Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 140 part 1! Hope you enjoy!
This week: I've been so busy moving from my old apartment to my new one that I almost had no time to write. Fortunately I was able to finish chapter 151 so that's a relief. Aside from that, I've started writing chapter 152 which will be a R18 chapter with ALL the Mikhailovs. I won't spoil you more, but if you want to read it in advance, do check out my patre0n. The chapter should b done by the end of the week. Also, depending on how it goes, it is possible that chapter 153 will also be R18. We'll see.
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
No, it was way beyond what a simple Dual Cultivation talent could be...
In any case, instead of flaunting his future endless potential, he simply asked something he was more interested in, feeling hesitant at the informal address.
"Au...Aunt Eldoria?"
Nodding her head, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her gaze when she heard the word 'Aunt', mixed with some amusement at how awkward he sounded.
"You have questions, I assume."
She stated matter-of-factly.
With a small nod, he asked calmly.
"You mentioned the term 'Immortal Seed-Grade'... When it comes to talent, I only know about the Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Transcendent Grades. Does that Immortal Seed have anything to do with the Transcendent Grade, or is it something stronger?"
His deduction brought a satisfied expression to her face before she responded.
"Your first guess was correct. The word Transcendent is just a general term to designate any talent superior to Heaven-Grade. However, the correct name is Immortal Seed, referring to the fact that anyone with such a talent could hope to reach Immortality, although with a very low success rate. Its characteristics are..."
She then proceeded to explain everything she knew about it, information she acquired from the Supreme Elder a few hours prior.
Well, despite respecting the old man deeply, she still had doubts about his 'fanciful' claims.
After all, a talent that could bring one to the Transcending Tribulation with complete confidence seemed to be a bit far-fetched to her.
Even Peak Heaven-Grade talents did not guarantee a high level of cultivation, merely increasing the chances by a large amount.
Yes, most of those Peak Heaven-Grade prodigies would ultimately reach the Void Sapling Rank, and among them, most would achieve Peak Void Sapling Rank cultivation after a long time.
However, 'most' was a completely different concept from 'all'.
In this case, the First Tribulation Transcendent was the lowest an Immortal Seed would reach.
That was, unless they were killed midway, of course.
That possibility aside, normal cultivation would bring them the Tribulation Transcending Rank, and that was something she had a lot of trouble wrapping her mind around.
Although the Peak Void Sapling Rank and the First Tribulation Transcendence level seemed to be only separated by a single level, the difference between the two was hard to define with words.
Though still Mortal, once a cultivator reached Tier 6, their Essence began to undergo some extraordinary transformation, elevating the life level one Tribulation at a time until it was enough to undergo the Immortal Tribulation and transcend Mortality for Immortality.
Tier 5 cultivators were called Emperor, overseeing the Mortal World through their powerful means, controlling the fate of those Kings and Lords.
However, an Emperor's means were ultimately limited to the Mortal World, destined to return to dust after a few hundred thousand years.
Undergoing and surviving the first Transcendent Tribulation, however, would propel one on the path to Transcendence, with the Heavenly shackles limiting one's lifespan and control over the Heavenly Laws vanishing one by one for each Tribulation safely passed.
Each Tribulation was akin to a different World, the difference in power almost incomprehensible for anyone below that Rank.
That was the level of power that the young man seated in front of her, his expression not the least bit surprised at her explanation, was supposed to reach in a few thousand years at the quickest and a few tens of thousands of years at the longest.
Feeling a bit confused and slightly suspicious, the 'young' Void Sapling contemplated without showing anything on her face.
'Since he wasn't aware of the Immortal Seed's existence, why is he not surprised?'
Indeed, the situation was too strange.
If it were anyone else, even herself, learning that they could reach the peak of the Cultivation World in so little time and with no chance of being stuck at a bottleneck for too long, they would certainly be unable to hide their excitement.
Demian, however, only had an 'as expected' expression on his face, something completely abnormal for his situation.
That was, unless he was hiding something else.
Being as curious as a cat, she had to stop herself from digging deeper, however.
