Chapter 4

Meeting the Apex of Infinity, the second strongest expert in the world, would be one, if not the most important events in my life as a cultivator. Just the opportunity to behold the figure of one of the few beings who have reached the Supreme Eternal Realm is worth more than an entire decade of training by myself, thus making this encounter all the more precious.

"Jump into the portal."

"That's it?"

"Yep."

Which is why the straightforwardness of the whole affair and the lack of proper journey filled with tribulations makes this feel pretty underwhelming all things considered. While I am not complaining about not being forced to endure countless unnecessarily dangerous tests to earn the right of meeting my soon-to-be master, I was hoping for something a little more dramatic.

Having Kuroka merely use her magnificent space related techniques to tear a hole in the fabric of reality was a bit vanilla by cultivators' standards.

At the very least Ravel is currently back at the mansion to inform the family about all this, so I would be able to make myself look cool when I tell her about all the things she missed.

"It isn't too late to stop." Despite her words, she knows that a simple warning wouldn't change my mind. "I didn't even promise to follow you to the Underworld if you manage to do the impossible and convince Ophis to change her mind."

While I wouldn't say that nekoushou sounds deeply concerned about my well-being, she doesn't appear uncaring either.

"I didn't expect you to fall for this Young master so soon. All those seduction spells from the forbidden ancient tome that was given to me by my older brothers worked way better than I thought." The "Top 1000 pick-up one liners" manual should not be underestimated.

"More like I don't want to be indirectly responsible for your death." She replies with a shrug.

Hurtful, but it makes sense. We have only known each other for a few hours, so we are still acquittances at best.

"Remember, do not deny Ophis anything." Her previous playful semblance is replaced with one of utter seriousness. "If she tells you to shut up, cut your tongue if you must; that will be better than the alternative."

"Uh, you're softer than I was expecting." I honestly thought that she would be brutal and coldhearted when I decided to look for her, but the nekoshou in front of me is a decently pleasant person. "You truly are worth pursuing."

"Nya ~ you can feel my softness whenever you want." Kuroka winks and crosses her arms under her chest to show just how well-endowed she is. "I'd love having kittens with both regeneration and pyrokinesis."

...It is really unfortunate that the book says that I should wait until she opens her heart to me or some bullshit like that before fucking her brains out for hours.

"And I would love to hold your hand and exchange words of love and care with you." Otherwise, she would just steal my stuff and castrate me after the deed was done. "Only MCs would collect girls in their harem without properly earning their affection. Those assholes have an obsession with stealing treasures, seducing every good-looking woman they see and getting in impossibly dangerous situations without any apparent reason."

She raises an eyebrow at that.

"I have the feeling I have met someone like that before. Only that he was a very shy guy who wouldn't put me on four and fuck me like a wild animal until I scream for mercy, only for him to keep going until I lost conscious as my interiors were overflowing with his seed. Let's not forget all the bite-marks in our bodies that we wouldn't bother to hide in order to make things more exciting."

"That was oddly specific."

"A girl knows what she wants." She shrugs unapologetically.

The path to immortality and not being cucked is filled with painful temptations.

"Just to make things clear, I am not a MC, but a Young Master."

"What is the difference?"

"I have loving parents."

For some reason, Kuroka shoves me into the portal after I say that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When most people use the strongest, they are often referring to the big names like Shiva from the Hindu pantheon and Lucifer from the Devil Empire. Of course, they aren't stupid enough to believe that any of them could defeat the Dragon Gods. It's just that in their minds those beings are beyond the concept of strength. Rather than living beings, they are natural disaster given shape.

I don't really know enough about Ophis to have an opinion about her, but most people would people agree on avoiding her as the plague if they are given the choice. Even my father has once described Ophis as a very old and stupid god, a notion that I somewhat disagree with. It should be obvious that the being known as Ophis is beyond mortal's comprehension because she has already become one with the universe itself. In the same way that I can't communicate with ants, there is no real way for Ophis to share her infinite knowledge with those who aren't in her same Supreme Eternal Cultivation Realm. While she is wise with her words, everyone lacks the ears to hear her.

