Under the cobalt light of the dungeon, Alexander walked, his left, long sleeve fluttering below the elbow.

After a few hours of slow walk, a gate appeared. But this time, it lacked the light curtain blocking the way in. Happy to see this, Alexander continued on, going through the gate. What lied further in was another giant hall, but instead of pillars or people hiding as statues, there were four steles of stone.

On each of them was different engravings.

Remembering a sign, Alexander walked backwards until he exited the room. Above the gate was a dusty signboard of stone. Dusting it off, he could read a few words.

[Four Imperial Steles]

Reentering, he read each stele carefully.

The leftmost one was first.

[Universal Stele]

Restrained it loses control. Without control, it loses domination.

Understanding is primordial.

I understand and reproduce a factice. I understand and separate the truth.

I understand and shatter the truth. I understand and separate the false before shattering its fading meaning.

'I see, it's talking about something. Yes, about something that probably exist. Alright next one.' Still recording everything, he looked to the center of the room, on the left side, another stele stood tall.

[Divine Stele]

Five fragments turn into one, the continuous birth of the Origin.

One turns into five, the continuous birth of Qi.

'Next.' Looking to his right, another stele.

[Chaos Stele]

Rule the world and you will succeed, control the faith and you will live.

The path towards Immortality is never ending. It is your role to find its limits, succeeding past the ancestral time and its graveyard.

"I still don't get it, alright last one." Gazing at the remaining stele on his right, he read.

[Heavenly Stele]

Space is lamenting. The newly born Universe cannot be shackled.

Impossible to be dominated under the Celestial Heavens.

Impossible to be contained under the order.

Can the World hold another?

'What am I supposed to understand? Why not just write what you mean in the first place? Why do they always do this... If it was a trial of comprehension, I would comply, but it does not seem like it. Or is it?' Stroking his beard, Alexander sat cross-legged on the tiled floor.

'Let's start with the easy one, the [Divine Stele]!'

Spending a few minutes figuring out what it could mean, an answer greeted him with open arms.

'It's about the types of Qi. Five... there is Qi, True Qi, Emperor Qi, Star Qi and finally Celestial Qi. That's five. And if we fuse all of them, we get the Origin? I never tried, but there is start to everything.'

Opening his right hand, his arm now fully healed, Alexander opened it wide, his five finger stretched in all directions.

Forming a ball of Celestial Qi in the middle of his palm, Alexander deconstructed it until five small orbs of energies were left.

One was white, Qi.

The second was yellowish-orange, True Qi.

The third was dark green, Emperor Qi.

The fourth one was blue with some white dots inside, like twinkling stars. Star Qi.

The last one was sky-blue. Celestial Qi.

Each orb rested on the tip of one finger each. They were patiently waiting.

After some time, Alexander simply decided to try his luck, merging all of them by closing his fingers together while moving the orbs to make sure each of them stayed at the right spot.

Alexander experienced resistance, and in the end, it even blew up on him.

'Is there a trick to this?'

Alexander did not understand the issue for now, so he simply decided to take a look at the [Universal Stele].

'This one... I got the feeling that it is the most important for me right now.'

Taking a deep breath, Alexander pondered on its meaning.

Like so, weeks quickly flew by. Then months and finally an entire year.

After a year, Alexander, testing many ideas and subjects, finally found a potential answer.

'Instinct Core! If I restraint it, it loses control over me, and therefore, its domination. Understanding it is primordial because of the next stage.'

With the help of the stele, Alexander felt that progressing to the next realm would be possible.

'Let me see... I have to understand it to the point where making a replica is possible. Then... I separate... the true one? Oh! It's about replacing it! I see... Does it want me replace it with a fake, then destroy it before destroying the fake one as well? Would that actually work? I first need to influence... ah! I can influence them now, since the Divine Root has been touched as well. My life wheel has parts of my Divine Root, which should be untouchable!'

'But back then, I had an enlightenment for this specific one... will I need another?'

Sighing, Alexander felt like he would be forced to stay in the Celestial Realm for a very long time.

Waving his arm, Alexander managed to store the steles inside a space ring, soon placed inside his internal world.

'That works? How nice!' Turning around, Alexander exited the hall before making sure to take everything of value on the ten dead bodies. After which he left the dungeon from where he came.

At the surface, everything was still the same desolate, not even the shockwaves of their battle could escape the dungeon.

On the way, Alexander kept contemplating on the steles' meaning.

'First thing I need is this mysterious power. The power to control that dimension where the Instinct Core resides. I may need to think more about the Divine Realm as well.'

Levitating higher, Alexander shot toward the Southern Demonic Continent.

In only a couple of months, Alexander had long since entered Tuzim, his feet now standing tall on the wavy grass. All around him was nothing but beautiful plains under a cloudy sky, a dense mist shrouding the horizon and its mysteries.

'I said that I would build a house here, and I will!' Circulating his overbearing might, Alexander shouted with fierceness.

"I want a beautiful house to be constructed here on the spot!" His powerful voice sent travelling an incredible distance in all directions, it was heard by countless experts across the region.

