Chapter 381: Time to Shock Everyone

Mishnar took a deep breath before explaining in a serious tone.

"This event is called the Spectral Eruption, and only medium-sized sects from the four regions of the divine plane usually participate. The reason is simple: the mortality rate is close to 50%. The larger sects simply don’t care about the rewards being offered, while the smaller ones can’t afford to lose so many disciples."

Priam let out a soft snort. ’Only 50%?’

To the inhabitants of the other regions, that death rate might have seemed terrifying, but to someone who had survived in the Southern Region, such numbers were surprisingly acceptable.

Any major battle against the Sorcerers normally had a worse mortality rate than that. The people from the other regions really did live in a pampered peace.

"In simple terms," Mishnar continued, "this Celestial Event takes place on a planet where an access rift to the Spectral World was left behind—which is nothing more than an ancient war reward, a small world containing some unique natural treasures that emerge within it. Every few centuries, this rift opens, and a colossal horde of Demonic Specters emerges."

"The objective of the Celestial Event is quite simple: exterminate as many of them as possible. All participating sects send their disciples up to the third level of the Philosopher Rank, and the number of kills each person achieves is converted into points. Every death is recorded by the event itself, and at the end, each participant is ranked according to the number and strength level of the Specters they eliminated."

"Our sect has participated several times in the past... However, although the competitors from the other regions come from medium-sized sects, the embarrassing truth is that we’ve never managed to produce a single genius capable of entering the Top 10 of the Ranking. Even those who make it into the Top 30 are an absolute rarity."

"Why is that?" Priam asked. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Mishnar hesitated for a second, considering the best way to answer.

"We’re somewhat powerless when it comes to that. There are two main reasons. To begin with... the Sorcerers always send representatives whenever they find out we’re participating. From that point onward, their only goal is to undermine our performance. They focus more on getting in our way than on actually killing the enemies."

Priam nodded solemnly. To the Sorcerers, the Ironweald Sect was a direct rival; it was worth hindering them as much as possible, even if it came at the cost of their own performance in the competition.

"Let me guess. The Sovereigns’ Heralds, the ones who organize everything, don’t care about the Sorcerers and consider them just like any other Sage..." Priam murmured dryly.

Mishnar nodded in agreement without saying anything else. Of course, she and the sect didn’t agree with that, but... no one dared to even put that dissatisfaction into words.

"The entrance test for the inner sect will be very simple: just come back alive. Everyone who survives until the end will pass," Mishnar continued, her expression growing increasingly serious. "Historically, our mortality rate in this event is absurdly higher than the average. Whenever we participate, around 80% of our disciples die. That’s why we simply stopped going; the gains were negligible compared to the losses. But this time... the Sect Leader is hoping that you can reach at least the Top 10."

"Why not first place?" Priam asked calmly.

She sighed deeply. "Unfortunately, our sect couldn’t provide you with everything the elite disciples from the other regions have received since childhood. Even with your overwhelming talent, the other participants aren’t incompetent. I don’t want to discourage you, but if you manage to place in the Top 10, the entire sect will celebrate for years."

"Having overwhelming combat power doesn’t necessarily mean having high kill efficiency. Even if you could sweep the battlefield in a duel, that doesn’t guarantee you a position at the top. This isn’t a demonstration of brute strength, but rather a body-counting race."

"There will be many Acquired Celestials coming from other regions. They may even be inferior to you in a direct one-on-one fight, but they possess devastating area-of-effect abilities capable of exterminating in seconds the same number of targets that would take you minutes to hunt down. Not to mention that everyone there will fight desperately to have their names engraved at the top of the Ranking. After all, the entire universe will witness the results, and they will be recorded for eternity."

Upon hearing that, Priam’s eyes lit up intensely. ’Celestials? And in large numbers, trapped in a life-or-death environment?’

To him, that sounded like the perfect banquet. Besides, it would be the perfect opportunity—and justification—to make his own allies become Celestials as well.

"The competition is exceptionally fierce and brutally savage beyond imagination. It’s not uncommon—nor is it prohibited by the rules—to set up ambushes to sabotage or even assassinate other Sages participating in the event... So accept that first place simply isn’t something you can reach. Unless, of course, you decide to ignore everything else and abandon the safety of your allies. Something I highly doubt you would do."

Mishnar spoke calmly, gradually trying to prepare him for the absolute chaos that awaited him.

