Sorry for the wait :). Enjoy the long chapter. Thanks for all the love. Comment if you see any mistakes I might have missed or if you see plot-holes.

For the second time in his life, Cesar had a goal to work towards. Even on Earth, it wasn't Cesars goal to change humanity, or even make life changing inventions. The inventions were just the cause of his accumulation and thirst for knowledge.

The first goal in his life had been Jasmine. He wanted a friend, someone that he could be close to. He created Jasmine because of his need of wanting a friend, maybe someone to love, or even be part of a real family. He also wanted to be with someone who shared his love for knowledge, so creating an A.I was the result of his work and the answer to his criteria.

But his new goal of wanting strength went beyond that. He needed strength to survive. It was a necessity. This world was unforgiving and merciless. There were beasts on the levels of Natural Disasters. Imagine a category 5 hurricane that never went away, had it's own consciousness. It was a terrifying thought.

Imagine a category 9 or 10 earthquake that was alive. It would be able to direct it's strength and have the cunning intelligence of a human. The only equivalent that humans on Earth had were Nuclear Bombs. It was a soul crushing thought that there were beasts out there with that level of power at their disposal and the intelligence to use it effectively. They were called Desolate Beasts, the beasts above Ferocious Beasts. This was the world that Lily had described to Cesar last night.

Ferocious Beasts are only the weakest of beasts. Normal Ferocious Beasts could fight evenly with the 1st and 2nd Houtian Profound Realm Cultivators. The problem was that not all humans could become cultivators. Some could train all their lives, eat and drink the best elixirs, but they could not reach the Houtian Profound Realm. Most humans were capable of entering the Realm, but the Houtian Profound Realm was just the beginning of the martial world. It changed your body from a human to a cultivator.

The 1st Houtian Profound Realm, which Cesar had achieved, was called the Cleansing Realm. It was a stage where the human body got rid of the impurities in its body. That meant that all the bad blood, and small impurities in the veins were gotten rid of. That was the black sludge that was on Cesars body. The 2nd and 3rd Houtian Realm strengthened the body, from the bones, muscles, veins, and tendons. The 4th and 5th stages prepared the body for the Xiantian Profound Realm.

Ferocious Beasts were superior compared to their human counterparts in the same Realm. They were born with natural weapons and armour, and strong bodies. Another advantage that they had over humans was that they could absorb small amounts of Heavenly Energy since they were born, while humans could not.

Cesar had noticed his Cleansing Realm was different than what was described, and he didn't know why.

What Cesar knew but didn't realize at that moment was that there are many types of energies. The one he had absorbed because of the heavenly mirror went beyond mere normal energy. It was Heavenly Energy that had a spiritual element to it. In this case, the spiritual element was the wolfs.

The Xiantian Profound Realm was the stage where humans were capable of absorbing energy through the atmosphere. Qi was an energy that didn't have any attribute, and it was present in the atmosphere and in everything. There was a reason it was called the universal energy, or Heavenly Energy. It was just pure energy. There were however, different grades and concentrations of Heavenly Energy. Cesar would discover them much later.

Then there was the energy from the sun, and it was called Yang energy. It had the attributes of fire, heat, and warmth. The energy from the moonlight was called Yin energy. It's attributes were Ice and coldness. These were the most known energies present in the world, and they could be absorbed by humans. Males were suited for Yang energy, while females were suited for Yin.

But Cesar wasn't from this world. His knowledge on energy completely eclipsed the information his sister provided him. Yang, and Yin energy, the sunlight and moonlight, were just Electromagnetic Radiation. They also seemed to have a thermal and chemical properties. They contained heat, could be absorbed, and effected the human body. Cesar thought that human bodies of this world went through a form of photosynthesis, a very weird one. But it could also be a different process of the energy interacting with the evolved human bodies of this world.

Both energies slowly changed the human bodies to become more proficient in their attributes, ice, and fire.

This also meant that Cesar was suited to both since he was able to absorb both types of energies.

The old man he had seen yesterday was proficient with Yang energy, and the golden energy that came from his sword was precisely that, absorbed sun energy.

But the information confirmed for Cesar that this new world had in-fact different laws of physics and properties from his old universe.

But Cesar had a much more personal reason to gain power. He was not only hindering his sister, whom he could never repay for her kindness and love, but also Jasmine. It had occurred to him when he found out that he was holding his sister back, he was also doing the same for Jasmine. She was chained to him, in every sense of the word. The consolation was that Jasmine didn't think so. She wanted to be with him. She was enjoying this new world and his experiences, because she also felt them.

She also advised Cesar with crucial information, like controlling his emotions so he could constantly absorb Yang energy, or go to the balls of light around the forest and gather that energy through the mirror. Cesar accepted her advice, and would make sure to follow it.

What Cesar didn't know was that constantly being excited and hot blooded while absorbing Yang energy would change his personality accordingly.

Those balls of light that were scattered around the forest, as Cesar called them, were Dan. They were different foods, and herbs that concentrated the 3 types of energy. Yin appeared to be blue balls of light, resembling ice. Yang were yellow, resembling fire and the sun. And Qi was just white. Like the Ferocious and Desolate beasts, they were treasured and coveted by humans. The higher the quality, the more its value.

Cesar also had suspicions that were had to be more types of Dan, because there are more energy sources than just the 3 mentioned.

After the tortu- training that his sister had given him, Cesar slept through the night. The next morning, he saw that he was completely healed. His skin even had a gem like luster to it. Jasmine had let him know that someone caring had constantly used her Qi to help his body heal. Jasmine said that the Qi was a mixture of Yin and Yang energy, and was fantastic at healing. Jasmine also let him know that Lily had ogled his body while she was healing him.

