Chapter 315: Seed of Creation

The Celestial Sanctuary was a relatively simple structure, only one floor, located in the disciples’ district. However, entry was strictly restricted to those who were about to attempt the ascension to the rank of Sage.

Priam approached the entrance and took out his emblem. The door slid open smoothly without making a sound, and he entered the place with calm steps.

A short corridor led him directly into a huge open hall.

The entire floor was carved with brightly glowing golden runes that pulsed in perfect harmony, connecting dozens of circular arrays. The radiance was so intense that Priam had to narrow his eyes for a moment until his vision adjusted.

At the back, an Elder sitting in a meditative position opened his eyes as soon as Priam stopped.

At the same moment, the excessive light in the room faded, returning to a gentle brightness.

The Elder took a deep breath and began speaking in a calm tone.

"I’ll explain only what’s strictly necessary. See that large stone stele over there?" The Elder pointed toward the corner of the hall. "When you touch it, you’ll receive a cosmic map of all the regions of the universe where the sect’s Elders have solar systems with available positions under their control. At your current stage, it’s useless, but you may need it someday."

"Observe the markers on the floor," he continued. "When I reactivate the inscription, the point where you’re sitting will project you to a specific zone. The central circle will take you to the beginner region of the Celestial Cloud, a domain filled with comets of all sizes. The intermediate circles lead to broader zones made up of rocky planets. As for the circles at the edges of the hall, they lead directly to the deep cosmic clouds, where advanced Sages create new suns."

The old Sage paused briefly before concluding:

"I’ll reactivate the connection now. The theoretical knowledge for your advancement attempt has already been provided to you. You can remain there for as long as you deem necessary. However, after twenty-four hours, if a new disciple appears, I’ll have to interrupt the process, since the first attempt requires prior preparation. When you wish to end it, simply awaken your consciousness; the inscription will detect the signal and open the return portal."

Priam bowed his head in gratitude. Without hesitation, he walked to the exact center of the hall and settled down.

*Buzz!*

With a deep hum that made the very structure reverberate, the golden runes began flowing intensely once again.

Priam closed his eyes and began circulating his mental energy. The way that inscription worked was identical to the sect’s Catalog of Magical Arts: the Mage had to synchronize his perception with the inscription in order to be projected across an immeasurable distance.

Although his mind would be sent to the Celestial Cloud, the connection to his physical body remained perfect, allowing him to guide his Creation Seed to the stellar region.

Priam took a breath and activated the Creation Rune engraved in his spiritual sea, precisely following the technique he had learned. In a matter of milliseconds, the runic connection solidified.

His consciousness disconnected from physical reality, shooting through the array toward deep space...

...

...

...

"!"

When Priam’s perception reorganized itself, his consciousness was floating in a stellar ocean of pure gold.

There was none of the cold darkness of conventional space. Instead, the void was filled with radiant nebulae, glowing cosmic dust, and auroras of prismatic light.

He looked at his own form: an ethereal, translucent silhouette, devoid of color, floating in the heart of that fascinating domain.

Countless rocks and celestial bodies of every shape and size were scattered around him. Each asteroid glowed with its own elemental aura, emitting strange, primitive, and fascinating energy frequencies.

’These are definitely celestial bodies brought from assimilated worlds...’ Priam reflected, connecting the scene to the knowledge he had obtained from Heaven’s Will.

When the Sovereigns drained the Pillar of the World, fragments and remnants of extremely high-level energy remained within certain celestial bodies. Instead of discarding them, they brought them to the Ur-World, transforming the ruins of dead worlds into stepping stones for Mages and Sages to make use of.

Priam calibrated his perception, scanning the surrounding space.

There were countless options. And each celestial body emitted different energies, originating from its world of origin. Some were completely anomalous, while others were more convenient.

A little farther ahead, a smaller rock emitted a subtle and harmonious pulse of the Wind and Fire elements.

Priam made his decision and focused his intent on that point.

The physical distance was immense, but the Sanctuary’s inscription acted as a catalyst for his will. All he had to do was desire to move, and his projection tore through the golden void at a dizzying speed.

