The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 38: The First Paragon Star Diagram

Klaus and his mother spt the night chatting until he fell asleep in her arms. As she looked at his innoct face, tears welled up in her eyes. "I am a terrible mother," she whispered. "I should be the one carrying all the burd, not you." She held him close for a while before gtly laying him down in bed.

Oblivious to her tears, Klaus slept like a baby. He was exhausted from three days of reltless slaughter. Having be on edge the tire time, he was grateful to be home, where he could finally let his guard down and sleep without interruption. He slept soundly through the night and only woke up with the sunrise.

Wh he finally stirred, the ticing aroma of something delicious reached his nose. Klaus quickly got out of bed and hurried to the kitch, where his mother was preparing breakfast.

"Sleepyhead, you're finally awake," his mother said with a warm smile as Klaus tered the kitch.

"Mom, what are you cooking? It smells amazing," Klaus asked, reaching for a slab of fried meat. But before he could grab it, his mother playfully slapped his hand away.

"Go back inside. It won't be long before I'm done. I'm making something special for you," she said with a chuckle. Klaus reluctantly walked back to his room with his head down, while his mother laughed heartily at his impatice.

Wh Klaus walked back to his room, he sat down and began to meditate. Soon, his consciousness was drawn into his soul sea, leaving his body motionless and unresponsive. The soul sea is a mysterious realm that ev the most powerful humans have yet to fully understand. Those who have vtured into it oft return with incomplete or puzzling discoveries.

Each person has a unique soul sea, which is esstially the space where their consciousness resides and where their true pottial lies. For ordinary Awaked individuals, accessing the soul sea is impossible, unless their Spiritual Qi pool is pretty huge.

Attempting to ter the soul sea without proper control would mean leaving their body behind and risking death, as the consciousness cannot return once it has left the body.

Accessing the soul sea requires a strong soul, which is determined by the amount of Spiritual Qi a person possesses. Klaus, with his large reservoir of Spiritual Qi, was able to access his soul sea quickly. His extsive Spiritual Qi not only allowed him to ter but also provided protection, abling him to remain in the soul sea for an extded period.

This was a significant improvemt compared to wh he was just an Awaked warrior wh his time in the soul sea was much shorter.

Klaus found himself back in the familiar multicolored sea with the nine ormous doors. He immediately noticed that the space seemed to have expanded slightly since his last visit.

"Sior, are you there?" Klaus asked, his voice echoing through the vast expanse.

"Of course, where else would I be?" The voice replied, causing Klaus to smile slightly. He settled into a lotus position, ready to list.

"Sior, you mtioned before that I am a Paragon. Can you tell me more about it?" Klaus asked. He wanted to understand better and prepare for his next tribulation. His first tribulation had be a near-death experice, and he was determined to be ready this time.

"I can't say much due to karma and all that," the voice responded. "But what I can tell you is that a Paragon exists outside the normal rules. You are still young and inexpericed, so I won't burd you with ancit history.

What you need to know is that as a Paragon, you don't follow the ordinary rules. You exist beyond them. The reason you faced a tribulation is because your existce challges these rules. To live outside the rules means you are opposing them.

A Paragon is such an existce. They don't adhere to the rules like most others do. So, you should be proud. A Paragon is meant to be the strongest, the most fearless, and the most formidable. The currt you is far from ev being called an afterimage of a shadow of a paragon."

"Ouch, that hurts," Klaus replied with a chuckle. "As a sior, you should be more comforting, not so harsh." He smiled at the sior's proud and cryptic words.

"You just have to keep growing, and you need to grow faster. As a Paragon, facing dangers is the only way to accelerate your growth. The fact that you're still this weak means you hav't be willing to take ough risks," the voice said.

Klaus's frustration bubbled over. "Seriously, I've faced thousands of zombies and fought monsters many stages above me. How can you say that's not dangerous? Sior, are you perhaps angry with me, wanting me dead from the start?"

The voice paused before responding, a hint of amusemt in its tone. "I'm not angry with you. The dangers you've faced are significant, but they're just the beginning. As a Paragon, you're meant to face ev greater challges. It's not about being reckless but about embracing the path that lies ahead and pushing beyond your currt limits."

