Chapter 621 - Chapter 621. New Leveling Policies. Temple Of Mortal Growth.

After the birth of the five Sylvans, everyone from the family made a trip back to see them. Dewna and the others were accustomed to receiving a new little sibling twice or more a year. But this time, the nature of the little siblings brought curiosity to all these older children who had gotten accustomed to the little ones. 

Some from the third generation had also grown up a great deal, the oldest being 24 years old. A few of those children even married early, starting to create the fourth generation of Liu Shu's family tree. 

Liu Shu knew of a fourth-generation baby who was about to be three years old! 

What was interesting was that the children all had some Alraune traits. While some were born without their flower-halves, their attunements were not lost. In fact, the first fourth-generation child, born of a human and a dryad, was a new type of alraune who carried her flower on her back. 

She was honestly very cute and could even use tendrils like extra arms. The system called this species . 'My great-grandbabies are becoming very varied and interesting! So cute~.' 

She stretched one of her roots, poking the baby and making it laugh. The parents noticed the root and quickly showed respectful attitudes. As third-generation, they were not that close to Liu Shu. Of course, they still called her "grandma" and were sweet to her. Nevertheless, after growing up, they became somewhat strained, coming to understand some of the world's truths. 

Liu Shu's position was too grand for some of the third generation, especially their partners. 

After playing a bit with the humanoid alraune, Liu Shu refocused on taking care of Cinderielle and the others. They were quite drained, so she was making sure that their energies were up.

And what was better than a cup of warm milk tea! Liu Shu used the stored milk and leaves, creating a delicious-smelling beverage. 

Naturally, she also prepared a bottle with a teat for the five Sylvans. Her milk was too precious and nutritious not to feed it to the newborns. 

Verdantia held one of the twins and gave it the bottle of milk. Once the baby started suckling, Verdantia could swear that she saw Faye's eyes light up and become aggressive. Her eyes twitched a bit. "...What, is Mother's milk bad compared to Liu Shu's, eh? You look as if you've starved to death for the last twenty years."

Strangely sensing a sense of threat, Faye's suckling speed relaxed, her big, purple-colored eyes blinking adorably and innocently. Verdantia and Verena couldn't help but laugh. Verena commented, intrigued. "This child is truly intelligent." 

Verdantia smiled and nodded. It has been only a few days, so the Sylvan children were still small and becoming accustomed to their surroundings. Nevertheless, their big, beautiful eyes couldn't help but always look around, taking in their surroundings with curiosity. 

A little bit to her right, Tempestria glanced over and commented with a smirk. "But it seems that size doesn't equal the volume of milk. Faye and Faylin seem quite thirsty." 

It was just banter, and Verdantia knew it. Instead of becoming indignant, though, she raised her eyebrow and smirked. "I can feed one child with just one breast. Here you are, alternating yours. Are you sure that Arlyn won't grow skinny? I can help you if you want, Tempestria. I have some extra even after feeding these two."

Tempestria snorted. "Alright, I walked right into that one. You were a bit ruthless, though!"

Verdantia smirked triumphantly. "Those who dare mock Liu Shu's favorite bundles of softness will be put in their place!" 

Tempestria shook her head, looking down and using one finger to poke at Arlyn's chubby cheeks. "You are really cute, aren't you?" 

"Mother, can I hold my little sister? She is so cute!"

Sylvia was sitting by Tempestria's side, her large, expressive eyes showing curiosity. Tempestria naturally passed her own, not minding at all.

Arlyn saw her sister's face and made a strange, crumpled expression. After all, Sylvia had no mouth, so Arlyn could feel that something was amiss. She didn't know whether to cry or not, making her look constipated. Tempestria almost burst into laughter, while Sylvia felt speechless. 

"You little girl, what is with that expression? Do you not like your eldest sister's face?" 

Arlyn blinked, still confused. She was even looking down at the source of the sound of Sylvia's voice. Thankfully, Sylvia was tactful and wore a dress that hid her belly mouth. No matter how clever Arlyn was, if she saw a massive mouth full of teeth in front of her face, she would probably burst into a deafening cry. 

Pyara and the other children were also present, enjoying the company of their first non-Alraune sisters. 

While all of them were enjoying their time, Liu Shu felt something stir deep within one of the temple structures. Her main body's eyes opened, glancing down at the Temple of Life that she combined with the Temple of Death. 

"Oh, is it time?" 

These were the first signals, so it would be a week or two before it truly awakened. Still, Liu Shu made sure to inform Flor about it. 

"Mom, another of the temples is completing its evolution. It will probably be done by the end of this month." 

Flor nodded, thoughtful. "Which one is it this time around?" 

"It is the Temple of Life. I combined it with the Temple of Death, so I am not really sure what effects it will bring. Still, since the Temple of Life was the foundation, it should focus more on it than the other concept." 

Looking at her granddaughter in Cinderielle's arms, Flor rubbed her chin. "It won't affect children negatively, right?" 

Liu Shu answered softly. "Naturally. The blessings do not even work on those who have yet to awaken their System Pages." 

"Speaking of which," Ignatia commented. "Previously, the age to Level Up for the first time was 16 to 18, right? We've followed that tradition until now. Still, is it really necessary? I feel that many species can Level Up much earlier than 18 years old. Sylvans do need to be mature enough, but adolescents have enough development to support the system's influence without any adverse effects." 

Liu Shu added to that. "I've been looking into it for a while. I even asked the System myself. From what I've learned, there is actually no drawback for allowing even a newborn to Level Up. Only… if they have 100 , they won't have the same strength as an adult with the same stats." 

Flor tilted her head, confused. "If that's true, then why haven't you changed this rule?"

"Mental Development." Liu Shu commented. "It is true that anyone can develop their levels at any age. However, mental development is greatly important. Imagine that, as a child, you practice the sword. You Level Up, get swordsmanship titles, but later, when you mature, you notice that you wanted to be a Fire Aether mage. Some people come with talents, but hasty development can lead to some children becoming stuck with what they chose when they were little." 

Everyone blinked and understood. It was similar to education. A child was not taught to be a blacksmith from a young age; they were taught general knowledge, and if they later wanted to become one, they could. 

"Hm… I understand." Ignatia nodded, but she still was not fully convinced. "Still, I do believe that adolescents can Level Up. Even if they later change opinions, the titles and skills they've gained won't be as deeply rooted as if they began learning when they were five. Right?"

Liu Shu was not against it. "We can try it with the new generations. See how it does, and if it ever becomes a problem, we can pedal back on it." 

Veyra at the side had other opinions, though. "While I do agree that freedom of choice is ideal. A child's ability to absorb knowledge is the best. So, even if you tell them to practice swordsmanship or Aethermancy since they are little, I believe that this is more a choice of the parents than ours." 

Liu Shu also thought as such, but finding a balance was truly difficult. "What do you suggest?" 

"Let the people know of the drawbacks and advantages," Veyra commented, her eyes thoughtful. "We are not to meddle in family unity. If we do that, there is a chance that some people will resent you in the future."

Elyne frowned, her eyes flashing with a bit of gentleness. "Won't this create cases of child abuse? Parents who want their children to be exceptional and expose them to rigorous training and such."

Veyra shook her head. "That happens either way. Even if they can't Level Up, they can be forced to learn the sword. With the system, the parents at least will be able to guide them according to their talents." 

Liu Shu nodded. "Fair point. Elyne and Flor, I want the church and government to use this chance to cooperate. Using the religious influence, we can spread the ideas mildly so that people treat them more cautiously. I will leave the specifics to you two."

Flor and Elyne nodded. 

After that, weeks passed, and the time for the Temple's awakening arrived. Liu Shu was peacefully attending to her matters when System messages began popping up in her eyes. 

[Congratulations for the successful evolution between the and concepts!]

[The has evolved into !]

[All for have been deleted. From now on, you will gain .]

Liu Shu smiled, and she spoke softly. "Alright, Little Growth, spread your influence." 

With her words, the awakened. 

BOOM!

A pillar of green and dark lights soared to the sky, smashing against the atmosphere with no less strength than that of the . Its aura spread out, creating an ominous atmosphere full of death and Life Aether and Anima essences.

All creatures of the world looked over, stunned at the development, until a somewhat familiar message reached them. 

[You've lost .] 

As the Temple's energy engulfed the world, the seeds interconnected through Liu Shu's roots also evolved. Another System message popped up.

[All will evolve into .]

And, right after, the final message reached all living beings in the world. 

[Congratulations! You've gained .] 

***

: While under its influence, creatures will be attuned and perceptive to Life and Death essence. You can heal non-mortal injuries and scarring naturally with enough time. There is a faint chance of becoming and gaining a