CHAPTER 80: BREAKTHROUGH TO TIER 4

Half a year passed inside the Labyrinth. Rhys now called this personal world the Ashen Dimension.

He was now seventeen years old. It had been one full year since he was first cast out of his home and stumbled into this place.

A teenager sat atop the highest tower of a floating city. He was meditating. Spiritual energy from the surroundings gathered around him.

It formed a visible vortex, a swirling whirlpool of pure power that centred on him. His aura started to climb. It grew stronger and stronger.

Inside his body, in his dantian space, 108 golden cores rotated like a galaxy. They were his Ascendent Cores, the result of the Labyrinth’s final reward.

They swallowed every bit of the spiritual essence around them like black holes, refining it and filling his meridians with an immense power.

Suddenly, a huge explosion of energy came from the boy. It was not a loud sound, but a silent blast of pure power.

His aura manifested from his body. It expanded around him in a perfect circular shape. The aura was a mix of grey ash and silver starlight, and it quickly grew until it covered a hundred metres around him.

The pressure it released was immense.

Rhys slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. The air he breathed out was visible, like a small white cloud.

[Congratulations, Host, for breaking through to the Aura Manifestation (Tier 4) realm.]

A smile graced his lips as he looked at the floating city below him. He was very satisfied. He had been cultivating in the Ashen Dimension for half a year.

His goal had been to break through two tiers, from Body Tempering to Aura Manifestation. He had succeeded.

In the past year, he had used the Omni-Elemental Seed to bond with every fundamental, rare, and legendary element.

He had then formed an Ascendent Core in each of his 108 micro-dantians. This was a foundation that no one in the history of the mortal world could ever dream of achieving.

While he was cultivating, he had not been idle.

He had given his summons a task. He asked them to build a city in this world, a city that he could consider his own home.

After summoning the dead Titan Golem and evolving it into a General, Rhys had ordered it to lead his most powerful monsters to create the city.

Looking at the huge city that spanned before him, Rhys was satisfied. It was a masterpiece of ash and crystal, a dark and beautiful fortress floating in the starlit void.

"Stony..." he called out, his voice calm.

A huge head, made of black rock and dead starlight, rose from beneath the floating city. It was the Stone Golem.

Rhys had named him Stony. The name was simple, but Rhys liked it. Stony’s galactic eyes, which were once mindless, now held a spark of intelligence and absolute loyalty.

After becoming a General in Rhys’s legion, Stony could now speak. Its voice was a deep, rumbling sound, like the grinding of mountains.

"He was killing himself as per your orders, Lord."

"Good..." Rhys said with a nod.

[...]

Rhys had also ordered every soldier in his army to kill themselves repeatedly. Because of this, his treasury was now filled with billions of lifespan crystals.

This was all part of a grand plan, a plan that would activate after he returned to the province.

He no longer needed to take over his father’s business empire. That was a small goal, born from a desire for revenge from being abandoned.

Now, his ambitions were much bigger. He would not take over an old empire; he would create his own. The Azure Province was not his aim anymore.

His aim was wider than that now...

’I want to own the world...’

There was already an entire blueprint of what he was going to do, a plan formed by him and the System. With his current strength, no one in the Azure Province would be his opponent.

Owning the Labyrinth had also helped him a lot. He had gained thousands of empty cores. In the last year, he had used these cores for his old skills.

He had created different builds for himself. He had a build for being an assassin, a build for being an Ash Walker, a build for sound-based attacks, a build for water, a build for fire, and many more.

He had created specialised dantians for almost all the fundamental elements.

He felt a deep sense of completeness. He was no longer just a boy with a strange Trait. He was a true powerhouse, with a foundation that could shake the heavens.

’System, show me my status.’

[Acknowledged. The status window has been adjusted to reflect the Host’s new capabilities.]

A new, sleeker screen appeared in his mind. It was no longer just a simple list. It was an organised chart of his power.

