The Empyreal Gem Master

21 Shards of the Remnant Authority of the Primordial Cosmic Tao!

Alexander witnessed such wonders gathering before his eyes as the region he had arrived in, appearing to others as nothing more than golden clouds, masked any possible authority.

Yet, in truth, it was indeed a realm of golden clouds.

He could not perceive anything beyond a few meters around him as he pondered the terrifying authority contained within this space, an authority capable of halting the senses of even an Investigator or a Peacemaker of the Enneagram.

Even for someone like him, who wielded millions upon millions of Supermassive Empyreal Galaxies, this region was masked as with enough time, he would be able to see through it.

His Enneagram seemed to be working towards unveiling everything!

But currently, he cared not for what he could not see.

His focus was on something far more magnificent- the terrifying swirls of white-gold singularities before him, representing his reward after carrying twenty-one chains across the Crucible of Weight.

Without hesitation, the twenty-one shards of the remnant authority of a Cosmic Tao surged into his chest, vanishing into the endless swirl of the Enneagram.

As this occurred, the boundless white-gold clouds around him began to part ever so slowly, revealing the same radiant Entity of light.

Its wings flapped with an ethereal grace, and its voice, now tinged with warmth compared to before, resonated once more.

[Twenty-one…the largest number of Shards of Remnant Authority of the Primordial Cosmic Tao that I have ever seen emerge from the Crucible of Weight. You have truly exceeded all expectations. I now wonder whether I even need to warn you about the second crucible you are destined to face.]

Its voice, once distant and indifferent, now carried a subtle sense of closeness as if this luminous creature genuinely desired Alexander's success.

As it observed him absorb the twenty-one Shards of Remnant Authority, the golden clouds dispersed further, revealing the awe-inspiring landscape of the next region and the Crucible it held.

[You may take your time to assess whether your weavings of existence are powerful enough to establish an entry point into the Primordial Cosmic Tao. While you do so, I will inform you of the next crucible that lies ahead… if you wish to continue.]

[This,] the radiant Entity's voice deepened, [is known as the Crucible of Perseverance.]

…!

The moment its voice ceased, the clouds masking the surroundings dispersed instantly.

Alexander saw that he now stood within a grandiose arena.

Behind him, space-time distorted, and he felt his feet settle upon sandy clouds beneath him.

Tens of miles away, colossal rounded walls circled around to form a vast colosseum.

The arena's many seats, meticulously arranged in ascending rows, were empty with no audience present. Yet, the higher one looked up at the towering white-gold walls, the more one could see thousands of statues lining the heights.

Statues of different entities from countless races.

Each one stood with their eyes closed, wielding weapons of great power, while others simply stood with empty hands.

But every single one of them held a Universe within their chest.

The higher one looked, the more magnificent the statues became.

Higher still were the statues of entities from the Universal Filament Realm, their chests containing not just a single Universe, but clusters of them.

A grand colosseum contained all this!

And in this awe-inspiring space, the Entity formed from light spoke again.

[This is the Crucible of Perseverance. Your task is to endure and withstand as many enemies as possible. Each enemy is either a failed Ascender or an entity that a great being has defeated in the past. Passing this crucible will grant you the title of Ascender, unveiling the truth that all of this is merely a trial left behind by a Great Person. Depending on how you perform in the Crucible of Perseverance, paired with whether you can gain entry into the Primordial Cosmic Tao, you will earn the right to inherit and fight for the terrifying legacy of a Cosmic Entity.]

WAA!

A Cosmic Entity.

A being who had long surpassed the Universal Realm and the Universal Filament Realm, having forged an entire Cosmos within their own body.

This was an unfathomable realm of power.

But when Alexander heard this, he did not feel reverence or wonder.

He had witnessed far greater.

The Wandering Alchemist, Ashmole, had likely long surpassed even this stage of power. To Alexander, this was simply another mark on his path. Another step toward ensuring he reached the same realm as that monstrous entity.

He treated it as nothing more than an opportunity to advance further!

With this mindset, he nodded toward the entity formed from light, which now finally introduced itself.

[I am Aliana, a Golem left behind by the Great Personage who created this inheritance. I will-...!]

Its words were abruptly cut off.

Around Alexander's body, a glow of white-gold brilliance began to surge.

Alexander looked down at himself, eyes flashing with intrigue.

He knew his Enneagram was a thing of wonder, yet it still managed to surprise him.

His gaze sparkled with brilliance as he heard the voice of the Enneagram ringing out within him.

|The weavings of an extremely high authority have been grasped by the Enneagram.|

|The Enneagram seeks entry beyond an authority that far exceeds any Lesser or Grand Tao- an authority at the level of a Cosmic Tao.|

|The Shards of Remnant Authority serve as the foundation. Once stripped of their weavings, enough particles of the Primordial Cosmic Tao have been gathered. Your weavings of existence now begin to touch upon the outer authority of the Primordial Cosmic Tao.|

…!

White-gold brilliance surged around him.

Even the radiant being, Aliana, the golem left behind by an unknown great personage, was forced into stunned silence.

It had not expected something of this magnitude to unfold so quickly!

It had seen many candidates over the years, and even those who had obtained a decent number of Shards of Remnant Authority of the Primordial Cosmic Tao, they had to spend time to try and comprehend as nothing happened in the span of less than a minute!

Just...just what was this being?!