What Jasmine didn't tell him was that she also ogled over his new body. Both the girls could tell Cesar would grow up to be amazingly handsome, they could already see it. He had medium sized dark lustrous hair that came down his neck. He had deep, piercing brown/black eyes that would see through your soul and capture you. He had a strong jaw line that already separated him from a child and seemed to be sculpted from stone. His chin was small, slightly pointed and round. His thin and pointed nose perfectly complemented his face. His cheeks were rose coloured and fully rounded. His face was also perfectly symmetrical. The final arrow in the girls hearts was his perfect, gem like light-brown skin. He face was the perfect combination of masculine men with the beauty of women. Cesars face was just a soul piercing, heart capturing compilation of features.

He had woken up to find his sister in a familiar situation, she was making arrows. It was the day when they had to take the arrows to the village, as a tax.

But for Cesar, that didn't feel right anymore. Lily was strong. Strong enough to demand his damn respect. She wouldn't get stronger making arrows, and neither would he. That needed to change. The reason she made arrows was because they didn't have coins. That could now change. They had parts of the Elite Silver Furred Wolf from yesterday. He had already absorbed most of the energy in the bones, so they could sell those off. They could even sell off the blood. If they run out of parts to sell, they could just go kill more Ferocious Beasts. It would be a type of training for him, but a cakewalk for Lily. His sister was over protective, but it was for his sake. If he could convince her that he needed to fight against beasts, to become stronger, they could improve their living conditions and live to some of their potential.

Cesars stats had also increased. His Strength was now 1.6. His Agility was 2.0. And his Vitality was 2.0. The extra nurturing from his sister had helped a lot.

When Lily sensed her little Cesar wake up, she stopped making arrows and got up to hug him.

With her soothing, sisterly voice, she said “Morning little Cesar. I hope you're feeling better. I also bet you're hungry. Let me get you some wolf stew and fruit.”

Once again, while she got me breakfast, I went over to take care of the arrows. I needed to talk to her and I also liked her feeding me. The act of her feeding me would send love and care deep in my soul, and I got immense pleasure from it. I enjoyed this part of being a child again.

I also needed to make sure she knew I loved and cared for her. I didn't want her thinking I now hated her because of the training yesterday.

I could tell with every hit, with each ounce of pain she caused me, she felt heart breaking pain. While I was in pain, she was in hell. While humans in this world physically healed quickly, I knew emotional damage was still long lasting, especially for my sister. I needed to make sure she was still alright mentally, and still felt love and care from me. I wanted to make her life better, not worse or filled with pain.

So she came back with the food. This time, she also had some for herself. It became a family meal. I stopped making the arrows while we both ate. She fed me, like she always had, but this time, I also fed her. I made sure to put my love and care into feeding her like she did for me. She must have felt it because she smiled for the entire duration of the meal, like I had. At the end, I gave her a long hug and thanked her for training me. I told her that I wanted to be trained and I liked having a strong big sister. I felt her relax and we enjoyed the feeling of each others love and body.

I also teased her by saying that since she's my big sister, she always had to be stronger than me. I didn't know her strengths and limits, but she knew them. I wanted to make sure she kept increasing her strength, and not just focus on me. I knew I would progress quickly, but I wanted her to become even stronger.

I had a theory that could help increase her strength, but needed to kill Ferocious Beasts to test it.

Before we went to the village, I wanted to have a heart to heart talk with her. She had been conditioned for several years about keeping me out of danger and well protected. The conditioning is already started to change, because she's training me to become stronger, but I needed to speed it up. We also need coins for weapons and better living conditions.

Looking deep into her eyes, I said “Lily, my sister, you're strong. Much stronger than me. But I'm no longer a weak child that needs to be constantly protected. So you don't have to keep me out of danger. I already have the strength to hunt normal Ferocious Beasts, and they will be good training for me.

You also need to make yourself stronger. Even with my current, limited knowledge, I can tell your a genius. You've loved and cared for me for several years, but you've neglected yourself, and that pains me deeply. I don't want to feel like I'm hurting your potential. You no longer have to hold yourself back because of me, because I'm going to become incredibly strong. I want to travel and experience all this world has to offer, and I want to do it with you.”

I could tell my words were having an effect on her, but I could also see sadness. Deep, soul wrenching sadness.

With sad eyes starting to water, and a pained expression, she pulled me deep into her bosom.

“Cesar, I'm not strong. I am fickle and weak, like a twig. I have seen what strong is Cesar, and I was afraid it would take you away from me. This world is not meant to be experienced Cesar, it's meant to be endured. There is only death and chaos in the wilderness. Strength rules this world Cesar, and everything depends on it. But you are right my little love, you are going to become strong, I can already see it. And it's a sisters job to keep an eye on her brother. Maybe with you, I'll see a new, better world.”

I decided I would also gain strength for the sake of happiness. I would make sure each person I care for, be it Jasmine, Lily, or myself, would have enough happiness to drown in.

Her mourning also affected me and I started shedding tears. I wouldn't pry anything out of her, or even ask questions. For her to be an orphan for most of her life, but still be as strong as she is, I could tell her past was extraordinary. It also made me realize I was still a child. I've only been in this world for a few days, and already feel like it's my right to become strong and adventure the world. How stupid of me.

After she finished crying, she looked like a new person. She looked like she had carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and it was finally taken off of them. She stood taller, and had a radiant glow to her. Even her teary face looked refreshed and reborn.

