After the trial inside the dungeon, Klaus didn't immediately check his upgrades. Back then, he was homesick, so when the chance presented itself, he took it, and it was the right move.
Had he wasted even an hour to check his upgrades, Miriam would have died, and he wouldn't have forgiven himself. Only the stars know what he would have done if that had been the case.
But now that everything was alright, he had the time to check his upgrades.
His Cores were 7 Sovereigns and 2 Greats when he came out of the dungeon, but he had to sacrifice five Sovereign cores just to save Miriam's life.
It was a huge sacrifice, considering his cores and requirements to saturate them are in a league of their own. But his worst fear didn't come to pass.
Within a week, he had already recovered four of his cores, now having 6 Sovereign and 3 Great cores. That was a huge upgrade for him, and he was grateful.
Now, he had entered his soul sea for the first time after the breakthrough to see what had changed and what new thing had become of his cores.
The last time he checked was when he became a Sage. Now, he is a Great Sage, and things were very different when he appeared inside his soul sea.
The last time he was there, the cores were stars with beautiful rings around them. However, beyond that, there were channels connecting them.
They were faint back then, but now, they are much more pronounced, creating something of a galaxy. The connection made it appear like a vibrant galaxy.
Calling it beautiful is an understatement.
It's mesmerizing, to say the least.
"I wish everyone could see this," Klaus said, smiling as he viewed the core galaxy in the third-person view. In there, he was like a god overlooking nine worlds.
[You are finally here, brat.]
The senior's voice echoed, making Klaus's smile widen. It had been hectic inside the dungeon without the senior constantly in his ear.
So now, hearing him speak again—though it wasn't as if years had passed since their last conversation—it felt incredibly good.
"I have to check my strength, Senior; I can't put it off for long," Klaus said before moving to the first core, where his first shock awaited him.
Klaus's mouth hung open as he stared at the shocking display before and around him. Inside the first core were now hundreds of weapons of different shapes and sizes, each surrounded by powerful energies.
They were all soul weapons, and they were now linked to Klaus. They weren't there when he was breaking through to the Great Sage stage.
"Where are all these weapons from?" Klaus asked, looking dumbfounded. He simply couldn't understand where any of these weapons had come from. In fact, he couldn't comprehend what could have made this possible.
[You have awakened two bloodlines and taken on the appearance of those two bloodlines. Naturally, you now possess everything that used to belong to those two bloodlines.]
Klaus looked around at the words spoken by the senior, and indeed, what he said was true. Klaus saw the [Demon Killing Staff] Fruity had received when he entered the Tormented World.
He also saw the [Sanguine Excalibur], one of the weapons she and Yuying found on their way to the Arcane Library back when he was in the tormented world.
There were all kinds of weapons there—some he remembered having and some he had yet to recall. They were weapons he had used in his 9th incarnation as the Star Monarch and his 4th incarnation as the Renegade Monk.
He had yet to remember his other memories from his 4th and 9th incarnations, but he could already sense their familiarity.
"Damn, this many weapons? How the hell am I going to wield them all?" The sheer amount of weapons blew away Klaus before him.
[They are soul weapons, and you are a Spirit Master.] The senior said, and Klaus grinned. Clarity struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"You're right, Senior... I need to broaden my horizon and think of the bigger picture." He smiled slyly, imagining a scene where he stood atop a Bone Dragon with tens of thousands of weapons floating behind him.
"Now, that is something the heavens wouldn't see coming."
[Indeed. You have truly angered them. Not only did you escape the Saint stage, but also the Sage and Great Sage stages. In fact, you have done more than just break through three realms—you have even awakened two Paragon bloodlines, forbidden bloodlines.
I hate to say it, but you should probably go to an uninhabitable planet for your next tribulation. Things won't go easy for you at all.]
The senior's words made Klaus smile.
He had expected as much, but he also wasn't about to cower and let fear take root in him. He was the Paragon of the Nine Stars. He most certainly wouldn't let fear take over him.
"I will cross the bridge when I get there, Senior," Klaus smiled and moved closer to the weapons, examining and touching each one. In a way, just touching them was his way of getting familiar with them.
None of the weapons showed any sign of disliking him.
They each accepted him, for he possessed the bloodlines and the class for every last one of them. He is the Weapons Overlord.
He spent close to two hours there before moving to the second core.
There, he was plunged into a world of storm and lightning, with the colossal Lightning Source Diagram and the Lightning Seal gracing the sky with their presence.
The lightning was now golden on one side and dark white on the other.
"The Golden Annihilation Lightning and the Soul Yin-Yang Lightning," Klaus recognized the two lightning elements he had awakened.
They are the only two known Forbidden Lightning elements. They were the most feared lightning during the Era of the Divine Arcane Archer.
The second incarnation, Knox, was the Divine Arcane Archer and was heralded as the Devastator during that era.
That was also when people began fearing Paragons despite their contributions to the universe.
Klaus knew he would have to create his own aspects since he hadn't received even a single aspect or attribute, unlike the pure and impure elements.
The heavens do not recognize forbidden elements. Luckily, he now has a refining technique. He will begin the moment he gathers enough lightning essence.