A cute three-year-old-looking boy was playing on the grass. Behind him, a magnificent palace towered into the heavens.
Everything looked normal until a colossal firebird manifested near the boy and started flying around.
This boy was John.
Tomorrow will be his third birthday in this new world.
During the past months, he learned numerous spells. This firebird was his favorite as it looked so lifelike.
"I don't need to care if they spy on me! As long as I continue getting stronger, I will be free."
John was sure of his bright future. He learned that he could attune himself with a world no one could.
Even though other kids, like Marcus, interacted with him, it didn't make John attach.
He still preferred being in solitude. And now, he could also create magical beast friends for company.
These creations didn't annoy, spy, or betray him.
They never bullied and never hurt him. So he could trust his magic.
John still loved his new mother, father, and grandparents, but it was not the same as before they revealed his secret of rebirth and their constant supervision.
Even though they did it because they felt the need to be sure he wasn't a danger, it still felt suffocating for John.
That is why he spent most of his time on the training mountain. He rarely stayed in the library. Instead, he just ordered books to be delivered to him.
Even Lyrius seemed a bit foreign to John.
Nevertheless, time passed, and he knew that his baptism ceremony would commence tomorrow.
"It is going to be fine. I need to stay composed and do my best." So John always reminded himself when the anxiety started worming its way out of the stomach.
The next day came quickly, and servants took John to the ceremonial hall.
He was dressed in a traditional white robe and wore a golden crown with a small gate-like looking crystal.
This crown symbolized the Westgate Clan.
Inside the hall, thousands of people were waiting for the beginning of the ritual.
Three-year-olds were standing in a formation like small troops. In front of them was a giant pool filled with a viscous green liquid.
John heard that they would enter the pool, where herbs and energies would reconstruct their bodies.
This rite will make their bodies more robust and even have the chance to awaken bloodlines.
The kids will also enter their names in blood and a piece of the soul into clan binding treasure.
This treasure will show their soul lamp, approximate position, and vitality. If they die, the light will shatter.
This artifact will also enter them into the pact to follow the clan's rules. If they disobey, the curse will punish them.
John was very dissatisfied at first. However, now that he had read the rules, he was even glad about all this.
The Westgate Clan had only a few rules.
Respect your elders.
No crippling or killing inside the home territory. Only in a death fight can you resolve your conflicts.
Every member was eligible for knowledge if they had enough power or merit.
Clan must cultivate every talent to the best of its ability.
Clan fights for every member, no matter their status or power.
Strong can command the weak.
Hundred-year competitions are mandatory unless you are incapacitated.
Clans strongest can make the rules.
These were the ancestral rule of the Westgate clan. Every new member had to follow them.
There are numerous other teachings left by the ancestors of how an absolute powerhouse should behave, but they are left up to their descendants to decide what is right and wrong.
"It is the law of the jungle. I bet if someone surpassed the ancestors, they would change even the ancestral rules if they wished for." However, John was not naive anymore, as this world showed danger in all life paths.
"I should relax now. Even if I gain nothing today, at least I won't lose too much freedom."
John was ready to pay the price for this great background. He knew it was like a lucky draw. Not every child is born into a rich and powerful house.
"Let's begin. Everyone is here!" An old lady went to the hall's center and began the ceremony.
Kid after kid stepped inside the pool. Some were with painful expressions. Some were more composed.
John stepped inside the pool and felt itching all over his tiny body. It felt like mosquito bites at first, but later it just began to feel like his skin and bones were changing places.
He frowned as this pain was unbearable, but he didn't scream.
John felt this was nothing compared to the soul pain during his tribulation.
Inside the pool, only a few kids remained composed. The higherups were satisfied with this, as most of the year's baptism makes them all squeal.
"It seems we have some good seeds this time." The older lady that started the ritual stated with a gratified smile.
"Yes, especially this new mage, he frowned only for a second. His tolerance is admirable."
Seniors were cheerfully evaluating children.
John could see how this liquid reconstructed his body with his mental visualization.
He saw a tiny red bubble was inside his heart. This energy made him curious, so he focused his attention on it.
