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I could have been more delicate about it, but it wasn't as if it hurt him; it was more like a relieving type of pain for Seth. With that punch alone, I fully imbued Ki into his body and rapidly awakened all his Meridians.
Well, they were already awakened, but they were strangely... nasty. He had been trying to use a very low-quality version of Ki; I don't know where he even got that, but it wasn't working properly, and his growth wasn't as fast as it should be.
"Ugh…"
Seth quickly fell to the floor, gasping for air as he felt the Ki change his body. It was going to be a much faster process for him because he had already done most of the work before.
"Don't worry, it might be a bit painful, but you will get stronger, Seth," I said. "Your talent is very good as well; you might even become Rank 2 right away- Oh, you did."
I noticed the Ki in his chest rapidly materialized, crystallizing into a Ki core. I didn't even have time to help him refine a specific element, the Ki Core, before anything could be done.
This only meant one thing: his element was already pre-chosen, and it was as crazy as I imagined it would be: a Ki Core of the Time element.
FLUOSH!
Time Essence surged from his body, resembling silver-colored rivers of energy; time itself distorted and glitched around him. I felt as if things slowed down or rapidly increased constantly.
"Hahh… W-What is this? UGH!"
A Time Attribute Ki Core was something completely insane; even in Murim, those with such an element were less than ten, and oftentimes they were the children of powerful Immortals that managed large Immortal Sects.
Only the richest and most pampered children of the ruling figures of the world would ever obtain a Ki Core of such an element. Why? Because it was incredibly hard to obtain the material for the Time Element to begin with.
And because the chances of success were so low, you also needed to create several formations to ensure the safety of the cultivator, which would cost even more resources.
But I suppose it is different now, in this world, with the System, Skills, Gods Blessings, Classes, and Mana. Most people come with already-developed traits, supernatural abilities, and elements.
So, naturally, it is much easier to cultivate for them than the mortals of Murim, or any mortal now. However, because there was no such knowledge and apparently the only Ki available was the lowest quality possible, I suppose nobody here has tapped into their truest potential yet.
But that was about to change; after all, I am here.
Right now, my disciples are only a few, but eventually, I shall have hundreds, if not thousands. A force that will obey my every command and will protect this world.
Seth here was able to do so much even at his previous level; I can't imagine how strong he'll get once he assimilates the true power of cultivation into his already developed and incredible abilities.
"Hahh… Ugh, I think... I think I'm fine now."
He gasped for air, slowly relaxing as he rested on the floor.
With a wave of my hands, I used my pure Intent to make him float over the air and gently placed him on the bed.
Then, I took out some food from my inventory and recently made dishes from Murim using the local ingredients of my Inner Realm.
"There you go, my young disciple; have a meal for now; you must be quite tired," I said. "You've successfully created your first Ki Core. Now, you need to eat a lot and then rest. Unlike other people, your power and potential were already incredibly high, so your process of awakening might have shaken your body a bit more."
"Bing Xue…" Seth felt slightly embarrassed. "Thank you, but aren't you being too nice? I don't deserve this kindness…"
"Of course you deserve it." I smiled back at him, petting his head. "You're now my disciple, and I shall pamper you and spoil you as I please. Because a disciple to a master is like a child to their parent."
"I didn't know you saw such a relationship like this... I feel even more embarrassed now, but thanks; I am really hungry right now. I'll make sure to repay this. Thank you so much." Seth started eating like his life depended on it.
Only through a balance between kindness and strictness can a disciple truly blossom and flourish. If you're too mean and strict with them without rewarding them for their efforts, they will grow hateful of you, and if you pamper and spoil them without ever reprimanding them or praising them as geniuses, they will grow conceited and narcissistic, ungrateful to you.
Therefore, I can't just be ruthless to my disciple; I will show him kindness, reward him for his efforts, and praise his resolve while giving him great challenges and trials to overcome. Only through this perfect balance can they become true masters.
Or well, it was one of the things Granny Zhi Hui always taught me about; so many years ago, she would sometimes beat me because I wasn't paying attention and scream at me like I had offended her entire family.
