In the palace, Tang Wulin was meditating, and suddenly, a shard glowing golden and radiating light was hovering behind his head. Yueyin said in her soft voice,
"You have finally absorbed energy and you are at 1 Shard Asterioc."
Tang Wulin could also feel that his body had gotten stronger in all aspects—whether strength, speed, or defense.
Yueyin said, "With cultivation level, you become stronger in all stats, whether it is vitality, strength, defense, or speed. And if you are following special cultivation methods, it will boost specific stats more while also boosting other stats normally. That is why every cultivator follows their own cultivation method which suits them."
Tang Wulin listened carefully. Yueyin continued,
"Let me tell you, the difference between energy cultivators, spiritual cultivators, and body cultivators is not much at lower levels, but the higher the level, the more difference there is between them."
Tang Wulin asked,
"Master Yueyin, is there a level higher than Asterioc? You told me that Asterioc level has 10 shards and it is just the first level."
Yueyin replied,
"Yes, there is. It is much stronger than Asterioc. That level is called Lunar, and that is why the Emperor of the Redlotus Empire is called the Lotus of Lunar—because he is at 10 Shard Lunar."
Tang Wulin listened carefully and thought before asking,
"Master Yueyin, you are called the peak existence of humans. So what is your level?"
Yueyin replied calmly,
"You will know when you become stronger."
It was already evening. Yueyin said,
"Tang Wulin, go home. You will come on Sunday to learn. The other 6 days are yours to decide—train, enjoy, or live your life."
She lifted her right hand, and suddenly energy gathered there and formed 5 scrolls. She said,
"These scrolls are good for your light element, and each of them has different skills. If you want to learn, practice from them."
Tang Wulin took them, bowed, and said,
"Thank you, Master Yueyin. Take care."
Then Tang Wulin left the palace. After 30 minutes, he reached his house. This house was also luxurious like that of a noble family. When he entered the house, he saw his big sister. She had black hair and golden eyes. She was about 8 years old and wore a white robe with golden lines, making her look even more beautiful. She was cooking food. When the door opened, she said,
"Tang Wulin, you came back already from the palace. Come and sit down at the dining table. I am bringing food."
Tang Wulin replied loudly,
"Yes, sister!"
He sat on the chair beside the dining table. His big sister brought food one by one while Tang Wulin's mouth was wide open and he was already eating like crazy. While eating, he said,
"Sister, your food is really tasty."
His big sister smacked him lightly on the head.
"Don't talk while eating."
Tang Wulin look towards her with his big brown eyes and said nothing.
Tang Wulin nodded and continued to eat...
---
In the core forest, Raine was still looking ahead. They were deep inside the forest, where all trees were huge—about 100 to 150 meters tall. In front of him was a palace. He couldn't believe that the red-haired man who is the Beast King had such a huge palace.
He was about to ask, but Gu Yuena replied,
"When beasts reach a certain cultivation level, they can transform into humans."
Raine looked toward her and thought—does that mean Gu Yuena is also a strong beast who transformed into a little girl? Gu Yuena noticed him and replied,
"You don't need to think that much. From now on, you will live here for one year. After that, we will leave and live among humans like them."
They were still walking inside the palace. Raine asked,
"Why will we enter human society and live like humans?"
The red-haired man—also the Beast King—replied. Though he spoke normally, his voice still had authority.
"Humans kill beasts for their cores, then refine them to create special crystal stones which can increase cultivation level and speed for a short time. These are called Energy Stones. But no matter how we beasts try, we've never been able to do it. Even in human society, you must give beast cores to a special organization, and they give you energy stones in return. Only that organization knows how to make them."
Raine asked,
"Why do you need to learn that method?"
Gu Yuena replied this time, her voice soft but always cold:
"Because we will erase that method—and kill everyone who knows it—so humans stop killing beasts for their cores. If the core brings no benefit, it will be useless to them. Also, even if you are human, from now on, you don't need to care about them."
Raine nodded, because from now on, this was his home—and they were his family.
The Beast King added,
"Not only that. More than a thousand years ago, humans ruled the whole planet. At that time, they killed beasts for fun, used them for manual labor, and treated us like nothing. They did the same to demons. Then someone appeared—called the Demon Lord—who retaliated and killed the strongest human of that time. He took one continent under his control, while beasts and humans live on the other. That Demon Lord has an agreement with the Guardian of the Planet—currently the strongest human—that they will not initiate war against each other. I also became strong later... but now I can feel something big is going to happen."
Raine could only listen. From his parents and other villagers, he had often heard stories that beasts were unintelligent, cruel, and attacked anyone. Now, he didn't know who was right or wrong. But he knew this—from now on, even if he was human, he would work for the beasts and take revenge on that fat man Zhao and the golden Asterioc from the Saviour Organization.
He said to himself in thought,
"Wait for me... I'm going to destroy humanity if I have to."
---