John tried to recognize what this energy represented, and soon he felt it familiar to the blood bubbles he saw his mother conjure when she explained the similar powers to him.
It felt like blood energy, but it exuded a lot more potential.
"Is this my bloodline?" John wondered as he scanned his body for more anomalies.
"Why is it so weak? Even a fart has more power than this tiny particle." John was annoyed by this revelation.
His bloodline seemed minuscule compared to how whole body or even all blood. So it made total sense that he was considered talentless with this kind of bloodline energy inside him.
The baptism was a long process, as it lasted until all the energy in the pool was gone.
After a few hours, John saw his bloodline energy slightly improve as the bubble became barely noticeable bigger.
"Well, at least my body is improving considerably," John observed the changes inside his body.
His bones were starting to have a metallic shine, and his blood vessels exhibited more vigor. Every organ in his body was improving fast.
Soon the ceremony ended, and the kids left the pool.
"Children, sit down and circulate your energy." The old lady instructed as praying mats appeared on the floor.
John did as the lady told him to do.
He felt his mind-space much clearer and his body felt more robust.
Unfortunately, his bloodline was still dormant, so this baptism did not enhance his talents.
"Well, at least my body has more vitality now," John reassured himself.
A few kids ignited their bloodline talents in the crowd, making elders very happy.
Even a few kids reached their bodily constitution's new levels.
It was a joyous occasion, all in all.
The elders soon directed John and other kids towards a giant pillar.
This pillar was from a crimson, scarlet crystal. You could see something similar to blood flowing inside when you looked at it.
John was creeped out by this thing. It honestly had an ominous aura surrounding it.
"Children! Now form a line! Each of you will touch the pillar. It will extract your soul signature, blood, and aura. It sounds scary, but it is crucial for your future. When all of you do that, the pillar will release a formation that gives you instructions from your ancestors. These instructions are always a great guiding, which will help you your whole life!"
The older lady continued the ceremony, and the kids began putting their hands on the pillar one after another.
Soon, John's turn came, and he put his tiny paw on the colossal artifact.
"Do you, John Whitaker, accept your new family name and agree to follow the rules of the Ximen bloodline, the Westgate Clan?"
John heard a robotic voice inside his mind.
"I accept the name and agree to follow the rules!" John confirmed very accurately inside his mind.
The crowd was quite bored for a while as it was tedious to look at kids touching a pillar and going back to their seats.
However, when John touched the pillar, the pressure of unimaginable majesty descended from the artifact.
This majestic aura forced everyone to kneel, without exceptions. What was astonishing was that this force covered the whole Dragon-Kite City, and everyone knelt with ghastly expressions.
"John Whitaker, from now on, you are Felix Westgate The Second! This law is the Xitian Decree!"
A majestic voice sounded through the whole palace of the Purple Sand branch. This same voice appeared in every world and extension of the Westgate Clan.
Xitian Decree was the law of the Westgate Family Clan.
Only when critical situations, individuals, or events happen, the ancestral treasures would resonate to form a decree that the most vital experts in the clan supervise.
Now everywhere through the starfields, experts of the Westgate clan were thinking the same. Who was this, John Whitaker or Felix The Second?
John was oblivious to this matter, as his mind was full of weird feelings as the giant pillar took his blood and soul piece.
Inside his mind-space, a tablet appeared with the Westgate Clan rules. It had a small connection to his life force and an inexplicable connection with his soul.
John could feel every member inside the hall resonate with the tablet. He even felt distant connections from other continents and even came from space.
"How can there be such a connection?! It is unfathomable!" John could not believe what his mind was feeling.
In the hall, the glorious light receded, and everyone stood up.
The experts flew inside the hall, as this was an extraordinary event.
The last decree appeared about a thousand years ago. Such a long time showed the importance and rarity of the event.
"I have to inform the Gods." Abbadon rushed into a hall and took out the communication crystal.
"What is going on?" John was creeped out by the stares of people.
"Kid, it seems that you have extreme importance to our clan's future! Now, let's finish this baptism. We will talk after!" Abbadon looked at the crowd and talked while looking at John.
