Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ)Chapter 106 - Synchronous effects
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 11:53:35 +0000 UTCBright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Demian's P.O.V.
With some hesitation, he added a question that had been constantly on his mind since he met the older man, especially since he had been taken under his wing. “By the way, Teacher... I never asked you before, but.. I mean, you know what my relationship with the girls is and... I mean, doesn’t it bother you?” Feeling a bit nervous about the other man’s response, his gaze immediately focused on Sergei’s face, paying attention to any change of expression that might have indicated displeasure, or even worse: disgust. However, whether it be because the older man had no strong feeling about his situation or because he was particularly adept at hiding it, Demian did not notice any change in the ever-calm expression the man sported, who responded in a reassuring tone. “If you’re speaking of your blood relations, then my answer is that I don’t particularly mind. All of you are adults, are you not?” Turning his gaze away with embarrassment, Demian retorted. “I know, and it’s not like I’m forcing them... Of course, the situation with Liya and Bryn hasn’t been cleared out yet, but I’m pretty confident that it will work out the way I, and from the way you and Aunt Ling keep teasing me, you as well, predicted. It’s just...” Not knowing how to phrase his feeling exactly, Demian suddenly fell silent, prompting Sergei to remark wisely. “From the way you phrased it, I believe the problem isn’t external, but internal instead. In other words, others’ opinions only matter because you’re not completely comfortable with your own choices.” Those words had the effect of a lightning strike in the young man’s mind, scattering the fog filling his head. Feeling a bit ashamed, he muttered. “Claiming that I didn’t care, but deep down still did...” Realizing how hypocritical he had been without even realizing it, Demian let out a tired sigh, feeling mentally exhausted.
The sudden pat on his shoulder brought his attention back toward Sergei, whose face displayed a reassuring expression as he said. “Only by being aware of your own thoughts can you improve yourself. So, there’s no need to brood about it too much.” Pausing for a second, he then added, while moving his gaze away, “As for your blood relation...” A few light chuckles left his lips before he resumed. “...Although it may be much rarer for low-level Cultivators, when it comes to powerful Families, it’s relatively common. Marriage between cousins, Aunts, and Uncles happens frequently. Even those more direct blood relations are ‘allowed’ to marry, although that’s much less frequent.” Halting his words, the older man looked at the surprise plastered on the young man’s face before shaking his head as he remarked. “You’re still too naive.” Turning his head back toward the cobbled path they were following, he added. “There are many reasons for that, too many to list them all, one of the most prevalent being bloodline ‘purity’, exchange of benefits or special tastes... With increased Longevity and such massive differences in individual power, Cultivators have far less restraint on their urges compared to Mortals, especially with the fact that those problems met by Mortals when interbreeding are nonexistent for Cultivators. Especially as they grow more powerful. As long as it doesn’t go against their Heart Path, does it matter if one had thousands of concubines, all with blood relations with oneself? Why would they care about the powerless masses’ opinions when they’re powerful enough to destroy cities? Against the Natural Order and Morality? The most powerful Fist is the Natural Order and Morality. Everything else is simply inconsequential wind.”
Halting his words, he then stopped walking and turned toward the young man with a solemn look while setting his hands on the young man’s shoulders. “Remember my words, Demian. In this World, whether it’s just or not, Might is always right. So, don’t think that because Ling and I are friendly to you all, everyone else will act that amiably with all of you, even in the Federation. To be fair, whether it is Ling or I, neither of us usually involves ourselves with others, especially when it comes to powerful Cultivators. And when it comes to ruthlessness...” As that word left his lips, his smile turned as cold as frost, bringing a brief feeling of fright inside Demian’s heart. “...Let’s just say that those who crossed my wife or I have paid a steep price, much steeper than they expected.” Pausing his words, Sergei then let go of his shoulders and resumed moving on the path while his expression turned back to normal and he added. “Whatever the case, as long as you have enough power, no one would say anything about what you do, even if you break the Federation Law. At least, not in front of you. So, just let go of your feelings of shame when it comes to the three girls and instead embrace your feelings fully. It’s the only way to keep your Heart clear while still acting in any way you want.” With his Mind in a bit of a daze from the older man’s impactful speech, Demian’s body started to automatically follow by his side.
The next few minutes were spent in a silent and leisurely walk, as Demian’s thoughts were in a flurry, and Sergei was sensible enough to notice the young man’s inner struggles, and thus left him some space. Once the two finally reached the open-air front courtyard, the young man was pulled out of his pondering by the strong Elemental fluctuations coming from behind the building’s left wing, where Sera’s and his own bedroom was located. “What’s...?” Before he could start dashing toward the source of those fluctuations, Sergei stopped with a few reassuring words. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry. Actually, that’s the reason why I was the only one waiting for you to finish your Cultivation Session.” To be clear, Demian could tell from the Bond shared with Seraphine that she was the source of the commotion and that it was purely beneficial. However, it was the commotion’s extent that took him by surprise, along with another concern: What if one of the other girls was involved and was hurt in the process? After all, he had not bonded with them yet and was thus not able to sense anything from them. Fortunately, it was just a baseless worry, as the young man was certain that Sergei would have warned him otherwise.
