Chapter 230: Resonance
The sun was already setting when Mishnar emerged from the teleportation inscription on the merchant planet. Her eyes immediately settled on the figure silently waiting for her.
The moment she sensed Priam’s calm, ordinary aura, she let out a quiet snort, confirming what she had already suspected: he had taken care of the problem.
How a single young man had dealt with ten old Mage Masters was an unfathomable mystery. Still, when it came to a Celestial Mage, the impossible was merely a matter of time.
Mishnar guided him back to the sect. After all, disciples weren’t allowed to leave the sect’s territory without formal permission. Priam’s temporary departure had been a special exception she granted as a reward for his services.
When they returned, Priam found himself in the heart of a completely different mountain range from the one where he had lived before. The atmosphere there was unbelievably dense. With every breath, he could feel the vibrant purity of the five natural elements saturating the air.
This place was clearly on a whole different level.
"This place...?"
"You’re a Mage Master now," Mishnar explained calmly. "As a Faction Leader, you have the right to transfer all of your subordinates to the best area reserved for disciples. Your faction has moved up a category and is no longer considered a rookie group."
"Isn’t that a little unfair to the soldiers?" Priam asked thoughtfully. "It might take them a while to break through to the next Rank."
"Not necessarily," she replied. "In this area, you won’t have to wear yourselves out with pointless disputes between factions all the time. The real competition here takes place in life-or-death battles, where each faction is assigned specific missions according to its level of strength. The sect won’t send your soldiers to their deaths recklessly."
Priam nodded, satisfied by the logic.
Mishnar continued,
"This is your faction’s new headquarters, and all of your members have already been settled in. Exactly twelve months from now, the disciples from every External Branch of the sect will gather before being sent on the Sacred Mission. It’ll be your first one, and you’re going to a place where the level of danger is difficult even to estimate."
Priam swallowed hard.
Sacred Missions were direct orders issued by the Sovereigns, sending Mages to other worlds.
It was impossible not to feel a weight settling in his chest.
The summons that the other Branch Leader had mentioned before was finally approaching.
"There’s one crucial detail you mustn’t forget," Mishnar warned.
"To the Sovereigns, there is no distinction between Mages and Sorcerers—they’re all simply ’mages.’ Because of that, the great Sorcerer organizations will receive the same summons.
Where you’re going, the entire young elite of the southern region of the universe will be gathered.
Besides the natural dangers of the environment itself, the Sorcerers will be your deadliest enemies.
Prepare yourself properly."
Priam nodded with a solemn expression.
"Lastly, now that you’ve reached this new region, you and your soldiers have earned the right to study in the Primordial Magic Catalog for ten days. It’s the greatest treasure maintained by the sect’s External Branches. I advise you to go there immediately."
She finished her explanation by handing Priam a new identity badge.
Not only did it certify his elevated status, but it also contained the full amount of rewards accumulated during the last competition.
Just as expected, Priam’s faction had taken first place overall, and the number of points awarded to each disciple was astronomical.
Every one of them had entered this new region overflowing with resources.
Mishnar said her goodbyes and left.
Priam calmly walked toward the towering peaks that pierced through the clouds.
Before he even reached the main entrance, several figures shot through the air like streaks of light and rushed toward him.
"Cousin!"
Flaris, Shione, and Limiere approached with expressions overflowing with anxiety.
Priam quickly reassured them, explaining that he had settled his family on a safe planet far from any danger.
As soon as he finished explaining, Dandara stepped forward.
"Chief, while you were away, a large group of unaffiliated disciples came looking for us, asking to join our faction as soldiers. They all said they had fought alongside you before."
When she saw Priam nod in approval, she continued.
"We reviewed each of their records within the sect. I took the liberty of buying information from members of other factions to verify every one of their backgrounds, and we confirmed that they’re trustworthy. On top of that, they’re all Holy Mages, a class we’re seriously lacking in our ranks. If you approve, our numbers will rise to nearly two thousand members."
"I’d already agreed to recruit them," Priam replied. "Register all of them officially and begin their training alongside the others. Also, take these."
Priam handed her several knowledge runes containing profound information about the two classes he had purchased.
Even though the System labeled them as "Basic," Priam, having already studied one of them before, knew they would drastically change a Mage’s understanding and power.
It was as if they had spent their entire lives reading a book that was far too complicated to understand, only to suddenly receive a simple, detailed explanation directly from the book’s own author.
Priam concluded,
"Since everyone received an enormous amount of points, don’t waste time on side missions or trivial matters. In twelve months, we’ll depart for the Sacred Mission. Dedicate yourselves entirely to strengthening your foundations."
"Understood!" Dandara replied with a solemn expression.
Priam turned to the other three.
"You all need to reach the 9th Level before the Sacred Mission. If you can do that, I guarantee that by the time we return to the sect, you’ll already be Mage Masters."
The three of them swallowed hard.
