Chapter 85: A Week After, An Unexpected Visit

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I've spent the whole week training my disciples inside my Pagoda. Since then, there has been no response from the King whatsoever. Perhaps he had been thinking about what to do. Or maybe he simply didn't care at all about Yanisse. Or perhaps he's planning some sort of attack. Whatever the case, he seemed to be struggling if he had not made a move so far.

Perhaps he has been unable to figure out a way to attack my pagoda; it is indestructible and inaccessible after all. Well, whatever the case, the progress of my students has been smooth. Of course, I haven't confined them here every day for the entire day. They've been staying here whenever they're done with their job or work.

Usually, I would call them in the morning before breakfast and then late after lunch. The first day was mostly me teaching them anything they needed to learn about Ki Manipulation, Absorption, and Refinement. After that, we began training in Martial Arts, which would be directly connected to their Martial Core.

At the end of the week, they had already managed to learn a Martial Arts-related Skill of their own choosing that went well with their already existing fighting styles. They also managed to develop a full-fledged physique, reaching Rank 3.

I didn't really try to force them to learn something else than their main elements or abilities and instead recommended techniques that would meld well with their already existing capabilities and skills.

For example, I taught Nicholas the Steel Sentinel's Fist and Kick Technique, which would allow him to use his extremities alone to deal tremendous damage. He was really good at defense and regeneration but lacked proper offensive skills, so this worked well for him.

John, in the other case, was fast and could fly, along with having mostly long-ranged abilities. I taught him the Sunlight Spear Arts and the Sky Kicking Techniques, which would help him fight from above with ease, making use of his angel-like wings.

Aiyana had an amazing physique and a very strong build; she reminded me of the physique that the mighty barbarian tribes of Murim possessed. But, of course, she was not a barbarian. Her elements were apparently Stone, Spirit, and Fire. She was capable of using special magic and runes from her own family in battle.

So I taught her special fighting techniques, such as Blazing Giant Fist and Stone Turtle Defense Techniques, enhancing and prioritizing her specializations. As for her spirit magic, I helped her make it stronger by allowing her to touch the little Yggdrasil Tree inside my Inner Realm.

It seemed to work rather well even for those who weren't beast people, as long as they already had an affinity for Spirit Magic.

Jackes finished his punishment three days ago and joined us, having a lot to catch up with the rest, but he started working hard, managing to refine his Martial Core of Darkness and Shadows. He's now learning assassin techniques from one of my Doppelgangers.

Naturally, techniques alone don't make up the whole extent of my teachings. I also teach them philosophy and alchemy to understand the elements of the world and to slowly help them gain enlightenment on their chosen Dao.

Some of them were particularly talented at handling elements, such as Magician Francisco, one of our youngest members and the guild master of a guild too. The young Mexican boy was incredible at doing magic in the purest sense—the conjuration of runes through mana and their arrangement using magic rings.

The combination of the two creates magic circles, which can summon the elements at will, something that cultivators would never be able to do so easily at such an early stage. His physical body wasn't that strong, but he was agile and rather quick.

His body was mostly interesting, and as I analyzed his internal structure, I learned that he had become something similar to a giant bag of Mana. The boy's soul would constantly siphon Mana from the environment until it was completely filled.

He showed me his Mana stat being already over three million, surpassing mine already, and he said it constantly increases every day with him doing almost nothing. However, this was also dangerous.

The more Mana he developed, the weaker his physical body became; the pressure of this powerful energy weakened him as a result, and if he continued accumulating endlessly, he could die.

To make up for it, I had to quickly reinforce his physical body using formations and then help him cultivate. He was so talented that he reached Rank 3 within the week, finally forging a physique I helped him make.

A tough physique that would help him regulate his magical and martial energies and combine them was called [Dual Martial Arcanist Physique], and it contained the power of Mana and Ki in their most refined forms.

He was so talented, it made me feel rather shocked!

For the time being, he was saved from dying at a young age, but his mana would continue to grow, so he had to make sure to continue cultivating his physique.

As for Martial Arts, I went directly to Spiritual Arts, the more "magical" side of Murim, or well, the most magical Murim could get; some also called the Dark Spiritual Arts Sorcery back in Murim, as it dealt with cursing foes and poisoning them in a myriad of ways.

Martial Arts were not suitable for someone with such a small body, but I did end up giving him a scroll to learn Staff Arts like the Monks of Murim and telling him to refine and enhance his body as much as possible.

His Martial Core ended up becoming a rainbow-colored core that encompassed many elements together—a first of its kind, an Elemental Arcanist Martial Core.

It was amusing how Cultivation could be seamlessly melded with so many different powers or abilities from other worlds, showing how powerful it was.