With his concerns alleviated, only curiosity was left in his Mind, prompting him to ask. “What happened?” With an impressed look on his face, Sergei responded while the two kept walking in the direction of the commotion’s origin. “The cause of this mess is Seraphine. Although it’s not particularly serious, it’s been happening since the previous morning, at the same time as you started with your own antics.” Noticing the confusion on the young man’s face, he explained. “See the Energy flooding toward her? Well, the commotion you created was at least twice as large. To be honest, I’ve seen many similar phenomena in the past, some that were even much greater...” With his tone lowering, he shook his head and added after a brief moment. “No, if it was a breakthrough, the amount of Elemental Energy pouring inside her body and yours previously could be somewhat explained, at least if it happened for a short time. But its length is anything but short...” Sergei then looked at Demian’s face with a complicated expression before stating. “Anyone else with your Cultivation would have exploded with no chance of survival. Absolutely none. But, not only are the two of you fine, but I can sense not only the massive growth your Soul Power experienced but also how stable your Cultivation base is and the great increase in your Soul Power’s Purity... This...” Letting out a sigh, he then turned back toward the wooden corridor leading to Demian’s bedroom and declared. “Ling and I truly underestimated your secrets. Calling it heaven-shattering is barely adequate.” As the two men were about to reach the room, Sergei turned his head toward him one last time and instructed. “When I previously told you that only those people at the end of their lives or stuck at a bottleneck would go after you, I was wrong. Knowing what I know now, I can tell you that anyone else but us would go after your secret, even those talented Cultivators. At least until all of you achieve considerable strength. I wouldn’t even trust those few maids and guards of ours if it weren’t for them having signed a Soul Contract containing a non-disclosure clause. So, whatever you do. Never. I repeat. NEVER disclose your secret to anyone or display even the smallest clue about those secrets. Otherwise, I can guarantee you that death will be the least of your worries.”
Those words were far from being alarmist, as Demian was beginning to realize that they may even undervalue the situation he and the girls were in. After all, he had only bonded with Seraphine for now and already experienced such massive benefits. So, what would happen when he bonded with the other two? Not only for him, but for them as well. One person receiving those benefits could tentatively be claimed as being an Innate Talent, not replicable or transmissible to anyone else. The ‘problem’ there was that with three other women benefiting from it, the secret could obviously be shared with others. Even with the harsh requirements of having a certain level of affection toward each other, most would not be deterred, as they would either not believe him or try to find a way to bypass those requirements, no matter the cost. All in all, he and the girls would be at the mercy of those people, and there was nothing his Perks could do to change that. Overpowered Perks they may be, but at the end of the day, they were merely foundational, and Cultivation was a matter of accumulation, especially as the Cultivation Rank rose. As for relying on his Teacher and Aunt Ling to stave off those greedy hyenas? It was better to forget it, as even if one forgot basic human decency, something he would not, the two were far from being invincible in this World. Were Peak Core Formation Cultivators strong? Of course! At least for the majority of living Cultivators and those without any Cultivation. However, what about those at the Void Seed Rank? Or even higher at the Void Sapling Rank? Even with the barest understanding of Cultivation, which stated that the higher the Rank, the bigger the difference between it and the one below, Demian knew the answer: Utter obliteration with a single thought.
Thus, the best solution was to follow Sergei’s advice and hide his Perks’ effects even deeper than he had planned previously. Same for the Chaos Soul Ring. Only those bonded to him could know about the latter. Even Liya and Bryn should not know more than some vague explanations like ‘Perk-related benefits’ or something similar. As all those thoughts traversed his Mind, barely an instant seemed to have passed, prompting him to answer solemnly with his eyes slightly narrowed. “I’ll be careful. I’ll also warn the girls, don’t worry.” Nodding his head, Sergei replied. “Good. As your strength grows, the pressure will lower, but for now, it’s better to be extremely careful.” As soon as those words left his lips, he gently slid the door open, unveiling the scene behind it. Lying on the massive mattress was Seraphine’s unconscious body, with a flood of Elemental Energy flowing through her unlocked Acupoints, although with her cloaking ability, no one could feel any fluctuation coming from her. Well, maybe Sergei and Ling could, but he was not sure. Naturally, by being bonded to her, he could sense the storm of changes happening inside her, which was something he had previously experienced, the only difference being in the length of Time she needed for the transformation to finish. From what he could feel, she was about done, which would more or less fit the two’s understanding of the disparity between the benefits he could receive from his Perks compared to his Bonded Partners, the latter ‘only’ gaining around half of what he himself could acquire. ‘That would explain why the commotion was only half as great as mine and why she still hasn’t finished her breakthrough and Soul Power Purification.’ He contemplated before adding. ‘But I wonder if she can use the Chaos Soul Ring’s Incarnation function. That would boost both her Cultivation speed and her raw power by a massive amount.’ As those thoughts surfaced in his Mind, his gaze briefly swept the room where Ling and Adeliya were seated on the comfortable couch set on one side of the room while Brynhild was in a chair close by, her face sporting a tense expression.
