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There was quite a distance from his clan house to the marketplace. He was strolling on the streets, taking in all the beauty of the common folk. He heard a married couple quarrel over how the food was overcooked. He listened to a child wailing loudly. He listened to the laugh of some people over a PJ. Sometimes he even heard parents telling their children to enroll in prestigious schools.

Hearing all this, he wondered what would have happened if he would have been born in an ordinary family.

He might not have gained power, nor would he have come in contact with Divya.

He might not have reached number one, nor would he have gained all these cultivation techniques.

And he might not have fallen from his pedestal, nor would he have lost Divya.

So many 'might not's' and 'would have's.' He wondered what the happiness of the common man is.

Isn't it better to live a worry-free life?

Wouldn't it be better not to think about power and go on with the work you have? Wouldn't it make me happy to see my family have a smile on their face?

What about now? He knew that power comes with significant responsibilities.

But what should someone do if they lost the power?

As his mind was having a myriad range of thoughts, he noticed a beggar begging for alms. It was an aged man with white hair and a white beard. His clothes had holes all over, and he barely had his body covered. Looking at the beggar, his mind again started working on questions.

Should I help the beggar?

What if he is a conman?

What if he needs food.

In the meantime, the beggar also noticed him.

When the beggar approached him, Krishna asked, "Why do you ask for alms and not earn some money through work?"

The beggar replied, "Sir, you must be joking. I am quite old now and can barely move my body."

Sounds plausible, thought Krishna. He wanted to give him some money and leave the place. But he stopped. He saw the street he was on. It was Heavenly Dragon Street. It had the most famous restaurant, the Great Lightning Restaurant. Looking at the beggar, he had a weird idea.

Why not let him have a taste of some heavenly food?

Nobody in the current generation would have thought of taking a beggar to have a luxurious meal, which many rich people would think twice before having it.

Thinking like this, he took the beggar to the restaurant. Approaching the restaurant, the guards noticed the beggar behind Krishna. They stopped Krishna and sneered, "You cannot enter. The Great Lightning Restaurant doesn't allow beggars to enter."

"But I had come here before."

"Kid, don't lie to us. Do you know the price of the lowest price dish here? 300 Gold! Get lost if you don't have even that and stop making trouble."

"Why are you so aggressive? And how would you know if we have that kind of money or not?"

Krishna knew the pricing very well as his dad came here for various business meetings. He also knew why the guards were making things difficult for him. In the end, it was true; wealth overpowers everything here.

"Garbage is seen how they dress. I can see you are making trouble here. Soli, let's beat them to the trash they are."

These guards concluded that they were ordinary people.

Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

Within three hits, both the aged man and Krishna flew out on the streets, injured.

'These assholes, I'll show them who is the boss after I come here with dad,' Krishna kept mumbling as he analyzed how much he was hurt.

He also figured out that these guards were on Body Strengthening Stage 9. They were mighty. He was a genius at a time; he progressed three stages in a year.

This world of Jambudweep was quite mysterious. People here invented and researched various ways to increase their strength and vitality. And in these ways was the way of increasing the power of the body. The common man only knew of the first two big doors, Mortal Stage and Prana Stage. After years of research, the ideal age for starting cultivation has been set to 12.

When Krishna started cultivating, he achieved Body Strengthening Stage 3 in the first year. Body Strengthening Stage was the first step in the Mortal Stage after it was the Meridian Stage.

Krishna was supposed to start the Meridian Stage at age 15. But somehow, due to unknown factors, he never advanced once he achieved Body Strengthening Stage 4. And Divya became the number one genius of the Green City. Because she entered Meridian Stage at the age of 16, she was one of the best talents out of this area of the world. And because of that, the Phoenix Martial Institution was taking away Divya.

He identified his injuries fast enough. His left shoulder hurt, his left hand dangling, he approached to see how the aged man was faring. Looking at the aged man, he felt the need to take him to a healer.

Healing their injuries took 250 Gold. Thinking further, he took the aged man to a stall and had a full dinner worth 50 Gold.

"Hey, old man, sorry I couldn't let you have the heavenly taste of the Great Lightning Restaurant."

"Thank you, Sir, for giving me good food and healing my injuries. It's not every day that someone helps the beggar get good food. You have a kind heart."

Krishna removed his robe and gave it to the old man, "Keep this robe. It will help you with the weather."

"Thank you very much, Sir."

As Krishna was going to leave, the beggar stopped him. "Sir, have this coin, this is something I found on the street and is useless to me. I hope it will be helpful to you."

Receiving the coin, Krishna reviewed it and confirmed that it was of no great value so that it will not be a loss for the aged man.

"Thank you, old man. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Krishna."

He walked a few steps and then realized, how did the aged man know his name? He hadn't mentioned it to him. When he looked back to inquire, the aged man had already vanished from the area.

Who was he?

Thinking about it, he slowly proceeded towards home.

He had to let his dad know about how the guards of Great Lightning Restaurant behaved with him. If he doesn't have power, so what, at least his dad has power.