Adrian walked slowly through the inner-zone base of the Azure Garden, making his way toward one of the training arenas. From an outsider's perspective, there was nothing different about him. His appearance remained exactly as it always had been, with no visible indication that every vein within his body had been transformed into Source veins. The brief glow that had once outlined those changes had long since faded, leaving behind a perfectly normal exterior.
Yet Adrian could clearly feel the difference within himself. The change was not identical to his Source Form, but it carried a similar essence. His body felt more refined, more responsive, with a natural sturdiness and speed that surpassed his previous state. The flow of mana and essence within him had become smoother and more efficient, circulating through his body with a level of precision that he had never experienced normally before. How much of an advantage this would provide in actual combat remained something he would need to test later, but for now, that was not his focus.
At this moment, his attention was entirely directed toward something else, the [Crown of the Source].
He understood that breaking the chain of war would not be achieved instantly with this technique. It was not a solution that could resolve everything overnight. But this technique… this could become the foundation for something far greater. If cultivated properly, there would come a day when he could truly sever that endless cycle of conflict entirely.
With that thought in mind, Adrian stepped into the training arena.
Inside, his people were already engaged in their training. His companions, his family, his closest allies, everyone who had come with him from the Milky Way Galaxy were present. The arena was filled with controlled chaos. The sound of clashes echoed across the space as blades collided with force, sending vibrations through the air. Spatial distortions rippled across different sections, fire and ice spells burst and collided mid-air, whilst others trained in silence, refining their domains or stabilising their authority.
It was chaotic, yet disciplined.
And standing slightly apart from all of this was Hestia, her posture calm and composed as she observed the scene. Her gaze carried a quiet curiosity, as though she was studying something she had yet to fully understand.
Adrian stepped forward. He did not raise his voice, yet when he spoke, his words carried clearly across the entire arena. "Everyone."
The effect was immediate. Weapons lowered, domains dissipated, and the noise of combat faded almost instantly. Dozens of gazes turned toward him, and without hesitation, they began to gather. Within moments, they stood before him, some curious, some relaxed, some slightly confused, but all attentive.
Adrian looked at them for a brief moment before asking, "Do you all trust me?"
The question felt… out of place.
For a moment, there was silence. A few exchanged glances. Then Draven let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "That's a weird question."
Max smirked, folding his arms. "Yeah… who else are we supposed to trust?"
Sentinel said nothing, but gave a firm nod.
Aurelia's expression softened slightly, "You already know the answer."
Gary chuckled, "If not you, then who?"
Orin simply raised his hand in acknowledgment.
Kael grinned slightly, "We've bet our lives on your decisions more times than I can count."
Kaelith nodded, "You've never given us reason not to."
Alice added, "That is why we've committed our empires to your path."
Mira's voice was soft but certain, "Always, Adrian."
Others responded in their own ways, some nodding, some giving brief confirmations, some remaining silent yet clearly agreeing. The meaning was unmistakable. There was no doubt among them.
Yet not everyone reacted the same way.
Lysandra's brows furrowed slightly. Selena's gaze narrowed, thoughtful. Septimus remained silent, observing carefully, whilst Selric crossed his arms, watching Adrian with a measured expression.
They did trust him, but the question itself felt wrong. The timing felt wrong. This was not a moment for such a question, not when they were preparing for war, not when every decision carried weight.
Lysandra stepped forward slightly, her voice calm but firm. "Adrian, what are you planning to do? If this is something reckless, you should say it clearly."
Her words shifted the atmosphere. Others paused, because they all understood something fundamental about Adrian: if it meant protecting them, he would not hesitate to take risks that others would consider unreasonable.
Septimus spoke quietly. "She's right. You don't ask questions like that unless something's changed."
Cassian's eyes narrowed, "Did you see another Fate's vision? What did you discover?"
Selena's expression tightened. "Adrian…"
Before Adrian could respond, Elara moved. She stepped forward quickly, her expression filled with quiet concern, and gently placed her hand against his cheek. "Adrian…" Her voice softened, carrying the feelings of a mother who'd watched her son shoulder impossible burdens since he was young. "Is something wrong?"
For a brief moment, the entire arena stilled. Adrian looked at her, then gently placed his hand over hers. "Mother… there's nothing for you to worry about," he said calmly.
Then, meeting her gaze, he asked once more, "Do you trust me?"
In response, Elara did not speak; rather, she simply nodded.
That was enough.
In the next moment, Adrian's eyes shifted, turning into a deep white-grey hue that carried an unfathomable depth. A subtle stillness spread across the arena, not oppressive but undeniable, as though reality itself had paused to acknowledge what was forming.
Above his head, a crown materialized, shaped entirely from Source essence. It bore no intricate design, no ornamentation, no jewels or precious metals, just pure white-grey energy coalescing into a simple crown form. Yet its presence was overwhelming in a way that defied explanation. It did not press down with authority, but it pressed gently against the consciousness of everyone present, making its existence impossible to ignore.
From Adrian's hand, still holding Elara's, a faint golden thread of energy emerged. The thread extended slowly toward Elara's chest. When it reached her, it sank into her without resistance, disappearing beneath her skin as though it had always belonged there.
