***
Arslan looked at his wife, her neckline just above the milk bath, her hair floating in the milk, indistinguishable. “Where did that come from?” he questioned, surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. She had always been passionate, but not usually so spontaneously.
“It’s my Path,” she said, smiling wickedly. “It’s related to my bloodline. The more children I have, the more I will benefit from each.”
“But we were already getting benefits,” Arslan replied. Kaplan’s birth had already proven this beneficial.
“Yes, but that was passive,” she explained, trying to make it clear. “Now, by taking this Path, I will become a Progenitor. A Progenitor of my own children and descendants. One of my own design, unlike anything this cosmos has ever seen.”
“It will limit your cultivation,” Arslan said seriously. “Being reliant on them means their weakness would be your weakness. Natural-born Progenitors were Divine from birth, but you will have to achieve that. Are you sure about this? I remember when I first asked for your hand in marriage, you weren’t enthusiastic about a life bound by such constraints. You might end up as a stay-at-home wife, something you disliked the most.”
“People change, Arslan,” she smiled, straightening her body provocatively. “I married you, bore a child with you, and will continue to do so. Comparing me to my past self only proves my point, love. I can always create avatars and clones to manage things. And besides, I have you, my eternal partner.”
A warm feeling spread through Arslan’s chest. His wife was remarkable. Yet, he had one more question. “Do you have a number in mind?”
“For children?” Seeing him nod, Derin smiled at her husband’s tall hologram. Her conviction made her dark eyes flicker between gray and black. “As many as it takes. Now get naked. I am in need of your... divine body’s image.”
***
Two Days Later
Damon looked at the hundred people, now cultivators, in front of him. All of them had birthed Mind Sparks after choosing their Paths. However, there were some who were already at the limits of the 1st stage of the Mortal Realm. As long as their bodies could improve, their existences would click, and their mentalities would be forced to grow alongside their bodies. From then on, they would step onto the stage of Mental Ascendance.
One of them was already working with hundred-kilo weights in each hand, doing swings. The more he controlled the weight, the closer he reached the limit. Damon could feel it all with his perception. He didn’t even need to utilize energy to do it.
Seeing the boy at the edge, needing a little push, he utilized his Innate Energy to press over the boy’s body. The boy, with a grunt, completed one last move and felt something in his thoughts open, as if his existence flowed like water to nourish it. Exhausted, he fell to his knees, heaving with a smile. The boy loved the feeling of breakthrough and couldn’t wait to reach the third stage.
“Congratulations, Eric,” Damon said, arriving before the man in a boy’s body. “Go rest. I will wait for you one hour before the gathering to guide you to the next stage.”
Eric nodded, leaving the others, who were of all ages, with different emotions, especially the older cultivators who were watching the boy train. When they were at the first stage, it took them years to break through. However, this kid...
“Continue,” Damon said, and every first-stage cultivator resumed their weight lifting.
***
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The Next Day
“How old were you?” Damon asked while gazing out the window. It was early morning, and the red sun shone as always. But today it was brighter, making the color more bearable.
“Around 20,” a boy’s voice answered. It was Eric, the Outsider. Seeing that Damon did not ask further questions, he added, “Aren’t you curious?”
“If you were 20, it means a powerful being interfered,” Damon explained patiently, while contemplating what path he should take with this... person. “But we would have noticed if they were weak.”
“You shouldn’t worry,” Eric said. “The only thing I can say is that... even if I died, nothing would happen. It was a mix of luck, fortune, and a curse.”
Damon pondered this. Luck, fortune, and a curse... “Does your Path affect others?”
“Not negatively, if I want it to,” Eric tried to explain in a way that minimized unnecessary talk. Knowing Damon’s personality was one of his fortunes, along with his other knowledge about this universe. “It should be the last thing to worry about. Only Dao Paths and some very dark Existence Paths steal to cultivate, as far as I am aware.”
Damon nodded at his explanation. “As per the Empire’s regulations, you’re considered Luvi. You will stay as such until you either become worthy of higher influence and power or become something that would make your life hell.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Eric, with nervousness, continued with a question. “Will you be my teacher?”
***
A voice sounded in the bedchamber. It was sweet and feminine. “Kante, wake up.”
Lyra looked at Kante and handed him the ring that had been gifted to them by their Emperor. “We need to take this seriously. The more geniuses we polish, the more beneficial it will be. With a Divine overseeing the Empire… anything is possible.”
Kante, who was lying in bed with his face covered by a pillow, removed it, revealing his naked upper body. “Who? How? When?”
“Didn’t you check your InnatePad?” Lyra asked incredulously.
“Not when I was indulging in pleasure,” he replied shamelessly.
“Go check it. I will cultivate in the next room,” she said, turning to leave.
***
"Scarlet," Dante said to his lover. "I missed you." He really did. Finally, they were alone. He had feared they would always be together with others, but now they were divided, and he loved it. He had imagined all the things they could do for years until phase two. He inched closer to Scarlet, who was now sitting.
They were beside a lake, outside a cottage. This planet, Luvi 3, didn't have civilization. Whenever a cultivator emerged from the Paths laid out on the planet, they were transferred to other planets. This was a test world for the academy, and it needed to be protected.
"Dante, go away," Scarlet said without taking her attention from cultivation.
"I can give you one of the books, if you want," Dante offered. This was the reason Scarlet wouldn't play with him, and it was starting to get on his nerves. All his imagination, gone just like that.
"Dante, I don’t need your charity," she said, with a relaxed tone, not angry at all. This was a wake-up call for her. All her life, she had cultivated, and that was it. Her credits, earned through her contributions to the Empire, had been expended long ago.
"Fine," Dante said after a sigh, then sat closer to her. "Give me access to your InnatePad."
She did so without hesitation. She didn’t hide anything, which was comforting for Dante. They were still Mortals, and it wasn't uncommon for them to cheat, lie, and do things a rational Immortal wouldn't. After all, Immortals had control over their Existence, and worldly matters wouldn’t be enough to make them act that way. However, for cultivation, they would go to lengths that could not be calculated.
***
In the Outer Rim of the Luvi Galaxy, there lay a floating mass of space rubble. Some of the debris had figures cultivating, while others had small civilizations. They were safe from the cruel sun, but not much from the challenges of space.
Every day was a battle: fighting creatures between galaxies, defending their home from others. Although the Cosmic Alliance forbade fights between factions of galaxies, they didn’t count as such. In previous competitions, they had fought other factions from the Luvi Empire and were thankful that the Empire itself didn’t join. But now, that had changed. They were pillaging as many resources as possible from the single factions of the Inner Rim. They had to, as they planned to escape this galaxy. It had been a work-in-progress for a couple of millennia, but when the Empire didn’t join the competition, they relaxed.
This resulted in greediness. Countless blood were spilled between the Inner and Outer Rim, and now the Inner Rim came for revenge. But they still couldn’t fight them off. The Outer Rim had many limit Mortals, making it challenging for the Inner Rim factions to suppress them.
However, in a spaceship, two men looked at the Outer Rim. “When should we interfere?” The sound came from a red haired men.
“Why? Angel, did you see our deaths?”
“Chris, do you think I am angel of death?” Angel smiled.
The dark haired man looked at Angel and said, "Safety first. That's all I am asking for."