Althera continued speaking in detail about the Great Chosen of Truth,
"...A massive number of the research topics currently active across countless civilizationsâhe was the one who initiated them.
He released them freely to the public, without seeking recognition or reward, then simply shifted his focus elsewhere.
And from those simple seeds, entire fields blossomed, leading to millions of years of refinement and advancement."
She then gestured toward him meaningfully.
"The same applies to the Body Cultivation Path. Before him, it was lifeless, forgotten, frozen in time for ages.
But what he did reignited itâbreathed life into a dead conceptâand triggered a development process that has lasted over fifteen million years.
That process is still ongoing, currently attempting to refine and stabilize the seventh stage."
She shook her head slowly, her tone growing colder.
"Yet sadly, it was never officially recognized as a viable route to power.
It came to be seen only as an auxiliary methodâa supplementary path used by those who were already powerful to begin with.
Because of that perception, it was denied the honor of being called a proper cultivation path."
"I donât quite get it all..." Robin muttered, a slight crease forming on his forehead.
Althera patiently clarified,
"A cultivation path is only acknowledged as a true path when it allows ordinary cultivatorsâthose without extraordinary resources or bloodlinesâto reach a level of power comparable with a World Cataclysm.
Thatâs the gold standard.
Even if a cultivator from the third Alchemical Path or the Fourth Energy Foundation Path,
has only a slim chance of breaking throughâ
even if their future is limited and they become the weakest among Cataclysmsâ
the mere possibility still grants the path legitimacy and recognition."
She continued without pause,
"But if a path caps out at the fourth stage or below, then itâs deemed incomplete.
It might have value, yes, but itâs not considered a full cultivation pathâit canât stand on its own.
And if the path requires very specific conditions, such as bloodline purity or environmental rarity,
then itâs categorized as a limited-use pathâwhat we call a supplementary path or an auxiliary route.
It might help, it might even empowerâbut it wonât lead anyone to true ascension on its own."
Robin frowned more deeply.
By that logic, his fifth pathâthe one he had poured so much time and effort intoâwas not yet a cultivation path either.
All his current research was aimed at solving how Martial Emperors interacted with laws, not at creating a clear breakthrough method to reach World Cataclysm.
He had never considered what it would take to push someone from that path into the next realm.
Even if he succeeded in solving every detail... his path might still end up labeled as incomplete.
After a quiet pause, Althera resumed,
"Now, regarding the Body Path specificallyâthe arming method created by the Great Truth Chosen, Thameronâwas nothing short of genius.
It allowed complete cellular restructuring, turning a mortal body into something divine.
But the cost... was astronomical.
To achieve such a transformation, the practitioner had to bathe in a highly potent solution infused with dozens of ultra-rare elements,
each one harvested from dying stars, void storms, or the remains of long-dead Titans.
And to succeed, they had to absorb the entire bath in one goâleaving not even a single drop behind.
Itâs a one-time procedure, but the price?
Even among the children of Behemoths, perhaps only a favorite son or daughterâblessed with absurd wealthâcould afford it."
"And letâs not forget," she added, "those Behemothsâ children usually possess Fundamental Laws that grant power directly.
They have no need to walk the Body Cultivation Path in the first place, so the method becomes obsolete before itâs even tried."
"So it ended up being treated as nothing more than a supplement," Robin said with a resigned sigh, nodding slowly.
"An auxiliary power boost for those already strong... nothing more than an enhancer."
Now fully grasping the situation, he raised a question,
"But if itâs that ridiculously expensive, then what exactly are Shaddad and the other Body researchers working on?
What do they spend their time trying to accomplish?"
Althera replied without hesitation,
"Theyâre mainly focused on two things:
First, making the cultivation of the first four stages accessibleâright now, itâs still prohibitively expensive because it relies heavily on energy gems, which the common people simply canât afford or even find.
Second, theyâre trying to reduce the cost of the arming procedure itselfâfinding alternatives, cheaper resources, easier methods.
But theyâve run into a major problem."
"The more they simplify it," she continued, "and the more they substitute Thameronâs original ingredients with lower-cost materials,
the more the result suffers. The arming becomes weaker, less durable, more flawed.
In every single trial, Thameronâs initial formula remains supremeâno version has surpassed it,
no shortcut has matched its results."
