Exhausted from the tiring process of opening his meridians, Ekosus decided to get some sleep, and soundlessly drifted off into a blissful rest.
As the sun is rising the next day however, he is awoken by an extremely foul stench filling his nostrils to the brim.
Sitting up from his bed, Ekosus looks around for what could be the cause of the stench, and when he can't seem to find anything, he catches a glance of himself inside his golden mirror.
His face and arms are covered in a dark brown and black liquid, probably the source of the stench.
"Kaiser, what the hell is this?" Ekosus asks in disgust.
"Ahhh, I forgot to warn you. The Essence of Creation can help rid a person's body if it's impurities, cleansing it to a flawless state. That foul liquid is all of the impurities your body has collected for the past 13 years." Kaiser explained
"God does it smell. I need a shower and a new change of clothes. There's even some soaked into my bed! I'll ask one of the maids to change the sheets out before night comes." Ekosus complained with irritation.
"Oh, it's not that bad! Other cultivators would be jumping with joy if they had all the impurities cleansed from their body!" Kaiser said derision.
Half an hour later, Ekosus is nice and cleaned up, and had changed into a new silk robe.
"I'm going to ask dad if I can go into the city and take a look around. I'll say that maybe it could help me regain some of my lost memories." Ekosus said.
"That's a good idea. You should ask him for some spirit crystals as well. Just in case you see something you would want to buy." Kaiser replied back.
Spirit crystals are the currency of the world Ekosus now resides in. They are crystals that naturally form after time passes from absorbing the natural Qi in the air. They can also be used to cultivate, but lower level crystals contain less Qi, and the Qi isn't that pure. Cultivating with them does more bad than good.
They're divided into different ranks, depending on the Qi inside the crystal. From lowest to highest, they are respectively, Common Grade, Spirit Grade, Saint Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, Divine Grade, and finally Immortal Grade. Each crystal grade is worth 100 crystals of the grade below it, with Immortal Grade being the exception. Not even 100,000 Divine Grade crystals would be enough to by a single Immortal Grade crystal, as they're basically priceless.
"Before you go and see your father though, practice the Immortal Sealing technique of the Immortal Codex. That will hide your true cultivation from others, making it seem like you have just entered the Meridian Opening stage, with only a few meridians opened. I'm not worried about him doing anything to harm you if he found out you were at the peak of Meridian Opening, it would just be very hard to explain, as you were a complete mortal only yesterday." Kaiser said with caution.
"Alright, let me find it and I will." Ekosus replied before searching through his knowledge of the Immortal Codex, and after a few moments, he found the technique.
After reading through the techniques manual, he began to practice it.
The next moment, complex and golden sealing characters started forming themselves around his meridians, encasing them in a layer of golden sheen, which eventually faded and all of his meridians, except twelve of them, appeared to be dormant and unopened.
"That should be good enough. twelve meridians is a lot easier to explain than 99" Kaiser said.
"Okay, to dad's room I go then!" Ekosus exclaimed before leaving his room, heading towards the other side of the manor.
From his talks with Keos, Ekosus had learned that his father was the current city lord of Starlight city, one of the 8 major cities of the Coldmoon Kingdom.
As such, the manor that Ekosus was currently living in could only be described as massive. Even if he sprinted at full speed, it would take him 10 minutes to reach his father's room.
After half an hour of walking, Ekosus finally reached his father's room, and knocked on the door.
"Come in" A cold voice resounded from the other side.
Ekosus opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him before turning to face his father.
His father's name Iskar Asura. He was born an orphan, and was raised by Keos. His first name was given to him by Keos, but his last name was given to him by himself, after what his enemies called him on the battlefield, Blood Demon Asura.
He was no longer wearing his armor, and in its absence was a pitch black robe.
His cold expression softens into a gentle and warm smile when he realizes that his visitor is Ekosus.
"Hello son, what can I do for you?" He replies warmly. If anyone were to see his gentle expression, they would find it hard to associate it with the man who's said to have bathed in the blood of tens of thousands.
"Hey dad, I was wondering if I could head out and take a look around the city? I figured that it might help me get some of my memories back." Ekosus asked with pleading eyes.
"I don't have a problem with you touring the city, but I'm sending a couple of guards with you!" Iskar said firmly.
