Hello, dear readers! Here's the second part of chapter 124! Enjoy the chapter!
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
An amused grin on his face, Xiong replied confidently. "Good questions, though the answer is much simpler than you probably expect." Feeling both amused and satisfied at how 'studious' those four were, he continued. "It all comes down to the Cultivation Foundation. Is your Foundation based on absorbing the Energy freely given by the World, or is it based on stealing the Essence from those unwilling to give it? This is why Evil Cultivators' Tribulation is much more powerful than that of the orthodox cultivators' ones. The latter follows the 'Rules', the former doesn't. Not only that, but the Demon Cultivators also experience Heart Demons much more frequently due to the fact that the Essence they absorb is full of resentment." Having half of his questions answered, Demian remarked. "What about the fact that we extract cultivation resources like ores and spirit stones from the World? Isn't it 'hurting' it?" Shaking his head, Wang Xiong retorted. "Thinking that way is the height of arrogance. At most, we're hurting other living beings and ourselves. It's not better, mind you, but it's clearly different." Falling silent for a brief moment as his Mind recalled some information, he added. "You mention extracting ores, right? Well, just like plants, it grows back after a while. Granted, it takes a very long time, but still. Also, Spirit Stones can actually be used to promote Energy Veins, so in a sense, we're actually helping the World grow, not hurting it." Halting his words for a moment, he then admitted. "Of course, after reaching a certain cultivation base, one can definitely have an impact on the environment, but, in the end, the one who suffers the most will definitely be the cultivators and not the World."Shaking his head, he then advised. "In any case, it's best to keep your foundation as pure as possible and avoid following the Evil Path. It will definitely help you in the long run. Plus, with your talent, you're much more suited for the Orthodox path anyway." Knowing his own advantages, Demian agreed with the man's opinions, thinking. 'So, there really was a noticeable difference.' Not sure if it was his Perk at work, or simply his comprehension having grown enough, but while closing his eyes, he felt his thoughts becoming much smoother, his unlocked Channels strengthening slowly, and even the barrier blocking his Confluence Acupoint located on his tailbone weakening progressively. It was so quick that it gave him the illusion that one poke was all he needed to pierce it, though his intuition warned him that doing so would have unwanted consequences, possibly crippling him. It took him only an instant to discard the idea since, with his own Perk at work, it would not take long for the barrier to break naturally. 'Actually, with my Tribulation coming up, I might be able to use my Perk to accelerate the process even more...' As his Mind was starting to fall into his usual 'overthinking' rabbit hole, he instantly stopped himself and exclaimed inwardly. 'Forget it! We'll just cross the bridge when we get there. I'm not short on time anyway.' A few seconds later, when the effects of his small mental breakthrough stopped, the young man opened his eyes, finding Xiong's satisfied gaze resting on his face, though the older man stayed silent, not wanting to pry into his Young Lord's fortunes. However, the Young Lord in question grinned and declared. "Thank you for the help, Mister Wang. Without your explanation, I wouldn't have had that small breakthrough." Shaking his head slightly, the older man replied. "It's due to your own comprehension, Young Lord. I merely shared some common knowledge with you." This time, it was Demian's turn to shake his head, retorting in an appreciative tone. "It may be common for you, but for me it wasn't."
