Ch. 1051..1060

Chapter 1051 - 1051 – Fruits

"Oh? You once worked for The Heaven Company?" Gravis asked.

"Yeah," Jake answered. "It's a pretty good workplace. However, the pay and amount of work depend on your power."

"The stronger you are, the more you're getting paid, and the amount of work also reduces at some point. The ones that have to work the most are slightly above-average Peak Immortal Emperors since they have to oversee the fights of all the average Peak Immortal Emperors."

Jake smiled bitterly. "Sadly, I fall exactly into that category. Because of that, I basically got worked to the bone. The pay was still good, don't get me wrong, but there are other jobs out there that pay more for less work."

"Is that why you went to the Smart Cultivator?" Gravis asked.

Jake nodded. "I know a lot of Laws of many different categories, but they don't increase my strength by much. In The Heaven Company, only strength matters. Because of that, these Laws I know were basically useless."

"In the Smart Cultivator, knowing these Laws is important to give the customers a good consultation. I've already earned enough money to buy resources to comprehend several level six Laws and even a level seven Law. The only thing I need is time."

Jake looked at Yersi with a smile. "However, I wanted to wait with my comprehension until Yersi becomes an Immortal Emperor. I don't want to enter closed-door Cultivation just to see that Yersi has become estranged to me due to the time."

Yersi smiled sweetly at Jake, but there was also some guilt in her smile.

Yersi knew that she was keeping Jake from reaching the Star God Realm right now.

That wasn't even everything. It was possible that Jake even had to go through an additional tribulation due to the wasted time, which could kill him.

Jake was making all of these sacrifices for her, and Yersi loved him for that.

Jake was showing how important Yersi was to him.

Both of them loved each other dearly.

"Thank you, Jake," Gravis said. "I'm happy that Yersi found someone like you."

"No problem. It's also what I want," Jake said as he looked at Yersi with dreamy eyes.

Jake and Yersi just looked at each other for a while.

PACK!

"Ah, I'm so envious!" Stella shouted playfully as she grabbed Gravis' free arm.

"Hey, you have me! I won't lose out to Jake!" Gravis said in an offended tone.

"You?" Stella asked with a skeptical expression. "Are you sure?"

Gravis was taken aback.

Stella only chuckled.

Then, Gravis calmed down again.

"Okay, you got me," he said helplessly with a chuckle.

"Hey, shoo, shoo!" Yersi said as she shooed Stella away. "He's my dad! You can have him later!"

Stella looked at Yersi with a smirk. "He technically has six arms. There are enough arms for all of us."

"I want four of the arms," Yersi argued.

"Four? How greedy can you be!?" Stella asked in shock.

"Yes, four! Aris can have one, and Cera can also have one."

"And me?"

"You get his leg."

"Oh?" Stella asked with a playful tone.

For some reason, Yersi felt nervous.

Then, Stella fell to her knees and tightly hugged Gravis' right leg. "Husband! Please, don't leave me!"

Everything stopped as everyone took a deep breath. The people on the street looked over with weird expressions.

The group immediately became embarrassed as Liam hid his face behind his hand with a groan.

"Okay! Okay!" Yersi shouted with agitation. "You can have an arm! Just stand up!"

Stella stood up and showed her tongue to Yersi in a playful expression.

Then, Stella grabbed one of Gravis' arms again with a happy smile.

"You win this time," Yersi grumbled.

Gravis sighed.

Stella was in some senses very similar to him. She simply didn't care what others thought of her, which gave her the ability to pull off such a stunt without any shame.

Yersi couldn't win against Stella.

"You guys were shopping, right?" Gravis asked. "No worries, I can pay for everything!"

"Yay!" Yersi shouted happily.

Stella looked at Gravis with skepticism. "Do you have the money?"

Gravis halted for a bit. "Oh, right. Money," he said.

Stella sighed.

Gravis sometimes forgot about things he didn't deem important, and money was one of these things.

"Hey, Jake," Gravis said.

"I'm not paying," Jake said.

"Not that," Gravis said with an annoyed tone. "I wanted to sell something to the Smart Cultivator. Can you take a look at some things?"

"Oh?" Jake uttered with some interest. "Sure, show me."

SHING!

20 fruits appeared in front of Jake.

Jake's eyebrows rose in recognition, and he nodded in appreciation. "Law Comprehension Life Fruits for level five Laws, huh?" he said.

These were the leftover fruits Gravis had gotten from the beasts. He already knew all of the corresponding Laws.

"Renting one Virtualization Array for a level five Law for 100 years costs 1,000 God Stones. In general, people need to spend about 5,000 years to comprehend the level five Law from the respective Virtualization Array. Of course, 90% of Cultivators can't comprehend the Law that fast, but that's our policy."

"This means that comprehending a level five Law is essentially worth 50,000 God Stones. You have five sets of fruits, and they are definitely enough to comprehend a level five Law. If you only had three fruits per Law, the chances of comprehending the Law would only be 80%, but with four, it's essentially 100%."

"Sadly, customers can't take these fruits all the time. It's more of a one-time bonus, which doesn't make them worth as much as Virtualization Arrays."

"However, the fruits are a great and reliable method of comprehending your first level five Law, which increases their worth again. On top of that, the chances are basically 100% to comprehend the Law with four of them."

"We would be selling one set for 50,000 God Stones exactly for that reason. Most Cultivators won't even look at the fruits for this price, but there are some Cultivators that would still buy them."

"Of course, the Smart Cultivator has to make some money too, and the fruits will probably remain unsold for a while. So, the Smart Cultivator is willing to buy the fruits for 40,000 God Stones per set for a grand total of 160,000 God Stones," Jake said.

Gravis was surprised.

That was way more money than he had thought.

160,000 God Stones was about 25% of what the Gravitas had made in the higher world in liquid assets.

160,000 God Stones was enough to raise a Peak Immortal Emperor from nothing.

"Sounds good," Gravis said.

Whoop!

Suddenly, the fruits vanished.

Jake's eyes opened wide in shock.

He hadn't taken the fruits!

Gravis also obviously hadn't taken them.

Someone stole them!

Jake became panicked as he looked at Gravis with horror.

Aris narrowed his eyes as Yersi became nervous.

Stella and Liam didn't react.

Gravis didn't react.

"Gravis! What is-"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Someone fell down from the sky in terror and fear.

The person was a Peak Immortal Emperor.

When Jake saw the Peak Immortal Emperor, he took a deep breath.

Powerful!

This guy was definitely more powerful than him!

Aris looked with narrowed eyes at the Peak Immortal Emperor.

The Peak Immortal Emperor felt about as powerful as Aris, which was very impressive since Aris was already outstanding in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm.

The Peak Immortal Emperor writhed around on the ground as if he was trying to fight an army of monsters. However, his attacks got stopped by some kind of barrier that appeared around him.

Gravis didn't want to be liable for damages, which was why he was stopping the Peak Immortal Emperor's attacks. After all, the Peak Immortal Emperor was currently attacking everything due to Gravis' Law of Perceived Reality.

Right now, the guy was being attacked by several monsters, according to his perception.

The thief knew that this had to be an illusion. After all, how could this army of monsters appear in Opposer City?

Yet, no matter what he did, he couldn't dispel the illusion!

Aris, Yersi, and Jake looked with shock at the thief.

What was going on!?

Liam only scoffed.

Stealing from Gravis? Was the guy stupid?

Well, the thief couldn't feel Gravis' Battle-Strength since their power was too far apart from each other. In the thief's mind, he only had to get away from Aris and Stella, the most dangerous ones in the group.

The guards in Opposer City were Peak Immortal Emperors, and as long as they didn't get the opportunity to surround him, the thief would be able to get away.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

About ten guards appeared above the thief. They were trained in subjugating Peak Immortal Emperors, and they had arrived to stop the guy.

However, when they saw him, they only raised their eyebrows in surprise.

What was he doing?

"Can I release him?" Gravis asked the guards with a polite smile.

The guards looked at Gravis, but they became skeptical when they felt his average power.

SHING!

One of the guards took out some kind of device.

WEEP! WEEP! WEEP!

The device immediately became red and released a loud alarm.

As soon as the guards heard the tone, they took a deep breath in shock.

This device was there to see if someone had the power of a Star God. This device was important for the guards since some Star Gods hid their Realm with the Law of Humility or similar Laws. There had been occurrences of Peak Immortal Emperors killing someone in the streets, fleeing, the guards chasing, and the guards dying outside the city.

The guards also had valuables in their Spirit.

Why target one guy in Opposer City when someone could just gather the valuables of a group of powerful guards?

That was why this device was so important!

The guards only looked at Gravis with shock and respect.

Chapter 1052 - 1052 – Miners

"You can release him, Senior. We have everything under control," one of the guards said to Gravis with a polite bow.

Gravis nodded.

The thief stopped attacking as the monsters disappeared from his vision.

For a second, he was confused, but when he saw the ten guards standing above him, he gritted his teeth in frustration and hate.

"I'll forget this transgression as long as you let me go! I'll warn you, my master is-"

SHING! BANG!

