Chapter 744: Chapter 744

As artificial intelligence, Sasha had witnessed countless Cosmic Radiances. They were nothing new to her.

But Li Pin... how long had it been since he became an Astral God? How much time had he spent reaching Solar Flare? He had already become a Cosmic Radiance? Just like that?

"This... this is too fast," muttered Sasha in disbelief.

Li Pin let out a sigh, a hint of regret in his voice. "Yeah... too fast."

He focused on a line of stats that he had just brought up.

[Perfect Realm 55 Million Form: 0/1]

[Perfect Realm 60 Million Form: 0/1]

[Perfect Realm 65 Million Form: 0/1]

[Perfect Realm 70 Million Form: 0/1]

These were all painstakingly trained on the Supreme Ladder. But now... they were useless.

"What a shame," Li Pin sighed. "My cultivation is advancing too quickly. The foreign races were forced to change their plans again and again because of my breakthroughs. In the end, they even gave up trying to assassinate me. And it's not just them. My own plans have also been thrown into a mess by how quickly I'm progressing."

He had originally planned to challenge the prodigies of the Humanity Sanctum, climbing one step at a time from the Starfire List, to the Wildfire List, and finally to the World Glory List.

But now, it was all over. With his True Spirit condensed and his rise to Cosmic Radiance, there was no chance left.

Listening to Li Pin's disappointed tone, Sasha was lost for words.

She hardly had the chance to comment on this absurdity when a thought dawned on her.

"Cosmic Radiance! You've reached Cosmic Radiance!" exclaimed Sasha. She suddenly looked at Li Pin and said, "You've only been cultivating for less than two hundred years. That means you might still qualify to enter this era's Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War as part of the prodigy group—representing humanity and fighting for its glory."

"Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War?" Li Pin paused for a moment. "That sounds familiar..."

Sasha replied, "Of course. It's something every cosmic civilization eventually comes across. It involves all human civilizations across the universe.

"This competition is held once per era and plays a critical role in shaping humanity's development in the next era. When the time comes, every human territory and nation will give it their full attention. Cultivators, Astral Gods—everyone watches, everyone cheers for the victors."

She continued, "This era's Dominion War will begin in one hundred and four years. I only brought it up because it aligns with your personality, your preferences, and the cultivation path you've chosen."

"Go on," Li Pin said.

"You already know that in the vast universe, the greatest threat to intelligent life is the Void Faction—their Void Lifeforms and Abyssal Beasts. These enemies are nearly impossible for any faction of Existence to avoid. And to resist the Void Faction, all Existence Factions must unite..."

Sasha waved her hand lightly. "However, even within just the Human Race, power struggles are inevitable. Let alone the entire Existence Faction, a loosely bound alliance of various races. Besides humanity, there are eight sovereign races and countless second-tier elite races within this faction.

"With such differing worldviews, values, and tribal philosophies, conflicts are bound to erupt, even under the looming threat of Void. Just look at the tensions between humanity and the Divine Race, or the Void Clan."

The hostility between humanity and the Divine Race had already reached a point where encounters almost always ended in a fight to the death. It was hard to imagine how the two could ever "unite" against the invasion of the Void Faction.

Sasha continued, "Every lifeform aligned with the Existence Faction understands that if the Void Faction is allowed to spread unchecked, all traces and concepts of existence will be wiped out. Everything, without exception, will return to the Eternal Oblivion.

"In such a scenario, no matter the grudges between races or the hatred accumulated over billions of years, there remains a shared understanding: they must stand together against the Void Faction. And to resolve the deep-seated, irreconcilable conflicts between races, the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War was created."

Sasha's tone grew solemn. "The strongest of each race gather on a single stage. All grudges are laid bare and settled through combat. The losers must yield and accept the victors' terms without condition—terms that include, but are not limited to, territory, population, resources, and inheritance."

"Territory, population, resources, inheritance... all of that?" Li Pin frowned. "Doesn't that mean the losers are completely at the mercy of the victors?"

Sasha nodded. "Indeed. The strength of a race can often be seen through its younger generation. If that generation is wiped out, the older generation won't be much stronger. And even if they are, it's only a matter of time before the entire race declines. If the youth are repeatedly wiped out over decades, centuries, or even millennia, the race's elite will eventually be severed, and its overall strength will be pushed to the brink. At that point, stronger races can easily absorb them."

From her words, Li Pin could already grasp just how brutal the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War truly was.

