"I also hadn’t seen energy ever disappear. There hadn’t been an instance of a Demigod being able to do it. Even the Mana in the surroundings would return to its original form after being manipulated. Divines doesn’t seem that divine now,” said Kaplan.
He had never thought this would be the case after researching for years and not noticing this basic law. However, Arslan smiled as if expecting Kaplan’s thoughts and said, “There are exceptions to this rule, aren’t there? Think again.”
Kaplan thought hard. Nothingness was a concept he had not personally encountered. However, after focusing, he could recall every piece of information he had absorbed throughout his life. Remembering an exception to this law of thermodynamics, he said, “Other than the law of energy conversion, other laws aren’t absolute for people with enough understanding. They can reverse or even manipulate thermal equilibrium, the natural flow of heat, and absolute zero and its entropy. It becomes obvious that the energy system in the universe is like an iron law, and I have only heard of one instance where this wasn’t true. That is the Divinities related to Creation!”
Creators were among the highest authorities among the Divines that were recorded. It is said they could create something out of nothing. Nothing. However, among the Divinities, there is no Nothingness or similar Divinity that defies the Law of Energy Conversion.
“Yes. That’s why Divinity is precious. It defies the norm. Even though some Divinities seem useless, the Divine aspect makes them more than you can imagine. After all, there are Divinities that can even break the Laws of Cultivation!” said Arslan, casting a meaningful glance that Kaplan didn’t miss.
Domination! His father also defied the laws that were on the same level as the fundamental laws of the universe. Maybe even more heaven-defying than the Laws of Thermodynamics. He had long known that what his father could was something that shouldn’t be possible. However, with the context he gained today, he knew it would be foolish to ignore the belief that Divinity is that simple. After all, it existed for a reason. It was up to people to figure it out. This conversation brought out his inner scientist, which had been lost due to how natural cultivation felt and the abundance of knowledge available on their network. He released a certain madness, and when Arslan saw this, he remembered his own younger self.
He had been a wild one due to his nature. However, that changed with time. His circumstances created the motivation for him to research, and today, as a mortal, he thought of something to tell his son, something that most likely only a few knowledgeable Demigods would be aware of. Maybe he should consider having another child. This feeling was addictive. He decided to get into business at the first chance. As for Derin, he didn’t even consider her rejecting the idea. He had long known that his wife was even more eager to have children than he was.
He cleared his thoughts and decided to take a look at what his son had done so far in his research. “Show me your profile. Let me take a look at your Path.”
Kaplan internally agreed and focused on the hologram, controlling it through his InnatePad, a technology powered by Innate Energy. While it was costly to use this energy due to its protective nature, it allowed one to record unlimited data without external tampering, as long as the energy was provided. To use it, one simply needed to bond with an already-produced device or create a custom one. The base model and its blueprint were readily available in the cosmos so that everyone could create a custom device for their needs. This blueprint also demonstrated what was possible to the cosmos, further developing the technology. Some companies used terms like Magitech and so on, but by definition, it was just technology. Additionally, there was a network accessible to everyone, though some preferred to open private servers to avoid putting sensitive information on a network whose source was unknown. There was a suspicion that it was connected to a Divine with a related divinity, but nothing was conclusive.
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The Empire also had one, with a massive community, benefiting from having conquered worlds throughout the competition. As for the reason why the royal family was living here, in a deserted place with limited resources, the location might be one of the most precious places in this galaxy. After all, it was the closest place to that sun that illuminated the whole galaxy. Even the gravitational attraction that held everything in the galaxy was controlled by the sun. That was not all. Suns were very special in this universe. After all, they were Divine in nature. There wasn’t a single natural solar star in this cosmos!
With a thought, Kaplan opened his profile in the Luvi Network, then gave control to his father to look as he pleased. Arslan carefully sent Mana to the device on the floor that created a hologram. Sending Innate Energy was not recommended due to privacy issues and some potential problems. However, as Mana was a neutral energy, it didn’t have the capability to hijack for a prolonged period.
Focusing on the Ruler subject, which was the name for the Path his son took, Arslan discovered that Kaplan had also started various tests. There were some virtual games that focused on authority and such, giving Kaplan more ability and data for his path. There were some results that Arslan couldn’t help but find strange. In some, Kaplan was a tyrant; in others, he was a God-Emperor, leading faith and more. Mostly, he could even use certain aspects of Domination. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? This was groundbreaking because there should be other ways to use his Domination too.
However, he relaxed, thinking it was not done willingly since he was bound by a singular path. For now, he couldn’t study it further without starting the path from the ground up, which would take a long time. If he got stuck on it, he would have wasted a lot of time. However, he should be able to create a new path when he reached the Immortal Realm. He doubted he could do that without getting to the late stages, though. He could only look into it later.
Focusing more on Kaplan, he also discovered that the weakness of the Ruler Path was its excessive focus on the people. If there were rebels and such, it was expected to lower his son’s power. Their intention at the beginning, when they gave this Path to Kaplan, was to focus on the conquer aspect. However, due to their losses a long time ago, they decided to focus on the people. Now that he looked at the data, Kaplan could focus on more than one aspect of being a Ruler. He suspected that this was due to their bloodline, just like how he had a Domination trait, which should have given certain advantages to Kaplan.
After closing it down, he opened a folder with a tiger's head and found Kaplan’s research on his transformation and the benefits he got. Unlike humans, he had certain advantages like early maturity, much like his own. However, he also found that he didn’t feel revulsion as much as he did from certain women, just indifference. What this meant exactly, he didn’t know.
He also found some differences in the Existence every time Kaplan had a breakthrough, resulting in a special trait: a budding seed with a humanoid body. By the looks of it and peeking at his son's body, it should be done soon. He said, “You should be able to get your human form at the 8th stage of the Mortal Realm. Why didn’t you tell us this?”
“I wasn’t sure. I first wanted to see what the difference would be when I reached the 6th stage, Harmony of Body and Mind, to analyze my Existence more thoroughly. As you know, this realm is special since it’s not analyzable in the early stages. Right before you came through the door, I sensed that my calculations were correct. However, I will need to have a certain influence on external factors to go offline, so to speak, and wait for it to finish. It might take a year or two,” Kaplan said. It also made sense since it’s not that important. Even the average person with their resources can reach the Immortal Realm. Reaching the 8th stage of Immortal Realm, Evolved Formless, is just a matter of time with their knowledge base.
However, Kaplan knew that Innate Energy could be used to mimic any stage of the Immortal Realm. This explained why his father never took his situation seriously. He had previously thought his father didn’t care that much about him at all.
“I also talked with Natalie today. When we come back, she will be your fiancée. However, if you can get your human form, I will let you marry her directly,” said Arslan. Just as he finished, the door opened to reveal Derin standing with her arms crossed. Kaplan couldn’t even savor his happiness of father-son moment for long.
“You are letting my baby marry this early?” said Derin. Arslan decided not to speak and left it for Kaplan to address. After all, he was not the one who was going to marry.