- Inside the Cosmo Beach Club -

"Luan, you are here!" For Elias, it had been a few months since they had seen each other, and he already missed his best friend a lot.

For Luan, it was a matter of years, and the moment they approached, Luan gave his friend a hug and walked with him while saying, "It's been a while. I'm glad you're back."

" Hehe... It's been a long time." Elias scratched his head awkwardly.

"Okay, let's drink and have some snacks while we talk," Luan said and walked over to the available table.

"Yes, my pleasure." Elias smiled and followed Luan to the table and sat on the opposite side.

"Tell me, how was it in the army?" Luan looked at him and asked.

"Well, I was promoted from First Lieutenant to Captain," Elias said with a proud smile. He was young and managed to become a captain in the army - that was his greatest pride.

"Oh, very nice. I'm proud of you," Luan said and smiled a little.

"Thank you. I am very happy about it." Elias said with a silly smile, but then he frowned a little and asked, "Mm, why do I feel that you are different?"

"Different, how so?" Luan asked with interest.

"How can I say it?..." Elias scratched his face thoughtfully and said, "Your aura, and also your way of speaking and behaving, although you look the same, at the same time it looks different. Even your face looks more handsome and mature, and your body looks stronger... Are you training?"

"Well, a lot of things happened while you were in the army, and some of those things made me change, so it's not surprising that you've noticed that I've changed. Besides, yes, I've been training... and it's very special training," Luan said calmly.

If Elias knew how powerful Luan was currently...

"Oh yes, and that girl you like, Carol? Are you still trying to get with her?" Elias made a strange expression when he asked that question.

"Carol? Haha..." Luan gave an empty laugh and said with total indifference, "She means nothing to me anymore. I was a fool for having once felt something for her. "

"Wow! Seriously?" Elias found it hard to believe since Luan was obsessed with this girl before, but seeing in Luan's eyes that he was serious, Elias was happy and commented, "This is good. That girl is worthless. I feel like a weight was lifted from my heart when I heard that."

Elias knew how much Luan had been deluded by Carol, and it was almost impossible to break that illusion. But now knowing that Luan didn't feel anything for her anymore was, by itself, enough to make Elias' day happier.

Seeing his friend had become so happy, Luan smiled.

"Haha! Let's drink; this needs to be celebrated. Waiter, bring whiskey and snacks!" Elias was very excited. He asked the waiter to bring whiskey and a portion of little heart (chicken hearts), pepperoni, and French fries.

After that, Luan and Elias ate and drank while talking. Luan told him about how he was now dating a beautiful girl who was currently living at his house, and also told about his becoming CEO of the headquarters of Dimas Corporation. But he didn't tell Elias about cultivation or anything related to it. It was not that he did not trust Elias, it was because it was an open place, and someone could end up listening, and it was also not the right time to tell.

Luan talked and drank with Elias for a long time.

Luan used his Qi to make the effect of the alcohol leave his body and said when he got up, "I think it's time to go. You came by taxi, yes? I will take you back."

"No, I haven't had enough to drink yet..." Seeing Luan's stern look, Elias sighed and gave up. Before, it was he who would ask Luan to stop drinking and leave, but it seemed that today the roles had been reversed.

Luan paid the bill and then helped Elias walk to the parking lot.

"Luan, you drank as much as I did, but why don't you look like you drank at all?" Elias could not understand this point.

"I'll tell you some other day; now is not the right time," Luan said with a mysterious smile.

This only made Elias even more curious, however, he didn't ask again. "Okay."

Arriving in front of the gate of Elias' house, the security of the house was at least 10 times greater than that of Luan's. That's because Elias was from a military family which valued their personal security.

Recognizing Luan's car, the security guards opened the gate. Luan drove his car into the estate's garden, down the stone sidewalk toward the door of Elias' house.

The mansion's lights were on, and security guards warned the occupants of Luan's arrival with Elias, and it was because of this that a beautiful middle-aged woman, wearing a simple but beautiful white dress, appeared at the door. She had long black hair and light brown eyes.