And lastly, about Yanisse, her nervousness slowly faded away as she spent her time with me. She hasn't gone anywhere else than the Pagoda, deciding to stay in the room I assigned for her.

She had been meditating, cultivating her Ki, and melding it with her Void Essence. Over time, I also joined her meditations and was able to connect the Void Auras we had with the help of Kirby too, granting us the ability to further refine their potential.

With her help, I was able to reach a higher comprehension of the Dao of Void than before, gaining at least five percent more. Yanisse, in the other case, did say she had gained some strange enlightenment; she had seen similar visions to mine of outer space and of a universe being born.

This meant she was already comprehending the Dao of the Void, and she even told me that the Void itself had always been within her; the magical abilities she awakened might be greatly related to the element, giving her a tremendous talent that no cultivator had ever possessed in Murim before.

She refined a Void Sovereign Martial Core and Physique, both called the same, and it allowed her to easily tap into her Void Essence and not exhaust her Mana so much as before, as she could now use Ki to compensate for its high cost.

She seemed happier too, more optimistic, and she liked being by my side more than I thought. She had gotten slightly coquettish too, and I had a hard time resisting that.

Ah right! Anyway, there was another disciple who had a great deal of potential, and that was the Regressor, Seth. He was immediately able to awaken a Martial Core of the Element of Time, and I've been teaching him how to properly manipulate Time Essence, as he seemed rather amateur at that.

After that, he refined a Physique that he used his own materials to create, especially those of a Lesser Dragon he had slain from Floor 1. I had no idea there were Lesser Dragons there, but it was a wide world, so I suppose I didn't explore it completely.

Using that and his element, he obtained the Lesser Time Dragon Physique, which mixed the strength and magical power of dragons with his element of time to further manifest a greater deal of power than before.

With these two combined, he seemed to have amazing talent. He was also good at using any weapon, so I taught him as many techniques as I wanted.

I sure missed this feeling of having many disciples and seeing them grow stronger; it fills my heart with satisfaction. 

I wonder how my disciples back in Murim are doing.

Especially Fen Chun, that crybaby girl. I taught her almost everything I could before leaving, and despite her emotional weakness, she was the one I chose to become my successor.

That girl was bright, but too dependent on me. I sometimes wish I could have been nicer with them, or kinder...

But I didn't have much of a choice; if I had created strong enough bonds, the Heavenly Will would have killed them to torture me or used them to blackmail me into not leaving Murim.

Well, there's also Yun Cheng, that boy. He was colder and much more disciplined than her, and he learned almost everything I taught her almost perfectly. The two of them were like siblings; I picked them up from the streets on my many journeys around the world when I had become the strongest being of Murim.

I had such journeys mostly to think of ways to escape, but I ended up raising hundreds of disciples while doing so; they were part of the plan to leave Murim well-protected even after leaving. I even imparted to them my secret techniques, such as Photon Essence manipulation, making them stronger than any other cultivator in that world.

Amongst them, Yun Cheng and Fen Chun were my most talented disciples, and they complemented one another rather well. As long as I know they're alive, I can rest assured that Murim will remain in peace and order.

Hah…

Reminiscing about the past does certainly make me feel melancholy.

…

Anyway, a week has already passed, and although I would love to stay with them for many years, I must continue on my path. The Doppelgangers here, directly connected to my mind, will continue teaching them, however. And I'll also come here personally and stay for weeks whenever I feel like taking a rest from climbing.

It was already Monday of the next week, and I had gathered my disciples right before breakfast to talk to them about these things.

"It has been a week since the training has begun, my dear disciples. You've learned the ways of Martial Arts and Cultivation and have improved greatly."

I stood in front of my disciples, all of them sitting down respectfully.

"You have shown me your great potential and strength, but even now, you still lack experience and practice," I said. "I shall now depart back to the Tower for the moment. I have several things to attend to... However, I will leave my doppelgangers to continue your training."

I had planned this for a while now, but anyway, they will continue to be trained to become the perfect guardians of Earth. If they want to climb the tower with me, that's fine. But I would prefer if they stayed for the moment.

"Wait a second, Bing Xue, are you going to the Second Floor?" Seth wondered.

I had planned for him to stay too; I had little time to speak with him more personally about the future events, but I was in a hurry to get to Floor 2 and liberate the world where my dear wives came from.

"That's right," I nodded. "Do you want to come too, Seth? I know everyone else here has already gone there; you haven't yet?"

"No, I haven't… So, please bring me along…" the Regressor said. "There's something there… that we must procure before anybody else."

"Oh?" I wondered. "Wait, could it be something related to…?"

"I would prefer if we talked about this more privately, but yeah," he said. "So, can we?"

