only after both of you agree to fight to the death. Aside from that, there is absolutely no killing among disciples.

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“Second, you are not privileged to enter the Inner Section. That area is off-limits to Outer Disciples. However, exceptions can be made if you prove yourself worthy.

“Now, pay close attention to these exceptions…”

Everyone wanted to know how they could enter the section where all the excitement happened.

In the Inner Section of the academy, there were Saints, Sages, Great Sages, and Sovereigns. In fact, there were hundreds of Sovereigns there.

The reason was simple: once someone became a Saint and passed the Inner Disciple exams, they would move to the Inner Section.

From there, unless they ascended to Sovereign rank and managed to catch the eye of the Overlords, they wouldn’t be able to enter the Celestial Section—the academy’s core area.

Because of this, there were hundreds of Sovereigns stuck in the Inner Section, unable to advance further without recognition from an Overlord.

But that was part of what made the Inner Section so exciting. With warriors at different stages of cultivation, battles and challenges were constantly taking place. Everyone was eager to climb the rankings of Saint, Sage, Great Sage, and Sovereign.

Naturally, even those outside the Inner Section couldn’t help but wish for a glimpse of the action every now and then.

The outer section only has Grandmasters and Saints who haven’t managed to pass the Inner Disciple trial yet.

“First, if you want to enter and look around the inner section, you can pay 100,000 Celestial Points, which, I have to tell you, are not easy to obtain. Of course, if you somehow manage to pay for that, you can enter for a day.

“The second option is to challenge an Inner Disciple.”

Everyone gasped upon hearing the second option. But it didn’t stop there.

“You can challenge an Inner Disciple, and if they accept, you will have to win, which will grant you 48 hours of access to the inner section. But bear in mind, if you lose, you will have to pay 50,000 Celestial Points.

Hearing the added condition, everyone groaned and turned to the next option.

“The third and last option is to climb the Stairway to Heaven and enter. If you succeed, you can stay for a week and even receive Inner Disciple treatment. However, you will have to leave once the week is up.

“After that, you can enter anytime you want, as long as you take the Stairway to Heaven again.”

Everyone shook their heads, hearing the third and seemingly impossible option. Climbing the Stairway to Heaven—who was he kidding?

Hundreds, if not thousands, were stuck in the outer section, mainly because they couldn’t climb the Stairway.

‘If they don’t want us to enter, they should just say so without adding impossible exceptions to it,’ everyone thought.

“I know you’re all thinking none of the options are possible. The answer is yes, they are difficult, but since most of you would want to complain, these options have been implemented.

Whether you succeed in any of them will depend on your power.

“And don’t even think about playing smart.

“Most of you are considering the second option by challenging your brothers and sisters in the inner section.

While you can do that and hope it works in your favour, know this: the moment you win against an Inner Disciple, they will drop 30 steps in their ranking.

“And let me tell you, ranking is everything here.

“If you want to get the best resources, the best missions, and the most faction points, then ranking high is the way forward.

“None of your brothers or sisters would want to lose. Aside from dropping 30 steps in the rankings, they would also have to pay 1,000,000 Celestial Points and wouldn’t be able to rechallenge anyone for 60 days.

“So before you think about playing smart, know there’s no way it will work out.

“If you want to enter the inner section, you can work hard, become a Saint, and pass the Inner Disciple trial.”

Everyone sighed, knowing they were grounded for now. The rules were too strict, and no one in their right mind would want to be subjected to such cruel conditions.

Head Instructor Victor looked at the humble faces of everyone gathered and smiled.

“Since we’re on the subject of ranking, why don’t we display the rankings for everyone here to witness? Your ranking will determine the amount of resources you receive each month.”

A large projection appeared right after he said that, showing everyone’s names based on their ranking.