"I'm not going outside the city dad!. As long as I'm inside the city, no one is going to be dumb enough to try and attack me, especially with you being home." Ekosus replied.
"We don't know that for sure son. Especially since you are still not in the Meridian Opening stage. Any random man could easily overpower and kill you if they didn't care about the consequences." Iskar said in a don't-argue-with-me kind of tone.
"That's just it dad. I am in Meridian Opening stage!" Ekosus said with a smile.
"Son, you can't lie to me, it's easy for me to check.." Iskar stops speaking as he's inspecting Ekosus, a shocked expression blanketing his face for a moment before he bursts into manic laughter and excitement fills his face.
"HAHAHAHA!!! Finally! I never thought this day would come! My son has finally entered the Meridian Opening stage! And he even opened 12 meridians in one go! My son isn't trash, he's a genius!" Iskar said with undisguised excitement. Before Ekosus can say anything, Iskar grabs him by the shoulders, pulling him into a strong hug.
"Oh how I've longed for this day! I didn't think it would ever come because your meridians are so special! I don't know exactly what grade they are, but mine are Earth grade, and with less than 10% of the resources you've consumed from birth, I was able to start opening my meridians, and I only opened one of them at the beginning, but you opened 12! It might've taken you longer to start, but I can see the day when you surpass me, my son!" Iskar said with happiness in his voice.
"So, does this mean I can go into town by myself?" Ekosus asked with a smile.
"... Fine, but take this!" Iskar said before handing Ekosus a piece of yellow paper with symbols on it that seemed to appear from thin air.
"What's this?" Ekosus asks after accepting the paper.
"That is a talisman, son. It's linked to one that I have on myself, and if you run into any trouble, tear it and I will come to you, no matter where you are in the city, in less than 10 seconds. If there is any danger, and I mean any danger at all, don't hesitate to tear it! Also, don't be out too late!" Iskar said with a serious voice.
"Okay, I will dad. Also, can I have some spirit crystals? Just in case I find anything I want to buy while I'm in the city!" Ekosus asked.
"That's no issue! Here, buy anything you want. Consider it a present for succeeding in your cultivation!" Iskar said with a smile before a small pouch appears in his hand. He then tosses the pouch at Ekosus, who catches it with ease before looking inside of it.
Astonishingly enough, there were 10 Saint Grade spirit crystals contained inside.
One had to know that 100 Common Grade spirit crystals, or 1 Spirit Grade crystal, was enough to feed a family of four for a year with ease, and 10 Saint Grade crystals was worth around 100,000 of them!
"Wow. Thanks dad!" Ekosus exclaimed happily.
"Don't mention it, son. I honestly could give you a billion Saint Grade crystals with how happy I am!" Iskar said with a loving smile.
"Alright dad, I guess I'm off then! I'll be home before sunset!" Ekosus said before exiting the room, and heading towards the exit of the manor.
Watching Ekosus leave, Iskar's face is beaming with pride, but hidden down deep is also a bit of sadness.
Staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom and touching the golden ring on his finger after Ekosus left, Iskar speaks to himself with longing and conviction in his tone, "Our boy has finally done it, Cecilia. He's finally taken his first steps into the grander world. If only you could be here to witness it with me. I know not where you've been taken to, but mark my words! Whether by my hands or by our son's, we will find you and bring you home, no matter the cost!"
The next moment, a blood red dagger appears in Iskar's hand, and he slides it across his palm, and lets a stream of blood fall onto the ground, forming a small puddle. A few seconds go by, and that blood starts to expand, eventually taking the form of a red-robed man. The man opens his eyes, and instead of having normal eyes, his eyes are solid black. He then kneels in front of Iskar.
"What work do you require of me Lord Asura?" The man asks Iskar.
"Adam, I need you to follow my son into the city, and make sure nothing harms him. He has a talisman that he can break to notify me of danger, but I would still need a few seconds to reach him. Your only job is to either annihilate any danger, and if you can't, stall until I can arrive. Is that clear?!?" Iskar explained coldly.
"Yes, Lord Asura. I will protect the Young Lord with my life!" Adam said seriously.
"Good, now go!" Iskar replied.
Adam nods, before slowly sinking into his shadow, and disappears from the room.
"Whoever you are, if you so much as lay another finger on my son, I will tear your soul from your body and make you beg for death!" Iskar coldly said to himself before sitting down on a chair, and closing his eyes.