Far away from the God Realm's Treasury, a massive rock fragment streaked through space at an astonishing speed of fifty times the speed of light. Upon it stood the Ancestor of the Sky Hybrid Sect together with the eight hundred new disciples, including Solanky, as they journeyed back to the sect.
The disciples sat cross-legged upon the floating rock while the Ancestor sat before them with her back facing the group.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
"Listen carefully."
Her calm voice immediately drew everyone's attention.
"All weapons, artifacts, and treasures are classified into five major grades according to their quality and the level of cultivation required to wield them."
She raised one hand.
"The lowest grade is known as the Semi-Divine Artifacts."
"They are divided into two categories."
"The first category consists of High Dominion Artifacts."
"These are primarily wielded by Demi-Gods and Half-Devils."
"They require very little spiritual energy to operate because the artifacts themselves absorb a small amount of spiritual energy from their surroundings, allowing them to amplify their own power."
As she finished speaking, she casually waved her hand.
Space rippled beside her.
A missile launcher and a massive railgun emerged from an independent space.
She pointed toward them.
"The second category is known as Conventional Weapons."
"These are weapons created entirely by mortals."
"They possess no ability to absorb spiritual energy."
"They may be operated by anyone who possesses sufficient knowledge and skill."
She smiled faintly.
"The weapons before you are examples of conventional weapons."
"However, the moment functional engravings are inscribed upon them, they cease to be conventional weapons."
"The mysteries contained within those engravings elevate them into an entirely different class."
She waved her hand once again.
The missile launcher and railgun instantly disappeared.
Moments later, she tilted her head slightly.
A transparent barrier enveloped the floating rock fragment.
Its speed instantly increased from fifty times the speed of light to ninety-five times the speed of light.
Without looking back, she continued.
"The next category is known as Divine Artifacts."
"They are the most common treasures within the God Realm."
"They are also the lowest class of artifacts commonly used by cultivators below the Dimensional God Realm."
The disciples instinctively lowered their heads and looked at the treasures they had obtained from the Treasure Land.
Sensing their thoughts, the Ancestor smiled.
"Do not be discouraged."
"Not all Divine Artifacts are equal."
The disciples immediately relaxed.
She continued.
"Divine Artifacts are divided into three separate tiers."
"Each tier has its own cultivation requirement before its true power can be unleashed."
"If the wielder fails to meet that requirement, only a fraction of the artifact's strength can be displayed."
"In some cases..."
"It cannot be used at all."
The disciples quietly exchanged nervous glances.
None of them knew the tier of the treasures they had chosen.
The Ancestor could clearly sense their uneasiness.
Chuckling softly, she reassured them.
"I was about to explain the different tiers."
"If you later discover that your weapon exceeds your current ability, you may exchange it with the sect for one better suited to your cultivation."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
"There are three tiers of Divine Artifacts."
"The Low Tier."
"The Mid Tier."
"And the High Tier."
Every disciple listened attentively.
"The Low Tier Divine Artifacts are primarily designed for High-Level Gods."
"Although Elementary Gods may also wield them, their effectiveness is greatly reduced because the spiritual energy required exceeds what an Elementary God can naturally provide."
She continued.
"When used by a High-Level God, a Low Tier Divine Artifact doubles the user's strength."
"With such a weapon, defeating one hundred ordinary Elementary Gods becomes an effortless task."
The disciples became excited.
Even the weakest Divine Artifact would make them unrivaled tyrants back in the Lower Realm.
After all, anyone fortunate enough to enter the Treasure Land had the opportunity to obtain one.
The Ancestor continued.
"If you wish to identify the grade of your artifact, examine the base of its handle."
"You will find two distinct markings."
"For Divine Artifacts, the primary symbol is a triangle."
"That symbol signifies that the weapon belongs to the Divine Artifact class."
The disciples immediately began inspecting their weapons.
One disciple suddenly raised his hand.
"Ancestor..."
"I can also see two slanted lines beside the triangle."
"What do they represent?"
The Ancestor laughed.
"You are quite fortunate."
"The number of slanted stripes determines the tier of the artifact."
"One stripe represents a Low Tier."
"Two stripes indicate a Mid Tier."
"And three stripes signify a High Tier."