The armor of the guards started to shine with Formation Arrays, and one of the guards shot forward with incredible speed and kicked the thief in the face.

Gravis' eyebrows lifted with surprise.

That was really fast!

However, when Gravis saw the armor, he realized that the armor had the ability to combine the powers of several people into one person. In essence, this one guard now had the Energy and physical power of ten Immortal Emperors. That was how he had become so fast.

"We don't care," the guard said with a stern voice. "Comply or die!"

The thief's face had been kicked in, making his face unrecognizable, but it quickly healed in a second.

"My master-"

BANG!

Another kick. "We don't care. Comply or die!"

"My-"

BANG!

"Comply or die!"

The guards obviously didn't care about the master of the thief.

This time, the thief said nothing. He only glared at the guards with hatred.

"Why do you think that no Peak Sect has ever tried to take control of the city?" the guard asked with disdain. "We don't care who your master is. He could be the Sect Master from a Peak Sect, and we wouldn't care."

"Comply or die!"

Did the guards truly not care about the master of the thief?

No.

Why?

Because this city had a powerful ruler. No matter who came, they could only talk with the ruler of the city, not use force.

Well, technically, the ruler of the city wasn't the official ruler, but she was the unofficial ruler.

Who was it?

The Economistress.

The Economistress had the power to rival weaker Divine Gods, which didn't make her the equal of the Sect Masters of Peak Sects, but she didn't have to be so powerful.

If someone arrived that could kill the Economistress, her husband would get involved.

Therefore, it really didn't matter who the master of the thief was.

"I will destroy the fruits!" the thief threatened.

BANG!

Another kick to the face. "Comply or die! Don't test my patience!"

Rage exploded in the thief's heart, but he could only grit his broken teeth for now.

They would all regret this!

The thief summoned the fruits and glared at Gravis with hatred.

"You'll regret this," he said with a venomous tone to Gravis.

Gravis checked the fruit and noticed that all of them were present and undamaged. Then, he nodded at the guards with confirmation that everything was fine.

"Take him to the mines," the leading guard ordered.

The other guards surrounded the thief and activated a Formation Array that sucked all the Energy out of the thief and the area surrounding him. At the same time, the Formation Array also deactivated all the Laws below the seventh level in the area, making it impossible for the thief to do anything.

If the thief knew a level seven Law, the warning device would have also warned them about the thief. Because of that, they knew that the thief didn't know a level seven Law.

This world was very different from any other world.

This world had a foundation of 50 billion years, and all the organizations had developed terrifying means of stopping powerful Cultivators. These guards were specialized in taking out everyone below the Star God Realm, no matter how powerful they were.

If someone at the Star God Realm appeared, their superiors would make a move.

If someone more powerful than their superiors arrived, their leaders would make a move.

If someone more powerful than their leaders arrived, the Economistress would make a move.

If someone more powerful than the Economistress arrived, her husband would make a move.

If someone more powerful than the Economistress' husband arrived, everyone would die.

The leading guard went over to Gravis and bowed politely again.

SHING!

50,000 God Stones appeared in front of Gravis. "This is half of what the thief is worth. Please accept it as a reward."

Gravis nodded and pocketed the God Stones. "Thank you for your help. Everything's fine."

The guard nodded and left after politely bidding his farewell.

Why did the guards give such a huge reward to the victim of the theft? After all, the victim got all their stolen goods back, and the thief would be punished.

The reason was encouragement.

The guards and Opposer City earned a ton of money by taking in criminals. The criminals would be sent to the mines to mine God Stones. This meant that every criminal made the city richer.

By encouraging the members of the city with this fat bounty, they created bait. Several Cultivators living in the city walked around with insanely expensive items just to bait thieves. As soon as the thieves stole from these people, the guards would arrive and reward the "victim".

Several Cultivators had become insanely rich by doing that.

Of course, earning money this way depended on luck.

Another question was, how did the criminals mine God Stones? After all, at some point, the mine should be emptied out.

Well, the criminals weren't strictly miners. They would be placed at the core of the God Stone mine, and they would be forced to gather Energy and infuse it into the God Stone mine, making it grow.

A Peak Immortal Emperor would be released when they managed to grow 100,000 God Stones, which would generally take them 100,000 years.

This meant that every Peak Immortal Emperor would be imprisoned for 100,000 years, unable to comprehend any Laws.

What if their longevity ran out?

Someone from The Heaven Company would arrive and inform the guards in the mines about an upcoming tribulation, and the miner would be let go to undergo tribulation. If the miner died during tribulation, the city would take enough from the miner's belongings until their debt was repaid. The remainder would be left for the person that killed them.

Because of that, if someone was chosen to fight a miner in a tribulation, they generally considered that bad luck.

After all, an Ancestral God from Opposer City would overlook the fight, and they would assure that everything went according to policy.

If the fighter disagreed, Opposer city would get another miner.

They just had to eat it up.

Sucks to be you!

As the guard left, Gravis only smiled.

"That was a good catch," Jake commented. "The thief will probably be bailed out by his master, allowing the city to earn a ton of money from him without needing to guard him."

Then, Jake looked at Gravis with concern. "However, he probably believes that you deliberately baited him. After all, he probably thinks that you are a Star God, not a Peak Immortal Emperor. If you were a Star God, he would have felt your power, which would have stopped him from stealing from you. He probably thinks that you deliberately hid your strength to bait him into stealing, essentially making him feel like he's the victim."

"His master might come after you, and we don't know who his master is," Jake said with worry.

Gravis only smirked, unworried. "So? This just makes it more interesting. I can probably earn even more money by killing whoever they send. Do you think his master is an Ancestral God?"

"Probably," Jake said, "but I doubt that they will come themselves. They will probably send out a Star God to gather information about you. After they realize that you are a Peak Immortal Emperor, they will probably directly take action against you."

Gravis' smirk widened. "Then, everything's fine. As long as no Ancestral God arrives, everything's fine. Do you think an Ancestral God will arrive after the Star Gods are dead?"

Jake was surprised by Gravis' confidence. It sounded like Gravis believed himself to be the most powerful Star God in the world. "No, an Ancestral God won't arrive. Heaven cares about everyone in the Star God Realm and higher for a reason. A completely one-sided slaughter is not allowed as long as someone doesn't have a very good reason."

"However, you have to be careful. If the Star Gods take the initiative to hurt you, you can fight back without any issues, but if you take the initiative, this will be a sufficient reason for the Ancestral God to kill you. This means you can't take the initiative this time."

Gravis scratched his chin with a frown.

"Sounds boring," he said. "I think I want a bit more excitement."

Jake looked at Gravis' smirk with unease.

Chapter 1053 - 1053 – Cera

Jake was unsure what Gravis was planning, but Gravis just wouldn't say what he was planning. Gravis only said that it would be fun.

After that event, the group went shopping for a while, and Gravis bought a ton of stuff for Yersi and Stella. He also asked Aris what he wanted, but Aris adamantly refused. In Aris' mind, Gravis had already done more than enough for him. It was time for him to pay Gravis back.

This was one thing where Aris and Gravis just couldn't agree on. Gravis wanted to help Aris, but Aris wanted to help Gravis.

It was kind of sweet but also annoying.

"How is Cera?" Gravis asked after a while.

The atmosphere immediately turned strange.

"Dad, you know that Cera is more beast than human," Aris said.

Gravis nodded.

"Cera has been amongst beasts for nearly her entire life, and her inner conflicts have vanished just like mine. However, a resolution of an inner conflict might not always be the best for the surrounding people."

Gravis had already expected something like that, which was why he hadn't immediately asked about her.

"Cera is not interested in us," Aris said.

Gravis took a shaky breath. He had expected something like this, but it was still difficult to hear.

"How is she?" Gravis asked.

"She seems to be doing well," Aris answered. "She embraced being a beast, and there are no inner conflicts left. She believes that something like love or familial bonds don't exist, which is true in her case. After all, she doesn't have the ability to feel the associated emotions."

"Because of that, it doesn't matter whether we are family or not. She only sees us as some companions that haven't met for a long time."

"Originally, she wanted to join our group due to this companionship, but after the tournament, she left in shame. She came in last in the tournament, and she felt too ashamed to join a group where every single being was more powerful than her."

"I think she wants to join everyone in their endeavor since she doesn't have any other companions in the highest world, but she will only do so when her strength is no longer in the bottom of the group."

Gravis sighed. He felt bad for Cera, but one member of the group had to be the weakest. Sadly, it just had to be Cera. If Styr or Manuel had come in last, they wouldn't have minded much, but it had been Cera.

Manuel had already technically come in last since he was hiding his power and since Ferris never unleashed his full power. However, even when Manuel hid his power, he had still won against Yersi.

"How come Cera came in last?" Gravis asked. "She is a Black Demon, and she should have been quite powerful."

Aris sighed. "That's exactly the issue. Cera relied on being a Black Demon to ascend. She comprehended Divine Lightning as her level six Law, and she immediately ascended after comprehending it. In fact, Cera was the first of everyone that ascended. From what I know, she isn't even 100,000 years old."