She looked down at me like a goddess and said “When I wished for a family Cesar, I had wished for a husband. I wanted to be loved, and I've never felt more loved than I have now.”

She came down and kissed me on my lips. It was a very natural feeling. Her cloud like lips, with her soft hands on my cheeks, felt like they belonged there. It wasn't a kiss of lust, but one of love and comfort. With our feelings intertwined, we melted together and lost track of time.

After what felt like a century, we both opened our eyes at the same time, looking deep into each others eyes. We still had a dazed look of love in our eyes that slowly faded and we slowly came back to life. When she realize what she had done, she quickly pulled her lips back and turned the deepest colour of red I had ever seen. She looked like me from last night. Like a ripe tomato, a happy tomato.

She tried to grab the bundle of arrows and rush out the door but I caught her by her strong waist and pulled her into a hug from behind. We needed to carry more than just arrows. Our lives were changing, and we needed to get ready and be prepared.

“Now, now. Calm down Lily. It was a wonderful kiss. I'm glad you told me the truth about our situation, because I would have been reluctant if I had deeply accepted you as my sister. But I feel loved around you, and I want to make you happy. We are a little to young to get married, but I wouldn't mind a kiss every now and then. Besides, we need to sell the bones of the Elite Silver Furred Wolf. I'm not big enough to carry both parts, so you need to help me.” I said while hugging her wonderful waist from behind.

Even though I said that, I was only a few inches smaller than her. I was growing up incredibly fast. She was a little over 5.3 while I was just about 5 feet. She looked like a young women while I looked like a teenager. I knew humans grew really quickly in this world, but my growth was even surprising to me. I mean, I had gained 4-6 inches of height in the last 2 days. If I really wanted, I could carry both parts of the wolfs bones by myself. I just wanted to enjoy our time together and deepen my newly found love. I also didn't know anything about the village or the customs of this world.

Like a meek little girl, she cutely nodded. She wouldn't look me in the eyes while I talked to her and pushed the bundles of arrows to me while she went to get the bones. I wrapped the vines that were holding the arrows together around my shoulders and waited for her to return.

I remembered the kiss and smiled. That was my first kiss. It was more than anything I could ask for. I'm glad Jasmine had planted the suggestion of making her my wife or girlfriend earlier. I'm sure her female intuition had kicked in and she knew this would eventually happen. That was also her first kiss, since she shared my senses. I hoped it was wonderful for her.

Lily came back with two bundles of bones. It looked like she had broken and compressed the bones into neat packages. I could still see the 30% of the energy that was inside but I left it there. I had learned about the uses of the bones. It seemed like most people ground up the bones and put them into food or they were used in Alchemy. For people in the Houtian Profound Realm, they could only absorb a small fraction of the energy they consume. The rest dissipates back into the atmosphere. I was once again thankful to the mirror for keeping the energy inside my body and letting me absorb all of it.

Though it wouldn't make much of a difference, it was in-fact his body keeping the energy locked up. The mirror also had such an ability, but it would have consumed a bit of the energy trying to keep it inside the body. With his body doing the work, he was getting 100% of the energy instead, with 10% going to Jasmine.

I grabbed one of the bundle of bones and grabbed her hand with the other. When she came back with the packages, she seemed to have calm down. But hand in hand, she had a pink blush on her cute, rose like cheeks.

As we walked into the sun, the mirror seem to have another reaction. Again, seemly connected to my emotions, it started giving me energy. But it wasn't the strong and pounding Yang energy I was used to. It was a warm, loving, caring energy that seemed to wrap and cover me like a mothers love. It was such an indescribable feeling, and I wanted this feeling to last forever.

As we walked towards the village hand in hand, I asked her for details about talking, and interacting with other people.

“Hmm... I would say most people are good towards one another. The war with the beasts has that kind of effect on people. It unites us. I'm sure people in the village are celebrating right now with drinks and food. They had also witnessed an organized attack from a beast hoard and there were no human casualties. It was indeed something to have a feast about. Not to mention the corpses that were gathered from the attack.

The problem is that quite a lot of people are arrogant and consider themselves to be above all other. I think it's caused by people becoming overly dependent and confident in their strength, looks, and wealth. This is really the case with people around our age or people under 18 years of age. Their bodies are developing, and they use their fists to talk. Children that are part of low level nobility or have weak Protectors in their families are usually rotten or spoiled. The more power and reputation a family has, the more discipline and education their children get.” She explained. All of a sudden, as if remembering something, she squeezed my hand.

“The danger is when the arrogance stays with them when they become Cultivators and Protectors. Then they realize they have the power to control countless lives in their hands. They become drunk on that power and treat people like dirt and slaves. Since they have the power, their word becomes law. Wrongs become rights at them whim. Countless people treat them with respect and reverence but they treat other people like shit. Men enslave many beautiful women and use them as sex slaves. The women do the same with beautiful young boys.” She continued and I felt myself giving off bloodlust.

She looked over solemnly at me and gazed deep into my soul with her shining silver eyes. “Cesar, I know you're not the type to do such things. But promise me that no matter how powerful you have in the future, you won't treat people like ants.”

Under her studying gaze, I replied “I won't. It's not like I won't have someone watching my every move. A certain silver haired goddess would probably judge me and knock me down a peg anyways.” I smirked.

She giggled and said “You're damn right I would.”