As he approached, he analyzed the celestial body. It was a monumental rock approximately one and a half kilometers long, with a jagged, uneven surface that resembled an American football, emitting a soft reddish glow.

’No ice or gaseous tail... technically, according to Earth’s science, this is an asteroid, not a comet. But among Mages and Sages, any floating rock is called a comet. Whatever... the terminology doesn’t matter.’

Priam projected his mind directly onto the surface of the stellar rock.

Far away, in his physical body inside the hall, the Creation Rune within his body pulsed at maximum intensity.

...

After two hours of continuous and exhausting refinement, Priam’s projection raised its hand above the asteroid.

A celestial-blue rune, glowing and pulsing like the heart of a newborn star, materialized in the air.

It was the Creation Seed.

’Shaping this requires absurd control. And this is only the first stage,’ Priam thought, understanding why ascending to Sage was an insurmountable barrier for most Mages.

Creating the seed consumed all the Ether and energy of the Creation Rune; a single mistake would mean everything collapsing and complete exhaustion.

The Creation Seed slowly descended, sinking into the reddish rock until it disappeared into the dense matter.

Maintaining the mental connection, Priam guided the seed through thick layers of minerals, pushing it toward the asteroid’s center of mass—the metallic core, where the remaining energy from its world of origin was compressed.

As it reached the heart of the rock, the most critical moment began.

This was the trial where ninety-nine percent of Mages failed.

Priam had to subdue the chaotic energy of the core and force it to harmonize with the Creation Seed. Then, the seed had to germinate, projecting energy roots in every direction to embrace every millimeter of the celestial body.

Each runic circuit within those roots had to be shaped with absolute perfection, without the slightest deviation.

There was no room for long pauses. If the process was interrupted or even a single root collapsed, the chain reaction would destroy the seed and erase all his progress, forcing the Mage to start from scratch.

Even Sages who had already mastered countless celestial bodies had a 98% failure rate when trying to control something new. After a failure, the Creation Rune took days to recover; and the stronger the person was, the longer it took.

’Let’s go!’

Priam concentrated his mind to its absolute limit.

From the heart of the seed, the first luminous filaments burst forth.

A dozen... then dozens... and soon hundreds of translucent roots began branching throughout the rock, weaving a web of brilliance through the stellar core.

Centimeter by centimeter, they emerged and advanced.

...

...

...

Ten hours passed like a breath.

Inside his real body in the hall, Priam’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, the veins in his temples pulsed, and his expression revealed an immense amount of effort.

Unfortunately, the distance made direct use of the System’s functions impossible. Priam had to rely purely on his focus and skill.

But for a first attempt, his performance was already extraordinary.

’!’

Suddenly, an icy shiver ran through his consciousness.

An anomalous vibration echoed through the energy web.

’Fuck!’

Priam detected the problem: one of the hundreds of energy roots had been contaminated by the raw volatility of the elemental core before it could stabilize. The impurity spread like black ink in a cup of pure water.

The complexity was terrifying. He had to nourish, expand, and monitor thousands of runic circuits in real time. A mere fraction of a second of fluctuation was enough to break the balance.

’Freeze!’

Priam executed the emergency technique provided by the sect’s manuals, cutting off the flow of Ether to halt the expansion. The temporary seal would only give him a few minutes before the seed’s inevitable implosion.

His mind desperately advanced along the affected root, trying to purge the contaminated energy. However... it was like trying to stop an avalanche with his bare hands.

’If I’d noticed it in the exact millisecond it happened, there would’ve been a chance. But now, everything’s gone to shit...’

A bitter feeling of frustration struck him.

By the sect’s conventional methods, that attempt was irreversibly doomed to failure.

Until...

An idea flashed through his mind.

’Since I’ve already failed... let’s try that.’

Since the collapse was inevitable, Priam decided to risk some kind of miracle.

In his physical body, the mysterious Rune granted by Heaven’s Will activated—it was the essence of the world.

The instant the energy of that essence was invoked, the very fabric of stellar reality seemed to freeze.

Then, the shimmering window emerged directly within his mind.

[Create Your Secret World?] [Yes / No]