Prime Originator

"Ah, but you don't have to worry about me, Leon. I feel that I am very close to forming my Sword Intent; it's just that I am lacking an impetus for the final push," Aria explained after Leon inquired further into her progress. 

"I see. If you say so, Aria." Leon eventually nodded and did not pry further.

The lacking impetus she mentioned most likely referred to a life and death battle; more often than not, some insights can only be obtained by battling one's life on the line.

"How long did it take you to complete your Transcendence when you were breaking through to the Preliminary Accession stage, Aria?" Leon suddenly asked while glancing at the spatial storm. 

"I'm not sure exactly; my perception of time flowed differently during my Transcendence," Aria furrowed her brows to recall the event before saying, "But I think it took at least a whole day." 

"A whole day, huh?" Leon muttered. 

'It had been quite some time since Darlene disappeared into the spatial storm… So if I take Aria's case as precedent, Darlene should be finishing, right?' 

…

…

…

"So you have made your choice…" the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment uttered with a bit of disappointment in its tone.

"Yes," Darlene calmly replied. 

She could not easily believe the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragments and chose to continue rejecting it in her heart.

She was not ready to accept something she knew so little.

"I understand your worries, but, well, no matter. When the time comes when you are ready to accept me, I will always be right here, waiting," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment stated. 

"This space… can I come here again?" Darlene asked. 

Even if she refused the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment's law comprehension and memories, the rich spatial element in the special space surrounding her soul core was a great place to cultivate at her own pace.

"Since you already came once, any subsequent visit will only be easier for you. After all, this is your sea of consciousness; there is no reason why you cannot reach this place," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment patiently answered. 

"I see. That's good to know," Darlene nodded. 

Shortly after, her spiritual consciousness left the sea of consciousness, returning her perception to the outside world as her eyes slowly opened. 

The dark void filled her immediate surroundings, causing a frown to appear on her face.

In the next instant, her eyes flickered like glimmers of starlight escaping from two black holes in the boundless void.

Then, the rich and chaotic spatial storm around her quickly deformed as her eyes pulled and swallowed everything into her Void Soul Space, bolstering her cultivation. 

Swoosh—! 

After Darlene had utterly cleared the spatial storm in the sky above the Abyssal Wood Forest, Leon and Aria flew over with looks of surprise and astonishment.

"How are you feeling, Darlene?" Leon inspected her to see if her Transcendence proceeded as smoothly as it seemed. 

However, instead of replying, Darlene smiled and dived into Leon's chest to celebrate her success. 

"I think I'm pretty strong now; at the very least, I should be capable of using the Tier-6 Dagger properly now," Darlene said. 

At the same time, Aria glanced at Darlene with a bit of doubt in her eyes, seemingly sensed Darlene's movements to have stirred the spatial elements in the air accordingly.

Furthermore, the vibe Darlene emanated did not seem to belong to that of a newly transcended Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent.

"Sister Darlene, you… you're not in the Early-stage of Preliminary Accession, are you?" Aria voiced her doubt.

As a Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent, she could roughly gauge those below her cultivation level, and Darlene, who just transcended, was definitely not at the Early-stage.

Once Leon heard Aria's words, he also paid attention to Darlene's aura before his eyes slowly widened with a startling surprise.

"You're at the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession already?" he uttered.

"Hehe, surprise?" Darlene grinned cheekily with a smug look before saying, "I almost caught up to Sister Aria in one go." 

If she had stayed inside the Void Soul Space and continued cultivating in there, reaching the Early-stage of Seeking Insight was definitely possible—though she cannot estimate the exact time it would take.

"It's the first time I've heard of someone advancing all the way to the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession during their Transcendence…" Leon commented before suddenly wryly adding, "But then again, I haven't seen many Transcendents."

"Even if it is possible, it still shows that Sister Darlene's cultivation talent is extremely high," Aria praised without a shred of envy.

Nevertheless, she suddenly thought of something before asking, "Right, did you experience any out of the ordinary during your Transcendence, Sister Darlene?"

"Something out of the ordinary, you say?" Darlene slowly repeated. 

She understood what Aria was trying to ask, but she wondered whether she should mention it to Aria and Leon or not.

It had been quite an incredulous experience for her; she wasn't sure if they would believe her words or not.

'Hey, yeah, there's a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void inside of me… Yeah, no, that sounds too nonsensical for anyone to believe…' Darlene thought to herself.

Leon was about to say something when he suddenly heard the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's voice not far away while the old man was making his way over.

The old man also overheard everything they talked about. 

"What's this about Late-stage of Preliminary Accession? Is it really amazing?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked with eyes brimming curiosity. 

Topics related to Awakening Cultivation intrigued him.

"While the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession isn't all that amazing in and of itself, but if someone shoots to that level during their Transcendence, then yes, it is a very amazing feat," Leon thought for a moment before saying.

"Think about it this way; Senior One-Eye spent a day to become an Early-rank Battle King. If another Extremity-rank Battle Master ascended to Extremity-rank Battle King Realm within the same timeframe, do you think it's amazing?"

"That… that is indeed amazing," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman replied with mild astonishment before casting a glance at Darlene. 

He didn't expect this lass to become someone amazing suddenly. 

It seems that all the talented people will gather to Young Master Leonhardt's side…

Or is it that people who gathered to Young Master Leonhardt's side become amazingly talented?