"The others have gotten here some time earlier and have thus become slightly more familiarized, but the core teachings will start now as you join us."
Noah nodded as he came forward, glancing at the other white robbed disciples that ranged from various races, with many of them mostly humans. He ignored the looks he was receiving for now as he moved closer and joined their ranks, the Celestial Grandmaster speaking once more.
"For the basic introductions, all of the newly appearing Celestial Disciples will be distinguished by the white robes they wear, with those who distinguished themselves and rose in power being able to receive the black robes, and once you become full fledged Celestials, obtain the red robes."
"As you have all noticed, the robes do not hold any sort of special defenses or power, and are simply there for distinction as you pave your way towards higher levels of power."
The Grandmaster spoke to the faces around him, many of them already knowing this information, with Noah being the only one receiving it now. The Grandmaster looked at the white robed disciples as he continued.
"Many of you have been recruited across the vast stars because of the unique talents and skills you have shown, with some of you even personally chosen by me."
A few happy faces could be seen as this was mentioned, the speaker paying no heed as more information was divulged.
"What I can tell you now is that we are honest and straightforward here, rewarding those that excel, while those that lag behind will gradually being forgotten in the dredges of time. We create champions that are able to stand for Order and Balance, but all of these champions begin at the same place you are all in, so have faith!"
Many of the white robed disciples remained with their strong expressions as they heard these words, believing utmost in their genius that had managed to catch the eyes of the Celestials and have them invited to be here in the first place.
"In this Celestial Star, you will learn a source of power that reigns the strongest, and you will learn how to properly utilize this power as even the genius feats you made before will all be left in the dust."
Vibrant gold light shone from the Grandmaster as he finished these words, waving his hands as the entire scenery around them changed, a brand new atmosphere appearing around them as they saw numerous golden rivers moving past them, with sparkling stars occupying their sights as it felt like they weren't just standing on a mountainous clearance just now!
It was a magnificent scene of a fantastical environment where one could observe numerous rivers of gold passing around them with numerous stars hanging all around to complete the picture.
The Celestial Grandmaster clenched his fist as they observed a small golden river pulled towards him, his eyes sparkling with a grand light as his voice resounded once more.
"We must start you off with a strong base and knowledge, so we shall start with something that is extremely simple, yet also the most complex. We will start by talking about Fate."
…!
A shimmering scene of wonder began playing itself out in front of Noah as he intruded on the 7th Celestial Star, receiving lessons the moment he arrived as it seemed they were just waiting for him!
Chapter 328 - Fate 101
Many would find themselves pondering, what exactly was fate?
Some call it destiny- a predetermined set of events that were bound to happen, but was that all it was?
"This golden river in my hands, or the free-flowing river you were all observing before I changed the surroundings, they all have a predetermined reality that they have to follow."
The mythical river that the Celestial Grandmaster had plucked was struggling in his hands as it wanted to quickly find a way out.
"But...what if it was possible to manipulate that reality? What if it was possible to manipulate fate?"
Thin lines of light released from his body as they covered the struggling river, gradually causing it to come down as it became as docile as possible. No more struggles occurred as the river became a circular lake, standing still as the Grandmaster raised his hands up.
"When one becomes proficient enough, manipulating and influencing these predetermined sets of realities becomes possible."
As he was speaking, his hands plucked out multiple golden flowing rivers around him as he turned them into docile lakes that serenely floated around him. It was at this moment though, that one could see the first river he had turned into a lake begin to tremble as it reformed back into a river.
"But this brings us to the next point that all of you have to ingrain into your origins. Things will always go back to the natural state they were in, a natural state that is filled with randomness and disorder. From a calm lake into a surging river, the thing to be understood is that at the core of all of it- randomness, or disorder, will always increase."
The lake had reformed into a raging golden river that flowed around the Celestial, disrupting the nearby lakes as they soon began to tremble. The point that the Grandmaster seemed to be making was that once things returned to this state of disorder, they would go even further as they made the surrounding entities also fall into a similar state!
"That is where the Celestials come in. We are students of Fate, and our goal is to make sure that the things which have been influenced and manipulated remain in that state of balance, that they remain ordered. This can be very hard to achieve for those who are not proficient in the Law of Fate."
He waved his hands again as numerous golden lines fell onto the trembling lakes that were about to return into rivers, their forms being stabilized once more as they remained still. But the single raging river fought against the thin golden lines as it remained wild, the raging waves around it actually increasing!
"Though sometimes you will have a force that will simply not adhere to this influence of fate, and continues to fall into more and more randomness, bringing about even greater disorder. When you reach this stage…"
The golden lines releasing from him turned a shade of red as they wrapped around the golden surging river, tightly binding it as destructive lights were released, the Celestial Disciples watching on in shock as the river was slowly strangled until it exploded into a steam of nothingness!
