After wrapping up their discussions and catching up on some of the minor events that had happened during their absence. Alistair spent the next few days working on his Body Cultivation alongside Riseth. They both made great strides—Riseth finally succeeded in forming a suitable pattern for her regeneration marrow augment, while Alistair advanced past the first stage in his Dragon Heart Augmentation, feeling himself level up and putting all of his new stat points into the control statistic. His heart now pumped mana through his body at an impressive rate, though he knew he still had a long way to go. His current heart augment was still far from what a true dragon could manage, even a lesser one, though the essences the dragon parts provided their array with greatly helped speed the process along.

  Converting mana into kinetic energy was something he wouldn’t do until much later as he didn't feel like constantly cleansing his augmentation whenever he was ready to progress with the manual's instructions. The Dragon Heart Augment was incredibly complex and intricate, and all the work he’d done so far had only laid down the basic foundation, granting him some initial benefits in the form of highly accelerated mana regeneration. The deeper he delved into the Dragon Heart manual he’d acquired as part of his trial reward, the more resistance he felt from the soul imprint of its author, Dexnera. The imprint seemed to actively censor information, blocking his attempts to read further in order to protect the records.

  He couldn’t communicate directly with the soul imprint, and it was almost as if the knowledge transferred itself invisibly, in a way he couldn’t detect, no matter how hard he tried. Yet, somehow, he instinctively understood what the manual and its author wanted to convey—revealing new insights only when he was deemed ready and his skill and comprehension met the required threshold.

  It had made it clear that there’d be no rushing this process; he’d have to finish each stage, advance his comprehension, boost both his skill and control stat, and secure specific treasures for the right essences. The discovery of the arcane substrate had unlocked a fair bit, just enough to scrape through to the next stage. But unless he advanced his grade, improved his control stat, and honed his enchantment skill, it would only get harder—maybe even impossible. Even now, he was looking at years of work if he didn’t keep pushing his skills and stats.

  When he integrated the dragon parts into his gathering array and began absorbing essences like True Dragon essence, the manual resting on his bedside had immediately signaled that he’d need massive quantities of these essences—and advised him to keep any remaining parts, as they’d be essential for future steps. Time and again, Alistair was reminded that this manual wasn’t designed for someone at his grade. Without his talent, high affinity for the force concept, and Riseth’s assistance through their dual cultivation, he doubted he could even attempt the next step. Leading a growing clan in a still-untouched universe had also lightened the burden; he had access to the support and rare materials he’d need—like dragon parts, which he suspected were incredibly hard to come by in the wider multiverse. While he was sure factions such as the Blackmarket Syndicate would be able to provide such things, they wouldn't come cheap.

  With a sigh, Alistair shook his head and decided to move on to other Augments until he reached the next grade. The sheer difficulty and intricacy of the manual would have worried Alistair if it wasn't for the Body Cleansing technique that allowed him to cleanse his body of messed up magic structures, which still happened occasionally, forcing him to restart by cleansing the slate, so to speak. Sotarr had told them that while their augmentations were still rudimentary, they were quite creative and efficient considering their grades. After fixing some of their worst habits and giving them some pointers and what he considered basic manuals, he had encouraged them to continue to advance on their own.

  With a sigh, Alistair shook his head and decided to set aside the more complex augments until he advanced to the next grade. It made sense to start working on his Regeneration Augment now, anyway. Focusing on the same augment as Riseth would be more efficient for their dual cultivation, and it would make the most of his Wendigo and Vampire Slayer title benefits. Self-healing was a weak point for him; his healing affinity wasn’t strong, and he currently relied heavily on Riseth for any healing, both in and out of combat.

  He turned, his gaze drifting over Riseth’s lithe, naked form as she focused on her system. She noticed him watching and gave him a sly smile.

  “What is it?” she asked as she slid closer to plant a kiss.

  “I’ve reached a point where it doesn’t make sense to keep working on my Dragon Heart Augment, so I was thinking I’d join you on the Regeneration Augmentations,” Alistair replied.

  “Oh?” she teased, climbing on top of him and placing her hands on his shoulders, a wide smile on her face as she tied up her hair. She gave him a light push, guiding him to lie back with just her index finger. “Alright, then. Follow my lead,” she said, leaning in close.

  “And you confirm that you requested your wife to eliminate the individual threatening your disciples?” the large Lyraxis Dragon asked from his podium, his gaze fixed intently on Sotarr.

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  “Yes, Elder Skaus,” Sotarr replied, holding his head high as he met the dragon’s eyes.

  “Acceptable. While it may cause a stir with the Syndicates, your progression takes priority, and scum like them targeting one of our leaders’ disciples is unacceptable. Frankly, I’d argue your wife was too lenient, only killing their leader and his minions. We’ll show them what it means to challenge the Lyraxis. You and your wife are free to go. Your cousin Morakas will take your place at the new bridge. Take the time to look after your disciples—and make it worth our trouble.”