Sasha projected the data as she spoke. "This is also why the Humanity Sanctum promotes the motto: 'A thousand years to reach Solar Flare, an epoch to attain Cosmic Radiance.' For cultivators from the Sanctum, and the wider human race, being able to compete in the Dominion War—and to emerge victorious—is the highest honor."

She paused, her tone growing solemn. "A supreme prodigy with the potential to rise as cosmic overlord is valued above even Sacred Monarchs or Heavenly Emperors, esecially in battles over core interests. To protect such individuals, Sacred Monarchs, and even Heavenly Emperors, would not hesitate to lay down their lives."

"Prodigies and Overlords."

Li Pin listened to Sasha's explanation while flipping through the projected data.

The competition format... felt oddly familiar.

The World's Top Martial Competition? he thought. The source of this content ɪs N()velFire.net

But compared to the relatively "simple" World's Top Martial Competition, the Ten-Thousand Tribes Dominion War was on a completely different level. The outcome of every battle could determine the rise or fall of an entire race.

Every contestant bore an immense burden. To win, they had to stake everything. In it, neither death nor the Eternal Oblivion Force held any deterrence. Nearly every match in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War ended with one side either killed or consumed by the Eternal Oblivion Force. It wasn't uncommon for both sides to perish, their clashes ending in mutual destruction.

"You may have performed exceptionally in the past," Sasha said after a brief pause, "but compared to the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, you're still a step behind.

"Even in the Prodigy Division, over thirty percent of the participants are already at the Cosmic Radiance level, and the remaining seventy percent all wield devastating killing techniques..."

She paused. "It's not that they've perfected their control over power. It's that they can unleash attacks strong enough to bring mutual destruction. Take you, for example: before challenging the Supreme Ladder, your Perfect Realm was at forty million.

"But once you unleashed your Quantum Sword Intent or activated the Ruoxi Sword, the resulting force, which is like a cosmic explosion, could push your combat power past a hundred million.

"That's the kind of power every contestant possesses. Their explosive strength can exceed a hundred million, and to the higher-ups, they're almost treated like expendable assets, specifically trained for the Prodigy Competition."

She looked at Li Pin. "If everything goes as planned, given the potential you showed during the Supreme Ladder trials, someone will eventually come looking for you. They'll try to lead you down that path."

Li Pin raised his head slightly. "Me?"

Sasha nodded. "It's harsh, but it's the truth."

She paused for a moment. "Of course, choosing to be 'expendable' is entirely voluntary. If it's forced, it'll only backfire. You have every right to refuse."

"No," Li Pin replied.

His gaze remained fixed on the detailed information about the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

The Prodigy Competition was one thing. What really struck a chord with him was the brutal life-or-death struggles he read about in the Overlord Division. There, Tyrants fought without restraint, even risking contamination by Eternal Oblivion just to kill their enemies.

Something stirred within him, a sensation—a sense of blood that had long since been dormant.

That shouldn't have been possible. In his current Divine Body form, the concept of "blood" no longer existed. His body had already transcended into a structure formed purely of the densest dark matter points.

"Interesting," Li Pin murmured.

Sasha wasn't surprised.

After all these years of interaction, she understood him well. She knew that Li Pin could never resist the lure of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

In the past, despite his young age, his hopes of making a name for himself in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War were vivid.

But now? He was already a Cosmic Radiance.

Among the Prodigy contestants, only thirty percent had reached that realm.

With that, Li Pin's chances had improved significantly. Moreover, the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War was still one hundred and four stellar years away.

One hundred and four stellar years might only represent one-tenth of the age limit for the Prodigy Competition, but with Li Pin's rapid growth, if he received focused training during that time, he might just reach the Cosmic Tyrant level.

If he reached the Cosmic Tyrant Realm, winning the Prodigy Competition would be nearly guaranteed, and he could bring tremendous benefits to the entire human race.

"Give me the detailed information on the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War," Li Pin said.

"As you wish," Sasha replied with a nod. "Also, Your Highness, once you stabilize your current realm, you should try the Supreme Ladder again. To participate in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, your score at the 66th level of the Supreme Ladder... might still fall short."

Li Pin wasn't surprised. "So the 66th level isn't enough?"

In the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, Cosmic Radiance participants made up thirty percent of the Prodigy Division. And Cosmic Radiance participants were typically at the 71st or 72nd level of the Supreme Ladder.

Furthermore, every contestant would be heavily equipped with powerful Divine Items, making the 75th level the normal standard. His current record was indeed far from enough.

"I'll wait a few years, stabilize my realm, and then attempt the Supreme Ladder again," Li Pin said.