Robin sighed again, his voice weary,
"Then thatâs not development.
Thatâs just... simplification."
"Maybe~ but at the very least, they maintained the same structure of bathing and arming,
and managed to formulate a sixth-stage bath. Naturally, I donât even need to point outâitâs several times more expensive than the fifth-stage version...
At current rates, collecting the ingredients for a sixth-stage bath wouldnât cost less than ten billion energy pearls. Thatâs the
bare minimum.
"
"Ten
billion
?!" Robin nearly sprang to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Even an Emperor ruling over a thousand-year-old empire wouldnât be able to afford something like that.
Perhaps only legendary figures like Lord Morval and those of his stature could
entertain
the thoughtâand even then, theyâd likely dismiss it as impractical.
Althera gave a slow, understanding nod.
"Shaddadâs contributions in this domain are nothing short of remarkableâespecially within the first four stages.
He didnât just imitate the method of the Great Truth Chosen, Thameronâhe
embraced
it fully and began implementing it right from the first stage.
And since the first four stages donât require godlike physical transformation, the arming materials needed were far cheaper than the energy gems typically consumed for cultivation at those levels."
She lifted one finger, her tone growing instructional.
"That approach didnât just reduce the gem consumptionâit also shielded the body from constant saturation by raw energy.
Overstuffing the body is a serious risk at early stages.
His method offered a clean, measured buildup, creating a stable foundation.
More importantly, it paved the way for anyone preparing to attempt the fifth-tier bath.
A body that has already undergone structured arming is far more likely to
accept
the bath ingredients deeply and efficiently.
That means you could collect a less expensive version of the fifth-stage bath materials and still extract tremendous results from it."
She lowered her hand with a small smile curling on her lips.
"Working with Shaddad is... exhausting. Heâs intense, demanding, sometimes frustrating.
But the manâs a genuine genius. His work has improved the physical foundation of the students at Dawn light Stellat Academy.
It gave them a solid edge against their peers from other organizations, sects, and schools of thought.
If I said that Shaddad is one of the key pillars behind the prestige and rise of the Academy itself, I wouldnât be exaggerating in the slightest.
And I
truly
believe that one day, heâll discover a breakthrough to reach the World Cataclysm Realm through the Body Cultivation Path.
He might be the one who transforms it into a recognized, complete cultivation pathânot just a side route for the strong."
Then she gave a subtle shake of her head, her voice softening.
"It might not happen tomorrow. It might not happen in the next ten thousand yearsâor even the next million.
But one day... maybe."
Robin nodded slowly, thoughtfully.
Shaddad could only perceive the fourth stage of laws, true.
But what he was doing wasnât law-combatâit was something more fundamental.
He was designing a road, building steps, discovering materials, laying the bricks of a new structure.
The fact that he couldnât
see
the fifth tier with his own eyes didnât hinder his progress much. His mind was what mattered.
Then Altheraâs voice rang out again, this time tinged with a quiet certainty.
"Do you know what would help him most?" she asked.
"A single ideaâjust oneâfrom another Great Truth Chosen."
Robin frowned slightly, a trace of defiance in his tone.
"Iâm not a Great Truth Chosen. Not yet."
The fifth path he had forged was already more than enough for now... more than enough to carry.
"Itâs only a matter of time," Althera replied, smiling softly.
"I knew it the moment I heard the announcement about the
Breath of Ages
âI was there when the bidding war broke out.
Then my suspicions turned to certainty when I saw you walking alongside the Cosmic Elder.
Heâs a man whoâs seen stars live and dieâif he sees something great in you, then itâs not by accident.
All you have to do now is stay alive long enough to realize your potential."
She leaned a little closer, her tone calm yet firm.
"And the Dawn light Stellar Academy
can
help you survive.
If youâre serious about completing your paths... you should consider it. We can protect you. Remember that."
"...."
Robin furrowed his brows again, clearly catching on to what she was saying.
It wasnât just a casual suggestion anymoreâthis was a direct invitation.
"I appreciate your offer. Itâs generous... tempting, even. But Iâ"
Shoo~
Suddenly, a voice sliced through the room, annoyed and sharp:
"Hmm? When did my room become a public square?"