Cultivator Jasmine didn’t respond to my question for a long time. However, I didn’t rush her. Something told me that would backfire. Instead, I waited in silence.

“There is no ‘us’, Young Master Darian.” She said in a flat voice. “You came to Flowering Blossom Palace for a service and we provided that service. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t mistake what happened between as something more.”

I snorted.

“I refuse to believe that.” I said. “When I said that you were mine, I wasn’t joking.”

Cultivator Jasmine scoffed.

“Your refusal to accept reality changes nothing.” She said. “You’re just a young fool who thinks he’s in love.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head, “I’m a fool who wants to love you, and wants to be loved by you. There is a difference. We’re strangers to one another. Even though we spent…” I paused. “… how long has it been?”

While I remembered everything that happened when my hunger took control, I lost track of time. In my defense, I was distracted by many new sensations.

“Three months.”

Three months? That meant that it was spring, or close to it at least. I wasn’t sure of the exact date.

“Even though we spent three months together,” I said, “We know little about each other. While love at first sight may exist, for the most part it takes time and effort. However, I believe we will get there if we try.”

“What makes you think I want to try at all?” Cultivator Jasmine asked.

I reached over and caressed her cheek with one hand.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me otherwise,” I said, “If you can, that is.”

Cultivator Jasmine didn’t respond right away.

“We shouldn’t get further entangled with one another.” She said after a while. “I’m a disciple of Flowering Blossom Palace, and you’re a young master of a powerful family. It would never work between us, and I doubt your family would accept someone like me as your wife.”

I pushed myself up until I was above Cultivator Jasmine. She turned away from me, refusing to meet my eyes. I reached over and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at me. Cultivator Jasmine resisted at first, before giving in. She glared up at me with tears in her eyes.

“You’re right,” I said, “My family wouldn’t accept you, at least not right away.” I furrowed my brow. “They mean well, but they’re overprotective. If you and I rushed into things, they would interfere.” I leaned down and kissed her. “So, we take our time. Let us start by courting one another. If later on, we find out that we’re not suited to each other after all, we’ll end things. However, if we find that we do suit each other, we’ll take the next step forward together. What do you say?”

Cultivator Jasmine stared up at me, a conflicted expression on her face.

“Do you mean that?” She asked, vulnerable. “You don’t intend to use me and throw me away?”

I shook my head.

“No.” I said. “If our relationship ends, it will either be mutual on both our parts or because you ended it. I will not abandon you or toss you aside, I promise you that.”

“Do you also promise to be faithful to me?”

I took a moment before responding.

“If by faithful, you mean that I will love and respect, then yes.” I said. “However, I intend to have more than one wife.” I paused. “And you’re not the first one.”

Cultivator Jasmine clenched her jaw.

“Because it’s in your nature and you can’t help yourself?” she asked.

“No.” I said. “It’s because I choose to. Yes, it’s part of my nature, but that is something I can overcome if I wanted to. I don’t want to. I’m greedy and selfish in that regard.”

Cultivator Jasmine studied me for several seconds, before sighing.

“That may be for the best.” She said. “I don’t know if one woman can handle you, Young Master Darian. You’re like a beast.”

I grinned at her.

“Is that a yes?” I asked.

Cultivator Jasmine shook her head. My heart fell.

“I see.” I said.

Cultivator Jasmine chuckled.

“Don’t look so downtrodden, Young Master Darian.” She said. “I’m not saying yes or no to your proposal. I need time to think it over, especially since I know that I’ll have to share you with other women.” She smiled at me. “When I first met you, I never expected… Well, I never expected this. The people I loved most turned their backs on me, and I don’t know if I want to take that risk again.”

I nodded. Given what happened to her, I wasn’t surprised by Cultivator Jasmine’s reluctance. If I experienced the same things she went through, I would have hesitated as well. After all, she couldn’t read minds. She didn’t know if she could trust me.

“Very well,” I said, “I await your answer.”

“Even if you have to wait for a while?” she asked.

I pressed my forehead against hers.

“Even if I have to wait a hundred years.” I said. “However, if I don’t hear from you by that point, I’ll consider that a rejection.”

