Salvus, Rexus and Janus Eldari floated in space above Edras, looking down at the Grakoth homeworld. While their peers assaulted Earth futilely, struggling against the monstrous strength of Sam and Jacob Atlas, the wiser D Rank invaders targeted other civilizations, ones without such infamous defenders. Unfortunately for the three Teruvarians, their data was a few days out of date. To their knowledge, Edras was defended by a few million F Rankers, some E Rank weaponry and a single newly ascended E Ranker. It was a good target, strong enough to be worth plundering, but weak enough to make that possible.

As one, the three D Rankers clasped their hands together and started to cycle their Dao Saplings. The world around them warped into the image of a meteor, flaming red as it tore through the firmament. They all cultivated the same Dao, the Dao Sapling of Extraterrestrial Armageddon. It was a very convoluted path, one that would be exceedingly difficult to reach C Rank with. However, it was immensely potent when it came to raw damage. If allowed to hit home, their assault would blast Edras' tectonic plates out of alignment, and permanently render the planet uninhabitable. Then they could pick through the lifeless corpses for any treasure that they desired.

Flames spread out from the conglomeration of Dao energy as the three warriors descended towards Edras. The meteor surrounding them grew and grew as they moved, until it was miles wide. Then, unexpectedly, a man stepped out of space in front of them. He was one of the Grakoth, the species that inhabited this world. However, he looked a bit different to the norm. His left hand had been replaced with a hammer, while his eyes glowed like flame.

"How bold…" he deadpanned, looking at the Teruvarians disapprovingly. "Did you think that this planet was without guardians?"

"Move," Salvus hissed, his voice filled with venom. "Either surrender or die with your planet. I do not care either way."

The Grakoth laughed. "You only have one choice." As the meteor reached him, he grinned. "To die."

A wave of force expanded outwards from the strange Grakoth, shimmering like steel as it appeared. The meteor slammed into it, and with the sound of thunder, it stopped dead in its tracks.

"My name is Karamodo, of the Grakoth Ancestors. You should consider yourself lucky that my siblings did not find you first. Your deaths would not be as pleasant."

So quickly that it was a blur, Karamodo's hammer arced through space. At first, the Teruvarians thought that he had missed. Then, as their vision fragmented, heads turning to clouds of bloody mist, they realized that they were already dead. Crackling currents of shimmering steel raced up and down the invaders' bodies before splitting apart entirely. Within the span of a single second, three beings who could have ruled a solar-system spanning empire entered the afterlife, all at the hands of one man.

Karamodo sighed, and left them behind. He plummeted towards Edras, the atmosphere burning up around him.

"Is Sam Atlas worthy of our attention?" the voice of Anrya said, coming directly into Karamodo's mind. "What did you find out about him?"

"He will be a valuable investment," Karamodo confirmed. "He bore the power of the strongest weapon I have ever made without issue."

"Good," Anrya replied. "We will need every iota of help we can get when the Tournament comes around. Most of the universe is beneath us, but the parts that are not are aggressively so. The Godhead… The other eight amongst the old powers of this universe… It will be difficult, to say the least."

"We have taken our species from the valleys and mountains of Edras to the stars. Our Empire, which once was unknown even in our homeworld, now covers half the galaxy. Challenge is our sustenance, sister. On it we grow strong."

In the Tower

Lao stood before an army, his arms crossed and his eyes burning with sapphire light. He was tiny in comparison to the rampaging horde of centaurs, but his aura rivaled that of the entire attacking force.

Currently on the second segment of the Tower, Lao had entered Challenge Mode in the prior section, on the seventh floor. Since then his power had continued to grow, both from his title bonuses and as he got used to his E Rank strength. With his Perfect Ascension, Lao was on par with the greatest talents of the Multiverse. His physical stats, often neglected in the past, were now the equal of almost any warrior one could find at his level.

As the centaurs rampaged across the cracked hardpan of the realm's ground, Lao clapped his hands together. The noise echoed like thunder across the world, and bolts of azure light formed above his head. A dozen of them gathered before they sped off, heading for his foes.

The beams lengthened, sweeping through the centaurs so quickly that they were all caught before they could even react. The army faltered for a moment, until the monsters realized that they were unharmed. The stampede began again, with Lao as the target.