"Of course," I nodded. "After breakfast, though! My dears are preparing some delicious food for everyone to celebrate your first week of learning, my dear disciples. Shall we join the feast?"

"Sure! Thank you so much for everything, Bing Xue. Your training has been incredibly enlightening to me," Nicholas nodded. "I feel so strong, yet I also know there's a big path ahead of me, but unlike before, I now know my purpose and the path I must walk."

"Well said!" I nodded. "So you will become Earth's Guardian, Nicholas?"

"Naturally! I've learned my purpose, and the power I've gained—it's all for my planet, for my family, for my people, and for my city too," he nodded.

"I guess I feel the same way." John nodded. "Yeah… Anyways, whenever you reach Floor 20, we could join you sometime too, master Bing Xue."

"Oh my, that would be wonderful, my dear disciples. I'll rapidly climb the tower until then!" I nodded, petting the two in their heads.

"M-Master, we aren't children anymore." John sighed.

"Ah, she always does this." Nicholas seemed embarrassed.

"Don't you think you treat them a bit too childishly?" wondered my sister, walking by my side. "I mean, they're grown men, sis…"

"My disciples are like my children, so I naturally spoil them and treat them with love and care," I smiled. "To see them so eager to help their master fills my heart with happiness."

"Uh-huh, alright," my sister shrugged. "Anyways, let's go have breakfast, you guys."

As everyone moved to eat, Yanisse stayed behind, wanting to talk with me.

"Um, Bing Xue? I would like to talk to you about something. She wondered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, dear?" I wondered. "What does my disciple want?"

"Um, I was wondering if I could go with you too? I mean, the pagoda is safe and all, but I feel safer at your side… Until the whole thing with the King is resolved…" she sighed.

"Hmm! I had considered bringing you along, so of course," I nodded. "What else? Is there something else you wanted to ask me?"

"Ah, n-no, that's all!" She looked a bit embarrassed. "Ahem, let's go eat now. I am quite hungry myself… Merkite and Urbosa's cooking is so delicious as well."

"Isn't it?" I giggled.

We walked to the dining room where the rest of my family awaited us. Both of my wives' bellies had swollen a bit since the beginning of the week. Pregnancy for beast women was quick; apparently, the children would gestate within 3 months and would be born the first day of the fourth month.

Well, it was only a bit for now, so they looked almost the same as before, but not enough to be noticeable. My disciples have noticed something happened, but they have not asked me, and I feel a bit embarrassed to explain to them how it even happened too, so I'll just leave it at that.

"Glad everyone's here; let's eat together then." Urbosa smiled, kissing my cheek and sitting by my left side. "I prepared your favorite too, honey."

She served me a big pile of waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Indeed, this was my favorite breakfast! I really loved it, actually. As simple and dull as it might be to some.

"Thank you, my love." I kissed her little nose, caressing her fluffy tail. 

"Here, I made some tea for you too~" Merkite sat to my left, kissing my cheek too. "Let me have some of that waffles too."

"Hey Merkite, don't eat our mate's food like that!" Urbosa reprimanded her.

"It is fine, really; please don't concern yourself over it," I giggled. "Oh right, are you prepared to move to the second floor? After that, I might hurry and climb several more floors too."

"Yeah, I'm more than ready after all the training," Urbosa nodded.

"Me too!" Merkite said.

"Good, then let's enjoy the last day here before departing tomorrow." I quickly started eating.

As we enjoyed breakfast, however,

RUMBLE!

The pagoda trembled lightly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

And then three explosions were felt outside, blazing bombardments of what I assumed was magic.

The pagoda was unscathed, but the attacks kept coming.

"W-What's going on?!" Little Hekita panicked.

"Calm down…" I said. "It's alright."

I looked outside with my Senses, and well, there he was.

The King himself was accompanied by an army of one thousand soldiers.

Magicians conjured giant fireballs, trying to take down my pagoda.

The King sat over his throne, being carried by a Draconic creature. He was resting his hands over the hilt of his giant blade.

I quickly stepped outside, confronting the King and his army.

"My, oh my, what is this honor I have here? His Majesty himself has come to greet me this morning? And with such beautiful fireworks!" I laughed, waving my hand. 

FLASH!

All fifty magicians were lifted off the ground, and then I closed my hands.

SPLAAAT!

Their bodies exploded into pieces.

"Would you try being gentler, your majesty? My family and my disciples didn't certainly take it kindly, you see…" 

His eyes widened as he saw the blood and guts fall like rain over the rest of his panicking army.

"Just as I thought, you're nothing but a monster…"

"Oh my, that can't be true! I am a human, in the flesh~"

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