"...The Eighth Source River...the Path of Transcendence?"
Zhu Tang nodded, then closed his eyes and murmured softly in the Primordial Language.
In the Primordial Empire, the Path of Transcendence was called the Path of Transgressing Boundaries. Although they were the same path, the different names gave people different psychological impressions. This was one of those peculiar things one could only understand after leaving one's own country.
He nodded and quickly figured it out. "That does make sense. This Tower to the Heavens was built by people like us, who disrespected the will and mandate of Heaven. The words 'Tower to the Heavens' themselves conceal the idea of 'standing as Heaven's equal.'
"These ancient sages committed great acts of defiance and transgression, so Heaven was enraged and struck them with lightning... Is that how the story goes?"
But Zhu Tang soon came up with another question and switched back to Stibium Language. "But if that's the case, shouldn't these mages have followed the Path of Transcendence?"
"—That doesn't mean they didn't."
Iver shook his head and replied softly, "We divide the paths so clearly now because we know that following multiple paths simultaneously makes it easy to lose control. It's also because an individual path must be powerful enough to allow advancement into a 'profession.'
"The profession system is more stable, safer, and more convenient for people to obtain supernatural power. But in truth, it guides people's efforts in a single direction to achieve that result—it's an advancement model unique to the lifespan of the 'Short-lived Races.'"
Without the guidance of a profession system, the long-lived races freely explored the power of every path according to their own wishes. It was like an open-world game, or even a sandbox game. Everyone had their own way of playing, and thus developed different