The breakthrough to the Core Genesis stage was not hard.

The requirements were mainly having reached peak lifeform stats at the Foundation stage and having a complete Arcane Path with all four rune slots filled. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Once these two requirements were fulfilled, one only needed to run their Mana throughout all of their energy nodes from their Life Nexus. Once all energy nodes were connected via mana links, it would trigger the process of creating a Core within their Life Nexus.

The time-consuming part was running their Mana through all energy nodes stably. Most importantly, there was one hidden energy node that had to be unlocked manually.

Elder Shaila easily unlocked that hidden energy node for everyone by guiding them.

During the process of Core formation, everyone also required energy from Tier-2 Mana Stones or an atmosphere with abundant Tier-2 Mana or above.

The garden here had abundant Tier-4+ Mana, so everyone smoothly finished the process.

"Good job." Elder Shaila smiled, her eyes flickering with magic.

Rudrean checked his stats and grinned. "I wasn’t expecting we would get such a boost right away after the breakthrough."

[Rudrean Zen]

[Age: 18]

[Lifeform: Core Genesis]

— Stats —

Constitution: 4.3★ + 150% (6.5★)

Agility: 4.2★ + 150% (6.3★)

Strength: 4.4★ + 150% (6.6★)

Magic: 4.5★ + 150% (6.7★)

Aelira had similar stats.

At the peak of Foundation, they had 3-star stats in all categories.

But right after the breakthrough, they increased by over 1-star each.

"You two are exceptionally powerful indeed." Elder Shaila nodded. "I can only guess that the boost is from your Arcane Path, which is likely Legendary-rank."

Aelira and Rudrean smiled and nodded.

"With your current powers, you can likely kill average mid-tier Soul Tree experts if you work together. And if you can successfully learn and get your Combat Art recognized, you’ll gain an even greater boost," Elder Shaila said. "Personally, I would suggest that you all train to create at least one Combat Art recognized by the arcane."

"Actually, Rudrean here already created his Combat Art." Ryzen smiled wryly. "And he becomes absurdly powerful when he uses it."

"Oh, you already created it and had it recognized?" Elder Shaila was surprised. "That’s wonderful."

Rudrean nodded and activated his Combat Art.

Seeing the boost in his aura, Elder Shaila’s eyes glinted. "Not bad, not bad at all. Very good."

Suddenly, the girl who had gone to sell the resources returned.

"Master, I have returned. The total amount gained is 121 Tier-5 Mana Stones and 38,300 Tier-4 Mana Stones."

A storage ring flew out of her hand toward Elder Shaila, who handed it to Rudrean.

"Here. That’s enough to enjoy lavishly for a long time, unless you decide to splurge it on expensive items." Elder Shaila smiled and stood up. "Come, now that we are done with everything, I’m sure you don’t want to waste time here anymore."

"I have a teleport array here that can directly send you to the Rainstar Guild branch on the first planet of the Ocean Melody Starfield, which is where the auction will be held. The mission is on another planet."

She waved her hand, and mystical metallic particles emerged from the ground like nanometals and formed into a vertical steel ring that flickered with magic before turning into a portal.

"I’ll inform the people there to keep an eye on you and guard you from any danger in case someone tries to kidnap Lyra, so go and enjoy yourselves before heading to the mission."

...

The portal closed behind them with a soft pull of air, and the group stepped out onto a wide reception platform that felt less like an arrival point and more like a careful first impression.

The first thing was the sky.

It was not one sky.

A faint shimmer above suggested a low atmospheric dome layered across the entire city, holding in mana-rich air at a density far higher than what a planet of this size could have managed naturally. Through the dome, twin suns burned in the distance, one a deep gold and the other a cooler silver-white. The dome refracted both at once, so the city below sat under layered light that shifted between warm and cool depending on which way you turned your head.

The second thing was the city itself.

It rose in tiers. Not in the cluttered upward rush of a planet that had run out of horizontal space, but in deliberate ascending plates of construction, each level wider than the one below it, like an inverted pyramid balanced on a crystalline core. Floating transport rails arced between the tiers in long, fluid curves, carrying capsules of smooth white metal that moved silently along bands of compressed mana.

Living architecture lined many of the streets. Towers that had been grown rather than built, their walls breathing slightly as they regulated internal temperature, their windows blinking gently like resting eyes. Crystal spires interrupted the skyline at irregular intervals, each one rotating slowly on its own axis, redistributing the ambient mana of the city through circulation patterns that had been mapped centuries ago.

Below, on the streets, the population moved.

Humans, beastfolk of every variety, and several species that Rudrean had no names for. Some walked. Others rode on hovering platforms or were carried in personal mana skiffs that drifted three feet above the ground. A pair of tall figures with translucent skin glided past, leaving a faint mist of cold behind them. A vendor with four arms simultaneously prepared meals at four separate cooking stations.

Ryzen stopped walking after about ten steps.

"I need a moment," he said.

Rivera patted his back. "Breathe."

"I am breathing. I am also looking at a person made of glass."

"That’s a Sylphane," Lyra said quietly, her cat ears flicking once. "A light-refraction species. The mist is a natural byproduct of their cooling system."

"Of course it is," Ryzen muttered.

Aelira was already grinning, both hands on her hips, taking it all in like a woman who had decided this was a personal triumph and would behave accordingly.

"This," she announced, "is what I am talking about."

"Where to first?" Rivera asked.

"The best place this planet has. Wherever that is." Rudrean smiled and locked arms with Aelira.

[Isalyn: Hurry up and get a private place so I can come out.]

"Let’s search for the best and most luxurious resort." Aelira declared.

Well, they didn’t need to search much for that, because the city Elder Shaila had sent them to was renowned for high-end luxury and entertainment.