When last we saw Zac he was still working on his upgrade to Late Hegemony as he and the others with access were whisked away for the trial event at the Left Imperial Palace. Zac gained his first seal for the event several years ago so the history and competition of the event has been building for several books. This is only the fifth such event to occur over hundreds of millions of years with the grand prize authority over one of the nine peaks of the Dao. Although Zac has maintained that he intends to leave the grand prize to others willing to die for it, we all expect him to get pulled into the thick of it since the fate of Earth's sector of space hangs in the balance. I started reading with great anticipation but it wasn't at all what I expected.

I expected something like the Twilight Ocean but somehow more, and maybe it will be, but sadly this was just more preliminary work up for the main event. Those without complete seals were sent to an event where they had the opportunity to gain entry, or not, and the rest like Zac appeared on the vast Left Imperial Continent where they begin their journey towards the Outer Courts, which are Zac's primary targets. Along the way the trial takers will encounter memories of the Limitless Empire where catastrophe struck. By improving the outcome of those events in favor of building the Outer Courts they can increase their influence until they gain entry to the Outer Courts. Most of the story is centered on his two journeys, Arcaz with Esmeralda and Zac traveling with Ogras and the numerologist Ventus, but we also check in with a few others. 

Not only did this book seem underwhelming given that each book until now has built up the pressure, but it also felt like the shortest book in the series. Zac picks up a few perks, learns a lot more about the Limitless Empire, and continues building his theory that this event is really about reigniting the spark of the Limitless Empire. Sadly, it has the feel of being a "filler" book although seemingly minor details in this series are often important in hindsight. Worst of all, book 17 is showing a release day of Dec. 26 which is the longest wait yet.