Gravis nodded. Now, everything made sense.

Cera had embraced being a beast, but with that also came the beast mindset. Gravis still remembered how difficult it had been for the three of them to stop raising their Realm.

Back in the middle world, Gravis had informed the three of them that they should spend more time in their Realm to comprehend more Laws to increase their Battle-Strength. Back then, the three of them felt that doing something like this was unnatural.

Yersi had no problem accepting Gravis' advice. Aris had had some issues, but they got resolved in the higher world.

Sadly, Cera had embraced being a beast, which meant she chased the next Realm.

After all, beasts were supposed to act as tempering for humans. If every beast spent more time to increase their Battle-Strength, they would kill more humans, defeating the very purpose of their existence.

Azure, Styr, and Ferris had also immediately ascended as soon as they comprehended their level three Laws back then. The reason why they were more powerful than Cera was that they had all waited for each other. They waited until every one of the group became able to ascend, which meant that everyone had time to comprehend more Laws.

Styr had been the last one that comprehended a level six Law, which meant that he was also the weakest of the group. However, he knew several other Laws due to his surroundings and resources. After all, he had been the leader of a powerful Tribe, which meant that he had consumed many resources that increased his power.

That was why he had been more powerful than Cera.

Cera was someone that acted alone, even more so than normal beasts.

Why?

It was precisely because of her past inner conflicts.

When someone had an inner conflict about something, as soon as they made their decision, they often resented the other side since it had been a source of negativity in their life.

So, when Cera had discarded her humanity, she started to resent the aspects of humanity that separated it from beasts. She thought these emotions of love, empathy, and companionship as weakness and refused to feel anything remotely similar to them.

Because of that, Cera had fought everything and everyone on her own. She probably became the target of several Tribes, forcing her to increase her Realm to resist the ever-growing power of her hunters.

That's how and why Cera had become a Peak Immortal Emperor so quickly.

Sadly, it meant that her Battle-Strength was only slightly above-average and also only because she was a Black Demon. If she were no Black Demon, her Battle-Strength would be very average, maybe even a bit below-average.

She was a beast, and beasts were supposed to be weaker than humans.

These things only changed when beasts reached the Star God Realm and received their Spirit. Before that, they would all be bound by the beasts' philosophy.

Gravis still remembered how the Black Magnate had resurrected his mate and had killed her to show how nothing had any value anymore.

If the Black Magnate hadn't held deep feelings for his mate, he wouldn't have used her as proof. After all, to make the demonstration as effective as possible, he would have summoned the thing that had been the most important thing in his past.

If he hadn't cared deeply for his mate, he wouldn't have summoned her.

"Where is she?" Gravis asked.

"She left after the tournament," Aris said. "She is somewhere in the world, trying to become more powerful. I think she will join an organization that's more on her level and will remain there until she either dies or becomes the leader of said organization."

"If she manages to become a Star God, she might return. I don't know to what extent becoming a Star God will change beasts, but there has to be some change."

"Sadly, I'm not sure if she will ever manage to reach the Star God Realm. Right now, her power isn't enough. I'm also unsure if she is willing to use the wealth of her enemies to further her own strength by exchanging said wealth for resources with humans. Beasts from natural worlds rarely trade since it's more of a human thing. Cera might also believe that trading for something is somehow not pure enough for her," Aris explained.

Gravis sighed and rubbed his forehead in worry.

Aris had stopped being the problem child, but the position had been replaced with Cera.

Sadly, there wasn't much he could do.

He could ask his father to tell him where Cera is, but that won't change anything. Meeting her might even make things worse.

Cera might believe that Gravis would want to convert her to humanity, which would not only strengthen her resentment towards humanity, but it would also build resentment towards Gravis, making it even harder for him to help her in the future.

The only thing Gravis could do right now was to let Cera walk her path alone until she became a Star God.

Yet, the chances were not very high for her to reach the Star God Realm.

Right now, Gravis felt an intense feeling of conflict inside of himself. He wanted to help Cera but helping Cera meant not helping Cera.

Both choices were bad.

One choice would push Cera further away, and the other one would make Gravis feel guilty.

Of course, Gravis chose to trust Cera and wait for her, even if that made him feel guilty.

As long as Cera was fine, he was willing to bear the guilt.

Even if she didn't care for him, he still cared for her.

Chapter 1054 - 1054 – Manuel

The atmosphere had been somewhat ruined by bringing up Cera, but Gravis did his best to act as if he wasn't constantly worried for her.

Gravis felt like he had to do something for his daughter, but he couldn't do anything.

He felt like it was his obligation to support his daughter.

If Gravis hadn't had the ability to help her, it would be one thing, but Gravis was powerful enough to do essentially everything for her, which made it harder on him.

After some shopping time, everyone went over to Jake's place since it was the biggest apartment out of everyone. Gravis didn't always want to rely on his parents' place to talk with his friends.

After a while, the atmosphere recovered, and they all began talking.

Aris told Gravis the things that had made him change.

Surprisingly, it was a master Aris had acknowledged in one of his Sects. This master had shown Aris how humans felt and acted by showing examples.

This master had also been a child between a human and a beast, which gave him a special connection with Aris.

He had also gone through the same conflict in the past, and he knew how he had to talk with Aris to solve his inner conflict.

The deciding factor was how it felt to be human and how it felt to be a beast.

Being a human meant feeling more, which meant that everything was more colorful. Over a long time, Aris' master had shown him how beautiful it could be to be human.

Something was better than nothing.

Sadly, that master hadn't managed to comprehend a level six Law, and he eventually died when there was no one left in the world to be his tribulation.

Ironically, his death was his last gift for Aris, which sounded cruel. However, when Aris' master died, Aris finally felt how it felt to lose someone dear to him.

The grief managed to awaken Aris to an entirely new world of emotions.

Yersi and Jake also talked about what they had done, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as Aris' experiences.

They mostly just comprehended Laws, worked, and Yersi tempered herself in the Arenas in Opposer City.

For them, only 27,000 years had passed since Gravis had left.

Right now, Yersi was a Peak Immortal, and she planned on going through a tribulation against an Early Minor Circulation Immortal King next. After that, she would comprehend more Laws for 40,000 years and then become an Immortal King.

She was taking her time, which was the best way forward.

After a while, Gravis remembered something.

"Liam, Aris, Stella," he started. "Our group of friends wants to create a Sect, called the Myriad Sect. The roles are already assigned, and Manuel will be the Sect Master. He wants to invite the three of you into the Sect."

"A Sect, huh?" Liam said as he began thinking. "I think that sounds good. What position does he have in mind for me?"

"Vice-Sect Master," Gravis answered.

Liam was a bit surprised. "Vice-Sect Master? I barely know them," he said.

"Manuel and I both thought of you," Gravis said. "You were able to handle your authority in the Purist Sect pretty well, and I think you're interested in that position."

Liam scratched his chin in thought. "I am interested, actually. Will there be a second Vice-Sect Master?" he asked.

Gravis nodded and looked at Aris.

Aris lifted an eyebrow. "Me?" he asked.

Gravis nodded.

Liam looked at Aris and nodded. "I'm fine with that. Sure, I think I can join. After all, there's a long way to the Star God Realm, and by being part of a Sect, the way will become easier."

However, Aris frowned. "I'm not sure if I can be part of the Myriad Sect."

The group was a bit surprised by Aris' refusal.

The only one that wasn't surprised was Gravis.

He knew exactly why it was difficult for Aris to join the Sect.

"Aris, I know why you are hesitant," Gravis said. "Don't say your reason yet. Keep it to yourself. Instead, I would ask you to meet Manuel alone and tell him the reason directly. He can show you that your reason is built on a wrong assumption."

Aris was surprised, and one of his eyebrows raised in skepticism.

He trusted that his father knew what he was thinking about.

"Are you sure?" Aris asked.

Gravis nodded. "I'm sure."

Aris quickly became interested, and a fire appeared in his eyes.

Aris loved battle!

Why had Aris hesitated?

Because he wasn't completely free of beast influences.

Following a Sect Master that was weaker than him would be possible, but Aris wouldn't feel happy while doing so. If forced, he could take up the position of Vice-Sect Master, but he would rather build his own power or follow someone more powerful than him.

Manuel had been in tenth place in the tournament, making him one of the weakest ones.

Aris wouldn't feel happy following someone that weak.

Yet, Gravis had just said that Manuel was very powerful.

This could only mean that Manuel was indeed very powerful and that he was hiding his power.

This was also the reason why Gravis said that Aris shouldn't voice his concerns.

"Alright, I think I'll meet him right now," Aris said.

SHING!

Then, he teleported away.

Gravis looked at the others. "Those who know the secret, please keep it a secret. Manuel doesn't want people to know. Those who don't know the secret, please respect Manuel's personal boundaries."

Liam, Stella, and Yersi knew what Aris' reason for refusal was, and therefore also knew what it meant when Gravis said that Manuel could deal with that reason.

Jake was the only one that had no idea.

