Millennia passed inside Pef's inner world, as he focused to regrow and repair his soul, one particle after another. Local time stood still, patiently waiting for its creator to let it flow again.

Sometimes Pef would stop to rest, and chat with the avatar of the gun, when the effort was too straining, and he needed to relax.

Only when the stats changed in his game like interface would he have feedback of his actual progress.

The soul restoration indicator ticked higher and higher, and his work began to feel easier.

About one millennium for 1 percent, or so it seemed. But with the advantage of working in frozen time, at least he could postpone the fight with the Archdemon's forces until he was healed and somewhat better prepared.

Eventually, the healing came to an end, and his soul restoration ability reached 9 percent.

The avatar resumed its former aspect, and seemed stronger in some indefinite way.

"Something changed, I am different now. Stronger." he said thoughtfully, glancing at the woman beside him.

Reason measured him with a discerning look. "You are. But, cultivation is not about gaining strength, Pef. Strength is merely a consequence of it. Ascension is a reflection of your enlightenment." she said with a strained tone, almost like trying to hide disappointment.

Pef nodded and revisited his own creation, the Taichi method. He had made it to ease the first steps for new cultivators, allowing them to gain ranks fast and easy until around Emperor rank.

His own insights and pathways were built into the method, and complemented the previous work of his ancestor, Deng Xi. Now however, he saw a hundred ways to make it better, and go even higher.

Pef decided to split it into two, Initial Taichi and Advanced Taichi, the first going smoothly til Earth rank, and ten times faster. One year to Earth rank, if the cultivator followed the steps as described. Armies of robust warriors could be raised with little effort this way, if a local commander had need for them.

The Advanced Taichi would be more difficult, thirty years til Monarch rank, with more serious safeguards and subtle insights into the nature of qi and how to entangle qi with the body. This way the Legion would have a way to train their white aura cultivators to higher ranks without forcing them to suffer crippling loses in pointless wars or beast hunts.

But the next step would still depend on the cultivator's personal enlightenment. To reach the Saint rank using the Taichi method one would need to strengthen his heart and mind, and after that, one would need to fortify the dantian with metals to attain a material Tier 1 stage, the Physical God. Expected duration for this hidden step would be a hundred years in fortunate cases to a hundred thousand years for those with less talent. Still, at least ten times faster than what the normal cultivation would be, in this universe.

The Legion would have potentially millions of Soldiers of second-class, not anything like the standard, but able to spread out and pacify a galaxy full of Demon Lords with relative ease and minimal loses.

From here on, the standard Legion method would take over, granting cultivation boosts with every kill and even greater bonuses if a higher Tier was killed, by luck or wit or even skill.

Creating this new cultivation method took another millennium, and in doing this Pef had to systemize and index all his knowledge, separating and combining various abilities by affinity and range.

When he finally finished, Pef imprinted the Initial Taichi on a mind stone and offered it wordlessly to Reason.

The armored woman smiled and tapped the stone to her forehead, examining the contents for a second. "Nothing particularly wrong with it. A lesser version of the Veridian Garden for humanoid species?" she asked with a thin smile and not actually speaking.

Then again, Pef was now wary of hearing her speak for real. That glowing prayer thing had seared his soul even when he wasn't the target.

"I made to allow our Legion commanders to raise a militia or an occupation force rapidly." he explained with a frown.

"Yes, I see. Needs to contain a loyalty inhibitor then. Or there would be a thousand warlords, robbers and criminals abusing the civilians." she said with a sad head shake.

Pef sighed and took back the stone, then started adding in the loyalty checks.

When that was over, he began imprinting the Advanced Taichi on another mind stone. This time he didn't forget to add loyalty programming. Rebellions wouldn't be an issue if he was present, but he couldn't be everywhere. Case in point, the elves had begun plotting after a single month of absence.

Reason plucked the stone from his hand and read it the moment he was done, without waiting for a queue. She also took her time, hours perhaps, only slight winces on her face proving she wasn't asleep.

"Why do you feel the need to create your own private army?" she asked with a piercing stare.

It appeared she noticed the permanent command chain, with Pef himself declared Commander In Chief regardless of the location. No more local universe crap. How would they even know which universe was local or not?

"Ah, the why." he mused looking up and repairing the damaged moon with a thought. "It's simple really. If our General is still in charge out there, she can restore or reshape my regiment however she wants. But if she isn't..."