For a brief moment, the connection between them was visible to all, a luminous line stretching from Adrian's palm to Elara's heart, before it disappeared entirely, leaving no trace.
Elara staggered slightly, her knees buckling. Adrian immediately caught her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders to support her weight as her eyes closed briefly. Thomas moved forward instinctively, his expression tight with concern, but stopped when Adrian gave a small shake of his head.
When Elara's eyes opened again, they were wide, unfocused. Her gaze shifted, first to Adrian's face, then to her surroundings, then to her own hands, which she raised slowly before her. She turned them over, examining her palms, her fingers, as though seeing them for the first time.
Her expression gradually changed as she processed what she was experiencing.
The world had not changed in form, yet in clarity, it felt entirely different.
The flow of mana through the air, once a familiar background sensation, now appeared as distinct currents she could trace with perfect precision. The intricate network of rule lines that formed reality itself now appeared sharper, more defined, more accessible. Every symbol, every fragment of meaning within those lines, unfolded naturally before her awareness.
And beyond that, there was something else… a connection. Something that bound her to Adrian in a way that went beyond blood, beyond family, beyond anything she had ever experienced.
She tried to speak, but no words came. Her throat worked silently as her mind struggled to process the magnitude of what had just occurred.
Adrian gently released her, steadying her until she found her balance, then stepped back.
Adrian raised both his hands before him, palms facing outward. From them, multiple golden tendrils emerged, extending outward like rays of light spreading across the arena. They moved toward everyone present, toward the Celestials, toward his father, toward Selena, Mira, Kael, Kaelith, toward the rulers like Lysandra, Alice, Drazmir, Zerathul, Seranth, and more…
The threads drifted through the air, each one seeking its intended recipient.
He had not given them any explanation beyond his initial question. He had not described what would happen or what they would feel. Yet still, one by one, they accepted the golden energy.
Sentinel reached out first, his hand meeting the thread halfway. It touched his palm and dissolved into him instantly.
Thomas glanced at Elara, saw the wonder still lingering in her eyes, and extended his hand without hesitation.
One by one, the others followed. Some reached out eagerly. Some waited for the thread to come to them. Some exchanged glances with their companions before accepting. But all of them accepted.
The moment each tendril touched them, it disappeared, sinking into their chests and vanishing without trace.
Silence followed, not empty silence, but one filled with realization.
Lysandra's eyes widened slightly as her perception shifted. She looked down at her hands, then at the space around her, her lips parting soundlessly. The inscription formations she had spent decades mastering suddenly revealed depths she had never perceived. Connections between symbols she had thought she understood completely now showed additional layers of meaning, branching pathways she had never noticed.
Selena's breathing slowed as she instinctively focused inward, examining her own rule core. The rules governing her divine concept, which she had painstakingly comprehended over years of study, now unfolded with startling clarity.
They were actually not seeing more; it was mostly the same symbols they had seen till now, but now, they understood more. The layers within the rules unfolded naturally, without effort.
Draven blinked, frowning slightly as he processed the change. He turned his head, his gaze drifting toward the rule lines around him, particularly those related to space and void, concepts he had comprehended only at the planetary level but never truly mastered.
Previously, they had appeared like complex equations. He could follow their general meaning through hard work and repetition, but the deeper truths remained frustratingly opaque. He would just ignore them most of the time, accepting his limitations.
But now, just glancing at them, without even trying to understand them, the meaning began to unfold on its own. The symbols arranged themselves into coherent structures. The relationships between different rule fragments became obvious.
"That's… new," he muttered, his voice carrying a note of genuine surprise.
Max let out a quiet laugh beside him, shaking his head as he tested the same phenomenon.
Each of them experienced it differently, yet the result was identical. The barrier between observation and comprehension had thinned dramatically, allowing understanding to flow where before it had required immense effort to extract even fragments of meaning.
Adrian turned away from them and walked toward Hestia, who had remained at a distance throughout the entire process, silently observing everything.
Hestia watched him approach, her expression unreadable.
As he stopped before her, Adrian extended his hand, "Do you trust me?" he asked, his voice carrying clearly despite its quietness.
Hestia did not respond immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on him, her mind already processing what she had witnessed. Even with all her experience, even with her having a million years navigating the complexities of the universe, she could not fully grasp what had just occurred.
This was not a technique she recognized. This was not something documented in anything she had ever accessed. This was… something else entirely.
Yet despite her inability to comprehend it fully, she trusted him. Over the decades spent together, both within the time formation and outside it, she had already seen the kind of person Adrian was. She had seen his dedication to his people, his kindness, his willingness to share knowledge freely, his refusal to exploit others for personal gain. She had watched him work tirelessly to strengthen the sect, asking nothing in return.
After a brief moment, she stepped forward and placed her hand in his, giving a small nod.
The golden thread appeared again, emerging from Adrian's palm and extending toward her chest. It moved more slowly this time, as though acknowledging the significance of this particular connection. When it reached her, it sank into her sternum, disappearing beneath her robes.