With the command of Abbadon, kids quickly finished their baptism. Some received many buffs from the ancestor's guidance. But, unfortunately, John only got a weird diagram that materialized inside his mind. He had no clue what it was.
Abbadon and other experts quickly took John away and convened inside a secret hall under the palace.
"Damn, what now? Can't I have a simple life? I am not even talented, so why do these things keep happening to me?"
John knew that he would not have a peaceful life if he acquired enough power and was still labeled a reincarnation.
"Felix, these are the Purple Sand branch's elders. They all have the trust of headquarters to join this meeting. Soon, every most vital member will come as well. You will hear about the importance of the decree, and you can decide on how to respond after."
Abbadon calmed John down and began waiting for other people.
"Wow, these guys are strong!" John admired how the pressure was building with each additional person entering the room.
John noticed that this hall was very spacious. However, it was a plain room, with no decorations or colors, just white and black crystal walls.
They all sat around a colossal roundtable with more than a hundred seats.
Only John was placed on a pedestal in the middle of the table as an entertaining monkey.
"Do I have to do stand-up to these old farts?" John looked around with abated gaze.
More and more people came in and took a seat. The chairs had different heights as people with higher stages were closer to the Abbadon.
Opposite Abbadons seat, which was the biggest in the room, was another same-sized chair, the only one empty.
"Everyone, let's welcome senior Gyro!" Abbadon stood up and respectfully saluted the other side with the enormous empty chair.
John watched as a bizarre person materialized inside the chair.
"Where did he come from?" John was scared, witless.
"Don't waste time with courtesy. I am not an unreasonable fellow."
Gyro smiled and waved his hand gently, forcing everyone to sit. Nobody could resist this force.
John didn't understand how this Gyro accomplished such an act.
"Young man, it seems it's true that you are somewhat special." Gyro looked curiously at John.
Only now everybody noticed that this force did nothing to John.
Even Abbadon frowned as he could not comprehend why this was happening. Logically speaking, John was just an ant to them. He had no power to resist their abilities.
"Abbadon, it is not energy that I used to make you sit!" Gyro looked with a smile.
"As you all know, a Principle God can stay in harmony with the world. Only those who comprehended the natural way of life can achieve this balance. What I emitted was natural balance, my cultivation weight pressed against yours, and as I am more powerful, you were outweighed by this and thus forced to sit."
Gyro began his explanation as everyone listened, hoping to get some insights from this god.
"Felix, on the other hand, has become one with nature. It also looks like he already had this trait in his previous life. Now, that he is one with the world, how can I press the whole universe to force him to sit with my limited cultivation?"
Everyone took a deep breath when they heard Gyro's words.
"What is this dude saying? Am I some empty air to his power?" John was utterly confused as he didn't understand this older man at all.
What harmony, what one with the world? The only thing he could do was stay calm in all situations, and it was the only thing he knew was good about his character.
"Hehe, kid, it was a long time someone called me dude!" Gyro laughed while looking at John with a funny look.
"Filthy mindreaders again! Why can't they give me privacy?!!" John shouted in his heart.
"Kiddo, if you keep thinking I'm filthy, we will go for some flying around. Maybe you will find some way to stay respectful after that?!" Gyro frowned a little, and John turned white as a sheet of paper.
"Okayyyyy... Calm down, John! Privacy is for the strong. Remember, this is a different world. Stay calm!" John took a deep breath and managed to relax to surprise every other expert in the room.
Abbadon was shocked at the kids' composure. He could feel this terrifying pressure from Gyro. He knew he couldn't compose himself if he were in the kid's place.
The other experts were on the same boat with Abbadon. They knew how hard of a task it was to accomplish.
In front of a god, everyone else is an ant. That was conventional truth in their world.
"Well, now do you believe me? He can't even feel most of my spiritual aura! He is like transparent glass. My power passes through without any problem."
Gyro began hitting the armrest with his fingers creating a rhythmic sound.
Silence seemed to last for eternity when this god thought.
Abbadon, Lyrius, and others were sitting there with their backs drenched in sweat.