After all, she had been warned by the Supreme Elder earlier.
'Remember, Eldoria, you have to make him feel welcome, let him understand that he's family and not just someone insignificant.'
Her uncle Pietr, however, was a lot more direct with his instructions, having warned her.
'Little Empress, you'd best rein in your curiosity. Everyone has secrets, and the lad certainly has more than most. But, unless he wishes to reveal them, do not try to dig deeper. Otherwise, he'll certainly resent you and, by association, the Federation.'
Well, that old man knew her well.
Although her ancestor was a fish-type Emperor Beast, she had always acted more like a cat.
At least when it came to her inquisitive mind.
It did serve her during her cultivation journey, but she also understood that, at times, 'curiosity did indeed kill the cat'.
Or fish, in her case.
Now that her cultivation matched her status as a Core Elder, she needed to act like one.
It was fine to act spoiled with her uncle, but in front of others, she could not do the same, especially in front of a prospect like the young man in front of her.
'I wonder if Mikhail prefers the responsible me or the spoiled me...'
While random thoughts traversed the woman's mind, she finally finished her explanation.
Then, Demian interjected.
"Do the Frost Beast Palace know about my... 'situation'?"
Nodding her head, Eldoria said.
"From the events' progress, they shouldn't have known before targeting you, but now... Well, a Lotus phenomenon of that size is impossible to hide, so they definitely know. Even if they're not aware of the details, by simply investigating a bit, it won't be difficult to discover the whole truth."
Despite anticipating that exact situation, the young man still felt troubled. After all, the difference between being targeted as a Peak Heaven-Grade genius and an Immortal Seed Grade one was two different concepts.
The first kind of prodigy could still be stopped, but if the second one was not killed, the only result would be the enemy's death.
Thus, the attempts on his life were sure to grow extremely fierce, and, as evidenced by what happened previously, even being in the middle of a major city like Bright Star City would not guarantee his safety.
Hiding in the Serene River Mansion was an option, but if he did, how long would he have to hide away?
The young man was just over 18 years old.
Granted, his talent would certainly keep growing, and with both the best talent and Physiology Perk, he was destined to rise quickly.
However, 'quickly' for a high-level cultivator was not the same as for a mortal without cultivation.
A few hundred years to reach the Void Sapling Rank was very quick, but compared to the few years he had been alive, a few hundred years felt almost endless to him.
However, what else could he do?
Being targeted by a Tier 5 Demon Beast was like having to hide from the final boss of a video game while still being in the newbie village.
Angry?
Frustrated?
What did it matter how he felt?
No amount of emotions would change his situation.
The only thing he could do was cultivate assiduously, bond with Bryn and Liya in the hope of triggering a Perk Evolution, and wait.
Anything else was out of his hands.
Feeling resigned, he let out a sigh before mumbling.
"I guess I'll cultivate for a few hundred years first..."
The words brought an amused smile to the beautiful mermaid and the handsome General, the latter asking.
"Why the long face, lad? Shouldn't you be happy about the news we brought you?"
Shaking his head, the raven-haired man replied, his tone wistful.
"It's just that I realized I might have to hide in the Mansion for a few hundred years to avoid being assassinated by those Demon Beasts. Because I only started cultivating a few months ago, my mindset is still playing catch-up with the whole 'hundred years in a single seclusion' concept. Asking me to stay cooped up somewhere, no matter how beautiful it looked, for a few hundred years when there's an endless World to explore out there is just... It's a bit frustrating, I guess."
Well, if he had to do it, he would do it.
After all, it was not as if he were alone in a random mountain like those ascetic Immortal cultivators.
Instead, he had three extraordinary lovers, along with Sergei, Ling, and the rest of the Mansion's inhabitants, to keep him company.
Not only that, but cultivating while sensing constant progress was a great joy in itself.
All in all, it was not exactly a bad situation, a mere temporary confinement.
'I'll just take it as sharpening the axe before cutting the tree. After all, reaching a higher level of cultivation will make it much safer for me and the girls once we decide to travel abroad. I guess it's not too bad when I think of it that way.'