Teacher

"Nice to meet you, Ari, of everyone I've observed in this abandoned cesspool of a place. I must say that you are my favorite."

"Thank you," Ari felt awkward. What was this situation? Who was this remnant spirit? How was she talking? Why was she so beautiful? Why was her father calling her teacher? What the hell was going on here? Her brain became overloaded with questions.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but the basics of it is this. When a beastman of certain cultivation dies, their remnant spirit is so powerful that they remain conscious. They even keep some, if not all, the memories of the being they came from along with their personalities."

Ari's shock and confusion grew with Xasha's explanation. "I have formed a contract with Mylyn. Basically, she teaches me everything she knows, and in return, I pass on everything I've learned to the harpies we're raising once they evolve into beastmen. Essentially saving her race from extinction and helping its strength get back to its former glory if not surpassing that."

"Oh, I understand, so you want me to form a similar agreement with the remnant spirit inside this weapon."

Xasha nodded. "But be careful. I do not know what its personality is like or if it's good or evil. It may be someone that can't be negotiated with." Xasha took out a sheet of paper. "Read this over. These are things you could say to entice him into helping you. Also, use your wit, based on the conversation. Tell him what he needs to hear. But do not lie and do not agree to anything unjust or unreasonable."

Ari nodded with conviction. Xasha walked over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Good luck, my child."

Ari placed her imprint and blood essence into the energy core. A beam of golden light shot up to the ceiling. The beam grew wider. Xasha could see what looked like ribbons flowing and flashing, with rings attached to the ends. All this happened in a split second. The beam and the remnant spirit inside returned to the energy core as soon as it appeared. Xasha didn't even get a good look at it was before it accepted Ari as its master.

Amid the taming, Xasha continued to shout instructions at her. "The glyphs on the weapon also protect you while inside, so it won't be able to hurt you. That being said, don't drop your guard, don't be afraid, and remember to keep your poker face. Don't give him a chance to read you, also don't be too aggressive. Try to control your anger and don't make it your enemy. Remember to entice, not blackmail...."

Xasha continued until Ari fell unconscious. He rushed forth and caught her. He pulled out a polished bed from his void sack and laid her on top of it. The golden mana in the room still flowed into her body like a repository.

"I've said it before. That daughter of yours is amazing. Never in my life have I seen anything like her. Should she be able to control even a fraction of her power, tsk tsk tsk. You better hide her well."

He nodded his head with a serious expression, "I know."

"Mhm." Shortly after he heard Ari groaning, she sat up, rubbing her head with a pained expression.

"Are you okay? How did it go?" Xasha, who stood by her bedside, grabbed her hand and asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine... just a bit of a headache. I need to rest but I'll be fin-" before she could finish, she froze. Her eyes glowed a bright golden light. When the glow ended. Ari was slumped over, panting and holding her chest to catch a breath.

Xasha's blood had run cold at his point. He turned his attention to Mylyn for answers, but she was just as shocked as he was. He turned back to Ari, not knowing what to do. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to ask what's wrong, but the words got stuck in his throat.

He worried he grew overconfident and let Ari assimilate with the Chrono God Beast prematurely. Now she's paying for his overconfidence and irresponsibility. In a second, a force pushed him from Ari's bedside and slammed him against the walls. He tried to rush back, but he was pinned and couldn't move. The force resulted in his body feeling like it would be ripped apart.

He didn't care if it meant protecting his daughter his own life was not even a concern. Scanning the room for Mylyn. He heard a moan to his right that made his heart stop. Looking over, he saw Mylyn. She was in the same position that he was, pinned against a wall, unable to do anything.

With Mylyn's strength, even as a remnant spirit, she was not someone the mages of the west coast could contend with. Yet, she couldn't do anything in front of this force from this remnant spirit.

Xasha looked at Ari and became even more horrified. From the staff, Xasha saw golden ribbons flowing through the air. Dozens of them looking like tentacles, these tentacles slowly merged to form a humanoid giant. Xasha screamed on top of his voice till his throat was sore.

"No! Leave her alone. I'll give you everything you want."

"I'll give you everything you want."

"I'll give you anything you want."

Every hair on Xasha's body stood up, and his skin was laced with goosebumps. His body trembled as if he was dying of hyperthermia. His eyes were already leaking tears of blood. His entire body felt like it was on fire as he used every bit of strength he had to push against the force and reach his daughter.

Disregarding the fact that he could die at any moment, he kept going. His energy was all but spent. His body was at its limit, but giving up had never crossed his mind. The only thing he cared about was reaching his daughter, never even considered what he would do after that.

Mylyn stared at Xasha with a complicated look in her eyes but also a bit of astonishment. She could see what looked like green flames blazing on the surface of his skin. The flames were healing him at a rapid pace, but the force was still ripping him apart. It was like a tug of war between the two forces. One trying to heal while the other was destroying.

She looked at Ari, whose eyes still glowed with bright golden light. The golden current of mana in the room was flowing into her body. Her aura kept expanding as she got stronger by the second. Until this point, Ari was a person with low cultivation. She relied solely on combat techniques in battle, and the mana she used was from energy cores and not her own energy sea.

The time mana inside the west coast was abysmal. Mediating for the seven years only gave her enough energy to reach rank three of the Copper Realm.

Ari had just broken through the Platinum Realm and was still climbing. Mylyn noticed all this within a short span of time. Xasha would have noticed if not for his emotional state. She chose not to say anything because she realized this situation was a boon and not a bust for either of them.

Ari had finally broken through her cultivation barrier and was ascending rapidly. The green flames burning on Xasha's body meant that he was ascending. Mylyn was familiar with this transition and knew what it meant. She had seen it many times before.

If Xasha was in a state where he was paying attention to his body, he would have noticed there was a green flame building up in his lower abdomen. He would also have noticed it was the energy crystals inside his energy sea that were melting. These mana flames passed through his veins, forging and strengthening them as they passed through his body and gathered at his lower abdomen.

Every time a flame passed, the veins and meridians became stronger. All the impurities were burned off, and they became wider. Making it easier for the next round of mana flames to pass through. Each mana crystal exploded into ten embers and passed through his veins one at a time. After half the crystals were burned off and entered his lower abdomen, Xasha felt a surge of energy running through his body. He didn't think about it; he was just happy that he was making progress.

He'd finally pushed himself off the wall and planted his feet on the ground. Though it was slow and with every step he took towards Ari, the pressure he felt doubled. He had felt hope and held onto it with every fiber of his being. He noticed whenever the pressure doubled and he kept pushing. The energy inside his body would double as well, giving him the strength to go further.

He slowly regained confidence. Now that he had a way to reach Ari, his new focus was on protecting her. He gripped the Ruler in his hand and prepared to take on that creature even if it cost his life.