But then, if she saw I did something well, she would reward me and even gift me precious and expensive resources she had saved.
At first, I used to slightly hate her, but after I got to know her better, I grew very attached to her.
It was perhaps the first person who showed me true kindness, from the very heart, in the world of Murim.
And one of the very few; they were so few that I could only count them with the fingers of my hands.
And yeah, most of them were always mortals.
A kind Immortal was rarer than finding a needle in the middle of the ocean.
But anyway, thanks to her teachings, I've always understood how to raise disciples.
"Phew, I'm full... Thank you…" Seth slowly fell asleep right after that.
"Well, I'll come see you later, Seth." I walked away from the bedroom after that.
As my doppelganger stepped out, Fiery Hair was right there, stuck to the door, listening. She was blushing a bit, breathing heavily while sweating.
"Fiery Hair?" I wondered.
"Bing Bing… Did you mate with a man?" She wondered, her eyes in surprise. "The man was moaning… like when other men mate with females!"
"Hah… Of course not; I don't like men. He is my disciple, someone I take care of and teach, and in return, he gives me his loyalty and strength," I said. "There's nothing romantic about that, haha! I only like women like you."
I caressed her chin gently.
"Oooh, I did not know!" she said happily. "Bing Bing only like female? How and why?"
"Just a thing of preferences, do you like women too?" I wondered.
"Yes! Female very cute," she nodded. "Female precious, beautiful! Male strong and beautiful too."
So she's bisexual, I see.
"That's called being bisexual when you like both genders," I explained to her.
"Ooooh! I see!" She was understanding things slowly.
"Well, let's chat for a while; this is not my real body, but it's connected to my soul and consciousness," I explained to her.
"Okay!" she said happily as we walked to the dining room, and while she had a feast I cooked for her, we chatted together.
Meanwhile, outside of my Inner Realm, I had just finished taking a bath and walked to have breakfast with my family.
"Mommy, mommy!" suddenly, little Hekita came running out of her bedroom. "Mommy look! This came with the bed!"
"Hm? Oh my! I didn't see it before; what's this?" I giggled.
It was a cute teddy bear; it was very fluffy and of high quality. It was just a gift; it had no cameras inside or something, thankfully.
"They said it was a teddy bear! It is so fluffy; it's like a doll thingy. Made of fur?" She wondered as she rubbed it on her face and sniffed it. "Smells nice!"
"Haha, yes, it is one of the many toys we have here on Earth," I kissed her forehead and hugged her. "Good morning, dear."
"Good morning! Ah, good morning, Mom!" she ran to greet Urbosa, hugging her from behind.
"You finally woke up, Hekita! You should try waking up earlier," sighed her mother. "Now, let's have breakfast together."
"Okey!" Hekita nodded, sitting down.
Merkite also arrived, and Mom and my sister too. Yanisse was apparently still sleeping; she must have been even more tired from yesterday's battles. She was fine and healthy; I could sense her life force from here.
"Good morning, everyone," my mother greeted us. "Ah, I was going to cook something, but Urbosa already made something?"
"Yes, I woke up quite early, mother-in-law; I've prepared something from your world. Eggs with bacon, some bread; there's also butter and fruit jam. I also made some pancakes; this is the recipe Bing Xue told me about. Please sit down and enjoy; this is nothing but normal in my tribe to cook and make delicious food for the family of my mate," said Urbosa with a charming smile.
"Oh my, you're such a nice girl! Thank you so much, Urbosa." My mother was immediately won over; Urbosa knew how to get her mother-in-law to love her.
"She's really nice." Ruby said. "You're really lucky, Kat."
"Well, isn't your boyfriend a good match, as you always say?" I giggled. "You don't have anything to be jealous about, sis."
"Well, I guess Juan does cook some nice tortillas and tacos sometimes; he's good at his hometown food," she nodded.
"Hometown food? Is he Mexican?" I wondered.
"His family is; he was born here but essentially learned everything from them," Ruby nodded. "His family is nice; we should go visit them one day, now that I think about it."