Klaus sighed, trying to make sse of the advice. "So, what should I do to meet these expectations and become stronger?" He knew this was to prepare him for his next tribulation.

"Hahaha, now we're talking!" The Sior laughed heartily. "A Paragon is arrogant, domineering, and possesses a charm that infuriates everyone. To live up to your pottial, you must assert who you are. To do that, you need to take great risks."

The Sior's voice grew more serious. "The young lady already gave you some guidance. My advice is to start spreading your wings. Embrace the dangers and gage in life-and-death battles. Only by doing so will you awak the true essce of a Paragon."

Klaus's heart raced at the Sior's bold words. His only aspiration had be to become strong ough to protect his mother. He never sought to be domineering. However, after surviving his rect tribulation, he knew that his life was on a differt path —one he could not ignore.

"Thank you, Sior. I will heed your advice," Klaus said, feeling a mix of gratitude and determination, ev if the advice seemed to be sding him on the path of mortal danger.

"Good," the Sior replied, his tone satisfied. "Now, let me transfer the first Paragon Star Diagram to you. Your currt cultivation method is too pathetic."

Klaus's eyes lit up with excitemt. Finally, something that would help him grow stronger in a way that felt tangible. "Sior, what is this Paragon Star Diagram?" he asked, eager to understand more.

The Sior's voice was steady as he responded, "Ar't you wondering why you require so many points to level up?"

Klaus nodded. It had always puzzled him.

"It's because you walk a differt path, Klaus. You walk the path of a Paragon. This means that to grow stronger, you need the Stars of Paragon. The reason you require so many points is tied to this path. The currt you is not strong ough to awak a star, but you can harness its power by cultivating this diagram."

Klaus listed inttly as the Sior continued, "This diagram contains 06 nodes, each linked to the first Paragon Star—Astralis Corpos. It's the star of the body, and cultivating it will build your body to unprecedted levels."

Klaus was excited to hear that. Right now, what he needs is a way to become stronger. So getting a way to become much stronger means he can now walk the path of a paragon. he was more than happy, however, the sior's next words poured cold water on his joy.

"The process to cultivate this first diagram consists of nine stages and levels per each stage," the Sior explained. "You must complete the first stage before you can advance to the next Realm of your cultivation. This means that ev if you meet the requiremts to progress, you won't be able to ascd until you've completed the first evolution."

Klaus's curiosity deeped. "Sior, how long will it take to complete the first step?" he asked, wondering about the time and effort required.

"That depds on your training and dedication," the Sior replied. "I've already said too much. You'll understand more once you begin cultivating. For now, just follow the path set in this diagram."

As the Sior finished speaking, a light shot from the first door and tered Klaus's forehead. The ssation was swift, and before Klaus could fully process it, his consciousness was pulled back into his body.

Back in his body, Klaus blinked, feeling the weight of the new knowledge settling in. Meanwhile, the Sior, still in the soul sea, sighed and muttered to himself, "I've blocked some parts of the Karma for you, kid, but it wasn't ough. Your next tribulation will be a severe one. I hope you grow stronger before th."

As soon as Klaus woke up, he noticed a diagram had formed in his mind. The diagram depicted a human body with 06 nodes, just as the Sior had mtioned. "These are the bones in the human body," Klaus muttered to himself. "And I have to evolve them twelve times for each stage. This is going to be hard."

The Sior explained that there were nine stages, with twelve levels for each stage. This meant that for every level of his cultivation, Klaus had to pass a corresponding level of evolution. Only after breaking through all twelve levels could he ascd and complete the first stage.

Just as Klaus was diving deeper into the details of the Star Diagram, a familiar voice called out, "Breakfast is ready!"

His mother tered the room with a tray of food. The sight and smell of the dishes quickly pushed thoughts of the diagram out of Klaus's mind. His stomach growled in response, and he eagerly moved to the table.

Seeing the array of delicacies before him, Klaus didn't hesitate. He started devouring the food with thusiasm, savoring every bite. His mother watched him with a warm smile, her heart swelling with happiness. They had faced so many hardships over the past years, and now that things were starting to improve, she was determined to give him the best she could.

Preparing these meals was her way of showing her love and care.