Most would be lost within moments, trapped by the forest's twisting, illusory pathways, never to escape.
But Max walked with absolute precision.
His Crown of Space pulsed faintly, warping the forest's misdirection, rendering the illusions useless. The forest's will couldn't so much as brush against him.
Within the hour, he arrived at a moss-covered clearing. An ancient stump rested at its center, and nestled within its roots… a brilliant, glowing orb radiating pure, radiant power.
The Light God's Heart.
Max plucked it free, the light shimmering harmlessly against his skin.
"Next."
Third Stop: Darkness God's Heart — Blackstone Lake
The locals told ghost stories of the lake. Of strange disappearances. Of eerie fog. Of shadows beneath the water.
Max hovered above it, eyes faintly glowing as his Crown of Space twisted reality. The lake's surface split silently, parting like curtains of liquid night, revealing the hidden depths below.
There, embedded within a bed of stone, pulsed a dark, star-like orb — faint yet impossibly dense with divine might.
The Darkness God's Heart.
He reached down, the relic rising into his palm without resistance, and the lake snapped shut behind him.
Final Stop: Justice God's Heart — Random Border Town Pawn Shop
Compared to the others, this was almost comical.
A dusty, forgotten pawn shop squatted at the corner of a cracked street in a nameless, rundown town. Faded signs. Broken lanterns. A shopkeeper who looked half asleep.
Inside, amidst piles of useless trinkets and rusted tools, sat what looked like a worthless, ornamental Soul Guide — old, chipped, collecting dust.
But Max's eyes gleamed.
With a flick of his hand, the relic soared into his grasp, its outer appearance peeling away like an illusion, revealing a pristine, crystalline orb pulsing faintly with law, order, and divine judgment.
The Justice God's Heart.
The shopkeeper never even noticed it was gone.
Max strolled down the cracked street, spinning the Justice God's Heart in his palm like a coin, his thoughts drifting.
"Now… I can either absorb these divine hearts as power-ups… or throw them to the locals, make them little 'gods' for entertainment," he mused under his breath, casually flicking the glowing orb back into his spatial ring.
The weight of five divine inheritances pulsed faintly in his storage space — the Sea God Heart, Death God Heart, Light God Heart, Darkness God Heart, and Justice God Heart.
"Hmm… and there's also the Shura Sword somewhere," Max added thoughtfully as he stepped onto the empty street, his voice low and amused. "Wouldn't mind snatching that too."
His mind wandered, calculating possibilities.
Technically, only those who stayed confined within this universe could become gods, at least in the limited sense this world understood. Compared to the greater omniverse… the so-called gods here were barely enhanced mortals with inflated egos.
"Even their 'godhood' is shackled by this universe's rules… they're just strong Spirit Masters with access to divine laws. To truly ascend — to leave this universe — they'd need to surpass the God Seat entirely," he muttered, reaching his inn as the thought trailed off.
Pushing the door open, he walked to his room, tossing his coat onto a chair as he called for room service.
"Bring me something decent to eat. Meat-heavy," he ordered, leaning against the window frame, eyes scanning the dark horizon.
His gaze drifted toward the moonlit sky, faint energy ripples whispering across the clouds.
"Hmm… maybe I should pay the Heavenly Realm a visit next," Max mused lazily, slicing into the tender pork cutlet that had arrived alongside a steaming plate of spicy rabbit head. The aroma curled upward, mingling with the faint, lingering energy of divine relics hidden in his spatial ring.
"Maybe there will be more left up inheritances up there," he chuckled, biting into the rabbit head, the sharp, spicy flavor tingling on his tongue.
Max leaned back in his chair, wiping his fingers with a cloth as he finished his meal, eyes gleaming faintly with cosmic light.
"Enough playing small for now," he muttered to himself. "Time to roam this little continent properly. Freely."
Tossing a few coins onto the table, he rose from his seat, his black coat rippling behind him as he stepped out onto the bustling street. The city lights flickered like scattered stars, unaware of the storm that walked quietly among them.
The moon hung low over Barak City, its pale glow stretching across tiled rooftops and bustling streets. Compared to the grandeur of Tian Dou City, Barak was rougher — a military hub known for its Spirit Master gatherings, trade caravans, and the ever-present watch of the Barak Kingdom's army. Nestled near the kingdom's borders, it was the northern trade center, filled with merchants, mercenaries, and Spirit Masters of all kinds.
Which suited Max just fine.
Dressed in simple traveler's robes — a little worn from the road, nothing that stood out — he slipped through the city gates alongside farmers, merchants, and adventurers alike. His expression was calm, eyes sharp, and his aura tightly sealed. Just another wandering Spirit Master chasing coin and cultivation.
Barak City had its own rhythm. Lanterns swung outside tea houses. Blacksmiths hammered in alleys. Spirit Masters wearing sect robes or military gear roamed the streets, and sharp-eyed recruiters prowled for new talent.
Max wandered, taking it all in.
He found an inn near the city center — modest, but clean. The kind of place that didn't ask questions if your silver was good enough. After tossing a few coins onto the counter, he secured a small room for a week and dropped his travel pack onto the bed.
But he wasn't here to rest.
Thanks to his System, Max had awakened a second Martial Spirit: the Twilight Scepter. It wasn't an ordinary spirit — the scepter was forged from the fused remnants of the Light and Darkness Gods, both powerful first-class deities, though they never reached the level of God Kings. Now, that divine relic rested in his hand, disguised as nothing more than a rare but believable Spirit.
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead