Heaven looked at Gravis evenly. Gravis had managed to enrage Heaven once, and it won't let it happen again, no matter what Gravis said or did.
"You must follow the cultivation path of your father," Heaven said.
"You mean being away from everyone else and avoiding any kind of contact?" Gravis said with a huff. "I thought my path was supposed to be muddled and not pure."
"This is not what I was talking about," Heaven said. "Your path to power must be muddled, but that doesn't mean that you can't follow your father's steps. I was referring to something else."
Gravis only looked at Heaven with skepticism.
"Your father has become an Immortal at the age of 9.950," Heaven said. "Do you believe that he has only become an Immortal that late because he couldn't have become an Immortal sooner?"
"No," Gravis answered. "You have already said that father has had enough power to rival you back then."
"Correct," Heaven said. "He has taken the cultivation path of an Ancient Cultivator."
"And that is supposed to mean what exactly?" Gravis asked evenly.
"This is the same path that Meadow has chosen," Heaven said. "Your father only advanced to the next Realm when there was either no more time or nothing more to learn. If you had followed this path yourself, we wouldn't be talking right now."
"You have cultivated for a bit more than 1.300 years. Achieving your level of Law Comprehension in that short amount of time is impressive, but only when viewed from an average point of view. If you had spent another 8.000 years comprehending Laws, do you think you would still be as helpless in front of me as you are now?"
"No," Gravis said. "If I had spent such a long time comprehending Laws, I would have already comprehended several level four Laws. Of course, that is only counting if I actually have a tempering opportunity. I can comprehend level three Laws without tempering, but I can't comprehend level four Laws without tempering."
"Correct," Heaven said. "With your talent and with so much time, you would have been able to become powerful enough to rival me. Yet, your impatience and your lacking mindset would have destroyed you. If I had been weaker, you would have consumed me, learned the level six Law of Divine Lightning, and would have used that Law for your Avatar. That is what you had planned, right?"
'So the next level of lightning is the Law of Divine Lightning, which is a level six Law,' Gravis thought.
"Yes, I would have. Would that have been an issue?" Gravis asked evenly.
"Yes, it would have," Heaven answered. "Your power would be incredible, but your Primary Law serves mainly as your cultivation base and not your Battle-Strength. Choosing the Law of Divine Lightning as your Avatar would have made you incredibly powerful in the higher world, but in the highest world, you would run into issues at the later stages."
For once, Gravis listened without any backtalk. This was important information for his cultivation.
"The last stages of cultivation require very specific Laws to reach," Heaven continued speaking. "Of course, the Law of Divine Lightning can be incorporated into these Laws, but you would have needed to comprehend all other relevant Laws without any base."
"Elaborate," Gravis said.
Heaven gestured to the world. "I am talking about this middle world. You have comprehended the Minor Laws of Time, Space, and Gravity. These can be upgraded into the Major Laws of Time, Space, and Gravity."
"Yet, tell me, Gravis. If a cultivator hasn't managed to learn these Laws in the middle world, how will they be able to understand these Laws in the higher world, where only the Major Laws can be gazed upon?" Heaven asked.
Gravis narrowed his eyes. This was truly an issue.
"The Cultivator would need to directly comprehend the Major Laws, which should logically also be level six Laws," Gravis answered.
"Correct," Heaven said. "You know how difficult it is to understand a level three Law all at once without any weaker Laws as a base. I'm sure you can imagine how hard that would be for a level six Law. It is still possible, but nearly no one manages it. The concepts of level six Laws are so complex and intricate that you can't even make sense of them."
"Comprehending such a powerful Law all at once doesn't rely on talent or effort, but on opportunity, enlightenment, and luck, and I'm not referring to Karmic Luck here. Your longevity is not something to run away from but to take as your goal. You must come as close to your longevity as possible before reaching the next level," Heaven said.
"Then why not just give everyone infinite longevity?" Gravis asked with a sneer.
"You do have an infinite theoretical longevity as an Immortal, Gravis," Heaven answered. "That's why an Immortal is called an Immortal."
"Theoretical?" Gravis asked with a raised brow.
"Your father has told you that my ancestor requires Energy," Heaven said. "If we just allowed everyone to live forever, cultivators and beasts will start to stop cultivating since there is no more danger remaining. This does not conform to our goals."
"Because of this, everyone weaker than an Immortal gets a hard border for longevity, which can only be slightly extended by comprehending Life Laws. Yet, when you become an Immortal, your hard border on longevity becomes a soft border."
"And how is that supposed to work?" Gravis asked.
"Tribulation," Heaven said.
Gravis huffed. "What? Are you guys going to strike people with lightning or something?"
"No," Heaven said. "This is not a Heaven Tribulation, but a Man Tribulation. When your longevity runs out, we will create a situation in which someone of your Realm wants to kill you."
"So, you're controlling people?" Gravis asked.
"Incorrect," Heaven said. "We simply set events in motion that lead people and beasts with fitting mindsets and goals to the correct place. If an Immortal Leader of a medicine producing company reaches their longevity, a powerful different Immortal will have their loved one injured. This injury can only be healed with a precious herb, but this person has no money. Like this, conflict will happen."
"This is only one example of many," Heaven said.
"And when I manage to survive this Man Tribulation?" Gravis asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You will be safe from the next Man Tribulation for 50.000 years. Of course, this is only for Immortals. The higher Realms get more time."
"Yet," Heaven said. "The next Man Tribulation will be more powerful by an entire level, and this process will repeat itself until you either advance into the next Realm or die."
"So, people with a more powerful Battle-Strength can live longer," Gravis commented.
"Correct," Heaven said. "The more powerful your Battle-Strength, the more apparent your talent for reaching supreme power. If you manage to survive a Man Tribulation, you have demonstrated that you are not just someone that wastes their time in peace, but someone that is continually honing themselves. Therefore, granting you more time is not a waste, but an investment."
"And that is your ancestor's goal for me?" Gravis asked. "To basically become the oldest human inside my Realm?"
"This is not only the goal of my ancestor," Heaven said. "Do not forget that your father also wants you to become powerful. You, yourself, also want to become powerful. This is a goal shared by everyone. If you ever return to the highest world, you can ask your father for confirmation. This is the best path."
"If?" Gravis asked with a raised brow.
"Yes, if," Heaven answered. "You have the potential, but that doesn't mean that you will be able to realize it. Do you believe that I will just let you sit on the ground and comprehend Laws for thousands of years? No."
"Until you become powerful enough to actually fight me, you will be under constant danger from me. I will attack you with increasing power until you either die or comprehend enough Laws to survive."
Gravis narrowed his eyes. "So you will force me to comprehend Laws by tempering. Fine with me. For now, our goals align."
Heaven ignored the 'for now' comment. "I will also reforge your mindset. As long as you keep looking at other beings, you will never reach supreme power. You are no longer on the same playing field as the other beings. Comparing yourself to others with your privileged position will only show your vanity."
WHOOOM!
Gravis summoned his equipment as he readied himself.
"Stop talking and begin already!" he said.