Lao stood his ground as the horde neared, feeling the earth rumble beneath his feet. He took in a deep breath, sparks of blue light blazing within it. Then he let it out, widening his stance until he felt like a mountain, his E Rank durability ensuring that he could take whatever came his way. Though, in this case, that wouldn't be necessary. Lao stared down the centaurs, and as the first impacted him a pulse of blue energy erupted from his body. An equal and opposite reaction transferred the kinetic energy of the centaur's charge back into its body. It rolled across the ground like a wrecking ball, crashing into its fellows with earth-shattering force. Three more centaurs struck Lao in quick succession, the same thing happening again.

He raised his hands, conducting the sapphire light of his Dao into streams that coursed through the air. "The Pendulum Returns!" he cried out, roaring the name of his skill at his enemies. With the ticking noise of a clock, guillotine blades of force descending on the monsters' necks with all of the power and hatred they had leveled against Lao himself. A thousand heads hit the ground at the same time, the army's momentum coming to a halt as its front lines came apart. Lao stood there in front of a semicircle of corpses, not a drop of blood on him. His powers had increased by leaps and bounds since reaching E Rank, allowing him to fight as a true elite of the Multiverse.

As the third member of Sam's faction to enter the Tower, Lao was under constant scrutiny from many of the greater factions. He was strong, had a relatively rare and powerful skillset, and immense aptitude for the Dao. Had Sam and Jacob not existed, Lao could have easily led the faction. Only Eduardo, Jeffrey and Talnor were strong enough to claim a similar ability.

Lao snapped his fingers, galvanizing his Dao into action. As more centaurs fell, he smiled. At this rate he would easily make it to the higher floors.

***

Sam sighed, finally making up his mind. It was time to undergo the tribulation promised by the System, unlocking the potential of his early ascension to D Rank.

"I accept," he said simply, and the world went white.

Sam stood in the center of a vast disc of cosmic light, curving up at the edges towards an unknown infinity above. Every speck of light and mote of dust was infused with unfathomable depths of power and meaning, hinting at greater truths beyond Sam's current knowledge.

Unbidden, his Daos began to burn within him, his body shifting and changing into something more in line with them. Flesh turned to blazing red flame and his eyes became orbs of grey light. By far the most dominant changes came from his Dao Sapling, but there were a few from his Seed as well. Then a System notification appeared.

You have entered a Tribulation Space!

No matter how much time you spend here, only a single second will pass in the real world.

Tribulation Type: D Rank

The Tribulation of the Immortal Body

Your body is the foundation of your power, the mortal instrument through which the immortal works its will upon reality. That will no longer be enough. To pass, you must endure progressively stronger attacks, in twelve successive stages. Rewards are dependent on how many are survived.

Warning! Remaining past the ninth trial will result in permanent death upon failure!

The notification vanished, and a moment later, a lightning bolt struck Sam. He grunted in surprise, though the pain was hardly something to worry about. A small burn was left on his right arm, but that was all.

Then a second and third bolt struck at the same time. The power was the same as before, but striking two spots rather than one. Sam hissed in annoyance and mustered his Dao. A shimmering sphere of red and grey light surrounded him, and when the next bolts struck, three this time, they fizzled out.

His energy drained by a small amount, but enough was left to take a thousand such strikes with ease.

First Stage complete!

Entering Second Stage.

A larger lightning bolt, about twice as thick as the first one, slammed down. More followed in quick succession, until ninety nine had struck Sam's shield.

Second Stage complete!

Entering Third Stage.

The lightning bolts fell like hail, shaking Sam's Daos to their very core. His shield started to flicker, though he tried desperately to maintain it. Finally, it snapped, and a single bolt the width of his waist crashed down upon him. His skin blackened, and his body shuddered.

Third Stage complete!

Entering Fourth Stage.

Sam was able to muster his Dao once more, but his shield continued to break, faster than his regeneration could repair. The pain was beginning to grow to a level that even he found uncomfortable.

More stages passed until, by the seventh, every strike shattered his shield, with the second one blasting his flesh apart. While his regeneration could keep up with the damage, it was quickly growing beyond his ability to heal fast enough.

The air was thick with the smell of ozone, and the world was blurry, Sam's eyes failing as they were constantly bombarded by light. He gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain.

By the time the ninth stage began, Sam couldn't even muster his Dao anymore. The only thing keeping him going was his D Rank body, still holding out. His health was inexorably dropping, but it wasn't life threatening yet.

As the last bolt hammered into him, a notification popped up.

