One year of "nourishment" did not go to waste. The three hacks—honkai, [Xiutian Art], and dual cultivation's creation qi—worked so well it shortened the required time to break through the late stage of Purple Mansion Realm to the early Golden Core Realm.
Instead of taking several years, ranging from five to twenty years, it is finished in one. [Xiutian Art] is truly a broken technique in this regard. As long as there is a bound partner in a higher realm, their practice speed will boost the others with lower realms by dozens of times.
In this case, I am pulling others up with my Golden Core Realm.
"What's with the long look?"
"...Sigh."
Veliona, who is beside me watching Kiana's breakthrough, heaved a sigh. Her physical body had reached the same level as Seele's twenty-one year old. Her improvements did not stop until she matched Seele's current realms. She naturally reached the early Golden Core Realm after one year.
It did not slow down due to Seele's recent developments.
My newly improved [Encompassing Eyes] gazed at the girl with long blue hair.
{Seele}
{Age: 167}
{Body: Early Golden Core (95%)}
{Qi: Middle Golden Core (1%)}
{Mind: Middle Golden Core (2%)}
Seele has officially outmatched everyone else in terms of age. After 110 years of cultivation, she crossed a minor realm.
The effects of [Xiutian Art] on the [Great Accomplishment] mastery is a 1:1 conversion. If Seele reaches the middle stage, I will also reach the middle stage. If she progresses through the early stage by half, I will also progress in it by half.
In this way, something that will take a hundred years will be shortened to decades.
However, we are in a different time flow.
The differing time flow screwed us over. I only cultivated for one year while she did so for a hundred years. No matter how broken the [Xiutian Art] is, it can only stave off a few years to her usual cultivation time (i.e., pure cultivation and honkai tempering).
That was with me utilizing honkai tempering on body and soul, absorption of [Sun-Moon Creation Art]'s creation qi, ingesting fourth grade demon beast meat, and cooking fourth grade spiritual pills.
It was Kiana that benefitted a lot. She closed the gap from the late to the peak stage of Purple Mansion Realm in one year.
All three of her main cultivation techniques have reached the [Great Accomplishment]. Even her main spell, [Taixu World Rendering Sutra], has reached [Great Accomplishment]. Kiana received the most out of the others purely due to dual cultivation.
My progress is not bad, either.
{Body: Middle Golden Core (1%)}
{Qi: Middle Golden Core (14%)}
{Mind: Early Golden Core (63%)}
Seele singlehandedly brought up my realms. Her "opportunity" benefitted me a lot.
My biggest benefit lies in dual cultivation.
I gained a dual cultivation trait a year ago. There is also the Dao of Yin-Yang's enhancement towards dual cultivation. [Xiutian Art] also contained a hidden trait for me alone, further enhancing the effects of dual cultivation. Creation qi's effects on me are enhanced several more times than Kiana's.
Add to that the various job specialties I gained with the resources of a year's gacha, my qi realm became the highest out of the three.
I haven't tested my strength in reality, but I did so in the Demon Arena.
My physical body's damage alone can crush mountains with ease. I can dig deep into Earth's crust and force my way to its core.
My spiritual consciousness' range is ten thousand kilometers, enough to envelop a quarter of Earth with ease.
These are just the base attributes. My strongest cards lie in my supernatural powers. They can finally contend with Herrschers, unlike the past when they'll simply break down and not do anything.
"Seele's memories… I dreamt of them."
Her words caught my attention.
"That Black Sun… again."
"..."
I know about the dilemma Seele faced through Veliona's periodic memories. These memories are large, spanning a decade of Seele's "life".
She received the typical regressor experience. She repeatedly experienced the same three years, all of which ended up with Nihility's influence breaking out.
There is a problem in that world, however.
The Cocoon of Finality seemed unresponsive throughout that ordeal. There is also my Void Refinement mental power into the fray. These two factors weren't considered at all.
I can conclude that they are flawed simulations formulated by the Sea of Quanta.
If it weren't flawed, I would be seeing a power higher than [Divine Laws] in this Bubble World's barrier. That's my hunch.
"It won't happen." I reassured her. "There are gods outside the solar system… but that won't happen. The most important thing now is for Seele to escape that place."
"Can she even?"
"Trust in her."
The Seele now is no longer the same Seele as before. It is only one year for us, but a hundred years for her. Her changes are not something even I could predict.
"Your concern now is to become stronger."
I met her crimson red pupils.
"What would you do if Seele became stronger than you?"
"..!"
Veliona's eyes widened. Her fingers trembled. To her who protected Seele from the very beginning, the mention of that possibility is enough to make her more motivated. Veliona is prideful. She wants to protect Seele, not the other way around. She is also very sensitive when it comes to her 'purpose' (i.e., protecting Seele).
Just then, I felt several major honkai eruptions occur. These are spread all over the world. There are four of them in total.
This Bubble World hasn't experienced one after Seele's appearance. It is also my purpose this time. I wanted to see the extent of this Bubble World's 'simulation' of the real Earth.
If so…
Can I speed up the fourteenth Herrscher's descent?
I do not have any grasp of her power. Though she is weaker than Deliverance Kevin, she is helpful enough to establish a lower limit. We can fight her now. That way, I won't get caught off guard during the decisive battle with Kevin.
My main cards are my current strength and lifespan. A Golden Core True Lord has a lifespan of ten thousand years at minimum.
My lifespan exceeds that, sitting at thirty thousand years. I can be more willful and spend a lot. Anyways, these forbidden techniques are not-so-forbidden since there are ways to recover lost lifespan.
"I will handle it."
Veliona spoke up. Her spiritual consciousness is the same level as Seele's. She determined the existence of four Herrschers from the major eruption's directions.
Sou-!
Her figure turned into a blur as she flew to the skies.
*****
A/N: Amphoreus character trailers are being changed as of now to fit the Amphoreus finale tomorrow. It reminded me that I have been letting the entire Amphoreus Arc marinate for an entire year just so I can use its complete plot in a fic (which will happen to be this fic).