Solanky then turned towards Opman and asked a question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Why is this world's structure divided into separate realms? Furthermore, why must the beings living within it attain a certain level of strength before they can enter the higher realms?"
Opman's avatar smiled faintly before explaining.
"Unlike the outside world, where the spiritual and physical worlds are either intertwined or exist in separate layers, this world was created as an experiment. My main body wanted to comprehend the extreme path of spirituality, so he designed this pocket world around a cultivation system that was eighty percent spiritual and twenty percent physical.
"Consequently, the beings born or reincarnated within this world possess considerably stronger spiritual power than their counterparts in the outside world.
"To give you an example, a level fourteen being, which corresponds to the Transcendent Entity level, could fight against and even defeat a half-step peak-turn immortal god lifeform from the outside world. This is possible because the spiritual power and world power of the inhabitants here have been integrated since their birth or reincarnation.
"Another peculiar characteristic of this world is that it has no half-step stages within its cultivation hierarchy. Once a being's spiritual power reaches the required threshold, they are considered to have attained that level, regardless of whether their physical body has caught up.
"For instance, a level fifteen being here possesses strength comparable to a being at the late peak-life of the second turn, relying entirely on spiritual power. However, such a being would still be utterly outmatched when confronted by someone possessing third-turn power. The difference between them would be like night and day.
"Furthermore, the fifteenth level, which represents the highest publicly attainable cultivation realm within this world, is divided into three major stages: early, middle, and late.
"The early stage encompasses the first through third turns. The middle stage covers the fourth through sixth turns, while the late stage extends from the seventh through ninth turns.
"Therefore, the ceiling of cultivation within this world is rank fifteen, corresponding to the true peak-turn level."
Sigh!
Opman's avatar released a faint sigh before continuing.
"It's unfortunate that despite existing for trillions of years, no being within this world has ever reached the late stage of the fifteenth rank. The strongest inhabitants have only managed to approach the middle stage, making their cultivation comparable to yours.
"Before leaving this pocket world and returning to the draft world, my main body discovered that relying solely on the comprehension of laws and concepts originating within this world would only allow its inhabitants to reach the threshold of the late stage of the fifteenth rank.
"That was why he permitted outsiders to enter this world. Their arrival would introduce different variations of concepts, unfamiliar laws, and entirely new ideologies, giving the inhabitants opportunities to expand their comprehension beyond the limitations of their original environment.
"Another reason true peak-turn beings are prohibited from entering this world is that they might inadvertently introduce the laws and concepts of other narrator-level beings.
"If such foreign laws or concepts were left unchecked, they could eventually develop to the point where they challenged me and my alter ego. Such a development could destabilise the entire pocket world and ultimately lead to its collapse."
Black God Solanky remained silent for a moment, contemplating the information he had just received.
There was another question he had wanted to ask ever since entering this pocket world.
"Why has no being originating from this pocket world ever been seen in the outside world?"
Opman's avatar released another sigh before answering.
"The reason is relatively simple. No being originating from this world can survive beyond the barriers of the pocket world without first receiving recognition from one of Opman's avatars. Their lifelines remain connected to this world, making them dependent on its existence for survival.
"This is fundamentally different from the inhabitants of the outside world. Once beings from the outside world reach the entity level, or rank fourteen, they begin producing their own spiritual energy and world energy through their internal worlds. Consequently, they are no longer entirely dependent on the external environment to sustain themselves.
"However, the inhabitants of this world, including those who have reached rank fifteen, possess no independent means of producing their own world energy or spiritual energy. Instead, they continuously draw upon the energies supplied by this pocket world.
"Fortunately, this limitation can be overcome once they reach the late stages of rank fifteen.
"At that point, they become capable of creating their own world cores and internal worlds. Although their world cores are formed considerably later than those of ordinary beings from the outside world, their quality is far superior.
"This is because, upon reaching that level, they receive an intricate world core architectural design originating from an above peak-turn being.
"Consequently, even when compared with special lifeforms from the outside world, their world cores are three times more powerful than those of calamitous lifeforms at the same cultivation level. Their purity and potency are equally extraordinary.
"Unfortunately, the current strongest being within this world has encountered a permanent bottleneck. There is practically no hope of further advancement through conventional cultivation.
"Nevertheless, I believe that with assistance from external forces, one of the inhabitants could overcome this limitation, rise above the current strongest, and eventually become the new owner of this pocket world."