As the other man was about to protest, the raven-haired young cultivator waved his words away and stated. "Anyway, there's no need to argue further. Instead, I'd like to know more about that Frost Beast Palace. You said they were Demon Beasts and the Federation's enemies...?" With his words stuck in his mouth, Wang Xiong felt a bit helpless, though a part of him did feel some relief. 'It's good that the Young Lord isn't one of those arrogant brats. Heaven knows I've met enough of them already.' Indeed, unlike Chen Ling, who met Demian and his group a few times since they arrived at the Mansion, Xiong was too busy to do the same. So, despite the few pieces of information Chen Ling shared with him a few days ago, he could not be completely certain of the four Mikhailovs' true personalities. It was especially the case for the youngest, who also seemed to be the most talented. Having met many 'geniuses' in the past, whether self-proclaimed or not, it was truly rare to find one who did not suffer, and make others suffer, from his/her inflated ego, making them detestable to be around, though there was still a considerable number of cultivators flocking to their sides in order to gain some benefits. Fortunately for him, the Lord and Lady were nothing of the like, and even pretty easy to get along with. Unless you became their enemies, obviously. Knowing that, Xiong did guess that the young man taken as his Lord's personal student would not be one of those 'young masters' type, though it was only now that he could truly be certain. His head filled with random thoughts, though none showed on his face, the older man explained. "Yes, they are. For Demon beasts, humanoid species like us have a much better effect on their cultivation than consuming other Demon Beasts. Of course, consuming Spiritual Beasts has similar benefits, though slightly worse than humanoid species." Ever insightful, Sera questioned. "Does it have something to do with purifying their Energy?" Slightly surprised at how quick-witted the young woman was, Xiong nodded and explained. "The purer one's Energy is, the best nourishment you become for Demon Cultivators, whether Beast or humanoid, with Spiritual Beasts having the best effect on Evil Humanoid Cultivators and Spiritual Cultivators playing the same role for Demon Beasts." Pausing for a second, the older man added. "It's not just about them following the Evil Path that turned them into our enemies, though. It's also because Demon Beasts despise humanoids in general, thinking that Beasts are superior to them. So any Beast shapeshifting into humanoid forms would be hated by them, along with those helping them do it. To be honest, there are some humanoid forces thinking the same thing but in reverse, with Beasts being inferior to humanoids. Though the Federation is not one of them. So, Spiritual Beasts of all races are welcome to join us, and can even access the Minor and Major Beast body Transformation Pills. Those Pills are used to help them gain a humanoid form. Though it doesn't change their beastly essence, for Demon Beasts like those of the Frost Beast Palace, it's something they can't tolerate." Feeling puzzled by that sort of reasoning, Demian remarked. "Why does that sound like a bunch of spoiled children throwing a fit? Deadly and murderous children, the kind that would need to be smothered to death as soon as possible." The comparison brought a few chuckles from the older man, who replied. "It does, doesn't it? Well, Demonic cultivation tends to mess with one's mental faculties, so you shouldn't be too surprised. Also, keep in mind that the reasons given may just be excuses, something that doesn't need to be taken seriously. Most of the time, those kinds of excuses are used to justify gaining some sort of benefit. In any case, the only thing you need to know is that they want to kill and devour your Essence. That's enough." Before the young man could say anything else, Bryn interjected, her tone curious. "Sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned those Pills... Is it why some of those Foundation Building cultivators had tails?" Nodding his head, Xiong explained. "The Minor Beast Body Transformation Pill is a Tier 2 Pill used by Foundation Building Spiritual Beasts to turn their body into a partial humanoid form, while the Major one is a Tier 3 Pill that completely turns a Beast into a humanoid form, though their Essence and their Aura stay the same. Normally, a Beast needs to reach Tier 4 to naturally gain the Humanoid Transformation skill, but some brilliant alchemists invented those Pills to make it easier for those Beasts to blend in with humanoid society. The effect is simply 'cosmetic' though, and does nothing for their Cultivation."
