Tower of Heaven

For three thousand years, war after war took place. That wasn't to say there weren't periods of peace, but they were rarely long enough to be significant.

By the time the Neurics gained their advantage, their population had once again ballooned to over ten million.

And, when they took the advantage, they didn't let it go.

Rather than defending as they had been for the past two thousand years, the Neurics went on the offensive. They invaded other continents, influencing their people and seizing control.

They waged war on everyone and everything, and after losing and suffering for thousands of years, they had learned how to win.

Slowly but surely, they took control over every continent in their vicinity.

They subjugated almost all of the cultivators. After all, not many were actually loyal to their sects. Most were only in those influences to further their own cultivation, and in that sense, the Ignis Empire was simply superior.

Their resources were better, as they did not have to share their continent with anyone, and their treatment was far superior to what they experienced in their daily lives.

Not all sects were bad, of course. There were some that acted like close-knit families and some that were extremely righteous, but those sects never came into conflict with the Ignis Empire.

They did not fight, so their land was not threatened. It truly was that simple.

And, with the magical artifacts they created, artifacts of Heaven Grade quality, they pushed four continents together and merged them into one.

Though, their worries didn't end. When the wars with known forces ended, wars with unknown forces began. It wasn't just about the dragon corpse anymore, nor was it some kind of personal grudge. It was merely the way of the world that war would always be prominent.

The Neurics wanted to end that cycle, but they didn't know how. They improved the empire under their control and fought those who they needed to fight for another three thousand years before Atlas was finally forced to intervene.

'This is not what they should be doing right now.'

The wars were good for them until a certain point. Now, ceaseless violence was no longer helping their society progress. It was holding them back.

They needed peaceful times to consolidate everything they learned and gained from the war before they could build upon it and create more miracles.

But, if there was one thing…

'This generation of Neurics is extremely attuned to war.'

And, considering their cultivation progress, they were going to be the same Neurics alive when the wars against other Ascenders began.

In order to give them another five thousand years to grow, Atlas helped them end their never-ending conflicts. He dispersed the dragon corpse and melded it into the continent completely so it could no longer cause troubles. He gave the Neurics something akin to an authority over the world, but he didn't grant it to them for nothing.

Creating such a miracle used all of the faith he had gathered from them thus far. Fortune would not favor them as it had for a very long time unless they proved that they were worthy of such privileges.

'After all, I am not the entire Heavenly Dao.'

Sure, he could act as the Heavenly Dao when it came to the Neurics, but he was only a piece of the whole. The true Heavenly Dao would not sit still if he provided them too many benefits.

But, he believed in them. With everything they'd done until this point, there was no way they'd fumble and lose their control.

'I can be assured that these next five thousand years will be prosperous.'

And it happened as he predicted.

The Neurics continued to grow and grow and grow. Naturally, they couldn't forge artifacts above Heaven Grade when they were on a limiting stage like this one, but they were able to refine their techniques and the artifacts they made to a new level.

They made several more Heaven Grade artifacts. The supercontinent they forged was completely fortified. Even if their authority was taken away, Atlas was confident that they'd win against any force that was unfortunate enough to face them.

He didn't reach this conclusion only because their artifacts were powerful.

Something even he didn't expect took place. Something that the Formation Spark did not tell him took place.

Neurics. They had the potential to become True Spirits of Flame if they were evolved properly. Igni Neurics were the first evolution, and their next was meant to turn them into flaming entities without physical bodies.

That did not happen, because the path they took was not one of purely forging and creation. They instilled in themselves a desire for conquest that was just as strong as their natural affinity for fire.

So, after four thousand more years, the Neurics evolved once more.

They became True Spirits of Conquest and Fire, Khanii Neurics. It was a species that had never seen the light of day before, one that only had the chance to be born due to Atlas' interference.

'Is this the purpose of this trial?'

Every Cumulative Trial meant something. Every single one taught a lesson.

The 10th Floor allowed Ascenders to connect with their inner selves.

The second, though not many found it, was a lesson about wariness. To be wary of the surroundings, of other people, and of everything that was unknown.

The third taught about relationships, planning, competition, and much more. The entire experience in the Empire of Ataraxia was a valuable lesson. Find adventures on empire

Now that he was here on the 40th Floor, was this the lesson the Tower wanted to teach him?

'That things don't come naturally. All chances, all fortune, and all opportunities are created through one's experiences. If you search for those things and prepare yourself for them, they will come like this evolution. However, if even one step was taken differently, none of it would have ever happened.'

To him, it was a more valuable lesson than it was to most. However, Alaric had already taught him this very same thing during his last visit to Vanatos.

'Yes. As long as I keep myself prepared and watchful, the things I seek will come to me.'

Two thousand more years passed simply. Atlas stopped interfering with the Neurics altogether and passively absorbed the faith they gave him. Though they were simulated and this was not a real world, Atlas felt like his own Legend was being enhanced by their image of him.

Nevertheless, he skipped around and didn't spend too much more time watching them carefully. He only took the time to make sure they were okay, otherwise allowing them to self-govern entirely.

When ten thousand years finally passed from the moment Atlas first made contact with the Neurics in that deep cave somewhere in the surface of this massive supercontinent…

'Nothing changed.'

Nothing changed on the continent. It remained just how it was.

However, it was no longer part of the same world.

It was now surrounded on both sides by two new continents. Across a vast stretch of ocean, there were three more continents evenly spaced in a straight line.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The place above the clouds where Atlas had been living was no longer empty either.

On his side, there were two people, and above those three opposing continents, there were three more.

'Right, we've spent more than enough time preparing.'

The Ignis Empire's supercontinent was larger than any of the others, after all.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

And Atlas was more than happy with the teammates he'd been stuck with.