I realized she was worried about me becoming power drunk. I was a 4 year old Houtian Profound Realm practitioner in her eyes. She told me that the most talented children from the powerful families in the village usually enter the realm at age 11-13. She herself entered the realm at the age of 5. We were both little monsters compared to those geniuses. That didn't even apply fighting power or techniques. The families had put vast amount of resources into the younger generation, hoping to strengthen and advance the family.

The protectors we saw yesterday were almost all in the later stages of the Houtian Profound Realm, either the 4th or 5th Realm. The exception being the old man. He was in the earlier stages of the Xiantian Profound Realm. It's very difficult to determine a persons age past a certain point. At the age of 15, most people finish their development. That meant that the soldiers we saw yesterday could have been 20, or 40. But this also helped us. She told me that I should pretend to be 10 years old and she'll act to be 12. We both looked it anyhow.

She told me since It was a hoard attack, that the soldiers we saw were the best the village had. She said there are stronger protectors, such as the leaders of the village or the various heads of the powerful families. But they only appear when strong beasts attack. If the King Ranked Scarlet Blood Lion had attacked, they would have showed up to protect the village.

The soldiers yesterday had fantastic movement techniques and fighting techniques which meant that all of them were over the age of 30. People develop skills through sweat and blood, and the soldiers were the same.

I also asked Lily about the giant structure. Apparently, a branch of the imperial family lived there along with the most powerful protectors. They were called the Floating Cloud Divine Imperial Family. The strongest families in the village surrounded the castle. The main professions and industries surrounded the families and than stood the various shops and homes.

As we got closer to the city entrance, I finally saw the normal residents of this world. There weren't many people entering or leaving the city, but the people that were looked like hunters and mercenaries, but weren't cultivators. They all had various dead animals on them or swords and daggers.

The men had strong muscular bodies with rugged appearances. They looked surprisingly normal considering my expectations of how people would look in this world. Most of them looked like muscular humans from Earth. Their skins weren't perfect, most had cuts on some parts of their visible bodies, and were hairy. They also had average faces. I had expected them to look super human with beautiful faces and amazing bodies. Their bodies did look amazing, but were not what I expected.

The women were similar, but there were differences. The huntresses also had cuts and marks on their skins but their skin didn't have blemishes. You could tell they at least tried to take care of themselves and their appearances, to some degree. They also had proportional muscle mass to their bodies. They weren't over or under developed. Most of them looked like warriors, because they all have had an aura of fierceness radiating form them.

There people people bringing in animals that looked like the predators from Earth. Some looked like leopards, wolfs, giant rabbits, and various creatures.

“There are certain parts of the forest where the animals aren't at the level of Ferocious Beasts but are not small either. Hunters and Mercenaries usually go and kill them to sell or fulfill requests.” said Lily.

As we got closer to the entrance, more and more eyes started gazing at us, mostly at Lily. She did look like a goddess compared to everyone else.

Lily seemed to realize the gazes and tried to put on an imaginary hood. She started to pout and gazed at me.

“I was so worked up at the hut because of you, I forgot my cloak...” She said.

“Heh. I guess I have to showoff my pretty wife in the village. You are my wife now right? Or since we're not getting married yet, do you want me as your boyfriend or fiance?” I teased.

She didn't turn red but went into a thoughtful mode.

“I think it's fine to be your girlfriend for now. I still like being your foster sister, and I'm used to it. I honestly don't know... At least I can take more liberties while I'm your girlfriend.” She teased back. Well, she's quick to adapt. I also enjoyed our time as brother and sister. I didn't mind if we played more than one role in each others lives. She was already my sister, girlfriend, future wife, and my instructor.

“But this could cause trouble Cesar. Remember those bad people I mentioned? They do what they want and get away with it. If we were weaker, they would have taken us and turned us into slaves if they saw us. I have seen pretty boys and girls be taken. It's not uncommon, especially if they come from a poor background. There will also be a lot of drunks today because of the celebrating. So be careful Cesar, and stick close to me. Also, you will feel gazes sent at you, ignore them” She calmly said.

Even though we have strength, my sister has kept it hidden from the village. We couldn't afford to piss off any nobility or powerful family, even if we have the strength to do so.

Those who gain merits and achievements are given nobility ranks. They are universal ranks in this world. It means that they will be the same in any part of the world. In Floating Cloud Village, the most powerful people are Knight ranked. It is the lowest noble rank and the powerful cultivators had to work their entire lives to get it! That should put into context just how rare these ranks are and how strong one must be!

The protectors and cultivators had their own symbols to recognize them. Unless someone had very keen senses, they would not be able to tell if someone was a cultivator. For the general public, they issued out ways of identifying them, usually by a buckle that was attached to their hips.

So the couple, hand in hand, entered the village. Cesar saw many people celebrating and drinking. He saw many children role playing heroes and Cultivators. It was morning but people were already talking about the magnificent protectors that slayed the monsters and beasts and people would talk and treat them utter reverence. Small children said that they will become protectors and gain glory when they grow up! Cesar and Lily, upon seeing this, could only smile. It was important for humanity to be optimistic and progress to a better future.

While Lily and I walked down the road, countless drunk men would stare at her and start gawking, instantly becoming sober but enchanted with her beauty. When women saw Cesar, the would blush and start panting. He was still a little too young, but the women could tell he would court many females in the future. When people saw them holding hands, they saw two heavenly beings who were made for each other.

But not all people were so simple in their thoughts. When experienced hunters or merchants saw the bones in the couples hands, they would instantly freeze and fix their gazes onto the Elite beasts bones. Some of them even noticed the plain cloths the couple wore and their young age!

