For hours, Camille walked through that world alongside Darian and Niara, sharing her personal experiences and everything she knew about that tree and its power. He asked whether just placing it into Niara's body would be enough, but no — he had to manipulate it to actually heal her.

Camille didn't hold anything back. She even shared things that were supposed to be secret, but she really wanted to help as much as she could. During that time, she also picked some herbs and gave them to Darian so he could send them to Veyle.

In less than a day, the twins woke up feeling great. Darian checked their bodies and saw small root-like veins spreading inside them, all connected to a small core near their Dantian.

After that, everyone returned to the capital.

They were taken straight to the library, where all the common info about how to use wood power was available. The twins read everything they could, while Darian focused on studying more about that tree.

By the end of the three days, the twins had already learned how to use some of the wood power. It was going to be a good addition for their future. With that done, they boarded a plane and flew back to Neo-Britannia's capital.

A lot of people who came to watch the tournament had already left, but many others stayed. That's because the blessing of Heaven's Will was going to be granted inside the arena and broadcast to everyone. It was a rare event — one people didn't want to miss.

The first thing Darian did was check on Veyle and Silas in the courtyard. She had already recovered well and could walk normally. Darian handed her the gift Camille sent, and Veyle's eyes lit up.

Then he went to Silas and started using everything he had received from Nikolai. If he hadn't gotten those resources, he would've had to bring over a Stellar Ore from that other universe — and that could've been a problem, since the five he had left at the academy were serving as the planet's formation core. Weakening that formation would've made life harder for everyone living there.

Now Darian had an easy way to heal soul damage. Since his rings could control that energy, it was simple to nourish and recover Silas.

A few hours later, Silas opened his eyes.

Darian let out a relieved sigh — all the initial problems were solved now. But... the future was going to be way more dangerous. He had to be extra careful and couldn't give the enemy any more chances.

Lucy and Lucius began explaining to Silas everything that had happened, along with the outcome of the tournament he missed. He could watch the recordings later.

Silas learned he would still receive the blessing, even though he hadn't done anything... and his face turned dark. Always so proud, he just couldn't accept being rewarded like that.

"If you're not satisfied, then just do your best to help the clan in the future," Darian said calmly. "Soon, the clan's going to be full of people, and a lot of missions will show up. I'll need capable people to lead the groups. That'll be your chance to repay this debt."

Silas stayed silent but nodded, clenching his fists.

Repay it? A blessing from Heaven's Will was a debt no one could ever truly repay... but he swore to himself that he'd give everything he had for the clan from now on.

When night finally came, the second group from the New Arcadia Empire was whole again. They moved out, leaving the courtyard for good.

They walked through a special tunnel to the arena. The place was packed — but only the stands. No one was using spatial powers in separate areas.

Everyone waited calmly until the judge appeared, then called out the tournament's winning group.

Darian walked in first, followed by the other four, all of them looking around at the crowd with thoughtful expressions.

Everyone there wished they'd had the chance to fight... but honestly, they could only blame themselves for being too weak. If Darian hadn't helped them, they wouldn't even be alive anymore.

Lucy and Lucius were hit the hardest. They had sworn not to be a burden and to help Darian, but this time, they'd totally failed. The only thing running through their minds now was an overwhelming urge to train and get stronger, to make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

The five of them stopped at the center of the stage, with every spotlight shining on them.

The crowd wondered why the group was now complete, when it hadn't been just a few days ago. But whether everyone had fought or not, the group — and the empire — had won the tournament.

The judge took a deep breath, then announced:

"Unfortunately, the runner-up team won't be attending due to issues with their leader. Receiving the blessing while in a weakened state can be very dangerous, so it's been decided that they'll wait a bit. The blessing of Heaven's Will can be absorbed within a year, so those five will get it later on."

Darian heard that and scoffed. With all those resources and advantages their family had, Vanh should've been fully healed in six days. Something was definitely off — but he'd only be able to find out more later.

"Bring forth the Mark of Heaven's Will!"

The judge commanded, and a few military officers came out carrying a round object the size of a human head, completely covered in golden runes. Those runes carried the power of someone with nine rings.

The judge explained, "The Mark of Heaven's Will is granted to a planet in the universe every now and then. Each planet has its own way of choosing who gets it. But starting today, the winners won't just be simple Spiritual Guardians anymore — they'll have way bigger responsibilities. And of course, a much higher level of power."

The entire arena got excited. A few people were familiar with the ancient legends or had even met a blessed one from another planet. Those people were definitely rare... their power went way beyond the rings.

Darian had read about it. Right now, across the whole universe, there were fewer than a hundred blessed ones. Among mid-level planets like Earth, none had received a blessing in this generation. That meant Earth had just gotten a huge shot at climbing up the rankings and growing stronger.

These blessings seemed like a method created by Heaven's Will to shake up the balance between planets. It gave a chance for some planets to rise while others fell. No matter how many resources the bigger planets had built up, the blessed were anomalies that messed everything up.

From now on, those ten people on Earth would be able to complete S-Rank missions easily — and they'd also get special missions for the blessed. With every win, the mission system would automatically send more and more, and the resources for everyone would increase a lot. Climbing ranks would become natural.

"Now, open it!"

The judge ordered, and the military officers nodded and removed half of the golden runes.

*Buzz*

The air trembled and buzzed. In that moment, everyone in the stadium felt like the heavens were pressing down on their bodies.

Inside that sphere called the Mark of Heaven's Will, a power completely beyond mortal standards was released. It was only half of it, but it was already overwhelming and terrifying.

That was the connection between Heaven's Will and the planet. It had just appeared on Earth, floating above the ocean not long ago. And it looked the same on every planet.

"Come, one at a time."

The judge gave the order, and Darian waved for the four to step forward.

One by one, they approached the sphere. They were told to touch it, and once they did, a bright light flashed. In just a few seconds, everyone could feel their ring energy shift subtly. Something had permanently altered their rings. Over time, that change would grow stronger.

Nothing unusual happened with the four. Then finally, Darian stepped forward and reached out his hand...

"!"

His eyes widened as he felt the world freeze.

It felt just like when he had met the two phoenixes. Everything around him stopped in time and went silent.

A woman's voice rang out dryly:

"I don't have much time, but my father told me to give you a hand."

"Master?" Darian said, excited.

A sigh followed. "Were you really gonna leave the rest to those trash? Let's move — I'll help you absorb everything."

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