Daniel didn't give a damn about the pair's reaction. They only saw the exterior, but he could see what no one else could.
— "William, I will deal with you now. I am going to awaken your Extreme Yang Physique and reorganize your Ki veins into your energy channels. Since our Milky Way has low energy density, I will use my own True Ki to elevate you to the Ki Foundation."
Even without understanding a word, William nodded in agreement. The man standing before him was a hero who had fought for humanity for decades; there was no reason for distrust. Daniel was satisfied with the confidence placed in him. The man didn't even ask questions, he simply consented.
"It seems this disciple will be disciplined," he thought with a certain relief. Viviane, Sindy, Lúcia, and Linia were the ones who had given him the most trouble, to the point of exhaustion. It was good to start on the right foot.
— "It is good that you are confident in me, but know that you will feel a great deal of pain... similar to having boiling water running through your veins. Are you still willing?"
— "If I go through this, will I be cured?"
— "Much more than cured. Your life will change from night to day."
William would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid. Who likes to feel pain? However, temporary suffering was better than the anguish that remained in his soul. Seeing his determined look, Daniel said nothing more. With a wave of his hand, William's body floated as if gravity had been turned off.
Next, a stream of blue energy, intertwined with several black energy lines, shot from Daniel's fingertips and penetrated William's skin. A deafening scream of extreme agony echoed through the satellite room. Veins as red as fire were visible, pulsing through William's body, and soon all his clothes burst into flames.
The man's skin seemed to age rapidly, and a cloud of vapor formed around him. Estela, watching the scene terrified, took a few steps back, tripping over Jéssica, who was trembling in fear. The two ended up falling to the floor, but they couldn't avert their eyes from that supernatural phenomenon.
Observing the mass of vapor, they saw an intense glow emerge and noticed the silhouette's proportions shrinking rapidly, until it took the form of a well-trained man with toned muscles. Looking at the floor, they saw what appeared to be the discharge of many liters of oil. The substance oozed out, taking over the floor. William's roars of pain diminished by the minute until they vanished completely.
Ten minutes passed from beginning to end, and the two watched the vapor dissipate, revealing a handsome man emanating a golden glow, floating where the 180 kg subject had been before. This individual's body looked as if it had been sculpted without flaws. His muscles were firm and proportional, with no imperfections. His hair was golden like the sun, and his eyes, in the same manner, possessed a golden hue.
Soon, the two also noticed an unpleasant odor in the place, like the smell of sewage, and couldn't help but cover their noses. But their eyes remained glued to that new and handsome man.
— "Estela... it's not possible that that 'barrel' of over 100 kg, bald and ugly, has turned into this wonder for the eyes?" Jéssica asked in perplexity. She knew that even if they invested billions, such a transformation would be impossible.
— "Yes... I think we can only accept this new reality... he is so handsome and he also got quite big in that place... if I had known, I would have treated him better in the past, ah!" Estela couldn't help but sigh at her former attitude toward her colleague.
"There was no way to imagine he would become the second most handsome man I'd see in my life... it was unthinkable," she thought dejectedly. Jéssica was speechless; she had known her friend for years, but it was the first time she had seen this aggressive side of her.
Lowering William to the floor, Daniel smiled in admiration at how abnormal these Special Physiques were. He had only provided a source of True Ki while clearing the impurities and reorganizing the veins. The rest was the work of the Extreme Yang Physique itself.
"Should it really be this abnormal?"
At first, he thought of helping him reach the Ki Foundation, but his body constantly took advantage of the energy source and elevated itself to the Ki Core Formation... this would be equivalent to a Rank D by the system.
— "How do you feel?" Daniel asked, satisfied. He realized that dealing with geniuses was less taxing.
William was still stunned, looking at his own hands and touching his arms and defined abdomen, totally different from the immense belly he used to have. Tears formed in his eyes. The joy he felt, no one but him could understand. Thinking of his beloved wife, Juliane, a large smile appeared on his lips.
— "Mr. Daniel... Master, I feel as if I've been reborn... It's incredible! I feel a terrifying strength in my body and also something like energy running through and establishing itself in a sphere below my navel!"
— "Well, you have formed your Ki Core. In the Murim world, you would have just begun your martial journey. You no longer need to fear most firearms."
The three were surprised to hear this. Being immune to bullets was something they only saw in movies.
— "Go take a shower and get dressed. I will take care of these two and then we will be returning to Earth."
Hearing his master, William finally noticed he was completely naked and, glancing sideways, noticed the "carnivorous" look of his two companions. Covering his private parts with his hands, he quickly headed toward the locker room. However, not controlling his new strength well, he ended up hitting his head on the ceiling when pushing off with his feet. Even more embarrassed, he struggled to moderate his power and disappeared down the hall.
