“The planet Soa has a different air,” Jinn said.

“Analyzing subatomic particles has led to a discovery of an energy signature more pure and efficient than electricity.” Veda replied.

“I see. Hades, please explain to Veda.”

The handsome gentleman bowed to his Lord and faced the super-artificial intelligence.

“Sir, Veda. The essence of all life is called ‘mana.’ Not many can see it, but it exists and we breathe it just as you would breathe air.”

Veda bowed all butler-like as a gesture of his appreciation.

Veda telepathically sent a message to his sire.

Sir, if I’m not mistaken, is it similar to qi, force, aura, and of the sort?

Yes, Veda. Jinn replied through telepathy.

“Now that you understand, we can proceed with the plans. The start of electricity will commence as soon as we recover the rest of the Omen Tribe.”

“Very well, sir. Sending proxies to designated locations. The information will be sent to specific individuals in a manner of moments.”

Basically, what Veda did was relay the information to other proxies which are copies of Veda at different locations where people of the Omen Tribe would be able to receive such information.

All that was needed was a holographic lexicon created by Jinn and the information can be sent since the quantum signal is easy to connect. This would make information more secure within the tribe. Key individuals were given the lexicon so only a limited number were passed out.

“Now that we have settled that, Elder Saru should be waiting in The Regalia.”

Jinn floated above The Soul Throne and flew to where he parked his ship. He, Hades, and Elder Saru were at Holy Manalum.

In no time, Jinn entered his ship and proceeded to the med-bay.

(Author’s note: med-bay also “medical bay.”)

Inside the futuristic ship, elegant decor flowed seamlessly within each room. Gold inlays are carved within making a leaf-like pattern.

Awaiting Jinn’s arrival, Elder Saru was comfortably seated on a patient’s sofa.

Knock! Knock!

“Come in.” Said the old man.

Jinn entered. Seeing him come in, Elder Saru was about to kneel, however, Jinn halted him from doing so by facing his palm on the floor in a slow manner signifying for the elder to relax.

“Please, Elder Saru. You have been a guardian to my people long enough. With that body of yours, it’s amazing how you managed to remain strong at your age.”

Surprised, the old man was humbled by the words of Lord Vicegerent.

“Hah! Hah!” The old man let out a hearty chuckle. “What you say is right my Lord, this old man is already 250 years old.”

Cough! Cough!

“You’re over two hundred years old?!” Veda blurted.

That statement made Hades, Jinn, and Veda surprised.

“Come now, Elder Sarutobi, you are injured, are you not?”

Lord Vicegerent’s words pierced the old man.

Elder Saru sighed. “You knew?”

“My eyes can see that you sacrificed your meridians?”

“As expected of Lord Vicegerent. Yes, that is true.”

“Please, Elder, would you mind telling us?” Asked Hades.

The conversation lasted for a couple of hours. A lot of information was recorded in Veda’s memory banks.

This is what happened. When the neighboring countries surrounding the Omen Nation were on the verge of collapse due to the war called, the “Omen Campaign,” several surviving countries within the coalition sent suicide assassins to kill the escaping refugees of the Omen Nation. After the refugees had crossed the borders of Hollow World was when they were ambushed.

Elder Saru held off the assassins. From what the elder remembers, there were eight Transcendent Level martial artists within the group. He managed to kill them all but by then, reinforcements came. This time, three high-tier Unrestrained Realm experts appeared. After having to fight eight enemies who pushed the old man to his limits now has to contend with more powerful and skilled enemies.

(Author’s note: “Unrestrained Realm” and “Transcendence Realm” are the same power rankings)

That was when the name, “Demonic Teacher” came into existence.

Elder Shin Sarutobi had always been a teacher. He taught kids the Omen Tenets and what it means to lead an enlightened lifestyle. This translated to combat as well. Whenever the old man would fight, it would look as if he was teaching them a lesson. His combat prowess was deadly and fatal. He wields dual chakrams created entirely out of the purely condensed aura manifested by the elder himself.

Anyhow, it was still a dire and even fatal situation to be facing three powerful experts. Yet, he remembered his solemn duty to protect his people and was his lifelong oath to one day meet his Lord’s return. And so, the once-extremely powerful elder of the Omen Nation had to sacrifice some of his meridians. And the only way to sacrifice one’s meridians is to have an exceptional technique for it.

Elder Saru already has such a technique in his repertoire. His martial arts is named “Chaos Ring and Celestial Ring.” It’s a martial art that was passed down from his family tree dating back to when his ancestor received it himself from Lord Vicegerent Gloriano. Within the manual, there’s a chi cultivation technique that enables the user to sacrifice one’s meridians and momentarily boost dantian reserves exponentially.

