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c03 Planning

  Lucius

The events after awakening were shocking, it was only Lucius’ mental state training over many decades that allowed him to keep his calm.

Meeting his mother again after so long, and everything that followed allowed him to accept that this was indeed the reality. Although the thought of time travel was astounding and unbelievable, the Secret Regions were known for their mystery and unfathomable depth. Even if this was indeed an illusion, it was a blissful one, one where he could relive happier times.

The Awakening happened on a Thursday, so there was still school to attend. The thought of waking up from exploring a Secret Region and living nearly a century after the Great Cataclysm to simply going to school was bizarre, and for any mortal, it would indeed have been a cause of mental breakdown, disbelief, and instability. Yet for Lucius, who had cultivated the mind and the body for years, it was an initial shock he was able to overcome, after all: one does not survive in the New World without being able to adapt.

What followed the meeting with his long-lost mother was a simple breakfast of milk and cereal. Seeing his beloved mother after so long was an emotional moment, his discipline along ensuring he did not act out of character. After all, no matter how good it was for him to have been reborn if news of this spread before he was strong enough, the danger faced would be terrifying.

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Eastwood Academy, a private school renown for its prestigious teachers and graduates. Running from J.k. to Grade 12, the Academy did well in preparing its students for the real world. Its high requirements ensured it was attended only by those with high social standing or impressive intellectual ability. The fees were only affordable by the upper class, while scholarships were fought for without abandon amongst those who did not have the recourses to get in the conventional way.

Being from an upper-class family ensured both Lucius and his sister were granted easy access to the academy, the only requirement being the entrance test, which while grueling was still doable for anyone who was moderately intelligent.

As Lucius sat in his seat in the auditorium cum classroom, it was not school that was on his mind, but rather the bizarre situation he was in. Rebirth… the chance to start over. It was a heavy responsibility. He did not want everything to end up the way it was before, this time around he would change things, he had to.

During the fifteen minutes before class started, Lucius took out a notebook and pen. To succeed, a good and well thought out plan was necessary. His main goals were the protection of his family and close ones and the ability to thrive in the New World.

For many the Great Cataclysm had been a disaster, billions had died – if not during the Cataclysm then in the years that followed – and life afterward had never been the same. Safety was always a concern, death around every corner. Those without ability, those who were not Empowered, were at the bottom of the new world order.

Democracy, peace, equality, mere dreams of the weak and powerless. The strong took what they wanted, ruling over the rest with an iron fist. They lived the lives of kings, their words were Law and the very land they walked on was worshipped by the weak. The world did not have a place for those without ability, they would forever stay at the bottom.

As the years passed by after the Great Cataclysm, small kingdom’s and large empires were formed. Clan’s, Sect’s, Guild’s and organizations were formed among like-minded people. The world was split between the strong. Wealth, power, women, land, if one had the ability they could have it all. And Lucius was no saint, he wanted that as well.

His rebirth allowed him to be prepared, to walk out of his past life’s mediocracy and start a new path, one leading to the summit. But that road was for far in the future, for now, he was still a rich schoolboy with nothing to his name.

The ringing of the bell signaled the start of class, student’s quieting down and seating themselves to prepare for the day’s lecture. The class was biology, and unfortunately, Lucius had yet to meet his close friends.

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Sure, he had met acquaintances and other friends, a few nods and greetings exchanged as Lucius tried to once more remember his life nearly a century prior. He had tried his best to fit in, but the habits formed over decades, the awareness and paranoia that was deep-rooted inside of him were difficult to shake off.

What he looked forward to the most in school were only a few people. Three boy’s his own age, friends who had stuck together since the first grade. When the Great Cataclysm struck in his old life, Lucius had lost contact with them right away, only to reunite with two of them years later, learning of the death of the third. It was a devastating loss for him, for he saw them as his own brothers.

Unfortunately, they had different classes right now, they would only meet up for lunch.

“Good morning everyone, we will continue to go over the circulatory system today so if you could all open your workbooks to page…”

As the teacher begun, Lucius once again returned to his planning. Everything that was being taught he already knew, and in a class of nearly fifty students his inattention would not be noticed.

Lucius had determined the date before getting to class, finding out there were indeed ten years till the Great Cataclysm struck, giving him ample time to prepare. There were a few key things he needed to survive - no, to thrive in the New World.

Personal power was first, and with his knowledge, he was sure his aptitude was towards Immortal Cultivation. In the past, due to not knowing – like everyone else – Lucius had had to spend a lot of effort and resources to determine where his aptitude lied, whether it was towards Martial, Magical or Immortal Cultivation. One could determine aptitude by getting checked by powerful cultivators, all of whom demanded a steep price. And although his talent was only average compared to the rest, he had lucked out with his aptitude, being aligned with the path of Immortal Cultivation, a path that only 15% of those Empowered was able to travel, also often referred to as the Strongest path due to its focus on strengthening both the body and the spirit.

Knowing his aptitude, Lucius would be able to much better prepared this time around, starting training early – even with how scarce the spiritual power was before the Great Cataclysm, for those who knew how to, it was still possible to Cultivate. Much like the Monks in the East who trained their bodies to unbelievable levels using watered down Martial cultivation, Immortal cultivation was also possible, especially if one had a good method for it.

The additional training time will allow him to make up for his lack of talent.

The next factor to prepare for was wealth and influence. The currencies of the world now would become obsolete after the Cataclysm as the governments failed, so it was not dollars that he needed, but things that would have value afterward. Influence was just as important. Surviving alone was dangerous and forced one to always be on guard. Only by forming a group could one survive, but the biggest barrier to this was trust. The New World did not have any laws other than those enforced by the strong, and betrayal and treachery for personal gain was rampant. Only by growing his own power base before the Great Cataclysm would Lucius have a strong foundation to train and develop in the New World.

These three factors had simple solutions. For personal power, Lucius would train, beginning his cultivation as soon as possible to be prepared for the change. With the advanced techniques he had learned and gathered through luck and change, it was more than likely he would become stronger than he was before. But he alone could not be everywhere, so if possible, he would also have to prepare others as well. This would be the beginning of his own power base, a Clan with him at the core, one which would be able to survive and join the ranks of the strong.

His past life had given him a lot of knowledge, for after all Lucius had traveled the world, and what part he did not travel he had heard about. Secret Regions, treasures, calamities, disasters and fortunes, Lucius knew about many of them, but he alone would not be able to attend to them all. For this, he would need subordinates, those he could trust to carry out certain tasks. Training guards and subordinates would also ensure the safety of those close to him if he were to be away. And for the battles to come, having support would prove to be very beneficial.

This all led to one thing. Wealth. For without wealth, building his influence was impossible. Wealth would ensure Lucius could easily get resources that are useful for training, while also ensuring that he and those close to him got to live in luxury. Money did indeed make the world go ‘round after all.

But the source of wealth was the problem, for before the Great Cataclysm, Lucius had very few ideas to raise resources.

Halfway through class and the teacher was still talking, leaving Lucius to plan in peace. The method of raising money was the greatest concern, the fact that after the Great Cataclysm current currencies would be worthless and only spirit stones would work as currency the world over was something that he had to keep in mind.

As the class neared its end, Lucius finally had an idea. One that would ensure limitless wealth for now onwards. A method that would only grow thanks to his future knowledge.

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