Adrian focused more on the knowledge streaming into his mind, piecing together the structure of cultivation beyond the galaxy.
The first part detailed the Rule Stage.
To reach this stage, a cultivator needed to create or inherit a Divine Concept. This meant fusing their essence seeds, not randomly, but in the exact pattern required by the divine concept's structure, until it crystallized into a Rule Core.
Most cultivators did not build their own divine concept from scratch. Even a normal being could spend thousands of years creating something, but no one wanted to risk forging a concept that would never rival the Divine Concepts refined by the great sects through countless generations. So the common path was simple: join a sect, inherit their divine concept, and follow the path laid out by those who came before.
Upon entering a sect, the cultivator was given a Divine Spell, which was essentially the instructional scripture of the divine concept, the key for understanding, refining, and eventually mastering it.
But there was a catch: each sect had prerequisites.
Each divine concept was built upon specific Arcane Concepts, and only cultivators who possessed the corresponding Essence Seed, the arcane building blocks of that sect's divine concept, were qualified to join. If a sect's divine concept required fire, ice, and shadow, then the disciple needed all three essence seeds to even begin.
Adrian absorbed the next section.
A Stellar cultivator who met the requirements would receive the Low-level Divine Spell, the beginner form of the divine concept. Mastering this spell taught them what to keep and what to discard from their multiple Essence Seeds. Once the unnecessary fragments were stripped away and the essential portions unified, the fusion birthed the Rule Core, marking their entry into the Early Rule Stage.
But this was only the beginning.
Progression from there required comprehending the higher divine spell versions of the same divine concept: Mid, High, and finally Ultimate-level Divine Spells. Each step deepened the cultivator's mastery and authority until, by the end, the entire divine concept stood fully awakened within their Rule Core.
The authority unlocked at each stage was clearly outlined:
Low-level Divine Spell → Early Rule Stage → 25% authority unlocked
Mid-level Divine Spell → Mid Rule Stage → 50% authority unlocked
High-level Divine Spell → High Rule Stage → 75% authority unlocked
Ultimate-level Divine Spell → Peak Rule Stage → 100% authority unlocked
Only at the end of Ultimate-level mastery could someone fully wield all the power of their divine concept, using its spells at full potency.
Adrian absorbed this quickly. He understood authority would only slowly be unlocked. Even if he joined a sect that had a high-tier divine concept, which granted 80% authority, and he started to cultivate its low-level divine spell, then he would unlock 25% of authority, which in this case would be 20% authority.
Only by slowly progressing his way to the Ultimate-level divine spell, comprehending the entire divine concept fully, could he unlock its 100% authority and wield it fully.
This clarity brought an unexpected question. If the Demon Emperor was Mid Rule Stage as the guardian spirit said, then even if he wielded an Ultimate-tier divine concept with a maximum of 90% authority… shouldn't he have unlocked only 50% of that, which is 45%?
But Adrian felt it was at least above 45% on the start; he couldn't exactly measure, but he felt it was not 45% or below that. His strength was far beyond that. Why?
Did he have something like my Source that enhanced his authority? Something that broke past the limits?
Adrian set the thought aside. Too many people were present to question the Guardian Spirit about it.
He continued on the next part.
The next section explained why two beings at the same stage could differ drastically in strength. For example, a Mid Rule Stage being who had a High-tier divine concept meant he would be stronger than another Mid Rule Stage being who had a mid-tier divine concept.
But there were also cases when the opposite happened, because authority alone was never enough. Divine authority required energy fuel to enforce it, mana, and willforce. A being with astronomical fuel reserves could overpower someone with slightly higher authority. Or someone with overwhelming authority could kill an opponent instantly, regardless of their fuel.
Adrian nodded slowly. Rule Stage was far more complex than he imagined.
He returned to focus on the knowledge, diving into the next realm.
The Astral Stage.
Once a cultivator mastered their first divine concept entirely, unlocking its full potential, they would reach a bottleneck. They had refined that concept to its absolute limit; no further progress could be made with it alone.
To move forward, they had to start again.
They would choose new Arcane Concepts, cultivate new Essence Seeds, and then take up a second divine concept, either one provided by their sect or one created independently. When they mastered this second divine concept, they formed a second Rule Core.
But having two Rule Cores didn't make them stronger yet. In fact, the opposite was true. Two divine domains contradicted one another, making them unstable and unusable together.
Thus began the process known as Core Fusion.
Through precise harmony and patient refinement, the cultivators slowly merged the two Rule Cores, combining the two divine concepts into a much higher divine concept, and forming an Astral Core, the mark of the Astral Stage.
An Astral Core was stable, unified, and far more potent than any divine concept could ever be. Its authority could reach up to 95%, depending on the divine concepts used.
To Adrian, all of this clarified one truth. The role of a sect went far deeper.
The very first divine concept a cultivator used determined everything that came later. Because later in the future, if their first divine concept clashed with the second, they could never fuse them to create an astral core, and thus, their future path could be crippled forever. But a sect's guidance prevented this. Their paired divine concepts were designed to be perfectly compatible. Elders guided disciples through the dangerous fusion, preventing the Rule Cores from annihilating each other.
On top of this, he also learned something chilling: Once an essence seed was used to create a divine concept, it could never be formed again.
That meant if a cultivator forged a low-tier divine concept using, for example, the Fire seed, they could never again form another Fire essence seed, ever. And so from then on, joining any sect whose divine concept required that essence seed would be impossible.
Adrian immediately thought of his merged Plant-Wood concept.
He sighed with relief. If he had been reckless and tried merging important concepts like Space, Time, or Life, a disaster would have been guaranteed.
And again, this was why the sects played such an important role.
When everyone finished learning, the Guardian Spirit finally spoke.
"I believe you all now understand the foundations of universal cultivation and why sects are essential. Only by joining a Great Sect can you safely form divine concepts with powerful futures, compatible partners for Astral Core cultivation, and guidance toward transcendence."
It lifted its hand slightly.
"You were all offered two choices. But now you should also understand that not everyone can choose the Void Sect."
It gestured, and light rippled across the hall.
"Our Void Sect's foundational Divine Concept requires five arcane concepts: Fire, Ice, Space, Shadow, and Gravity. Anyone who has already used one of these Essence Seeds in another divine concept is no longer eligible. Whoever falls in this case, please come forward."
The rulers and Adrian remained still, none of them had formed divine concepts yet.
Among the ancient cultivators, the gaunt man and the young woman stepped forward.
The young woman bowed deeply, cheeks slightly flushed. Her grandfather looked regretful, shoulders heavy with realization.
She had cultivated a divine concept based on a low-level divine spell he had discovered drifting in the Edge. It had used Fire Essence Seed, and knowing what he knew now, he understood the consequences.
His granddaughter could no longer enter the Void Sect.
The old man's eyes flickered with self-blame, though he remained silent.