"WHAAAAT?!"
The entire grand auditorium descended into absolute pandemonium. Every single noble in the hall, from the lowest-ranking Counts on the main floor to the highest-ranking Marquises, bolted upright from their seats, completely abandoning their carefully polished high-society etiquette.
Up on the imperial platform, even the stoic masks of Emperor Drakon and Empress Seraphina shattered instantly, their eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated astonishment.
A Divine-rank talent. It was the ultimate, undisputed ticket to historical greatness.
In the entire recorded history of Nexos Earth, those who possessed a Divine-rank talent could be counted on a single hand.
They were the legendary myths, the ancient ancestors who had broken the mortal ceiling and shaped the very continents.
To witness the birth of such a being today, right before their very eyes, left the audience caught in a dizzying conflict between ecstatic delirium and profound denial.
"A... a Divine-rank talent? Am I dreaming?" a marquis stammered, gripping his hair as he desperately stared at the radiant golden text.
Slap!
A sharp, resounding crack echoed through their private box. The man’s wife had reached out and cleanly smacked the side of his face.
"Ouch! What in the world was that for?!" the man yelped, rubbing his rapidly reddening cheek as he winced in pain.
"To check if you were dreaming," his wife replied with absolute calmness, her wide, trembling eyes never once leaving the central stage.
"Judging by your reaction, this is very real."
Down on the platform, Emperor Drakon was the first of the powerhouses to snap out of the trance. A roaring, deeply satisfied laugh erupted from his chest, echoing like thunder throughout the massive amphitheater.
"Hahaha! Splendid! Our Empire has been graced with another Divine-rank genius after centuries of waiting! This is a monumental blessing from our ancestral bloodlines!"
The spell over the room was instantly broken. Shaken back to their senses, rows upon rows of nobles began nodding in frantic agreement.
They stood up in unison, facing the imperial throne and project their voices with deep reverence.
"Congratulations, Your Majesties! Congratulations, Your Excellencies! Our Valtthoros Empire has been blessed with a supreme new pillar of power!"
Up in the Great Ducal lounge, Duke Ignis Solaris burst into an unbridled, booming laugh, a massive, triumphant grin spreading across his tanned face.
"Hahaha! My little girl truly is blessed by the heavens! I knew it! She is going to become an absolutely peerless warrior!"
Eleanor Solaris stood beside him, her expression radiating a profound, emotional mixture of pure happiness and maternal pride.
The Astaraeas and Storm families immediately converged on them, offering their heartfelt congratulations.
"Congratulations, Ignis, Eleanor! You have been blessed with a truly magnificent child," Elisabeth said, her voice filled with genuine joy for her close friend.
"Yes, congratulations! Your daughter is destined to become an absolutely legendary figure," Duke William Storm added, clapping Ignis firmly on the back.
Eleanor smiled warmly, bowing her head gracefully to thank them, though a faint shadow of maternal worry softened her eyes.
"Thank you, everyone. My only hope is that she grows up safely and without unnecessary trouble."
She knew the brutal reality of the cultivation world all too well. A child born with such monstrous, unprecedented talent would inevitably become the ultimate target of envy, political greed, and hidden assassinations from enemy empires.
This time, the announcer didn’t even attempt to call for silence. He stood on the stage with his holographic tablet, completely frozen as he stared at the screen.
Even as a seasoned imperial official, he needed several minutes just to process the sheer weight of the results.
Sophia didn’t just possess a Divine-rank talent; she wielded an EX-rank physique, an EX-rank special talent, an EX-rank bloodline, and an EX-rank Sun affinity at that exact same unmeasurable rank.
This specific, lethal combination would transform her into a terrifying, unmovable God of War on the battlefield.
Slowly breaking her gaze from the holographic display, Sophia turned toward the imperial throne, offering a precise, elegant bow to the Royal Family. She then turned and walked back toward the grand stairs leading to the second floor.
The moment she stepped back into the VIP lounge, Ignis and Eleanor rushed forward, wrapping their daughter into a tight, incredibly warm parental embrace.
"We are so incredibly proud of you, honey," Eleanor whispered tenderly, kissing the top of her head.
Sophia hugged them back gently, her voice quiet but filled with emotion.
"Mmh."
Releasing the embrace, they returned to their designated seats. Sophia walked over to her chair, settling down directly next to Aeon.
Aeon looked at her, a bright, genuinely proud smile on his face as he congratulated her. "Congratulations, Sophia. You truly did it. I am incredibly happy for you."
Alex eagerly leaned over from Aeon’s other side, joining in with his usual energetic grin. "Yeah! You were absolutely terrifying out there, Sophia! That was awesome!"