Reaching the 9th Level was a perfectly achievable goal, but breaking through to become Mage Masters was something none of them had any confidence in accomplishing anytime soon. Still, since the advice came from Priam, they accepted it as absolute truth, and a renewed spark of excitement lit up their eyes.
"Anyway, I’m heading to this Primordial Magic Catalog. The Elder Leader said we all have access to it."
The four of them let out heavy sighs at the same time.
Flaris spoke in a discouraged voice.
"We were told the same thing as soon as we got here, so we rushed straight over. But... we spent an entire day there and couldn’t establish even the slightest resonance. The person in charge explained that the place has seven levels, and if you can’t resonate with it on the first day, there’s no point forcing it. It’s better to save the remaining time and only come back once your strength has increased a lot. Those ten days are a valuable resource we only receive as newcomers to this region... or after becoming Sages."
"Oh? Interesting. I’ll go take a look," Priam said curiously.
He tried to let Mirra out so she could play with the others, but she stubbornly refused to leave her internal space.
"You don’t want to play, you want to study? Looks like you’ve matured a little, brat," Priam muttered in surprise.
Inside her internal space, Mirra was already curled up, completely focused on meditation. Priam had never seen her devote herself so seriously before.
With a satisfied smile, Priam said goodbye to the group and headed toward the central district.
...
...
...
Three hours later, he reached the main complex used by the disciples.
The architecture resembled that of the previous area. However, what truly caught anyone’s attention was the structure standing at the very center: a monumental building made of gleaming stone.
That was the building housing the Primordial Magic Catalog.
Priam walked through the silent entrance hall and was greeted by the high-ranking worker in charge. After presenting his new badge, his authorization for ten days of access was immediately confirmed.
The worker then gave him the standard explanation.
The building wasn’t an ordinary library filled with Jade Slips lining shelves. It was an astral conduit—a colossal Inscription carved deep within the mountain itself, directly connected to the Primordial Magic Catalog located in the Inner Sect.
As one of the oldest sects in the entire universe, the Ironweald Sect possessed an utterly unimaginable collection of Magic Arts—from Earth-Class techniques all the way to legendary Divine-Class ones. If a disciple had to search through everything manually, it would take centuries without any guarantee of finding something compatible.
The Primordial Inscription functioned as a psychic bridge between dimensions.
By synchronizing with the Catalog, a Mage would be transported into an astral sea of knowledge, where the Catalog itself would examine the disciple’s affinity, soul, and potential, revealing the most suitable arts from among countless possibilities.
Through this interdimensional network, even while remaining in a distant External Branch, Priam could directly access the most sacred collection of the main sect.
"The repository is divided into seven potential levels," the worker explained. "Earth-Class arts occupy the first level, and the value of the scriptures increases with every tier. You may obtain as many as you want and enter whichever level you wish, as long as your mind can withstand the pressure."
Priam’s anticipation soared.
After all, the best Magic Art in his arsenal until now had been purchased at an auction and was only Earth-Class.
The worker led him to a secret chamber at the heart of the building.
The hall was vast, circular, and silent, dominated at its center by a massive runic sphere two meters in diameter, floating in midair and pulsing with a mesmerizing heavenly-blue glow.
The entire place was deserted.
Keeping the Primordial Inscription active and connected to the greater network required an enormous amount of resources. A modest branch like theirs couldn’t afford to let everyone use it frequently.
Without a doubt, disciples from the wealthy branches enjoyed that privilege far more often.
Priam walked up to the sphere, sat down in the lotus position, and closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he cleared every distraction from his mind and projected his entire consciousness toward the blue core.
Resonating with the Inscription was the true first test.
An unstable mind, weak mental energy, or a lack of conviction would be instantly rejected by an Inscription of such a high level.
Under normal circumstances, disciples needed many hours of mental concentration, and even Elders required hours to achieve perfect resonance.
However, the instant Priam’s mind reached out to touch the artifact, a shockwave echoed throughout the hall.
He had achieved resonance immediately.
If there was one thing Priam trusted without question, it was the unshakable strength of his own mind.
The strength of one’s mind was directly tied to a person’s willpower and mental resilience.
Whether it was the ability to endure the worst moments without breaking, or to experience the greatest joys in life without changing who you were, all of it determined how strong someone’s mind truly was.
For Mages, that literally generated a form of energy that could even be used in battle.
In a fraction of a second, the reality around Priam dissolved.
His consciousness was drawn into a vast, silent astral dimension.
It was nothing more than a mental projection created by the Catalog’s matrix—an illusion.
Yet the sense of presence was absolute.
Before him stood seven colossal gates.
Each gate was exponentially larger and more imposing than the one before it.
Without slowing down or hesitating for even a single second, Priam ignored the first six gates and walked straight toward the seventh—the largest and most intimidating of them all.
The moment he reached out to touch it, an overwhelming pressure tried to force him to his knees and drive him back.
Priam merely smiled with disdain.
*BANG!*
He unleashed a brutal kick against the seventh gate, blasting the sacred entrance wide open with absolute violence.