"Can you explain what is going on?" Finally, John just couldn't take it anymore.
He felt they just played some mind games with him.
John's grandfather was sitting scared shitless in his seat, while Lyrius looked like he ate a fly.
"What are they so afraid of?" John was oblivious that a god was releasing enough power to crush the souls of everyone here, but he felt nothing at all.
"See Abbadon? I told you this kid is an absolute genius of comprehension!" Gyro stopped proving his point as everyone understood that John was unique beyond belief.
"Let me explain to you all! Typically, someone can comprehend the natural order of things only when they reach the Titled God stage! The records state that the best description for learning this is the Demigod stage. However, it happened too long ago, so it is accepted for only Gods to understand the natural way of life."
John was listening but still felt it was weird to say he did what only a god could do.
"Felix, I see you are still confused. Let me ask you this! What progress have you made already? Don't hide anything, as I have supervised your solo cultivation all this time so that you wouldn't hurt yourself in the accident!" Gyro commanded and waited for the kid's response.
John was very dissatisfied, but he already accepted he couldn't hide his strength for now.
"I wanted for this to stay a secret for now, but it seems it is not up to me..." John thought and looked at Gyro with a severe expression.
"I have completed the runes of fire, water, earth, and wind." John began his monologue.
Experts raised some brows as they heard those essential elements were hard to comprehend in the short term. But, sadly, their expressions soon took a turn as they listened to the child continue without stopping.
"When I reached my second birthday, I learned to create a lightning rune. Three months after that, I assembled the rune of light. And just three weeks ago, I managed to complete the darkness rune as well. "
Everyone looked at John with unbelieving faces and then turned at Gyro for confirmation.
"He isn't lying. I watched myself as he constructed these runes and evolved his Mind Palace over the years!" Gyro said with an unmistakable voice.
"But, how can this be?! Isn't it impossible for Earth Class Mage to learn so many runes? Everyone knows that mage's had to complete their learning of all the runes up to the law's to reach the Heaven Class Mage realm!"
Abbadon was in unreal disbelief. He was at first very untrusting of this reincarnated grandson of his. However, as time passed, he liked the kid more and more.
He couldn't help but feel sad that his grandchild would have so much trouble when trying to reach a higher stage!
"Well, aren't you a sentimental Grandparent, Abbadon?" Gyro said disdainfully.
"It doesn't matter if it is possible or not! It already happened, so it is a fact now. Demonstrate, Felix!" Gyro commanded impatiently.
John frowned again but didn't argue. Instead, he softly closed his eyes and sat in the lotus position.
Soon, everyone could see energy swirling around his eyebrows.
Simple candlelight size fire manifested. Then, the wind gently carried a droplet of water and small rock.
Sparks of lightning shone around the four elements and light blinded the ceiling.
Shadows grew on the ground and fought for supremacy with the light on the top of the room.
Everyone was stunned seeing such precise control from this three-year-old.
"It is enough, Felix! As you can see, his expertise in control is as astonishing as his comprehension ability. The only logical explanation for how he managed to figure all these elements out is that he comprehended nature! Soon, the pieces will connect with time energy, the space will follow as well! His Mind Palace is forming a world replica! It is an unbelievable but possible Mind Palace!"
Gyro began his excited monologue.
"Some mages construct weird and complex worlds inside their Mind-Space as well. It is just that a world as a whole hasn't appeared yet. Now Felix is on the brink of evolution. When he completes his mind palace, the natural energies will flow inside him like the correct way of the world!"
Abbadon listened with a frown and began thinking of the consequences.
"I heard you were preparing to get this kid the olden time's body cultivation method, but now it is useless for him! He does not need any talent! His body will begin transforming on its own as he comprehends the world. He will become as robust as a whole world! I bet even those talented pricks with God-King constitutions will be shocked by his body! Why would we contaminate it?"
Gyro continued with haste and showed a thrilled expression. John was worried that this older man was some kind of cultivation fanatic!
"Damn, I can't understand. Am I talented or not anymore!" John was left with sad confusion for three years now.