"Hmm, I suppose..." I nodded. "I think he's mostly done with the test by now."
"The test? Woah, huh?!" Ruby noticed a message from Juan on his phone. "Oh! He's really coming back! Finally!"
"He didn't even take that long, Ruby…" Said my mother.
"Yeah, but I still missed him," Ruby smiled. "Nice, he said, he managed to level up a lot. He reached the max level."
"Good, that should be enough to pass the test, and all on his own." I nodded. "I'll let him cultivate and make him into one of my disciples too, if you don't mind."
"Eh? Sure, I guess." Ruby nodded. "Wait, are we also your disciples, Kat?"
"Yes, of course, you and Mother, Urbosa, and Merkite too." I nodded. "All of you count as part of the sect. Naturally, you have more benefits as direct family members of the sect master. So you'll receive premium treatment. The other disciples also must treat you with great respect."
"No way, are you making those top-class hunters treat us like their young masters or something?!" Ruby panicked. "Kat, that's a bit too much!"
"Haha, well, I won't force them to do anything like that, but if they do it, then that's good." I nodded. "Dear, are you still sleepy?"
I noticed Merkite was still looking half asleep, and her hair was a bit messy too.
"Hmm, a bit. I am tired…" Merkite yawned. "But I'm fine."
"Here, drink some of this. It's called coffee; it helps people wake up," said Urbosa. "Also, eat some more; last night was intense, but it was necessary. You'll feel better after eating a lot."
"Thank you, sis," Merkite smiled as she started eating and drinking. "Bleh, this is so bitter! Is this really good for me?"
"Don't worry, the best medicines are always the most bitter ones!" laughed Urbosa. "Now, everyone, eat up! The food will get colder if you don't."
My cute wife kept bringing us delicious food she prepared, but I got worried she wasn't eating herself, so I told her to sit down and eat too.
"Come on, dear, you've made enough; let's eat together; that's enough," I told her.
"R-Really? But you should eat a lot," she said. "You're so strong, so I bet you need a lot of energy."
"Haha, perhaps, but I'm good with all this feast; come on, my love, no more; sit down and eat with us," I called her.
"Okay then," she nodded, sitting by my left side while Merkite sat by my right side. "Ah, right, I remember I got like this too during my pregnancy; I really wanted to do a lot of things. Maybe I get a bit hyperactive."
"Pregnancy?" My mother and sister wondered.
"Aaah, ahem… Well, with my great powers, I managed to find a way... You don't need to know more than that," I smiled. "Also, I didn't know if they were pregnant or not yet, after all, it was only last night…"
"Y-You can do that?" wondered my mother. "I-I don't know what to say… I guess it shouldn't be that worrisome, seeing all the things you can do, now that I think about it."
"I'm still a bit surprised; I'm betting she did some sort of body-shapeshifting stuff, right?" my sister laughed. "Sheesh, didn't know you were so kinky, sis."
"Um, please, let's not address these things with a child here…" I sighed, trying to stay serious, but I think I was as red as a tomato.
"Woah, mama is pregnant? Will I get a little sibling? Mommy did it? Mommy and Mama are having a baby!" Hekita, however, immediately addressed the situation again.
"H-Hekita! Calm down; don't scream these things out loud!" Urbosa reprimanded her a bit.
At the same time, I noticed Merkite feeling a bit better.
"Hmm, maybe I really was hungry; I feel better now," she said. "I guess that was my pregnancy acting up too… Big sis gets hyperactive, so I get very tired?"
"I-I guess?" I wondered. "Just take care of yourself, alright?"
"I'm fine~ Don't worry," she smiled, kissing my cheek. "Anyways, what are we doing today, dear?"
"Right! Didn't you say you were building a giant pagoda thingy, honey?" Urbosa asked.
"Indeed, that's right, we'll be doing that today," I nodded. "It shouldn't take too long, so don't worry. Let's finish breakfast first!"
The Pagoda in question was already halfway done inside my Inner Realm anyway.
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