For two years, Earth's development went into full swing. Anti-Entropy and Schicksal both implemented their plans included within Project Immortal. The first batch of immortal cultivators graduated in their training camp and began to serve as instructors for the next batch. They covered the basics of immortal cultivation for the next batch. In turn, their understanding of immortal cultivation grows further.
It was this teaching model that truly kickstarted immortal cultivation on Earth.
As Schicksal's Overseer, this was but one of Theresa's duties. There was still the management of Schicksal itself as well as the preparation needed to merge Schicksal and Anti-Entropy into one huge world body.
If it wasn't for Theresa's cultivator physique, she wouldn't have been able to withstand the two years of constant work. Her Schicksal's Imperative Battlesuit would have come true.
Her busy life was interrupted by bad news.
Before their parting, Shi Tian left a lot of things. The fifth grade storage ring freezes time and has the space of an entire star system inside. It can also house lower-leveled storage rings as it is made of Dharma Laws.
Along with them were the 'ornaments' housing Shi Tian's mind. These are the traces of his spiritual consciousness. Once any abnormal events occur, it will automatically awaken and block any Nascent Soul-level attack once. It can also teleport them to other planets—or to the Imaginary Space or the Sea—in a blink.
This was the life-saving treasure he left behind. That way, nothing bad happens even if he and Kiana were gone.
Unexpectedly, something bad happened to Shi Tian first. His trace of spiritual consciousness did not have time to explain. He disappeared in Theresa's full view.
She received a dozen quantum links the next moment. Theresa prioritized Bronya's call first.
"It's bad. They are gone."
"Gone..?"
"The Theater disappeared. Seele attached herself to it."
"..."
In the next ten minutes, most of the people who could be mobilized got sent out. Aside from the Theater of Domination that disappeared, nothing else occurred.
Surprisingly, Su was the one who spoke up and revealed some things to Theresa.
"It is in his character to take the burden by himself. I can see Kiana changing him. But, if left with no choice, he would choose to deal with it by himself."
He was also helpless. Spending a year with Shi Tian made Su understand his psychology. His self-sacrificial tendencies are very high. He would rather take on things himself than for others to get hurt.
Though he changed after spending time with Kiana, it hasn't disappeared. When forced into a corner, that would be the choice Shi Tian will make.
"I will be out for a while. I might be able to help."
With that, Su hung up the call.
Theresa inadvertently looked at the Moon.
"Oh no… How will I explain it to Kiana..?"
All of her worries converged into a sigh.
"Principal."
"Oh. What brings you here?"
Despite Theresa hurriedly changing her composure, Wendy and Anna saw through her.
"The spirit I mentioned before…"
"We are taking care of it."
After probing several times, the two girls left. Theresa did not reveal much, just the fact that Shi Tian is on an extremely important mission related to humanity's safety.
Her gaze stayed on the two girls' backs. She recalled the tidbits of information she heard from Bronya—Seele is also Shi Tian's girlfriend.
As if that wasn't enough, Kiana accepted it. Theresa could not fathom what went through the minds of the two.
But then, she could not help but recall her first meeting with him. Those golden eyes held unparalleled clarity. Nothing could stump him, much less make him doubt himself nor his choices. She would be lying if she denied its impact on her mind.
A tinge of worry emerged on her heart.
'I hope everything turns out fine…'
*****
The past two years took a toll on Shi Tian. He resisted Nihility's ever-growing influence. At first, it was just him being dragged inside the same space he spent countless years with. The mind-numbing darkness forced one to remove any thoughts—to be purposeless.
Fortunately, it was still within his manageable range. It also tempered his Tao Heart repeatedly. The barrier to the sixth level weakened greatly. The fifth level emphasizes on the perfect understanding of self. The sixth level, on the other hand, is to turn oneself divine.
A proper mental state and opportunity are required to reach this level.
'Another card for the decisive battle.'
Shi Tian sensed his steady improvements.
'Cultivation's slower without cheats…'
He manipulated imaginary energy and used it as a higher-level substitute for honkai energy. It was very effective when used for soul tempering, achieving the exponential increase just like when he used honkai for soul tempering.
It turned out that honkai energy was less effective for Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and above. Only Imaginary Energy or Quantum Energy suffices.
'A thousand years of steady cultivation… I need to set out for more opportunities after this.'
Shi Tian's saving grace was the absurd increase of his Dao of Enlightenment. It evolved from a supernatural power straight to a Divine Law. Both the martial arts from Blade Mantra and immortal cultivators contributed to its growth. Add to that his reserves of Tao Gift, it is not hard to comprehend one technique to the [Great Accomplishment] mastery.
Once concentrated on himself, its effect of promoting enlightenment became exaggerated. He used it to comprehend a new technique to better utilize Permanence, Time, and Mirror.
Those three can be combined through the [Heaven Shrouding Karmic Projection Art]. It is a technique that summons the past and future projections of oneself to help in battle. It is also the most suitable technique for the holders of [Nine Dragons Primordial Universe Body] and the Dao of Mirrors.
With nine dragons to support oneself, they dominate all of heaven and earth. The technique mastery dictates how many projections and how strong they are.
Shi Tian's [Great Accomplishment] allows him to summon six projections. They can also be merged into a stronger projection, though it consumes more energy to sustain.
'Five Elements, Yin-Yang, Extremity, and Void… To reach the Dao of All Creation, I must perfectly combine them. I will have another card against Nihility by then…'
His main cultivation techniques are inclined to the Dao of All Creation, hence he did not need a technique to combine them. The only thing he was lacking was the right opportunity to comprehend their perfect combination. The one he used up to now was its half-baked version.
Permanence, Time, and Mirror are different from them. He could only learn a technique to properly use them. It was completely unlike the Dao of All Creation that did not need any techniques.
The Dao of All Creation is destined to be Shi Tian's strongest card, with the Permanence, Time, and Mirror taking the second place.
'I can sideline the [Heaven Shrouding Karmic Projection Art] for now.'
Shi Tian focused on his new agenda. It continued for months until a strong drowsiness assaulted him. He did not notice its anomaly. His Tao Heart sent warning signals, only for them to grow faint with each passing second.
'I miss Kiana…'
Shi Tian slowly lost consciousness.