Noticing Daniel's gaze, the two were frightened, but remembering how magnificent William became, they couldn't help but create a certain expectation about how beautiful and sexy they could become; they were even competing to see who would be first. Daniel narrowed his eyes and sighed before throwing a bucket of cold water on the pair.
— "Don't think too highly of yourselves! William's case is a result of the Extreme Yang Physique he possesses. That's why the transformation was so intense, but with you, not much will change."
Jéssica and Estela couldn't hide their frustration. They thought the day had finally come for them to shine with supernatural beauty, but not everything is a bed of roses. Daniel felt somewhat frustrated with their mentality but simply ignored it.
— "With your low talent, the most I can do is elevate you to Ki Refining, the first level for anyone entering the martial arts. Any more than that and your bodies will collapse. However, with training and dedication, you can reach greater heights in the future."
The two didn't understand much, but being something from their handsome boss, it was certainly positive. Thus, they nodded. Making them float in the air, Daniel continued:
— "Don't get too pensive about it. The strength of someone in Ki Refining is equivalent to ten weightlifting athletes. So, bear it for one minute."
Finishing his sentence, the blue energy with dark lines penetrated the fair skin of the two, and two high-pitched screams echoed through the place, as if they were competing to see who could scream louder. Bluish veins were visible pulsing and, soon, a black liquid with a sewage odor began to drip from them, falling to the floor, while their skin seemed to become smoother and more vibrant.
The pimples on Jéssica's face disappeared, leaving her face clear, and the marks on the redhead Estela's face also vanished, enhancing her appearance. A minute later, both were lying on the floor, over the puddle of fat and fetid impurities, breathless. Suddenly, they looked at each other and widened their eyes in perplexity. It might not be as radical as William's change, but their beauty had increased by several levels.
— "My intuition was right, Jesse!" Estela exclaimed, marvelling.
Jéssica was still absorbed, but a beautiful smile formed on her lips. However, soon a look of disgust appeared on both.
— "Eca! What is this terrible stench?" Jéssica shouted as she stood up.
The two ran from that puddle of rot, but they noticed the bad smell seemed to follow them; that's when they realized they themselves smelled bad and ran to the bathroom. As they fled, they remembered their boss. Daniel shook his head negatively while observing them.
"Was it a good idea to accept these spoiled brats?" He reflected. They were very superficial in his eyes. "Well, what's done is done!"
— "Chief, we're going to take a shower, be right back!" Jéssica shouted before vanishing.
— "I'm going too, Chief!" Estela exclaimed as she disappeared along with her friend.
Daniel simply ignored them and used his True Ki to eliminate all the dirt. Everything vanished into particles, disintegrating in the air. But soon a vein popped on his forehead as he heard cheeky voices.
— "William-y, come help your beautiful friends in the shower!" Jéssica's voice echoed, followed by Estela. — "Yes, Will, let's forget the past! You won't regret it..."
— "You perverts! Go to your own side! I am a married man and, even if I wasn't, I wouldn't touch you!"
— "Don't say that, Will-y!"
— "No and no!"
Bang!!
William shouted as he slammed the door in their faces.
— "You don't know what you're missing!" Jéssica exclaimed, and finally, silence returned.
Daniel massaged his temple, thoughtful. "So I really should have accepted these two? Ah... setting that aside... so this is the year 2000, huh!"
Daniel sat leaning in the armchair while observing the Earth before him. His spiritual sense enveloped the planet, allowing him to understand the era he was in, as he hadn't asked before. Azure was as beautiful as ever. It was almost unimaginable the destruction that would come upon it. But Daniel knew the truth. The planet he remembered was desert-like and ravaged, very different from this beautiful blue world full of life.
"Azure... my disciples and I did our best, but we couldn't protect you... This time will be different!"
Daniel swore inwardly and reflected on some facts. As Lucas had said, this era brought a surprise, for it was in this year that he began living in an orphanage. Since it was still April 1st, it was one day before his version of this time was taken there.
He was thoughtful about what to do. As a nearly transcendent being, there would be no problem finding his past version. They would be treated as different existences by the universe, unless that version grew to a certain existential level; at that point, he would be rejected by this reality.
Another in the same situation would think of eliminating his past version or just leaving it as it was, but Daniel thought differently. He didn't want to steal the future of someone innocent, especially being a version of himself.
"Right, let's do this and see what results in the future!"
Finishing his reasoning, he stood up. Footsteps approached. It was William, Jéssica, and Estela, who were smiling excitedly.
— "Is everyone ready?"
The three confirmed with a nod. Daniel said nothing more and, in the next second, the four vanished. All the satellite's communication systems began working again; however, the place was completely empty, leaving everyone at NASA headquarters perplexed.