You have completed the ninth Stage!

Do you wish to exit and claim your rewards?

Yes/No

Sam took the opportunity to regenerate, the ash covering him flaking away to reveal red flesh beneath. His Dao energy recovered as well.

The choice before him was incredibly important. He could either ride out the lightning until the twelfth challenge, potentially dying in the process, or leave now and be assured of his rewards.

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Sam clenched his fists, feeling his Daos surge within him. He couldn't back down. He was no coward. He had gone a hundred percent on every trial since the beginning of the System's influence upon his universe, and he would be damned if that stopped now.

With a grunt, preparing for the pain to come, Sam continued. Lightning bolts as wide as a river drove him into the ground one after the other, leeching away his health. Sam remained strong regardless, standing tall against the pain. He could do this.

The eleventh challenge started right after the tenth, and the lightning bolts were now golden instead of white. They cut straight through his defences, seeming to pierce the very core of his being instead. At some point he blacked out, only to come to right as the challenge ended. His health was less than a quarter full, though the rest of his resources were nearly full.

Sam rose, his body breaking apart as he did so, and prepared to face the final challenge. He gathered what remained of his Dao, covering his entire body in a thick layer of conceptual energy.

In the air above him, a titanic serpentine form began to coil through the air, a dragon of halcyon electricity emerging from the ether. It opened its jaws wide and roare, the noise slamming into Sam like a physical force. Then it descended, straight towards him.

Sam raised his hands, galaxies of mana and elemental energy swirling around them. With one single burst of power, he loosed them all at the dragon. A beam of power, yellow and blue, erupted from his fingertips and crossed the gap in an instant. The dragon's maw remained open, and with one casual motion, it bit into the beam.

The energy scattered, although the lightning dragon did not go unscathed. The light making it up diminished somewhat, and its descent no longer seemed to inexorably.

Then it struck, and Sam forgot every assumption he had made. His body broke, his limbs burning off and his Dao Cores under constant assault. This was a strike calculated to damage Enlightened Tier cultivators, hammering into every aspect of his tripartite being at the same time. Sam fell unconscious as his health ticked towards zero, uncertain of what would happen next.

Light and sound came back to him in waves, where he lay on the ground near the canyon. He wasn't sure how he had even gotten there, until he saw Rax lying next to him. The herpetopede turned as he saw Sam awaken.

"Your body was melting into the stone of the city," Rax explained. "I was the only one durable enough to get you out of there. What were you trying to do?"

Sam groaned, his body still sore from the trial. His right arm still hadn't fully come back, though bits of wriggling flesh were rapidly growing out of the stump.

"It was a cultivation trial. I went a bit overboard on seeing how far I could go."

Rax nodded knowingly. "I see. That seems normal for you. Did you at least get something out of it?"

Sam opened his notifications, anticipating something good for the effort he had gone through.

You have passed the Trial of the Immortal Body!(100%)

Doubled Efficiency of Physical stats

Tripled Health and Stamina regeneration

Sam raised an eyebrow at the message, surprised at just how much he had gained from the Trial. Now that he thought about it, his body felt far more powerful than before. His severed arm was already intact once more, quicker than it normally would have taken to regrow a missing limb, especially with the lingering residue of power from the Trial.

"Damn…" Sam whispered. "That's a lot more than I was expecting."

***

Sam drifted through the solar system, investigating his connection with Worldbreaker. As he had bound himself to the hammer, mind, body and soul, it was very different to any of the weapons he had used before. His senses extended up and down the length of the hammer, no matter how large he made it. As it was limited by his Authority, he could enlarge Worldbreaker to ridiculous sizes. Even without the assistance of his Dao or elemental energy, striking with the fully expanded weapon was akin to dropping a mountain on his targets.

What Sam really wanted, more than anything else, was a way to improve his strength before the Tournament. He wasn't confident in a fight against any of the Grakoth Ancestors, though he knew he could probably eke out a draw. They were still only G Rankers.

Even if the System didn't interpret their base strength in the same way that Sam's stat sheet did, they would still be starting with a ridiculous advantage.

If it was the former, Sam would never catch up. Imagining a tenth of Eglas or Karamodo's physical might serving as a bonus they could earn upon leveling up was terrifying. Or, even worse, Anrya's telekinesis scaling with her level. By the time they were D Rank like Sam, the Ancestors would be utterly beyond his reach. He was millions of times stronger than he had been as a G Ranker, and was still just barely comparable to the Ancestors. Their strength multiplied by millions would be absurd. Solar systems would be like grains of dust and galaxies nothing more than sandpits for the Grakoth to play in.

