With just a week remaining before the opening of the Temple of Divine, anticipation filled the air, yet Max remained calm and focused. He stood silently in the vast white world, his eyes closed, a sword gripped firmly in his hands.

A vibrant red and blue glow enveloped the blade, each color representing one of his mastered auras—Flame Aura and Sword Aura.

The two forces clashed violently, their energies surging and writhing like battling titans. Sparks of heat and sharpness filled the air, a vivid display of their inherent struggle for supremacy.

However, one could also notice the tamed nature of these auras. They were violent yet not overwhelmingly so. It seemed as though some sort of stalemate was between them as no matter how fierce each aura became it was counter by the other.

As the minutes passed, the chaotic interplay between the auras began to shift. The red flames no longer sought to dominate the sharp blue energy, and the piercing Sword Aura started to soften its edge.

Slowly but surely, the two forces began to intertwine, their fierce battle giving way to an intricate dance of balance. Then suddenly, the sword pulsed, releasing a surge of deadly intent that rippled outward. This pressure carried not just power but also the promise of destruction, should balance falter.

'I have to take it slow,' Max thought, using the power of all 15 Draconic Essence to hold the sword tightly as he gripped it.

The merging process was deliberate, almost agonizing in its pace, as the energies cautiously tested the boundaries of coexistence.

Time stretched as the process continued.

After what felt like an eternity, the red and blue glows stopped fighting altogether, blending into a harmonious dual-colored aura. The fusion radiated an unparalleled intensity, its presence alone seeming to distort the space around Max.

Suddenly, a notification appeared before Max's eyes.

[Congratulations to Max Voidwalker for reaching the Fusion State of two Auras. A reward awaits after the completion of the fusion.]

[Fusion State: 1%]

"Yes!" Max shouted triumphantly, his eyes snapping open as he saw the notification.

"I've done it!" he shouted, glancing at the sword shining with a red and blue glow. The intent emitting from the blade was far stronger than what he had previously gained by superimposing the auras.

It was on a totally different level than before.

"And it's only 1% fusion state… What will happen when it reaches 100%?" Max trembled in excitement about the future of aura fusion. He was happy that practicing alone for years bore some fruit for him.

Tapping his holowatch, he noticed the date and muttered to himself, "About a week is left. I should level up."

He had been at level 3 of the Apprentice Rank for a while now. It was time for an upgrade.

---

Max spent the last week stabilizing his fusion state and getting accustomed to it while absorbing as many cores as possible to level up.

However, he noticed something very disturbing. Even after absorbing so many Apprentice Rank cores, he failed to level up. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire

'It's like my body is rejecting all these energies from the cores,' Max thought, frowning.

After taking some Adept Rank cores, he was finally able to level up to level 4 of the Apprentice Rank.

'Am I feeling wrong, or is it taking way more cores now to level up?' Max wondered silently as he opened his stats to check.

---

[Max]

– Rank: [Apprentice]

– Level: 4

– Class: [Dimensional Keeper]

– Title: [Limitbreaker, Aura of Primordial]

– Physique: 14.4

– Soul: 12.2

– Energy: 26

– Skills:

—» Class Skills: [Three Dimensional Body, Dimension of Time, Dimension of Spirits, Dimension of Flames]

—» Acquired Skills: [Magic Sword Barrage (Lvl-78), Advanced Sword Arts (Lvl-70), Phantom Dash (Lvl-78), Celestial Tempest (Lvl-40), Flame Genesis (Lvl-57), Abyssal Coating (Lvl-67), Eternal Bulwark (Lvl-45), Sky Float (Lvl-80)]

– Comprehensions: [Sword Aura (Lvl-1), Flame Aura (Lvl-1)]

—» Fusion State: [Sword + Flame] - [3%]

– Bloodline: [Black Dragon Chaotic Bloodline]

—» Draconic Essence: [15]

—» Dragon Scales: [11]

---

Max was satisfied with his mastery of skills surpassing level 50. Since he had been dedicating most of his time to the fusion of the two auras, he had somewhat neglected the training of his skills. Nevertheless, he had still managed to level up their mastery to over level 50—most of them, anyway.

Glancing at the 3% fusion state, Max furrowed his brows. "Increasing the fusion state is very difficult." He recalled how much effort he had put into the fusion process over the last week to increase it to 3%.

He couldn't imagine what it would take to increase the fusion state to 100%.

"It's difficult, but not impossible," Max muttered, feeling the excitement of the challenge to do the impossible.

After that, he emerged from the Dimension of Time and went to take a bath.

Following that, he ate his meal and left his house to meet the others.

---

In a large meeting hall, a red-haired lady stood at the stage with several other adults. Their expressions were solemn as they murmured to themselves.

They were the leaders of the Phoenix Order guild and the leaders of the seven departments.

"A change of situation for all of you who are preparing to enter the Temple of Divine this time," Aurelia said loudly, her voice reaching the ten young men and women standing before the stage.

"This time, the Temple of Divine opened a portal to four other regions as well, including our East Region, if we ignore the direct entry into the temple that we have," Aurelia said, her voice solemn. "Therefore, there is no telling which forces you may encounter in the temple. Even among the five major guilds, you may face death situations, let alone the forces from the whole Valora Continent."

She added, "So, it's your choice whether or not you want to head into the temple. The guild won't force you to do anything. Also, from our sources, each of the portals, including ours, could give access to three Adept Rank geniuses. So, if you're not confident, then don't go."

Max frowned upon hearing this. Previously, only the top five guilds had access to the Temple of Divine, but now it involved the entire Valora Continent.

Moreover, the addition of Adept Rank experts really added pressure to the others, including Max.

'This really increases the challenge to a whole new level,' he thought grimly, glancing at the lady beside him.

Taking a peek at her determined look, Max sighed. 'It doesn't look like she is willing to back down.'

"Why did this abnormality happen?" Anton, who stood with them, asked.

Aurelia pondered thoughtfully before replying, "The matter isn't clear. It had never acted this way before, so the five guilds are clueless about it. Only by entering the temple would one know the reason."

She glanced at the ten individuals and asked, "Those who wish to enter the temple, stay. Those who don't, can leave." She waited a minute or two after saying that, but nobody left.

Seeing that, Aurelia smiled and waved her hands. "The temple will open in five hours. You have one hour to rest before we depart for the temple."

With those words, she left the stage with the other leaders of the departments.

Max glanced at Alice beside him. "You've already reached level 3 of the Apprentice Rank," he said, smiling.

Alice nodded, her face a little dimmed. "Hmm, but I don't think mother will let me enter the temple."

Max wanted to nod in approval, but he shook his head in pity. "I guess you can't do anything about it."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay