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  I’ve spent the whole week training my disciples inside my Pagoda. Sihen, there has been no response from the King whatsoever. Perhaps he had been thinking about what to do. Or maybe he simply didn’t care at all about Yanisse. Or perhaps he’s pnning some sort of attack. Whatever the case, he seemed to be struggling if he had not made a move so far.

  Perhaps he has been uo figure out a way to attack my pagoda; it is iructible and inaccessible after all. Well, whatever the case, the progress of my students has been smooth. Of course, I haven’t fihem here every day for the entire day. They’ve been staying here whehey’re doh their job or work.

  Usually, I would call them in the m before breakfast and theer lunch. The first day was mostly me teag them anything they o learn about Ki Manipution, Absorption, and Refi. After that, we began training in Martial Arts, which would be directly ected to their Martial Core.

  At the end of the week, they had already mao learn a Martial Arts-reted Skill of their own choosing that went well with their already existing fighting styles. They also mao develop a full-fledged physique, reag Rank 3.

  I didn’t really try to force them to learn something else than their mais or abilities and instead reeeiques that would meld well with their already existing capabilities and skills.

  For example, I taught Nichos the Steel Sentinel’s Fist and Kick Teique, which would allow him to use his extremities aloo deal tremendous damage. He was really good at defense and regeion but cked proper offensive skills, so this worked well for him.

  John, iher case, was fast and could fly, along with having mostly led abilities. I taught him the Sunlight Spear Arts and the Sky Kig Teiques, which would help him fight from above with ease, making use of his angel-like wings.

  Aiyana had an amazing physique and a very strong build; she reminded me of the physique that the mighty barbarian tribes of Murim possessed. But, of course, she was not a barbarian. Her elements were apparently Stone, Spirit, and Fire. She was capable of using special magid runes from her own family in battle.

  So I taught her special fighting teiques, such as Bzing Giant Fist and Stourtle Defeeiques, enhang and prioritizing her specializations. As for her spirit magic, I helped her make it stronger by allowio touch the little Yggdrasil Tree inside my Inner Realm.

  It seemed to work rather well even for those who weren’t beast people, as long as they already had an affinity for Spirit Magic.

  Jackes finished his punishment three days ago and joined us, having a lot to catch up with the rest, but he started w hard, managing to refine his Martial Core of Darkness and Shadows. He’s now learning assassin teiques from one of my Doppelgangers.

  Naturally, teiques alone don’t make up the whole extent of my teags. I also teach them philosophy and alchemy to uand the elements of the world and to slowly help them gain enlighte on their chosen Dao.

  Some of them were particurly tale handling elements, such as Magi Francisco, one of our you members and the guild master of a guild too. The young Mexi boy was incredible at doing magi the purest sehe juration of ruhrough mana and their arra using magigs.

  The bination of the two creates magic circles, which summon the elements at will, something that cultivators would never be able to do so easily at su early stage. His physical body wasn’t that strong, but he was agile and rather quick.

  His body was mostly iing, and as I analyzed his internal structure, I learhat he had bee something simir to a giant bag of Mana. The boy’s soul would stantly siphon Mana from the enviro until it was pletely filled.

  He showed me his Mana stat being already over three million, surpassing mine already, and he said it stantly increases every day with him doing almost nothing. However, this was also dangerous.

  The more Mana he developed, the weaker his physical body became; the pressure of this powerful energy weakened him as a result, and if he tinued accumuting endlessly, he could die.

  To make up for it, I had to quickly reinforce his physical body using formations and then help him cultivate. He was so talehat he reached Rank 3 within the week, finally f a physique I helped him make.

  A tough physique that would help him regute his magical and martial energies and bihem was called [Dual Martial Arist Physique], and it taihe power of Mana and Ki in their most refined forms.

  He was so talented, it made me feel rather shocked!

  For the time being, he was saved from dying at a young age, but his mana would tio grow, so he had to make sure to tinue cultivating his physique.

  As for Martial Arts, I went directly to Spiritual Arts, the more “magical” side of Murim, or well, the most magical Murim could get; some also called the Dark Spiritual Arts Sorcery ba Murim, as it dealt with cursing foes and poisoning them in a myriad of ways.

  Martial Arts were not suitable for someoh such a small body, but I did end up giving him a scroll to learn Staff Arts like the Monks of Murim and telling him to refine and enhance his body as much as possible.

  His Martial Core ended up being a rainbow-colored core that enpassed many elements together—a first of its kind, aal Arist Martial Core.

  It was amusing how Cultivation could be seamlessly melded with so many different powers or abilities from other worlds, showing how powerful it was.

  And stly, about Yanisse, her nervousness slowly faded away as she speime with me. She hasn’t gone anywhere else than the Pagoda, deg to stay in the room I assigned for her.

