MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

The enlightenment experienced by Irene, Michael, and.....Anthony did not manifest in any grand spectacle.

Instead, it cast those affected into a deep trance, leaving them motionless for days, weeks, months, or even years, its duration dictated by a multitude of factors.

This form of enlightenment was bestowed by the heavens indiscriminately, transcending race, morality, or intent.

The heavens remained indifferent to notions of good and evil, for under their vast dominion, all existence was equal.

It stemmed from resolve, will, conviction, and unwavering drive.

Talent held no weight in the pursuit of enlightenment.

This was the natural enlightenment that countless beings had experienced across eons and eras, a universal phenomenon woven into the fabric of existence.

Even Aaaninja had undergone this very process, and through it, he forged the Chrono Rebirth skill.

A skill so profound that not even the Eyes Of Genesis, a power capable of gazing across realities, could enhance it.

Yet, Aaaninja's brilliance was undeniable.

His mind had already conceived ways to elevate Chrono Rebirth beyond its current limits, pushing it toward uncharted realms of mastery.

But True Enlightenment was something far greater, it was not merely attained, but bestowed by the very galaxy itself, a phenomenon signifying the universe's solemn approval.

Unlike its lesser counterpart, it did not arrive in silence.

It was radiant, undeniable, and unreserved.

It proclaimed itself to existence, ensuring that all who lived bore witness to its arrival.

Aaaninja floated high in the sky, his body bathed in golden radiance.

His back faced the earth, while his chest and face turned toward the boundless heavens, as though embracing the cosmos itself.

The light did not merely wash over him, it permeated his being.

It sank into his flesh, his soul, his mind.

It became him.

He drifted in a trance like state, suspended between mortality and divinity.

He felt as though a thousand years had passed, then, in the next instant, as if nothing had transpired at all.

One moment, he carried the weight of an ancient being; the next, he was as helpless as a newborn, lost and without direction.

Aaaninja's eyes, which had been closed and were fated to remain so for another week due to the strain of Omniscient View, suddenly snapped open.

Yet, in that instant, they no longer seemed to belong to him.

They gazed across the infinite expanse, peering into the unknown, unfazed by the blinding radiance that bathed them.

For a fleeting moment, those eyes glimpsed something, secrets hidden beyond the veil of reality.

Then, as abruptly as they had opened, they shut once more.

A full minute passed in absolute stillness.

And then, just like that, the golden light vanished, as if it had never been.

Aaaninja remained suspended in the sky, motionless even after the divine blessing had faded.

Though the light had vanished, he remained in a trance, his presence untouched by the world around him.

No one dared to interfere.

Seconds passed in silence before his body stirred.

With effortless grace, he stabilized himself midair, standing as though the sky itself was solid ground beneath his feet.

Then, a slow smile spread across his face.

His voice resonated, carrying an undeniable certainty.

This was the nature of True Enlightenment, swift, precise, and absolute.

Unlike ordinary enlightenment, which varied in duration, this was instantaneous.

It required no waiting, no gradual realization.

It simply was.

"Finally. It seems coming here was the right decision after all, though, I must say, the outcome far exceeded my expectations"

Aaaninja's voice carried a tone of quiet satisfaction, as if everything had unfolded precisely as he had foreseen.

This was not mere coincidence; it was part of his plan all along.

During his training, he had encountered a barrier, not one born of insufficient talent, but of stagnation.

His growth had slowed, not because he lacked ability, but because he had reached a threshold that could not be crossed through conventional means.

He needed to be pushed to his absolute limit, forced to the very edge where breaking through was the only path forward.

Yet, raw combat alone was not enough.

He had fought countless battles, tested himself against the stronger opponents, and still, the wall remained unbroken.

It required something more, purpose.

A deeper sense of being.

True satisfaction.

Only then could he transcend.

This was where the Starborn Tournament came into play.

A competition spanning the vast reaches of the galaxy, open only to those under a thousand years old.

A battlefield where prodigies and geniuses gathered in pursuit of supremacy.

Surely, such a grand stage would provide a worthy challenge.

Yet, Aaaninja was reluctant to participate.

Though he was barely over three hundred years old, he understood a simple truth, none would stand a chance against him.

Not when he wielded Time Affinity and abilities far beyond normal comprehension.

To him, the tournament was nothing more than another contest.

A stage no different from others he had already conquered.

His thoughts were not born of arrogance or conceit.

They were simply fact.

For Aaaninja was not just strong, he was that talented.

But his father had told him that the Starborn Tournament was the only path to what he truly sought.

Not an advancement in cultivation or mana rank, those were mere milestones, easily attained with time.

What he needed was something far greater: control and mastery.

Aaaninja had already reached a realm where raw power alone was meaningless.

What he required was refinement, the sharpening of his skill to a level beyond perfection.

And so, at last, he agreed, to stand as the representative of the Celestial Race.

Unlike the Bloodbath Tournament held on the Blue Planet, there was no need for trials or tests to determine his eligibility.

None dared question his right to compete.

His background was unquestionable.

His power was undeniable.

Aaaninja's name alone was enough.@@novelbin@@

And at the Starborn Tournament, he encountered two individuals.

Two humans.

Lucain Darkheart and Null Anthony.

Both were younger than him, one so young that, in Aaaninja's eyes, he was little more than a child.

Yet, the moment he laid eyes on them, he felt it.

A subtle yet undeniable sensation.

These two held something he had spent months searching for.

An answer; one he had never found, no matter how many prodigies he had witnessed, no matter how many battles he had fought.

That feeling grew even stronger when he looked at the white haired boy.

And so, for the first time in his life, Aaaninja made a move that was wholly uncharacteristic of him.

He approached them first.

He needed to understand.

What made these two different from the many other geniuses he had seen?

What set them apart from the millions who had come before them?

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And why, in their presence, did he feel that he could breakthrough the wall that kept him at bay?

But in the end, he found nothing.

No grand revelation.

No hidden secret.

Nothing that explained why those two felt different.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered was his goal, to push himself beyond his limits.

And in that, he had succeeded.

Yet, the price of that success was a Celestial losing to a Human.

Did Aaaninja care?

Absolutely not.

Such things held no meaning to him.

Pride, status, superiority, those were burdens others clung to.

He had no use for them.

Even his parents, among the greatest of the Celestial Race, harbored no such petty arrogance.

Besides, if the cost of attaining True Enlightenment was defeat at the hands of a human, then it was a price that even the most exalted of races would gladly pay.

A faint smile graced Zachary's lips.

He understood his son's goal, yet his own intentions had been entirely different.

While Aaaninja sought advancement, Zachary had come for another purpose, one far simpler, yet just as important.

He wanted his son to interact with others.

To step beyond the cycle of endless training and experience something more.

In the end, they had both achieved what they came for.

Aaaninja had found his path forward.

Zachary had ensured his son had, at the very least, made a connection, perhaps not a friend, but something close at least.

As for the resources promised to the tournament's top ten?

Zachary didn't concern himself with such trivial matters.

He knew his son would claim a place among them, but even if he didn't, it hardly mattered.

For where there is will, there is always a way.