Defiance of the Fall

How could it possibly finish the process when his core wasn’t finished? His Cosmic Core had undergone a powerful refinement and was far more condensed than before . However , there was one final step needed to make things official . There was only one issue . How was he supposed to complete that step here?

Zac hesitantly looked around the ruins . His mansion was gone , disintegrated by the unfocused attack of the Heavens . Null didn’t answer his call either . Zac opted to speak with the sky . Seeing how chaotic his ascent had been and the damage he was still causing , someone was undoubtedly keeping watch .

I want to pick a class , - Zac said .

His request was granted through a flash of light that made him close his eyes . When they opened , a Nexus Node waited right in front of him . Zac’s looked at the glimmering crystal with anticipation . The final piece of the puzzle was simple enough , yet the one Zac had looked forward to the most .

Pick a class , and let the System engrave its runes onto your core .

82

THE PATH FORWARD

Zac’s body was absolutely wrung dry after enduring the tribulation , yet he felt like a million bucks as he dragged himself toward the Nexus Node . He only briefly stopped , looking to his core . It had shrunk to two-thirds of its original size , emitting a condensed aura of power . It was also covered in small cracks , and it still released the occasional burst of unstable energy .

The insides of the Duplicity Core were the only spot that hadn’t been drained by his Hidden Node and the Duplicity Core , and his core had just finished rooting it all out . Zac knew picking a class with a damaged core wasn’t an issue , but should he wait a bit longer? It would give him some time to recover .

No , that wasn’t an option . A deep rumble shifted his insides as yet another mountain crumbled in the distance . The Duplicity Core was insatiable , and Zac wasn’t sure how much it could take . It had stopped its transformation while waiting for him to pick a class , but what if he delayed too long? The Technocrat invention had already provided enough surprises . He didn’t want to wait to find out if some fail-safes were installed to avoid overloading the Duplicity Core with energy .

Better he pick now before his mother somehow picked for him .

The Nexus Node was different from the one back home . For one , it was only the size of a football , making it feel like a portable version . The dense golden scripts across its surface proved it was anything but simple , though . Between the runes and the stable aura it emitted , Zac suspected it was far superior to the normal ones he’d encountered thus far .

This was the moment he’d been eagerly expecting , and his heart rang with anticipation as he placed his hand on the smooth surface . Having endured the tribulation of the Boundless Heaven , the System wouldn’t target him with another trial of its own . Only cultivators within Heaven’s Path would have to deal with the tests he’d endured when entering E-grade .

Zac had originally been disappointed by that . Entering Hegemony would simultaneously attack you with all three types of tribulations , but so what? All aspects of his cultivation were beyond ordinary , be it his body , soul , or heart . Conversely , the experience had uncovered some sealed memories of his past . This time , he wouldn’t get such an opportunity . Now , Zac was only relieved . The process and tribulation left him in a far worse state than he’d expected . He just wanted to get things over with now so that he could rest .

There was a small risk you wouldn’t have any options waiting for you if the System didn’t deem you worthy . But that was quite rare and generally reserved for those who cheated their way into Hegemony , completely relying on pills or treasures . If you managed to form a core based on your Daos , you’d have at least one class waiting for you .

Zac felt a pulse enter his body , and it was like the Duplicity Core had entered a quantum state as it hid from the presence . Zac could feel the Nexus Node investigate his pathways and core , and a screen soon appeared .

Core Formation Successful

Design : 87% unique .

Imperfections : Low (10-100) .

Evaluation : Middle-quality , S-grade Energy Capacity , S-grade Potential , S-grade level of Innovation .

Zac hadn’t expected to get a report card , but he was flush with pride at the evaluation . Besides the Middle-quality , which Zac had already known about , every evaluation was top-notch . Capacity and potential were the most important ones . The former meant he’d be able to draw far more power from his core than normal Hegemons , and the latter undoubtedly meant potential for upgrades .