"This Sect seems more and more interesting," Liam said with a smirk. "I thought Ferris was the only one, but there seems to be a second one."

Stella was also a bit surprised since she hadn't been able to see Manuel's true power.

"I think he's just a bit weaker than you," Gravis transmitted to Stella. "He knows several Emotional Laws and four of the Laws of Perceived Reality. Right now, you only win because you have 36 Mixed Elements that have the power of level seven Laws since the Major Law of the Elements is your Avatar."

This was why Stella was so powerful.

With the Major Law of Mixed Elements as her Avatar, Stella could essentially use 36 level seven Laws.

This was as powerful as one could get in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm without comprehending an actual level seven Law. After all, if someone comprehended a level seven Law and used it as their Avatar, they would have a level eight Law.

One could say that Stella was the most powerful Peak Immortal Emperor as long as one ignored the Peak Immortal Emperors that could become Star Gods right now.

Stella's eyes widened when she heard Gravis' words. "That's really powerful!" she transmitted to Gravis. "I had no idea Manuel was that strong!"

Gravis chuckled a bit. "Never underestimate Manuel. Haven't you noticed that he feels a bit similar to Arc? Of course, he isn't nearly that powerful, but Manuel has incredible potential and maturity."

"Manuel even has a chance of becoming a Heaven's Magnate in the future."

Chapter 1055 - 1055 – A Sect

The group talked for a while longer until…

SHING!

Aris returned!

Aris sat down beside Yersi and looked at Gravis.

"I will be joining the Myriad Sect as one of the two Vice-Sect Masters," he said.

Gravis nodded with a smile. "Did he manage to convince you?" he asked.

Aris nodded. "Yes, he was very persuasive."

A light appeared in Liam's eyes as he looked at Aris.

Liam had completely lost against Aris in their fight. Aris was incredibly powerful, and it was hard for Liam to imagine someone else being even more powerful than him, except for Stella, Gravis, Mortis, and Arc, but these four were special.

So, Manuel was actually that powerful that he could convince Aris?

Liam also remembered Ferris, and he guessed that Ferris was probably also more powerful than him.

Then, there was this Meadow he had heard about. She wasn't here yet, but from what Liam had heard, Meadow was also incredibly powerful.

Dorian was also not simple. He had only reached seventh place in the tournament, but Dorian's strengths didn't lay in one-on-one battles. Liam could easily defeat Dorian in a direct fight, but Liam had no idea how it would go down if they were in the wild, not bound by any rules.

Then, there was Exar. Liam had met Exar, and he knew how unimaginably powerful Exar was. If Exar joined, he would directly take the first spot in power. Stella wouldn't even be able to put up a fight against him.

Liam had assumed that he already had quite a clear picture of Gravis' friends, but the more he found out, the more he realized that everyone seemingly had incredible secrets.

The Myriad Sect couldn't be judged by normal standards.

However, exactly these hidden secrets made Liam more interested in the Myriad Sect.

"Then, I'll join too," Liam said. Then, he looked at Aris. "Happy to be working with you in the future."

Aris nodded at Liam. "Likewise. I respect your power."

Aris had won against Liam, but Liam had shown that he was also very powerful. This won Liam Aris' respect.

"I'll also join," Stella said with a smile. "Becoming some form of support allows me to interact with everyone, and I'm not bound by any specific duties. It sounds just perfect for me."

Obviously, Gravis had already told Stella about her future job, assuming she agreed.

"Sounds great! So, the Myriad Sect now has eleven members. That's definitely enough to take care of all the different administrative work. However, you guys need to be careful. I don't know what kind of policies Manuel will implement, but there is a chance that new members might challenge you for your current spot," Gravis said.

Everyone nodded.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Aris said as he drank some wine.

"I also want to join," Yersi said with a pout.

Gravis stroked Yersi's hair with love. "I'm not sure if the Myriad Sect will fit you right now," Gravis said.

"Why?" Yersi asked as she pouted at her father.

Gravis laughed a bit at Yersi's cute expression. "Because I don't know what kind of Sect Manuel wants to create. If he wants to create a big Sect, it shouldn't be a problem for you to join as a Peak Immortal. However, if he plans on creating a Sect entirely made out of Peak Immortal Emperors, joining the Myriad Sect would be useless to you."

Yersi's eyes widened. "A Sect made up of only Peak Immortal Emperors? How would the hierarchy even work?"

"The Peak Immortal Emperor Realm has the greatest gulf of Battle-Strength between Cultivators out of every Realm. We have Peak Immortal Emperors that only know one level six Law, but we also have Peak Immortal Emperors that know over ten level six Laws. The difference in Battle-Strength is vast due to the stringent requirement to become a Star God."

"Peak Immortal Emperors with only one level six Law could be the normal members. If someone knows two of them, they could become leaders of a squad or something. It takes a long time and lots of tempering for normal Cultivators to comprehend another level six Law. The gulfs of power and the necessary time to advance make it possible to divide the ranks of a Sect in such a way."

"From what I've heard, there are so incredibly many Peak Immortal Emperors that it's ridiculous," Gravis explained. "You have to keep in mind that all the Ascenders from all the worlds reach this world at that level, and they will stay at that level for a very long time."

"In fact, the number of Peak Immortal Emperors could even be higher than the number of Immortal Kings in the highest world. After all, there are no Ascenders below the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm in this world."

Yersi looked upward as she scratched her chin in thought.

At first, Gravis' words sounded ridiculous. After all, how could there be more Peak Immortal Emperors than Immortal Kings? That made no sense.

Yet, there were so incredibly many Ascenders. Additionally, Cultivators would stay at the Peak Immortal Emperors for a very long time.

Comprehending a level seven Law was ridiculously hard. There were a lot of Ascenders that had already gone through a tribulation in the Immortal Emperor Realm in their higher world just to gain enough time to comprehend a single level six Law.

What about a level seven Law?

They would probably need to comprehend a level six Law for about 100,000 years and then fight a life and death battle to comprehend it fully. After that, they might need to do the same thing again.

At that point, the Cultivator would have enough experience to comprehend level six Laws without tempering.

Then, after they had comprehended a couple more Laws, their experience might finally be sufficient to attempt a level seven Law, but that would require at least one more life and death battle.

Honestly, if the rules of longevity and tribulations had not changed, probably not even 100 out of all the Peak Immortal Emperors would reach the Star God Realm.

This was how hard it was to become a Star God.

The Star God was the biggest divide.

A Star God was a God.

Everything below a Star God was not a God.

In the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm, one would be part of the upper half of mediocrity in the highest world. Everyone only counted as above-average.

Only when one became a Star God would one count as truly powerful.

A Star God could even take up a leadership position in the Research Institute, the place that had sent Gravis to the lower world.

All the clerks in the Research Institute were Peak Immortal Emperors.

Yet, Orpheus, who had been a Star God back then, had led an entire department.

Peak Immortal Emperors were the guards of the city.

Yet, Star Gods were the captains.

Peak Immortal Emperors ran big shops in Opposer City.

Yet, Star Gods owned these shops and several more shops on top of that.

One was a good job.

One was a job with real power.

Yersi sighed. "Yeah, I hadn't thought about it that much," she said. "I totally forgot how many Peak Immortal Emperors there are. Creating a Sect only made up of Peak Immortal Emperors sounds feasible. Sadly, I would only be a burden if I joined such a Sect."

Gravis pulled Yersi closer. "Hey, you can join a different Sect if you want. You've only been tempering yourself in the arena. One-on-one fights are deadly, but they're missing the unknown dangers of outside. Do you still remember how you left the secure area for the young beasts when you were in the Peak Energy Gathering Realm?"

Yersi thought back and nodded.

"You were the weakest out of you three back then, but after you went and came back from the wilds, you've become the most powerful out of your siblings. The unforeseen danger has forced you to comprehend things you wouldn't be able to comprehend by only fighting one-on-one battles all the time."

Gravis looked at Jake. "I hope you can confirm my words."

Jake didn't feel good right now.

Going outside and joining the real wars was far more dangerous and uncontrollable than going to an arena. The chances of Yersi dying would become far higher.

Yet, Jake sighed and nodded.

Jake didn't want to push Yersi into danger, but he knew that this was the best way for her to become powerful.

This was for their future.

Jake didn't want to stop at the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm.

He wanted to become a Star God!

Sadly, if only he became a Star God, he would lose Yersi way too soon.

Time would pass faster and faster for him.

Jake didn't want to see Yersi die to a tribulation while Jake had been busy comprehending a level seven Law.

"I agree," Jake said.

Yersi shot Jake a loving gaze and then looked at Gravis again.

"Sure, but not right now. Right now, I'm fine with just sitting here and talking," she said.

Gravis laughed as he hugged his daughter.

"Sure."

Chapter 1056 - 1056 – Father's Sacrifice

After a couple of days, everyone had basically already finished saying whatever they wanted to say.

Jake went back to work, and Yersi went back to comprehending her Laws. Liam and Aris went to the Myriad Sect and talked things over.