The disciple's face immediately lit up with excitement.
His weapon possessed two stripes.
It was a Mid Tier Divine Artifact.
Before he could celebrate further, another disciple laughed.
"What's there to be proud of?"
"You still won't be able to unleash its full power until your cultivation reaches the required level."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even the proud disciple could only smile awkwardly.
The Ancestor watched the lively atmosphere with amusement before continuing.
"The Mid Tier Divine Artifacts are primarily wielded by God Emperors."
"They are extremely difficult for cultivators of the same realm to destroy."
"The amount of spiritual energy they absorb far exceeds what their wielder alone can provide."
"As a result, they amplify the user's strength fivefold."
"A cultivator wielding a Mid Tier Divine Artifact becomes nearly invincible against opponents possessing lower-tier weapons."
She paused briefly.
"If a sufficiently talented High-Level God wields a Mid Tier Divine Artifact, they can stand on equal footing with a God Emperor equipped with only a Low Tier weapon."
Several disciples immediately lowered their heads in embarrassment.
The Ancestor smiled knowingly.
"So..."
"It appears that more than half of you acquired Mid Tier Divine Artifacts."
The disciples nodded.
The Ancestor continued.
"The final tier of Divine Artifacts is the High Tier."
"These weapons are primarily wielded by God of Gods."
"They amplify their users' strength sixfold."
"They also possess the ability to partially defy the laws governing the God Realm."
Her gaze slowly swept across the disciples.
"Now..."
"Which among you obtained a High Tier Divine Artifact?"
Only two hands rose into the air.
One belonged to Solanky.
The other belonged to a timid-looking girl.
The remaining disciples stared at them in complete disbelief.
The Ancestor gestured toward them.
"Bring your weapons to me."
The two respectfully stepped forward and handed over their artifacts.
The Ancestor carefully inspected Solanky's dagger before smiling.
"Solanky."
"This dagger once belonged to Stella..."
"One of the founding ancestors of your Bayoka Clan."
She then turned toward the timid girl.
"Cilia."
"This whip was left behind by one of my closest friends during the battles fought within the Void Realm against the Devils."
She gently returned the weapons.
"I will temporarily keep these High Tier Divine Artifacts within the sect."
"They shall remain there until both of you reach Half-Step into the God of Gods Realm."
"Until then..."
"I shall provide each of you with a Mid Tier Divine Artifact identical in appearance."
As her words fell, two identical weapons flew through space and landed before Solanky and Cilia.
The two bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Ancestor."
She nodded with satisfaction.
"Above the Divine Artifacts lies another category."
"They are known as Divine Secret Artifacts."
"They are primarily wielded by Dimensional Beings."
"They are also divided into three tiers."
"The Low Tier belongs to Fourth Dimensional cultivators."
"It greatly enhances their perception of space-time."
"The Mid Tier belongs to Fifth Dimensional cultivators."
"The High Tier belongs to Sixth Dimensional cultivators."
She slowly shook her head.
"The battles fought at those levels are fundamentally different."
"Their movements are imperceptible even to ordinary Fifth Dimensional beings."
"As for all of you..."
"You have yet to fully comprehend even the laws governing the God Realm."
As she spoke, the speed of the floating rock gradually decreased.
The Sky Hybrid Sect was now approaching.
The Ancestor looked ahead.
"We are almost home."
"I shall only briefly mention the remaining grades."
"The complete information has already been uploaded to your Sect Virtual Profiles."
"You may unlock them by spending contribution points."
She smiled.
"Consider this your first assignment."
"If you wish to earn points..."
"Either break through to the High-Level God Realm..."
"Or obtain ten Spirit Crystals from the beasts living on the New Disciple Continent."
Several disciples sighed helplessly.
The Ancestor chuckled softly.
"Treat it as motivation."
"Only through constant improvement can you continue advancing."
She raised one final finger.
"The next category is known as the Devil or God Divine Secret Artifacts."
"And above even those..."
"...are the Supreme Divine Rare Source Artifacts."
The moment the disciples heard the word Source, their eyes widened.
If such artifacts existed above everything the Ancestor had described...
Then what kind of unimaginable beings could possibly wield them?
Even their invincible Ancestor seemed insignificant before the mysteries hidden beyond that final grade.