The most important thing in Avery’s mind was of course his cultivation. He had finally become an immortal, but the journey to Sainthood still stretched out to infinity. The long path ahead did not deter Avery in the slightest. It only meant he had to continuously deepen his understanding and comprehend the mysteries of the universe, which was something he took great joy in doing.

In theory, there would be no bottlenecks in his studies, and the only thing he needed was time and effort to reach an unfathomable level. However, while he welcomed the prospect of climbing the stairway to heaven one step at a time, he could already tell that becoming a Saint would not be so simple.

Avery could only vaguely foresee some of the difficulties he would have to face, and he was very unclear about the details, but he guessed that taking that last step, jumping from the state of creation to the state of creator, might prove to be nigh impossible.

Comprehension alone was not enough to change your state of being, as proven when he had to rely on the immortal tribulation to elevate his being from an earthly mortal to a lofty immortal. This time however, there would be no benevolent tribulation eager to elevate his life level, and he would need to rely entirely on himself.

As for how to take that ultimate step, Avery had no clue. From the information he had gained from that helpful immortal, he knew that this world was at least a few trillion years old. Despite that, he could clearly sense there were only seven thrones in heavens, exuding an unmistakable majesty.

It was easy for Saints to hide their presence if they wanted to, so maybe there were one or two hidden thrones he had failed to sense, but it was unlikely there were many more. What he could sense however, using their shared connection as children of the sky, was that this world did not lack elites whose presence and power made him look like a firefly comparing himself to the sun. Yet those powerhouses, having trillions of years of history behind them, could not claim a throne for themselves.

Avery was not particularly smart or talented, and he did not believe he was better than these ancient almighties. The only reason he had even achieved immortality in the first place was because he had relied on the endless lifespan bestowed by the system, but that was an advantage he now shared with every single other immortal.

Under normal circumstances, he would have no confidence in succeeding where so many others had failed, but there were a few elements that gave him hope, and he was determined to make full use of them.

The first possibility was to rely on the system. It was a mysterious entity, and he knew that in the hands of a competent man, the system could become a godly tool that would bring untold riches and power to its wielder.

It was unfortunate that he had already set foot on a completely different path, and that apart from buying crafting materials and a few extremely specific skills from it, he deemed it of very little use.

Even if the shopping catalog had expanded enormously after his ascension, there was not much that could catch his eyes. After all, a lonely hermit had extremely limited requirements on material possession, especially one who was able to easily craft the necessary treasures for himself.

What he valued was not the system shop or other function, it was the system itself. As a Celestial, Avery already had the qualifications to start analyzing it, and he had been moderately successful.

Each time he tried to study the system, Avery would see an impossibly vast sea of information, exuding an incomparable saintly aura, reminiscent of the feeling of studying the Tao.

Of course, there were differences, and if the system was a fallen leaf floating helplessly in the wind, the Tao was a towering tree, its roots encompassing the underworld while its highest branches dominated the heavens. However, despite the clear gap in power, scale and vitality, there was an unmistakable similarity in nature that gave him hope.

Avery didn’t know what that meant yet, or how he should use this strange system of his, but since there was a chance unveiling its secrets would reveal a path to becoming holy, comprehending the mysteries of the system had become a priority.

Of course, it was still uncertain if this endeavor would actually turn out to be helpful, so he would not bet everything on it. There was another advantage unique to him that he could rely on, and on the surface, it seemed practically certain it would be enough to propel him onto a heavenly throne.

If he could somehow manage to turn his inner world into a real world, that was complete and could exist independently, then surely, he would naturally become a Saint, equal to heaven.

The problem was that he had absolutely no clue how to actualize his inner world. He had never caused it to progress out of his own initiative, all of its advancement were due to the blessing of the Tao. Indeed, the only time it had ever advanced without the help of the Tao, it was through the Elder creating his dream realm.

It seemed that in a manner similar to how Avery theorized the Tao granted free will to sufficiently intelligent creatures because it was the only way it could improve, his inner world could only be enhanced by the efforts of the creatures inside it, or by some transcendental force pulling it upwards.

As far as he could tell, these were the two unique advantages he had he could leverage, and he would do his utmost to make sure they would let him transcend this world.

The issue was that the first was uncertain, and could be a dead end and a waste of time. The second, while clear and obvious, was incredibly difficult to achieve, and might be more challenging than becoming a Saint was.

As for his cultivation, his runes or his mana, they were not unique. They might be rare, but Avery believed that if the secrets of transcendence laid in them, then they would have been long discovered, and the heavens would be filled with Saints.

It was also possible that his status as an otherworlder only loosely tied to this world would change some things, but that was not something he could change or control, so he would simply have to wait and see if he would one day be given a pleasant surprise.