Muria, wrapped in a blanket woven from the fur of the Wolf God, stepped out of his bedroom onto the connected balcony. Gazing at the sun that was half-risen on the horizon, he yawned and stretched lazily, feeling completely relaxed.
His mind felt incredibly active, a sign that he had completed the most important transformation of his life. Now, he could proudly claim that he was truly an adult.
"The sun is rising, and a new day has begun." Staring at the morning sun, Muria's heart brimmed with joy and serenity. He felt warmth all over as the powerful energy inside him surged, yet none of it leaked out. He controlled every bit of it with perfect precision.
"It seems the epic negotiations have ended." Muria looked toward the spot where the continent of Holy Light, once supported by a thousand floating cloud cities, had been. Now, that place was empty; the magnificent cloud cities had long vanished.
The phenomenon that plunged the entire Stringer Subcontinent into eternal daylight had disappeared, and most of the guests who attended his wedding had already left. Only a few close acquaintances remained in Synapse.
"Oh, after half a month of messing around, you've finally decided to come out?" A playful voice sounded above Muria, causing him to look up. He saw a golden-haired girl sitting on a tower, watching him with amusement.
"Mother?" Muria looked up at the Golden Dragon Queen, confused, then a bit shocked as he processed what she said. Half a month? What was going on? Had he really been inside for that long?
"Did you just say that Mikaela and I have been in the room for half a month?"
"Of course. Do you think I would lie to you about this?"
"This..." Muria opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss. He felt that he hadn't spent that long with Mikaela. How could it be that as soon as he stepped out, his mother told him that fifteen days had passed? Had time sped up for him?
"Do you feel like you didn't spend that long with Mikaela?" The Golden Dragon Queen smiled.
"Yes." Muria nodded awkwardly.
"Looks like you were holding back for so long that you forgot how time flies. Your father and I didn't take that long the first time."
"Uh..." Even though Muria knew he shouldn't pry into such matters, curiosity got the better of him. "Mother, how long did you and Father take the first time?"
"Ten days!" The Golden Dragon Queen answered without hesitation.
"Uh... What form were you in at the time?" Unable to suppress his curiosity, Muria respectfully asked, carefully phrasing the question. He had long been curious about this.
Boom! As soon as the question left his mouth, a massive foot, even larger than his current ten-meter Titan form, descended from the sky and stomped on him, smashing both him and the balcony.
Boom! The central cloud island, spanning nearly ten thousand square kilometers, trembled slightly. Many creatures living on the island raised their heads, sensing the source of the disturbance. Upon seeing a familiar figure, they quickly resumed their activities, showing no intention of interfering.
"Ugh!" After the massive foot lifted off him, Muria, lying in the large crater, coughed violently. He felt several of his ribs had been broken. Even the defensive formations beneath him had been partially shattered by the impact.
"Little Muria, do you think changing size or form is difficult for me, hmm?" The Golden Dragon Queen, now in her Titan form, peered down at Muria, who was struggling to climb out of the crater she had created. Her smile was gentle.
"Of course not. With your talents, Mother, it's as easy as breathing!" Muria, healing his injuries as he climbed out of the ground, grinned sheepishly, flattering his mother.
He had no choice but to accept his situation. After all, he had brought this upon himself. And, considering the answer he had just received, he felt quite satisfied. The injuries were trivial in comparison.
"Mother..." Just then, Mikaela appeared at the broken edge of the balcony. After a moment of hesitation, she addressed the Golden Dragon Queen in a respectful tone, unsure of what to call her now.
"Hmm!" The Golden Dragon Queen's face softened instantly at the greeting from her new daughter-in-law. The coldness in her smile vanished.
"What did Muria do just now?" Mikaela glanced at Muria, who was standing in a large footprint, and softly asked the Golden Dragon Queen. She had been resting, but the disturbance outside had woken her up. Upon stepping out to investigate, she witnessed this scene, prompting her question.
"Nothing much. Little Muria just couldn't control his mouth, so I gave him a small lesson," the Golden Dragon Queen chuckled, brushing off the incident.
"Since you're awake now, come with me to meet Muria's grandfather. He's still waiting for the two of you."
...
"Grandfather." Upon entering the council chamber in Wind King Castle, Muria greeted his waiting grandfather, the Lord of the Wild, Archimonde.
"Hmm," Archimonde responded with a neutral tone.
"Grandfather," Mikaela followed with her own greeting.
"Good child!" A stiff smile crept onto Archimonde's face as he responded to Mikaela. He wasn't quite used to being addressed as 'grandfather' by a Seraph. It seemed he was the first Titan in history to have a Seraph daughter-in-law.
"Since you've called me grandfather, it's only fitting that I give you a gift." Archimonde raised his hand and pointed toward Mikaela. A golden gemstone, seemingly made of condensed lightning, appeared in her palm.
"This contains the method for achieving Epic status in our Titan race, along with our secret techniques for harnessing source power. However, these will likely serve only as a reference for your own path to becoming a Seraph."
Mikaela held the gem and quietly sensed the information it contained.
"Muria, the reason I called you here is because of the first gift you received from the Seraph race. I imagine you're quite interested in the information it contains," Archimonde's gaze shifted to Muria.
"Yes." Muria nodded eagerly. He was indeed very curious about the knowledge related to reaching Epic status, especially the methods for acquiring source power, which was the foundation of Epic power.
"The methods for cultivating Epic power are largely the same across races, with the core being source power. Without it, any cultivation method is meaningless. So, let me tell you about the Seraph race's way of acquiring source power.
"But before that, I should explain our Titan method of acquiring source power. You've probably heard the Mechanized Emperor briefly mention it before. For Titans, acquiring source power involves either saving worlds or destroying them. Most Titans prefer saving worlds over destroying them.
"Our secret techniques involve listening for the cries of worlds in peril. When a world is on the verge of collapse, it sends out a distress call. We can locate such worlds and rush to their aid. After saving a world from destruction, it rewards us with source power as thanks.
"However, this method is quite direct and often leads to encounters with evil gods, resulting in high casualty rates among Titans. In contrast, the Seraph race's method of acquiring source power is much gentler, though it takes a considerably longer time."
"Longer?" Muria was baffled. For long-lived beings, time was hardly an issue. Why would that be a drawback?
"Muria, do you know how important source power is to a world? Without it, a world collapses and is destroyed. Source power is a world's lifeblood. However, when a world has sufficient source power, it can undergo an ascension. A small world can ascend to a medium one, and a medium world can ascend to a large one. Erathia itself has ascended twice before."
"Erathia was once a small world?" Muria was astonished. This was news to him.
"Who told you that nonsense? Erathia has always been a large world since its creation."
"Then our world has ascended twice..."
"Not all large worlds are the same. Some are stronger than others. Erathia is now at the pinnacle of the material realm. In my travels, I've rarely seen a world stronger than Erathia."
"The Seraph race's method of acquiring source power involves assisting worlds in their ascension. First, a Seraph is chosen by a world and becomes its World Lord."
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