In turn, his chi reserves exploded, and were now able to store an exponential amount of highly pure chi. With that, it was over for the three high-tier experts. Elder Saru, with having pure mana exceeding the limit of how much his body can take allowed him to manifest four giant chakrams and control them telekinetically while he holds two chakrams at each hand.

“I see,” Jinn said.

The long story of Elder Saru’s injury made more sense now.

You see, Jinn had suspicions as to how the old man was able to survive having sacrificed his meridians. But then the elder’s explanation revealed why. Although the technique is one of a kind, it’s too much of an amazing technique to not have a name.

“You managed to finish off your enemies before the technique was about to stop?”

“Yes, Lord Vicegerent. Very perceptive of you.”

By sacrificing one’s meridians is akin to not having any mana at all, however, Elder Saru had enough mana left for him to conserve and flow through his blood vessels. Although there were parts where chi/mana could not flow, the areas where it could were highly pure.

“Very well. For you and your family’s service, We wish to reward you. We will start by renewing your meridians alongside with an absolute cleanse and a quantum pill.”

The old man coughed loudly. Cough!

“I-Impossible! Once an individual’s chi ceases to exist then that’s the end. I’ve tried many methods to return to my past self, but they were all for naught.”

Chuckle.

Jinn lightly chuckled as a grin appeared on his face.

“Then it is right that I show you.”

Elder Saru held a disheveled expression. Either way, he complied, wanting to see if Jinn said would be true.

The process of reviving destroyed chi meridians is impossible for the people of this world. Fortunately, the elder happened to come across someone fused with quantum-nanomachines that can make any theoretical surgery a success.

All that was needed was for the old man to rest on the surgical chair which looks way too comfortable to be called one.

“Once the nanomachines reach your blood vessels, they will immediately put you to sleep. The surgery will be complete in a couple of hours. Be at ease, this is your reward for your loyalty.”

The old man heard Jinn’s words and gave him a sense of assurity.

Jinn placed his palm upwards and from his right index finger were fluttering lights escaping from his fingertip. Miniscule sized machines shaped like bugs glittered every time it flapped its wings. That was the last thing Elder Saru saw when he slipped into a drowsy state and fell unconscious.

***

The surgery was a success.

Although that was expected. Turns out, Elder Saru’s body was in dire straits. The only reason as to why he could move was out of sheer willpower and the medical herbs he uses to smoke to numb the pain.

Most importantly, destroyed blood vessels had to be renewed and reconnected, whereas, chi meridians and their cores had to be established and created from anew. It wasn’t difficult since the nanomachines already produce incredibly pure energy called “quantum energy” which helped guide mana/chi to cluster and condense.

With that, Elder Shin Sarutobi went through a complete metamorphosis and divine body reformation.

He was whole once again.

All those times when he would ingest chi medical pills to recover what was once lost would soon come to an utter disappointment. But, not this time.

The elderly man who looked like a withered old being now looks like a divine spirit.

His eyes started to peel back. Elder Saru had awoken from a refreshing slumber.

No one was inside the surgical room. From his position, he tried to move, instead, he stepped on the air as if he was levitating.

T-This?! He inadvertently thought.

“S-Samadhi Floating?” The divine spirit of the elder spouted without thinking.

I’ve achieved the “State of Samadhi Floating” before but only when I was meditating. This could only mean that I’ve grown? Wait… Impossible!

He hurriedly looked at the window viewing Holy Manalum from a distance. From the glint of the windshield, he saw himself.

Surprised, his pupils dilated. He looked at his hands which looked rejuvenized and so were his body as well.

Then, he caressed his face.

Gasp. “M-My face.”

The old man’s face has the appearance of a man in his early 40s. His formerly long ashen hair was now pearl white and had jet black lines going back into the hair at the temples. Additionally, the elders' beard held a similar pattern.

Elder Saru looked back at the surgical chair and an old husk looks to be shedded.

My old husk?

As the rejuvenated man started to question so on and so forth, his blood vessels started to flow mana. His chi channels surged with pure chi.

Understanding all that Lord Vicegerent Jinn did for him, he donned the set of apparel left on the table as his transformation rendered him nude.

His newfound power allowed him to sense life forces within the massive ship and read that Jinn and Hades were at the bridge.

In no time, through Samadhi Floating he reached the bridge in a matter of seconds.

“I see you have adapted well?” Asked Lord Vicegerent.

“Yes indeed, my Lord.”

“Why not check your status?”

“Hmm? I forgot about that completely.”

Much like Dario, Elder Saru received an item that would allow him to see his attributes in numerical value. In this case, the item is a decorated pocket watch.