"Hmmm. I sense the glove's work with this. Walking a thin line there, Soldier. The elves, for example. You plan to convert them into your household army, right?" she reasoned without a flaw.

Pef glared back at her. "Yes. So what?"

"In the short term, it's reasonable. Trading a bit of freedom for more security. Defeat the demons and all. But it won't take long before you become the oppressor, not the demons. Their King, even their Duke will be able to resist you. Loyalties will divide along racial prejudice. And then, we'll have a war, among factions with Legion-class methods of cultivation." she explained in a warning tone.

Pef closed his eyes, humbled by his lack of forethought. Then again, he hadn't encountered a situation like this before, with another race ruled by a strong cultivator.

They already had frictions, even when allied against a common threat.

The Vela incident wasn't over yet. Cultural dissonance was quite strong, especially with the elven ruling class. Tradition of anointing young girls as vestals, to a life of servitude for the greater good, for example.

And unlike on some primitive world, the elves did have an advanced civilization, with most artifacts and technology dependent on this rare resource, the mind stones.

"You're right, my most wise weapon. I'll figure something out. Let me deal with these slaves first, then Vela, then Nellie. If I survive that sting, we can then think how to restore this galaxy to some kind of normalcy." Pef said, preparing to decapitate a million other slaves.

Reason slapped his head, then began singing without prompt. A short song, with vibes of freedom and liberation among unheard words.

The rescued people lost their collars, and Reason became a bit prettier, her armor a bit shinier, her lips fuller... Pef observed her in a daze, as the universe rippled around in unseen waves, bathing the newly arrived people and healing injuries and disease, restoring sight or erasing scars.

He could do that as well, if one at the time and with some effort. Instead, Reason seemed to grow and flourish with this endeavor.

When the song ended, he felt like the silence was hurting, his heart longing for more of her voice.

"Is this something guns like you normally do?" he asked on a hunch.

Reason smiled, hey eyes twinkling warmly, then blushed a little and turned around. "It's your fault, idiot! You forced me to sing, and now I grew to like it. Other Soldiers did not have avatars like you do, anyway. Dragons or elephants or some other fearsome beast of war."

Pef patted her head, then blinked himself next to Vela.

Time resumed, although the elf remained asleep. He took her left hand and focused, sensing the changes in her body. Vela seemed mostly healed, although her meridians were quite atrophied.

A white pill formed in his right hand, sadly the last one. He did have some more orange and violet pills, but as always they were a limited resource. He would have to ask, perhaps the elves had similar pills.

A trade could be possible, and give the recipients the ability to summon clones or shoot soul spikes from their eyes.

Vela woke up, and blushed slightly when she noticed her captured hand. "I had a great dream, I was free and flying among angels." she whispered still groggy.

Pef slipped the pill between her lips. "It wasn't really a dream. Three demons attacked the latest convoy. My body is still burning outside. And more demons will come soon. It's time for you to Ascend."

Vela nodded and gulped the pill, and then exploded with white light. Another meridian formed, channeling the extra qi. Her cultivation rose abruptly, reaching the peak of the Saint rank.

Dozens of qi pathways opened up while her soul doubled in strength and vitality.

With that, the Awakening came to an end, leaving Vela transformed into a normal Legion recruit, with same goals and imperatives like the rest of them.

Vela raised her free hand, mesmerized at her brand new flawless skin. "I feel so good! Like I'm young again..." she exclaimed in wonder.

The puppy rushed in, and jumped on her belly, yapping with joy.

"Hey you! You're not a puppy, are you?" Vela asked as she petted the cute dog cautiously.

"It's a Legion knife. Yours now." Pef explained with a smile.

The puppy whimpered and looked at Pef with sad eyes.

He held out his hand and extended his telekinetic field, imbued with sword qi. "Don't worry, puppy. I grew my own teeth. You keep Vela safe, okay?"

The puppy growled and bit Vela's hand, leaving a dozen deep gashes. Then he licked the bloody holes, making the wounds close without a scar.

"I'm going to have to sleep with the knife in my chest?" Vela asked while examining the healed arm with confusion.

Pef sighed, as he remembered his early days with the knife. They were both stupid and acted like spoiled children. "It's a weapon, not a real puppy. Treat it well, and train together a lot. Just remember, it can cut demons or planets in half with equal ease."

"My core feels like bursting, and there's a switch in the back of my mind. I can Ascend anytime I want." Vela spoke with a frown, while petting the puppy absently.

"Let's not do that just yet. I want to reinforce your core with metal, so you can keep your body after you Ascend." he explained with a smile.