Luan stopped the car and helped Elias down.

"I'm fine, Luan. I can walk alone." Saying this, Elias tried to walk alone and almost fell.

Luan took Elias' arm and said sarcastically, "I thought you could walk alone."

"Er... I just tripped over something. It won't happen again." Elias blamed the floor, which was perfectly made and almost impossible to trip over.

While holding Elias' arm, Luan used some of his Qi and made some of the alcohol's effect pass.

Elias, who until a moment ago saw everything spinning, was surprised, but then he walked proudly towards the woman at the door, "Mother I'm back!"

"Smelly son, stop screaming," the woman in the white dress snorted, pretending to be angry. But, deep down, she was very happy that her son came home safely after such a long time in the army.

"How can this be? I am so fragrant now, unlike when I was in the battalion..." Elias smelled his own clothes and although he smelled a little alcohol, there was no bad odor. At least for him, who lived in the army, his scent seemed more pleasant now.

"Stop being silly. Get in quickly, and go take a shower," his mother scolded him.

Elias turned around before entering and said, "Luan, thanks for bringing me back, and congratulations again for becoming CEO. Tomorrow night, I will go to your house to talk to Aunt Maira and little sister Catharina. I'm also curious about... Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Elias stopped in the middle of what he was going to say and went inside.

"Good night, Aunt Olivia," Luan said as he prepared to get in the car.

"Why don't you come in a bit? And did you really become CEO? I heard that before as well, but I didn't believe it at first..." Olivia approached Luan with a gentle smile on her face.

"Yes, aunt. I will officially start tomorrow," Luan replied. Then his eyes became complex as he looked at Olivia. When the Third Awakening first happened, she suffered a lot...

Remembering what happened to Olivia, it made him feel a bitter taste in his heart.

-

As a family with great military power, she ended up being kidnapped and killed in the worst possible way by a race of barbarians from another dimension. This had a huge impact on Elias, who developed a need for revenge. In the end, he managed to kill all the barbarians who had done that to his mother, but of course, this was not able to bring his mother back, and the knot in his heart was never undone. Throughout their lives, Elias and his father blamed themselves for failing to protect Olivia.

Because of that, he could only relieve the anger and loneliness of his heart by hunting the entire race of barbarians. Even Luan was unable to get him back to normal because of it, and in the end, Elias ended up becoming something without humanity and was hunted until Luan rescued him when he had already reached the Fifth Order and managed to help Elias get back at least some of his humanity. However, he was never quite the same again.

-

"This is amazing! Your aunt is very proud of you. I hope you don't let your mother down and do a good job," Olivia said with a sincere and kind smile.

"Thank you, aunt. I will do my best." Luan hugged her and was kissed on the cheek by her and walked away.

"Hehe. I see that you have also become more beautiful." Olivia was surprised by Luan's change, but she knew that he inherited good genes from Luan's mother, and maybe he had just become more mature and the impression she had of him improved.

"Aunt Olivia, you seem to get younger and more beautiful all the time," Luan said with a smile.

"It was not long ago that last I saw you, and now you even know to recognize the beauty of your aunt here?" Olivia laughed and said, "Okay, I'm not going to take up much of your time. You should go back and sleep for the big day tomorrow." 

"Aunt Olivia..."

"Yes?"

Luan wanted to say something, but gave up, and ended up saying, "Err. Have a good night, Aunt Olivia. I'm going now. Tell Elias to come visit me tomorrow and if you can come along as well, it'd be even better."

"Okay, I'll go with Elias to your place tomorrow. I also miss talking to Maira," Olivia smiled and said.

*

While driving his car back down the road, Luan noticed he was being followed.

Luan stopped the car and saw the red Ferrari stop right behind him and from inside the Ferrari, Wagner Hamibo got out of the car.

_ _

Every 500 Power Stones = One More Chapter

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{Edited by: Azurtha}