Tom leaned back in his chair.

"For most people, that’s a one-time use anyway. The Chamber is designed so that a single key gets a single trip. Whether you’re a faction sending a person, or an individual entering solo, the key burns its keystone properties on entry and never gets to be used as a key again. But the natural treasure itself usually retains its value, depending on what it was originally.

In your case, the value is enormous. A highest-grade natural treasure that controls an entire floating island. Even without the key function, this book is one of the more valuable artifacts in the kingdom."

Moon nodded slowly.

He had six months. The book gave him access to a realm that the strongest factions in the kingdom would kill to enter.

Whatever was inside the Chamber, it was worth enough that the cycle of access was a guarded secret among Ascenders, and people who knew about it spent five years preparing for the next opening.

And he had stumbled into a key by accident, while killing a spirit on a floating island.

Moon picked the book up carefully and slipped it back into his storage ring.

"What’s inside the Chamber?"

Tom’s grin widened.

"Now that, my boy, is the right question to ask."

Tom leaned forward, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He was clearly very eager to talk about this topic.

"The Chamber is a world in and of itself. When you step through, you don’t just enter another room. You enter an entirely separate space. Vast and filled with trials of every conceivable kind."

He held up a hand and began counting on his fingers.

"There are trials of strength, where you face opponents that push your physical limits. Trials of comprehension, where you face puzzles that test how deeply you understand your own skills and the world around you.

Trials of intelligence, where pure cunning and strategy matter more than power. Trials of will, where you fight against illusions designed to break your spirit. Trials of luck, even. Some chambers are nothing but pure chance, and the reward depends on whether the dice fall in your favor or not.

And each trial rewards you differently. Sometimes generously. The Chamber doesn’t believe in participation prizes. Either you earn something, or you walk away with nothing. But if you do earn something, oh, my boy. The rewards are unlike anything you’ll find in the normal Sanctuaries."

"The worst reward. The absolute lowest tier of what you can walk away with from that place is an Excellent grade Spirit Art."

Moon’s eyes widened.

He knew what that meant. Excellent grade Spirit Arts were the kind of resource people spent fortunes hunting for. The Spirit Art that allowed an Evolver to begin the path of filling fifty acupoints, the path that led to becoming a full Surpasser. They were extraordinarily rare, locked away in the vaults of major factions, traded for large amounts of money on the market.

Of course, they were much easier to find than Sacred Arts. But that didn’t make them any less rare.

And Tom was describing them as the worst possible outcome from the Chamber.

Yara’s left hand hovered over her mouth. "That means..." She glanced between Tom and Moon. "Sacred grade Spirit Arts could be there too? The one being handed for the champion of this tournament?"

Tom’s grin widened.

"Naturally. It’s been won before. Multiple times across the cycles." He patted his own chest. "I, myself, won a Sacred grade Spirit Art during my own trip into the Chamber. Decades ago, when I was about your age. It’s the reason I am where I am today."

Selene’s breath caught audibly.

Sacred grade. The Spirit Art that could sealed the deal, marking you as the next ascender if you didn’t die trying to make it there.

Tom continued, his voice growing more nostalgic as the memories flooded back.

"And it’s not just Spirit Arts. The Chamber has rewarded people with fruitful encounters that grant comprehension of Rare or even Epic-rank skills, depending on the difficulty of the trial.

Weapons, armour pieces, consumables, all ranging from A-Rank to S-Rank. Crystallized fragments of natural law that can be absorbed to strengthen your elemental affinity."

He waved a hand.

"Everything inside the Chamber is worth taking. There are no junk rewards. Everything has value, more often than not, carrying immense value."

Then, some of the brightness in his eyes dimmed. "But nothing in the Chamber is without cost."

He looked at Moon directly.

"The risk is equal to the reward. Sometimes greater. Many enter and never return. Geniuses of their generations have walked into the Chamber confident in their abilities and never come out the other side.

Their families wait, their factions hold ceremonies, and eventually their names fade. The Chamber doesn’t care who you are or what group you represent. It will kill you if you make the wrong choice."

Tom’s voice grew softer.

"Those who enter and emerge become legends. Leaders of their generations. The names that history remembers. Those who enter and never come out, they are forgotten. Their stories die with them inside whatever trial took them."

He looked at the others around the room.

"It is the single greatest opportunity, and the single greatest gamble, that exists in this world."

The orbital was silent.

Moon stared at the dark book, its runes pulsing faintly on the table. His expression was unreadable, his mind busy thinking through scenarios, possibilities, and preparations.

Six months to prepare for the chance of a lifetime.

Or the chance to end his life.

Tom watched him for a long moment, recognizing the look. He had worn the same expression himself, decades ago, when he had first learned about the Chamber. He gave Moon the space to absorb it.

Then he clapped his hands once, breaking the heavy silence.

"Anyway. Forget about that for now."

"You should go rest. Relax your body for tomorrow. The second stage will be far more difficult than the first, and you’ll need every ounce of energy you can recover before then."