Sam shook his head, dragging his mind away from fatalism. Instead, he focused on a very interesting notification that had popped up a few hours ago, seemingly prompted by his search for strength.

As a D Ranker, you have transcended the vast majority of Skill Branches available to you on account of fundamental biological changes.

Would you like to reset your Skill Branches and upgrade the system?

Current Reset Point Gains: 350 Enlightened Skill Points

Yes/No

Point gain per level(D Rank): 10

It would have been very useful in the Tower, but it seemed that hadn't been in the cards. Besides, Sam had won in a way that a few upgraded skills wouldn't make much of a difference to. With a grin, Sam accepted.

Enlightened Skill Branches

Branch of Corporeal Enlightenment

3 Available Skills

Branch of Mental Enlightenment

3 Available Skills

Branch of Spiritual Enlightenment

3 Available Skills

Sam expanded the list, working his way down. There were far fewer skills available, but he expected something great from them.

Branch of Corporeal Enlightenment

Flesh of the Neutron Star(0/100)

Your body is akin to a celestial body, if not as dense as a real neutron star, then as durable as one.

Might of the Supernova(0/100)

Your strength is enough to shatter worlds like the wrath of a dying star. Now, even more so.

Relativity Engine(0/150)

The speed of light is one of the fundamental laws of the universe. Or at least, it is to all but the most powerful of cultivators. As you reach for the limits of speed, the path ahead only grows longer. This skill decreases the impact of relativistic speeds on the user as well as increases their speed by a flat amount.

Branch of Mental Enlightenment

Akashic Acolyte(0/100)

The great archives of existence are open to your perusal at a limited scale. You may see the true nature of things, people or concepts, depending on your power relative to them.

The Hydra's Gambit(0/100)

No matter how powerful, a mind has limits. Chiefly, that of multitasking. This limit can be overcome by practice or brute force, but it will always remain. The solution? Splitting your mind into multiple parts.

Reality Tinkerer(0/200)

Your Authority allows you to act as an ephemeral god, holding sovereignty over all around you. At least, without the presence of stronger cultivators. Now you may increase the strength of your manifestations through greater knowledge of their nature.

Branch of Spiritual Enlightenment

Soul Engineer(0/100)

While your being is one with itself, most of those living in the wider Boundless Expanse are still mortal. In their souls is great strength. This skill allows for the utilization of soul energy upon the killing of your foes. Beware, for this skill is universally reviled.

Astral Beacon(0/150)

Your soul blazes in the firmament, providing you and your allies with augmented portal abilities. Reduced cost of personal portals, increased range, and enhanced targeting abilities where you are either the instigator or target of the portal.

Child of the Dao(0/500)

Greatly enhanced Dao comprehension speed, scaling with Wisdom and level. The stronger your Dao abilities grow, the faster you will be able to comprehend them.

Sam was extremely pleased with what he saw before him. While he had been forced to reset most of his skill branches, he hardly used any of them in the first place. As the System said, he had long since outgrown them. As he read, another notification popped up, taking care of the three Skill Branches that had nothing to do with his level. Dao Resonance, Karmic Cycle and Lucky.

Do you wish to fuse the Skill Branches: Dao Resonance, Karmic Cycle and Lucky?

Yes/No

Sam shrugged. At this point the boosts those skills provided were minor at best. He hadn't used a single point of Karma since his fight with Gaia. In his battles he was either too strong for it to make a difference, or too weak with the same result. Dao Resonance barely did anything compared to how many boosts he had stacked onto his Dao comprehension, and Lucky was exceedingly vague in how much of a buff it provided. It was very hard to determine what could be attributed to his Skill Branch as opposed to his own efforts. With a grin, Sam selected the yes option.

Skill Branch: Karmic Cultivator has been unlocked!

Your accumulated Karma may be expended to temporarily increase Dao comprehension speed, relative to your rank and your Karma. This increase depends on the alignment of your Dao with the type of karma accumulated. Additionally, accumulated Karma will passively increase your luck for positive Karma, and decrease your enemies' luck for negative Karma.

