Paragon of Sin

"What are those?" The curiosity of mortals sparked, igniting a wave of rampant discussion across the World of Eden. The Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste was mysteriously strange, containing unrecognizable runes, and an aura that suppressed the beating of their hearts. The only exception amongst mortals were long-time Starlords that had refined a healthy set of Mystic Rune Seeds in their dantian, readying themselves to study these runes and ascend their existences. To them, they were bewildered by such clearly shown runes in the outside world. Even in their dantians, the seeds they refined by absorbing mystic essence were faint and difficult to perceive, but these runes were as clear as Baby Defiant's light.

The Ascended beings, however, reacted differently.

"Are those Mystic Runes?" A Soul of Mysticism expert asked his Demi-Mortal Lord Phase master for confirmation.

"It's said that transcendent-quality alchemical products of the Mortal-rank possess Mystic Runes within them." The Highlord responded with a tinge of uncertainty in his tone. It was difficult to obtain a transcendent quality product of any grade given that only Alchemic Saints were known to produce them reliably. As for the highest-graded transcendent product in the ninth-grade, it was rumored that only the Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint and the King of Everlore had achieved such drastic feats.

Of course, there were exceptions, such as Emperor Alchemists at the Ascended level finding brief periods of inspiration and forming a transcendent product beneath the ninth-grade from time to time. Wei Wuyin had even been recorded as having accidentally achieved this during an Alchemic Clash in the past, which once caused a ruckus as news spread far and wide due to being a mortal.

As for the Emperor Alchemists, Mortal Sovereign Alchemists, and Earthly Saint Alchemists, they all had varied reactions of differing intensities, but they were all on the scale of shock and disbelief. Their avatars were projected over to observe closer.

Instantly, as if deliberately done, countless eyes were pushed a few meters back from their viewpoints, and they saw many prestigious and renowned alchemists from across the stellar region appear side by side. The primer authorities of the Alchemic Dao of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region had taken the stage!

Moreover, at the front was Evergod!

At the front was San Luoyang!

At the front was none other than Tian Dingjian!

Out of the four Alchemic Saints in the world, three were present and leading this party of observers! The discussions of everyone else became muted, and only the words of these premier authorities were given a loud, clear voice.

Evergod wanted to speak to San Luoyang, but he instantly realized that he was the center of attention and focus, causing him to pause thoughtfully. He didn't wish to fall into Wei Wuyin's trap, so he remained silent.

The Mortal Sovereign Alchemists of this group were less vigilant and more immersed in their awe and shock. Moreover, alchemists were the most talkative bunch when speaking about their fields of study and discussions. They often had to compare ideas verbally due to the extremely long concoction times, so practical exchanges were less effective, unlike Forgers and Architects.

"This paste's consistency is quite peculiar." One commented while probing the paste with their ocular spell.

"Weird-do you sense it?" Another said as they spoke to their ally.

"I don't," responded the ally strangely.

They were all Ascended beings, so they had exceptional senses. They were also familiar with transcendent products. Their first goal was to determine if this product was transcendent, given that there were Mystic Rune fragments throughout it, swimming animatedly within.

"If I'm not mistaken, those are fragments of the Mana-type Mystic Rune. Moreover, there's not a trace of Mystic Aura on them," San Luoyang tried to communicate through concealed spiritual transmission with Evergod to see if he found anything further that he may have missed, but his transmission wasn't concealed at all, freely booming across the World of Eden.

The Mortal Sovereign Alchemists behind the three's expressions greatly changed as if their suspicions were all but confirmed. These Mystic Rune fragments were golden in color, and they had not the slightest trace of mystic presence within them. With San Luoyang confirming that it was a Mana-type Mystic Rune, they had fully verified their guesses and their expressions grew increasingly odd.

While they were fully immersed in this oddity of a product and existence, the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Tian Dingjian that could stun entire worlds was ignored by these Alchemists. Moreover, she seemed to be unbothered that her appearance was fully exposed to the world. This was especially so for her ample chest, barely losing out to Yue Songli!

Fortunately, her modest clothing of green robes didn't reveal any hint of sexy allure or charm, containing a type of natural, mature, and motherly look that was pleasing to look at, calming to be in the presence of, and a style that was hard to criticize.

"This is an Exceed-tier product? A product that has pseudo-moldings of Mystic Runes fragments like transcendent products yet has no Mystic Aura of any type?" Tian Dingjian asked softly, but her voice rippled outwards at epic volumes.

"Earth-Saint Sky Zenith is correct! The Exceed-tier product has qualities of a transcendent product but not any hints of mystic presence or properties. But don't let that fool you, these runes aren't merely decorations." Tian Xiaocheng confirmed, but her tone when speaking to Tian Dingjian was a little strange, but it was nearly undetectable except by the keenest of ears.

"Are they dormant runes?" Mu Yura, the Twilight Alchemic Sovereign of the Everlore Association, asked. The simple four-worded question sparked a wave of subdued discussions amongst the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists. Dormant rune fragments?

"Alchemic Sovereign Mu, it seems your education at the association was not as lacking as many others might have imagined," Tian Xiaocheng complimented but the scratching underlying meaning was so harsh that Mu Yura flinched slightly. She instinctively turned to Evergod, and the Alchemic Saint's expression was the picture definition of indifferent calm.

Tian Xiaocheng smiled, "These runes are indeed dormant; they become fully activated thanks to the mixture of materials of the paste, inducing a magical effect that defies any conventional expectations. This is why the Alchemic Sovereign Wei, its inventor and alchemist that refined this paste specifically, has labeled it as a different tier. Of course, if any of our prestigious alchemists here wish to debate the validity of this label, you are free to do so."