  “Master Skaus need not worry—they are exceptional seedlings, surpassing my expectations time and time again. Their ascension to the higher grades, if not godhood itself, is all but certain if given the chance to thrive.”

  Skaus rumbled his contentment. “Let’s hope so. Now that the integration has begun in earnest, conflicts are everywhere, and their time of peace is coming to an end. Many promising rising stars fall short and are snuffed out forever. Your decision to act and have your wife kill Urmarir the Miserable was wise.” Elder Skaus let out a long breath. “Unlike the previous two universes, this one has managed to coordinate an effective defense. Perhaps they might even hold out until the third wave—assuming internal strife and sabotage don’t tear them apart from within. You took a huge risk taking on these two, as they won’t be able to cross over for some time.”

  “I believe in them,” Sotarr replied. “I’d even recommend that some of our numbers consider taking on more disciples from their faction. It would improve their chances of success, and they have quite a few promising individuals.”

  “Perhaps you’re right,” Skaus acknowledged. “However, since they live on a stationary planet rather than in a wandering realm or space creature, I doubt they can find or develop anything of sufficient value to make it worth our Ascendancy’s involvement.”

  Noticing Sotarr’s expression, Skaus added, “You are, however, free to convince any of our members to do so on their own accord, though we both know most won’t take that chance.”

  Sotarr shook his head, flapping his wings in slight irritation before meeting the elder’s gaze, having picked up on the hint. “So, if they manage to prove their true value beyond talent, Elder Skaus would be willing to support my initiative? Perhaps even propose it to the entire faction?”

  The elder let out a bellowing laugh, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s a new universe, and anything may happen, though I doubt they’ll find anything that would make the Ancient Lyraxis bat an eye. But if they do, you’re welcome to bring your proposal to me again. Until then, I wish you and your disciples good luck and fortune.”

  Sotarr bowed and then took off from the platform, flying away from the floating island that housed the elders’ home. He made his way toward the realm’s exit, casting a glance down as two greater lion-headed tarrasques clashed over territory on the surface below. The massive beasts tore into each other with savage ferocity, reshaping the landscape for miles around with each blow. Sotarr chuckled to himself—just one of those dumb brutes could likely obliterate the entire new universe’s combined forces without so much as a scratch. Their powers were so far beyond what they could reach, even given a millennium within their confined universe. Then again, if they were ever to cross into the wider multiverse, facing the threats and hunting grounds it held, they might reach that level of strength far sooner.

  He flew through the portal, exiting the sub-realm and shifting smoothly back into his humanoid form as he landed beside his wife, Mitania, who was waiting with her hands folded behind her back and an expectant look on her face. “So, what did the elder say? Will he support our motion?”

  “You’re not even going to ask if you’re in trouble for tearing through a Syndicate bunker?” Sotarr replied, raising an eyebrow.

  “Pah, I only killed one person of note. Scum like them are a dime a dozen, and everyone knows it. So, I take it he declined?”

  They began walking through the gardens of the overlapping realm, a place filled with fields of flowers in every color, with trees as large as mountains looming in the distance. Temples, magical formations, and countless other ancient sights dotted the landscape, radiating immense power—some of these structures were older than entire universes. Sotarr took in a deep breath, savoring the pleasant floral scent of his wife and the lands around them, then he frowned slightly. “Not outright. If they manage to secure something valuable enough to catch the Ascendancy’s interest, he’d consider it.”

  Mitania’s face scrunched in thought. “It’s a new universe, sure, but that’s a tall order. Beyond our inner circle and a few lower-ranking members eager to earn favor, I haven’t found many willing to take on disciples from a new universe.”

  “There’s always a chance the System will introduce a new challenge or public realm,” Sotarr said. “Since they’re managing to hold the bridge, it’s even more likely the System will reward their tenacity with new challenges—especially since the invaders from our universes will have to bide their time until the grade gap closes enough to overwhelm them."

  “You’re hoping it’ll hand out system rewards that would allow them to cross the bridges prematurely?” Mitania raised an eyebrow.

  Sotarr nodded, a determined look on his face. “It’s one of the more common rewards, after all. We just need to make sure they understand its value.”

  “You’re underestimating them again,” Mitania replied, a small smile on her face. “I think they know exactly how valuable an opportunity this is, so don’t speak of it to them. It might affect them negatively. Trust them.”

  “I trust your judgment, love,” Sotarr said with a warm smile as they continued walking through the gardens toward their own sub-realm. He sighed at the sight. Their faction was among the most ancient, but it wasn’t among the factions standing at the absolute peak either, and impressing the Lyraxis Ascendancy—or finding something from a young universe that might interest them—seemed unlikely. Perhaps an exceptional new breed of world tree? A high-grade realm with a luck theme, perhaps? Such treasures were rare beyond belief, and possessing them could be dangerous in itself.

  He chuckled, remembering when they’d told him about the unicorns in their dungeon, worried it might put a target on them. Valuable as they were, the dungeon still had a long way to go. Still, its foundation was beyond excellent, and he looked forward to their future discoveries and progress. Perhaps they had found something new to worry about?