  She had beeating, cultivating her Ki, and melding it with her Void Essence. Over time, I also joined her meditations and was able to ect the Void Auras we had with the help of Kirby too, granting us the ability to further refiheir potential.

  With her help, I was able to reach a higher prehension of the Dao of Void than befaining at least five pert more. Yanisse, iher case, did say she had gained some strange enlighte; she had seen simir visions to mine of outer spad of a universe being born.

  This meant she was already prehending the Dao of the Void, and she even told me that the Void itself had always been withihe magical abilities she awakened might be greatly reted to the element, giving her a tremendous talent that no cultivator had ever possessed in Murim before.

  She refined a Void Sn Martial Core and Physique, both called the same, and it allowed her to easily tap into her Void Essend not exhaust her Mana so much as before, as she could now use Ki to pensate for its high cost.

  She seemed happier too, more optimistid she liked being by my side more than I thought. She had gotten slightly coquettish too, and I had a hard time resisting that.

  Ah right! Anyway, there was another disciple who had a great deal of potential, and that was the Regressor, Seth. He was immediately able to awaken a Martial Core of the Element of Time, and I’ve been teag him how to properly manipute Time Essence, as he seemed rather amateur at that.

  After that, he refined a Physique that he used his own materials to create, especially those of a Lesser Dragon he had sin from Floor 1. I had no idea there were Lesser Dragons there, but it was a wide world, so I suppose I didn’t explore it pletely.

  Using that and his element, he obtaihe Lesser Time Dragon Physique, which mixed the strength and magical power ons with his element of time to further ma a greater deal of power than before.

  With these two bined, he seemed to have amazing talent. He was also good at using any on, so I taught him as many teiques as I wanted.

  I sure missed this feeling of having many disciples and seeing them grow stronger; it fills my heart with satisfa.

  I wonder how my disciples ba Murim are doing.

  Especially Fen , that crybaby girl. I taught her almost everything I could before leaving, ae her emotional weakness, she was the one I chose to bey successor.

  That girl was bright, but too depe on me. I sometimes wish I could have been nicer with them, or kinder...

  But I didn’t have much of a choice; if I had created strong enough bonds, the Heavenly Will would have killed them to torture me or used them to bckmail me into not leaving Murim.

  Well, there’s also Yun g, that boy. He was colder and much more disciplihan her, and he learned almost everything I taught her almost perfectly. The two of them were like siblings; I picked them up from the streets on my many journeys around the world when I had bee the stro being of Murim.

  I had such journeys mostly to think of ways to escape, but I ended up raising hundreds of disciples while doing so; they were part of the pn to leave Murim well-protected even after leaving. I even imparted to them my secret teiques, such as Photon Essence manipution, making them strohan any other cultivator in that world.

  Amongst them, Yun g and Fen were my most talented disciples, and they plemented one another rather well. As long as I know they’re alive, I rest assured that Murim will remain in pead order.

  Hah…

  Reminisg about the past does certainly make me feel mencholy.

  …

  Anyway, a week has already passed, and although I would love to stay with them for many years, I must tinue on my path. The Doppelgangers here, directly ected to my mind, will tieag them, however. And I’ll also e here personally and stay for weeks whenever I feel like taking a rest from climbing.

  It was already Monday of the week, and I had gathered my disciples right before breakfast to talk to them about these things.

  “It has been a week sihe training has begun, my dear disciples. You’ve learhe ways of Martial Arts and Cultivation and have improved greatly.”

  I stood in front of my disciples, all of them sitting down respectfully.

  “You have shown me yreat potential and strength, but even now, you still ck experiend practice,” I said. “I shall now depart back to the Tower for the moment. I have several things to attend to... However, I will leave my doppelgao tinue your training.”

  I had phis for a while now, but anyway, they will tio be traio bee the perfect guardians of Earth. If they want to climb the tower with me, that’s fine. But I would prefer if they stayed for the moment.

  “Wait a sed, Bing Xue, are you going to the Sed Floor?” Seth wondered.

  I had pnned for him to stay too; I had little time to speak with him more personally about the future events, but I was in a hurry to get to Floor 2 and liberate the world where my dear wives came from.

  “That’s right,” I nodded. “Do you want to e too, Seth? I know everyone else here has already gohere; you haven’t yet?”

  “No, I haven’t… So, please bring me along…” the Regressor said. “There’s something there… that we must procure before anybody else.”

  “Oh?” I wondered. “Wait, could it be somethied to…?”

  “I would prefer if we talked about this more privately, but yeah,” he said. “So, we?”

  “Of course,” I nodded. “After breakfast, though! My dears are preparing some delicious food for everyoo celebrate your first week of learning, my dear disciples. Shall we join the feast?”