"...you will learn to simply snuff this force out, and observe as everything around it more easily and permanently maintains Order."
Noah watched on with wide eyes at this principle as the numerous rivers which had been turned into lakes floated serenely around the Celestial Grandmaster, not a single one of them even showing a sign of changing back as even the slightest trembling could not be seen!
"This world we are in, this galaxy, this universe- they are all in a constant state of randomness and disorder that only increases as time passes. Whatever is born will eventually die, no matter if it is a human, a fairie, demon, or even a star."
The voice of the Celestial Grandmaster was gradually becoming elevated as it seemed he was releasing a profound lecture that they would never come across again in their entire lifetimes.
"We, the Celestials, have chosen to be the pioneers of fate that work every second to bring Order and Balance in this environment of constant and ever so increasing disorder!"
His voice boomed out as it shook the origins of every listening disciple, even the ones that had already heard this speech before!
"With our continued understanding and proficiency in the Supreme Law of Fate, we have been able to bring an order never before seen in this Light Expanse, a level of Order that has prevented the deaths of trillions of beings and millions of stars."
"I know many of you come from different worlds where you may have heard different rumors and ideas about us on what we really stand for. Some of you may have a picture of us as simple tyrants who force our wills onto others. Some of you may look at our actions and call them vile or detestable, while some of you may think of us as merciful saints who have saved neighboring worlds and beings you know!"
The gaze of the Celestial Grandmaster was moving acros
s every single white robbed disciple as his voice reached a pitch that seemed to resonate with the mystical flowing atmosphere he had transferred all of them in.
"Some of you may have lived in worlds where our name brought fear and silence, while some of you may have lived in stars where you looked up and were proud just to hear the name of Celestials be mentioned. You may think a great deal of things about Celestials, but you will only truly understand who we are and what we do after you have truly stepped onto the path to becoming a Celestial yourself!"
His gaze landed on Noah as he felt a sense of gravity unlike anything he had come across before, the gaze of the Celestial Grandmaster shifting to a being next to him as he became able to breathe easy once more.
"Once you become a true student of fate and you start asking yourself- what does fate have in store for me, and how can I influence it to bring about the most order in the lands around me- only then will you be able to understand just how paramount the task we Celestials have out in front of ourselves is."
A shimmering look occupied the aged face of the Grandmaster as he continued.
"We are going against the natural flow of events, bringing and maintaining order in worlds that seek to constantly be more random! It is a task that you will only realize the immensity of in time…"
"So, our new recruits, pay attention as you begin to explore the workings of fate, and pay even closer attention to your own actions and the result they bring. To start you off on your journey, we shall start with the simple techniques that will allow you to condense the abstruse Law of Fate into your own bodies."
The Grandmaster waved his hands as numerous shining crystals appeared in front of every single White Robed Disciple.
"This is the primary technique that will allow you condense Lines of Fate into your body, these Lines being your most supreme foundation as you will realize that ranks and levels become meaningless in your eyes, that if you have the talent in the Law of Fate and hold an insurmountable number of Fate Lines- not a single thing will be able to stand against you!"
A shocking impact was left on the hearts of many of the new disciples as they reached out towards the sparkling Inheritance Stones, Noah reaching out for the one in front of him as numerous information entered his mind and a new skill became available to him.
Under the tab of unique skills, a golden shining skill by the name of {Fate's Disciple} was showing itself in a spectacular fashion as he received the first lesson from the Celestials!
Chapter 329 - Fate 101 (II)
"The first technique that we shall start with is the basis of all Celestials. It is the technique that allows us to condense lines of fate into our origins, and we can then use these Fate Lines to provide us abundant strength."
The Grandmaster continued to speak as numerous bouts of information was received by the White Robed Disciples from the floating Inheritance Stones. Noah already had this information simplified in front of him as he observed the details of the unique skill!
{Fate's Disciple} :: A technique geared towards cultivating the Supreme Law of Fate. Grants the user the ability to inscribe the unique energy of fate into their origin in the form of Fate Lines.
The description was fairly simple, but Noah did not even think of activating it as he looked forward to the Celestial Grandmaster.
"Many of you were chosen because of your own unique genius, and you will have a chance to prove yourselves in the next few days as you get to learn whether you are a true genius, or simply a star that shone slightly brighter than others."
"I will remind you now that we reward those who exceed, while those who do not show talent almost always get left behind!"
The gaze of the Celestial Grandmaster was impassive as he said this, waving his hands as multiple outlines of humanoid bodies appeared in front of them.
"What do I mean when I say talent? Talent for the law of fate varies across beings, but the first prerequisite for a high talent in being able to comprehend this law is the utter and absolute mindset of high aspirations for yourself and the things you are connected to. You will come to find that most geniuses of fate are the ones that have numerous connections, their livelihood influencing the fates of many beings that they are connected to."
