......

    shin finally stopped meditating when the sun was already setting outside. he was trying to consolidate his gains after combining all the five elements within his body and getting the five cycle embryo when his special physique and spiritual vessel.

    he was trying to master these new powers, especially when it fused with his divinity grade mental energy. it might have become a higher form of energy, but it was still a little short compared to a full-fledged spiritual force or natural force, especially when uno''s brilliant sacred qi and primal demonic energy came into play.

    those two powers that uno controlled were already comparable to the natural forces of most elites of martial arts while even surpassing the rest.

    if shin wanted to match that, he had to create a perfect spiritual force. but he also got a feeling that once he completely integrated all his knowledge, particularly in terms of mentalism runes, his newly enhanced divinity grade mental energy would be further strengthened.

    then, if he added his gains from that ''place'' within his sea of consciousness, the spiritual force that he would be forging would far surpass both the brilliant sacred qi and primal demonic energy individually.

    but if those two energies were used together, especially for someone like uno, the effects would be much different compared to the other people.

    moreover, it would also be paired with the ''yin-yang cultivation art'' that uno had personally created to perfectly match himself.

    ...

    after exiting the meditation state, shin opened his eyes before breathing out slowly. he then turned his head to the window and saw that it was already dusk.

    he slightly raised his brows before standing with difficulty due to the numbness of his legs. he stayed seated in the group with crossed legs, making him lose the feeling in his legs.

    he stretched a little before going for a quick shower to clean the sweat all over his body.

    after walking out of the bathroom with a new set of clothes, shin slightly frowned his brows as he felt the rumbling of his stomach. he had not eaten anything since the morning, so he was feeling very hungry right now.

    "i guess i go cook something simple before going back online," he mumbled as he walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen.

    not long after, he bumped into shiella, who seemed to have come back from work.

    "you just come back, big sis? it seems like you have been busy these past few days," greeted shin as he saw her.

    hearing those words, shiella could not help but roll her eyes as she complained. "and whose fault it is? if not for you constantly giving me work both inside and outside the game, then i should have enough time to relax."

    she somewhat had a resentment for shin as he kept on giving her certain ''jobs'' whenever she was planning to rest and relax a little. the latter was always giving her these troublesome jobs at the exact time she was free, making her suspect that he had some hidden alarm that informed him whenever she did not have anything to do.

    something big was going on under the surface, so the younger generation had to prepare themselves while the elders were temporarily holding the sky.

    ''no wonder mom says that the game is about to let the void manifestation stage experts join in. the real experts were about to step onto the stage,'' she thought before recalling something. ''the next hegemon cup will be a huge mess. i guess me and the others need to step in and join the competition this time.''

    as shiella was lost in her thoughts, shin slightly knitted his brows, especially when he saw the changes of expression that kept flashing on her face. "is there any problem, big sis?"

    sheilla finally snapped out of her thoughts after hearing him before smiling. "it is nothing. i just remember that i still have something to do."

    she was about to turn around and walk away when she suddenly recalled something. "another thing! the batches of experts arriving in the awakened continent are rapidly growing. you and your group better work hard and maintain the gap that you have built over everyone."

    "the big guilds and huge organizations immediately realize the importance of the awaken continent after experiencing the benefits it can provide them, particularly the top and apex experts."

    "a huge competition is about to break out in the hunting grounds around the divinity city. you better be careful, especially when your team is currently a hot potato in the eyes of everyone."

    she paused as she thought about the ongoing united cup, in which shin and the others were counted as one of the 16-seeded teams in the top 32 round. "your team is also one of the top spots in the tournament, so those guys who like to use underhanded tricks will most likely try giving you some trouble."

    hearing that, shin pursed his lips before shrugging his shoulders. "if they come, then they come. it is not like are afraid of them."

    "it will also be a good opportunity for us to test our gains these couple of weeks. we are itching to fight some other group to see how much we have grown during this time of ''peace''," he added with a smug face.

    seeing the confident look on shin''s face, shiella could tell that the empyrean talons must have gained a lot during their time in the awakened continent ahead of the others.

    these past few days, when shin and the rest of the empyrean talons were doing their respective quests, batch after batch of experts started to arrive at the awakened continent, making the atmosphere within the divinity city ''livelier''.

    the group might not have noticed the intensity of the competition within the divine empire yet since they were busy dealing with their respective quests that they had gotten during their time in the divinity city.

    but once the population of the apex experts reached a certain level, they would not be able to avoid bumping into them and fighting, especially when they encountered one of their greatest rivals in the main stages of the united cup.

    "i will come looking for you inside the game later once i am done with my business. let me see how much you have improved then," said shiella before turning around and walking away.

    hearing that, shin suddenly shuddered. he felt that he had shot his foot with his words, putting him in a troublesome situation.

    "whatever. i am quite curious about how strong big sis is inside the game as well. i heard that she had defeated zero previously. i wonder how will i do against her."

    ......