Won, but at what cost?

How does a person or creature break through to rank 1? What is the key to success?

There are many conditions that must be met to trigger a breakthrough. For example, in the Abyssus Evolution Path, one must store 10 souls inside their own soul.

Once a breakthrough is triggered, the individual is summoned to the world of abilities, known as the Dragon Gate, a unique realm that has nothing to do with dragons, but is named after the belief that it can transform ordinary carps into majestic dragons.

In this world, the individual begins the first phase of their evolution to rank 1, called the Platforms of Excellence. The more steles that are illuminated, the better the result.

The second phase of the breakthrough involves receiving a reward for the effort. All the illuminated steles will start to merge their lights together, and when the light reaches its peak, a new Acquired Ability is born:

1 illuminated stele gives an ordinary ability

2 illuminated steles gives an extraordinary ability

3 illuminated steles gives an epic ability

4 illuminated steles gives a legendary ability

that was the limit of originally acquiring abilities, of course you get a chance to evolve that ability once when you breakthrough the next rank, an ordinary ability can become extraordinary, and a legendary ability can become a supreme one, but only once.

The final phase of the breakthrough is Ability Fusion, which involves fusing the newly acquired ability into the soul of the Cultivator or creature undergoing the breakthrough. However, if the ability obtained is completely opposite in nature to the soul, it will not fuse, and the breakthrough will be nullified. Without any bad repurcussions.

Despite this, the individual still gains a foundation for a better soul and body, giving them a chance to try another breakthrough and potentially achieve an even better result. Once the third phase is completed, the individual becomes a rank 1 being.

...

as the 10 souls and his soul all became a complete and single whole structure

Raven Rodha's first breakthrough process, the process of true evolution began,

as the process began, his whole body started emitting a weird smell with a dim light on his skin, and alluded to ordinary senses, an aura of an breakthrough, which in the end, signalled the onset of a breakthrough

when the surrounding atmosphere reached the peak of that weird stillness, Rodha's mind became empty, and he found himself in a strange space. In front of him were four glittering and majestic Golden Platforms with a long narrow path leading to each one.

Each platform was 100 meters wide and featured a majestic stone stele at its center with archaic and mysterious writing on top of it. A writing, that for unknown reasons, could be understood by anyone and everyone even without seeing it a single time before in their whole lives

The first stele read "Ordinary," the second read "Extraordinary," and the third read "Epic." The fourth stele was covered by golden light and was unreadable from a distance.

Rodha knew what to do next, and without hesitation, he moved forward.

soon, he reached the first stele and touched it easily, without any resistance as it shimmered in ungodly complex silver runes, emitting a silver radiance that ripped through the golden platform.

then again, he moved towards the second floor, but this time felt some resistance as he walked through that narrow pathway, yet,

he reached the second stele, and touched on the second stele's extraordinary marking

The stele flashed with dull complex runes and stayed alight with silver radiance in the golden platform, even brighter than the golden platform itself

moving with even more excitement, he soon reached the epic stele's pathway, this time, the resistance was strong enough to make him feel the sheer repelling force on his face, he almost flew away at the sudden force, yet, he reached it, activated it and heaving and gritting his teeth, he moved towards the legendary stele

his face completely paled at just the moment he put his legs onto the fourth platform's pathway, but without a word, enduring the soul tearing pain with sheer resolve, he moved forward

The Rank 1 breakthrough was a dangerless breakthrough, it didn't have any deadly tribulations either,

but to reach further in the path of excellence, you have to be excellent on your own

enduring the ungodly pain of being torn apart from the insides of his soul, he moved forward with an utterly indomitable spirit

the sheer intensity of it awoke the golden ball of mysteries in his eyes as it glimmered golden, a shade brighter than even the legendary platform's

and with added support, and a calmer mind, he endured that despairing pain

and soon reached the legendary stele, and touched it

All four of the sacred stele's started resonating with each other as the golden radiance was completely torn apart by the four fearsome silver light.

The pathway of excellence was excelled with sheer audacity and arrogance as it was completely conquered.... and an ability was about to be born, an ability among the ranks of legends!

but just as the four silver radiances were about to fuse into one and give birth to an appropriate ability for Rodha

the fourth stele dimmed and then poof, turned off

the third stele dimmed and went off too

the second dimmed too

as Rodha looked on with an incredulous and dumbfounded face, all the steles except the first ordinary stele, went dimm

and the First phase of breakthrough, The Pathway Of Excellence came to an end as the one single silver light reached its peak and gave birth to a new unique ability for its new user

and a flash later, that ability entered Rodha's soul, and fused into him as easily as a puzzle in its fated place...

And,

one of the most talented of a genius creature in existence, broke through the Rank 1 of evolution, with an ordinary ability

the next moment he opened his eyes, he was back on the real world, as a rank 1 creature,

stronger than ever before

yet,

He didn't feel happy at all....