Now, only Gravis and Stella were left.

Gravis rented an apartment in Opposer City, something that didn't even cost a single God Stone. With his current wealth, renting an apartment basically cost nothing.

Gravis and Stella only lay on a beautiful beach in their new apartment, simply looking at the world in front of them.

At least, Gravis was looking forward.

Stella was looking at Gravis as she hugged him.

"I was so afraid," Stella said. "I was scared that you wouldn't return."

Gravis also pulled Stella closer. "I know, and I'm sorry. The Gate of Death had been really dangerous, and I might have died if the old Mortis hadn't decided to stop resisting Death. It pains to me to say, but Mortis' depression saved my life."

"It feels completely wrong to say something like that. After all, Mortis is one of my closest friends, and I'm essentially saying that I benefited from his misery. Yet, even if I don't say it, it doesn't change reality."

"Was he a martyr?" Gravis asked. "In terms of action, yes, in terms of intent, no. However, Mortis had also known that he couldn't survive without me. So, I think he would have sacrificed himself regardless. The only difference would be that he would have asked me to resurrect him."

"It feels shitty and scummy when I think about it. I essentially threw one of my friends into death to save my own life."

Gravis sighed.

"However, on the other hand, we couldn't have known what exactly would await us. Maybe Mortis knew from the very beginning that he could give his life to make me comprehend the Major Law of Death. If he hadn't been in such a dark place, he would have probably tried more things."

"I understand how you feel," Stella said quietly. "Something similar happened to me. After all, my teacher sacrificed her life for me back then. I know this feeling of guilt."

Gravis looked lovingly at Stella.

What had he done to deserve her?

Stella could relate to Gravis on even such a complex, moral situation.

How many people could relate to such a situation?

For some hours, Stella and Gravis only remained silently on the beach. Stella's head was on Gravis' chest as Gravis only stroked her hair lovingly.

This was Gravis' happiest moment of his life.

His partner was right beside him.

Both of them had a lot of longevity left.

All of Gravis' friends had returned.

Gravis could see Aris and Yersi whenever he wanted.

Gravis could visit his father and mother whenever he wanted.

Gravis was very powerful, and no one would attack them in Opposer City.

'If I wanted to stop cultivating right now, what would happen?' Gravis thought.

Silence.

'Not much. All of this would only continue onward until my friends overtake me in power. Then, eventually, I will die to a tribulation at some point.'

Gravis smiled peacefully.

'However, that's only an unrealistic dream. I have too many responsibilities. Mortis is bound to me, and if I don't increase my power, he can't become more powerful. Stella tells me that she will follow me, no matter what choice I make, but I know very well that Stella wants to become more powerful as well.'

'Then, there is the situation with father and Orthar. Even if I don't care much about this new version of Orthar, my father is still in immense pain.'

'I always wondered what father was doing all day long inside his room. He never leaves his room, and he always only sits in the middle.'

'Who would have thought that father was in a never-ending battle with Death itself inside his own Cosmos. Father probably has to give his everything to keep his Cosmos and himself alive. One slip-up and he would die.'

'I thought that I had it hard with my life, but my life can't compare to father's life. He has been in one single dangerous battle for 50 billion years.'

'It's actually a miracle that he managed to change his personality to such a degree while being inside a life and death battle.'

'I still remember how I have always asked him to allow me to cultivate and how angry I got when he said no.'

'From his perspective, he was continually fighting with his life on the line while dealing with a little brat that continuously bothered him. He wanted to tell me that Cultivation requires an iron will, but I just wouldn't take his words seriously.'

'Then, when he had the opportunity to kill Orthar when I decided to attune my Spirit to Destruction Lightning, he decided against it. Even back then, father had been in a constant conflict with his own Cosmos. The torture that had been going on for 50 billion years could have ended. After Orthar died, father could have probably reconstructed his Cosmos.'

'Yet, father chose me.'

'He was willing to continue this torture for an unknown period of time longer just to save my life.'

Gravis looked at the sky in his apartment.

'I always thought father didn't care much about me back then, but only now do I realize that he had always cared very deeply for me. He could have simply said that I should go ahead and cultivate if I wanted to. I couldn't even be angry at him for that. After all, I pestered him without end.'

'However, he only allowed me to cultivate when he demonstrated how cruel Cultivation could be. I wonder, did father kill all the Star Gods to anger Orthar, or did he do so to show me what someone with power could do in the world?'

'I think it's a bit of both.'

'He doesn't force me on my path, but that's exactly why I have to continue walking it. I want to help my father in the future, and allowing him to escape this Cosmos is the best thing I can do for him.'

"Stella," Gravis said suddenly.

"Hm?" Stella hummed comfortably.

"I will join The Heaven Company in a week."

Stella moved her head so that she could see Gravis' eyes, her chin now resting on his chest. "How come?"

"I've learned a lot of things in my talk with the highest Heaven, and there are a lot of things I want to do for father. He has sacrificed far more than I had ever imagined, and I want to repay him," Gravis said.

Gravis put his hand to Stella's chin and slightly lifted her head, looking into her eyes. "But don't forget that we are in the highest world now. We can meet whenever we want. Additionally, working for The Heaven Company is not like comprehending Laws. We can still talk, and I will probably still have a lot of free time. It will be just like back then when I worked as a mortal teacher."

"When I'm done working, I'll just come home to you."

Stella thought about Gravis' words for a while.

"Fine, maybe it's better that way," she said as she laid down again.

"Thanks," Gravis said as he kissed her. "I don't know what I've done to deserve someone as perfect as you."

"No, you," Stella said with a playful expression.

Gravis only chuckled.

Gravis and Stella spent the next week together, ignoring everything else.

Then, Gravis stood up.

It was time to visit The Heaven Company!

Chapter 1057 - 1057 – Title

"This should be the place," Gravis said to himself as he stood in the middle of Opposer City.

In front of Gravis was a tall, white building made entirely of mirrors. The building was probably several kilometers tall and several kilometers wide. No normal company had the money to secure such a vast piece of land in the middle of Opposer City. The only organizations that could afford something like that were the true hegemons of the city.

The Research Institute, the Chamber of Commerce, the Office for Public Security.

These were some of the biggest companies in the entire city, and their influence was ever-present in Opposer City.

All of these organizations probably even had Divine Gods in their ranks, making them powerhouses even amongst the extremely powerful organizations outside Opposer City.

All the different shops in the city looked quaint and simple, only being a couple of stories tall at most. However, The Heaven Company stretched so far into the sky that part of it was even inside the Sky Community.

Gravis even noticed a second entrance very far up in the air, at about the same height as the Sky Community.

This was probably how The Heaven Company circumvented the rules of Opposer City that said that only Immortals were allowed in the city itself.

'So, The Heaven Company even hires people below the Immortal Realm. Quite interesting. Sending someone across the world probably costs a lot of Energy, but they are still willing to transport these weak Cultivators to look over even weaker fights. No wonder The Heaven Company is being seen as some form of holy organization that protects the peace of the world.'

'And since it's called The Heaven Company, all Cultivators see this organization as an extension of Heaven. True enough, Orthar is being seen as the holy and benevolent ruler while father is being seen as some sort of demon king that's about to bring the end of existence.'

'Even funnier is that they are actually right. Orthar gave them the world, and he cares for the wellbeing of Cultivators, even if it is for entirely different reasons. In comparison, father kills people without batting an eye.'

Gravis chuckled a bit.

If he had been younger, Gravis would have gotten angry at such blatant favoritism. After all, everyone was hating and looking down on his father.

Yet, Gravis knew that the opinion of the world had no influence on his father. They could think of him whatever they wanted, and nothing would change.

This was the truth of power.

Gravis walked over to the entrance of the building and entered. The doors opened and closed on their own as Gravis passed.

Gravis entered a comfortable entrance hall with lots of white furniture and white walls. The entire building had a sort of peaceful and holy atmosphere.

Gravis was pretty sure that Orthar didn't design this place.

"Welcome to The Heaven Company!" a beautiful, blonde woman shouted politely from the end of the hall. She was dressed in white office attire, and her make-up seemed to have been done by a professional.

Just this entrance clerk would pull in a lot of desperate, single Cultivators.

Surprisingly, she was quite a powerful Immortal Emperor. Gravis analyzed her and saw that she already knew three level six Laws, making her equal to Jake, someone hired by the Smart Cultivator.

"Hello, I'm looking for a job," Gravis said as he walked up to her.

"Nice to hear!" the clerk said with a shining smile. "What job are you looking for?"

"I think the job was called Judge," Gravis said. "You know, the people that watch over fights."

The clerk nodded, but her expression turned a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, sir, but the positions for Peak Immortal Emperors are filled right now," she said in an apologetic tone.

Gravis lifted an eyebrow with a smirk. "I'm not faulting you. After all, in your perception, I must look like a very weak Peak Immortal Emperor. However, let me inform you that you are mistaken. Would it be fine for me to show a part of my power as proof? You can ask about anything."

