Emperor Rael heaved a sigh of relief.

That was four days in real time, not ideal but still manageable.

He nodded to the officer who departed from his office after a bow, before returning to scouring through the intelligence reports that he had gotten regarding the environmental disaster in the Great Void Ocean.

"Just when we were starting to get used to the new climate…" He heaved a tired sigh.

The Unfolding had caused a significant shift in the climate of the Panama Continent, which they had only very recently begun getting used to, after more than a year since the Unfolding. Now, this disaster was bound to cause even greater shifts in climate, undoubtedly making life extremely volatile.

However, it was worth it.

"With the Dragon Emperor gone, the threat of a war with Kiriket is minimal now."

The Emperor of Harmony was willing to deal with any environment and climate if it meant having one less major enemy. Now, they only had three major civilizations to worry about rather than four, and that alone increased the probability of human survival and flourishing.

However, now he needed to find a way to deal with this environmental problem.

"It might be an avenue of harmony, one where all civilization can cooperate together to deal with a problem that affects all of us."

This was the ideal scenario as far as the Emperor of Harmony was concerned. The environmental crisis would be much more likely to be solved for everybody if everybody worked together to fix the problem.

It could reduce tensions and create opportunities for bilateral cooperation, which could turn down the temperature, both literally and metaphorically, of the world since the Unfolding. The geopolitical landscape had been charged with peril and volatility as all the players in the world had been looking to find where they belonged in this new world, and the Emperor of Harmony had been looking for a way to try to reduce the pace at which war arose to give the Panama Continent more time to prepare.

It all depended on how intense the environmental crisis would be and how well the Emperor of Harmony could leverage it to produce prosperity for human civilization.

"You look busy as always."

The familiar grumpy voice of Matriarch Nephi drew his attention as he found his mother-in-law standing at his door. He heaved a soft sigh. "As the Emperor of the Kandrian Empire, it would be rather concerning if I weren't busy, mother."

She scowled at him. "Don't call me that!"

Emperor Rael smiled at her with a hint of amusement. "Well, have a seat. To what do I owe the pleasure, Matriarch Nephi?"

She huffed with a hint of displeasure as she took a seat opposite him.

"You don't yet know?" Matriarch Nephi raised an eyebrow, turning to Sage Sayfeel.

"…Don't yet know what?" The Emperor of Harmony asked with an intrigued tone.

"Your son has become a Transcendent Candidate," Matriarch Nephi informed him straightforwardly.

Emperor Rael's eyes widened with a hint of surprise. "…Already?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "The quality of his Martial Embodiment has undergone a fundamental upgrade, making it almost indistinguishable from reality. It is rather shocking, but I felt the change in the latter half of his Embodiment overflow. He has taken a deep stride down his Martial Path."

"…This is incredible news." The Emperor of Harmony nodded with an eager, yet serious expression. "With this, our civilization is even more secure. Rui making this kind of progress at his age is highly optimistic for his chances of becoming a Martial Transcendent, isn't it?"

"Don't be too certain about that." Matriarch Nephi shook her head. "Age has nothing to do with it. Reaching the Transcendent Realm isn't a race or even a marathon. It isn't just some progression of simply becoming stronger. He needs to develop a fundamental understanding of the essence of his Martial Art and its relationship to the universe. It is a very foggy, fuzzy path that makes it very difficult to understand exactly where you are and what you need to do. There have been Martial Sages who had reached the Sage Realm at prodigious rates, but never even got close to reaching Transcendents, while some Martial Sages who reached the Sage Realm by the end of their lives did end up achieving Transcendence."

"I see, well, I'm still optimistic about Rui. I think that if any Martial Sage among our people has a chance of becoming a Martial Transcendent, he is one of the prime candidates. He and Amare are simply cut from a different cloth. In comparison, I don't get the sense that Bodhisattva Maitreyi and Sage Jinryong Namgung are making great progress. It seems to me that both of them have stalled considerably in their progress. They have gotten stronger, but I do not get the sense that they are particularly close to reaching Transcendence.

"I agree, I do think that Rui and Amare have the best chance of becoming the first Martial Transcendents our civilization gets in this new age," Matriarch Nephi concurred. "However, that is only if they have the time they need to mature their Martial Art and discover the essence of it. Until then, they will remain Martial Sages."The

Emperor gazed at her with a curious expression. "What has your prophecy told you of the future of their Martial progression. Do you think that they will become Transcendents within the next ten years?"

"I cannot say. I have tried using my prophecy to try to evaluate who will become a Martial Transcendent, but unfortunately, it doesn't work. When it comes to Martial Transcendents, it is simply impossible for prophecy to function the way you would like it to. I suspect it is because Transcendents can violate causality, making them immune to prophecy, although it could be something else as well, I suppose, such as an information overload. Hard to say, unfortunately. Regardless, I cannot predict whether he will become a Martial Transcendent. However… what I can predict is that he will grow much, much stronger in the future."

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