Twenty-eight years passed within the time formation, and Adrian slowly opened his eyes.

He remained seated for a brief moment, allowing his awareness to return fully to his surroundings. His body felt strange: not weak, but different. Lighter, somehow. As though gravity had loosened its claim on him.

Then he slowly rose from the floor and stretched his body, feeling a profound shift within himself. His Mana Sea was now brimming with an immense volume of mana, so vast that it created a sense of lightness and liberation he had never experienced before.

Adrian rolled his shoulders, testing the sensation. His muscles responded perfectly. Twenty-eight years should have left marks, but his body had remained unchanged, suspended in cultivation.

Until now, mana had always been a critical limitation for Adrian. Even back in the Milky Way, he had relied heavily on the Origin Formation as a backup source of mana to sustain himself. His abilities, particularly the Source Form, demanded enormous amounts of energy, and he had never been able to utilize them to their full potential.

This problem had only intensified after he stepped into the wider universe. Even after forming his Mana Sea and reaching a few thousand mana units, he had faced severe limitations. Back in the Azure Garden, when Adrian activated the Source Form, most of his mana had been consumed almost instantly. While a significant portion of that expenditure had gone into issuing authority command, the reality remained unchanged.

Technically, even before this moment, Adrian could have maintained the Source Form for several minutes. However, the moment he attempted to use any powerful technique or authority command, his mana would be drained rapidly, reducing his effective combat window to mere seconds. But what was the purpose of entering the Source Form if he could not use his abilities effectively?

Now, however, everything felt different.

He flexed his fingers, watching white-grey essence flicker briefly across his skin before vanishing.

If he chose to simply maintain the Source Form, he could now sustain it for days without interruption. Even if he used authority techniques and commands during combat, he could still maintain the form for an extended duration. The constant anxiety over his mana reserves had vanished completely. Of course, if he later acquired more advanced and powerful authority techniques that demanded even greater mana, then even one hundred million mana units might begin to feel insufficient. But that only meant his growth would continue. He was not planning to stop here. Just as he had spent this week expanding his Mana Sea, he could repeat the process again and again.

For the first time since entering the universe, Adrian felt that he had reached a stage where he could truly fight without restraint.

The sensation was deeply liberating.

He could fight Nightshade now. Really fight him. Not just survive for ten seconds, but match him strike for strike.

However, Adrian quickly controlled his emotions. While the feeling of power and freedom was exhilarating, he understood the danger of indulging in it excessively. If he allowed himself to be consumed by this sense of superiority, he might begin to act recklessly, believing himself invincible. That path would inevitably lead to his downfall. It was better to acknowledge this feeling while maintaining restraint.

Adrian closed his eyes and drew the sensation inward, locking it away. The liberation remained, but the intoxication faded.

Adrian walked toward the center of the formation and deactivated the time formation within his suite. The surrounding space returned to its normal temporal flow.

He then examined the high-tier mana crystals placed at the center of the formation. To his surprise, only about twenty percent of the stored mana had been consumed. Upon closer observation, Adrian realized that most of the mana expenditure had not come from the time formation itself, but from the concealment formations he had placed around the suite.

Adrian knelt beside the crystal, his Source Eyes flaring briefly as he analyzed the remaining mana pathways.

Each time he formed a divine concept, waves of essence and pressure had radiated outward from his body. Additionally, his Mana Sea had continued to expand without suppression. Since Adrian had been entirely focused on cultivation, he had not actively controlled the leaking pressure. The concealment formations had absorbed and suppressed all of that leakage, preventing any trace from escaping the suite. Maintaining that level of suppression required a significant amount of mana.

Adrian immediately withdrew the remaining traces of pressure from his body, sealing his aura completely. Then he erased every formation inscribed across the floor, ensuring that no trace of Origin Ink remained. He did not want even the slightest residue left behind.

Within minutes, the floor was clean.

Afterward, he picked up the mana crystal. He could still sense approximately four million mana units remaining within it.

The crystal pulsed faintly in his palm, its compressed energy still potent.

A brief thought crossed his mind, seeing this. This entire cultivation session had only consumed around one million mana units. Back when he had first arrived in the universe, his total share had been around one million UNI-Coins. If he had dared to attempt something like this back then, he could have achieved this level of mana much earlier.

Adrian shook his head. At that time, he would never have taken such a risk.

This entire experience also led him to another realization.

If he could achieve this level of growth, then surely other cultivators in the universe could do the same.

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His fingers tightened slightly around the crystal.

While his method of expanding mana capacity was unique, others might possess their own techniques or simply rely on traditional methods such as mana pills. The time formation he used was not unique either. Other cultivators could have access to time formations, or they might simply possess vast amounts of time.

Someone like Nightshade, for example, had lived for millions of years.

Adrian set the crystal down on a nearby table and moved toward the viewport. Beyond the reinforced glass, Sanguis Prime’s crimson spires stretched toward the stars.

He reconsidered his earlier assumptions. His earlier estimation of Nightshade’s mana capacity now felt naive. Previously, he had estimated that Nightshade might possess one or two million mana units.

“Foolish,” Adrian murmured.

But now that estimate seemed completely inadequate. The Thousand Veils Sect had existed for over six million years, and although Nightshade was not its founder, he had still lived for several million years. It was even said that he had not left his headquarters for nearly a million years.

That meant he had more than enough time to cultivate continuously. If he had access to time formations, that time could have been multiplied even further.

