"Becoming a cultivator... can we really do that? After all, we're just mere commoners without a powerful lineage. We were born inferior..." Miss Zara mumbled as she chopped vegetables, releasing a deep sigh.
Just then, Little Zoe entered the kitchen and noticed her mother's thoughtful expression, which made her slightly worried. Her concerned voice soon echoed in the room.
"Mom, what are you mumbling about? Can you tell me? Maybe I can help," Little Zoe asked, tilting her head with concern.
"Oh, it's you, dear. You startled me for a second..." Miss Zara smiled warmly before playfully poking her daughter's cheek.
Seeing her mother was fine, Little Zoe sighed in relief, though her curiosity remained. She was sure she'd overheard her mother talking about cultivation, which made her wonder.
"Dear, do you want to become a cultivator? Like Brother Yuan and Sister Lily?" Miss Zara asked, looking into her daughter's eyes with a smile.
Little Zoe was taken aback by the question. It took her a moment to process, ensuring she hadn't misheard.
"What?! Become a cultivator?!" Little Zoe exclaimed, staring at her mother with wide eyes.
"That's right," Miss Zara nodded, explaining further, "Yuan offered me the chance for both of us to become cultivators a little while ago. But I told him I needed time to think about it."
"I haven't fully considered it yet... Becoming a cultivator would mean leaving our normal life behind," she chuckled softly at her daughter's stunned expression.
"Mom! I want to become a cultivator—just like Brother Yuan and Sister Lily! I want to be strong and fight monsters like them!" Little Zoe blurted out excitedly, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Are you sure about that, Zoe? We may have to leave this place after—" Miss Zara began, but before she could finish, Little Zoe cut in.
"I don't care! As long as I can become strong and stay close to Brother Yuan, I'm fine! And it's not like I have any friends here... The kids in the streets always bully me," Little Zoe said, her face determined. "I want to travel with Brother Yuan and Sister Lily and fight powerful monsters!"
Miss Zara's expression softened. "I see... have you fallen in love with Brother Yuan?" she asked teasingly, a playful smile on her lips.
Little Zoe's face instantly turned beet red, and Miss Zara stifled a laugh at her reaction.
'Fufu~ What am I going to do with this child? She looks so adorable when she's embarrassed... I should tease her more often,' Miss Zara thought, chuckling inwardly as she watched her daughter squirm in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Yuan and his wives were in their room, discussing the Enlightenment they had experienced earlier.
"So basically, after you all experienced Enlightenment, your mastery of the Divine Body and Soul Merging Sutra increased by two levels... That's quite the gain," Yuan said, astonished.
Anna nodded with a wide grin before leaning against him. "Indeed. My dear, not just me—everyone's included. And with our current mastery of the technique, we can all merge and become one being."
She glanced at Lily and the others with a smile, then turned her attention back to Yuan.
"However, Lily, Julie, Ava, Rose, and Leah don't have the same level of mastery, so they can't merge with us yet. If they want to, they'll need to reach the same level as us."
"That's unfortunate... But I'm sure they'll catch up in no time," Yuan replied, smiling. Even though their talents weren't quite as refined as the others, they were still incredibly gifted individuals.
Since Yuan had nothing else to do while his wives were cultivating, he decided to cultivate as well, knowing he'd be bored otherwise.
[Empyreal Consumption activated]
+5000 Qi
+5000 Qi
...
After cultivating for nearly an hour, each of his wives had broken through a realm. Since they now needed large amounts of Qi for each breakthrough, the process took longer than before.
Half an hour later, Xi Meili made a breakthrough, reaching the second level of Spirit Grandmaster. Naturally, since she was already at the Spirit Grandmaster level, she required more Qi than the others.
Meanwhile, Yuan remained deep in concentration. Just as he was about to make his own breakthrough, a sharp sound echoed in his mind.
[You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough!]
[You have reached the second level Spirit Grandmaster!]
[All Stats +12000]
As Yuan reached the second level of Spirit Grandmaster, he took a deep breath, drawing in a massive amount of Spiritual Energy from the air. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"Finally, I've reached the second level of Spirit Grandmaster... Even though it's just one level, the difference is immense."
Yuan glanced at the others, noticing that they were still deep in cultivation, their energy flowing peacefully as their cultivation steadily increased. It was a relief, as having a higher cultivation base would be crucial, especially with the looming threats from the Holy Empire or the Golden Skull organization.
"Speaking of the Golden Skull organization, they've been unusually quiet," Yuan mumbled to himself as he sat down on the bed. "I don't like this silence. They're definitely planning something against us."
He thought back to how their members had approached them numerous times—either trying to recruit them into their ranks or attempting to steal their secret knowledge of cultivation, something this world lacked.
"I wonder what their ultimate goal is," Yuan mused. "An organization so powerful that even the king of a nation tries to avoid them. They've destroyed entire empires in the past using Forbidden magic."
He smirked, his eyes narrowing as he reflected on their nature.
"They're nothing more than a gang of criminals who fancy themselves noble. But they're far from it. All they want is to rule the world."
Yuan's smirk widened as the thought of encountering them in the future crossed his mind. He knew that a clash with the Golden Skull organization was inevitable, and it might happen sooner than he expected.
"I'll crush anyone who stands in my way," he whispered, his grin darkening. "Even if it's the so-called gods in the flying mountain they call 'Heaven,' or the Golden Skull organization itself."
Nearly an hour passed, and everyone except Xi Meili and Fang Xiaoyan had achieved another breakthrough, raising their cultivation by one level.