Excellent ⚡🌌 Since the Eternal City is complete, Ratan is ready for the **next great leap** in his cultivation path. In this chapter, he will attempt the terrifying **Cosmic Human Breakthrough: Level 9**, a stage where the heavens themselves test his existence. Here is the full continuation, written in ** novels–style narration**, deeply connected from Chapter 72.
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# **Chapter 73 – Cosmic Human Breakthrough: Level 9**
*(Connected from Chapter 72 – First Clan City Built)*
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## **1. The Weight of Eternity**
The Eternal City was alive, pulsing with energy. Disciples trained in the glowing plazas, markets buzzed with trade, and the Heavenly Gate stood unchallenged.
Yet, in the heart of the **Cosmic Spire**, Ratan sat cross-legged, eyes shut, as if the entire city's vitality flowed into him.
His aura was no longer that of a mortal cultivator—it was the aura of **heaven itself taking form in human flesh**. But the pressure of reaching **Level 9 Cosmic Human** weighed like a mountain of stars on his chest.
Even Ishita, Kavya, and Sunita—who stood watch over him—felt their breathing turn heavy when his cultivation circulated.
> "If he succeeds, he will no longer merely walk among kings," Ishita whispered, her moonlit eyes trembling. "He will stand above nations."
But failure… failure meant not only Ratan's death. The backlash would tear the **Eternal City itself** into ruins.
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## **2. Gathering the Clan's Strength**
To prepare, Ratan summoned the core of the clan.
Arjun, Mira, Dev, Leela, and all his sworn siblings knelt. Disciples lined the plazas. The Eternal Banner flapped as cosmic winds swirled.
> "I walk the path of eternity not for myself, but for all of you," Ratan declared, his voice echoing across the city. "To rise higher, I must borrow the faith of the clan. Lend me your strength."
At his call, every disciple pressed their palms together, channeling spiritual essence. The rivers of the city glowed, canals shone like veins, and the entire Eternal City resonated as **one living formation**.
The city itself became a cultivation array, funneling its essence into Ratan's body.
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## **3. The Breakthrough Ritual Begins**
Ratan sat upon the **Chakra Plaza**, at the intersection of ley lines, his Cosmic Sword planted before him.
Seven lights ignited within his body—Root, Sacral, Solar, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, Crown—each chakra blazing like a sun. They spun faster, fusing into a **celestial wheel** above his head.
The heavens responded. Clouds split, and a **cosmic vortex** descended. Within it, stars howled, galaxies swirled, and fragments of heavenly law burned like fire.
Disciples fell to their knees, unable to withstand the weight. Even elders coughed blood.
> "This is… the aura of Level 9! It's no longer human—it's half-step immortal!"
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## **4. The Trials of Heaven**
The first tribulation descended: a **Storm of Infinite Time**.
Rivers of past, present, and future wrapped around Ratan. His body fractured, showing glimpses of him as a child, as a corpse, as a ruler of worlds yet to come.
If he faltered, his soul would scatter across timelines.
But Ratan gritted his teeth. His Cosmic Sword rang, slicing the illusion.
> "I am Ratan, Eternal Sovereign. I exist in all times!"
The second tribulation followed: the **Fire of Annihilation**. Black flames, hotter than suns, poured from the void, seeking to burn even his chakras into ash.
Kavya screamed, her Solar Domain bursting forth to shield him, but the flames ignored her.
They burned only him—testing his will. His flesh cracked, bones charred, yet his chakras pulsed stronger.
The third tribulation arrived: the **Judgment of the Cosmos**.
A colossal eye opened in the heavens, gazing down. Its voice shook every soul.
> "Mortal, why do you defy the limit?"
Ratan's answer was not with words, but action. He rose, wielding the Cosmic Sword, and stepped into the air.
With the **Cosmic Step**, he stood upon the very gaze of the eye and struck.
The heavens split.
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## **5. The Breakthrough**
The city roared. The Eternal Banner blazed with starlight.
Within Ratan's body, the seven chakras aligned perfectly. A new chakra—an **eighth luminous core**, born of cosmic resonance—emerged behind his Crown.
His essence shattered and reformed. Every particle of his being became a star. His breath bent space, his heartbeat made rivers quake, and his gaze made disciples tremble in awe.
Ratan had broken through to **Cosmic Human – Level 9**.
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## **6. The City Celebrates**
The disciples erupted in cheers, tears streaming down their faces. Bells rang across the Eternal City. Fireworks of spirit energy soared into the skies.
Kavya, Sunita, and Ishita embraced him, though their bodies quivered before his newfound power.
> "You are no longer bound by this world," Ishita whispered.
> "But you are still ours," Sunita added, her Heart Domain glowing warmly.
Ratan smiled faintly. His eyes reflected galaxies, but his voice was gentle.
> "This strength is not mine alone. It belongs to the Eternal Clan."
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## **7. The Shadow's Rage**
Far away, in the abyss of bones, the demonic cultivator watched. His cauldron cracked under the weight of Ratan's ascension.
His eyes bled black tears.
> "Level 9 already? No… this cannot be! He moves too fast! If he rises further, even my master will not be able to chain him!"
He raised his hands, summoning a dark ritual. Demonic souls shrieked, preparing an assault unlike any before.
The Eternal City's glory had birthed not only awe, but the **fury of darkness**.
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✨ **End of Chapter 73 – Cosmic Human Breakthrough: Level 9** ✨
Ratan achieves the impossible, stepping into Level 9 Cosmic Human, while his Eternal City becomes a living witness to his ascension. The demonic cultivator, pushed to desperation, begins plotting a far more dangerous strike.