Instantly, she felt the change.
Even as a Peak Rule Stage cultivator, even with her already refined perception, the clarity of her understanding deepened further. The rules that had remained frustratingly opaque despite centuries of study suddenly revealed their underlying structure.
Adrian released her hand, his fingers slipping away slowly. The crown above his head dissolved, fading like morning mist as sunlight touched it. The white-grey essence dissipated into the air, leaving no trace of its existence. The subtle pressure that had filled the arena lifted, and the space returned to normal, as though nothing extraordinary had occurred.
Turning back to the others, Adrian spoke calmly, his voice carrying easily across the silent arena. "This is a willforce technique. I just recently discovered that such techniques actually exist, and I'm experimenting with it now. Its effects are simple; it creates a connection between us, giving me a small portion of your willforce. In exchange, your comprehension abilities will drastically increase."
He paused, letting the explanation settle. "The connection is permanent unless anyone chooses to sever it. The amount of willforce I get from each of you is negligible; you won't notice any difference. But collectively, it allows me to grow stronger alongside all of you."
He did not hide the nature of the exchange or even the information about willforce techniques. While the Source itself remained his deepest secret, something he could not reveal even to those closest to him, he saw no reason to conceal this. His people deserved to understand what they were part of. They deserved to know what they had accepted when they placed their trust in him.
The reaction that followed was immediate, though not what one might expect.
Draven laughed openly, breaking the heavy silence. "Faster comprehension? So we're all going to become freaks like you now?" There was amusement in his tone, not suspicion, not fear. Just genuine entertainment at the absurdity of it.
Max chuckled, "Does this mean I can actually understand formations now?"
There was laughter, genuine and unforced, spreading through the group. Everyone here was learning about willforce techniques for the first time. The very concept was new to them, something they had never encountered in any archive or teaching. But none of them questioned Adrian about where he learned this or where it came from. None of them demanded explanations about the technique's origin or its true nature.
They accepted it as something Adrian had obtained, just as they had accepted everything else about him. They had known from the beginning that he carried secrets and burdens he couldn't share, knowledge he had to protect. They trusted that whatever he chose to reveal or conceal, there was a reason for it. A reason that ultimately served their collective good.
Selena said, "The implications of this are staggering. If everyone connected to you can comprehend at your level…"
"We become an army of geniuses," Lysandra finished, her expression thoughtful. "No sect in Andromeda has anything comparable."
Mira's voice was soft but certain. "This is your answer, isn't it? To the problem of the war, to the cycle of retaliation."
Adrian nodded slightly. "Part of it. If everyone connected to me can grow stronger faster, we can establish overwhelming superiority. Not just strength, but the kind of advantage that makes challenging us… unthinkable."
Hearing all this, Hestia remained silent. Her gaze lingered on Adrian as the implications settled within her mind, spreading through her consciousness like roots finding purchase in fertile soil.
A willforce technique.
The very idea answered questions she had carried for many millennia. Questions she had never spoken aloud because they seemed impossible to answer. Questions about how Astral Stage cultivators truly functioned, about the nature of their overwhelming power, about why they could accomplish feats that defied all logical understanding of cultivation stages.
She had been in the universe far longer than any of them. She had seen, heard, and read about the fights of Astral Stage beings. She, too, had read reports of the Thorn Twins annihilating an upper minor sect in under ten minutes, accomplishing what should have been impossible even for Astral Stage beings facing multi-domain suppression.
Like Adrian and the others, she too couldn't understand how they did it. The only thing she could assume was that there was something unique that the powerful sects possessed, some hidden advantage that allowed their cultivators to achieve things that should be theoretically impossible. And now, learning of a willforce technique gave the answer for it.
Willforce techniques were the secret. The hidden layer of cultivation that separated true powerhouses from those who merely possessed strength.
If such techniques existed, if they could be learned and mastered, then everything made sense.
And Adrian had just shared one with all of them.
Not far from the group, Kaelith leaned slightly toward Mira, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper. "Is it just me, or did Adrian act… differently with Hestia?" She kept her gaze forward, careful not to look directly at either Adrian or Hestia.
Mira blinked, glancing sideways at Kaelith before nodding faintly. "I noticed that too." Her voice carried the same quiet, conspiratorial tone.
Selena, standing close enough to overhear despite the low volume, glanced sideways at both of them. "You're not the only ones," she added quietly, a knowing edge to her words.
Lysandra's voice followed, "It was unusual." She didn't elaborate, didn't need to.
Kaelith smirked slightly, her tone turning teasing despite the whisper, "Isn't she at least a million years old?"
Mira nudged her lightly with her elbow, though a faint smile appeared on her face despite the gesture. "Kaelith…"
"What? I'm just saying." Kaelith's smirk widened slightly. "Adrian doesn't usually walk toward people like that, or hold their hands that long."
Selena's lips twitched with suppressed amusement, "The pause before he released her hand was… noticeable."
The four exchanged brief glances, a shared understanding passing silently between them. They said nothing more, but the implication hung in the air regardless. Some things, after all, were better left unspoken.