Elder Saru motioned inside his pocket and brought out the pearl-body pocket watch.

“Status Screen,” the elder said.

Elder Shin Sarutobi

HP: 8100

Evasion rate: 77%

Lvl: 81

MP: 740

Critical chance: 50%

Class: Peak of Transcendence Realm

AP: 8900

Pure Mana: 7777

Main Job - Chaos/Celestial Ring: Lvl 99

Chi: 254 Years

Titles: Omen Sect’s 3rd Demonic Master (passive)

Heaven’s Respected Ten (passive)

Demonic Teacher of the Twin Moons (equipped)

Omen Sect’s 3rd Demonic Master (passive) - With the return of the Lord Vicegerent, the Omen Nation is now the Omen Sect and the title of Demonic Master is reinstituted. Elder Shin Sarutobi, 3rd Demonic Master of the Omen Sect and is known to the world as the “Demonic Teacher.” All attributes increase by one-hundred points and mana/chi recovery rate increases by 100%. The final boon of this title allows the user to equip up to three titles.

STR: 808

VIT: 1400

Heaven’s Respected Ten (passive) - The battle of killing more than ten Transcendence Realm Martial Masters is known amongst the powerful. No matter where you go, respect is always shown to the top ten powerful beings in Soa.

DEF: 649

DEX: 1200

Demonic Teacher of the Twin Moons (equipped) - You are known to wield chakrams manifested entirely out of aura. In effect, people who’ve seen you fight are reminded of the twin moons that shine at night. When there are twin full moons, all attributes increase by 250 points, and senses are drastically heightened during haunting hours.

INT: 1879

SPD: 666

WIS: 2589

LCK: 150

SPR: 1642

The elder somewhat understood what the numbers meant as he had received education from Veda and Jinn. It would take some time for the people of the Omen Tribe to fully adapt.

“Now compare it to when you were injured,” Jinn said.

Elder Shin Sarutobi

HP: 3600

Evasion rate: 44%

Lvl: 63

MP: 350

Critical chance: 50%

Class: Transcendence Realm

AP: 4129

Pure Mana: 4077

Main Job - Chaos/Celestial Ring: Lvl 99

Chi: 254 Years

Titles: Omen Sect’s 3rd Demonic Master (passive)

Heaven’s Respected Ten (passive)

Demonic Teacher of the Twin Moons (equipped)

Destroyed Meridian Cores (passive)

Incomplete Chi Channels (passive)

Destroyed Meridian Cores (passive) - All attributes are reduced by thirty to fifty percent due to the permanent loss of meridian cores and mana channels.

STR: 508

VIT: 512

Incomplete Chi Channels (passive) - Unable to manifest or manipulate mana at extreme levels. Any attempts in doing so would put the user at risk of blood/mana clots.

DEF: 390

DEX: 847

INT: 1100

SPD: 466

WIS: 1589

LCK: 150

SPR: 1042

“Hmm. So that’s how much power I lost.”

The old man felt enlightened between the two status screens. Soon after, he prostrated and expressed gratitude towards Jinn.

“You will forgive me, Elder Saru if you think it too soon to task you with missions.”

“Not at all, my Lord. With my current strength and your return to the Omen Tribe, I dare say that this world will cry in our wake.” The elderly man said with devilish eyes.

***

Dario was in The Regalia proceeding with the process of curing the Great King's pelt.

He thought of creating a robe similar to what his master adorns.

During the time when Dario was undergoing extreme training, he was allowed into the holographic chamber room where time would be reduced into factors. Thanks to the superintelligence of Veda, artificial intelligence was the only one capable on Earth of figuring out the formula to manipulate time. Even Jinn who is fused with the super nanomachines has only an inkling of understanding and that too is vague. Jinn can only understand manipulating time through what he feels. That is all that he could deduce so far. Time manipulation is something humans are not even near to understanding.

And so, the amount of time spent inside the holographic chamber was equivalent to six years. In real-time, six months would have passed by. Within that six years, Dario had access to the memories of his master. What the disciple had learned was many things and one of them is tanning leather.

With that said, Dario pressed the screen on his watch and his skill sets were shown.

[Sword Mastery: 100% - Lvl 10 - Master]

[Arcane Mastery: 90% - Lvl 9/Archmage]

[Lance Mastery: 85% - Lvl 8/Expert]

[Dual Weapon Mastery: 100% - Lvl 10/Master]

Sword Techniques:

Arcanic Spells:

[Alchemy: 84% Lvl 8/Expert]

[Necromancy: 96% - Lvl 9/Archmage]

Fantasia (Rank S) - A terrifying extreme slash from a state of nothingness.