  “Sure! Thank you so much for everything, Bing Xue. Your training has been incredibly enlightening to me,” Nichos nodded. “I feel s, yet I also know there’s a big path ahead of me, but unlike before, I now know my purpose and the path I must walk.”

  “Well said!” I nodded. “So you will bee Earth’s Guardian, Nichos?”

  “Naturally! I’ve learned my purpose, and the power I’ve gai’s all for my p, for my family, for my people, and for my city too,” he nodded.

  “I guess I feel the same way.” John nodded. “Yeah… Anyways, whenever you reach Floor 20, we could join you sometime too, master Bing Xue.”

  “Oh my, that would be wonderful, my dear disciples. I’ll rapidly climb the tower until then!” I nodded, petting the two in their heads.

  “M-Master, we aren’t children anymore.” John sighed.

  “Ah, she always does this.” Nichos seemed embarrassed.

  “Don’t you think you treat them a bit too childishly?” wondered my sister, walking by my side. “I mean, they’re grown men, sis…”

  “My disciples are like my children, so I naturally spoil them and treat them with love and care,” I smiled. “To see them so eager to help their master fills my heart with happiness.”

  “Uh-huh, alright,” my sister shrugged. “Anyways, let’s go have breakfast, you guys.”

  As everyone moved to eat, Yaayed behind, wanting to talk with me.

  “Um, Bing Xue? I would like to talk to you about something. She wondered, looking slightly embarrassed.

  “Yes, dear?” I wondered. “What does my disciple want?”

  “Um, I was w if I could go with you too? I mean, the pagoda is safe and all, but I feel safer at your side… Until the whole thing with the King is resolved…” she sighed.

  “Hmm! I had sidered bringing you along, so of course,” I nodded. “What else? Is there something else you wao ask me?”

  “Ah, n-no, that’s all!” She looked a bit embarrassed. "Ahem, let’s go eat now. I am quite hungry myself… Merkite and Urbosa’s cooking is so delicious as well.”

  “Isn’t it?” I giggled.

  We walked to the dining room where the rest of my family awaited us. Both of my wives’ bellies had swollen a bit sihe beginning of the week. Pregnancy for beast women was quick; apparently, the children would gestate within 3 months and would be born the first day of the fourth month.

  Well, it was only a bit for now, so they looked almost the same as before, but not enough to be noticeable. My disciples have noticed something happened, but they have not asked me, and I feel a bit embarrassed to expin to them how it even happeoo, so I’ll just leave it at that.

  “Gd everyone’s here; let’s eat together then.” Urbosa smiled, kissing my cheek and sitting by my left side. “I prepared your favorite too, honey.”

  She served me a big pile of waffles with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Ihis was my favorite breakfast! I really loved it, actually. As simple and dull as it might be to some.

  “Thank you, my love.” I kissed her little nose, caressing her fluffy tail.

  "Here, I made some tea for you too~” Merkite sat to my left, kissing my cheek too. “Let me have some of that waffles too.”

  “Hey Merkite, do our mate’s food like that!” Urbosa reprimanded her.

  “It is fine, really; please don’t yourself over it,” I giggled. “ht, are you prepared to move to the sed floor? After that, I might hurry and climb several more floors too.”

  “Yeah, I’m more than ready after all the training,” Urbosa nodded.

  “Me too!” Merkite said.

  “Good, the’s enjoy the st day here before departing tomorrow.” I quickly started eating.

  As we enjoyed breakfast, however,

  RUMBLE!

  The pagoda trembled lightly.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  And then three explosions were felt outside, bzing bombardments of what I assumed was magic.

  The pagoda was unscathed, but the attacks kept ing.

  “W-What’s going on?!” Little Hekita panicked.

  “Calm down…” I said. “It’s alright.”

  I looked outside with my Senses, and well, there he was.

  The King himself was apanied by an army of ohousand soldiers.

  Magis jured giant fireballs, trying to take down my pagoda.

  The King sat over his throne, being carried by a Draic creature. He was resting his hands over the hilt of his giant bde.

  I quickly stepped outside, fronting the King and his army.

  "My, oh my, what is this honor I have here? His Majesty himself has e to greet me this m? And with such beautiful fireworks!” I ughed, waving my hand.

  FLASH!

  All fifty magis were lifted off the ground, and then I closed my hands.

  SPLAAAT!

  Their bodies exploded into pieces.

  “Would you try beiler, your majesty? My family and my disciples didn’t certainly take it kindly, you see…”

  His eyes widened as he saw the blood and guts fall like raihe rest of his panig army.

  “Just as I thought, you’re nothing but a monster…”

  “Oh my, that ’t be true! I am a human, in the flesh~”

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  Pach