When John came back to himself, he found himself in a white room that stretched as far as his eyes could see. Tony stood beside him, wearing a confused expression.
"Didn't you say we were going to a new world? Then what the hell is this place?" Tony asked confused, his brow furrowed.
"How should I know?" John muttered.
"But stay alert in case something happens," John added, narrowing his eyes.
To their surprise, quite a few hours passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. The space stayed the same, which made both John and Tony increasingly irritated. Just as Tony was about to yell out in frustration, a deep voice echoed around them.
"How long has it been?"
The voice carried a mixture of joy and frustration, its tone ethereal.
Tony and John jumped at the sudden voice and glanced around frantically.
Seeing this, the mysterious speaker continued, "Worry not, young ones. I have no ill will toward you."
Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "Can you talk face-to-face? I don't like talking to thin air."
A soft chuckle sounded, and a cluster of lights gathered in front of them. After a moment, the lights formed the shape of a middle-aged man.
His hair was silver with streaks of black, and his round face bore a thin, silver beard on his chin. He wore clothes neither John nor Tony had seen before—a mix of a windbreaker on top and a tight-fitting, silver suit beneath. Tony wasn't sure what kind of material it was, but just looking at the man's imposing figure made him feel an unexpected sense of awe and respect. He quickly suppressed the feeling and crossed his arms.
Without hesitation, Tony bombarded the man with questions. "Yeah, great. Who are you? Where is this place? And how do we get out?"
But the mysterious figure ignored Tony completely, as though he didn't even exist. Instead, his scrutinizing gaze remained fixed on John. After a pause, he spoke solemnly.
"I have waited for you for a long time, Inheritor," he intoned, his voice deep and serious.
John's brows furrowed. "Inheritor?" He glanced at Tony, who shrugged helplessly.
Then John straightened, his expression serious. "Who are you? What is this place?"
"I am Eccaruss," the man replied, his voice resonating through the space. "Though this form is but a clone—a mere shadow of who I once was. My true self perished long ago."
Tony opened his mouth to ask another question, but Eccaruss didn't spare him a glance, his attention locked solely on John.
"This space is a protective layer my original self created before leaving me here to wait for you. Beyond this space lies my true inheritance—a place that took me hundreds of years to build. But let me warn you: obtaining my inheritance will not be easy."
John silently absorbed Eccaruss's words, his eyes brightening slightly. "Does the space stone belong to you?" he asked, though hesitantly. He wasn't completely sure.
"Mmm…" Eccaruss went silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you talking about the Space Crystal?"
"It's not a crystal—it's a stone," Tony interjected from the side. He was clearly annoyed at being ignored and jabbed at Eccaruss with no hesitation.
"It's a crystal, not a stone. If you don't understand anything, don't spout nonsense," Eccaruss replied sharply, his tone filled with disdain.
Tony smirked triumphantly, as if he'd won a small victory. "Touchy, aren't you? For a dead guy, you sure get mad easily."
Eccaruss's eye twitched in annoyance, but he refused to be baited. Instead, he returned his attention to John. "Can you explain it in detail?" John asked. He wanted to understand these stones—or crystals—better. Though his memories contained fragments, they were incomplete.
Eccaruss, still annoyed at Tony, finally looked at John. "It's called a crystal because it's the crystallization of a person's spirit, energy, and accumulated knowledge. When a being like us tries to break through to the fourth tier and ascend to a higher stage, they must undergo this process. Collectively, it's called the Crystallization Stage. Once completed, they can survive even if their physical body is destroyed."
Eccaruss paused and studied John. "But you should know all about it—after inheriting the Space Crystal. Why ask?"
John nodded calmly. "I got some memories from the Space Crystal, but they were fragmented. I can't understand everything."
"Is that so, huh?" Eccaruss nodded in understanding.
"By the way, you spoke about Tier Four and above," John continued, his curiosity evident. "What exactly does that mean?"
Eccaruss thought to himself, 'A long time must have passed; that's why the inheritance is incomplete. Yes, that must be it.'
"It's no secret," Eccaruss finally said. After a short pause to collect his thoughts, he continued, "In every realm or world, the cultivation systems differ, but collectively they're divided into eleven tiers. Tiers One through Four are considered basic, with no special titles. From Tier Five onward, each stage has a name. For example: Tier Five is the Crystallization Stage; Tier Six is the Elementalization Stage; Tier Seven is the Transformation Stage; and Tier Eight is the Demigod Stage. As for the rest, you'll discover them if you reach that stage one day."
Tony's eyes widened at the explanation, but he didn't get the chance to ask any more questions.
Eccaruss nodded. "Alright, both of you can go now. Start your adventure. But remember this: the more dangerous the situation you find yourself in, the greater the reward you'll receive once you overcome it." Saying that, Eccaruss waved his hand. Tony and John vanished, leaving him alone in the white space.
"Thank goodness I sent them away," Eccaruss muttered to himself. "Otherwise, I'd have to waste all my remaining energy explaining common knowledge to them." He sighed helplessly.
"Still, why do they give me a strange feeling?" Eccaruss muttered to himself. "No worries, I will find out soon enough."