CHAPTER 2225: CHAPTER 2223: SAINT DAMIAN

The Saint of Heaven Origin looked at Peter Brown and said, "You might not be aware of certain circumstances. Let me explain these matters to you!"

"Please do elaborate."

Peter now realized that he might have come into contact with some core secrets.

The Saint of Heaven Origin said, "We are aware that you have come from the Lower Realm. Could you tell us about your origins?"

If it had been in the past, Peter wouldn’t have revealed such things. Now, upon hearing the inquiry, he no longer hesitated and directly recounted his journey and growth.

All Saints listened quietly. After hearing Peter’s account, the Saint of Heaven Origin nodded slightly and said, "As expected, no mistake!"

The Saint_of_Kunlun also nodded, "That’s right. Actually, the former Saints of the Human Clan have already been working on cultivation efforts, and I can’t believe they’ve truly succeeded!"

Peter became even more puzzled, completely unaware of what they were discussing.

Seeing Peter’s confused expression, the Saint of Heaven Origin said, "Actually, our Human Tribe has always faced a fundamental issue: no matter how one cultivates, one can only reach the rank of First-Level Saint, never advancing further!"

Peter asked, "I’ve vaguely heard about the division of ranks among Saints. What exactly are these ranks?"

The Saint of Heaven Origin replied, "The specifics are unclear to us, but we know there exists a second heavenly level above us. That is the truly perfect world of the Heavenly Dao. Beyond that, we are uninformed. In the first heavenly level where we dwell, there exists a flaw in the Heavenly Dao. As a result, no matter how we cultivate within this layer, we cannot progress beyond it. In the aftermath of repeated failures, the senior Saints witnessed our Human Clan’s gradual decline, aware that if things continued this way, the extinction of our race was inevitable. Subsequently, they sought various methods to find a solution for this flaw, attempting to send strong individuals from our clan into the second heavenly level. Let me tell you, for any race unable to survive in the higher heavenly levels, their destiny involves enslavement or even unchecked slaughter."

Peter had never heard of such things before. He stared blankly and said, "The Human World is like this. Shouldn’t the Foreign Tribe face the same situation?"

Nodding, the Saint of Heaven Origin replied, "Indeed, the situation is the same across this heavenly level. However, there are some distinctions among regions. When a world possesses a complete Saint system, they are granted some quotas every hundred years to ascend to the second heavenly level, determined by the number of Saints they have. For instance, if we, the Human Tribe, have all Six Sages present, we would have six quotas to enter the second heavenly level. If we conquer a piece of territory in an Outer World and gain an additional Saint, we would then have twelve quotas. The number doubles accordingly, capped at one hundred maximum quotas."

"How does one enter?"

Shaking his head, the Saint of Heaven Origin replied, "It’s said that those granted quotas will sense the Heaven Steps, and by ascending the Heaven Steps, they naturally enter. Even if others try to follow, it is impossible."

"Is the selection determined by the Saints?"

The Saint of Heaven Origin shook his head again and said, "It’s determined by the Heavenly Dao. There exists a Heavenly Steps List. Every world has one such list, and those whose names appear on it are eligible."

As this was being discussed, the Saint_of_Kunlun guided Peter’s consciousness to a distant place. Soon enough, Peter saw an enormous pillar in a special location.

This pillar’s material was unknown, standing tall and upright. It indeed had a place for names to be inscribed.

What shocked Peter even more was that his name was already inscribed on the pillar.

The Saint_of_Kunlun smiled and said, "As expected, Peter, you’ve been selected."

Upon looking again, Peter realized there were no other names on the pillar—his was the only one.

When their consciousness returned to the Space Domain, the Saint of Heaven Origin looked at the Saint_of_Kunlun, who said, "As expected, Peter is on the list!"

The Saint of Heaven Origin became somewhat emotional and exclaimed, "As expected! As expected! Good, good!"

Peter, however, was baffled and said, "Earlier, I heard you mention that six Saints must exist in order to secure six quotas. How is it that I made it onto the list?"

The Saint of Heaven Origin smiled and said, "The seniors deduced that there’s another method to gain quotas—by a non-Saint killing a Saint!"

Peter was astonished. "There’s such a method?"

The Saint of Heaven Origin continued, "Indeed, that’s the case. For a non-Saint to kill a Saint, seems nearly impossible. However, the situation for the Human Tribe is increasingly dire. Forget about a non-Saint killing a Saint; even Saints themselves find it extraordinarily difficult to kill other Saints. Therefore, the senior Saints began exploring alternative methods. A Saint named Xavier devised a new strategy for nurturing talents, creating a Phantom Realm infused with a variety of Heavenly Dao powers, allowing those nurtured within to grow through enlightenment. Such individuals belong to a new type of humanity. During their growth, they potentially become incredibly powerful. By the time they reach the rank of Quasi Saint, they could likely possess powers surpassing Saints."

"Are you saying that the Phantom Realm was created by a Saint?" Peter had long suspected this, and now it was finally confirmed.

The Saint of Heaven Origin sighed and said, "While everyone believes this could be a technique to repair the Heavenly Dao, it is regrettably far too difficult. Although numerous people have emerged from the Phantom Realm, their growth hasn’t aligned with expectations. Over time, following Xavier’s demise, no one took the Phantom Realm seriously anymore. Gradually, the Phantom Realm merely became a space for providing strong individuals to the Divine Realm, unable to truly produce experts."

The Northern Saint sighed as well, "Indeed, people observed that those who emerged from the Phantom Realm were at most capable of reaching the Void Saint level. None ever reached Quasi Saint rank, leading people to regard the Phantom Realm as a failed design. Who could have imagined that Peter would emerge from it, growing into someone this formidable!"

Only now did Peter understand that the entire Phantom Realm had actually been orchestrated by a Saint named Xavier. However, following Xavier’s death, the Human Race Experts no longer paid it much attention.

Reflecting on his own journey, Peter found himself somewhat dazed. Everything he had experienced felt unprecedented, and his progression seemed unmatched. It was as though he had lived through every conceivable scenario.

Looking at Peter, the Saint of Heaven Origin said, "When a Quasi Saint kills a Saint, the race in question receives certain rewards from the Heavenly Dao. Strong Divine Veins are generated across the entire world, and they offer immense benefits to the clan, enabling rapid cultivation. However, they are utterly ineffectual for the Foreign Tribes."