"..." Not a single person amongst the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists felt capable of debating this topic. They looked to the Alchemic Saints, especially Evergod, curious if there would be a debate erupting. Would Evergod willingly allow Wei Wuyin to establish an unofficial tier? If he did so, he would be the only alchemist thus far that would unquestionably make his mark, exiting out of that legendary figure's shadow instantly!

Evergod was not stupid, however. Tian Xiaocheng specifically mentioned that this paste was invented by and created by Wei Wuyin. The moment he said anything questioning its validity, the two would initiate a clash where he could be heavily humiliated and discredited as knowledgeable. This was the most obvious trap in existence.

Why else would everyone else be expectant of his response?!

Still, he had to speak out here! A non-response was almost as worse as an incorrect statement disproven later!

With a calm voice, he asked: "What effects does this paste have?" The only way to truly launch into a debate is to become aware of its function, so Evergod refused to jump into the frying pan without an understanding of its temperature.

The attention of everyone changed as they grew curious. Eventually, a few individuals discovered Sky Zenith, and their eyes instantly lost focus.

What type of beauty was this?!

If Tian Xiaocheng was an imperialistic beauty, untouchable and gorgeous as the far-away lunar bodies among the vast scape of the dark void, then Tian Dingjian was like her polar opposite, inviting and warm like a rising Solar Star on the horizon, blessing the world with its radiance. She could outright stop heartbeats, and she did!

Suddenly, minds grew confused as Tian Xiaocheng and Tian Dingjian were compared subconsciously, and not a single person could conclusively determine the Number ONE Beauty any longer.

Feeling the gazes on her, Tian Dingjian's brows wrinkled slightly. This slight movement caused countless souls to feel as if they wronged the world itself, turning away in shame without even realizing it.

What type of presence was this?

Unfortunately, the World of Eden prevented any form of obstruction of her appearance, so she was in full view, having made a mistake as she wanted to get a closer look and was pulled into this scheme of Wei Wuyin's. She moved her rich, straight, and wavy-edged, brunette hair aside from her forehead with two long fingers, tucking them behind her ear, sighing internally.

That slight action caused countless to be drawn to her, moving their perspective to catch a full-on glimpse of her, finding her gorgeous facial features and those endlessly alluring hazel-golden eyes untainted by any additional effects, perfectly revealing that her lineage was legitimately of the Tian Clan.

She was on the verge of outright stealing the show!

Tian Xiaocheng could see this and immediately drew everyone's attention back, "As many of you know, the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin paste was concocted with the Heaven Relic's latent quintessential energies, a type of material called Heavenly Mana. This material can give birth to a legendary cultivation state of one's Spirit known as the Origin State.

"I will reiterate what it is for those unaware, but Origin State is a direct evolution of a Mortal State, granting benefits such as enhanced mana control and the ability to greatly enhance one's senses toward the Mystic Dao. There are countless other effects, but if I spent an hour listing them, my mouth and your ears would definitely be sore. So I'll summarize its effect by giving a projection of its effects: By possessing an Origin State, failing your First Mystic Ascension would be as equally difficult as failing your Realm World Astral Tribulation after consuming a Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill of the low-quality-nigh impossible!"

Her words retook attention and as she continued, the hearts of countless cultivators throbbed violently!

What was it meant to ascend?

It meant becoming literal gods in the eyes of mortals! These beings have legends upon legends heaped across their names, from being able to destroy planets with a wave of their hands, snuff out Solar Stars, and creating entire regions and worlds that were far from what mortals could hope to produce.

For mere mortals, creating a Starfield was an unachievable dream. But to Ascended beings, they can create entire starfields! Even a Stellar Region! They possessed heaven-defying power to resurrect the recently dead. They could traverse across planets in a blink of an eye. They can exist in any environment, including the Dark Void without any added assistance.

They were gods of the highest order in their eyes, beings of unfathomable power and means that defied logic and thought. Anything they wished to achieve could be done. Of course, this bloated belief was both warranted and equally as unwarranted, peddled solely by the sheer feats of the elites among elites-Earthly Saints.

Moreover, the First Stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, the Mystic Star Phase, wasn't included in this high-held belief.

But now there was a guarantee that one could become an Ascended being?! The thought sparked a feeling of disconnect and disbelief. How could they believe this so easily? While the Heaven Relic was touted as capable of doing so, that was because Earthly Saints were fighting over it.

In truth, while many wanted to believe it, few could really do so and mostly went along with the trend of speculation and the excitement that came along with it. Hearing this from Tian Xiaocheng hadn't alleviated their inner feelings of doubt.

Tian Xiaocheng, however, wasn't bothered; she, too, felt that the Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste was overly exaggerated by Wei Wuyin. Moreover, she hadn't seen its effects firsthand. "The Neo-Dawn Heavenly-Origin Paste is capable of perfectly emulating this outstanding effect, without the need for a requisite cultivation method to refine the quintessential energies of the Heaven Relic.To put it simply, it can assist in the evolution into an Origin State!"

"..." The raging roar of clamorous excitement that one might've expected was instead one of a silent observance.

In the minds of quintillions, a ninth-grade, mortal-rank product couldn't allow someone to guarantee becoming an Ascended. Moreover, this thought infected the crowd and their response, so it just spread throughout the World of Eden, causing this strangely uncomfortable environment.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Tian Xiaocheng felt that she had lost the crowd instantly. Moreover, the fresh term of 'Exceed-tier' greatly went over the common cultivator's head, causing this reveal to be the most lackluster of the bunch. The most shocking event thus far!

"Wouldn't the Heaven Relic have simply been more useful and refined directly than wasted creating a ninth-grade product that may or may not replicate its effects..." A Mortal Sovereign Alchemist of a prominent background spoke out the thought on most people's minds.