Chapter 363: Insurmountable Wall

Mirra stopped trying to level up by simply absorbing Ether and started training with that branch... which looked a lot like a wooden staff. As a Holy Mage, the weapon suited her perfectly.

"Pry, I feel like I can use my power mixed with soul energy several times better with this. Focusing on this will bring me much greater benefits."

She said excitedly, and Priam nodded.

Then, he took a deep breath and lay down on the bed. Seeing this, Mirra moved to his side and rested her head on his shoulder, meditating right there while clutching her gift and staying close to him.

It had been a long time since Priam had slept.

After becoming a Sage, sleeping, eating, and even breathing had become optional actions. He didn’t need any of them... but doing so every once in a while was great for relaxing his mind.

In his case, he needed to sleep to use what he had just bought.

At Priam’s current level—after his mortal body had undergone a massive transformation and drawn closer to an immortal body—not even that massive amount of knowledge being injected into his mind made him feel dizzy.

[Activate EX Training Amplifier?] [Yes / No]

He accepted and closed his eyes.

***

When Priam opened his eyes again, he felt as if he were returning from a long and profound journey.

He had spent 200 entire days in focused study. He had managed to absorb the complete theory behind the Ancient Art of the God-Weavers and understand Divine-level Combat Mastery.

Without a doubt, one of the things that had boosted Priam’s strength the most was this Combat Mastery knowledge.

Regardless of his opponent, Priam—who, theoretically, had never had a master nor been a great fighter in any of his past lives—felt that he could counterattack perfectly and was practically invincible in a direct duel.

All of this was a reflection of this knowledge, which he had been buying and practicing since the beginning.

Now...

With the Divine-level knowledge, he even understood how to manipulate and use the Creation Essence of Sages. Before, he had simply relied on brute force to destroy this power within his enemies and used whatever he had at his disposal in the simplest way possible.

Priam took a deep breath and looked down at his own chest.

Mirra was sleeping deeply, clinging to him. She was sleeping so soundly that she was even drooling. In the end, the little girl couldn’t resist and had taken a break.

He calmly moved her to the side and sat up on the bed.

After thinking for a while, he let out a restrained sigh.

’I think creating 13 Celestials right away would be quite troublesome. I’d end up having to explain to the sect how this happened. So... it’s better to wait until I have a good excuse.’

He stood up and walked outside. Then, he used teleportation to head toward the innermost region of the branch.

He quickly arrived at the building where the Elders went when they sought high-level knowledge.

Priam entered the place and spotted an Elder inside. Countless shelves filled with Jade Slips were spread throughout the area.

When the woman opened her eyes, Priam spoke calmly:

"I’m looking for knowledge about the Philosopher Rank. I’m at Level 9 and want to start understanding how to advance."

The Elder remained silent, staring at Priam with a visibly shaken expression. Although she had already heard the rumors, the direct confirmation still left her shocked.

The entire branch already knew that Priam—a young man who had joined the sect only a few years ago—was already a Level 9 Enlightened Sage.

Never in the history of the sect had anyone advanced so quickly. Not even in the past, when the Sovereign Goddess still existed and the sect had several Inborn Celestial disciples.

According to the records, the fastest Inborn prodigy had taken 50 years; the slowest, 120.

After merely a few seconds, the Elder recovered from her stupor and politely bowed. She made a gesture with her hand, causing a Jade Slip to gently float toward Priam.

He thanked her, but before leaving, he asked out of curiosity:

"Would the Elder happen to know what the average level is of the people from the sect who take the test to join the inner sect?"

She nodded. Of course she knew; just like all the Elders, she herself had failed that exam twice in the past.

"Normally, those coming from the side branches are at the Enlightened Rank, between Levels 3 and 5. However, there are many unparalleled geniuses who were born in the inner sect, and they also have to take the same test. Those... during my two attempts, they were already at the Philosopher Rank, and the strongest was at Level 3."

Priam let out a breath, now absolutely certain that he would need to break through to this rank before the test.

"With each new entrance exam, the objective changes. The sect isn’t unfair to those coming from the branches, so they always design a test that doesn’t force us to compete directly against those of a higher rank. Normally, it’s a test that depends solely on individual power."

Priam nodded. "Thank you. I’ll be prepared."

He turned around and left the building.

Before returning, Priam stopped by his family’s residence. As he approached, he noticed that everything was silent.

He didn’t enter; he simply used his senses to check inside and realized that his father, mother, and Orlaith were in their respective rooms, meditating and absorbing Ether. The three of them were truly dedicating themselves to this, making the most of the opportunity to be in the Divine Plane.

Priam soon returned to where his faction was located and entered his room.

Mirra was still sleeping deeply. In the end, she was still quite young and needed it.

He sat on the bed, took out the Jade Slip, and calmly read everything.

...

The Philosopher Rank, as Priam already knew, caused a Sage’s mind to transcend into something close to the level of an immortal.

The power of the mind was a peculiar energy that few could master. This was because its high-level use didn’t depend on resources, Bloodlines, or techniques.

This force was only powerful enough if the user possessed a mind capable of matching it.

Willpower, determination, and emotional stability.

These three factors were the fundamental pillars required to possess a powerful mind.

How many people possessed these three pillars strongly enough?

Normally, people’s mental power was, at most, average. Because of this, any other type of energy ended up being more advantageous to specialize in and use than mental energy.

Returning to the requirements of the next rank, the advancement process seemed conceptually simple:

Priam needed to reach, even if only for a single instant, a mental state of absolute emptiness and peace. It was a peculiar state in which the individual had to completely nullify their ego—without desires, without aversions; existing and, at the same time, not existing.

It was something extremely mystical and difficult to comprehend. However... Priam had already heard about this concept on Earth, which left him deeply shocked. It was known as the State of Nirvana.

’Again, Earth... Why did that planet from another world possess so much knowledge of this kind?’

Priam sighed and shook his head, putting those thoughts aside for now.

It was no wonder that advancement was so complex. All the sect’s Elders had failed to reach this state, remaining stagnant at Level 9 for thousands of years.

Priam focused deeply, regulating his breathing as he practiced the basic technique described in the Jade Slip.

...

...

...

The days passed slowly.

Before long, ten days had gone by in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, Priam opened his eyes with an extremely heavy expression.

"I can’t... This is impossible for me..."

He muttered, shaken and horrified.

No matter how hard he tried, he always got stuck at exactly the same point.

His past lives.

Whenever he approached this state, his mind inevitably returned to the memories of his time on Earth.

Despite the pain that came with those memories, he also remembered the good things: all the days and nights he spent alongside Bruno, playing games, watching series, and reading. In the end, that life hadn’t been so bad.

Then came the memories of his life as a slave.

He remembered all those years of torture, but Priam could still ignore the pain and stabilize his emotions after an immense effort. However...

His greatest trauma—the one that continued to manifest physically and mentally even in his current life—was simply impossible to overcome.

The pain of rejection. The pain of loving someone, placing his trust in them, and still being betrayed.

Revisiting the moment of his birth in that place and remembering the time he spent with that mother who sold him like merchandise made him lose control and emotionally explode every single time.

It was an insurmountable wall, a chasm he felt utterly powerless to bridge.