Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 125 part1! Hope you'll enjoy it!
Small disclaimer: The posting schedule will now be a bit more random than previously, but unless there are major problems on my end, I'll still post at least part 1 and 2 of a chapter every week. It's just that that it won't be at the same day and time every week.
Anyway, that's it for today, so if you can and want to support my work, do pledge at least a month on Patre0n (8€=9USD) and/or buy my book (8€=9USD) through the links below.
Bye!
Support Links:
-Don't hesitate to Follow, Review, Favorite, Power stone, share etc. (Depends on the platform you're currently reading on) if you like my different novels. It helps a lot with growing the number of readers.
-(Ebook Format)Book 1 - 'Memories Of The Past' is available for purchase through this link for those of you interested (8€=9USD): https://book.stripe.com/4gw9Dr9n0aMn7dK3cd
-I've set up a Stripe page, so if you feel like making a one time donation of any amount, don't hesitate to swing by. Thank you in advance! https://buy.stripe.com/4gwdTHfLo2fR2Xu6oo
-If you prefer having something 'tangible' for your donation, you can visit my patre0n page (8€/Month = 9USD/Month).
My patre0n: https://www.patre0n.com/CalmWanderer (Switch 0 with o)
To all my Patrons: Thank you very much for your support!
************************
Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
Hearing the question, Demian and the other three nodded, eager to know what was so special about one of the famous Federation's crown jewels, whether it 'lived up to the hype'. And live up, it did indeed, since as soon as the small group of eight people went through the Paifang leading to the three pagodas, they all felt the distinctive 'watery' sensation that indicated the crossing of a Formation Barrier, though it was not the reason why they were impressed. No, instead, it was the unexpected mental clarity following that crossing. Although faint, Bryn, Demian, and Sera could actually feel their thoughts becoming more nimble, which would directly benefit not only memorization but also comprehension of Cultivation Skills. Unfortunately, the boost was too weak to really help someone comprehend Intent, which was why the trio did not feel much difference compared to their 'normal' state, unlike Adeliya, who had a much weaker Foundation. It merely took an instant for the three youngest Mikhailovs to adapt to the sensation—slightly longer for Liya—, allowing them to observe the changed environment. Only a brief examination brought a strange conclusion to Demian's Mind, prompting him to gesture toward the Path leading to the central plaza located in the middle of the three pagodas and say. "You're all seeing what I'm seeing, right?" The reason for his puzzlement was that the previous tens-of-meters-long path was now hundreds of meters long. It was not only the path, though, as both the plaza and the pagodas seemed to have gone through a case of 'Honey, I blew up the buildings' in an instant without Demian noticing anything amiss. "Is it an illusion formation?" He added, feeling confused. 'I didn't feel the same sensation as when we got teleported, so it's got to be some kind of illusion.' He pondered, now relatively certain of his conjectures. Unfortunately, Xiong's next words made it clear that he completely missed the mark. "It's not an Illusion Formation, but a Small-sized Void Dimension that's been anchored to the closest Void Layer from our Main Reality. To put it simply, it's a small expanse of Void turned into a sort of small dimension by high-level cultivators. Because it's not part of the Main Reality, its true size is different from what you can perceive when standing outside." Seeing the curious looks on the four people's faces, the older man chuckled slightly before shaking his head and saying. "My knowledge about anything Void-related is quite limited because of my low cultivation base. You should ask the Lord and Lady, they might have more answers than I do." Pausing for a second, he added."Actually, that's not exactly true. The Void Rings you all use as a storage device have Void Pocket Dimensions embedded in them, which are, as the name implies, a pocket version of this Small-Sized Void Dimension. By the way, you probably guessed as much, but not all Void Dimensions are man-made. Many occur naturally, with some containing opportunities, others being simply death traps, and anything in between. If I only could..." The last few words, dripping with helplessness, were said in a tone too low for anyone else to hear. Though it was truly surprising that the man felt that way, as only a single First-Grade Intent comprehended separated him from triggering his Tribulation and transcending to the next Rank, but that step had been stopping him for a decade now, with not a hint of progress in sight. Don't think that just because Demian and the others easily comprehended their own Intent in a few weeks, or that people like Sergei and Ling existed, whose cultivation had reached the Peak of Core Formation while being slightly older than 50 years old, that comprehending an Intent was easy. When it came to those at the Peak of the Foundation Building Rank, most would be halted at that particular step. The needed Energy could be supplemented by Pills, refining one's Physique, and strengthening one's Soul as well. However, Comprehension was innate and, unless one could find those extremely rare Heaven and Earth Treasures which could boost said comprehension, then trying to condense an Intent was futile. Wanting to grab the Moon only to realize that the only thing you could reach was a mere reflection on the water... No wonder Xiong felt helpless. The upside was his young age, giving him enough time to strive for comprehension. One insight was all he needed, and even if his own luck was not strong enough, maybe by following those with immense fortunes, such as the Lord, Lady, Young Lord, and Young Ladies, he would be able to grab that sliver of insight. Letting out a sigh inwardly, Wang Xiong decided. 'Better not think too much about it, or I'll start growing a Heart Demon. As the saying goes: What's meant to be mine, will be mine, and what's not meant to be mine will never be mine, no matter how much I struggle.'