Gravis had spoken very politely. After all, the clerk was probably a very powerful Peak Immortal Emperor for precisely this reason. She was probably responsible for feeling out the powers of the applicants. It was not her fault that she couldn't feel Gravis' power.

Only an insecure idiot would throw a tantrum and demand an apology.

"If you say so," the clerk said politely. "Would you please demonstrate a level six Law?"

CLING!

A spinning ice-crystal appeared on Gravis' palm.

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the level five Law of Blizzard," she said professionally.

Gravis only smirked. "How powerful does it feel?" he asked.

The clerk raised one eyebrow. She had been polite all this time, but this applicant just continued to be insistent. Yet, it was her job to judge the power of applicants.

She looked a bit closer at the ice-crystal and frowned. "Yes, this Law of Blizzard is on the power of a level six Law, but it could be your Avatar. Please demonstrate a different Law."

Gravis chuckled a bit. "You didn't notice it?"

For the first time, the clerk started to frown in displeasure.

SHING! SHING! SHING! SHING!

Suddenly, 36 balls of different Elements appeared around Gravis.

All of them were the level five Mixed Elements.

Even more, all of them had the power of a level six Law!

The clerk's eyes widened as she saw that all of them had incredible power.

She wasn't dumb. She immediately knew what Law Gravis was demonstrating.

"I beg your forgiveness, sir," she said with a polite bow. "I hadn't realized that you knew the Major Law of Mixed Elements."

Gravis dispelled the Elements and waved her off. "It's not a big deal. You were only doing your job."

The clerk released a sigh of relief. "Thank you for overlooking this matter, sir. I had already sent you away, and that would have been a loss for The Heaven Company. I could have gotten into a lot of trouble."

"It's ok! It's ok!" Gravis said again. "Let's just continue, alright?"

"Of course, sir," she said with a radiant smile. Then, she took out a form and handed it to Gravis. "Please fill out this form."

Gravis took the form and looked it over.

They only asked about some basic, non-invasive information, which wasn't a big deal for Gravis to fill out.

However, one thing surprised him.

"How come there's no field for a name?" he asked.

"Sir, starting at the Star God Realm, names can influence the world and other Cultivators. Giving someone else your name is a risk. That is why The Heaven Company is not asking for a name. We don't want our personnel to undertake unnecessary risks," she answered patiently.

Gravis nodded. "Thanks, and what about the title field? What am I supposed to put in there?" he asked.

"Nearly all Cultivators at the Star God Realm or higher use titles as replacements for names. If you don't have a title yet, you can simply come up with one. Titles are decided by the Cultivator."

Gravis scratched his chin.

'A title, huh?' he thought.

Gravis stared at the paper for a while.

Then, Gravis chuckled a bit at himself.

That name was silly.

Maybe a more imposing name would be better, but if he picked a too imposing name, everyone would probably ridicule him. There were probably a million World Destroyer, Heaven Devourer, Void Dragon, Ancestral Ultimate, Edge Master, and similar names out there.

Taking such a name would be ridiculous. Gravis would appear like an immature child coming up with badass-sounding names.

In the end, Gravis decided to add a second word to his title.

Gravis wrote the title down and handed it back.

The clerk looked at the form and smiled at Gravis. "The Instructor will call for you shortly to test your capabilities, Black Sentry."

Gravis had to hold back a laugh as he heard the title.

It sounded normal and a bit imposing, but the story behind the title was a joke.

Gravis had thought about his most powerful Law.

Heavenly Lightning.

However, Mortis was more of a lightning guy than himself, and Gravis decided to leave that for Mortis.

So, Gravis thought of the next most powerful Law he knew.

The Law of Sentience.

Gravis had played around with the word.

'Senty,' he had thought with a chuckle.

'Oh, Sentry,' he thought after that.

Sentry was simply the cute, short version of Sentience with an added R.

Senty sounded stupid, so Gravis went with Sentry.

And since Gravis also had the body of a Black Demon, he added the word black.

So, Black Sentry it was.

Chapter 1058 - 1058 – Trial

Gravis was amused when he heard his own title. Everyone else thought that it was a normal, good-sounding title, but he would be the only one that knew the truth of his title.

In his ears, it sounded silly.

'Hehe, Senty.'

Gravis waited for a couple of minutes, feeling quite funny.

"Black Sentry, please proceed to the room that has been opened to you," the clerk said politely.

Gravis checked the building, and a room had appeared inside his Spirit Sense.

One had to say that The Heaven Company was quite impressive. Gravis couldn't see a single room that he wasn't allowed to see, even though his Law of Freedom essentially had the power of a level eight Law.

Gravis nodded. "Thanks."

SHING!

Gravis teleported to the room. It was a one-kilometer-wide, empty hall with several vases surrounding the middle of the hall in a circle.

A blue-haired woman sat on a pillow at the edge of the hall, her eyes closed.

Gravis couldn't feel her power, which meant that she was at least an Ancestral God.

This was the first time Gravis had ever seen an Ancestral God with his own eyes. Even the old owner of the building that housed the Gravitas had never appeared in front of Gravis directly. They had always only communicated from a distance.

"Protect the vases from the attacks," the Ancestral God said with a calm tone. "I will summon two balls of ice, which will represent the fighting Cultivators. You are not allowed to interfere in their battle, and you must not stop them. Your job is to protect all the vases, which represent the onlookers for as long as you can."

Gravis nodded politely. "Thank you. You can start."

Gravis focused on the middle of the room.

SHING! SHING!

Two small ice crystals appeared in the middle of the room.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Several different Elements were unleashed as the ice crystals attacked each other. The ice crystals closed in on each other and started to use their long, icy spikes to attack each other with a lot of force.

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

All the shockwaves of the attacks were absorbed by a barrier that surrounded them.

This was Gravis' doing.

The fight continued for a while, and a minute later, the ice crystals started to move around the room like they were chasing each other.

Gravis' barrier followed them.

Then, they split apart, with the vases being between them.

Gravis' shield transformed from a sphere into a fluid shape that constantly followed the changing trajectories of the attacks.

Then, one of the ice crystals hid behind a vase.

Gravis' eyes narrowed.

Whoop!

Gravis pulled the vase away, protecting it the entire time. The ice crystal hidden behind the vase had to sacrifice a ton of Energy to block the attack from the other ice crystal.

This demonstration was terrifyingly life-like. Gravis could already see the personalities of the two Cultivators that the ice crystals reflected.

SHING! SHING!

Two more ice crystals appeared on the edge of the hall, and they charged towards the middle.

Gravis glanced at them.

BANG!

The ice crystals were reflected.

No one was allowed to interfere.

The ice crystals on the edge seemingly glanced at Gravis and then continued attacking Gravis' shield wildly. Now, Gravis had to protect his own shield from an external barrage and still protect the vases from the internal fight of the other ice crystals.

Gravis' shield never cracked.

After some seconds, the ice crystals on the side stopped attacking Gravis' shield and attacked him directly.

BANG! BANG!

Gravis swung his finger twice, using his Form Law. Gravis didn't need to use his saber to unleash his Form Law but unleashing his Form Law this way would weaken it by a level.

However, it was still enough to destroy both ice crystals.

The Instructor didn't react.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, the intensity of the attacks became more powerful.

The ice crystals fighting each other were now unleashing level six Laws with the power of level seven Laws.

This was the true test.

The fight continued for another five minutes, and Gravis' shield never cracked.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Ten ice crystals appeared, and they all attacked Gravis' shield together.

Gravis narrowed his eyes as he used a ton of different Laws to cancel out the attacks.

The fight had become far more draining than before.

After some seconds, the new arrivals also attacked Gravis.

Gravis took out his saber and unleashed a weak Lightning Crescent filled with Divine Lightning.

BOOOOOM!

The entire room, except for the battlefield itself, was bathed in lightning.

The new arrivals had vanished.

For the first time, the Instructor opened her eyes with interest.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The ice crystals in the center became more powerful as they unleashed several different level six Laws now.

They were now in the top 10% of power for Peak Immortal Emperors.

Gravis felt quite a bit of strain now.

However, he could still go on.

More ice crystals appeared, and Gravis destroyed them too.

By now, the Instructor became very interested in Gravis.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, the ice crystal's power exploded, and they started unleashing ten different level six Laws each.

These ice crystals represented the most powerful Peak Immortal Emperors except for the ones that could reach the Star God Realm at this very moment.

Gravis' shield broke, but not because of the attacks.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The attacks rained on the surroundings, but whenever they came close to a vase, they were blocked.

Earlier, Gravis had blocked 100% of the shockwaves, but now, he was only protecting the vases. This meant that he was barely blocking 5% of the shockwaves.

However, the strain was at about the same intensity as before. After all, the general power of the ice crystals had also increased. This probably symbolized that the ice crystals were now using Weapon Techniques.

Ten different level six Laws and Weapon Techniques that could take advantage of all these Laws. These ice crystals were truly at the peak of the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm.

Both ice crystals were already about as powerful as Stella.

The Instructor looked with intensity at Gravis.

Protecting the vases was more difficult than directly fighting one of the crystals, which meant that Gravis was more powerful than the strongest Peak Immortal Emperors.

