Shadow Plane.

Rumble…

While watching the skies of the Shadow Plane split apart as the heavens made its presence known, Arcane looked at both Xervei and Florentine with satisfaction as they solemnly swore a veridical oath.

"Whew…"

Recalling the feeling of imminent doom he felt just moments earlier, Xervei could not help but let out a sigh of relief the moment he was done with his veridical oath.

Then, with a look of indignance, he asked Arcane, "Your… Cosmic Eminence, was there really a need for you to look at us as if you wanted to eat us alive?"

Arcane could only shrug her shoulders in return. "If the two of you were at my level, then there wouldn't have been a need for you two to swear a veridical oath to keep things secret."

"Unfortunately, the words I uttered earlier contain knowledge that even I am wary of discussing, especially considering the implications that come along with it."

"What… do those words mean?" Florentine, who had stayed silent even after swearing her veridical oath, asked Arcane out of curiosity. "Are those words the reason why the Shadow Plane began to quake again?"

"A bit, but no." The latter shook her head, only to then point at the young man still oblivious towards the happenings of the Shadow Plane.

"If anything, the cause behind it is none other than Valyr right here."

"Really?" Though Xervei had already come to terms with the idea after witnessing it just moments earlier, the fact that the young man was still the cause behind the Shadow Plane's quaking surprised him.

"Wait…" While the former was still wrapping his head around the idea of Valyr being the cause, Florentine had a look of realization on her face as she turned towards Arcane.

"Your Cosmic Eminence…" she said, a hint of nervousness and anticipation in her tone. "Is Valyr perhaps… the cause behind…?"

"Correct." The being in question nodded as she gave off the feeling that she was faintly smiling back at her. "Valyr caused the phenomenon you see right now."

"Though, I do have to admit that I wasn't expecting him to be connected to one of the Creators," she continued in a whisper, making sure that these words weren't heard by either Xervei or Florentine.

After all, knowledge on the Creators and anything related to them was something that was kept as a tightly guarded secret by the universe.

With that said, there were only two ways one would be able to get their hands on such forbidden knowledge.

The first one was to transcend the Divine level and become a Primordial. At that level, any secret the universe had was pretty much available for one to peruse.

As for the other method…

That would be obtaining the knowledge from someone that was related to the Creators themselves.

'I wonder which Creator he's connected to?' thought Arcane to herself as she sensed the aura surrounding Valyr become more enigmatic.

However, just as she was about to go through the list of Creators she knew off the top of her head, she disappeared from the face of the Shadow Plane all of a sudden, leaving both Xervei and Florentine at a loss for words.

…

"A mortal?"

Though they were already expecting to hear such a verdict from him, hearing it from the Grand Sage outright still left both Rancain and Celsus at a loss for words.

After all, even though the Grand Sage hadn't made it obvious, they had a feeling that the higher tiers on both color and omen corresponded to a greater talent in the path of a Sage.

Yet, rather than see Veradine as an opportunity to cultivate another pillar-like entity for the planet, the Grand Sage thought it was a better idea to let her stay as a mortal instead?

As those thoughts came to mind, both Rancain and Celsus could not help but wonder how the young man on the other side of the screen came to such a conclusion.

However, since that same young man was none other than their superior, the two eventually kept such thoughts to themselves as they both inwardly let out despondent sighs.

"…If she were to pursue the path of a Sage even with her aptitude, how long would it take for her to break through the Lower Boundary?"

Deciding not to think about the implications of the Grand Sage's decision any further, Celsus thought about asking questions related to it instead.

After all, every bit of additional information would help Veradine make a better choice once she came to know of the final verdict.

"At least 60 years," replied the Grand Sage without hesitation. "If she were to abandon everything else and single-mindedly pursue the Lower Boundary, it would take her that long."

"…What if she were to step on the realm of a Sage-to-be?" asked Rancain in return.

"20 years," answered the former. "Entering the third tier would take her five years, the second tier another five, while the first tier would take her 10 years to reach the peak."

"I see." Remaining silent for a bit, both Rancain and Celsus looked at each other for giving the Grand Sage a nod of understanding.

"Alright." Though the Grand Sage knew the two on the other side had something else to say about his decision, the young man decided not to think about it any further.

"If you have anything else to tell me, feel free to do so right now. If not, I'll end this call."

Hearing those words, Rancain's eyes briefly lit up.

"About the Eminent Sage Tournament…"

"There's no issue with the chosen venue." The Grand Sage nodded back at her, understanding what she wanted to tell him. "The rewards you asked me to distribute for the tournament also wouldn't be a problem."

"However, as it's the last tournament before we start holding it every decade, make sure that the rewards this time stand out. The reputation of the Eminent Sage Tournament relies on it."

"…Understood," replied the Great Sage after some time. "I'll share what you've told me with the other Great Sages later."

"Good." The Grand Sage nodded in acknowledgment. "Anything else?"

"That would be all for now."

"Alright."

After sharing a few more words, the Grand Sage eventually ended the call, prompting both Rancain and Celsus stare at each other once more in silence.

"…I shouldn't have been surprised." Breaking the silence between them, Celsus let out a faint sigh. "With a color and omen like that, the Grand Sage giving out a verdict like that should've been obvious."

"I don't blame you." Rancain shook her head at those words. "Even I was hoping that the Grand Sage would change his mind on them at some point… but alas."

"Too bad we can't do anything about it." Faintly shaking his head at the conversation that unfolded earlier, Celsus soon bade farewell to the latter. "After all, the Grand Sage said that the protocol would only change if a second Grand Sage was born."

"Unfortunately, the Grand Sage has been the only one to break through the shackles of a Great Sage so far."

"…Anyways, thank you, Great Sage. I'll share this information to Veradine and her family as soon as possible."

"No problem." Rancain let out a faint sigh at his words. "Do you plan to have the one that discovered her pass on the information or…?"

The man shook his head at the question. "I'll make the visit myself."

"It's the least I could do for someone who could've become a powerful Sage."