Cultivator Jasmine laughed and I saw a genuine smile on her face. It contained none of the mockery and self deprecation I was used to. In that moment, she looked more beautiful than any of her fellow disciples. Her smile lit up the room, and I knew that I would never forget it.

I leaned down and kissed Cultivator Jasmine one last time. It was a slow kiss, one full of longing. She moaned into my mouth and my hunger surged again. I wanted to take her one last time. However, if I did that, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to let her go. Instead, I pulled away and stood up.

“I need to go.” I said, panting. “Otherwise, I won’t want to leave.”

Cultivator Jasmine gave me a sad smile.

“Go.” She said. “I’ll send word to the Dawn and Dusk Sect after I’ve made my decision.”

With that, I nodded to her and collected the remains of my clothes, before leaving the feasting hall.

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I found a bathing room near the feasting hall, where I cleaned myself up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Instead of the robes that I received from the Flowering Blossom Sect, I donned the uniform of a disciple of Flame Fiend Hall: red and gold vest, and a pair of trousers. Well, minus the boots. However, I stopped wearing footwear a long time ago.

The bathing room contained a mirror, which allowed me to take a good look at my Demon Form. My skin was ash gray, which was lighter than my sisters’. Sharp claws emerged from my fingertips. Black and gold scales covered my arms up to my elbows, and my legs up to my knees. The scales also covered my neck and framed my face, giving me a strange appearance. A pair of horns protruded from my forehead. My eyes were golden.

I spent a long time studying my Demon Form and getting used to the changes. It hit me then that I was no longer demonkin. I was a full fledged demon. Rather, I was a divine demon. I summoned a mote of divine fire. It looked like it should have been at odds with my demonic appearance. Yet, it wasn’t.

The two contrasted and complemented each other. The divine and demonic, the sacred and the profane. I was tempted to summon Armor of the Celestial Warrior, to see how it looked with my Demon Form, but I decided against it. I could do that back at the Dawn and Dusk Sect.

After I finished studying myself in the mirror, I left the bathing chamber. However, to my surprise, I found Palace Master Golden Lily waiting for me outside.

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“Ah, Young Master Darian.” She said. “I see that congratulations are in order. You awakened your demonic nature.”

She smiled at me. There was something sharp and threatening about this smile. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“Thank you, Palace Master Golden Lily.” I said.

“If you would follow me, I will lead you to Vice Hall Master Sidra.” She said. “Your other sisters left the Flowering Blossom Sect for one reason or another. She’s the only one who remained behind.”

I nodded and walked alongside Palace Master Golden Lily.

“A lot of other cultivators look down on my sect, Young Master Darian.” She said as we walked. “Due to our practices, they hold us in contempt and see us as little more than whores who would sleep with anyone for the right price.”

I glanced at her in surprise, wondering why she was bringing this up. Given my demonic nature, it would be hypocritical of me to hold anyone in contempt for licentiousness.

“Some have even gone as far as to toy with my disciples’ hearts and treat them as playthings that exist merely to satisfy their lusts.” Palace Master Golden Lily said in a cold voice. “Those fools have come to regret their folly.”

Ah, I saw where this was going.

“Make no mistake, Young Master Darian,” Palace Master Golden Lily continued, “I cherish each and every single one of my disciples. They are my daughters in all but blood. And like any mother worth the name, I will fight tooth and nail to protect them.” She stopped walking and looked at me. “Understood?”

I stopped walking as well and nodded.

“I understand your concerns, Palace Master Golden Lily.” I said. “Rest assured, I meant everything I said to Cultivator Jasmine.” I bowed to her. “If she chooses to be with me, I will do everything in my power to make her happy. If I should go back on my word, feel free to punish as you see fit.”

Palace Master Golden Lily took a moment before responding.

“You may be a fool, Young Master Darian,” she said, “But at least you are a sincere one. Very well. If Jasmine accepts your proposal and courts you, I won’t interfere.” She paused. “You may even be the key to healing her wounded heart.”

I stood up straight and faced her.

