Chapter 2016: Three Ways!

Arvantos’s gaze swept across them. "You’re all talented. Each of you stood at the peak of the Cosmic Ascension Conference, and each of you now carries a Primordial Bloodline. Some of you have already awakened bloodline abilities. Some have already stepped into the Divine Lord Realm. Some of you have inheritances, physiques, talents, and backgrounds ordinary cultivators could never dream of."

His eyes paused on Max for a brief moment before moving on.

"But talent alone isn’t enough."

The hall grew even quieter.

Arvantos went on, "Given the current situation, normal growth in the Divine Realm won’t be enough for any of you. If you cultivate naturally, even with your talent, most of you would need thousands of years, maybe longer, to reach the Holy King Realm or Divine Master Realm. Only after reaching those stages would you truly have the strength to influence the war between universes."

Orion frowned. "Thousands of years?"

Arvantos nodded. "That’s already a generous estimate. You need to understand that the higher the cultivation realm, the slower progress gets. In the early stages, a genius can break through several minor realms in a short stretch of time. But once you pass the Divine Lord Realm, Divine King Realm, Holy Lord Realm, Holy King Realm, and Divine Master Realm, every step demands far more than just energy. You need comprehension, foundation, law refinement, bloodline stability, soul strength, and opportunities that suit your path."

His voice deepened. "Plenty of geniuses who once shook the Divine Realm turned ordinary after reaching the higher realms because they lacked one of those things. Some had talent but no opportunity. Some had opportunity but no foundation. Some had foundation but lacked the courage to risk their lives. Some simply hit the limit of what their bloodline and comprehension could support."

Max listened silently. He understood this better than most. His own growth had been fast, but it had never come easy. Every major jump in strength had come from terrifying inheritances, dangerous trials, hidden dimensions, cosmic paths, bloodlines, and battles where death had never sat far away.

Arvantos continued, "But we don’t have thousands of years." His gaze sharpened. "I want all of you to reach that level of strength within five hundred years."

The ten geniuses fell silent. Even Damian’s cold expression shifted slightly.

Five hundred years. Reaching the Holy King Realm or even the Divine Master Realm in five hundred years was an outrageous goal.

For ordinary cultivators, even imagining something like that would sound laughable. But Arvantos wasn’t speaking like it was a joke. He spoke like it was the bare minimum.

"You’re the future hope of this universe," Arvantos said. "Old people like me will lead the war if it comes. The Primarchs, the ancient experts, the masters of the first-rate forces, and the hidden protectors of the Divine Realm will stand at the front. But wars between universes aren’t won by old strength alone. The older generation can defend. We can delay. We can hold the line. But the younger generation is the one that creates variables."

His eyes swept across them again. "A young genius who rises fast enough can break the balance. A cultivator who reaches a realm earlier than expected can change a battlefield. A monster who survives where others die can become a blade no enemy saw coming. That’s why the devils are dangerous, and that’s exactly why all of you matter."

Max’s gaze deepened slightly.

Arvantos continued, "If you stay protected inside the Divine Realm and grow slowly, you might become powerful one day, but that day might come too late. So we need to pick a faster path."

Orion’s eyes lit up slightly. "What path?"

Arvantos smiled faintly. "There are only three real ways for all of you to get stronger quickly."

The moment he said it, the attention of the ten geniuses sharpened even further.

Orion immediately asked, "What three ways?"

Arvantos looked at him with a faint smile. "The first and easiest way is the Primordial Race."

The answer surprised no one, but everyone listened closely.

Arvantos said, "If you want, I can summon great experts from our race to personally guide each of you. We can give you cultivation grounds, bloodline pools, law towers, ancient scriptures, combat instructors, soul tempering formations, divine medicines, and resources even many first-rate forces can’t easily offer. With the foundation you already have, I can guarantee every one of you will at least reach the Holy Lord Realm within the five hundred years we have."

That statement shook a few of the geniuses’ hearts. Holy Lord Realm within five hundred years. A promise like that would drive countless cultivators mad with envy. For most forces, producing even one Holy Lord could change their entire status. Yet Arvantos was talking about the Primordial Race forcibly nurturing ten of them within five centuries. That alone showed just how terrifying the resources and background of the oldest race in the Divine Realm really were.

But Arvantos’s expression soon turned more serious.

"That said, I don’t recommend this path unless there’s no other choice."

Damian’s eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because a path built purely on protection and resources is fast, but it isn’t sharp," Arvantos replied. "You’d grow stronger, sure, but your strength would come from cultivating under controlled pressure. Your foundations might look impressive, but they’d miss the tempering that comes from real danger. You’d learn techniques, improve your realms, refine your bloodlines, and strengthen your laws, but you wouldn’t go through the kind of desperate situations that force a genius to truly transform."

His voice carried a note of warning. "The Primordial Race can raise your cultivation. But if we raise you too safely, we might also make you rusty. Worse, your foundations might turn unstable because too many resources got poured into you too fast. On the surface, you’d become Holy Lords. In reality, you might end up weaker than enemies who reached the same realm through blood, battle, and life-or-death opportunities."

Morgana smiled faintly. "So it’s the comfortable path."

"Yes," Arvantos said. "And comfort is dangerous for people like you."

Damian looked at Arvantos. "Then what are the other two methods?"

His tone made it clear he had no interest in sitting inside the Primordial Race for five hundred years. Most of the others seemed to feel the same way. They were geniuses who’d fought their way to the peak of the Cosmic Ascension Conference. None of them wanted to be raised like treasures inside a protected cage.