Formless Ascension: My Affinity Is Limitless

Marina Archipelago. T-0 days : 3 hours : 26 minutes : 19 seconds.

”Donovan,” a distinguished, middle-aged man called out softly.

The young, bright-eyed boy walking beside him startled, looking like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He quickly composed himself, forcing a neutral look onto his face,causing a wry smile to touch his father’s lips at the quick display.

Looking at their green eyes and sharp jawlines, anyone could tell they were father and son.

For a second, Donovan Sr. looked as though he wanted to offer a word of advice, reminding his son to keep his composure in a place like this. But in the end, he only let out a soft sigh.

To be completely honest, even he was having a hard time keeping his own face neutral.

Since arriving a full day ago as part of the early wave, everything they had seen on this archipelago had been jaw-dropping. And that was saying something, considering that back on pre-integration Earth, the Donovan family had been a well-established business family in the United States, managing real estate and regional commercial ventures, albeit only across their county.

Donovan Sr. was a man who had traveled extensively and seen incredible sights in the old world. But this place was an entirely different kind of spectacle.

The Marina Archipelago was built specifically for this new integrated era. It represented what was perhaps the peak of an advanced, modern city by multiversal standards — at least as far as Earth was concerned.

There were no massive, tall glass skyscrapers or anything like that. Rather, the islands were dotted with large organic structures that blended seamlessly with the lush tropical flora. The architecture felt alive, curves flowing naturally into the landscape without a single rigid angle in sight.

Above these buildings, massive essence congregation arrays flickered gently, interwoven into a translucent, geodesic dome suspended high in the air.

How those arrays managed to hover in midair without any visible physical support remained a complete mystery to Donovan Sr. He theorized it might be some form of advanced air magic, but he couldn’t detect any environmental disturbances pointing to that.

Still, magic or science, the practical effects were undeniable.

Down on the ground, the base ambient essence was so thick that literally everywhere, dozens of ascenders could be seen sitting cross-legged, absorbed in deep cultivation sessions.

And this was just the base ambient essence. There were still special areas scattered across the islands where the essence was concentrated to even higher degrees. But those areas required steep fees and special clearance to access.

Donovan Sr hadn’t been one of those to go for the trial in Australia, but he had heard the gist of what went down there by this point. He didn’t have a frame of reference for how dense the ambient essence was in the Age of Abundance trial, but he could hardly picture a denser environment for cultivation than this place.

If there was an environment richer than this, then at that point, wasn’t it basically equivalent to cultivating with literal beast cores? That was a level of density he simply couldn’t imagine!

”Ah? Is that the Donovans I see?” a sharp, jovial voice called out from behind.

Donovan Sr. turned, his son following suit. Walking toward them along the winding garden path was a balding, rotund man dressed in lavish clothing. A near-imperceptible twitch of exasperation crossed Donovan Sr.’s face before he quickly smoothed it into a polished, professional smile.

”Albert,” Donovan Sr. greeted warmly, pausing as he noticed a second figure walking half a step behind the man. ”...And young Miss Sophie. I see you brought your daughter along to broaden her horizons as well.”

The rotund man, Albert, smiled brightly, stepping slightly to the side to present his daughter. His pride was genuine. He doted on her heavily, and looking at her, no one could blame him.

Where Albert was round and thoroughly average-looking, his daughter was a striking beauty with a graceful posture and clear, calm eyes. She offered a polite, elegant bow to Donovan Sr.

”Good morning, Mr. Donovan,” she said smoothly.

Donovan Sr. acknowledged her with a warm nod before gesturing to his own son, Donovan Jr. The boy looked totally smitten, staring at Sophie for longer than necessary before catching himself and returning the bow with a formal greeting of his own.

Watching the brief interaction, Donovan Sr. let out another quiet sigh in his mind.

This was far from the first time the Donovan and Albert families had crossed paths. They had been business rivals back in the old world, operating in neighboring counties. The Donovans held real estate and local logistics in one area, while the Alberts controlled commercial retail and distribution in the other.

When the System integration hit, both families had been lucky enough to land in the same sector along with most of their family members too.

In this new world, both families had managed to adapt surprisingly well. Donovan Sr. and his son were both Uncommon-grade talent holders. On a global power scale, they were just better than average. But among ordinary civilians and low-level ascenders, they were capable enough, using their business background to build up a modest, self-sustaining settlement.

The Albert family had taken a similar path, though with one major advantage. Albert himself was only a Common-grade talent, but his daughter, Sophie, was a Rare-grade talent. She was the flag bearer of the Albert family, which only fueled Albert’s natural pomposity even more.

Still, for two minor families like theirs to secure spots at this global summit was nothing short of extraordinary.