Sam smiled at the notification, glad that he was able to get something useful out of his previous skills. While he no longer had the passive Dao comprehension bonus, he would easily be able to make up for it in the future. With that out of the way, he had a much more important decision to make. What he wanted to buy with his Enlightened Credits. Each of the skills available were very useful, but a few instantly caught his eye.

Child of the Dao was naturally his first pick, but it was the only one of the skills that he didn't have enough points to buy yet. Going by how slow leveling in D Rank was, he wouldn't be able to get it by the time he needed the strength. Even if he did, cultivating a Dao Sapling still took time.

Instead, Sam turned his gaze towards the physical upgrades. Each of them seemed incredibly useful, but one was better than the others, both in his own estimation, and by the System's. Relativity Engine would allow Sam to use a greater amount of speed, something that he often found neglected as of late. He was able to move at about ten percent the speed of light, at least going by his stat sheet, but he had never actually used that level of speed. His portals were more useful for long distance travel, and none of his foes had been powerful enough to need that sort of speed. However, the tournament was coming up, and there would be some actual challengers there.

Sam knew that each of the ten entities on the list Anrya had showed him were just as strong as him, if not stronger. In particular, he was worried about Eaugerthraxiselvayantis and the Lycanthi Godhead. By the sounds of it, they were both C Rankers, the former in actuality and the latter in terms of potential. Sam had no doubt that the Godhead would pull out its true power to win the tournament, if need be. Even with a year to prepare, Sam wasn't sure he could match that sort of strength. Besides, he wasn't the only one who could grow.

I need to be able to stop my enemies before they can use their final forms, Sam mused. The Godhead will need time to transform, and in any case, more speed can't hurt. Portals are useful but in a battle against stronger cultivators, reaction time is everything.

Sam thought back to his battle against King Granthar. He had invested a lot of stat points into Resilience, thinking that would give him an edge. Instead, he had ended up in two halves, only saved by the intervention of D Rankers. What he really needed was the ability to avoid attacks that would be fatal at his level of power. Dodging was always better than blocking, unless one's durability was high enough to completely negate the damage.

Sam chose Relativity Engine after a bit of deliberation. Nothing happened for a moment, the only register of his choice being his diminishing skill points. Then something unexpected happened. A heartbeat, coming from an organ that he no longer possessed. His body started to vibrate, something deep within his chest sending waves of power through it. A bright white light erupted from his sternum like a searchlight, sweeping out over the darkness of space. Sam felt a sudden rush of energy, like he had just plugged himself into a car battery while injecting pure caffeine into his body. His fingers began to twitch, slowly and first, but quickly building up until they were a blur. Sam's perception slowly caught up with his growing speed, allowing him to feel every shudder as his body began to move of its own accord.

Sam's Authority activated, almost on its own. A long track of concrete stretched out through space. With a single step, Sam accelerated to his full speed, shooting down the track and into space. The stars started to blur around him, and everything seemed to slow down. Sam planted another foot on an Authority construct, digging in with his Dao to stop himself. Using an asteroid that he had been floating next to as a gauge, Sam found that he had traveled thousands of miles in a single step. It had been a fraction of a second, so little time that he wouldn't have even noticed its passing as a mortal.

Sam closed his eyes, letting the feeling of restless energy subside. He still had another choice to make. He had enough points left to buy the other two skills from the Physical Branch, or to pick something else.

Considering his current powers, Sam realized that there was no easy choice. Picking up the full trifecta of Physical Branch skills would dramatically enhance his strength, speed and durability. Meanwhile, the other skills available would increase his utility.

He ruled out a few immediately. Astral Beacon and Akashic Acolyte, while interesting, weren't exactly the showstoppers he was looking for. His portals were good enough for where he was at, and nobody in his close circle used them in any case. Meanwhile, Akashic Acolyte did little to increase his combat abilities. It was incredible as a source of information, but Sam was safely ensconced within his own universe. The wider Multiverse, at least for now, was not his concern.

That left few options. Sam discarded Soul Engineer out of hand. It wasn't exactly his style, and even if he had been alright with it morally, he certainly wasn't willing to jeopardize his standing by using a skill without many uses in the first place. Finally, he was left with two options. The Hydra's Gambit and Reality Tinkerer. The former needed little explanation. It was a straight up boost to his mental capacity. The Intelligence stat only increased processing power, while this would serve to actually make Sam more intelligent. Then again, it wasn't something that he really needed at this moment. All that left him with was Reality Tinkerer. After a moment's hesitation, he chose it.

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