Atticus's visit to the elemental sanctums had been abrupt. However, as soon as each sanctum master noticed him coming within their vicinity, they rushed outside to greet him.
"Apex Atticus! Are you finally ready to advance your air element?"
"Obviously not! He's coming to the light sanctum to form his domain!"
"Aeliana, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world, but I won't let you have this one!"
The voices of Aeolus, the air sanctum master, and Aeliana, the light sanctum master, rang out as they argued.
The other sanctum masters couldn't help but throw them death glares, irritated at their lack of decorum. Their current behavior was unsightly, especially considering who was visiting.
In the minds of the sanctum masters and everyone in the human domain, Atticus's image wasn't just that of the young master and likely heir to the Ravenstein family anymore. He was their Apex.
Even Isolde, the ice sanctum master, who had earlier disliked Atticus because of his talent, was now respectfully floating along with the others. He might have been naturally gifted, but that didn't change the fact that he had achieved what no one else had.
However, the person in question didn't seem to care about all that. Atticus responded to their greetings with a warm smile.
There was no way he could forget his experiences with each of their strange personalities. But soon, Atticus noticed a change. It was something he couldn't avoid even if he wanted to.
He saw an old man hovering to the side. An intense amount of fire molecules surrounded him, clearly indicating his element. He was obviously the new fire sanctum master. That realization made Atticus's smile strain as he remembered Dekai.
He hadn't spent much time with the man, but it didn't change the fact that he had been fond of him.
The new fire sanctum master seemed to notice Atticus's lingering gaze, and his expression turned solemn. "He was a great man. I'll be sure to do him proud," he said, placing a fist over his chest.
The other sanctum masters also read the mood and gave a moment of silence to honor Dekai.
Just as Atticus nodded appreciatively, he suddenly heard a soft voice from the side.
"Will you come to the darkness sanctum?"
Turning, Atticus's eyes landed on Ulithi, the darkness sanctum master. He had whispered the question, but everyone had heard him clearly. Their faces morphed into intense shock.
The lazy bastard was actually volunteering for work? Their shock was palpable, and even Atticus was equally surprised. He hadn't forgotten his experience with this lazy man.
However, Ulithi's gaze was serious as he stared at Atticus. He had always been looking for someone gifted like himself, but Atticus couldn't even be placed in the same category. His talent was immeasurable. Ulithi didn't want to miss the chance to teach him.
The competition was fierce. The rest of the sanctum masters also expressed their desire for Atticus to come to their sanctums.
In the end, Atticus chose the earth sanctum first. He was curious about how the earth element domain would be, and he appreciated the fact that the sanctum master had been silent while the others argued. He also assured the rest that he planned to visit each sanctum during the week.
Atticus was led deep underground, where the earth molecules were abundant. He instantly sat down and entered a deep state of meditation. This time, all the sanctum masters gathered around, their gazes fixed on Atticus, who was meditating.
The earth molecules swirled around him as though he was their prodigal kin. In the next instant, Atticus was lost in his own world.
Fifteen hours. That was how long it took Atticus to form his earth domain.
A blinding brown light pierced the sky, causing every sanctum master's gaze to tremble.
"Less than a day!"
He had formed a domain in less than a single day. It was maddening. It was insane. They had all made assumptions about how long it would take him. They had considered the talent he had shown so far.
However, why did it seem as though his talent was increasing every time?
As the veil encompassed a large area, Atticus felt a surge of power entering his body. He quickly stood up, flexing his fist.
'This might be a problem,' he pondered deeply.
Atticus had failed to account for the fact that with each domain he formed, he would gain a surge of power that would increase his rank.
However, that wasn't the real issue. The problem was his life weapon. Atticus hadn't forgotten. If he advanced to the grandmaster rank, he would be transported into his life weapon, where he might lose his life.
It was something that required careful planning and a significant amount of readiness before he could even attempt it.
'I have to maximize everything first,' he resolved.
Atticus's plan was to delay his advancement into the grandmaster rank for as long as possible. Instead, he would focus on training all his skills to an extremely high level before facing the katana's challenge.
'My bloodline might not be a good choice. Before I get transported, I should focus more on my mana-based abilities.'
Atticus vividly remembered the time he had been transported to the katana realm. He had lost the ability to use his bloodline. If that happened again, he would have to rely solely on his mana based abilities.
'Let's see by how much first. Status.'
As Atticus's eyes scanned his stats, he noted his rank.
Level: Master
'I'm at the peak,' he realized.
Atticus could feel he was at the upper limits of the master rank. If he formed another domain or two, he would most likely reach the master+ rank.
- **Level 2:**
NONE
---
*Level 1
NONE
*Locked Bloodlines -
- Spirt Element: 6 → 7%
Abilities:
------------------------
Innate Skills:
* Conceal [Potential: Mythical]
- The ability to conceal your level from anyone regardless of rank. You may choose what level you want to be shown.
- Current mastery: Mythical
Life Weapon Skills:
* Transcendent Slash: Godspeed Grace
* Endless Strike
*Vorpal Nova
Normal Skills:
* Arcane Barrier [Potential: Transcendent]
- Current Mastery: Grandmaster-
* Elemental Mimicry [Potential: Transcendent]
-Current mastery: Grandmaster-
*Ethereal Cloak [Potential: Empowered]
-Current mastery: Master
*???: [Collective Potential: Transcendent]
-Current mastery:
-Dimensional Loop: Novice
-Predatory Perception: Novice-
-Immunity Buildup: Novice-
-Slow Decay: Novice-
-Pain Resistance: Novice
-Aura Masking: Novice-
-Revenant's Touch: ???
-Metabolic Boost: ???
-Nullification Field: ???
..
Of everything, Atticus was focused on his rank. He had finally ranked up to the master+ rank. It was still in its early stages, but it was a very significant change, and his stats reflected this fact.
After observing everything else, Atticus moved to the lightning element and spent even less time forming his domain, less than 10 hours.
Afterward, he moved to the next element, surprisingly choosing ice. This time, Atticus had created a rune to boost his energy reserves. While forming a domain increased his rank the first time, it still required a large amount of energy.
After less than 10 hours, a blinding blue light pierced the sky, followed by another round of shock from the sanctum masters.
The boy hadn't been joking when he said he would form all his domains in a week.
Out of everything, only the light and darkness elements remained. Atticus chose the light element first after numerous persistent requests from the light sanctum master.
After a few hours when he had formed his light domain, he delivered devastating news, news that caused Ulithi's heart to break.