Out of the thousands of factions vying for a piece of the world stage, they had been among the handful to accept the system invitation without a second of hesitation. Their small territories had remained independent so far, mostly because they were located in remote pockets that the United New Eden World Government hadn’t bothered to absorb yet.

Both men recognized that this summit was a historical turning point. Deciding to jump on the invitation immediately was a gamble that had paid off, placing them directly in the center of global events.

”It seems your luck is still holding strong, Donovan,” Albert chuckled, walking up alongside him.

”I could say the same to you, Albert,” Donovan Sr. replied smoothly. ”When did you arrive? I didn’t realize you were already on the archipelago.”

”Oh, we’ve been here for a full day now,” Albert said, waving a hand dismissively. ”Getting a feel for the land, making connections... though none of the truly big players have shown their faces yet.”

Donovan Sr. snorted silently. Of course the major players hadn’t arrived yet. This was a massive global display, and none of the true powerhouses were going to show up early and stand around waiting for others. They would arrive at the last possible minute to maximize their impact.

Albert knew that just as well as he did, but he was phrasing it as if he were patiently awaiting his peers. In reality, Albert had undoubtedly spent the last twenty-four hours networking with every minor person here that he could find.

Donovan Sr. had done the same thing too. For little fries like them, hoping to meet with the big players was only a pipe dream. They could only look at those on their level.

However, getting to mingle with the normal ascenders here wasn’t as bad as it sounded. In a place like the Marina Archipelago, no one was truly small. Every person here had access to the best of the best resources. Not only that, they were part of Jolene Okafor’s faction and had her backing. Getting to know these people, even as acquaintances, was still very beneficial.

”Yes, it’s a pity,” Donovan Sr. played along, keeping his voice light. ”I suppose we’ll just have to wait until the final minute when the main players make their entry.”

Albert’s eyes twitched slightly at the deflection, but he maintained his cheerful smile. The two men fell into step, exchanging polite, practiced pleasantries as their children walked quietly behind them.

As they strolled down the garden path, their conversation naturally turned toward the summit itself.

Neither of them knew the exact agenda Jolene Okafor and Uhtred had planned, but they knew the outcomes would reshape the global scene for sure.

As the minutes ticked by, curiosity eventually won out over casual networking. With roughly an hour and twenty minutes remaining before the official start time, both family heads agreed to head toward the main venue.

.

.

The summit venue was constructed on a dedicated island near the center of the archipelago.

It was a massive, open-air amphitheater surrounded by a sweeping dome frame. Several teleportation circles, enough to accommodate every powerhouse coming to the venue from their territories, encircled the outside of the theatre.

Stationed along every pathway and entrance were armed guards wearing clean, standardized light armor — ascenders whose levels ranged anywhere from Level 12 to Level 14.

The sheer display of wealth and security was intimidating. For Jolene Okafor, deploying dozens of Level 12+ ascenders as mere guards went to show that she wasn’t just rich, but that she also had a strong force under her banner.

As the two families approached the security checkpoints, their casual banter faded completely. Donovan Sr. and Albert straightened their postures, adopting formal, professional demeanors as they presented their credentials to the guards for verification.

The guards in question did a double-take at the two family heads, as if wondering how they had found their way to such a prestigious event. Still, they let them through, they were afterall on the list.

As the two families were allowed entry, they immediately headed for where several early arrivers like them had gathered. The main theatre was still closed and not open to attendance yet. However, the surrounding stone terraces and open-air patios were fully set up, offering fresh sea breezes, food tables, and plush seating areas overlooking the ocean.

A few mid-tier and high-tier faction leaders were already standing around in small groups, talking quietly.

Donovan Sr. and Albert tried to join a few conversations, introducing themselves politely. But as soon as the other leaders realized the two families had no real power or backing, they made polite excuses and walked away to find stronger allies.

In this new world, strength dealt only with strength. The mid-tier factions that were lucky enough to make it to this summit were looking for powerful allies to help them fight off the growing reach of the World Government. Small regional families with barely any land were useless to them.

Realizing they were out of their depth, Donovan Sr. and Albert, along with their heirs, quietly retreated to a secluded corner of the terrace.

”Well,” Albert muttered, taking a drink from a glass provided by an attendant. ”That was brief.”

”We are here to observe and adapt, Albert,” Donovan Sr. said calmly, though his eyes were somber as he looked across the crowd. ”That is enough for today.”

They sat in quiet contemplation, watching the ticking countdown on their System interfaces.

T-0 days : 0 hours : 12 minutes : 05 seconds.

As the seconds ticked by, the atmosphere on the terrace began to shift noticeably. The casual chatter quieted down as faction leaders checked their interface timers. The air grew heavy with anticipation.

Ten minutes remained on the clock.

And right on cue, the space near the main teleportation platforms began to distort violently, signaling the arrival of the first true global powerhouse.