Lightning Is the Only Way

After several hours of conversation, Gravis finally managed to steer the conversation back to its original topic. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the conversation, but after several hours, he started growing bored.

"Oh yeah, the specifics," Joyce said with surprise. "I totally forgot about that! Sorry!"

Gravis closed his eyes and shook his head gently. "Don't worry about it. The conversation was pleasant while it lasted."

Joyce smiled genuinely. "That's good to hear! Anyway, the specifics. There are one hundred open spots for the inheritance, and every spot covers a group of five. So, theoretically, 500 cultivators could enter at a time. Of course, those spots are never fully used up. There just aren't enough powerful cultivators willing to risk their lives like this. After all, the maximum number of groups that survived at one point was two, and some people in their groups had also died. That's a pretty terrifying ratio of deaths."

Gravis nodded.

Joyce lifted a finger. "On top of that, there are different options for every trial. Every trial takes the cultivation of the most powerful person into account and adjusts the difficulty."

Gravis frowned. "Then, wouldn't you be forced to partake in a trial for the Sapling Stage? After all, I will directly break into the Sapling Stage as soon as I enter, while you will remain in the initial Stage."

Joyce's eyes widened. "You are already ready to reach the Sapling Stage? That's incredible! You're really fast in your cultivation!"

Gravis waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, but what about the difficulty of the trials?"

Joyce smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. The trial also takes the number of cultivators into account. You can go solo while our group will go together. Like this, you have a solo trial for the Sapling Stage, while we have a four-man trial for the initial Stage."

When Gravis heard that, he released a sigh of relief. With this option, his enmity with Heaven wouldn't involve the other group. The highest Heaven didn't like it when the lives of cultivators were wasted. This lower Heaven would be forced to make it fair for the group, while it would do everything to kill Gravis. Though, just to be sure, Gravis had to do one more thing. If he wanted to give Joyce a better chance of finishing the trial, he would need to increase her worth to the highest Heaven.

"There is something important that I need to tell you. This thing might secure your survival in the inheritance," Gravis said.

Joyce was surprised and intrigued by Gravis' claim. "Oh? Do tell!"

only cared about people that could continue ascending. Everyone that didn't reach the Unity Realm via the Self Stage would only become fertilizer. He didn't tell Joyce about Heaven's need for Energy or similar stuff. After all, Heaven wasn't the

the ground. "I… didn't go through the tenth Stage of Magic Gathering," she said. "Does that mean that

at the initial Stage of Spirit Forming. At most, you will lose three years of progress in exchange for actually having a chance of reaching your goal. Your will will remain just

an aggressive shout as Marvin, the Patriarch, and also Joyce's father, broke through the door. "Destroy my daughter's

long time. Meanwhile, Joyce grew angry at her

my daughter, and your well-being is the most important thing to me! Do you even know how hard it is to ascend while

up aggressively. Her chair and table got destroyed while Gravis'

like he couldn't believe that words like this came out of her mouth. "I'm your father! I only want the best for you, so how dare

future. It was her life, and she needed to show and have an independent cultivator's power and conviction. If he involved himself, Joyce would maybe start relying

Joyce shouted in anger. "You have heard Gravis and what he said! It makes perfect sense! My goal isn't ascension, but becoming genuinely powerful! If he hadn't told me about the ongoings of the higher world, I would've run into a dead-end! At that point, I would

his teeth. "And you believe everything he says!? He said he came from a higher world but is

nonchalantly,

but that doesn't make it impossible for you to lie! That's not

daddy! Don't shout at my guest!" Joyce shouted

going on here!?" came a shout from Reginald

side. Like this, everything devolved into a shouting match between Joyce, Reginald,

finished his tea and put the cup to the

leaned against it, and waited. It was awkward to be the only one sitting in

intensified as Joyce wouldn't relent. Her refusal to accept her father's orders was something that hadn't happened yet, at least not to this extent. After some minutes of shouting,

as he

because of Joyce," Gravis said with disdain. "You just can't accept that your dream of ascension is broken. You can't

don't know me, and you don't know what you're talking about!

that can flatten your whole clan in a matter of seconds," Gravis