The world spun into blinding gold as Raghu's body dissolved into beams of divine energy.
When his vision returned, he stood upon a floating island surrounded by endless skies. Silver clouds drifted beneath him, while golden suns blazed above an ocean of stars.
The air itself felt alive — thick with spiritual essence far denser than anything in the mortal realm. Every breath filled his lungs with power.
> **[System Notification: Welcome to the Divine Realm.]**
> Region: *Heavenly Sky Continent.*
> Status: *New Arrival — Trial Exempted (God-Level Talent Detected).*
Raghu looked around, awe flickering in his eyes. Towering mountains floated in the distance, each crowned with temples that glowed like miniature suns. Waterfalls poured from the sky into the clouds below, and divine beasts soared gracefully between realms.
"Divine Realm…" he whispered. "So this is where the legends began."
He stepped off his landing platform and summoned his **spiritual flying sword** with a flick of his hand. The blade hummed in response, rising beneath his feet. As it lifted him into the air, he felt a strange peace — a calm before the storm.
---
### **THE DIVINE CITY**
Soon, a massive city came into view — **Celestia Sanctum**, the capital of the Heavenly Sky Continent. Towers of jade and crystal reached toward the heavens, their walls carved with runes that pulsed with divine energy. Cultivators flew across the skies like comets, their robes rippling in radiant colors.
As Raghu approached, an energy barrier scanned him. Runes shimmered briefly before a golden bridge extended forward, allowing him passage.
> **[System: Area Entry Authorized. Status: Divine Visitor.]**
He landed softly before the city gates, where hundreds of cultivators stood in line — warriors, scholars, even beasts in human form — all seeking entry. Some turned toward him, their expressions shifting from curiosity to disbelief.
"Who is that?" one whispered.
"He's not from any known sect," another murmured.
"Wait—look at his aura… It's pure divinity!"
The guards, clad in silver armor, stepped forward. "State your name and sect," one commanded.
Raghu bowed slightly. "Name: Raghu. Sect: None. I have come to seek knowledge."
The guard's eyes glowed as he scanned Raghu's spiritual core. What he saw made him freeze — infinite energy coiled within, so vast it defied comprehension.
"...Forgive me, honored one," the guard stammered. "Please, enter freely. The Celestial Pavilion welcomes all of great destiny."
As Raghu walked through the gates, whispers followed him like ripples through a still lake.
---
### **THE CELESTIAL PAVILION**
Inside the city's heart stood a temple so massive it seemed to pierce the clouds — **The Celestial Pavilion**, a place where gods tested the worth of new ascendants.
Raghu entered through golden doors, finding himself in a hall lined with statues of ancient deities — their eyes glowing with faint light, watching him.
A majestic figure descended from the upper balcony — a **female immortal** dressed in white silk, her eyes like twin galaxies.
"I am Lady Seraphine," she said, her voice melodic yet commanding. "Overseer of new ascendants. You carry a power this realm has never recorded."
Raghu bowed. "I only seek to understand it."
Seraphine studied him carefully. "The system has recognized your arrival. Your talent — *Billionfold Increase in Everything* — is beyond divine comprehension. Even gods have no precedent for such a gift."
She waved her hand, and an ethereal screen appeared before him.
> **[System Trial Registration]**
> Rank Selection Available: Mortal, Celestial, or God-Tier Path.
"Most ascendants choose the Mortal Path first," she said. "Few dare attempt the Celestial Path directly. The God-Tier Path…" She paused. "No one has ever completed it."
Raghu smiled faintly. "Then it's time someone did."
Seraphine raised a brow but said nothing. She pressed her palm against the screen. "So be it. You have chosen the God-Tier Path."
The hall trembled. Statues cracked open as divine light burst from their eyes. The very sky above the pavilion shifted color — from blue to gold.
> **[Trial Initiated: The Path of Gods — Stage One: Origin Combat.]**
> Objective: Defeat your Divine Reflection.
---
### **THE DIVINE TRIAL**
A wave of energy engulfed Raghu, pulling him into a void of endless light.
When the light faded, he found himself standing on a vast mirror-like lake — a place with no horizon, no sound.
Before him stood… himself.
But this reflection was not ordinary — it shimmered with divine power, wearing armor of starlight and eyes filled with celestial flame.
The reflection smirked. "I am you — but perfect. Without fear, without hesitation, without limit. Can you surpass yourself?"
Raghu gripped his spiritual sword, energy swirling around him. "I don't need to surpass perfection," he replied calmly. "I just need to go beyond it."
The two clashed.
Blades of light collided, tearing through the mirrored lake. Every strike created explosions of pure energy. Raghu's reflection moved flawlessly — every movement precise, every counter perfect.
Raghu was pushed back, blood dripping from his lips. But then, his eyes hardened.
He thought of his beginnings — the day he entered *Gods Legacy*, the moment he spun the talent wheel, the first quest, the awakening under his Taoist master. Every step had been impossible — and yet, he survived.
That was his true power.
He steadied his breathing, channeling his billionfold talent not into strength, but **focus**. Every heartbeat amplified his awareness, every thought multiplied his will.
His aura exploded outward, shaking the void.
> "Billionfold Sword Arts — Infinite Severance!"
His reflection moved to block, but Raghu's strike didn't come from one direction — it came from everywhere.
A billion cuts in an instant.
The reflection froze — then shattered like glass, dissolving into radiant fragments.
The void trembled, reforming into a golden stairway that led upward into blinding light.
> **[System Notification: Stage One Cleared.]**
> Reward: *Divine Core Fragment × 1,000,000,000.*
Raghu exhaled, steadying his sword. "One step closer," he said softly.
---
### **BACK IN THE PAVILION**
When he reappeared in the temple, Seraphine looked astonished. "You… passed the first stage in one attempt?"
He nodded calmly. "It wasn't easy."
The immortal woman smiled faintly. "Perhaps the heavens have made an exception this time. The Divine Realm will not ignore your existence, Raghu. Gods, sects, and even rulers of chaos will take notice."
Raghu sheathed his sword, eyes glowing faintly. "Then let them come."
He turned toward the open balcony, where the divine sky shimmered like liquid gold.
"I didn't come here to follow the gods," he said quietly. "I came here to surpass them."
As his words echoed through the Pavilion, lightning split the sky above Celestia Sanctum. The heavens themselves seemed to acknowledge his resolve.