Chapter 322: Etherium (2)

*WOOOOSH!*

Like a fish diving into the ocean, the Elder was swallowed directly by the celestial-blue orb, disappearing without a trace. The transparent sphere darkened instantly, as if it had sealed him inside.

The other Elders watched with anxiety and anticipation written all over their faces.

"The examination inside is extremely rigorous," Elder Nozan commented beside Priam.

"The one who just entered is Elder Clezen, the most powerful Sage in our branch below the Elder Leader. He’s a Level 1 Philosopher Sage. Clezen has already tried several times to claim the Etherium Artifact and shape it into defensive armor—which makes perfect sense, since he’s an Arcanist Sage and has no affinity for direct offensive weapons."

Time passed slowly.

Ten minutes went by as the Elders inside the pavilion chose their targets and launched themselves into attempts at a rapid pace.

The vast majority failed, returning with pale, exhausted expressions. However, unlike in the past—when they could only make one attempt every six months—they now had permission to try indefinitely.

Priam watched everything in silence, showing no impatience.

Fifteen minutes after the Elder entered, the celestial-blue orb began trembling violently.

Everyone in the pavilion was startled, raising their eyes just in time to see a figure being hurled out of the sphere like a bloody meteor.

*BANG!*

He slammed violently into the ground.

"Elder Clezen! Are you okay?!"

Several Elders rushed over to support him. The old man’s condition made even the more hesitant ones break into a cold sweat: he was covered in blood, with severe internal injuries and multiple fractured bones.

If even the strongest Elder in the branch had ended up in such a miserable state, what would happen to the others?

Those who had been considering trying for an Emperor-grade weapon now seriously reconsidered.

Forcing down an emergency pill, Clezen woke up and stabilized himself.

Soon, he was stunned and embarrassed. His injuries would take at least an entire day to fully regenerate; he’d just lost precious preparation time.

"That damn inscription!" he cursed angrily.

The Elders around him silently agreed. The one administering the examinations wasn’t the artifact itself—which lacked a complex consciousness—but the inscription protecting the place. Created during the branch’s golden age, it possessed an intelligence comparable to that of an Ancient Artifact, operating according to inflexible and merciless criteria.

Priam took a deep breath, concentrating.

The remaining trace of Creation Essence within his meridians stirred.

A subtle, colorless distortion altered the density of the space around him. With a slight impulse, he lifted himself from the ground, smoothly floating upward.

Now, Priam was truly capable of flying. Since he was a newly promoted Sage with very little accumulated Creation Essence, his aerial mobility was still slow and somewhat clumsy; however, it required no Ether consumption.

Creation Essence could be manipulated in two distinct ways:

Passive Form: where the energy remained active within the body without being consumed, but could influence the surrounding environment. This allowed the space-time around a Sage to be distorted, allowing them to fly.

Active Form: where the Sage burned the essence within their meridians to unleash the peak of their power. Unlike Ether, the burned essence couldn’t be regenerated by absorbing energy from the environment; the Sage had to connect with their Celestial Body to restore it.

Yes, on missions in another world, the amount of Creation Essence stored within the body was the only amount he would have available to use. If he depleted it all, only ordinary Ether would remain. This was the greatest vulnerability of Sages away from their domains.

"HE WENT CRAZY?!" Elder Clezen roared, incredulous.

Everyone turned their heads in the direction he pointed, watching Priam calmly float toward the celestial-blue orb.

*WOOOOSH!*

Before anyone could react or warn him, Priam’s body was swallowed by the sphere, and the celestial-blue orb darkened once again.

On his very first attempt, Priam had chosen the most valuable and challenging item in the entire pavilion. How could that not leave everyone stunned?

He wasn’t risking death, but the chance of being thrown back out severely injured—and unable to recover in time to try again within the three-day deadline—was enormous. To everyone present, it bordered on complete recklessness.

"That boy is completely reckless! We need to be ready right now! The moment he comes out, we can’t waste even a second before administering a Divine Restoration Pill!" exclaimed an Elder, filled with anxiety.

The others nodded in unison.

Priam was the commander of one of the armies and the greatest pride of the 11th Branch. If they had known he would attempt something this insane on his first try, they would have stopped him at any cost. Now, all they could do was act quickly and heal him in time with the best thing they had.

"Stay alert. He shouldn’t last even five minutes," another Elder remarked.

"Heh!" Elder Clezen gave an ironic smile. "Five minutes is giving him far too much credit. I’ll give him two minutes at most before he’s expelled, and I’ll bet he’ll come out with his soul damaged by the test."

"If his soul is affected, the damage will become irreversible in a short time..." another Elder sighed.

...

...

...

"Five minutes have already passed," an Elder announced in a grave tone.

"Haha, looks like I spoke too soon. A natural Celestial really does have extraordinary vitality," Elder Clezen commented, although his ironic smile had already begun to waver.

However, another minute passed. Then another, and another.

Surprise swept through the pavilion when the ten-minute mark was surpassed.

...

"Fifteen minutes! He surpassed Elder Clezen’s time!"

Elder Clezen frowned as he watched his own earlier words being thrown right back in his face. His expression turned grim.

This had already far exceeded all estimates, even with everyone considering Priam someone far beyond the norm.

Twenty minutes...

Twenty-five minutes...

Thirty minutes...

As time passed, the bewilderment on the Elders’ faces reached unimaginable levels.

Was it possible for a Level 1 Enlightened Sage to accomplish something in which a Philosopher Sage had failed miserably?

Overcoming an entire Rank gap was theoretically impossible. Little by little, the Elders shook their heads, trying to dismiss such an absurd thought.

Priam would certainly emerge injured at any moment; they just needed to keep waiting, ready to act.