Refining the Heavens 2 (炼天二)

Chapter 4: Discipleship (Part 2)

It was a short and straightforward ritual of discipleship, but through it, everything changed. For better or worse, Ah Gui and the others now share a lifetime bond with Kairos Astroire. Mostly, it was difficult for Kairos to adapt to such an enormous change. At twelve, he is considered an adult in the empire, but taking in people nearly three times his age as students felt like a ridiculous notion. Yet, when he saw the fifteen covert operatives smiling at him radiantly, obviously thrilled by being accepted, he smiled wryly, not knowing who the adult in this place is.

Their joy was infectious, and Kairos could understand why they were this excited at being accepted. It was the feeling of getting a family that made these grown men and women behave like children. But of course, Kairos had given them so much that they couldn't repay, he is their lifesaver, their benefactor, and they wanted to show their gratitude with the rest of their lives. The Origin Cultivation Method, Origin Energy, Soul Perception, and the cubic fruit that re-engineered their latent talents, had given them more than an edge against other cultivators and they weren't gifts given to mere subordinates. Even actual family members will withhold such things from each other.

It made them formidable opponents, to the point that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are nearly peerless within their rank. Just the Soul Perception they gained from their new cultivation method is enough to overwhelm most practitioners. When they first learned of it, they were shocked to their core.

"No wonder our ambush failed."

"This is such an unfair skill!"

For covert operatives like them, the benefit is indescribable. Granted, there are plenty of martial techniques out there that could act like a Soul Perception, but there were none they know that could match it.

The Saint Empire cultivation techniques and martial arts are considered the acme of excellence on Gaia. While other places have their own features which equal them in power or application, they do not have as many high-level skill manuals.

They are confident that the Soul Perception ability is at least above the mortal realm's standard. Moreover, it is only but one of the benefits of their cultivation method. The Origin Energy allows internal and external cultivation, could be used as an emergency healing method and also as a short-timed boost in fighting capacity.

Any of those is a formidable ability.

Of course, after acquiring Origin Energy, what one does with it afterwards is entirely different. Like how Kairos is focused on innovation and researching new methods, Tommy started developing the use of Origin Energy for offence while Alan explored how to become better at defending. Edward aimed for destructive force, and Jim focused on speed and precision.

Not only are they free to pursue power in the direction they wished, the cultivation method is tailored to suit them perfectly; not just who they are currently but to help them grow into what they desire to be on the path of Dao.

In fact, Kairos is the only one that learned the original cultivation methods from the Origin tome without any modifications, and that is because he couldn't find any need to adjust the technique when it appears completely compatible with him.

Now, after the fifteen have already finished their discipleship ritual, the Snowdrifts could no longer return to what it was. It is no longer a group created by a bunch of young kids with the same interests, but now an official guild. Although Kairos had no inkling to how vital this means right now, in the future, their new guild will celebrate this very day as their opening.

Kairos scratched his head as he looked at the fifteen in front of him. As tradition dictates, a teacher needs to bestow to each disciple a gift for their new relationship. Not only is this gift meant to help strengthen the disciple, but it also symbolises their teacher's capability as well as how much the teacher favours each disciple.