William remained silent.
His gaze rested on the endless horizon while Andrew watched him for a long moment.
The old man could tell that William's determination had become firmer than ever.
Yet determination alone would never be enough.
There were truths he had to know before taking another step.
Andrew slowly folded his arms.
"Since you've decided to walk that path..."
"...there are things you must understand."
William said nothing.
He simply listened.
Andrew continued.
"The cultivation realms I explained earlier are only the beginning."
"The farther one advances, the less ordinary concepts apply."
He looked toward the sky.
"When a cultivator reaches the Realm of Destruction..."
"...even names cease to function as they once did."
"A true name belonging to such an existence can no longer be pronounced by weaker beings."
"It either refuses to leave their mouths..."
"...or loses all meaning the moment it is spoken."
William quietly absorbed every word without interrupting.
Andrew continued.
"And once one reaches the Domain of Spiritual Serenity..."
"...the changes become even more extraordinary."
"The universe itself begins cooperating with them."
William's eyes narrowed slightly.
Andrew explained calmly.
"A cultivator of Spiritual Serenity possesses such complete mastery over themselves that the universe no longer instinctively opposes their actions."
"They may act almost however they wish..."
"...provided they hold no intention of meaningless destruction."
William thought carefully.
"So the universe helps them?"
"In a sense."
Andrew smiled.
"Let me give you an example."
"The Cosmic Tournament Referee."
William immediately remembered the mysterious man who had calmly ended battles capable of shattering reality itself.
Andrew continued.
"Every time reality collapsed..."
"He restored it."
"Every destroyed battlefield..."
"He returned to its original state."
"Every fatal injury..."
"He erased as though it had never existed."
William nodded.
"I remember."
Andrew looked directly at him.
"He wasn't repairing reality."
"He simply decided..."
"...that the damage had never happened."
William's pupils contracted slightly.
Andrew continued.
"The universe accepted that decision."
"Not because he forced it."
"But because his heart carried no desire for destruction."
"He had no anger."
"No hatring."
"No wish to dominate."
"When he acted..."
"...he acted solely to preserve balance."
William recalled the referee's expression throughout the tournament.
Calm.
Composed.
Almost indifferent.
No matter how devastating the battles became...
The referee had never once appeared shocked.
He was never frightened.
He was never angered.
At most...
he seemed mildly interested.
Andrew smiled.
"Exactly."
"A person who has reached Spiritual Serenity is rarely surprised."
"Rarely disturbed."
"Rarely emotionally shaken."
"The Curiosity..."
"...becomes one of the few emotions that still meaningfully appears."
Silence returned.
Andrew remained silent for a moment before looking toward the endless sky.
"Since you've chosen to walk your own path..."
"...there are still things you must know."
William did not interrupt.
He simply listened.
"The cultivation realms I explained earlier are only part of the truth."
"The higher one ascends..."
"...the less ordinary concepts apply."
"When a cultivator reaches the Realm of Destruction..."
"...even names begin to lose their meaning."
William remained silent.
Andrew continued.
"A true name belonging to someone of that realm can no longer be spoken by weaker existences."
"They either fail to pronounce it..."
"...or the name itself loses its meaning the moment it leaves their lips."
"The universe refuses to allow a lesser existence to define one that has surpassed so many of its limitations."
He took a few slow steps forward.
"Beyond the Realm of Destruction lies the Domain of Spiritual Serenity."
"A realm where power no longer depends solely on strength."
"It depends on the state of one's heart."
"When someone reaches that level..."
"...the universe gradually ceases to oppose them."
"They may reshape reality around them almost however they wish..."
"...provided they harbor no intention of destruction."
William quietly absorbed every word.
Andrew continued.
"Think back to the referee of the Cosmic Tournament."
"Battlefields collapsed."
"Space shattered."
"Dimensions became unstable."
"Fatal wounds appeared countless times."
"And yet..."
"...he simply restored everything."
"As though none of it had ever happened."
"He never panicked."
"He never became angry."
"He was never shocked."
"At most..."
"...his curiosity was briefly stirred."
"That is what Spiritual Serenity truly means."
"It is not the absence of emotion."
"It is perfect mastery over it."
Only after Andrew finished did the woman step forward.
"There is another truth you should know."
Her expression became noticeably more serious.
"The Throne of the Universe cannot be claimed by just anyone."
"At this very moment..."
"...only seven individuals possess the right to seek it."
William remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"The three newly acknowledged successors..."
"...and the four ancient successors who still possess their Eternal Bodies."
For the first time since the conversation began...
William's calm expression changed.
"...Four ancient successors?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
"Before your generation..."
"Four individuals inherited Eternal Bodies."
"They never lost them."
"They are still alive."
Silence settled over the mountain.
William slowly processed those words.
Until now...
he had unconsciously believed that his generation represented the beginning of this story.
Instead...
there were already four beings somewhere in the universe who had walked this path before him.
Andrew smiled faintly after noticing William's surprise.
"You thought you were the first?"
William did not deny it.
"I thought our generation was."
Andrew slowly shook his head.
"No."
"You are merely the newest generation."
The woman continued.
"Those seven alone are acknowledged by the universe as legitimate claimants to the Throne."
"And because of that..."
"...the universe protects them in ways you do not yet need to understand."
"As for the other candidates from your tournament..."
"They are different."
"They obtained the recognition of their respective Bodies."
"They inherited their approval..."
"But not the right to contend for the Throne."
William remained silent for several moments before finally asking,
"Do those ancient successors possess the same Eternal Bodies that we inherited?"
Andrew answered immediately.
"No."
"The Eternal Bodies never choose two successors at the same time."
"Each Body acknowledges only one heir."
"Only one."
William frowned slightly.
Andrew continued.
"Once an Eternal Body selects its successor..."
"...its search ends."
"It will never appear in another Cosmic Tournament."
"It will never choose another candidate."
"Not while its current successor remains under its protection."
William immediately understood part of the implication.
"So if I remain alive..."
"...the Eternal Body won't appear in the next tournament."
Andrew nodded.
"Correct."
"The same applies to Maria..."
"Merito..."
"...and every other Eternal Successor."
"Their Bodies will not return."
William asked quietly,
"When does that protection end?"
"There are only two possibilities."
"The first..."
"...is death."
"The second..."
"...is reaching the Cosmic Domain."
William remained attentive.
Andrew smiled.
"The Eternal Bodies regard reaching the Cosmic Domain as adulthood."
"By then..."
"...they consider their successors capable of walking the universe without their protection."
"So they withdraw every special security they once granted."
"They return to their slumber..."
"...and patiently wait."
"For another era."
"For another tournament."
"For another soul worthy of carrying their legacy."
The mountain fell silent again.
William slowly looked down at his own hand.
For the first time...
he realized that inheriting the Eternal Body had never been the end of a story.