Sophia’s cheeks flushed slightly with a lingering trace of her signature shyness, but she offered them a beautiful, radiant smile.
"Thanks, guys."
The three children chatted in low voices for a few moments, the heavy atmosphere around them beginning to relax, until the announcer’s voice finally regained its professional clarity, booming across the hall.
"Let us continue. Next, Aeon Astaraeas."
The moment the name left the announcer’s lips, the chaotic chatter across the thousands of seats instantly died down.
Every single gaze in the amphitheater pivoted smoothly toward the VIP seat of the Northern Ruler.
After witnessing three Mythic talents and a literal Divine-rank miracle, the audience was hyper-alert. They wanted to see what the final Great Ducal house, the masters of the Moon element, would bring to the table.
Aeon stood up smoothly, completely calm as he prepared to face his destiny. Before he could take his first step toward the exit, a soft, hesitant voice caught his attention.
"Good luck, Aeon. I know you can do it,"
Sophia said, looking up at him with her shimmering red eyes, a deep layer of shy encouragement written across her face.
"Yeah! Go break that crystal, Aeon!" Alex chimed in, raising a clenched fist in the air to cheer him on.
Aeon offered them a confident smile, nodding appreciatively. "Thanks."
He turned and walked down the grand stairs, his movements fluid and entirely unbothered by the thousands of eyes locked onto him.
As he marched down the long aisle toward the central stage, he utilized the quiet moment to mentally ask his system something that was bothering him after seeing Sophia’s awakening.
’System,’ Aeon questioned silently, a hint of caution rising in his mind. ’With my true background, would I end up awakening an Infinite-rank talent or something beyond the scope of this world? According to historical records, Divine is the absolute maximum limit anyone has ever seen. If I reveal something higher while I’m still completely powerless, it won’t be a good idea. Can you mask it?’
[DING]
[The Master has no need to worry. The native Awakening Crystal is far too primitive to measure your true cosmic rank. By default, outsiders will only perceive a Divine-rank talent. Furthermore, the System has completely intercepted and falsified your signature within the local Akashic Records. Your true status remains absolute.]
Hearing the system’s reassuring confirmation, Aeon let out a silent sigh of profound relief.
Finally, his boots tapped against the polished floor of the central stage. He stood before the pristine white orb, staring at its smooth surface for a fraction of a second to compose his thoughts.
Then, without a trace of hesitation, he raised his right hand and pressed his palm firmly against the Awakening Crystal.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, the entire four-story building didn’t just shake—it violently convulsed.
A monumental explosion of blinding, ethereal Golden Light detonated from the core of the crystal ball.
It didn’t just mirror Sophia’s awakening. The sheer volume of the golden radiance was twice as thick, roaring with a profound, ancient gravity that instantly filled every corner of the amphitheater.
The divine column of light tore upward, phasing completely through the solid reinforced ceiling of the imperial palace and shooting straight into the highest stratosphere of the floating continent.
The immediate reaction from the crowd was an absolute, soul-crushing silence of sheer terror.
"A-Another golden light?!" a marquis shrieked, his voice cracking into a high-pitched scream as he fell backward into his seat.
"Two... two Divine talents in a single generation?! This is madness! It’s completely impossible!"
Up in the VIP box, Duke William Storm’s jaw dropped completely open, his glass of wine slipping from his fingers and shattering across the floor.
Duke Ignis Solaris literally bolted out of his chair, his fiery red eyes practically bulging out of his head as he stared at the towering column of golden energy wrapping around his best friend’s son.
Aldrich and Elisabeth stood side by side, their body slightly trembling due to the sheer, overwhelming shock of seeing their own son trigger a divine phenomenon.
Even Emperor Drakon completely stood up from his golden throne, his majestic draconic aura flaring instinctively.
Two Divine-rank cultivators appearing within minutes of each other was an event that had never occurred since the dawn of the Valtthoros Empire.
The entire global balance of power was shattering right before his eyes.
The towering vortex of golden light slowly began to lose its roaring momentum, dimming gradually until it vanished back into the crystal pedestal.
Aeon calmly pulled his hand away from the smooth orb. The moment the physical contact broke, a rigid, mechanical voice resonated clearly within his mind—vastly different from the familiar tone of his own internal system.
(NOTE: I will be using [ ] for his real system. { } with italic words for Akashic Records window. < > for anything else that is hologram)
{DING}
{Congratulations! You have successfully awakened.}
{Welcome to the Akashic Records.}
{Think or say the words "Open Status" to review your personal data.}
Following the divine instruction, Aeon mentally commanded the phrase. ’Open Status.’
Whoosh!