Fireball - A 3rd tier spell that allows the user to shoot out a big ball of fire that burns its target.

[Smithing: 89% - Lvl 8/Expert]

[Tanning: 100% - Lvl 10/Master]

[More…]

Reverse Fantasia (Rank S) - A reverse slash without shifting weight.

Explosive Fireball - A sequential spell from the 3rd tier “Fireball.” This spell is equivalent to a 4th tier spell that allows the user to shoot out a massive big ball of fire that explodes its target.

Streaming Demon (Rank S) - A smooth stepping slash. A long-reaching attack.

Fly - A 3rd tier spell that grants the caster the ability to fly.

Heavenly Throw (Rank S) - A slash that launches the target straight up in the sky. Prevents counterattacks.

Flare - An exclusive spell created by Dario that condenses mana into a beam of light originating from his eyes. This spell is ranked as 9th tier.

Radiant Wave (Rank SS) - Unleashes an array of large qi waves. Cannot be parried.

[More…]

[More…]

Under the many categories of the skills learned within six years, Dario was able to achieve mastery in several categories. Some of them are related to combat, whereas, the other one is related to production and refinement.

The young man saw that his tanning skills were at master level and brought a smile of satisfaction. Yet, the young disciple was hungry for more. It made sense that he would master tanning first as one of the production methods since his affinity with nature was high.

Anyhow, Dario was close to finishing the product he had in mind with the Great King Bear’s pelt.

***

A notification was signaling Dario to press the screen on the watch.

*Complete!*

Mantle of the Disciple - A masterful work of craftsmanship. This magical cape covers all but the right side of the body, leaving space for the right arm and silhouette to be visible. There is platinum woven at the edges of the cape and a red insignia on the back. Overall, the black cape bodes a dark appearance. Oddly enough, a sense of refined elegance is seen whenever someone looks upon it.

[Stats:]

Rank: Legendary

Type: Cape

Material: Great King Bear’s pelt, platinum inlays, and bloodstone paint.

Requirements:

200 Intelligence

200 Wisdom

Restriction:

Mystic Warrior

(Dario only)

Runes: 5 (empty)

Enchantments: 5

Armor: 580

Weight: 5

Effects:

+100 MP

+100 AP

-50% cost reduction on MP/AP

+50% HP & MP regeneration

Archmage Robes - An arcane sleeveless robe created from a great bear species. This piece of cultivated fur is a master’s piece of work considering the level at which the creature was at. The collar of the garment is lined with fur and the hood grants the enchantment of “hide mana presence.” Essentially, the aesthetic of the robes was to adorn a cross between an archmage and a martial practitioner.

[Stats:]

Rank: Legendary

Type: Robes

Material: Great King Bear’s pelt

Requirements:

200 Spirit

500 Pure Mana

Restriction:

Mystic Warrior

(Dario only)

Runes: 5 (empty)

Enchantments: 5

Skein of Magnus - Highest all-around enchantments available for purely magic-oriented characters. Regular enchanted robes do not amount to the magnitude of these attributes nor equal to the combined enchantments it provides.

Effects:

-50% cost reduction on all spells

+50 MP/AP Regeneration

Armor: 517

Weight: 1

Finally, after many failures, Dario was able to produce two legendary pieces of equipment. Although the Great Bear King was massive, there was no luxury in failing since the failed products would be useless and had to be discarded. Seeing the failures motivated Dario as he burned them to ashes.

He adorned the robe and felt an immediate change.

With the robe and cape equipped, the young disciple had completed his first side mission. With that said, Veda popped up.

“Congratulations, young master.” The butler said while bowing. “This will be the first and last time that I will congratulate you on side missions as the pop-up notifications will already be doing that.”

The young man chuckled. Chuckle.

“I appreciate it, Veda, truly.”

“Now, what is your next course of action, young master?”

“Yes. Set course for the tip of Mount Tian.”

Dario hurriedly moved out of the tailor room in The Regalia and proceeded to where the docking bay was. In a manner of moments, the elegant yacht-looking spaceship lifted from the floating mountain and smoothly flew to The Hundred-Thousand Peaks.

At the very tip of Mount Tian is not actually a pointed end but a sleeping volcano. However, the tip is already clustered with its own magma. Over time, grass, mystical and rare plants started to grow. Not only that, Mount Tian held secret pathways within the caves. In there was where Dario needed to be.

A serene waterfall was pouring into the lake inside of the mountain and a small opening allowed for moonlight to shine in the secret cave.

“This room is where mana is purely condensed into this luminescent water,” Veda remarked. “It would be fatal to drink this type of water unless you have a ridiculous mana/chi absorption rate.”

