Endless Journey: Infinite Realms

523 Stages and Transcendence Must-read chapter!

[[[This is an important chapter, so please read this. It’s an excerpt of a conversation between Alex and Asteria in the Four Moons World.]]]

[[[Once again, this chapter is a must-read]]]

[Alex]: Asteria... since you are my Guide, can you explain to me the intricacies of the Power Systems? They seem confusing to some of my Companions, so I want to you to clarify it.

[Asteria]: Huh? What are you talking about, hooman? Power Systems are different systems that give powers to sentient beings! It’s just as simple as that! What explanation would you even want?

[Alex]: Tsk, I want your full clarification on this system, especially on its intricate details. Like how the stages should work, and the meaning of the designations placed on them...

[Asteria]: Really? You want me to do that?

[Alex]: Alina promised to give you her new honey if you explain things to me. If you don’t then Alina will throw it away...

[Asteria]: B-basically speaking, all the Power Systems in the whole Multiverse follow the same classification method on the power levels of their members. No matter how much these Power Systems differ from each other, their power levels will always be classified in one way.

[Alex]: And that classification method is the ’Stages’?

[Asteria]: Exactly hooman! But what does those Stages exactly mean? Well, it is like this....

[Alex]: ....(He is now silent, seeing that Asteria was getting on with her lecture already)

[Asteria]: So, you already heard about the terms like First Stage, Second Stage, bla bla bla.... The numbering of these stages indicate the level of power of an individual relative to others.

[Asteria]: So, the First Stage of Power is the weakest level among the stages in the Power Systems. This level of power is held by those who have just started on their powering journey. Qi Condensation Stage, Novice Monster Stage, Rank 1 Wizard are examples of First Stage Powers... Those who had this kind of power are called First Stage Beings, and that will stay like that until they break through for the next stage.

[Asteria]: What follows after the First Stage of Power is the Second Stage of Power, which is then followed by Third Stage of Power, etcetera etcetera.... Reaching these stages is a must if a power user wants to get stronger. But in order for this power user to reach these stages, the he/she must strengthen his/her powers corresponding to the rules set by their Power System.

[Asteria]: So for example, if an Abyss Monster wants to leap from First Stage to Second Stage, he must absorb large amounts of Abyss Energy. An Immortal Cultivator on the other hand relies on their absorption of Immortal Qi and Dao Comprehension to reach the higher stages. Other Power Systems have their own unique way of powering up too, and their power users have to follow that.

[Alex]: So far so good. Your content is understandable. Go on.

[Asteria]: ...Now, this kind of linear method of powering up cannot be used forever. The multiverse had set a certain limit for this, and that limit lies on the-

[Alex]: On the Sixth Stage.

[Asteria]: You’re right, hooman. The Sixth Stage, which was also called as the Peak Mortal Stage by others, is the highest stage that a mortal being can ever reach. Immortal Soul, Abyssal Pillar User, and Virtual Body Esper are some of the equivalent power levels of the Sixth Stage. Just by looking at that, you can see how impressive Sixth Stage Beings are.

[Alex]: ...

[Asteria]: Ehem, so because of the limits placed by the Multiverse, once a power user reaches the Sixth Stage, they will have an extreme difficulty to make a breakthrough to the Seventh Stage. No matter how much power a Sixth Stage Being accumulates in his/her body, that will not be enough to break through the limit...

[Alex]: ...

[Asteri]: It’s one of the laws of the Multiverse itself that is blocking the path to the Seventh Stage, something that cannot be just broken by brute strength.

[Alex]: ...

[Asteria]: If a group of Power Users want to reach the Seventh Stage, they must create their own personal Law, which could allow them to ’transcend’ over the limits placed by the multiverse.... Only when that personal Law is made that the breakthrough to Seventh Stage is guaranteed...

[Alex]: Create a personal Law to transcend over the limits? Hoho, so that’s the reason why the Seventh Stage is called the Transcendent Stage. Its members are those... who had transcended over the power barrier!

[Asteria]: Correct. And this personal law was the reason why Transcendent Beings are extremely powerful. With this personal law alone, a Transcendent Being can easily slaughter you, hooman. Add in their advanced cultivation, and it will be hard to find beings that can beat them. Of course 8th-10th Stage Beings does not count...

[Alex]: You know Asteria, there’s no need for you to emphasize the fact that I can be murdered by a Transcendent easily...

[Asteria]: ???

[Asteria]: ...Okay, so you already explained about the Transcendent Stage. But how about the Half-Step Transcendent Stage? What is with that?

[Asteria]: Really hooman? You want to ask me that? Fine.... So when a power user reaches Peak Sixth Stage, he/she can start creating their personal law that will allow them to transcend. Once this law was created, they can start using it to break the limit imposed on their powers.

[Asteria]: Now, depending on the personal law created, the destruction of the limit could last on different times. Sometimes, the limit can be broken in an instant, while some limit takes years or even centuries to break....

[Asteria]: Once this limit was broken, a Power User can already reach Transcendence. But for those whose limit was in the midst of breaking, they will still have to wait for their chance to Transcend.

[Asteria]: These stuck people are those who are in the Half-Step Trasncendent Stage. They already have their own personal law, making them stronger than those below them. But they still haven’t broken their limits, which makes them weaker than the Transcendent. That puts them in the middle, hence the term Half-Step.

[Alex]: .... I had a vague notion that Half-Step Transcendence will be harder to explain, but your words had managed to clear up my slight confusion. I thank you for that Asteria. However, your intelligence today makes me worried. How the f**k did you manage to be this eloquent? Did someone teach you how to talk normally?

[Asteria]: What the f**k hooman? I just cleared your confusion, and you repay that by insulting me? Tsk, I should have never listened to you today! Huhuhu, if you will always bully me like this, then I will not be helping you out now!

[Alex]: Bullying you? What the heck? I was just curious about your improvement!