Directly within his private line of sight, a majestic golden window materialized, populated with sharp, stark black text.
Keeping his breathing perfectly steady under the gaze of the auditorium, Aeon began to read through his newly calculated baseline.
{ Name: Aeon Astaraeas }
{ Title: Nil }
{ Race: Celestial Devouring Dragon }
{ Talent: Divine }
{ Special Talent: Absolute Evolution ( EX)}
{ Path: Warrior }
{ Cultivation: Not yet cultivated }
{ Physique: Void Devouring Physique (EX) }
{ Bloodline: Celestial Devouring Dragon Bloodline (EX) }
{ Affinity/s: Void [ EX ], Moon [ EX ], Ice [ EX], Storm [ EX ] }
{ Achievement Level: 0 }
Aeon carefully scrutinized the interface. While it displayed the falsified, hidden metrics his system had generated to keep the public from seeing his true boundless power, it still looked remarkably detailed.
Before he could analyze the specific affinities further, another heavy notification from the Akashic Records chimed directly into his consciousness.
{DING}
{A completely, unique new race has been detected. Analyzing source... A perfect fusion of two progenitor bloodlines has been detected. }
{Splendid, Aeon Astaraeas. For you who have successfully awakened this day, standing as the very first Progenitor of a New Race on Nexos Earth, your monumental achievement has been permanently etched into the world’s history, regardless of your innate birthright.}
{Achievement Level: 0 ➡️ 1}
{DING}
{For your world-first achievement, you have been officially awarded a Unique-rank Title: [The Progenitor].}
Aeon’s eyes widened a fraction. ’A brand-new race?’ he thought, caught completely off guard. ’My system never mentioned anything about my heritage triggering a global achievement notice from the Akashic Records.’
Before his mind could fully process the unexpected title, the cold, familiar ping of his personal system detonated right over the world’s alerts, completely seizing his attention.
[DING]
[Hidden prerequisite conditions have been successfully met.]
[SYSTEM UPDATE INITIATED]
[Updating source code... 10%... 40%... 70%... 100%]
[System overhaul complete.]
[The Boundless Ascension System (Lv. 1) is now fully operational.]
[Hello, Master. You have officially satisfied the core evolutionary requirements to upgrade the system interface. The two primary locked functions—[Boundless Bond] and [Quest]—are now fully accessible to you.]
[As the Master continues to grow in absolute strength, the core system will undergo subsequent background updates, unlocking increasingly higher-tier cosmic functions.]
Aeon’s brow twitched slightly as he processed the sudden wall of text. ’A system update? Level one?’
He questioned mentally, his irritation rising. ’Wait a second. Weren’t those two exact functions listed on my interface from the very beginning? Why are you acting like they just magically appeared?’
[DING]
[Correction, Master. At that initial stage, those two specific functions were technically present, but they remained fully locked and un-awakened. Furthermore, due to the system’s previous low developmental level, I was restricted from informing you of their true operational status.]
A sudden, sharp realization flashed through Aeon’s mind, making him piece together years of past confusion.
’Is that the real reason you went completely silent every single time I tried to ask you about those menus in the past?’ he demanded, remembering the deep frustration of trying to navigate those frozen options during his early training years.
[Yes, Master.]
As the system confirmed his suspicion with absolute, unbothered simplicity, Aeon let out a silent, inward sigh of bitter amusement.
All those days of exhausting experimentation and mental frustration had been completely solved by a simple level gate.
Pushing the minor annoyance aside, Aeon focused his intent completely on his true, unmasked parameters.
’System, pull up my real Status.’
[DING]
|---------------- SYSTEM STATUS ---------------|
[ Name: Aeon Astaraeas ]
[ Title: The Progenitor ]
[ Race: Origin Devouring Celestial Dragon ]
[ Cultivation Rank: None ]
[ Talent: Infinite ]
[ Special Talent: Infinite Evolution ] ( Rank: Infinite )
[ Paths: Warrior, Arcane, Spiritual ]
[ Physique(s): Infinite Void Devouring Physique ] ( Rank: Infinite )
[ Bloodline(s): Celestial Dragon Bloodline ] ( Rank: EX )
[ Origin Devouring Dragon Bloodline ]( Rank: Origin )
[Affinities: Void(Infinite), Moon( Ex), Ice(EX), Strom(Ex) ]
[ Inventory: Uncommon Magical Swords x60, Phoenix’s Essence, Void Cleaver, Dao Fruit of the Cosmic Dragon... ]
|-----------------------END----------------------------|
Aeon froze, his thoughts completely locking up as his eyes scanned the bottom half of his true stats window.
’Huh...?!’