Prince Kael managed to quickly sense and draw Spiritual Qi into his body. It quickly turned gray, then black. The strand formed a circle and started spinning inside Kael's energy core.
"This is much easier than I expected," he wondered inwardly.
His practice continued, refining energy bit by bit, one strand after another. Time flew by. Finally, Kael's inner Qi turned into arrows assaulting his first Meridians. He progressed as though riding a shooting star.
"Not even a second passed in the real world," Kael thought as he opened his eyes and looked at the clock.
In this fantasy-rich world, filled with monsters, demons, and immortals, he found a working clock. Its mechanism was different, powered by a Mana Stone.
"I guess it was a fool's dream to expect my progress to transfer to the real world," he mused, deciding to experiment with a potential talent in the future. "Let's start with another one now."
The boy went over all available spells, techniques, and doctrines, learning whatever was possible and what had a powerful-sounding description. However, after spending almost two years in his artificial cultivation space, his patience ran out.
"I think if I spend more time learning more cultivation methods, I won't be able to bear the time of creating my own," Kael thought. He wanted to combine several techniques into one, leveraging his talent for enlightenment, such as the Teachings of Millennia.
He braced himself, took a deep breath, and quickly fell into a timeless cultivation cycle. For others, it would be unimaginable to try creating their own cultivation method after only two years of learning. However, for Kael, it was natural. The theories and logic of Qi refining, its nature, and attributes quickly interlinked with each other.
Quickly, a mnemonic scripture never seen before started forming in the young prince's sea of consciousness. It was mysterious—one look at it, and it would drain your soul. That's how mysterious it was.
Finally, after several years of tireless research, Kael stood up and shouted at the sky.
"I'll never do something like that without preparation again," he promised himself. "Good thing I threw in some concepts from Earth."
Young Prince named his new cultivation method the **Eternal Night Genesis Canon**. The core of this technique revolved around the concept of creation, symbolized by a totem of creation. The totem took the form of an intricate, obsidian-black lotus with delicate petals that seemed to absorb light, radiating a soft, dark glow.
The Eternal Night Genesis Canon intertwined the profound physics concepts of light, darkness, and gravitation. During his research, Kael understood that light and darkness were two sides of the same coin—light being the visible spectrum of energy, and darkness the absence of it. Both were essential in the balance of the universe. Gravitation, on the other hand, was the force that held everything together, drawing energy and matter towards each other.
By integrating these principles, Kael's method allowed him to harness and manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe. The totem of creation, the obsidian lotus, acted as the focal point, channeling the energies of light and darkness while stabilizing them with gravitational force. This synthesis created a powerful, balanced form of Qi that was both creative and destructive.
"Genesis is not about life but creation; destruction and creation can be interchangeable sometimes," the boy mused.
Despite the complexity of the Eternal Night Genesis Canon, Kael did not rest. He spent three days and three nights in the vast library, immersing himself in ancient texts and scrolls without using the Teachings of Millennia to their full capacity.
His body of the Firstborn Demon sustained him without food or water, his focus unbroken. Each technique he read added a piece to his understanding, expanding his knowledge of Qi manipulation, elemental control, spells, and martial arts. Finally, the youth stopped and walked out of the library, throwing one last glance at the bookshelves and a beautiful staircase leading to the second floor.
"I need to consolidate my progress, then I can visit it a second time."
The door closed. Light from marble pearls flickered, and an old man in a green robe appeared. He had a long white beard, his gaze wizened and serene.
"What a terrifying young man... Prince Kael, I will be looking forward to our official meeting," he whispered under his breath and disappeared the next second.
Outside, the child was met by Commander Selena. She took a stride and quickly checked his state.
"How are you feeling, Your Highness? You've spent more than three days inside; you shouldn't overexert yourself."
"Don't worry, my time was fruitful. I found a cultivation art suitable for me."
"Good, I'm glad. Please, let's go to the dining room. I'll ask the kitchen to cook for you."
"Let's go. You, Aisha, and Hisha will join me."
"Your Highness, this..."
Selena was interrupted mid-sentence, "No discussion. This is my order."
Prince Kael walked away.
The food prepared for him was again something he had never seen. Now, with his ability to sense Qi inside his body, Kael learned that all the food contained it.
"You noticed, My Prince?" Aisha asked excitedly.
"Yes, it is rich in Qi. With this, I can progress much faster."
"Of course, Your Highness," Hisha said shyly. "If you ever wish to eat more, I'll take it to the kitchen."
"Thank you a lot."
After finishing their meal, Selena and Kael continued their training. She wanted to make sure there was no problem with the youth's progress and understanding of the cultivation method. Kael was the future of their Empire; she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
Kael refined Qi, drawing in the surrounding energy. The rain that had been pouring since the day of his birth intensified. Kael quickly made progress through the Qi Essence Realm, breaking through the nine levels and reaching the pinnacle of 9th level. The strands of Qi inside him turned into deep dark lotus petals, swirling inside his energy core.
At the same time, he felt a strange connection to the world outside, to the earth and air. He started hearing how Selena's heart was beating. It was the effect of the Genesis attribute, it attuned his senses to a monstrous degree.
Selena was astonished by his progress. She eventually noticed that for some reason, she couldn't see through his cultivation at all. After he calmed down and stopped his progress, there was no fluctuation of energy.
"Prince, what level did you reach?"
"Didn't you feel it earlier?"
"I..." Selena didn't know what to say, "I could sense your progress, but I can't feel any fluctuations at all now."
"Strange," Kael pondered, "She should be able too..."
When this thought appeared in his mind shadows deep inside his heart trembled.
"So that is why," the youth figured out it was the effect of his talent, Eternal Darkness.
"Don't worry, Selena, this is an effect of my cultivation method. I reached the pinnacle of Qi Essence."
"Your Highness, your progress is remarkable. It's first time seeing someone reaching the pinnacle of Qi Essence in a matter of a few minutes," Selena admitted, a mix of awe in her voice. "Such a powerful method, it is very useful. Without any special spells one won't be able to see through you!"
Kael nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your compliment."
It was an elegant smile, it was not kind, it was different but still so sweet in the eyes of the Commander.
Their training continued, this time Selena decided to demonstrate some simple martial art moves for the youth to learn.
Meanwhile, outside, in the capital city of Kradnus, in a dimly lit and shabby tavern, a man was drinking liquor. His eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes were tattered, but there was a certain air of danger about him that kept others at a distance. He downed another glass of the bitter liquid, his mind racing with unknown thoughts.
"Would you like some more Gale Beer, sir?" asked a gray-skinned boy with little horns working at the bar.
"Yes, why not."
"Is it your first time in Kradnus?"
"Ha-ha-ha, no... No, it is not. I lived here before."
"Oh, where do you live now?"
The man smirked, a glint of menace in his eyes. "Now? I go where the wind takes me. Wondering the world, investigating its wonders."
The boy nodded, sensing the gravity in the man's tone, and quietly refilled his glass.
"I am here exactly because of one of such wonders," he continued.
"Congratulations, sir," the boy wryly smiled.
"Don't you want to know what is it?"
"After working here for a couple of years I learned one thing, to never ask what I shouldn't know."
"Ha-ha-ha," the man burst into laughter, "Smart! Very smart!"
"Thank you."
"But I will still tell you, because I like you."
The boy panicked and wanted to go away, to the other end of the bar but was caught. The stranger had a wild smile on his face, he slowly leaned over, closer to the barman's face and whispered, "Let me show you."
The next second a streak of blue shot out of his mouth and decapitated the boy.