For a while, the group kept chatting, with each member of the Mikhailov family using this opportunity to further the glaring holes in their knowledge. After all, they may be all—but Adeliya— considered monstrously talented when it came to cultivation, with many times being able to infer five or even ten points from a single information, but common knowledge was a completely different ballpark. Although seemingly less important than Cultivation skills, those pieces of information may very well be the difference between living and dying, and even if not pushed to the extreme, they could help the four grab certain opportunities they would have otherwise missed. Whether it was because of their upbringing or life experiences, none of them disdained learning those seemingly inconsequential pieces of information. Instead, they fully relished the opportunity. In any case, the conversation lasted until, a few minutes later, they finally reached the place Xiong had planned as their first stop of the day. Having followed the Main Avenue for a while, their speed much slower than previously due to the heavy traffic, their gaze suddenly fell on the immense plaza with what seemed to be a statuary at first glance, with four main statues, but after examining it a bit longer, Demian noticed how those four statues seemed to have been carved from a single piece of colossal azure rock. The scene it depicted was of three mighty beings overlooking a small child holding a book. Those three beings clearly hailed from three different races: one from a humanoid race, one from a whale beast race, and the last one from one of the numerous tree races. Even the child presented a few beastly characteristics, such as fish scales on his face and a small fish tail. Below the statues was a plaque with three sentences carved on it: 'Through Wisdom, Ignorance disappears. Through Understanding, the Myriad Races flourish. Through Acceptance, Immortality beckons.' A mere few words, but the meaning behind them plunged the Mikhailovs into impressed silence. Only now did they start to realize what kind of place they had arrived at, though they all kept a doubtful acceptance, believing but to a blind degree. After all, none of them had the chance to truly interact with anyone outside the Mansion, so whether the Federation could 'walk the talk', they would need to observe for a bit longer to know with certainty. Seeing the expression of awe on his charges' faces, Wang Xiong commented. "Impressive, isn't it? This is why the Federation was able to rise to its current level in a mere 40,000 years, when others took hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer to do the same." Freezing for a second, Demian mumbled. "40,000 years..?" The other three reacted similarly, with Sera's stunned expression mirroring her sister's, while Adeliya remarked. "That's a pretty long time... And you said that other forces are even older?" Nodding his head, the older man, with a knowing glint in his gaze and with his lips' corner slightly lifted in an amused grin, responded. "You may not know it, but each increase in Rank grants an explosive increase in lifespan. Foundation Building cultivators can live hundreds of years, but those at the Core Formation Rank can reach thousands of years. Once you break through to the Void Seed Rank, your lifespan can actually be counted in tens of thousands. As for Void Sapling cultivators and higher, I don't know much. Logically, though, we're probably talking about hundreds of thousands of years..." Pausing for a second to let them digest that information, he then added. "Knowing that, is it really hard to imagine that a 40,000-year-old Tier 5 force can be considered young?" Scratching his chin, Demian replied absentmindedly. "Well, if you put it that way..."
Shaking his head, Xiong continued. "There are many things that people from the Origin islands take for granted, which are either outright lies or only partially true. It will take time for all of you, Young Lord and Ladies, to learn about all of them. So, don't stress too much about it." After seeing them take his advice to heart, he declared. "Now that we've seen both the Wisdom Tide plaza and the Wisdom Tide monument, let's see the Wisdom Tide Library hidden behind the latter." As those words reached their ears, the boat, which was previously floating still, resumed its flight, circling around the colossal sculpture until another gigantic structure came into view. The azure-colored building seemed to be a mix of Chinese Pagodas with a few European architectural additions here and there, such as Greek stone columns, giving rise to a strangely exotic image. Still, the merger was done well enough that even Demian could not find any fault. It even added a hint of majesty and solemnity to the usual elegant Chinese design. There were three pagodas, two smaller ones on each side and a larger one in the middle, though located a bit further back than the other two. After letting the four admire the view for a few seconds, Wang Xiong declared. "The Wisdom Tide Library, one of the four Bright Star Libraries, houses every piece of knowledge from the most insignificant Tier 0 Technique to the method to turn one's core into a Void Seed, along with an uncountable number of miscellaneous information from every subject you could ever imagine. It's one of the crown jewels of the Federation, and one of the main reasons behind its incredible development speed." Despite having visited that place too many times to count, Xiong still felt the same admiration for not only the repository of knowledge itself, but most importantly, for those behind its creation. 'No wonder so many foreigners want to join our Federation...' He exclaimed inwardly while asking the four. "Shall we go inside?"