Sometimes they said it was hard for him with no bodily talents. So then reincarnation was considered a weird destiny.
Now it seemed that his comprehension was over the top!
"Kid, talent is talent, and comprehension is comprehension! Why+ are you so confused? I believe you already heard that mage could understand and then do? This elemental comprehension is what is happening with you! You absorbed energy, understood its workings, and created the runes. Others can only understand a few runes in their Mind Palace stage, so you got ahead of them. That's it! Even if these are all the elements you comprehend, your foundation will be off the charts! You will have the power no matter what! So rejoice, you won't be useless!"
Gyro got up and walked around the roundtable.
"Now that you are learning so much, you don't need to worry about clan affairs. Just continue cultivating and if you have questions or want to try something, inform elders, and we will figure out what to do so that you wouldn't hurt yourself! "
Gyro commanded and continued his soft stepping around the room.
"Next, as you can now make a decision, and we will act as witnessed, will you take the name that your mother has given you this life?"
"So this is what this decree means! I must decide to take the name Felix The Second for my own..."
John began his contemplation.
Everyone turned to look at the child, who closed his eyes to think.
Soon, the atmosphere in the room was highly ominous.
Experts knew that if this child chose to accept the name, it would be considered an enormous contribution to the clan.
The ancestral teachings stated that only a free-hearted decision to enter the family was not dangerous. The history confirmed it as numerous clans had declined due to forced actions!
Now they waited calmly for the kid to sort out his thoughts and decide for himself.
John now tried to recall his past life.
"It was a real hell hole!" John concluded as he thought of his previous adoptive parents and brother.
"I never felt as happy as I feel now when I spend time with mom and granny!"
"They never hurt me even though I was a foreign soul!"
"They tried helping me and preventing me from hurting myself."
"Sure they spied, they could improve that, but nothing can be perfect, can it?"
John recalled his experiences in The Westgate Clan.
He knew that it was a huge opportunity to have such a background!
After thinking about everything, he knew about this world, he decided and opened his eyes.
"Grandfather, and elders..." John looked around and made a slight pause.
"From now on, I renounce my name of John Whitaker! From this moment on, I will be known as Felix Westgate The Second and will live and die with the Westgate Clan!"
Felix felt his mind-space shudder as the tablet shattered and fused with his soul.
He felt unprecedented comfort. Felix also felt his mental energy increase, and embryos of magic become brighter in his Mind Palace.
Everyone saw the change in the boy and smiled happily.
They waited until his benefits from the blessing ended and looked at Gyro for further instructions.
"Now that you are one of us let us have a party next week! It will be an excellent occasion to talk about everything and learn essential matters. Now you need rest, have a nice sleep, Felix."
Gyro called him by his name and waved his hand, teleporting him to his new courtyard.
Everyone else looked at Gyro and Abbadon for further instructions.
Gyro sat down on his chair and began another topic.
"The team completed the mission successfully. The Void Compass is already in the headquarters, and the higherups decided."
Everyone looked with excited looks at each other.
"The Clan rewarded our branch with free travel arrangments back to Ximen Star! We will also receive five slots for inner disciple training! We can recommend youths up to the age of ten! However, it will be up to the kids to stay inner disciples. We also received three opportunities for Titled God training. Also, the clan will let our family choose one person to experience the rite of Longmen Artifact!"
Gyro said with a happy smile.
He was the most vital expert on the Boundless Star and Purple Sand branch.
Gyro worked for numerous years to accomplish this task, finally completing it.
The rewards are pretty standard, except for the opportunity of using Longmen Artifact.
It opens only once every ten thousand years to help youths understand their path.
The Longmen Artifact is also known as Dragon Gate.
People blessed by this artifact are like carps jumping through dragon gates to become true dragons.
There are only a hundred slots every time, and their competition is unreal.
"We will know who will enter the Longmen Artifact after people from headquarters return. Now let's end the meeting!"
Gyro disbanded the crowd and disappeared into thin air.
John was already calmly sleeping in his new bed. He felt such calmness and content now that this day cleared his worries.
He was looking forward to his future, and he was sure it would be amazing!