~ A Few Weeks Later ~
"Nice work, Martial Nephew. If this keeps up you might be able to handle doing this on your own next." Martial Beast Great Emperor chuckled, wiping his brow free of sweat.
"Don't give me too much credit here. You helped me in no small amount. Even after all of this practice, I don't think I'm quite there yet. My mind isn't in the right place it seems. Having another to help stabilize my connection with Starboundary is still paramount." I replied, stretching my arms a bit.
"Really? From where I'm standing you should be able to handle doing this on your own. If not for a mid grade vein, then definitely a low grade one. You shouldn't underestimate yourself so much, Martial Nephew. It makes me wonder if what you said before was just talk to get Feng'er out of your hair." Martial Beast Great Emperor said, in a stern tone.
"Well you are half right. I did say that to get her out of my hair. And the thing that's bothering me in this regard isn't something like dying to the enemy. I'm sure that conversation was quite fun. My Mother is quite reserved, but… Sometimes she likes to act. So we put on a little display. I bet Aunty Feng thought she was foolish for worrying about me." I explained.
"I see… You know, it's not good to treat her like this, you know?" Martial Beast Great Emperor warned with a sigh.
"I understand, but… She needed to stay far away from this experiment. I can control this power to some extent. But when I noticed a highly reserved woman clinging onto a man in front of others… She was definitely feeling weak in some way. It's natural of course. So I did all that to protect her. Yeah, she might yell at me later for it. But, I'd say a little scolding isn't such a bad thing." I explained.
"Hmm, so then… Do you think you'll be able to defeat this enemy? Don't give me a roundabout answer either, I want to know the truth, I feel you owe me this much since I am going to deal with clean up of your mess with Feng'er." Martial Beast Great Emperor, asked me. His hand grabbing my shoulders, and staring with stern eyes, expecting a straightforward answer.
"Martial Uncle, I doubt I can defeat our enemy. Even after I reach the pinnacle of the 9th rank. At most I'll be able to slow his advance. But expecting anything more would just be… Too much to ask of me. Which is why… I'm not shooting for the 9th rank." I answered, with a serious look of my own.
"Wait? You need to give me more explanation." Martial Beast Great Emperor asked, leaving his grip firm.
"I am aiming for the possibility of a 10th rank. And out of all of human history, I alone, am the one who has this chance. I can not waste it." I said, plainly.
Martial Beast Great Emperor was shocked and let go of my shoulders. He realized that what I was saying was indeed the truth. Which only shocked him even more.
"Wait, there is only a 2 rank promotion limit… Don't tell me, you're going to promote directly to the 8th rank, you are aren't you?" Martial Beast Great Emperor asked.
"Yes, I have refined 1 element and both forces. As a result of completing the heaven half of the refinement process, I can be considered a Half-step Open heaven as it is. My fire element is 8th rank. And my forces are 9th rank. Yet they were way easier to refine than I had heard. The singular fire one did more damage to me." I explained.
"And here I was about to try and find some young women in my Spirit Beast Island that might be worthy of you… Now, I'm not so sure it'll be so easy… A future 10th rank, huh? I suppose that the reason no one has made it is due to the 2 rank promotion limit and every direct high rank starts at the 7th rank." Martial Beast Great Emperor mused.
"Haha, Martial Uncle, please. I have 10 wonderful wives as it is. I am quite satisfied even if they are the only ten I ever have at my side, or lay in my bed." I said with a nervous chuckle.
"No! A man with such power should have as many women as he wants. Well, that's what many might say anyway. I may not agree with that statement, but… I can certainly understand it. Having such a powerful cultivator in the family is guaranteed to shift the balance of power, extensively. So you really should take many wives. It's probably for the best if you have no less than 27." Martial Beast Great Emperor explained.
"Martial Uncle… 27 wives… with the number of children my current wives want… If all 27 want that many, I'd end up fathering upwards of 500 children, easily. My wives are a bit unlike my mothers in this regard. It has already been difficult not to accidentally make them pregnant. Please understand that any more and I might have more trouble with this matter than the Myriad Demons Cave Heaven caused a few weeks ago." I said, explaining my position.
"Oh, wow! Seems like you'll have quite the large family." Martial Beast Great Emperor laughed.
"Alright, fine. You can do whatever you want. Just don't think that I will just blindly accept any woman thrown at me. I have standards and so do my wives. Especially my first and second wives… Their requirement is that we always do it all together…" I said, whispering towards the end.
"Achem… Oh, I see. Then they must be a woman not afraid to be with her husband in front of her sister wives… That will be even trickier… Though, I think I might have a young disciple at the peak of the 3rd Order Emperor Realm. I'll make sure a thorough look is taken. I'd like your High Heaven Palace and my Spirit Beast Island to be close for all time to come." Martial Beast Great Emperor said.
"I already said to do what you want. Just don't forget about what you promised me." I said handing Martial Beast Great Emperor a small medicine box, before I vanished from sight.