551 Level 7 [1]: The Advancement
High awakener.
It was a word that signified greatness. Something only a very small set of the population could experience in their lifetime.
The geniuses who reached level 7 at the age of 27 or 28 were too rare. Most of the population were in their 30s and 40s when they hit level 7.
Level 7 also signified the end of quick advancements. From here on, any advancement would typically take years, if not decades.
In fact, to reach level 7 itself, each divine path had tough conditions.
For instance, Space Awakeners need to reach the 'boundary'. Elemental Awakeners need to 'elementalize' their body. Mind Awakeners need to 'compress' their mental power.
None of these conditions were easy.
But that's precisely why level 7 is viewed with such respect.
It wasn't just plain respect though.
Once you reached level 7, the rigid laws would start to loosen, accessible services would increase drastically and most of all, they could feel a sense of security—even if a war broke out, their family would be given priority in cases of emergency.
For their own life too, the federation would try its best to keep them safe.
It was a life of nobility, but when the federation wanted, they had to jump into the flames of war and risk their lives.
Every person had different aspirations for reaching this level.
To Varian, his long-term goal was to end this bloody war, his short-term goal was to not embarrass himself.
He didn't realize how nervous he was becoming anticipating their reunion.
'I can't stay weaker than her.' With a deep breath, Varian broke the purple orb.
The purple orb first shrank to a point and then blasted out. Varian held his breath and watched what seemed like a mini big bang.
Boom!
The purple aura turned into chi, prana, mental power, and every other aura derivative.
Each of these was in a different color and painted a beautiful picture that looked surreal. These aura derivatives flooded his body and began to reach their respective position.
Then came golden lights. They directly reached his mind and Varian began to have insights into the divine paths.
It was like someone was telling him all the secrets, but that someone was his own mind.
Finally, there was a white light. It disappeared as soon as it appeared and Varian didn't know where it went.
Unlike the golden orb or red orb, the purple orb was different. Sure, the aura and insights were more in both quantity and quality.
But it couldn't be just that. The difference should be the white light.
'What does it improve?'
[It increases talent.] The system replied at an unexpected time.
'Oh? My talent is celestial grade, it improves it even further?' Varian asked with a curious expression.
[No. It increases talent, but it's useless to you since it can't increase your talent any further. Its grade is too low to be of any help.]
'Bruh…why did you get my hopes up?'
[This system merely replied to your question, host. This white thing does improve talent, it just can't improve yours.]
'…Then it's a total waste?'
[Indeed.]
Varian struggled to think as the aura filled his body and insights filled his mind. Finally, he asked.
'Can I give it to someone else?'
[Can.]
'I need to catch it first, right?'
[The System already caught it. This thing also has a special wisp that would make the host loyal to Devas' cause.]
Varian clenched his fist.
Even though the system downplayed it, he knew what it was.
Mind Manipulation.
The thing he hated the most!
'Those fuckers! And here I thought they were being generous.'
[The prizes at other stages are pure. Since you cleared the legendary tenth stage, it's in their interests to keep you dedicated to their cause.]
Varian's brows furrowed and then he recalled the white light and the vanishing moons.
'There was also another prize. Does it also have any sneaky things?'
[No. This system ensures your safety from such activities since it has a personal enmity with devas.]
'What do you—never mind, we'll talk later.'
As the insights flooded his mind, Varian couldn't talk any longer. So, he began to try out all the insights he gained.
Zap!
It began with lightning. Lighting dragons coiled around his body as they blinked in and out of existence.
With each passing second, his lightning mana began to integrate more and more with his blood, flesh, and bones.
It wasn't a simple connection, but something far deeper.
Soon, golden lines appeared on Varian's skin. His veins were now filled with lightning mana.
His skin paled and slowly it began to glow. His blood now was also full of lightning mana.
Then his muscles and eventually, his bones.
After a few minutes, Varian's entire body shone with a golden light. His eyes were still closed, but if he did open them, they'd also be emitting golden light.
As if the last piece of the puzzle, Varian's skin was also deeply integrated with lightning mana and turned gold.
Swish!
Varian's body began to blur. The air around him started to heat up and the hot air passed right through his body!
Varian's eyebrows twitched and a ball of water appeared in mid-air. It reached him and hit his chest in the blink of an eye.
But instead of splashing and injuring him, it passed right through him. And when it went through all the lightning in his body and emerged on the other side, it was already half-evaporated.
Pop!
With a plop sound, Varian's lightning mana finally broke the bottleneck and reached level 7.
His lightning sense expanded multi-fold and the biggest surge of power he ever felt intoxicated Varian.
Zaaaap!
Varian pointed his hand towards the sky. A lightning beam shout out from his palms and exploded with a bright golden light in the sky.
Boom!
Just the shockwaves from the explosion were powerful enough to injure level 6s. If they were too close, even high-level 6s would be injured.
Varian's lips couldn't help but curl up as he threw his head back and started laughing. "Hahahaha! Finally!"
The battle maniac in him wanted to immediately test out the powers. No. He wanted to fight. And that too, he wanted to fight the princes!
"Haa!"
Calming his mind, Varian focused on the next path.
A surge of prana flooded Varian's heart and he transformed into his tree man form. Like any level 6, it was only a partial transformation.
Unlike Julius who completely turned into the golden titan, Varian could only transform parts of his body at a time.
Now, his arms turned into brown branches and his legs turned into trunks. Varian's height also rose to three meters.
Then it began.
His prana started to travel through the places he didn't transform and slowly, they began to wriggle.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His waist slowly turned into a greenwood. His shoulders, back, and neck followed.
In a few minutes, except for his face, Varian's body was completely a tree's.
As Varian held his breath, his neck slowly began to transform and finally, his head also vanished.
A large tree with many branches, a single trunk, and quite a few roots stood where he previously was.
Varian waved his branches. They extended like whips drawn out and slapped the air.
Pa! Pa!
The air exploded and shockwaves rippled through the room.
But Varian frowned.
This was weaker than the lightning attacks by a significant margin.
'Attack isn't great, then what about defense.'
Varian held out one of his branches and it stretched a few meters into the distance.
Then a lightning bolt appeared and smashed it.
"Ouch." Varian clicked his tongue as he felt a burning pain, but to his surprise, except for a few burns, his branch was mostly intact.
'Defense is good, hm.'
Then, Varian tried to move. His roots wriggled and his trunk leaned forward.
Whoosh!
In an instant, he appeared on the other side of the room.
"What the!"
The speed would be the best among level 6s. Only level 6s! To a level 7, this speed was terrible.
'Speed is a jackass.' Varian cursed. 'Some morpher paths are usually weaker than others, but this is too much, okay?'
Shaking his head, he was about to transform back when he noticed a cool sensation in the damaged branch.
"Hm?"
The blue leaves on his branches started to glow and a special warmth reached his injured part.