“However, if you break Jasmine’s heart,” Palace Master Gold Lily continued, “I’ll make you regret it. I can’t kill you because of your family, but I can certainly teach you a lesson.”

“And if that ever happens,” I said, “I would deserve it.”

Palace Master Golden Lily studied me for a moment, before smiling. This one was more genuine.

“How did Hall Master Nova ever have a child like you?” she asked. “Your mother is many things, but kind is not one of them.”

I frowned.

“I don’t know if kind is the right word to describe me in this situation, Palace Master Golden Lily.” I said. “If I’m being honest, I want to be with Cultivator Jasmine because of my own greed and selfishness. Otherwise, she would be my only woman.”

Palace Master Golden Lily waved away my concerns.

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with having multiple spouses, as long as you treat them with the respect they deserve.” She said. “I once knew a woman who had ten husbands and somehow managed to make it work.”

I stared at her in shock. Ten husbands? When most people had multiple spouses, they limited themselves to three or four at most. Ten sounded like too much. Then again, the idea of having ten wives sounded somewhat appeal-… I stopped that thought in its tracks. Madness lay in that direction.

I shook my head and continued following Palace Master Golden Lily.

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When I reunited with Sidra, she studied me for several long moments before giving me a nod of approval.

“Good,” she said, “Now that you awakened your demonic nature and mastered the Demon Form innate ability, you can be considered a true disciple of Flame Fiend Hall. Congratulations.” She gestured for me to follow her. “Come along now, Little Demon. Let us go pick up the others. I know they’re both somewhere in Evenfall City.”

I followed Sidra and left the Flowering Blossom Sect. However, as we passed through the front gate, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned back and saw Cultivator Jasmine watching me from a window along one of the main building’s upper floors. Our eyes met and our gazes lingered on each other for several seconds, before I turned around and left.

Once again, we hired a gondola to ferry us around. It was day when we emerged from the Flowering Blossom Sect. Evenfall City looked a little different than it did during the night. It lost some of its mystery and mystique, but retained its liveliness and charm. If anything, the city looked even more cheerful during the day than at night. Since it was spring, I also saw plenty of flowering trees and blossoming flowers. Lotuses filled the canals. More people roamed the city, and I saw several cultivators practicing the arts; Music, painting, dancing, and so on.

As our gondola passed by one of the floating stalls I bought two bags of snacks, one for myself and one for Sidra. Now that I had awakened my demonic nature, I felt hungry all the time. I could keep it under control, but I saw no reason to deny myself. Sidra took the bag of snacks I offered to her and smiled at me in return. The two of us ate in silence as we went to pick up our sisters.

We picked up Estelle from the tall pagoda that was the home of Towering Oak Palace. When we first arrived, several of the disciples there offered their services to both Sidra and I. It seemed that they didn’t discriminate between men and women in that regard. Naturally, we declined. Sidra didn’t seem interested in this sort of thing in general, and I wasn’t interested in men.

We found Estelle in one of the rooms that Tower Oak Palace reserved for important clients, being entertained by a group of disciples. All of them were beautiful, slender, and effeminate. I almost mistook them for a group of women.

Huh. So that was where my second eldest sister’s taste lay.

The disciples were reluctant to let Estelle go. It seemed she was a favorite at Towering Oak Palace. They tried to cajole us into staying. However, they withered and fell back under Sidra’s glare.

Like Sidra, Estelle studied me for several seconds when she saw my Demon Form, before laughing with joy and pulling me into a tight embrace. It hurt, since she still had trouble holding back her strength, but not as much as it would have before. One benefit of mastering Demon Form was being able to withstand Estelle’s affections.

After that, the three of us headed out to collect Astra. We found her in a courtyard paved with jade, enjoying the performance of a blue-robed woman who played the zither. She wasn’t the only one either. A small crowd filled the courtyard. I could understand why. The woman’s music was exquisite, and reached the depths of the soul. Her cultivation base wasn’t high, but her skill was phenomenal. When she finished playing, the crowd showered her with applause and cheers. I enjoyed it so much that I donated a few spirit stones, and I wasn’t the only one either.