From everything she had observed about him so far, she knew Priam would never abandon his companions. Even if he was a living anomaly and the upper echelon secretly dreamed of seeing him reach the top, if Priam tried to focus purely on his individual score recklessly, the overwhelming majority of his allies would end up dead in the process.

For the Ironweald Sect, securing a spot in the Top 10 while preserving the lives of this new generation of Sages was infinitely more valuable than seeing Priam reach first place at the cost of almost everyone else being wiped out.

In the end, the status of being ranked first was merely something empty and meaningless. Understanding the sect’s intentions, Priam was satisfied with that mindset.

"If that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about. I guarantee that the people in my faction won’t be killed easily. Staying in the Top 10 will be simple," Priam declared, without showing the slightest trace of apprehension.

"As long as one of you manages to place in the Top 10, it will already be an extraordinary achievement. However... there’s a second point I haven’t mentioned yet, and it’s the most problematic of all." Mishnar took a deep breath before continuing.

"The real reason our mortality rate is 80% is that the rules imposed by the Sovereign Goddess are absolute and inviolable: no core member of the sect can act out of blind greed. If anyone deliberately takes a greedy action that results in the death of innocents, the moment they set foot in the inner sect’s territory, they will be identified. And the punishment for that is immediate execution."

Priam narrowed his eyes. He had heard bits and pieces about how strict those rules were, but the severity of the system still surprised him.

Mishnar sighed. "I don’t know if you’re aware, but the inner sect houses the Goddess’s inheritance and power. This legacy not only keeps the sect standing, but can also read karma and instantly determine whether someone has violated any law. There’s no way to escape or deceive it. The moment the culprit sets foot in the area, they will be detected, captured, and executed."

Priam nodded, genuinely impressed. Dandara had truly been ingenious and ruthless when she structured that sect back then.

’I feel like I like her even more every time I learn about who she was in the past.’ Priam thought with a faint smile on his face.

Mishnar continued gravely. "Therefore, all of you who participate in the Celestial Event will have to fight, but also make sure that the Specters don’t invade the planet or escape into the universe, as that would result in the deaths of innocents. This has happened in the past... It isn’t exactly an irreparable tragedy, since these monsters end up being hunted down within a few years. But the members of our Ironweald Sect simply can’t act recklessly. Although it’s an unfair requirement compared to what the other sects are held to, there’s nothing we can do about it."

Priam immediately understood. That was the real reason the sect never achieved good rankings, and so many of its members died. While disciples from other factions could charge ahead blindly, ignoring the chaos they left behind just to rack up the highest number of kills possible, the Sages of Ironweald had to retreat, contain the breaches, and protect the rear.

"Don’t worry, I’m still confident," Priam said indifferently, radiating an almost supernatural sense of security. "And what about the rewards for this Event?"

Mishnar let out a brief sigh. "The Top 10, as you can imagine, earn the right to enter the fragment of the Spectral World for 30 days—a place that is practically cleared out after the eruption and is filled with treasures. As for first place, they receive a karmic blessing granted directly by the Laws of the World."

Noticing the doubt in his eyes, Mishnar quickly explained:

"It’s reasonably useful for Acquired Celestials, as it gives them a slight push toward advancing their grade. That’s precisely why the truly powerful sects don’t participate; they don’t need that kind of incentive. For Innate Celestials or ordinary Sages, however, this karmic blessing only grants a burst of supernatural luck, which can be invoked at a moment of need, at the individual’s discretion. However, it can only be used once and... well, it’s just luck, not an absolute guarantee of anything."

She paused solemnly before continuing. "There was once an Innate Celestial who won first place. He ended up becoming too confident, believing himself invincible, and deliberately put himself in a deadly situation that could have been easily avoided. Even after resorting to that stroke of luck, believing he had managed to escape... he still died. Luck isn’t a miracle; you need to be prepared to take advantage of it when it comes."

Priam let out a muffled laugh. ’Luck?’ He already possessed a Transcendental Wheel of Fate, which meant he had incomparable luck compared to any other existing being.

Therefore, that first-place prize, by itself, didn’t seem attractive to him in the slightest.

However... if he was entering a competition, his mindset would never accept anything less than the absolute top.

He took a deep breath. This time, he’d make his name echo across the universe. It was about time he started shocking everyone and everything, wasn’t it? Now that was living intensely.