SHING! SHING!

Two other people appeared in the hall as they watched with interest.

Gravis couldn't feel the power of either of them.

Gravis noticed the two new arrivals and bowed politely in a greeting, which shocked the new arrivals.

Gravis had time and concentration left to greet them!?

The Instructor looked at one of the two arrivals, a man with grey hair.

The man nodded at the Instructor.

"Be careful," the Instructor said to Gravis. This was the first time she had communicated with him during the trial.

BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

Suddenly, both ice crystals unleashed level eight Laws. This represented Peak Immortal Emperors that had comprehended a level seven Law and used it as their Avatar.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gravis took out his saber and unleashed several attacks with his Form Law.

Usually, he wouldn't be fast enough to stop all the shockwaves, but Gravis used the Major Law of Primordial Force to slow down the time of the shockwaves, accelerate his own time, and redirect the shockwaves with Gravity and Space.

The Form Law took care of the remaining shockwaves.

The eyes of the onlookers widened in shock.

How!?

These ice crystals already represented the absolute peak that could possibly be achieved by Peak Immortal Emperors.

It was basically impossible to become more powerful!

The fight continued for another two minutes.

"We will include Weapon Techniques now," the Instructor said.

Gravis' eyes narrowed.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

WHOOOOOM!

The jaws of the onlookers nearly fell to the ground as Gravis unleashed his Will-Aura and Law of Suppression.

The attacks were now even weaker than they had been previously!

The fight continued for five minutes as the ice crystals charged around violently in the hall with insane speeds.

It was a truly brutal battle between them.

Shockwaves were reflected by the hall, meeting again at the middle.

It truly represented two peak geniuses fighting with their lives on the line!

"I will include Stealth Laws now," the Instructor said.

Suddenly, several of the attacks started to disappear. Some of them were hidden by space, some of them teleported, sometimes the crystals vanished and reappeared somewhere else. Illusions appeared that tried to influence Gravis.

For Gravis, the difficulty hadn't changed. He knew these Laws, and nothing could be hidden in front of his Law of Sentience.

The fight continued for more minutes, the entire hall seemingly falling into chaos.

"Can you go on?" the Instructor asked.

"I have one more trick up my sleeve," Gravis said.

"Alright. The crystals will now reach the Star God Realm," the Instructor said.

Gravis nodded.

BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, two tiny stars appeared beside the ice crystals.

Reality began to warp as it seemingly broke down.

All Ice Laws were suppressed as they seemingly vanished out of existence as one of the stars burned with ferocity.

Reality seemingly solidified at the same time as all ethereal Laws seemingly became impossible to use. These Laws included Laws like the Law of Perceived Reality, the Wood Element, and the Laws of Emotion.

The attacks became many times stronger, and Gravis realized that he couldn't possibly protect the vases under the onslaught. He would have no problem in fighting against both of the ice crystals at once, but he couldn't interfere and had to stop the destruction, which was many times harder.

WHOOOOOM!

Grey.

The entire world around Gravis and the vases turned utterly grey.

The world lost its color.

It lost its magic.

It lost its Laws!

This was an incomplete world, a world of nothingness.

Life didn't prosper in this world.

Gravis had unleashed his Law of Sentience, and everything related to Laws vanished as it touched Gravis' domain.

As long as the opponent didn't unleash a level nine Law, nothing could get through the domain.

The eyes of the onlookers nearly fell out of their skull.

What was that!?

What kind of Law was that!?

They looked at each other in shock.

SHING!

Another person appeared, this one being a young man with violet hair.

He looked with narrowed eyes at Gravis' domain.

This was one of the leaders of The Heaven Company, a Divine God.

He knew about the Law of Sentience, and he was shocked beyond belief to see that Law being used by a Peak Immortal Emperor.

"Increase the power to level two Star Gods and make them attack him," the person said.

The Instructor looked with shock at her superior, but she complied. Even if she wanted to kill Gravis, under the eyes of her superior, she couldn't accomplish that.

She did as instructed.

Suddenly, the two ice crystals attacked Gravis.

Gravis' Law of Danger screamed at him.

These attacks could kill him!

Gravis immediately realized that there were four levels of power between a Peak Immortal Emperor and a Star God, and that was only considering the increased Energy, Spirit, and physical power.

Right now, both of the crystals were five levels above him.

However, Gravis could still deal with five levels!

Gravis took out his saber, loaded it with Heavenly Lightning, and added the Major Law of Death.

Then, he released all his power in a Lightning Crescent.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The onlookers felt the unfamiliar power in the Lightning Crescent and became shocked.

Not even the leader knew what it was that he was feeling.

What was this black force that seemingly devoured all Energy?

When the lightning vanished, only half of each crystal remained.

BOOOOOOOM!

Gravis retrieved his pre-loaded Lightning Crescent and unleashed it.

Gravis had used up 100% of his resources, but he had destroyed both crystals.

Silence.

The onlookers couldn't comprehend what they had just witnessed.

A Peak Immortal Emperor had killed two level two Star Gods!

That was absolute insanity!

No one would believe anything even remotely like this!

"I'm spent," Gravis said as he turned to them. "I used everything I had."

Silence.

Chapter 1059 - 1059 – Problem

Silence.

"So, how did I do?" Gravis asked with a polite smile.

The four of them looked at Gravis with different expressions. The initial three looked at him with shock while the latest visitor looked at him with intense eyes.

This Peak Immortal Emperor had already overcome the biggest hurdle in reaching the legendary Heaven's Magnate Realm. The Divine God in the group knew that.

The Law of Perceived Reality was, by far, the hardest to comprehend, quickly followed by the Law of Emotions. The Law of Life was also hard to comprehend, but one could watch and study that Law. This, at least, gave one the ability to make steady progress.

Right now, the Divine God of the group knew that there was a high likelihood that this Peak Immortal Emperor would reach this legendary level.

"You did very well," the young man with purple hair said. "Naturally, we can give you the job of Judge."

"Sadly, there are two issues we have to deal with first," he said.

"What issues?" Gravis asked.

The other three people didn't interrupt the young man and kept silent. This was one of the really powerful people of The Heaven Company. Whatever he said was how it would go.

"The first issue is your Battle-Strength," the young man said.

"What? Is it too low?" Gravis asked with a smirk.

"Of course not," the young man answered with a slight smile. "It's the opposite. It's too high."

"How can it be too high?" Gravis asked with a lifted eyebrow.

SHING! SHING!

Two fiery stars appeared above the young man's palm. These fiery stars had the shapes of humans.

"When two Cultivators want to fight, they know that someone from The Heaven Company will arrive. They also know that they should avoid destroying their surroundings. They don't exactly know that they shouldn't destroy the surroundings, but they will infer that by knowing about the mandatory presence of Judges during these fights."

"After all, if the surroundings didn't matter, The Heaven Company wouldn't spend so much money on keeping the surroundings safe. Just by the title alone, these two Cultivators will also connect The Heaven Company with Heaven. Therefore, they would feel like that there might be a possibility of angering Heaven if they destroyed the surroundings."

"Under normal circumstances, that worry is unwarranted. After all, The Heaven Company always sends a Judge that is more powerful than all the combatants combined. In that case, the two Cultivators can fight all-out without having to think about anything else. Such a mindset also brings with it the greatest achievable chance of comprehending a Law during the fight."

SHING!

Another star appeared, but this one was far smaller than the other two.

"If the Judge of The Heaven Company appears too weak, the two combatants might become distracted and nervous."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The two stars fought with each other, but they were obviously not going all out. There were no shockwaves unleashed, and they didn't put their all into the fight.

BOOM!

One of the two stars was destroyed.

"The kinder Cultivator that cares more for the surroundings will be the one that will die first. The priorities of both Cultivators start to shift as their life gets threatened more and more. At one point, one of the two will unleash an attack without care for the surroundings, taking the other one by surprise."

"When that happens, strength and talent won't decide the outcome of the fight but the mindset. If this mindset were conducive to becoming powerful in the future, we wouldn't mind, but this mindset has not been proven to be effective on one's way to power."

The young man looked at the dim star. "So, even if the Judge can stop all destruction from influencing the surroundings, the fight will still be influenced by the mere perception of the Judge being weaker. You should know a lot about perception and different realities."

Gravis nodded.

"This is where the problem lies," the young man said. "Your Battle-Strength is so overwhelmingly powerful that not even the most powerful Peak Immortal Emperors can feel your Battle-Strength. Even if you are not weak, they will perceive you to be weak, which will make it difficult for them to have a fair and neutral fight."

Gravis nodded again. Everything the young man said made sense.

SHING!

The destroyed star reappeared.

"Additionally," the young man said, "it is not forbidden to attack the Judges of The Heaven Company."

The two bigger stars seemingly interacted with each other and attacked the weaker star.

BOOOOOM!

The weaker star exploded in power and destroyed the other two stars.