The news spread around at lightening speed. A young heavenly couple had bones of an Elite Ferocious Beast on them! The people spreading the news were very experienced hunters and influential merchants, how could it not make it's way up the village hierarchy!

Lily lead Cesar to a giant wooden building. Today would be the last time they would turn in arrows for their contributions to the village. This building was known as the Public Service Palace. It was where people handed in their tax, and where hunters and mercenaries took in requests that people would make. There was a separate palace for Cultivators called the Cultivator Service Palace.

They made their way into the counter where several people sat. Cesar took off the bundles of arrows from his back and gave them Lily. She took them to the dazed clerk, who with great difficulty, asked for her name. And that was all. Lily, seemly confused, came back and we were on our way.

“Huh. It's usually never like that. I'm usually questioned and asked for more arrows.” She said.

“Haha. He was enchanted by your beauty. If you were to hand him a rock, he wouldn't even notice.” I laughed.

She blushed. “If I had known that, I wouldn't have made so many arrows.”

She took me around the festive village and there were cat calls and wolf whistles every now and then from men and women. We both enjoyed the attention because they were done in a happy and playful manner. I had detected several lustful gazes every now and then and almost lost control. I was constantly absorbing small amounts of Yang energy so I was always riled up. But Lilys words earlier about ignoring such gazes made me stay in control. We were making our way to the Alchemy Association. They would take the Ferocious Beast Bones and use them for elixirs. I was very interested in Alchemy.

Alchemists used various ingredients to make medicine or elixirs. They would also take Dan and purify and condense the energy inside them. Even though I didn't need to purify and condense energy, I still wanted to know how to make medicine and elixirs. I wasn't too worried about myself, since I had Jasmine, but I was for my sister. If I could make elixirs for her, it would help her tremendously in cultivation. But learning medicine was important, for obvious reasons. With my perfect memory, and Jasmines analysis abilities, I knew I would get very far in the field. I could also use it as a profession to make money. They were one of the top professions for earning money.

As we neared our destination, I frowned. I could sense immense bloodlust being directed at us. All of a sudden, I felt a feeling I never welcomed, danger. It wasn't strong, but it was there. And from behind me I heard someone yell!

“THEIFS! Sons Of Bitches! You dare steal Elite Ferocious Bones from me?! Were you born from retarded mothers?!”

I knew those words were directed at us. With the amount of danger that I sensed however, I knew we weren't in any real danger. I knew these bones were coveted and wouldn't escape the eyes of some powerful people, some of whom would be rotten. The problem was that I knew we were surrounded, and the strength of their aura made me serious. These people were already here for an ambush and we entered the city not 35 minutes ago. Maybe it would have been a better idea to wrap them in vines but people would still have still felt the aura coming from them.

Lily and I both knew the risks of carrying these bones, so we were prepared. But I felt an extreme coldness from my sister that I've never felt before. My danger sense was blasting and echoing in my head telling me to run. One of the comments pissed her off, and I knew it was the one about the retarded mother. She was an orphan, but from her personality, I knew she loved and cherished her family.

I felt way more danger from her than I've ever felt in my entire life. If the Elite Silver Furred Wolf was here, he would turn into a cute little puppy and become submissive. I knew that if I didn't do anything, she would murder the man. He pressed a button which he should have never pressed, in both of us. Lilys being her mother, and mine being Lily. Lily might kill him, but with my knowledge, I would torture the man. But I knew that wasn't an option for us. They were all low Houtian Profound Realm Cultivators. I sensed 6 of them from their auras. Killing them meant turning the entire village against us. Cultivators meant better insurance from the beasts. That didn't mean we would take the abuse and be blamed for a crime we didn't commit. I also thought that the false charge of the crime was for the public. When people with power say something, it becomes the truth. And that way, people that are watching them wouldn't look at them with contempt, but rightfulness because they are doing a good deed. They were capturing criminals. These people were truly pieces of cunning shits.

Lily and I seemed to feel each others thoughts and we both felt anger rising from our chests. I squeezed her cold hands and brought her back to reality. But all that did was wake the sleeping lion.

With a whisper, I said “Let me handle this. Calm yourself down so you don't do something you'll regret.”

It seemed my words had an effect and she slightly nodded. At the exact same time, we turned to look at our assailant.

The piece of shit was a middle aged man. He wore an expensive and luxurious gold robe. All that did was make him look like a shining, golden piece of turd in my eyes. He had combed black hair. With the glint in his eyes and his expression, he looked extremely arrogant. When he saw Lily however, he turned into a dog with rabies, and couldn't stop panting with his tongue hanging out. It just made me more ruthless and cold. The mirror felt my emotions and the strong Yang energy started flowing through me.

I wanted to utterly tear these people apart now. But I kept my emotions in check. I would warn these people, take some compensation for Lily, and go on with our day. If they didn't listen, I'd follow this worlds law and let strength speak for itself.

People also stopped and looked at the commotion. They also heard the words “Elite Ferocious Beast Bones” and started looking at the bones in our hands.

With utter calmness in my voice, I said “Old man, you don't have the qualifications to even look at these bones, much less own them. Don't spout utter nonsense. Give us a sincere apology and slap yourself in the face for being a piece of human trash and we'll let you go. If you don't...” My voice went cold towards the end.

With a twitch in his eye and his expression turning cold, along with the bloodlust he was giving off, I knew we wouldn't get our apology and move on with our day.

“I was going to take back my families property and even let you brats live...” Said the old man and snapped his fingers.

