: SECOND GATE
The elders were frozen in shock.
One would think that this was because of some overwhelming phenomena, maybe some flashing lights or a rare occurrence not seen in thousands of years. But, this couldn't' have been further from the truth.
The reality could be described in a single word: nothing.
That was right, nothing was happening. The flashing lights had dimmed, Leonel's aura had vanished, and the tablet had returned to its previous state. In fact, the elders were so speechless by this change that five minutes later, when yet another Morales family member began making a breakthrough, none of them even turned their heads in that direction.
"This…"
"… That's it?"
These elders weren't fools. The markers for failure were not there. At the same time, the change in Leonel's name couldn't have been clearer—he had succeeded. The issue was… Why the hell was it so fast?
How long had it been since he started his breakthrough? A minute? Less than that? What the hell was going on?
If three years to prepare for a breakthrough from the First to Second Gate was slow… Then what could opening the Second Gate in such a short time count as? In all their years, the elders couldn't remember ever seeing such a thing.
"His aura was very pure," Mila said slowly. "It felt like he spent a very long time in Tier 9 of the First Gate. But, it also feels like this isn't enough to explain that… I have a feeling that he hasn't just awakened one or two stars of [Dimensional Cleanse]."
The elders looked toward Mila. Aside from being one of the only few to practice [Dimensional Cleanse], he also happened to have some of the sharpest senses amongst them.
It had to be remembered that during Leonel's first breakthrough, the elders had even been able to see through how many cells he used to form his Nodes. If it wasn't for the fact they had all been distracted when Mila said Leonel practiced [Dimensional Cleanse], they would have been able to pick up on some of these things as well, though it wasn't an exact science. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
"He's a madman just like his father." An elder shook his head. "To enter the Fifth Dimension with [Dimensional Cleanse] would mean that he entered that Vital Star Trial World at what level…? The Third Dimension? Does he have a death wish?"
The lips of the elders twitched.
It was a shame. Had Leonel built his foundation with a different technique, he could have entered the trial world with more strength backing him. Then, he might have been able to succeed in one sweep. Now, if he wanted the rest, he would have to put his life on the line.
Though most only wanted the first three layers of [Dimensional Cleanse] for the sake of the Stars it would allow them to form, it was clear that Leonel wanted to cultivate past that point. It was hard to tell without seeing him breakthrough whether he had gained the Sixth or higher Dimensional layers, but they felt that the odds were slim. He was lucky to have left with his life.
"This brat is always doing reckless things. If he wins the Heir Wars, I can see years of headaches coming our way…"
First Leonel opened his First Gate after only forming six Nodes. Then he entered the Vital Star Trial World at the Third Dimension. And now he had opened the Second Gate in under a minute, not even allowing his body to slowly acclimate to the changes. ?????-?????
How much pain had Leonel suffered through just from the First Gate? Now he was experiencing much more pain than that all at once.
If he wasn't a madman, then what was he?
Despite the words of the elder, though, the group of old men and women suddenly began to laugh. They laughed so heartily that the hidden world of the Morales family began to tremble.
A madman? Who of the Morales family wasn't exactly that?
**
Contrary to what the elders thought, Leonel sat in silent meditation as though his body wasn't being carved into piece by piece.
Before, this pain had truly been unbearable for him. But now, he had Dream Sense which allowed him to split his sensory perception between several minds. At this moment, Leonel had used a thousand of his more than million minds to dull the pain by that factor.
Of course, he could have used even more minds to make it all almost negligible, but he did not do so. Something about dulling his pain entirely made it feel like he was losing a piece of his humanity. It was a rare emotional decision for someone like Leonel who usually didn't care for such things.
That said, there was another reason as well. Leonel had turned his other minds toward observing each and ever aspect of his body and the changes it was undergoing. He wanted to see what changed now that he was entering the next level of his Metal Body, how the organ system of Runes evolved, and how it might synergize, suppress or coexist with the other Lineage Factors of his body.
Leonel had hardly realized just how easy it had been for him to open the Second Gate. But, this obviously wasn't without reason. Elder Mila was also correct in assuming that he didn't have the full picture and it could be said that there were two main reasons.
The first was that Leonel had formed Six Stars before even stepping into the Fifth Dimension. His body had been purged of its impurities to the point he was practically like a newborn baby who had immediately stepped into such a height.
However, the second reason might be even more important. Not only did Leonel receive the cleansing of six Stars, but he had also been baptized by Sixth Dimensional Cleansing Waters. Let alone the Second Gate, if it wasn't for the fact he had yet to bring his Metal Body to Tier 9 once again, he could have likely opened even the Third Gate now!