As soon as the two entered the room, the three’s attention moved from the sleeping woman to them. With a playful smile on her face, Ling exclaimed. “Hey, kid! You’re really something, aren’t you? Making so much noise, I really hope you gained something worthwhile. Mmhh?” The expression she sported suddenly changed as Demian released a trace of his Soul Power, allowing anyone sensitive enough to feel it. Knowing his previous situation, the feisty woman had an impressed look as she remarked. “Worth it, indeed. Not only your Cultivation Base but also the Purity...” As those words left her lips, she added in a serious tone. “I guess my husband already warned you about hiding your... ‘Abnormalities’, shall we say?” Nodding his head, the young man responded. “Teacher did. I’ll be extra careful.” Nodding her head, she replied. “Good. Actually, the more heaven-defying your secrets are, the better it is for everyone here. Of course, that’s as long as you have time to grow. Otherwise, it can only be considered a curse.” Shaking her head, she stated half-jokingly. “When you become Immortal, don’t forget your Teacher and your favorite Aunt Ling, alright?” That made the other chuckle with Demian retorting. “Don’t worry, Aunt Ling, I’ll take care of you in your old age.” To which the older woman responded with her eyes slightly narrowed. “You cheeky brat! I think I need to tell your teacher to knock some respect into your thick head.” That threat reminded him of his first spars with Bryn, when she utterly dominated him as his physical condition was ridiculously low, especially compared to his current strength. The image of his Teacher putting him through the same thing did not sound very appealing to him, so he made the best decision in this case: capitulate. While lifting his hands in a sign of defeat, he exclaimed. “Fine, you win. I shouldn’t have teased you when I can’t even beat you.” With a sigh, he muttered in a melodramatic tone. “What can I say when I get bullied by those stronger than me? I can only accept it even if it’s not fair. Poor me!”
With a slight twitch of her lips, the older woman turned toward Adeliya while ignoring her chuckling husband and asked her. “Is he always like that? Why do I want to punch his face so much?” With a falsely serious expression, Liya nodded and responded. “Yes, it’s something he often does. But only Bryn was strong enough to punish it. As for me and Sera, we’re too weak, unfortunately.” Her response elicited a few other chuckles from the older man, with Demian swiftly joining him. With a light shake of his head, Sergei muttered in a tone too low for anyone but the young man to hear. [“No wonder you could make those three truly fall for you. Light humor, good looks, strong talent, and confidence... If you’re not careful, you may end up with a lot more female partners than them.”] With a light shake of his head, the young man sent his voice through some clever use of Elemental Energy to the other man’s ears. [“No way. Having three wives is already plenty for me. Also, Seraphine would probably deal with anyone else trying to seduce me ‘permanently’, if you know what I mean.”] Would he try to have more women if he could? That was a question that had surfaced in his Mind recently, something that only appeared after he agreed to sweep the three Mikhailov women into his own harem. His growing lust may have influenced him slightly to say yes, but once he started to think seriously about how much hassle it would be, he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, finding someone who would not only be trustworthy, but who could also fit with the other three and who would be accepted by them? Better be content with them and not overreach, especially when it was purely lust with no feelings involved. ‘A great man knows when to strive for more and when to be content with what he has. Only greedy fools try to reach for what isn’t meant to be theirs.’ He contemplated as the five kept chatting while waiting for Seraphine to awaken, something that Demian had mentioned in passing would not be too long.
Indeed, barely 30 minutes later, the Energy phenomenon started slowing down until it stopped completely a few minutes later, instantly followed by Seraphine’s eyelids fluttering open. As soon as her eyes opened, Demian noticed a dark gray light swirling inside those two gray veils serving as her eyes before they regained their previous light gray tint. A brief moment later, her consciousness seemed to have returned fully as she turned her head in their direction, her attention first falling on him as a habit before quickly sweeping everyone else present. Seeing them silent, she sat up in a fluid movement, and with a slight tilt of her head, she asked ‘innocently’. “Why are you all waiting here? Did something happen?” If it was not for the previous commotion and the feeling coming from the Bond, Demian would have never thought she was the source of the Energy's ‘riot’, and apparently, the rest felt the same way as all of them had an amused smile on their faces, with Sergei commenting. “Why does she remind me so much of you, Ling’er? Her acting is really impressive.” Rolling her eyes, Ling retorted. “It’s not acting, it’s just showing a different side of her. You really can’t understand true artistry, Darling.” Seeing how shameless the woman was, Demian completely agreed with Sergei: those two women were truly cut from the same cloth.
Shaking his head to remove those random thoughts, Demian turned toward his lover and asked with concerns lacing his tone. “How are you feeling?”