Solanky immediately understood why no records existed of beings from this pocket world venturing into the outside world.
He also recognised an opportunity hidden within Opman's explanation.
By helping one of the indigenous inhabitants overcome the limitations of this world and reach the ninth turn, he could potentially gain something invaluable in return. Not only would he receive the benefits associated with the inheritance, but he could also acquire a powerful ally whose strength would be comparable to that of a ninth-turn being in the outside world.
Black God Solanky fell into deep contemplation.
Numerous possibilities flashed through his mind as he began calculating and evaluating suitable candidates capable of inheriting the pocket world.
He had already identified Golan and Oscar as potential candidates for this inheritance. Furthermore, he knew that he had slightly less than a million years to accomplish this objective.
Opman's avatar observed his contemplative expression but chose not to interrupt him.
As an avatar of Opman, he was naturally aware of everything happening within the pocket world. He also understood that Solanky had already selected certain individuals for the inheritance, even though he had yet to reveal their identities.
After some time, Black God Solanky finally stopped contemplating and raised three questions.
"How long will it take before the next great reset of this pocket world? Am I permitted to pass on my body cultivation techniques to its inhabitants? Also, what exactly is my role within this world, and what benefits will I receive for helping you accomplish your objectives?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Opman's avatar answered all three questions.
"The next great reset will occur in another ten million years.
"As for your body cultivation techniques, you are permitted to pass on the foundational techniques to beings beneath the entity level, which corresponds to rank thirteen.
"Your responsibility will be to act as the facilitator and protector of the individual you select for the inheritance. You will guide their development, provide the necessary assistance, and ensure that they have a genuine opportunity to overcome the limitations of this world.
"In exchange for your assistance, you will receive a treasure of the above peak-turn level.
"Unlike ordinary treasures of this calibre, which cannot be utilised by beings beneath the higher peak-turn, or ancestor level, this particular treasure can be used once you enter the true peak-turn level.
"More importantly, it will greatly accelerate the cultivation of your physical body. It can help you bypass the first and second turns of physical cultivation, allowing your physical body to catch up with your spiritual body's cultivation.
"At the same time, it will help consolidate your foundations, ensuring that you do not suffer from unstable fundamentals as a consequence of skipping those turns."
Black God Solanky was momentarily stunned.
He had not expected the reward to be so extraordinary. The prospect of obtaining a treasure capable of helping his physical body bypass the first two turns of true peak-turn cultivation filled him with considerable anticipation.
He nodded in satisfaction before bowing respectfully towards Opman's avatar.
Seeing this, the avatar continued.
"The remaining information will be directly imprinted into your memories. We should not prolong this meeting any further. The isolated world we have constructed here cannot remain active for too long. If it continues operating, my alter ego, which is concealed within the Continent of Darkness, might become suspicious.
"Remember this carefully. Under no circumstances should you allow any of your candidates to enter that continent.
"The moment they do, you will expose yourself to the threat posed by that evil alter ego.
"If such a situation occurs, your only viable option will be to flee this world while destroying or annihilating every being residing on the Golden Ring Continent.
"Therefore, I strongly advise you to establish a seal within your chosen candidates. Should any of them deliberately disobey your orders and attempt to enter the forbidden continent, the seal must activate and destroy them immediately.
"Even your manifested avatar must never appear before that alter ego. Otherwise, it could exploit the connection between your manifested avatar and your main body to summon your true body before it, just as I have done here."
Black God Solanky understood the seriousness of the warning.
The possibility of encountering the sinister alter ego of Opman was something he could not afford to take lightly. Considering the nature of the being concealed within the Continent of Darkness, even a seemingly insignificant mistake could expose him to an unpredictable threat.
He committed Opman's warning to memory and prepared to leave.
Opman's avatar subsequently formed several hand seals.
The surrounding space trembled as the isolated world constructed from the stars began to disintegrate. Its countless celestial bodies crumbled into fragments of light before gradually dissipating, returning the surrounding space to its original state.
At the same time, Black God Solanky's manifested avatar, which had remained comatose, finally awakened.
His consciousness returned to the body standing before the enormous whirlpool where the corpses had previously been gathered.
For a brief moment, he remained motionless, recalling the extraordinary information he had just obtained.
He then turned towards the direction of the distant throne room and bowed once more in respect.
Without wasting any further time, he turned around and ascended rapidly, leaving the River of Gods behind.