“You are very wise, Veda. Correct, I intend to drink just enough for “Enlightenment” and “Absolute Cleanse.”

“Oh. Now I see, young master. Having the robes and mantle that you created, you can now offset the tremendous mana/chi cost of ascending to the next realm.”

“Hah!” Dario expressed with vigor. “Not only that, the water in Mount Tian is said to be so pure that the area around it produces high-quality mana. By simply drinking the water itself is strong enough to purify the channels and even refine the chi in the dantian.”

Veda slightly tilted his head forward signifying that he had understood what the young master was saying.

“Now that you’re here, I assume you will start immediately, young master?”

“That’s right, Veda. Please look after me while I meditate.”

Suddenly, someone interrupted.

Teleporting out of nowhere, a recognizable robe was seen.

It was Jinn.

“That will not be necessary. I alone will look after my disciple.”

“M-Master!” Dario replied.

“I had not thought that you would figure out my hint so soon,” Jinn said.

“It was all thanks to your guidance that I now have the confidence to ascend to the next level.”

In a rare instance, Jinn smiled.

He placed his right hand on his disciple’s shoulder and praised him.

“Truly, a prodigious disciple. Come, your ‘Enlightenment’ will be special since I did not bequeath you the nanomachines.”

Perplexed, Dario’s ears perked up as he heard information regarding why he would not be like his master who has fused with Veda.

“I will pour my energy into your channels. What you need to do is follow along with the flow. You already understand what ‘Innate Essence Qi’ is and the conditions are set for a ‘breakthrough.’”

Understanding what to do, Dario entered into the lotus-form meditative state.

From childhood, the young man was trained to cultivate chi through the divine method of The Qi of Asura Manual. With having pure chi from the beginning, the young man comprehended Innate Essence Qi while barely in his teens and was able to manifest aura. In addition with the new chi cultivation method taught personally by his master, the “Final Purification” method is a pinnacle art that both refines and increases one’s mana pools (MP/AP). So far, Dario has yet to combine the two to work harmoniously with each other and create a new chi cultivation method. Currently, The Qi of Asura and Final Purification methods complement one another. The risk of actual qi deviation is slim to none.

In that case, refining or cleansing the channels and dantian would be a relatively smooth process. All that was needed was for Dario to overcome his breakthrough, however long that may take.

Jinn placed both his palms on Dario’s back.

Bright and luminescent lights aptly named “quantum green” started to infuse into the blood vessels of Dario.

A surge of pure energy flowed and the young disciple could feel the difference in power. And with that feeling, an understanding was born.

Abruptly, a cracking noise began to be heard as crackles of mana were soon seen fluctuating around Dario. It sounded like sparks of lightning were cracking, yet, it was not lightning but mana itself.

Crack! ZZZZ! Crack!

When a thunderous cracking noise was heard, a buzzing sound followed soon after.

Samadhi Essence. Incredible.

Jinn was praising how talented his disciple was. Yet, his surprises did not stop there.

The lotus-positioned Dario started to levitate.

S-Samadhi Floating at his level? Veda messages telepathically.

A devilish grin came upon Jinn’s handsome face.

Goodness me. My disciple exceeded my expectations and even achieved Master class at such a young age. He’ll reach Grandmaster level soon enough.

While Dario was floating, so too did Jinn follow along with his disciple's rapid growth in power.

After a couple of hours, a single bright flash encompassed the room, and the flash of light radiated at the small opening of the cave.

Dario had changed and fully opened the “Twin Veins of Control.” Moreover, body modification, also known as “Diamond Reformation” is halfway complete.

His body had grown taller. The muscular structure is comparable to an aesthetic bodybuilder with defined cuts and a burly physique. The face remained youthful, belonging to a young man in his teens who has wisdom beyond his years.

The young disciple was rendered unconscious due to the sudden power growth. Some time would be needed for the young desert boy to rest for him to fully acclimate to the newfound power.

Within that time, Jinn still had some work to do.

You see, Dario’s enlightenment would not stop there. Jinn controlled Dario’s body through telekinesis and floated to the middle of the pure mana lake.

“Begin the surgery, Veda.”

“At once, sir.”

Veda and Jinn were going to purify Dario’s heart by momentarily replacing said heart with nanomachines. While the nanomachines operated as a functional heart, Jinn would wash his disciple’s heart with the mana water. Once that was done, the heart would return to its rightful place and reconnect with minuscule nanomachines that repair and reconnects atoms or tissue.

This operation is only possible through Jinn’s nanomachines. Ultimately, the operation was a success and a new Master class had been born.