This time's spatial travel wasn't as peaceful as Damien's usual trip.
The instant he was swallowed by the spatial mana, he was met with a furious array of spatial storms and terrifying phenomena that could rip any normal genius to pieces with ease.
However, was Damien ever a normal genius?
"Shoo, shoo. Stop making things annoying."
Damien brushed off the spatial confusion like it was nothing, shooing away the terrifying storms with a single movement of his hand.
The spatial essence that flowed from his body naturally was enough to repel these storms, but they were obnoxious, so Damien personally took action to disperse them.
Perhaps he still had a lot to learn, but just dealing with spatial storms in the chaotic void was nothing for him at this point.
This trip to the Celestial Realm would be a peaceful adventure, nothing like the chaos and destruction of war. Achieving this situation was Damien's current goal.
Eventually, he reached the end of what should have been a perilous journey, arriving in the realm as he was intended. His body materialized within a quiet jungle, sky-reaching trees surrounding him in every direction.
'It's truly beautiful. Worthy of being called the Celestial Realm.'
Damien swept through the information provided through his academy emblem. He was provided the same amount of information as any other Emperor, though it was a surprise that he was even taken into consideration.
'I didn't really have time to inform anyone of my return. Did that old man really just bank on the fact that I'd come back?'
It was nice to know that he had the Director's trust, even if it was only a basic level of respect.
Nevertheless, there was no need to think about the Director at the moment. Matters with him could be settled once the exam ended.
pαndα---noνɐ1,сoМ 'Three months in this realm to complete all the tasks provided. Should I check those first…?'
The holographic screens in his eyes shifted, showcasing a list of multiple tasks accompanied by point values.
'The lowest level tasks are just herb gathering missions and the likes. After that, there are beast subjugations, which are also relatively easy. As for the harder tasks…'
[Explore the Mystic Emperor's Tomb and return alive - 5500pts]
[Travel to the East Jade Sea and find the Heart of the Sea - 4700pts]
[Explore an unmarked territory and provide a detailed overview of its structure - 2500 ~ 10000pts]
'Oho, now these look more fun.'
According to the information, the number of points a genius needed for their exam to be marked complete wholly depended on their own power level as measured by the academy through their stay within its walls. For some weaker geniuses, only a hundred points were needed to pass. This amounted to merely a few herb-gathering missions.
[Points Obtained: 0/25000]
A colossal sum that'd take multiple extreme difficulty missions to achieve.
'Tch, this is that old man's doing, isn't it.'
Damien clicked his tongue in annoyance. He definitely hadn't shown the academy enough achievements for them to put him on the same level as their strongest Paragons. Hell, did Atticus even receive a number as big as his?!
Damien massaged his forehead and sighed. 'Well, I just have to do it, right?'
In the end, what was a little bit of adventure to him? If he was being arrogant, he could even call himself the king of adventure!
Damien harrumphed defiantly and scrolled through the extreme difficulty task list.
'3 months, right?! Fuck it, I'll get 100,000 points from this stupid realm and slap that damn old ghost in the face!'
Damien's frown became more pronounced the further he scrolled.
'All of these tasks are fucking long! Even the travel times alone are multiple days long, especially since the terrain is unfamiliar! How the fuck am I supposed to accomplish anything?!'
He sighed and clicked his tongue for the umpteenth time.
'Fuck, for now let me discern where I am. After that, I can cross reference with the map and see what tasks are most suitable for my goal.
Damien flew into the air above the trees to observe his position. The second he did, his brow raised curiously.
'This…isn't this realm supposed to be massive and largely unexplored…?'
What Damien thought was a far-reaching jungle was merely a match of jungle-like terrain only a few tens of kilometers in size.
This terrain was a small island within the greater realm.
The sky was bluer than blue and filled with drifting clouds. Around the small jungle island was water so clear that it couldn't be told apart from the sky, making it feel as if the island itself was floating in the sky.
Apart from this island, there was only one more piece of land.
It was another small island several hundred kilometers away. Unlike the jungle island, it was completely unpopulated by all but one structure.
A small and humble cottage.
'Don't tell me I stumbled into the den of some prehistoric old monster who's been cultivating in seclusion since the ancient era…'
Clearly, Damien was NOT in the Celestial Realm.
'I'll just do whatever the fuck I want and deal with the consequences later.'
Damien moved towards the hut without hesitation and landed on the island. Completely different from when he saw it from a distance, he noticed that there were a variety of accommodations around the cottage, such as multiple patio space and outdoor rotundas to host guests in.
Damien curiously walked around the cottage, and even directly entered it, but he couldn't find any signs of life in the vicinity.
'Yet, this cottage looks like it's been used recently.'
It was clean, and despite the lack of life aura, the cottage itself was lively. It was generously decorated and even had a bookshelf with countless titles lining it.
'Hm? Exploration of the Universal Law? The True Value of Spacetime? Celestial Class for Dummies?! What the hell?'
Damien picked up a random book on the shelf and started reading, quickly becoming enamored in the esoteric theories that were shared through its text.
Before he realized it, an entire day passed as he read.
By the time he finished the book and looked out the window, darkness had already dawned on the small realm.
'Hmm, I should probably che—'
Something beyond the window suddenly caught Damien's eye.
It was a small and nondescript swing hanging from a tree, the type of swing a child would have in their front yard.
Damien felt a pang in his heart as he looked at it.
A vague memory surfaced in his mind.
"It's the swing you used to love so much when you were little. It even has the same engraving you drew on it that fateful summer."
A voice came from behind. Damien flinched. He realized that even after hearing the voice, he still couldn't sense its owner's existence.
There was no way he wouldn't recognize that voice.
Had it been 20 years since he'd last heard it?
He slowly turned around.
The figure of a man was revealed to him.
A man that looked almost identical to himself.
Damien's eyes turned cold.
After so long, they were finally meeting again.