Vela mused for a minute, then grimaced. "Like demons do. Demon Lords do not become holy spirits, but remained crude flesh."

Pef shrugged. "The demons practice body cultivation. It's only at Tier 3 that they gain a taste of real divine abilities. But because their bodies are so strong and durable, their Greater Demons are twice as strong as normal cultivators at Tier 3, who disperse into Loose Divinities with their first Ascension. And three times stronger at Tier 4. The metal infusion is weaker than a proper body cultivation method, but it allows you to achieve divine insights and still keep your body. I called the result a Physical God. Works great I think. Remember, I won the Soultrader tournament with only a Tier 2 rank." he explained in detail, while squeezing the captive hand gently.

Vela made the puppy bite the avatar's hand which kept her left hand prisoner. Pef grinned and let it go. She was learning fast.

"Okay, I'll drink that molten metal if you say it's so great. But first, go and cook something. I'm starving!" the elf demanded with a glare.

Pef vanished and re-appeared in the kitchen, hearing the puppy jaws clench on empty air with a dangerous clack.

His mother was right, as always. The way to someone's heart was easier through their stomach.

He began cooking, first for his family, then his demons and outer body, which he store separately, then for the newcomers, who were residing at the edge of the forest and were still confused of their location.

That was solved by the time he finished cooking, which while taking a few years, didn't take any time at all. His own time stop was very localized, barely twice as large as the kitchen, but worked wonders anyway.

Reason was able to freeze an entire universe, but she had the advantage of her Tier 7 nature. Pef was only a newly ascended Tier 3, bumbling his way into advanced concepts and abilities.

Someone like Lia would have been much better at this, but the glove chose him, perhaps because he was young and naive and easy to manipulate.

Perhaps for other reasons, like his voidsplitter skill, or his genetics or none of those. For something as strong as an Elder God, its reasons might be so complex or elusive that he might never guess right.

When he was ready, he served everyone at once, and returned to his real body. Well, outer body.

Both were real, if he could believe Reason.

He ate everything and still felt famished, but at least his eyesight had returned.

Zorkel needed only to be awakened and fed, then he regenerated back to health in moments.

"I feel different. Like my mind is better. What happened to me?" the Greater Demon asked with a curious face.

"The scepter's influence is gone, I believe. Do you yearn to become a Chosen anymore?" Pef replied while measuring the demon with his senses. He was now internally similar to the elves, with mana circuits glowing under his skin.

Zorkel summoned a ball of fire in his palm, then shaped it into a blade, then a whip.

"I have the same powers as a Chosen now. Mana isn't fleeing from me now. It comes easily and obeys me." he mused, changing elements to blood, then air, then lightning.

Pef took out a demon core and a mana stone, then offered them to Zorkel.

To his surprise, the Greater Demon could use them both now, though he still preferred demon cores as they were 'flavored' and easier to digest.

"I believe the Archdemon will come for us soon. He'll also bring an army of demons with him. And after we kill them all, I'll need someone to become the next Archdemon." Pef said, eyeing Zorkel with a piercing gaze.

The demon returned the look, calculating eyes measuring Pef for some trick. "He's much too strong. Even worse, his scepter is recharged now, going after that blast in the capital."

Pef nodded. "I'll deal with the scepter myself. The other three demons will help you against the Archdemon. And I'll go speak with the Elf King as well. Between the five of you it should be doable."

"So that's what the burning light did. You enslaved them from afar. The mace, eh? That is one potent weapon." Zorkel said with a worried glance at Pef's hand.

"Just as the scepter enslaves its Chosen. Not that I would treat you as demons treat their slaves. You are now a valuable subordinate. One that I expect great things from." Pef said in a flat tone.

"I see. An overseer for your domains in a distant galaxy. A loyal subject." the demon said like it was a curse.

"I'm glad that we agree. But if you don't want it, one of those three can serve me instead. As it happens, there's only one Archdemon core to give."

The Greater Demon poured himself more wine, eyes glinting with calculation. "You trade well, for a human. But it's just a dream now. We'll talk again, once you actually have such a core to give."

Pef nodded and went to awaken his other demons. These three were much more pliable though, with barely a hint of independent thought left. The voice of reason broke them quite thoroughly.

"Yes, Master. We'll fight your enemies, whoever they may be. For the Legion!" they said in a monotonous tone.

Pef shrugged and gave them some food, but no wine. No need to waste it now. These meat puppets would serve and then die.