Feeling the power behind this voice, many could not stop their fear from overtaking them, immediately running towards the voice's origin.

Among them, one would even spot a few people at the Grand Gravitational Realm. These experts were rare in Tuzim, often leading masters of the entire region.

In a flash, an army of experts arrived. Some old and middle aged ones were Grand Gravitational Realm experts while the majority was obviously below.

Seeing a man floating in the sky, many knew that this character was not be trifled with. Only someone at the Grand Gravitational Realm could fly, and even then, this man was clearly much stronger.

As for these few leading masters, they, as stronger experts, could tell Alexander to not be an easy opponent either.

Even with much lower cultivation bases, they were not blind. Just his shout from earlier was enough to make them feel terror.

As for the man himself? They were not willing to find out.

"What are you all dwindling for? Go build me a beautiful house!"

His voice waking most from their stupor, the powerful experts immediately cupped their fists before starting to form groups. Among the people present, some would know how to build this house, and as cultivators, some of them could overturn the surroundings with their gravitational force.

Not wasting his breath on them anymore, Alexander flew some distance away before sitting cross-legged mid-air, contemplating the steles.

Time flowing, the house was starting to gain shape over the weeks.

Seeing Alexander ignoring them, many breathed a sigh of relief. As for those few that decided to flee, Alexander did not even need to make a move as multiple experts would immediately backstab that person.

They were shocked to die by their hands, and could not understand why.

The reason on the other side was actually quite obvious. Not only would they be showing their obedience and not offend Alexander, they might even curry some favorability.

The right choice was presented on a silver platter.

Once the second month came about, the giant 'house' had been completed.

Calling it a palace however, would have been more appropriate.

During the construction, some voiced their opposition to this decision, saying that Alexander never specified a palace. But this exact thought was used by the other group, shouting that someone of Alexander's stature could only mean as such. And that even if he did not, they would show their respect this way.

An old man who had started balding approaching, he cupped his fists while bowing.

"Your Excellency, your humble workers have completed your task! We all thank you for this opportunity."

Opening his eyes, Alexander glanced sideways at the old man before ignoring him all together.

'Licking my shoes are we?'

Gazing at the palace, Alexander nodded. The palace was not too grand nor too overbearing, it was big yet elegant. It also possessed many windows and balconies, a great addition for this mystical place.

Waving his hand dismissively, Alexander silently entered the grand, white palace.

Or so he would have done, if not for a peculiar spiritual fluctuation emanated from the dispersing crowd.

Turning his head right, Alexander spotted a young man and young woman. These two were fairly strong for Tuzim, both at the Celestial Harmonization Realm.

What picked Alexander's interest was not their cultivation at such a young age, no. It was the two spiritual fluctuations spreading from them.

Or more precisely, from the boy's ring and the girl's pendant.

Using his pressure to lock them in place, he waited for the crowd to disappear. Some turned around to cast a curious glance at the two kids still waiting when everyone had been dismissed. But after some hesitation, all of them left in a mere three minutes.

As for the two youths, both were staring at each other in fright. The pressure they felt was truly monstrous. Let alone move, they felt that if Alexander wished to, he could pressure their bodies until not even particles were left.

'M-Masters, what do we do? I'm scared!' The boy hurriedly asked someone that seemingly was not even there. His reaction was already impressive, as a young boy under fourteen years of age was still holding on. The girl seemed to be about the same age, and she too, was trembling, tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"You two kids, where are your masters? I felt spiritual fluctuations around your jewelries, how about they show themselves?" Slightly increasing the pressure, Alexander showed no mercy to such small and frail children. He had seen his fair share of terrifying kids and the same could be said about the opposite. In both cases, he did not care and took them as seriously as old masters.

"Stop! Your Excellency, why not stop there? Please give this old master some face!" A pale blue figure shooting out from the boy's ring, it stood some distance above the ground, stroking its beard. With a solemn look on his face, the old man tried to escape this predicament with some flowery words added to a sprinkle of etiquette.

"That's right! Your Excellency seem extraordinary, so why focus on two poor children? Please have some restraint, it would tarnish your reputation!" This time, it was an old woman leaving the girl's pendant. She was a remnant soul as well, pale blue and translucent.

His face showing not a single change, Alexander stared them in the eyes for a few moments each. After which, he parted his lips.

"Trying to hide from this Alexander, you brats are still too young! As for the two younger kids behind, as accomplices, they should be held responsible as well."

The two souls' faces turning incomparably ugly, they still kept decorum, cupping their fists.

"Your Excellency, please be magnanimous! If there is way for us to be forgiven for this transgression, please give the word!" Saying these words, the old man felt humiliated inside. How many would even dare look at him in his prime? Yet a middle aged man with skin suppler than a fair maiden's was looking down on him and his wife.

"It depends on what you have. To be honest, I'm in a good mood, so I can let you go if you say the right words, but if you don't..." His eyes turning cold, Alexander waited for their response.

Gulping, the two souls exchanged a few looks, before nodding.

"We... can accept you as a disciple and make you reach heights unseen!"

Veins bulging on his forehead, Alexander was a hair's breadth away from extinguishing the two's souls on the spot.