However, Adrian also recognized the immense cost involved. Not everyone could reach the level he had achieved so quickly. If Nightshade wanted to reach one hundred million mana units, he would need to absorb at least one billion mana units in total.

Direct absorption from mana crystals was extremely slow, so he would need to rely on mana pills. That would require approximately two billion UNI-Coins.

Even for a sect leader who had lived for millions of years, accumulating such wealth purely for personal use would not be easy. While Nightshade undoubtedly had access to vast resources, he also had responsibilities. As a sect leader, he could not allocate everything toward his own cultivation without considering the growth of his sect.

Still, Adrian concluded that Nightshade must possess far more mana than his earlier estimate. At the very least, it would be several million units.

And if a leader of a lesser minor sect could reach such levels, then what about those of major sects?

Adrian turned away from the viewport. The question hung in the empty suite.

He now better understood the information he had read on the premium network. Disciples of major sects possessing one hundred million or more mana units were not an exaggeration. Of course, not every disciple would reach that level, but there would certainly be many who did.

Adrian dismissed these thoughts. Mana capacity varied greatly depending on individual circumstances, resources, and cultivation methods. Even the Primordial Mana Sect had never established a universal standard for measuring the average mana capacity of cultivators. There was no single benchmark.

He crossed the room and sat on the nearby sofa as he retrieved his UNI-OS token to check the current situation. Inside the time formation, the UNI-OS had not functioned properly due to the extreme time dilation. As a result, he had no idea what had been happening outside unless someone had physically come into his suite to inform him.

The violet token pulsed to life in his palm, its holographic interface materializing immediately.

He quickly checked the day. Today was the day of the auction.

Adrian exhaled slowly. He had not missed it.

Adrian then reviewed his messages.

He saw one from Aurelia, asking for confirmation regarding Aerin becoming Hestia’s disciple.

“Adrian, Aerin told us about the discipleship. She’s still so young, do we have to put her on this kind of training?”

Adrian replied, “You don’t need to worry. Sect Leader Hestia understands that Aerin is still young. The training will not be as harsh as what adults undergo. In fact, this training is necessary to develop her willforce properly. We cannot always protect her. She needs to grow strong enough to protect herself. Hestia will guide her correctly.”

Next, Adrian saw a message from Hestia that had been sent a few hours earlier.

“Adrian, I will also be attending the auction. It has become a major event, far larger than anyone anticipated. I suggest you accompany me rather than going alone. If we appear together, no one will suspect you as the artifact’s creator. Also, the spatial lanes are completely congested. We’ll need your portal to reach the UNI-Hub.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Congestion?” Adrian muttered.

Adrian was slightly surprised. He quickly sent a reply. “Did the auction truly attract this level of attention?”

Hestia’s response arrived almost immediately. “Check the public forums. You’ll understand the overall situation. And we also need to leave within the hour.”

Adrian replied that he would come to the Crimson Spire shortly.

Then he opened the Andromeda public forums.

The interface expanded before him, threads cascading down in bright lines of text. Selecting the trending discussions tab, he began reading through the information.

› BREAKING: All Four Upper Minor Sects Confirm Attendance at Willforce Artifact Auction

› Thousand Veils Sect Leader Nightshade Finally Leaving The Sect Headquarters!

› Spatial Lanes Experiencing Historic Congestion, Travel Times Doubled

As he read, he gradually understood the full extent of the situation. It was far more chaotic than he had anticipated.

The Andromeda Galaxy was dominated by four powerful Upper Minor Sects: the Thousand Veils Sect, the Ashen Vortex Sect, the Grave-Sky Sect, and the Ironbound Path Sect.

All four were combat-oriented sects, each possessing immense strength. While the Thousand Veils Sect dominated the assassination trade, the other three functioned as elite mercenary sects. Each sect specialized in a different domain of combat services, allowing them to coexist without direct conflict for millions of years.

The Ashen Vortex Sect specialized in offensive operations, often hired at exorbitant prices to launch devastating assaults and break stalemates in large-scale wars. The Grave-Sky Sect operated in the void of space, escorting high-value merchant fleets and securing dangerous trade routes from pirates. The Ironbound Path Sect, on the other hand, focused on defense, providing elite garrison forces to protect sect headquarters and critical territories.

Their operations extended beyond a single galaxy, with contracts spanning multiple galaxies.

Because their domains of expertise did not overlap significantly, the four sects had maintained a delicate balance for millions of years. Large-scale wars between them had never occurred, aside from occasional conflicts between disciples.

Their UNI-Market Index scores reflected this equilibrium, all hovering around eighty-eight points. None had managed to surpass the ninety-point threshold required to become the undisputed ruler of the Andromeda Galaxy.

As Adrian continued reading, he realized something crucial. The next thread laid it bare.

›Economic Analysis — Why the Willforce Artifact Is More Than Just an Artifact.

“This isn’t about utility anymore. This is about demonstration. Whichever sect wins this auction proves they possess resources the others cannot match. That alone shifts the balance of power.”

The Willforce Recovery Artifact was no longer just a tool. It had become a crown.

Whichever sect succeeded in acquiring it would demonstrate overwhelming financial strength and resource dominance over the others. That victory alone would be enough to break the long-standing stalemate. Their UNI-Market Index would surge beyond eighty-eight, pushing them past the threshold and establishing them as the most influential sect in the galaxy.

This artifact was no longer merely valuable. It was the spark that could ignite a conflict between four sleeping giants.

“Damn…” Adrian muttered quietly.

The fight was no longer about the artifact itself. It had become a symbol of supremacy.

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