"These two deaths weren't necessary," the young man said. "The small star has gotten no tempering, and the hypothetical victor of the fight would have died for no reason. We exist to protect the surroundings and to allow the Cultivators to fight without any distractions. We are not allowed to influence the fights in any way."

Gravis nodded again. "Do you have a solution for that?"

SHING!

A white emblem with a solitary cloud on it appeared over the young man's hand. "Every Judge needs to wear such an emblem to show their identity. However, a normal emblem wouldn't cut it in your case. I modified this one for you."

Pack!

The man threw it over, and Gravis inspected it.

He saw many complex Laws and Formation Arrays inside the emblem. Gravis could feel some familiar fluctuations, but their level was simply too far above him.

"Keep a small thread of Energy attached to the emblem," the young man said. "As long as you infuse a bit of Energy into it, it will cloud you in an aura that will simulate a false level of Battle-Strength."

"Everyone that sees you will either feel a Battle-Strength that is exactly at the maximum of what they can perceive or your actual Battle-Strength, whichever is lower. Weak Peak Immortal Emperors will perceive you as one of the most powerful Peak Immortal Emperors in existence. Truly powerful Peak Immortal Emperors will perceive you as a very weak Star God."

"In that case, no Cultivator in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm will think about attacking you since you will appear as an invincible existence to them."

Gravis nodded again as he looked at the emblem.

This was a pretty good solution to the problem. Ironically, appearing weaker would make Gravis appear more powerful.

"Thank you," Gravis said politely as he put the emblem onto his shirt.

"You are only allowed to wear your emblem when you're on duty," the young man commented.

"Oh!" Gravis uttered as he put the emblem away again. "Speaking of, what do I need to do? How do I get my tasks?"

The young man looked at the old man in the group, who hadn't said a word in a while. "Give him Peak Immortal Emperor Black Six authority. Assign him to Red Four to Six and Black Four to Six. You can take William off the roster. He's been asking for a Law Comprehension break for a long time, and I'm sure that he will feel delighted to finally get his request granted."

"Yes, sir," the old man said with respect.

Gravis raised an eyebrow as he noticed something.

"I know what you want to ask," the young man said. "This is where the second problem comes into play."

"I can't allow you to overlook fights between Star Gods."

Chapter 1060 - 1060 – Investigator

Gravis frowned.

He didn't like what he had just heard for several reasons.

First of all, he knew that The Heaven Company paid their personnel according to their power. Gravis obviously had the power to even overlook fights between level two Star Gods, but he was stuck with Peak Immortal Emperors.

The difference in pay had to be absolutely massive. One person was a Peak Immortal Emperor, of which there was a ridiculous amount, and the other one would overlook the currently most powerful fights in the Star God Realm.

Even more, the personnel able to overlook fights between level two Star Gods were probably all Ancestral Gods, and using Ancestral Gods for a fight of such a level would be a huge waste for The Heaven Company. They were essentially killing a fly with a war hammer.

This meant that the people able to overlook such fights were worth far more. The economy was dictated by supply and demand. The demand for people of such a level wasn't very high, but the supply was many times below even that, essentially making such people incredibly valuable.

The Heaven Company was probably willing to pay an insane amount of money for such people.

Another reason why Gravis didn't like that was the fact that he had been tested against level two Star Gods earlier. If they couldn't use him against level two Star Gods due to a particular reason, why did they even test him? He had also obviously passed the test!

"Why?" Gravis asked. He wanted to hear the reason first.

If one didn't pay attention, one wouldn't notice how weird this interaction actually was.

In all the previous worlds Gravis had been to, his question and direct responses would have been seen as incredibly disrespectful. The person in front of Gravis was akin to a mighty Sect Leader of an outstanding Sect, while Gravis was only a mere Peak Immortal Emperor.

However, this world was different from all the previous worlds Gravis had been to.

This wasn't a Sect.

It was a Company.

Loyalty and respect were not that important in a Company. After all, it was simply an exchange of service for money. Because of that, even bosses and employees could talk to each other on the same level.

Gravis wasn't under some threat of eradication because of his direct questions.

It was within his right to refuse employment. That was why there was no asymmetric power dynamic between him and the Divine God.

"There are two reasons," the young man answered. "First of all, perception is based on Battle-Strength, not on Realm. I presume that you can probably jump six levels in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm. If someone were at the Peak Star God Realm but had only the Laws of a Peak Immortal Emperor, they still wouldn't be able to feel your power. You should have noticed that by now."

Gravis nodded. Gravis remembered his fight with Eran, the Space Cultivator. Back then, Gravis had jumped five levels for the first time. He had been just as powerful as Eran back then.

However, Eran hadn't been able to feel Gravis' Battle-Strength, which was why he hadn't taken him seriously when they were talking.

Why?

Because Eran's own Battle-Strength hadn't been powerful enough to evaluate Gravis' Battle-Strength. All his power came from his superior Realm.

"Of course, the average Battle-Strength of Cultivators increase the more powerful they become. A Peak Star God that knows several level seven Laws might only be average in their Realm, but if you were to reduce their Realm to the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm, they would still be able to jump around five levels just because of their Laws."

"An average level one Star God has a Battle-Strength equivalent to a Peak Immortal Emperor that can jump 3.5 levels. These Star Gods wouldn't be able to feel your power. It would require a slightly above-average level one Star God to feel your power."

"I know that you have the emblem for exactly this reason, but that isn't the only problem. The next problem is the perception of your Realm and the unbelievability of your power. Even if the level one Star Gods can feel your true power, there would be a high chance that they would think that you are bluffing. After all, such a powerful Peak Immortal Emperor couldn't exist."

"They would assume that the chances of them being inside an illusion would be higher than you actually being that powerful."

"This would influence the fight, which we can't allow."

"On top of that, there is one last issue, but this one is minor in comparison."

"The Stars of Star Gods can influence the world around them. You should have noticed that several groups of Laws had been suppressed as soon as the ice crystals have reached the Star God Realm."

Gravis nodded.

"You can still use your Law to protect the surroundings, but the power of the Stars also increases or decreases according to the environment. Your Law destroys all other Laws in a given area, which stops the Stars from using that environment to increase their power."

"This would influence the fight."

"These reasons are why I can't let you overlook fights between Star Gods," the young man finished.

Silence.

After a while, Gravis sighed. "Okay, that makes sense."

"No worries, you will be paid according to your power, not your tasks. You will earn just as much as level two Star Gods," the young man said.

Gravis was taken aback.

"Why didn't you say that earlier!?" Gravis asked with some annoyance.

Gravis had only cared about his pay, and his pay was the entire reason why he had even seen that as an issue. After all, being paid for being a level two Star God while only having to look at Peak Immortal Emperors was actually even better. He would have to work less for the same amount of money.

The young man smirked. "Because it's fun," he said.

SHING!

Suddenly, a purple emblem appeared in the young man's hand, and he frowned as he looked at it.

"Work calls!"

CRACK! SHING!

The young man broke the purple emblem and was teleported away.

Gravis was a bit surprised.

That was an awkward end to their conversation.

"Eve, would you please show him around?" the old man said to the Instructor.

SHING! SHING!

The old man and the other person teleported away, leaving Gravis alone with the Instructor.

The Instructor tried to smile politely, but she obviously wasn't used to smiling. Her smile looked a bit forced and awkward.

"Hello, I'm Eve, and I will be showing you what you have to do," Eve said.

"Thank you, Eve," Gravis said politely. "By the way, what was the young man's position?"

"He's our Chief Investigator," Eve explained.

"Investigator?" Gravis asked. "What do they do?"

"Our job is being performed by living beings, and living beings make mistakes occasionally," Eve explained, her forced smile gone as she explained these things neutrally. "Sometimes, we get complaints from Cultivators that a Judge influenced their fight.

"In order to lodge these complaints, the complainer must put forward a hefty sum as insurance. If the complaint was found to be valid, they will get their money back, get an additional sum of money for reparation, and the responsible Judge will get their pay cut. If the complaint was unjustified, The Heaven Company would keep the insurance money."

"Investigators are sent to investigate these complaints," Eve explained.

Gravis nodded a couple of times. "I guess Investigators have to be truly powerful to investigate something like that."

Eve nodded. "Every Investigator must have comprehended the True Laws of Time and Space."

Gravis took a deep breath.

These were level nine Laws!

Probably only Divine Gods could comprehend these Laws!

Gravis hadn't known about the young man's power before, but now he did.

A Divine God, huh?

A Divine God was one of the true leaders of the world.

Heaven's Magnates only existed in legends, and there were probably not even a hundred in the entire world.

Even the Sect Masters of the most powerful Sects in the world were only Divine Gods. Heaven's Magnates generally didn't have any organizations since there was nothing they could gain from these organizations. It would only be a waste of time.

Even the most powerful Sects in the world would probably treat an Investigator with immense respect.

"There's still a long way to go," Eve said. "Even for me, the Divine God Realm is merely a distant dream, and I'm already a level seven Ancestral God."

Gravis nodded.

There was a long way to go.

"Follow me. I'll show you your work," Eve said.

SHING! SHING!

And both of them teleported away.