Still, as they climbed higher through the levels, they began to notice that the process was gradually slowing down. The divine essence was still abundant, but each successive advancement required exponentially more energy.
The leap from the fourth level to the fifth took twice as long as the first. The sixth took longer still. Their bodies and souls were reaching the limit of how much they could refine in such a short time.
Yet, even then, the pace was unimaginable when compared to the natural process outside the platform. What took centuries in the world beyond now took only a few hours or days at most. The geniuses marveled at their progress, some nearly breaking into laughter, others trembling in disbelief.