Shaking his gloomy thoughts aside, the bear-like man led the four along the path leading to the courtyard in silence, a part of his attention on the four people, noting the great curiosity they all demonstrated, while another part of his attention was on every other person coming to and fro the Path they were walking on. Though his face had no obvious expression, the older man, along with the other three guards, never let down their guard. Not only was their formation perfectly surrounding the Mikhailov group, with Xiong in front, two guards on each side, and one at the back, but their Minds were all busy scrutinizing every single person in a few tens of meters radius, from cataloguing the most insignificant characteristic of their Aura, the latter being used as the best mean to identify a cultivator's identity, down to analyzing each micro-movement, from their gazes, postures, etc. Though the Wisdom Tide Library was an extremely important location and was thus heavily monitored by the City's Formation, when it came to the four Young Ladies and Young Lord's safety, the guard team could not afford any slip-up. Especially knowing that in this magical world, violence was the most basic of attack methods, something every single one of those working in the Mansion was intimately aware of due to past experiences. Another reason for their heightened wariness was the reality of cultivation: the cravings for the pleasures one could experience, whether it was fleshy pleasure or mind-related pleasure. Indeed, most cultivators did not choose to cultivate just for the sake of cultivation. From the will to live longer or to acquire stronger power, all strived to further their cultivation base. However, what happened when they could not see any way to move forward? They ultimately turned to those earthly pleasures. Honestly, there were even those who did not wait to reach that state to do so. For those with some good moral character, then it was not too much of a problem, but was the majority of people truly righteous? Of course not! Otherwise, where would the saying 'give a man some cultivation and you'll see if it's a human or a demon' come from? In any case, many people who felt their lifespan run out quickly grew desperate, their minds becoming twisted, which resulted in their actions being completely unpredictable. When the difference in cultivation base was massive, then the risk for others was low. But what if the difference was only marginal? In their group's case, because of the Lady and Lord's quick rise, the Mansion lacked a solid foundation when it came to fighting powers, with the guards having merely reached the Foundation Building Rank, with the exception of Chen Ling. One had to know that in Bright Star City, having Foundation Building Rank cultivation was only the equivalent of the Middle Class in Mortal Nations. For a King Rank Force, which would be similar to the upper class in the Federation, this situation was pretty pathetic. Honestly, if it were not for the combination of the Lord and Lady's overwhelming cultivation and professional talent, along with their legendary rise, then no King Rank Force would take them seriously. What was currently happening in front of the group was actually the result of that particular lack of foundation. Indeed, many passers-by were actually staring openly at their group, or more specifically, at the four Mikhailovs walking between the team of four guards. Most of them were, though not exactly innocent, at least not to the point of gawking. At most, they could be considered slightly too insistent. Those did not bother Wang Xiong since it was a given that with the four's captivating physical appearances, even for cultivators' standards, whether male or female, they were bound to attract some stares. After all, from Brynhild, with her superior Variant Giant Bloodline, granting her both incredible beauty and a powerful Aura, Seraphine, whose presence was impossible to sense even for him, making one wonder if she was real or simply an illusion, though her supernatural charm was undeniable, Demian, whose 'banished Immortal' looks would make any other man feel inferior and most women cursed those lucky enough to become his, his seemingly low cultivation base outshadowed by the depth of his Aura, or even Adeliya, who, despite being the least attractive of the group and having the weakest cultivation base, would clearly be considered a great and talented beauty no matter where she went, it was no wonder heads kept turning their way. No, what truly annoyed Wang Xiong was those around who seemed to have other intentions, not only brazenly staring but also making rude comments, especially those around the Late Foundation Building Rank who, under the pretext of chatting with each other, uttered disrespectful remarks like 'Look at that juicy ass', or 'I wish I could squeeze those tits'. Now, Demian and the girls were pretty tolerant, but even they had their limit, and that bunch of trash had crossed it, found another limit, and crossed that one again. It was as if they could not wait to meet Lady Death in person. A true wonder of Nature. Though not directly targeted, speaking against the Young Lord and Young Ladies was an affront to the Mansion's dignity, which demanded swift and powerful retaliation. There was just one thing that bothered Xiong. 'It's too exaggerated... Is there someone behind that move? Probing us, maybe?'
