I materialized a sci-fi fortress in a magical world.

The exclamation jolted Serishina up from her recliner.

For an eighth-tier expert to continue improving, every step afterward will be incredibly difficult, as the magical power gained through daily cultivation is so weak that even the expert cannot perceive it.

If you rely solely on cultivation, the eighth rank is already the limit for humans, regardless of how high their talent is.

Even powerful beings at high levels have limited lifespans...

To advance to the ninth rank, one needs far more than just a fortuitous encounter or a specific opportunity; one needs several.

Since the disappearance of the gods, more than two thousand years have passed since humanity found a way to break through to the ninth rank. All those who have fallen and those who still exist at the ninth rank are only about ten people in total.

That's why Celestina suddenly "came back to life," and she also felt that her magic power had indeed increased.

Although it's not a huge amount, only a drop of water compared to a small cup of water in the past, it's far from enough to bridge the insurmountable gap between the eighth and ninth ranks, but at least it gave her a glimmer of hope.

She immediately glared fiercely at the students and subordinates around her, releasing a bit of the pressure of an eighth-level expert, instantly restoring the meditation room to its proper quiet.

"Your souls swear that what happens today shall not be discussed, recorded, or told to anyone."

Serishina regained the aloofness befitting a leader of a school of thought, leaving everyone in the room speechless with fear, wishing they could hold their breath and their hearts alight.

"Didn't you hear me?"

She urged him on in an even fiercer tone, as if she wanted to vent the grievances she had suffered earlier.

Then the others hurriedly took turns swearing oaths.

This kind of "soul oath" is not as simple as just saying it casually. It is a strict self-discipline ritual with extremely strong power. Once violated, the consequences range from cerebral hemorrhage and vegetative state to severe head rupture and instant death.

After everyone finished the ceremony, Seresina's emotions gradually calmed down, and she spoke again to comfort them:

"I know you're concerned about me, but even I don't know what happened. Let me have some peace and quiet. I'll tell you what's going on later, but don't ask me... Okay, go now."

Bound by the [Soul Oath], the students left with expressions of discomfort and curiosity. Celishina, on the other hand, took out several bottles of potions from her storage pouch and gulped them down to perk herself up.

Then, after checking his physical condition again, he found that apart from normal fatigue, there was nothing seriously wrong, and his magic power had indeed become stronger.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"I originally thought that an unlucky guy like me would never be able to cross that threshold, but I never expected that I could still find a glimmer of hope."

She was lucky enough to reach the eighth rank, which is better than most people in the world, but compared to those at the ninth rank, she was incredibly unlucky...

It's easy to imagine how difficult the ninth rank is...

Therefore, we absolutely cannot let outsiders know about that divine realm!

This world is anything but peaceful; conflicts and wars have never ceased. Superficial order cannot conceal the fundamental law of the jungle, and the battles in the shadows are more brutal than imagined.

Serishina still remembers that the first time she killed someone was right after she came out of the "Secret Realm," when she was surrounded by those greedy adventurers and killed them all...

"If that mysterious being can really lead me to the ninth rank, then going back to spend more time with him doesn't seem so bad, does it? He holds so many secrets that intrigue me, and there's also the perfect drink to enjoy..."

"He is so powerful and mysterious. If we could gain some benefits from Him, reaching the tenth rank wouldn't be impossible, would it?"

"But that divine realm is located in the deep void, it's far too dangerous. Will I really ever see Him again?"

"But if I don't go, this secret will be discovered sooner or later. I know of at least three schools of thought that are planning to infiltrate deeper into the secret..."

"I want to possess Him all to myself, but I can't. What should I do?"

Serishina pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized another problem:

"Wait! According to the Vatican, angels and deities shouldn't appear in the void, right? They themselves claim that the void is an eternal tomb, capable of burying all the sins of the world. How could deities appear there?"

"And this sixteen-year period of relative stability in the void is clearly related to Him, creating a safe space for us humans to cultivate. When did the gods become so benevolent?"

"When they were still around, they imprisoned humanity in the shackles of the seventh rank under the guise of protection. Now, they're actually showing me hope of reaching the ninth rank, or even higher?"

She kept thinking like this until she could no longer bear the torment of exhaustion and fell into a drowsy sleep in the meditation room.

Eighth-tier powerhouses theoretically don't need to sleep. They have many ways to restore their energy, so it's difficult for them to truly fall asleep. Even a newly promoted eighth-tier powerhouse like Serishina hasn't slept in a very long time.

But this time, she slept especially soundly and sweetly.

........................

"Want to give it a try?"

Luo Yue looked at a draft paper in front of him, on which were words he had never seen before, yet he could understand their meaning. It recorded a meditation method that had been modified and optimized by Celishina.

She named it "Sheena Meditation Method" and said that from the newly recruited mortals to herself, everyone in her school used this meditation method to cultivate. It was much more efficient than the ancient meditation methods of other schools, which is why her school developed so quickly.

Her words were laced with a clear sense of boasting, suggesting it was one of her proudest achievements.

Unfortunately, an hour was too short, the topic was too broad, and there wasn't nearly enough time to say anything.

Royo didn't want Celine to leave so soon either; he still had many questions to ask, but he really had to go...

She appeared to be fading, literally fading, her stunning figure gradually reduced to black and white, accompanied by "frame skipping" and "blurring" phenomena. If she had remained there any longer, it might have really caused a fatality.

Fortunately, she had highlighted this book, "The Sheena Meditation Method," earlier in the book, and not only did she write it down completely, but she also added many annotations and tips.

"Anyway, I'm just an ordinary person now, and I don't have much to lose, so I might as well give it a try."

Luo Yue quickly made his decision, and couldn't help but yearn for the glamorous world that Celine had described.

The outside world is almost at the Industrial Revolution stage, and electricity is already widely used in production and gradually entering ordinary households, while here we are still living in feudal serfdom and haven't even had running water yet.

Needless to say, the biggest gap lies in the area of ​​extraordinary power.

According to the old drunkard, the higher the rank, the greater the difference.

A first-tier mage might be able to defeat a second-tier mage by using superior equipment, or by ambushing or poisoning them.

Even if a sixth-tier mage worked himself to death, he couldn't do anything to the motionless seventh-tier great witch.

The old drunkard said that this was a difference in level, a difference in status, which was difficult to overcome and impossible to shake.

"By the same token, even our Great Witch is a bit of a charmer in front of a ninety-year-old woman. Luckily, I realized what was happening in time and didn't let her know where I was..."

"By the way, who's older between the two of them?"

Luo Yue smiled and left the thought space.

He actually had many more thoughts and questions in his mind, but he decided to put them aside for now and see if this meditation method would work.