The mountain remained silent.
Hundreds of jade slips floated calmly before William, each one representing one of the greatest powers in existence.
Andrew waited patiently.
"So..."
"What is your answer?"
William slowly lifted his head.
His eyes calmly swept across every invitation one last time.
Then he finally spoke.
"I don't want any of them."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The smile on Andrew's face froze.
The woman beside him stared at William in disbelief.
"...What?"
William repeated himself without hesitation.
"I don't want any of these offers."
Neither of them interrupted.
Instead, they waited.
They knew William well enough to understand that he had not finished speaking.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"I don't want to become part of someone else's legacy."
"I don't want to inherit someone else's empire."
"I don't want to strengthen a force that has existed for millions of years without me."
His voice remained calm.
"If I join a family..."
"I become another branch of that family."
"If I join a sect..."
"I inherit someone else's ideals."
"If I join an academy..."
"I become another one of its countless students."
William slowly shook his head.
"No."
He looked directly into Andrew's eyes.
"If I truly intend to stand at the summit one day..."
"Then I want a force that stands there with me."
His gaze became firmer.
"A force created by my own hands."
"A force whose first priority is my vision."
"A force that follows my commands without hesitation."
"Not because of fear."
"But because that is the purpose for which it exists."
"I don't want to leave my future in the hands of an ancient organization whose traditions were established long before I was born."
"I want to build something that begins with me."
Silence filled the mountain once again.
The woman slowly exhaled.
"...That..."
"...is a far more troublesome answer than I expected."
Andrew remained unusually quiet.
His expression gradually became serious.
Far more serious than it had been throughout their entire conversation.
After several moments...
he finally spoke.
"William..."
"I don't think you fully understand what you're saying."
William frowned slightly.
Andrew looked directly at him.
"You believe this is merely a choice between organizations."
"It isn't."
"What lies ahead of you..."
"...is far greater."
He slowly folded his arms.
"There is a reason every supreme force wishes to recruit you."
"There is a reason none of them are willing to become your enemy."
"There is a reason they are willing to surrender unimaginable authority just to secure your allegiance."
Andrew's eyes became unusually solemn.
"They are not investing in your present."
"They are investing in your future."
William quietly listened.
Andrew continued.
"Specifically..."
"...the Throne of the Universe."
William's eyes narrowed.
"The Throne?"
Andrew nodded.
"It is not merely a title."
"It is not simply supreme authority."
"And it certainly isn't just political influence."
"It is the highest position a cultivator can attain."
He slowly walked toward the horizon.
"The path of cultivation..."
"...is much longer than you currently realize."
William remained silent.
Andrew began explaining.
"The first realm..."
"...is the Mortal Body."
"The stage where cultivators strengthen their physical existence and begin touching the energy of the universe."
He raised one finger.
"Beyond it..."
"...lies the Stellar Body."
"At this stage, one's body becomes comparable to the stars themselves."
"Its endurance, vitality and foundation undergo a qualitative evolution."
William listened attentively.
Andrew continued.
"From this point onward..."
"...the word 'Body' disappears."
"It is replaced by another word."
"'Domain.'"
William looked curious.
Andrew smiled faintly.
"There is a reason."
He raised a second finger.
"The Galactic Domain."
"A cultivator no longer relies solely on personal strength."
"Instead..."
"they begin constructing their own world."
"Their own Domain."
"A region of reality where their understanding of existence is absolute."
"Their element."
"Their ability."
"Their path."
"Everything reaches its greatest expression inside that Domain."
He paused briefly.
"If a fire cultivator reaches this realm..."
"His flames become the law of that space."
"If another cultivator manipulates gravity..."
"Gravity itself obeys only his will within that Domain."
"The stronger one's understanding..."
"...the more complete the Domain becomes."
William immediately recalled the countless Domains displayed during the tournament.
Only now did he truly understand what they represented.
Andrew raised another finger.
"Beyond the Galactic Domain..."
"...comes the Cosmic Domain."
"The principle remains the same."
"But instead of merely perfecting a Domain..."
"...the cultivator expands it toward true cosmic scale."
"Their authority becomes vastly greater."
"Their understanding reaches entirely new heights."
William remained silent.
Andrew's expression then became noticeably more serious.
"After that..."
"...comes the Realm of Destruction."
His voice became lower.
"This is where Domains themselves become limitations."
"A true expert must surpass even the world they created."
"They destroy the dependence upon a fixed space."
"They no longer require a Domain."
"Their abilities accompany them everywhere."
"No battlefield."
"No territory."
"No preparation."
"Their existence itself becomes their Domain."
The mountain fell silent.
Even William found himself imagining such a state.
Andrew continued.
"Beyond Destruction..."
"...lies the Domain of Spiritual Serenity."
"The most difficult stage for countless cultivators."
"This realm no longer concerns power."
"It concerns the heart."
"A cultivator must eliminate everything capable of disturbing their inner peace."
"The Hatred ."
"The Fear ."
"The Greed ."
"The Jealousy ."
"The Regret ."
"Every emotional weakness."
William quietly frowned.
Andrew noticed.
"Do not misunderstand."
"It does not mean becoming emotionless."
"It means no negative emotion can ever control you again."
"No enemy can provoke your hatred."
"No illusion can exploit your fear."
"No despair can shake your resolve."
He continued,
"And because their hearts become perfectly tranquil..."
"Attacks driven by murderous intent..."
"Or hatred..."
"Or malice..."
"Become astonishingly ineffective against them."
"They possess an almost overwhelming resistance against opponents whose emotions remain unstable."
"However..."
Andrew smiled slightly.
"This protection depends entirely on whose mastery over their own heart is greater."
William slowly nodded.
"So even emotions become a battlefield."
Andrew answered quietly.
"They always were."
He slowly raised his final finger.
"The last realm known to us..."
"...is the Infinite."
For the first time...
even Andrew's voice carried unmistakable reverence.
"A being who reaches that state..."
"...becomes too great to be confined."
"Too vast to be restrained."
"Their existence surpasses ordinary concepts of injury."
"Their attacks no longer carry killing intent."
"Not because they cannot kill..."
"But because those beneath them cease to be worthy of hatred."
"The difference between them and ordinary life..."
"...becomes so immense that even violence loses its meaning."
William remained completely silent.
Andrew looked toward the endless sky.
"A cultivator who reaches the Infinite Realm..."
"...cannot truly be killed under ordinary circumstances."
"There are only two known exceptions."
He slowly turned back toward William.
"The first..."
"...is time."
"No matter how magnificent one's existence becomes..."
"time eventually claims everything."
He paused.
"As for the second reason..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You are not ready to learn it."
The mountain returned to silence.
For the first time since inheriting the Eternal Body...
William realized that the summit he had envisioned...
was merely the foot of an unimaginably greater mountain.