Whatever the case, if there was someone else's hand behind this strange situation, he would simply break its fingers. As for the rest, he would leave it to his Lord and Lady to investigate further. Having made his decision, his expression turned freezing cold, his half-step Core Formation Aura erupting from his body, immediately falling on those cursing people, from the weakest Late Chi Gathering Rank to the strongest being at Peak Foundation Building. "Enough!" He shouted while around a dozen Chi Gathering cultivators fell powerlessly on the ground, receiving some light body and soul injuries from both Wang's shout and the Soul Pressure they were under. As for those Tier 2 cultivators, those twenty-something people at the Low and Mid Foundation Building Rank were also powerless to resist the crushing pressure, dropping even faster to the ground than those weaker due to the Wang's 'special care'. Only the very few who had reached the Late and Peak Foundation Building Stage were able to resist somewhat, though the former's muscles were twitching uncontrollably, their jaws clenched shut, making them incapable of uttering any other offensive word. Only the middle-aged man radiating Peak Foundation Building Aura seemed to be mostly unscathed, though his frown and following words showed how unimpressed he was with the other man's threatening gesture. "Sir, don't you think you're going too far? My comrades and I were simply chatting happily together, and you attacked us out of the blue." Listening to him and one would believe he and his team of clowns were pure and innocent, and Xiong's group was the one at fault. 'Does he really not recognize our Mansion's symbol, or is he doing it on purpose? It's got to be the latter, right? Is it one of those King Rank Forces? But it sounds too crude to come from them. As for those Lord Rank Forces, they should be too afraid of the Lady's retaliation to do something so foolish...' Wang Xiong wondered. On the Peak Foundation Building cultivator named Aleksey's side, a feeling of arrogance filled his heart. 'Is this the so-called weakest King Rank Force? Just like that man told me, they're just that. With merely Foundation Building Rank cultivators as guards, what can they even do to me? After suppressing them, I'll definitely receive the promised Forming Core Pill!' Seeing the man's arrogant attitude, Wang Xiong replied, his tone as cold as ice. "Dared to disrespect the Young Ladies. I hope you thought of the consequences." Hearing that warning, not only did it not scare Aleksey, but it actually convinced him of the other party's powerlessness. After all, why threaten when you could attack? Cripple or kill first, then talk. Unlike him, though, anyone else hearing the terms 'Young Lord' and 'Young Ladies' might have rethought their actions. Indeed, those two terms could only be used for those of the younger generations coming from at least Core Formation families. As for those from King Rank and higher, they could either be called Young Lord/Lady as well, or with the 'Lord/Lady' part switched with their Force's Rank. In the Mikhailovs' case, they could actually be called Young King and Young Queens, but since Sergei and Ling were not ones to usually flaunt their status, they chose the 'discreet' Lord/Lady title instead. Since Aleksey already knew which Force they came from, this did not scare him, though one would wonder if that was a good thing or not. In any case, feeling confident, Aleksey protested, his words aimed at convincing the crowd instead of truly replying to Wang Xiong. "Consequences for a few innocent words? Aren't you a bit too overbearing? This is the Federation, and there are Laws in place. If you dare to do anything to any of us, the authorities will deal with you bunch of tyrants!" Having used a Spell to carry his words to everyone's ears, he could see how many faces turned thoughtful at his words, with some having their emotions ignited to the point that they started to echo his words. Of course, most of the audience kept silent, watching the show without participating. The weakest of them, because they could not afford to participate, and the strongest, because they were not foolish. If there was nothing to gain, why would they breed enmity with a King Force Rank? Were they too tired of living already? The answer was pretty obvious. Thus, only a few fools blurted some nonsense about 'respecting Laws' aloud, but even those people were pretty tame with their words, leaving some leeway in their words, compared to those suicidal people currently lying powerlessly on the ground.