It turned out that when Astra wasn’t keeping watch at Flowering Blossom Palace, she spent her time wandering Evenfall City and enjoying everything it had to offer. Well, everything except the courtesans. Unlike Estelle and I, she didn’t indulge in her lust. Instead, she overcame that part of herself for Cultivator Raphael’s sake.

Astra reacted like my other two sisters when she saw my Demon Form and studied me for several seconds. Afterwards, she congratulated me and pulled me into a tight hug. This one was much gentler than the one I shared with Estelle earlier. Afterwards, my sisters and I rode the gondola out of Evenfall City.

On the way there, we passed by an artist selling his works. One of them caught my eye. It was a painting of the Evenfall, the waterfall that formed the lake upon which the city was built. There was something about the painting that captivated me, and I realized that it contained insights into Water. While that wasn’t useful for me, I thought that Ellen would love it.

I bought the painting, though it cost me half of my spirit stones. I also gathered a large amount of lake water, since I knew that I would need it for later. My sisters were amused by these delays rather than annoyed.

After that, we headed towards the dock where we left our flying boat and soon we were flying back towards the Dawn and Dusk Sect. We spent the first hour of our journey back in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

“Little Demon,” Sidra said, breaking the silence, “Have you given any thought as to what kind of foundation you want to build?”

I nodded. There were many different kinds of foundations that one could build when reaching Foundation Establishment. I researched them over the years, whenever I had some free time.

First, there was the quality of one’s foundation, which was largely determined by one’s cultivation technique. The better one’s technique, the stronger one’s foundation. Foundations were divided into four tiers: Shattered, Broken, Cracked, and Perfect. To reach the Golden Core realm, one needed at least a Cracked Foundation.

At Qi Condensation, most cultivators were relatively even. Their power depended on their skill, as well as the mystic arts and martial arts they knew. However, beginning at Foundation Establishment, some cultivators started to pull ahead of their piers. Those with higher quality foundations were stronger than those with lower quality foundations. There were ways to improve one’s foundation, but they were rare.

One of the reasons why the Seven Great Northern Sect dominated the Northern Region was because their disciples practiced top-tier cultivation techniques, allowing them to form Perfect Foundations, and were thus more powerful than the disciples of other sects. Once again, I marveled at how blessed I was.

In addition to quality, the kind of foundation one formed also determined one’s path going forward. The most common kind were Qi Foundations, which were formed when a cultivator reached Foundation Establishment as a qi refiner. Those with Qi Foundations often specialized in the mystic arts and using magic treasures, since they were quite adept at using qi.

Those who reached Foundation Establishment in physical refining formed Physical Foundations. They were stronger, faster, and tougher than those who formed Qi Foundations, and often specialized in martial arts. However, they weren’t as skilled in using qi. Still, on average, they had higher battle prowess.

Those who reached Foundation Establishment in both qi refining and physical refining at the same time formed Dual Foundations. Unlike those with Qi Foundations or Physical Foundations, those with Dual Foundations were both adept at using qi and had powerful physiques, giving them the advantages of both. However, in order to form a Dual Foundation, one had to tie their qi refinement and their physical refinement together. The two were no longer separate, thus slowing down one’s progress in both.

They gained more as they advanced, but it took more time for them to advance. This was risky, since this was a permanent change. One might die of old age before reaching the Golden Core realm. Even if one reached Golden Core, one might die of old age before reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

Most dual refiners formed either a Qi Foundation or a Physical Foundation first, before reaching Foundation Establishment in the other. That way, the speed of their progress wouldn’t be hampered. However, those who did this fell behind those who formed Dual Foundations in one area or the other.

After that, there were rarer and more esoteric kinds of foundations. I didn’t know as much about these, despite my research. The kind I knew the most about were Mental Foundations, which were also called Spirit Sense Foundations. Cultivators who formed these kinds of foundations were adept at mental techniques and using their spirit sense. However, they weren’t as proficient in the mystic arts or martial arts.

As I researched the various kinds of foundations, it took me a long time to decide which one I wanted to form. I decided to go with the best, and most difficult, path going forward.

“I want to build a Dual Foundation.” I said.