Sword God in a World of Magic

Shang once again returned to the palace, which was adorned in black and red colors.

Although these events had already taken place and Shang had merely unlocked a new memory, it felt as if he were encountering the God once more, much to his displeasure.

The Shang of the past, who was blonde and overweight, was not someone Shang wanted to see.

As always, the God wore an arrogant smirk while observing the young Shang.

Fortunately, this time, the young Shang knew exactly which question to ask.

He repeated the God's words, asking, "How can I acquire enough Mana to reach the Eighth Realm without assistance from the Empires and without attracting immediate attention?"

At the time of asking this question, Shang had no knowledge of Aterium, and most of the concepts mentioned were unfamiliar to him.

Mana?

Eighth Realm?

Empires?

And what did all of this have to do with being noticed or not?

The question was remarkably specific.

The God chuckled slightly and responded, "What an excellent question," indirectly praising himself.

"You know, you're actually fortunate to have asked this question at this moment. Although you may not realize it, this is likely one of the most pivotal moments for you in the future, if you manage to get there."

"Although I doubt you will ever reach the Seventh Realm. That would be quite extraordinary."

"Nevertheless, I will answer your question."

"The Spacetime Beast," declared the God.

The young Shang blinked a few times. "The Spacetime Beast?"

"The world I inhabit is actually flat, contained within a spherical barrier," explained the God. "Imagine living inside a ball where the lower half is filled with ground and the upper half with air."

"There are both lowest and highest points."

Many years ago, a Beast King with an affinity for Space and Time ventured to the world's edge and discovered the barrier. Naturally, the barrier exhibited potent spatial and temporal forces, and the Spacetime Beast clung to it, much like a fly on a wall.

Eventually, it began to ascend the wall until it reached the highest point.

To this day, the beast remains suspended there, concealed from everyone's knowledge. It is simply too distant from humanity, and not even the Emperors are aware of its presence.

Then, the God burst into laughter.

"But what the Spacetime Beast didn't know was that near the world's edge, the distortion of space and time is incomparable. The passage of time there is a thousand times slower than in the real world."

"This means that barely a thousand years have passed for it, which is relatively short for beings at the eighth level."

"After all this time, it remains in the Early Beast King Realm. If you manage to reach the Peak of the Seventh Realm, you might stand a chance against it."

"Fly upward and search for it, but be aware that it excels at concealing itself using its spatial abilities. You must search meticulously."

The God's smirk widened. "However, even if you succeed in killing it and reaching the Eighth Realm, you will essentially become an infamous criminal. I wonder what you will do then."

"It's a shame I'll probably never witness that. Well, you win some, you lose some."

And that marked the end of the memory.

'A hidden Beast King,' Shang pondered.

The existence of a hidden Beast King seemed nearly impossible. After all, the Emperors had reigned over the world for an extensive period, and their Spirit Senses collectively covered everything except the Eternal Ocean.

Moreover, the emergence of a new Beast King would be felt due to the significant decline in Mana that the world would experience, a change that would quickly catch everyone's attention.

Lastly, Beast Kings could only live for 100,000 years, and since the Mage Emperors had ruled for over 300,000 years, any hidden Beast King would have perished long ago from old age.

Yet, against all odds, there was one, and the reason was that the Spacetime Beast existed within severely distorted spacetime, drastically slowing the passage of time.

Against all odds, a hidden Beast King truly existed.

'If all else fails, I can kill the Beast King,' Shang contemplated. 'However, winning the tournament is still a far better option. If I slay and consume the Beast King, all the other Emperors would seek to kill me. Only the Lightning Emperor would support me.'

'At least now, I'm not entirely dependent on the Empires, thanks to the existence of the Beast King.'

After further contemplation, Shang's mind returned to the real world.

"I'm finished," Shang declared.

In the next moment, a portal opened before him, and he stepped through.

The Lightning Emperor had promised to oversee Shang's breakthrough.

Shang entered the library and took a seat at the table.

The Lightning Emperor regarded Shang with furrowed brows.

"I had my doubts, but now everything makes sense," the Lightning Emperor said, sounding slightly concerned.

Shang wasn't entirely sure what the Lightning Emperor meant.

"When you reached the Sixth Realm, and I heard about your sixfold Spirit Sense, I was puzzled," the Lightning Emperor explained. "Although your Aura was undoubtedly clearer than that of anyone with a fivefold Spirit Sense, it still felt somewhat different compared to that child's Aura."

"Your Aura seemed to lack a particular color, as if something was missing when compared to him."

"Now, I understand why," the Lightning Emperor sighed. "Your Aura now matches that child's Aura."

"It appears that despite my high estimation of that child, I still underestimated him."

The Lightning Emperor fell silent for a moment, looking off to the side.

"I feel like I narrowly avoided a disaster by not killing you."