I waited for a while until Kiana woke up. After some kissing and cuddling, she explained the things I missed out.
"Ten years?"
"Yeah. Your situation looked dire at that time."
Her words made a lot of sense. I didn't have the time to greet everyone when I secluded the Theater of Domination. [Heart Intention] possessed enough power to manipulate Imaginary Energy, and in turn, the Imaginary Space.
The power exerted by [Blade Mantra 2.0] far exceeds their cultivation equivalent. [Heart Intention] requires a fifth level Tao Heart. Not to mention the World Rendering Sword I reached temporarily. I used up my lifespan back then to form that impenetrable barrier.
"Schicksal and Anti-Entropy dissolved. They made up the Federation you suggested."
"How's the opposition?"
"Most of the officials agreed. I heard Mister Yang coordinate with them to settle the smaller details."
I nodded.
I wouldn't be as detached to reality to think that everyone will agree to my plan. The most fundamental aspect of human relations are interests. Not everyone can be as selfless as the others. Intimidating others with power while giving them small but tangible benefits is enough to propel their development; a carrot-and-stick approach.
As for corruption and the likes, there are a thousand ways to deal with it.
"Did you also…"
"Bronya took care of them."
Kiana pertained to the vile ones. Their punishment ranged from imprisonment to death penalty. I enacted it alone on the Bubble World. Bronya did it on my behalf.
The death penalty is especially crucial to Earth's future development. Giving vile individuals a strong individual power spells nothing but a disaster. It is important to nurture loyal people with all the knowledge I spread. That way, I gain both loyal people and the rewards for nurturing Earth's cultivation civilization, the strengthening of Dao of Enlightenment.
Bronya took the burden of killing them…
"Add it to the list of your compensation."
Kiana's nudge felt like she implied something.
"I'll take care of it."
She told me a lot of stories after that.
For example, there are four new partners that appeared out of my Spirit Root Awakening Devices. I left a trace of my spiritual consciousness in those artifacts to help others awaken their Spirit Roots. I unexpectedly formed four partnerships out of thin air.
The two of them have the potential to be Herrschers—Wendy and Anna Schariac. The other one, Durandal, wasn't surprising. It was Rita that caught me off guard. We never had any proper interaction together.
When she mentioned them, Kiana's gaze was very strong.
"You need to pay attention to that girl... Sin."
She proceeded to tell me Sin Mal's story. Turns out, she attacked the Nascent Soul Realm Tribulation all by herself. Everyone was worried about her until she revealed her fifth level Tao Heart. She became the third Nascent Soul Realm cultivator after Kiana. Seele and Veliona followed next, bringing the tally of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators to five.
As for Kiana herself…
"Middle stage?"
"Um. The Cocoon's power helped me greatly."
After the final fight with the Honkai, everyone gained something. These gains are enough to shorten their original cultivation times by hundreds, if not thousands of years. I estimated Kiana to complete the Nascent Soul Realm in a thousand years (excluding Xiutian Art). That included imaginary energy for soul tempering.
The Cocoon of Finality and her techniques at the [Great Accomplishment] mastery shortened that to twenty or so years.
If other legitimate cultivators heard about these feats, they would have coughed blood out of our sheer audacity. The Nascent Soul Realm cannot be completed without ten thousand years (as a high grade Spirit Root). Shortening that to twenty years is nigh impossible in their worldview.
"Let me check if you are alright…"
Once again, Kiana played the role of a nurse.
*****
Qi Refining Realm, seven months.
Foundation Establishment Realm, one year.
Purple Mansion Realm, five months.
Golden Core Realm, five years.
Nascent Soul Realm, ten years.
'I am living the life of an immortal cultivation cheater…'
Each one of Shi Tian's records would have warranted uproar in a legitimate cultivation world. He took the phrase "Breakthroughs as easy as drinking tea" literally.
Seventeen years after beginning the path of immortal cultivation, Shi Tian is on the threshold of the Divine Transformation Realm.
After giving Kiana a part of the "compensation" she demanded, he focused on retrospection and recovery This lasted for half a year.
'The ultimate grade Spirit Root is even more exaggerated than my prior Spirit Root. Add to that my two high grade Tao Bodies…'
Shi Tian's raw cultivation speed can match those who are using the honkai hacks to proceed. Once he starts using his cultivation hacks, it virtually guarantees he would always be the strongest cultivator in human history, even if Kiana is considered.
'There's still the undigested gains. Hiss…'
With the remaining spiritual essences inside his Chaos Furnace, it guarantees a fast cultivation speed until he reaches the middle stage of Divine Transformation Realm. There is still the experience of using the [World Rendering Sword] ahead of time, an eighth level Tao Heart. The 'bottlenecks' prior to it became weaker.
The gains of risking one's life and confronting the Honkai and Aeons alike warranted bountiful gifts.
'This world's flaws… I can use it to have a headstart. The same goes for others.'
He sighed as he calmed his excited heart down. The more prosperous Earth's prospects become, the more they need to be careful.
Having someone in the Void Refinement Realm warrants Earth's standing in the vast universe.
'I am still injured.'
Shi Tian is one lucky bastard for having survived the Dao Integration Realm experience. Despite Origin helping carry the burden, the small part that was left rendered him unresponsive for a decade.
Worse, the injuries left on him have to be recovered before he can progress on his cultivation. Attempting to break through without doing so is akin to courting death.
He has the ultimate grade Spirit Root, two high grade Tao Bodies, Blade Mantra 2.0, and all the other hacks. Being unable to use them feels very frustrating.
'Twenty years. I can attempt the Divine Transformation Realm at that time. That... or more dual cultivation.'
He stood up clear-headed. With one step, he disappeared from the Imaginary Space.
'Earth.'
Ten years of slumber made him miss out on Earth's changes. Fortunately, everyone was more than capable in enacting their plans.
One glance was all it took to see Earth's overall situation.
'Seventh grade spirit vein. I knew this would happen.'
The fifth level material he left was Shi Tian's accumulation over five years. With the proper Qi Gathering Formation and the skillful use of the imaginary space, it is possible to create a seventh grade spirit vein.
They could even attempt to create an eighth grade spirit vein within the imaginary space. The concentration of spiritual qi was one thing; the "Dao" contained in that space allowed for the existence of the Dao Integration Realm.
Like a kid unraveling a gift box, Shi Tian's anticipation grew.
'Is it finally time to act as an unfathomable master?'
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter will come in the next few hours.