The men that were surrounding us from afar all came closer and made a big semi circle around us, cornering us in. But it wasn't them trapping us, it was them stepping into their demise.

I was going to give them one more chance. I knew the Elite Ferocious Beast Essence Bones were too enticing. We also looked like poor teenagers. Poor and carrying a treasure wasn't the optimal combination to have, and I realized it. It was too bad they couldn't sense our strength, especially Lilys.

“Old man. This is your last chance. We are not weak. We may look like teenagers, but we have the power to kill an Elite Ferocious Beast. Even you should understand what that means. It means that we're stronger than all of you combined. So give me what I demand, and go home to celebrate for not stepping into your death.” Was what I said. It was also true. Lily did have that kind of power and I would soon. Even though we didn't kill it, we certainly could have. We will be killing more beasts from now on, and I don't want this kind of trouble every time we bring in treasures to sell.

The problem was that people in the village knew the strong cultivators. If they were slaves and were on errands from a powerful family, and said so, the middle aged man and his team would have left them alone. Even with the battle yesterday, there were only a handful of Elite beasts. This caused bitter and envious feeling to rise in the families who couldn't get their hands on them.

Cesar and Lily were not known even though they were beautiful and had recognizable faces. This meant they were not from the village or from powerful families. They wore tattered and plain cloths, not expected from someone that had the power to kill Ferocious Beasts. They had no weapons on them. They had Elite Ferocious Beast bones but none of the other parts. They were teenagers. This lead the middle aged man to believe that they got lucky and found them in the battle yesterday or something along those lines. So when he heard the news, he instantly put the pieces together. He knew he had to hurry and take the treasure while there was time, because more people, ones more powerful than him, would definitely put the pieces together. With his quick thinking and wits, he had accumulated quite a lot of wealth. But even with his wealth, he could not get his hands on an Elite Beasts corpse. Powerful families and Associations had bought them, and there was nothing he could do but be envious. So even with the brats sharp words and tongue, not for a second did he believe the tough guy act that kid was showing.

“Have it your way kid.” The venomous man said. I knew the battle was starting. I would use these people as punching bags and not let Lily get to them. I didn't want her accidentally losing control of her emotions, which meant losing control over her powers, and end up accidentally killing them.

I looked over at Lily and she seemed to know my intentions because she nodded and grabbed the bundle of bones from my hands and took them. She didn't carry them but put them down beside her feet. I knew she would step in if it became dangerous for me. I'm glad she calmed down. I still felt anger and coldness from her but that was expected.

“I want the brat beaten to an inch of his life and thrown in prison for stealing our treasure. Capture the girl.” said the soon to be flattened and in pain piece of shit.

The 6 men pounced on me and ignored Lily. From the way they ran to me, I knew these people had little control over their bodies and no martial skill to speak of. They wouldn't even be some practice for me but a waste of my time.

I used my movements and skills I had learned to expertly weave around their bodies while I disabled them as fast as I could. This meant some broken bones. I kicked the first guys left leg and his dislocated his knee cap. Before he could even scream, I punched his face and knocked him out. The second, I swiped his legs so he started falling and elbowed the side of his skull. That drove him to instant unconsciousness. Before the rest could react and try to retreat, I gave them a similar treatment. They were the goons of the middle aged aged man and only following his orders. I would make their pain minimal but still cause them some grief. The middle aged man though, I would torture to an inch of his life.

It didn't even take 30 seconds for me to take down the 6 men. Even though we were on the same Realm, there was an absolute difference in technique. Not to mention I had Yang energy powering me. I looked over and the piece of shit had turned white. I didn't waste time and walked to him. If he ran, I would break his legs. But he didn't. He seemed to realize he wasn't faster than me.

The people around us now no longer saw me as a powerless kid, but a powerful cultivator. I could see the utter respect and awe in their eyes. I treasured those looks, making sure to never take them for granted.

As I made my way over to the middle aged man, his body started pouring out sweat. He now looked ghastly white, and seemed to realize that he had made a grave mistake. But being a cunning old piece of shit he was, he immediately bowed and started flattering me.

“Haha... This old man has made a mistake. Bones from an Elite Ferocious Beast were indeed stolen from my family, but they wouldn't be taken by you, an absolute young Cultivating genius! You are a hero with the power to kill hundreds of Elite beasts, and this old man now realizes that! The weak little me would like to apologize and would be honoured in compensating you for wasting your time and threatening you.”

Even though he looked like he was apologizing with his flowery words, the closer I got, the more danger I felt. I realized he had his hand in his sleeves and was holding a hidden weapon. My anger flared and before he could react, I went behind him and broke his knees and shoulders.

With several “Pop!” sounds, he lost control over his body and fell down. To be certain, I also broke his elbows so he couldn't try anything that could injure me. His wailing screams and screeching cries had no effect on me as I looked through his sleeves. I found a small green coloured sword with a wooden handle and yellow carvings all over the blade. Even though I couldn't recognize the metal, the golden carvings were similar to the elders sword from yesterday.

I also found a pouch filled with coins. The man must have been rich because it was filled with gold and silver coin. I was going to take these items as compensation because they would do much better in our hands than his.

I grabbed the man by the neck and dragged him towards Lily. She was still angry but looked proudly at me. I had stood up for her, shared her pain, and revenge was taken swiftly and in a reasonable manner.

The middle aged man started begging to be released. When that didn't work, he started threatening us.