Name: Rhys

Title: Sovereign of Aethel

Trait: Ageless Body

Bloodline: Ashen Sovereign

Cultivation: Aura Manifestation (Tier 4)

Lifespan: Infinite

Builds & Cores

[Build 1: Silent Shadow (Assassin)]

Primary Element: Dark (Shadow Property)

Profession Cores:

Artisan Shadow Weaver (Tyrant): Allows for the manipulation of shadows to create constructs, conceal presence, and attack.

Artisan Poison Master (Tyrant): Grants mastery over the creation and application of all forms of toxins and venoms.

Skill Cores:

High Heaven-grade: Viper’s Kiss (Tyrant)

High Heaven-grade: Shadowed Dive (Tyrant)

High Heaven-grade: Silent Step (Tyrant)

[Build 2: Ashen Nomad (Survival & Utility)]

Primary Element: Earth (Ash & Sand Properties)

Profession Cores:

Master Ash Walker (Tyrant)

Artisan Navigator (Tyrant)

Apprentice Beast Master (Tyrant)

Skill Cores:

High Heaven-grade: Will of the Sand (Tyrant)

[Build 3: Sound Weaver (Sonic Combat)]

Primary Element: Wind (Sound & Vibration Properties)

Profession Cores:

Artisan Sonic Forger (Tyrant)

Skill Cores:

High Heaven-grade: Sonic Burst (Tyrant)

High Heaven-grade: Internal Resonance (Tyrant)

[Build 4: Tidal Lord (Water Combat)]

Primary Element: Water (Current & Ice Properties)

Profession Cores:

Artisan Cryomancer (Tyrant): Grants control over the creation and manipulation of ice.

Skill Cores:

High Heaven-grade: Gills of the Void (Tyrant)

[Build 5: Inferno Heart (Fire Combat)]

Primary Element: Fire (Explosion & Heat Properties)

Profession Cores:

Artisan Pyomancer (Tyrant)

Skill Cores:

High Heaven-grade: Spark Fist (Tyrant)

[Build 6: The Craftsman (Lifestyle & Creation)]

Primary Element: Metal (Forge & Structure Properties)

Profession Cores:

Master Formationist (Tyrant)

Artisan Alchemist (Tyrant)

Artisan Enchanter (Tyrant)

Artisan Blacksmith (Tyrant)

Artisan Engineer (Tyrant)

[Build 7: The Provider (Sustenance)]

Primary Element: Wood (Life & Growth Properties)

Profession Cores:

Artisan Herbologist (Tyrant): Perfect knowledge of all magical plants and their uses.

Artisan Butcher (Tyrant): Flawless skill in dismantling any creature to harvest its materials.

Artisan Spiritual Chef (Tyrant): Ability to cook food that can grant temporary buffs and heal injuries.

Origin Skill

Epoch of Cinders (Evolving): A foundational domain of cyclical annihilation. Can manifest new "decrees" based on combat experience.

Bloodline Abilities:

Ashen Marionettes: Resurrect slain creatures as loyal puppets.

Voidheart Flame: A black and silver flame that erases physical and spiritual matter.

Sovereign’s Evolution: Evolve loyal, bonded monsters.

Rhys looked at his new status screen, a deep sense of satisfaction filling him. This was the result of a year of relentless struggle, learning, and growth.

He stood up, his gaze turning towards the exit of his Ashen Dimension.

Before that...

"How long are you going to hide?" he asked the air. Rhys knew there was someone else in the Labyrinth who was not one of his soldiers.

He had tried countless times to kick this intruder out, but to no avail. Even if this party was not hostile, he was always on his guard, even in deep cultivation.

A laughing female voice sounded as rose petals fell from the sky, materialising into a pink-haired woman.

’Splurgh.’

A knife tore through the air, piercing the chest of the woman as her body scattered into petals.

"Rude..." a voice breathed behind his ear.