The three outlines of humanoid bodies in front of them glowed different shades of color. One was dark, another had a slight golden light, and the third was shining bright gold!
"Take this first being for an example."
The Grandmaster pointed to the dark humanoid outline as he continued.
"There is no talent in fate, while the next one has slight talent, and the third one has tremendous talent. But…!"
RUMBLE!
Essence erupted as the outlines rapidly changed, showing a gradual passage of time as the outline that was dark became brighter and brighter, the second outline that held a slight gold light remained the same, while the third outline that shone brightly before became dimmer and dimmer.
"...you will realize as time passes that those who are talented can become nothing, others simply remain the same, while those with no talent can rise to unimaginable heights. All of this will depend on a being's aspiration, and what they do to actually act on their aspirations and influence the fates of numerous beings around them."
"We, the Celestials, have grand aspirations! Aspirations that cover numerous planets, and we have actively acted on our aspirations over the years, granting us unbelievable power under the Law of Fate as we influence things at a scale never before imagined."
The Grandmaster waved his hands as the images of the humanoid outlines disappeared, his gaze landing on the many White Robed Disciples enraptured with his presentation.
"Over the next few days, you will find out whether you already hold tremendous talent with numerous lines of fate converging towards you the moment you begin cultivating {Fate's Disciple}, or if you will be a late bloomer who will struggle before exploding...or if you will simply be left behind."
POP!
They heard the sound of a bubble popping as the illusory world that the Grandmaster had summoned them to disappeared, finding themselves back on the paradisiacal clearing with numerous vegetations all around, the large building in the distance standing strong.
"If you find yourselves stumbling, ask the Black Robed and Red Robed Celestials for help. I will be observing your progress closely."
The Celestial Grandmaster finished his words as he began disappearing into particles of light, the two Red Robed Celestials that let out an oppressive aura at the peak of Soul Forging Realm nodding their heads to the disciples and standing up as a cacophony of discussion erupted from all around.
Noah was rereading the description of the unique skill, {Fate's Disciple}, as the many White Robed Disciples around him had split off into groups or had begun talking with the higher-ranked Black Robed Disciples.
One of the Red Robed Celestials observe Noah standing blankly by himself as he waved his hands, a golden plaque appearing in front of his eyes that described everything there was to know about the being called Crixus, his eyebrows lifting as he read about the ability this genius had to use Aether!
He nodded in satisfaction as he approached Noah and asked.
"Young disciple, what can I clarify for you?"
Noah glanced at this being that was smiling in a helpful manner as he replied.
"These Fate Lines you mentioned, how exactly does one use them after they are condensed into their bodies?"
Noah asked a random question as he wondered how he should play his cards for this very important beginning of this new journey, a brilliant reply coming as the body of the red-robed Celestial began to shine with numerous lines.
"I've made my own Fate Lines visible as an example. Using {Fate's Disciple} uses up your own essence in exchange for assimilating a line or a few lines of fate depending on your talent and reserves of energy. You sometimes find people who have a grand fate laid out for them to be able to assimilate numerous Fate Lines very quic
kly, only to be hindered by the small amount of energy they have as they advance slowly thereafter."
"You also find those with high realms and abundant energy not being able to condense any Fate Lines as they have no talent for it. All you have to do is move your essence according to {Fate's Disciple} and observe what talent you truly have. You do not need to actively use your Fate Lines for now, as they augment your strength passively!"
The Red Robed Disciple spoke with a fervent expression as his body gave off an oppressive feeling, the numerous golden lines on his body bringing a horrible feeling of oppression to anyone that was near.
"You will realize the uses of Fate Lines more as you receive more techniques in the future, but I can tell you a huge secret now about Fate Lines."
Noah listened closely as the light gradually died down on the being in front of him.
"If you are proficient in condensing fate lines and acc.u.mulate a tremendous amount of them, you will find yourself easily matching those in higher realms simply because of the force that Fate Lines provide your strength. A Saint Realm being defeating a Void or Soul Forging Realm expert is within the realm of possibility!"
Grand words came out of this Red Robed Celestial's mouth as it sparked the spirits of the numerous listening White Robed Disciples as they began to cultivate {Fate Disciple}. Noah nodded to the being in front of him as he took a meditative position himself, being very careful but very much looking forward to seeing how this would all turn out!
Chapter 330 - Talent?
Noah's ears were picking up a few discussions from his expanded senses as he gradually came to realize the reason why he had received some looks when he first came here.
Beside him, many of the selected Celestial Disciples that wore the white robes currently were tremendous geniuses from powerful Prime Worlds, or were beings that already lived in this Celestial Star and were just now beginning their journey on the Law of Fate as official Celestial Disciples.
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