I started my torturing my human guinea pig. I didn't want permanent damage but with his worlds miraculous healing powers, I took some liberties in delivering him pain. so I beat his face blue and hit nerves that caused him a lot of pain. I broke small bones in his body like fingers and toes. I took my claw like nails and removed his teeth, making sure he would never eat solid foods again, at least not for a while. All this happened in a matter of seconds.

Before I could go further, I felt a familiar aura. The aura of a calm, protective killing intent that seemed to be etched into his soul.

“Now young lad, I think he got his punishment. It's going to cost him quite a bit to get himself fixed and if you do anymore damage, it could really be permanent. You also got your compensation from the coins and short sword. Do this old man a favour and let him go. Today is a day of celebrating, so celebrate.” Said the familiar, strong old man.

When the surrounding people heard the voice of the old man, they gasped and some even fainted. Most people instantly cupped their hands and bowed deeply.

I smiled as I looked up to see the old man. He didn't look any different from the last time I saw him. He still didn't have a spec of hair on his smooth face and bald head. He still wore his grey robes and had a 4 feet long sword sheathed on his waist.

I looked over to Lily for permission. It was mostly for her that I was doing this. Her anger had gone away and she calmly nodded. I took the pouch and sword and gave it to her. They would be much better in her experienced hands. She took them and smiled. The sword suited her and she seemed comfortable with it's size.

I went over to the goons and relocated their bones back into place. Someone had to carry the middle aged man back, and the goons had learned their lesson. They were still unconscious but would wake up soon.

The old man nodded at my mercy and walked up to us. People seemed to gravitate to him as the worshiped him.

I already had a good impression of the old man. He didn't have an ounce of arrogance in his bones but still carried himself tall. Even though the people around him were worshiping him like a God, he just had an apathetic and understanding smile plastered on his face. He didn't carry the symbol of his immense status and power on his waist or wore extravagant cloths to show off his wealth.

With a smile, I said “That doesn't even count as a favour for you old man, I'm already too deep in debt.” Even with my changed appearance, he seemed to recognize me. It was most likely because I was with Lily.

With a chuckle, the old man said “It's my duty to nurture the younger generation. I'm glad I did my job, but I didn't expect that you would gain the benefits.”

He overlooked me and went into a thoughtful state.

Lily came over with the bundles of bones and calmly said in a voice only us 3 could hear “Here to take these back?” as she pointed towards the Elite Ferocious Bones.

That seemed to wake him up from his dazed state and he answered by shaking his head. With a slight smile towards her direction, he said “They are of no use to me. But it seemed you don't need them either.” He said directly at Lily.

What an intelligent old man. His old age wasn't for show. It made me respect the old man even more. Even though he couldn't sense her cultivation, for her to not use the bones meant that she was at the realm where she didn't need them. That meant the she was at-least in the Xiantian Profound Realm, the same as him.

“Coins don't magically appear you know?” I jokingly said.

He laughed once more and nodded.

“Let me come along with you youngsters so it'll be easier to sell them. You'll also have no more trouble coming at you.” He said. I knew there was more to this and I had a hunch.

“Let me guess. Afterwards, you'll invite us to your place to celebrate or talk. Probably something to do with the nurturing business you're in.” I guessed.

He smile deepened as if he expected me to accurately guess and nodded to confirm.

I had a good impression of him, and he didn't seem like he wanted to cause us harm. It could be an opportunity, and I owed the man, even if he didn't think so. I also had a feeling that people had seen his battle with the Elite wolf yesterday and he had stopped them from going out to collect it, not that they could have. In that split second moment of looking at us, he had already figured out our value and roles. Quite the amazing perception.

So we made our way over to the Alchemist Association. Surprisingly, we had even more gazes pointed in our direction. It seemed like everyone knew who the old man was and would clear a path for him. They would also bow with their hands cupped.

We went into the giant wooden building that smelled like medicinal herbs. It was a quick process with the old man with us and I felt like we had gotten a premium price. We got 10 gold for those bones, more than I expected. Overnight, we went from poor to relatively rich, and it was just the beginning.

We left the Alchemist Association but I knew I would be back. I was seen with the old man, and I was going to use his influence as a way to get their knowledge.

Then we went towards his house. Surprisingly, we left the city and entered the forest. I thought he would live in the giant castle but he didn't. Even though he looked calm, I could tell he was slightly uncomfortable being gazed at by the hawk like Lily.

After a few minutes, we came onto a beautiful scene. At the back, was a wonderful waterfall that seemed to go into a large pond. In the front, was a medium size house that looked sturdy, practical, and had natural beauty to it. It was a calm and peaceful atmosphere, on that made you relax and feel one with nature.

We sat down in front of the waterfall and he brought out some green tea and food. Since I had fought, I was hungry. And since the Yang energy was forging my body, I seemed to require more food. The food and tea all seemed to add to the peaceful atmosphere and Lily and I relaxed. That was the time he started talking.

“I guess I should introduce myself. I'm known as Calix or General, but don't mind if you call me old man. My cultivation is the 2nd Xiantian Profound Realm. I'm not going to ask you to join some family or even try to recruit you to become soldiers. You both have potential to go beyond our little village, and keeping you here would just be limiting your potential. But I should still be able to help you both, but I don't have enough information to know your strengths and weaknesses. So please tell me about yourselves.”

Lily seemed to have relaxed and became more open. But she still didn't say much.

“Lily. Higher cultivation than yours. Orphan.” Was all she said. It was short but gave enough information.

“Techniques? Strengths? Weaknesses? Age?” He probed.

“Self taught. Orphan” was her cryptic answer. But since I had known her longer, I knew there was more to her than being self taught. She also didn't mention anything about age.

