In the days that followed, Olivia and her companions settled into their lives in the rural reaches of the divine domain.
During this time, they sparred and competed with one another from time to time, preparing for the upcoming competition.
After becoming a Destroyer, Olivia had not mastered any new abilities.
In truth, it was the same for any Destroyer; no new abilities would manifest. For transcendents of this rank, what they needed to do was understand and familiarize themselves with their magic pool. The extent to which they could utilize that pool would determine the evolution of their combat power.
On the seventh day after arriving in the divine domain, Olivia received another summons from the Radiant Goddess.
When Edith brought the news, everyone couldn't help but cast strange looks at Olivia.
They had already been surprised when Olivia was kept behind by the Radiant Goddess before, and they never expected the Goddess would summon her alone once more.
Even Adam's eyes betrayed a hint of envy.
After all, this was a summons from the Goddess herself.
In the hearts of those from the Radiant Light Church, the Goddess was a supreme existence. Being summoned by her was the greatest possible honor.
And now, that honor had been bestowed upon Olivia.
Olivia did not dare to delay. She immediately followed Edith, flying high into the sky, passing through the Middle Layer of the divine domain, and continuing upward until they reached the Upper Layer.
The Upper Layer of the divine domain appeared desolate and quiet, with not a soul in sight.
Olivia arrived once more before the palace she had visited previously. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
She didn't know what the Radiant Goddess wanted with her, so she felt somewhat apprehensive.
She entered the palace alone, while Edith remained on guard outside the main hall.
Inside, Olivia immediately saw the Radiant Goddess seated upon the high throne. She quickly lowered her head and offered her greetings.
The Radiant Goddess looked at Olivia and said at a measured pace, "Olivia, when you first joined the church, why did you choose the path of the Ascetic among the many transcendent paths available?"
Olivia hadn't expected the Goddess to ask such a question.
She was momentarily stunned before answering, "Because of the recommendations of some seniors, I chose the Ascetic path."
"Because of recommendations? It seems your luck is quite good. The Ascetic path is indeed the best choice. Do you know why?"
"I do not know."
"Because it is a transcendent path that I created."
The information contained in the Radiant Goddess's single sentence was staggering.
According to the church's official stance, the Ascetic path had been researched and developed by the people within the church.
As Olivia's strength grew, she had begun to doubt that claim.
Even as a Destroyer, she didn't feel she had the ability to create a transcendent path. If she couldn't do it, how could anyone else in the church have achieved it?
The Radiant Goddess's revelation that the path was her own creation finally answered her doubts.
The Radiant Goddess continued calmly, "I merely established the initial version of this path back then. It wasn't called the Ascetic path; it was called the Child of God. I gave it to people in different churches across different worlds and let them continue to supplement it."
"Consequently, over a long period, the Child of God path took on different forms and styles in different worlds, and its name changed accordingly. In your world, it is known as the Ascetic."
"However, regardless of the world, the path cannot be considered complete. After all, you are only transcendents with limited vision. Your additions to the path could only produce partial results."
"Therefore, I later supplemented this transcendent path myself, bringing it to full completion, though I have yet to bestow it upon anyone."
"Since you follow the Ascetic path, I can now bestow upon you this true transcendent path of the Child of God."
Hearing this, Olivia felt a surge of shock in her heart.
She asked in surprise, "Grant it to me? Am I the first person capable of transferring to the Child of God path?"
"Of course, because only you possess the capacity to transfer," the Radiant Goddess explained. "In other worlds, those who follow this path can at most reach the rank of Evolver. You are the only one who has ever advanced to become a Destroyer."
This answer left Olivia dazed.
She was the only Ascetic to ever reach the rank of Destroyer.
If the Radiant Goddess hadn't said so, she never would have known.
Was it only upon reaching the rank of Destroyer that one could transform their transcendent path and shift to the Child of God path?
No wonder the Ascetic path within the church lacked an advancement ritual for the Controller rank.
Destroyer was the end of that specific line.
After reaching Destroyer, one had to transfer to the Child of God path to continue advancing.
"Are you ready? If you are, I shall assist you with the transformation."
"I am ready," Olivia said, taking a deep breath.
Seeing this, the Radiant Goddess said no more. She simply reached out and pointed a finger at Olivia.
Immediately, a blinding light flared out, quickly enveloping Olivia and rapidly inducing changes within her body.
It was an incredibly vast and potent divine power. As it washed over her, Olivia felt an unprecedented sense of comfort spread through her entire being.
In a trance, she heard fragments of the Divine Language whispering in her ears, as if speaking of something, yet she could not quite make out the words.
The changes slowly manifested across her body.
She felt her class rank shift. First, she became an Initiate, then a Pilgrim.
During the Pilgrim stage, she felt all her abilities undergo subtle, nuanced changes.
Once those changes were finalized, she took another step forward, reaching the rank of Sensate.
After the Sensate rank was perfected, she became a Transcender.
The process continued steadily as she became a Domainist, then a Skywalker, and then an Evolver, until finally, she returned to the rank of Destroyer once more.
It was as if each of her class ranks had been reinforced, causing all her abilities to receive a massive boost.
Furthermore, she felt that she had mastered several new abilities.
At this moment, her transcendent path had truly changed. She was no longer an Ascetic, but had become a Child of God.
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