Even her personal residence is beyond your comprehension. The nice-looking wooden furniture, the rustic chimney warming the place and the very fluffy sofa in the middle made the whole room look extremely cozy.

Everything seems so normal.

And then I saw her. A young-looking girl with long dark hair and some bags under her tired eyes. The most catching thing about her appearance was that black dress that didn't cover her chest for some reason. The only thing covering her nipples from sight were some old-looking band-aids.

She looks so… mundane. In any other circumstances, I might have mistaken her for just a regular human girl who just happens to be chilling in her room. There is nothing really special about her.

And yet, my entire body is shivering.

...This is without a shadow of a doubt the pinnacle of what cultivation should be. By virtue of being one with the universe itself, every single one of Ophis' movements seemingly appear as mundane and simple as those of an actual child. She isn't even paying attention to me, she simply is.

Despite being moved by this marvelous sight, I need to say something.

"Grand Elder, please allow me to take Kuroka, the black beast, under my service." My forehead is now touching the floor as I beg the supreme master, but even this feels inadequate before this divine expert.

Ophis slowly blinks twice and looks around the room before letting her eyes fall on my lowly-self.

"What about the stupid red?" She frowns, clearly displeased by my rudeness. "She promised to help me to kill him."

...

Rule 16

Be daring, but not too daring

...

"Th- then allow me share the weight of her duty."

"Are you strong?"

Knowing that this moment will shape my future, I stand up from the floor and stare at those eyes that reflected the infinite emptiness of the void. This is a test that I can't afford to fail.

"I will be the strongest."

"Good." She nods in approval, happy with my bravery. "Beat Red."

"I-I can't do that yet, supreme elder." If the first test was about bravery, then this one is all about humbleness. "But-but if you allow me to become your student, I swear that the Red will be defeated. "

She remains silent for what it feels like two eternities and half.

"Acceptable." She nods again. "How many snakes you want?"

And now she is offering me power beyond my wildest dreams, but this cannot be as simple as it seems. I must see underneath the underneath. I'm still being tested.

She has already tested my bravery and humbleness, now she must be testing my patience and dedication. I must show her that I'm willing to work hard for my goals instead of taking the fast power-up that would lead to my whole foundation becoming unstable.

"If anything, I would be honored if master were to explain why do we mortals seek to defy the heavens? Is there any reason for cultivation beyond freeing us from our fears?"

She tilts her head.

"What is cultivation?"

This…this was beyond my wildest expectations. Just when I thought I had all the answers, the Great Elder forced me to face the simplest question imaginable.

What is cultivation?

Defying the natural order of things? To understand the universe? To reach true godhood? No, those are merely some of its goals.

To think that I tried to learn how to run before discovering walking! Only now I realize how naïve and arrogant. How did I ever expect to find a path to follow for my cultivation before even knowing what cultivation is in the first place?

For the first time since my conversation with Senior Sister Leviathan, I feel my Qi overflowing my dantians. With such a simple application of the Socratic method, my teacher has helped me to overcome my bottleneck.

"Now, go away. You are too loud. I want silence." With a lazy wave of her hands, she opens a portal and pushed me into it.

Those were her words, but I understood their true meaning. She sent me away so I could actually make use of this newfound enlightenment at my own pace. Not only that, but she also let me catch a glimpse of the nature of the void and told me to reflect on the nature of silence. She wants me to make these concepts part of my foundation as yet another test.

Ophis is both a demanding and peerless teacher.

I, a Young Master hated by the heavens, was given the chance to learn under such a great loli expert. I'm so deeply moved that the first thing I do upon seeing Kuroka again is to embrace her between my arms, hoping that the gesture would let her understand just how thankful I am. Kuroka too must be overjoyed by my return because she is shrieking like a banshee.

The nekoshou is truly too soft for her own good.

This Young Master promises to properly seduce this blessed feline like a good Dao Companion should do.