Calix understood that she wouldn't just hand over information looked over at me.

I calmly replied “Cesar. 1st Houtian Profound Realm. Also an orphan. I stole the soldiers techniques, as you saw.”

He nodded and smiled. I could feel like he wanted to test me but since Lily was here, he didn't dare. If he wanted to, he would had to ask.

“Your very young Cesar and are already at the Houtian Profound Realm. The youngest I've ever seen in-fact. Almost didn't believe you were the same little kid I saw yesterday. If I had to guess, your at the early stages of being a 4 years old. Your body is years ahead it's time, but it's your mind that's even more profound. With your intellect, you know the significance of your amazing potentials, both yours and Lilys.” Calix said while he gazed at the pond.

Lily and I were indeed beyond human limitations. I could tell he saw us as the future of humanity, and just wanted to help us realize our potential. It may be for the sake of humanity or just some wish fulfillment, but it would help Lily and I tremendously. I was also interested in the knowledge of this world. Calix would end up filling some of the gaps in my mind. I didn't have a reason to reject him and as long as he didn't tell others about us, it would be fine. He might also be doing this for our protection. From our little stunt earlier, many organizations and families will be trying to court us or eliminate us if they see us as a threat.

“I know we just met but since you're both orphans, I would like to offer you this home. It's not much, but it should be better than what you're currently living in. It also has a better view than anything in the village. I can't offer much, but I can offer you resources and knowledge. You will also have complete freedom while you live here. If you're more comfortable having your own place to live, than you can make your own home around here. You won't be restricted in any way. You'll get resources anyways since you'll be hunting Ferocious Beasts, but I have access to higher quality elixirs and whatnot. I also have access to the private Floating Village Library. It has knowledge and stuff you've missed out on since you're both orphans. I also have cultivation techniques and martial techniques because of my position. Some of them are beyond me, or no longer useful because of my age, but will be very useful for you.”

He had put up an offer, one that was too good to be true. He didn't get to his conditions, and his must have some.

Lily, seemly read my mind and asked “What do you want in return Calix. You're too smart to just do this because of our great potential.”

Knowing that the question was coming, Calix said “When you become stronger, and have great achievements, I want you to remember this village. We just don't have the resources and experts that other cities and villages do. The Ferocious Beasts that attack us are the weakest, but they are already the limit of our village. By helping you, I'm actually helping the village. When you become stronger, I hope you will assist the village. The small amount of help I will give you will turn into the best investment I will ever make in my life, I'm sure of it. I also hope to see you two blossom and achieve greatness in my lifetime. I've been in this village for many years, but I have seen little progress. The highest Cultivation Realm in the village is the upper Xiantian Realm, and he's an old man that's waiting for his death. The Floating Cloud Divine Imperial Family doesn't place any importance in this village, and they actually hurt us.”

He was truthful and open with us. I was glad to hear his reasons, and they were the correct ones. I knew if this old man had greater resources, he would have gone far. Just his intelligence is worthy of my respect.

Calix continued “4 months from now, the Genius Gathering Exhibit will happen. It is not held by us, but by the Imperial Family. It takes 2 months to get to the Floating Cloud Capital City from our village. The best geniuses from the most powerful families will be there. The maximum age of the children that are participating is 15. The most powerful are taken and taken to The Great Desolate Wilderness to train.” A sad expression was building on his face as he continued.

“The training is utter torture. Not to mention that we have to cross the forest with our pitiful strength to reach the Capital City. Cesar, do you know what the death rates are for the participants of our village?” He seemed to be on the verge of breaking down.

I had an idea but shook my head.

Looking deep into my eyes, Calix said “99% Cesar. 30% will die traveling to The Floating Cloud Capital City through the wilderness. 20% will die from the fights in the Exhibit. Killing is looked down upon but not punished. The few who manage to make it to the Wilderness all die. The lucky ones who fail but are still alive have their spirits broken and have to make it back to the village through the forest. The problem is that our village tries over and over again to compete, hoping to create a heaven defying genius. Their training in The Desolate Wilderness is not meant for humans, but to make geniuses into greater monsters than the ones we are at war with. Most are used as stepping stones for the few. Humanity is desperate Cesar, and necessity drives us, over everything.”

What terrifying information. They are basically creating situations and experiments where people are forced to adapt and evolve. They use the 'survival of the fittest' motto to the extreme. But Calix was right, necessity overrides all else, especially in the face of utter annihilation and the death of the species.

“I believe you two are those few who can topple everyone else. You two are already monsters not seen in our kingdom. Even geniuses are still born human. You two seem to defy that. Even if you both don't go to The Desolate Wilderness to become stronger, you'll still reach unimaginable heights. Going there will just make it quicker for you. Cesar, you might be a little young, but you have Lily with you. The Exhibit will be a challenge for you but once they see your age and strength, you'll get to go. Lily will probably be the strongest this year. Cesar, you also have the highest potential I've ever heard of, Lily being the second.” He said.

Lily seemed to take great pride in me having the highest potential and nodded.

“I want you both to go the exhibit. You have 2 months of training here and 2 months of surviving in the forest. I won't force you to do anything, and you'll be pacing yourselves and making your own decisions. But I can give you some advice. First, read the techniques you think are suitable for you and go to the library to gain more knowledge. Lily will need to travel deeper into the forest to find suitable enemies. Cesar... Just do what you think is best.” Said Calix. He seemed to trust my intelligence and perception.

And so began our baby steps into the real world of Cultivation.