Still, as they climbed higher through the levels, they began to notice that the process was gradually slowing down. The divine essence was still abundant, but each successive advancement required exponentially more energy.

The leap from the fourth level to the fifth took twice as long as the first. The sixth took longer still. Their bodies and souls were reaching the limit of how much they could refine in such a short time.

Yet, even then, the pace was unimaginable when compared to the natural process outside the platform. What took centuries in the world beyond now took only a few hours or days at most. The geniuses marveled at their progress, some nearly breaking into laughter, others trembling in disbelief.

In one corner of the Acaris dome, Victor exhaled deeply, a faint dragon roar escaping his body as azure scales flickered across his skin. His bloodline was evolving, fusing more deeply with the divine essence he absorbed. "This is incredible," he muttered, his voice low but filled with awe. "To think the Divine Platform could allow us to skip the trials of death entirely."

Seraphina sat cross-legged nearby, her crimson aura dancing like flames. Her eyes glowed faintly as she whispered, "This place defies the very will of heaven itself."

Max, on the other hand, remained silent. He sat with his eyes closed, his entire body surrounded by alternating flows of golden and black energy. He could feel the divine essence pouring into him, strengthening every part of his being.

His strength was increasing rapidly, but he could also feel the hidden current—the mysterious energy that came with the divine essence—growing stronger within him as well.

The others did not notice it. They were too absorbed in their rapid ascension to divine power.

Inside every dome, the geniuses continued to rise higher. Some reached the sixth level of the Divine Rank, others the seventh, while a few with exceptional foundations began to glimpse the eighth. Their bodies radiated divine pressure so potent that the domes themselves trembled faintly under the weight of it.

The Divine Platform pulsed in response, releasing even more divine essence to feed their growth. The golden mist above them churned violently as beams of light descended from the core of the platform, infusing the domes with new waves of divine power.

It was a scene of mass ascension—thousands of geniuses breaking through barriers that would have taken lifetimes to cross. Their power rose, their divine flames burned brighter, and their very existence was being rewritten by the essence of divinity itself.

In the world outside, such a phenomenon would have shaken empires and alarmed the heavens. But here, it was calm, contained, and guided.

The Divine Platform continued its silent work, unaware that along with every surge of divine energy, something else was quietly being planted in every soul that it touched.

"Finally... Mythic Rank," Max muttered under his breath, a small smile forming on his lips. The words carried a mix of satisfaction and exhaustion. His body pulsed with a newfound strength, his divine energy swirling within him like a storm held in restraint. The Divine Platform beneath him trembled faintly, acknowledging his ascension.

It had taken longer than he expected. Around him, several geniuses had already advanced far beyond this point, some even reaching the fifth or sixth level of the Divine Rank. The entire dome was filled with powerful auras that surged and expanded without restraint, each one shining brightly like a sun in its own right. Yet Max had only just crossed into the Mythic Rank.

He didn't feel envious. If anything, he was calm, almost detached from the excitement that rippled through the other geniuses. He understood better than anyone else why his progress appeared slow. The energy he required to advance even a single step was vastly greater than that of the others. The foundation of his power was on a different scale entirely. The density of his divine essence, the refinement of his body, and the depth of his soul demanded energy that no ordinary genius could withstand, let alone absorb.

He glanced down at his hands. Golden lines from the Vein of Origin shimmered faintly beneath his skin, running through his arms like liquid light. His divine vein was unlike any other, a source of pure creation itself. It was both a blessing and a burden. To feed its infinite hunger, he required more energy than anyone else, but the result of that energy was unmatched power.

Max took a deep breath and steadied himself once more. His expression relaxed, and he let go of every thought that might distract him. The flow of divine essence around him responded instantly, gathering in thicker waves and entering his body like rivers rushing into the sea.

The golden mist that filled the dome dimmed slightly as Max drew in more and more of its energy. The Divine Platform seemed to recognize his unique nature and channeled a stronger current of divine essence toward him. The air trembled faintly, and the runes beneath his feet glowed brighter in response to his growing aura.

Then, his strength surged again.

Second level of the Mythic Rank.

A deep rumble echoed through the dome as Max's body adjusted to the sudden increase in power. His energy field expanded rapidly, filling every corner of his space with the faint hum of divine resonance.

Moments later, it rose once more.

Third level of the Mythic Rank.

His divine sea widened, his meridians reinforced themselves, and his soul power thickened to a terrifying degree. The flow of divine essence around him grew even stronger, forming faint spirals that wrapped around his body like coiling dragons made of light.

Then came the next surge.

Fourth level of the Mythic Rank.

Max's aura flared like a rising sun. The faint golden glow that surrounded him turned brilliant, washing the interior of the dome with light. The ground beneath him cracked slightly as waves of energy radiated outward, drawing the attention of nearby geniuses who paused their own cultivation to look in awe.

They could sense the difference in his energy. It wasn't just divine—it was something far deeper, something primal.

Even among those who had already stepped into the Divine Rank, Max's presence carried a pressure that made the air feel heavier. It wasn't the pressure of someone ahead in realm, but of someone whose foundation was impossibly solid, whose power was built upon something far beyond ordinary comprehension.

And yet, despite that momentum, Max's rise began to slow.

When he reached the fifth level of the Mythic Rank, the flow of divine essence into his body started to resist him. The energy grew more reluctant, as though the Divine Platform itself had begun to measure him differently.

His divine vein demanded more than even the concentrated energy of this sacred place could easily provide. The golden runes beneath him flickered as though straining to maintain the supply.

Max opened his eyes slightly. The golden light within them reflected calm understanding rather than frustration. He could feel it—the immense amount of energy his body now required to make even the smallest progress. It was several times more than before, a level of consumption that would have drained entire worlds dry if not for the infinite reserves of the Divine Platform.

He exhaled slowly, his breath carrying a faint shimmer of divine mist. "It's slowing down," he said quietly to himself. "But this is expected."

The higher he climbed, the more energy he would need to progress, and the more refined his essence had to become. That was the natural order of cultivation, magnified countless times by the sheer density of his foundation.

His strength was built not just upon divine energy but upon a convergence of powers—the First Divine Vein, Yin-Yang Body, the Unholy Trinity Body, and the countless concepts he had mastered.

Each step for him was the equivalent of ten for others.

Still, there was no discouragement in his expression. He smiled faintly, his tone quiet but firm. "The slower the climb, the stronger the summit."

With that thought anchoring his heart, Max closed his eyes once again. The golden mist began to swirl faster around him, and his body resumed its steady absorption of divine essence.

Even though his pace had slowed, the sheer scale of his cultivation progress sent tremors through the entire dome. The Divine Platform itself seemed to hum in resonance with him, and faint whispers of unknown energy stirred again within his soul.

Max ignored them. His focus remained unshaken. The Divine Platform was still working, and his journey through the Mythic Rank was far from over.

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